About Danceletter
This newsletter has gone through many incarnations since I started it in 2018. It began as an experiment in writing spontaneously and informally about dance and life. As of September 2023, I’ve been trying something new, sending out a free monthly list of upcoming NYC dance shows (and some other dance-related events), aka Dance List.
I started Dance List in response to the dwindling of dance listings at many major publications. (More on its origin story here.) As a dance journalist and critic for more than 15 years, I receive a lot of information about dance and performance happenings around the city, and I wanted to make that available to readers in a simple, pragmatic format. I love connecting people to dance, and this is one way I’ve found to do it.
To help sustain this project, I offer paid subscriptions for $5/month, $40/year, or any amount over $40 at the “Extra Boost” level. Paying subscribers get first and full access to Danceletter Convos — a monthly long-form interview series in which I also share my personal picks of shows to see — and access to the complete Danceletter archive.
If you’re an artist, freelancer, or student, there’s a special discount for you! Get 25% off a monthly or annual subscription at danceletter.substack.com/artist.
To send me information about an upcoming performance or other dance-related event, write to me at danceletter@substack.com.
About Me
I’m Siobhan, a writer living in Brooklyn and a dancer on indefinite hiatus (“former dancer” never feels quite right). I danced for 20 years beginning at age 8; professional highlights included touring with Riverdance and performing with the artists Jillian Sweeney, Hadley Smith, Rebecca Warner, RoseAnne Spradlin, and Narcissister.
I always pursued writing alongside dancing. In 2013, having worked as an editor at Dance Magazine for nearly five years, I left to try my hand as a freelance critic and journalist, which I’m still out here doing today. I contribute regularly to the New York Times and have written for Artforum, The Brooklyn Rail, Cultured, Harper’s Bazaar, Open Space, Untapped, and The Village Voice, among other publications. I’m an adjunct lecturer at Barnard College, where I teach Dance Criticism and Dance in New York City. You can also find me on Instagram and over at my website.
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