How Artists Work, Now: Dance, Health, and the Military

Speakers:
Dr. Susan Steinberg-Oren, Clinical Psychologist, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Christine Suarez, Los Angeles-based choreographer and dance educator
Rick Maher, 34-year combat aviator, ballet dancer, and Creative Research officer for the Australian Defense Force

Moderated by Sarah Wilbur, Associate Professor of the Practice in Dance and Theater Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, Duke Dance MFA-EIP Program

Audiences from the campus and Durham community are warmly invited to join arts labor researcher and artist-in-healthcare Dr. Sarah Wilbur (Duke Dance/Theater Studies) in conversation with three dynamic professionals who have designed impactful dance-based programmatic interventions alongside mental health professionals and military service members at all stages of the career continuum. For a US context, we hear from Dr. Susan Steinberg-Oren (staff psychologist in Integrative Health at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System) and Christine Suarez (choreographer and fund-developer) about their efforts to grow and sustain the Dance for Veterans Program (2011-present) in the US VA Healthcare system. From the Australian perspective, creative research officer and combat aviator Rick Maher will share present efforts to design and scale a participatory dance program to address military mental health and wellbeing across the entire Australian military.

Generously co-sponsored by: Duke Arts, Duke Forum for Scholars and Publics, Duke Dance Program, Duke Theater Studies, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, Duke Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Hart Leadership Program at Sanford School of Public Policy, and the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

This event is free and open to the public.