In this episode of Why We Dance, host Mia Tate sits down with writer-director Josef Kubota Wladyka to celebrate the release of his Sundance award-winning film Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! — a love letter to his mother, a ballroom dancer who says dance saved her life. Josef reflects on his B-boy days, finding film through an independent-movie set, learning from Spike Lee, and the magic, grief, and presence at the heart of his new film. Through it all runs one message: no matter how messy life gets, never stop dancing.

About Josef Kubota Wladyka

Josef Kubota Wladyka is a writer and director whose films draw their spark from real people and the worlds they live in. Raised in Falls Church, Virginia, by a Japanese mother and Polish father, he fell in love with movies as a kid, sneaking into the local multiplex with his brothers, and spent his teens as a B-boy before discovering filmmaking on the set of a small independent film. He earned his MFA from NYU’s graduate film program, where he studied under and worked alongside Spike Lee.

His debut feature, Manos Sucias, executive produced by Spike Lee, won Best New Narrative Director at the Tribeca Festival. His second, Catch the Fair One, starred world champion boxer Kali Reis in her screen debut. He has directed television around the world, including Tokyo Vice, Narcos, Fear the Walking Dead, and The Terror. His third feature, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! — co-written with longtime collaborator Nicholas Huynh, starring Rinko Kikuchi, and inspired by his mother’s lifelong love of ballroom — won the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Classics on September 25, 2026. He lives in New York City.

Episode Timestamps

(01:08) Meet Josef Kubota Wladyka

(02:11) What movement means to him

(04:13) From ballroom to B-boy

(07:34) Watching his mom transform

(11:40) From B-boy to filmmaker

(18:17) Learning from Spike Lee

(20:47) Finding the worlds of his films

(28:04) Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!

(29:36) Magic, fantasy, and floating

(33:06) Tokyo Vice and finding Japan

(36:48) Grief and the thin veil

(40:28) Putting your art into the world

(44:08) Mom's standing ovations at 82

(47:48) Writing Ha-Chan with Nicholas Huynh

(52:31) What's next

(58:09) Salsa and Orquesta de la Luz

(1:03:48) Go see it in theaters

Links & Resources

• Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! — in theaters now (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Josef Kubota Wladyka — IMDb
• Manos Sucias (2014) and Catch the Fair One (2021)
• Tokyo Vice — HBO / Max
• Mia Tate — IMDb
• Follow Why We Dance on YouTube and Instagram
• Creator and Host: Mia Tate
• Producer: Meredith Gooderham
• Marketing Coordinator: Kyle Rusca
• Video Editor: Feroz Hasan
• Creative Director of Marketing: Sonja Uri
• Studio: Caspian Studios
• Production Support: Dark to Light Productions
• Camera: Caleb Morgan and Kai Irvine
• Assistant Camera: Ben Drummond
• Sponsor: Davies Reid Rugs

About Why We Dance

Why We Dance is a podcast hosted by Mia Tate, exploring the heart, humor, and ‘why’ behind movement. In each episode, we talk about the histories we inherit, the emotions we move through, and the ways dance helps us make sense of ourselves and the world. We invite dancers, creators, and embodied storytellers to share how movement shaped their lives, healed their wounds, and connected them to something larger.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The body is not static. Neither is identity.

In this episode of Why We Dance, Mia Tate welcomes Viktoria Modesta for a bold and expansive conversation about movement as authorship, creativity as survival, and the freedom found in refusing fixed forms.

Viktoria shares her early life in Latvia and the medical challenges that shaped her relationship with her body from a young age. She reflects on immigrating to the UK and immersing herself in London’s underground and fashion subcultures—spaces that gave her permission to imagine herself differently and to design her own visual language.

The conversation moves into Viktoria’s decision to advocate for amputation at fifteen, not as an act of loss, but of self-determination. She speaks candidly about reclaiming agency through choice, and how movement and performance became tools for rewriting narratives around beauty, disability, and power.

Viktoria also discusses her recent recovery period and the innovative ways she integrated AI into her creative process—exploring how technology, healing, and imagination intersect. Together, Mia and Viktoria examine the relationship between science and spirituality, alternative body architecture, and why evolving the body is inseparable from evolving the self.

This episode is a meditation on becoming—on embracing transformation, honoring curiosity, and choosing movement as a way forward.

About the Guest

Viktoria Modesta is a boundary-defying performance artist and musician known for reimagining the body as a site of authorship rather than limitation. Born in Latvia and based in the UK, she gained global recognition as a “bionic pop artist,” blending avant-garde fashion, music, and alternative body architecture to challenge conventional ideas of beauty and identity. Her work spans performance, technology, and embodied practice, exploring transformation, agency, and the art of becoming.

Episode Timestamps:

(00:00) Empowerment Through Creativity and Self-Design
(01:04) Meet Viktoria Modesta: The Bionic Pop Artist
(02:16) Early Life, Disability, and Medical Challenges
(07:25) Immigration, London Subculture, and Identity Formation
(09:29) Choosing Amputation and Reclaiming Body Autonomy
(14:46) The Power of Dance, Movement, and Embodiment
(20:47) Breakthrough Performances and Creative Transformation
(26:34) Imagination as Resistance and Reinvention
(29:55) Small Shifts, Big Personal Evolution
(30:16) Posture, Recovery, and Physical Realignment
(31:13) Resilience, Body Awareness, and Strength
(32:06) Curiosity, Reinvention, and Lifelong Learning
(32:30) Movement, Fashion, and Avant-Garde Expression
(34:55) Innovative Healing and Alternative Body Architecture
(37:53) AI, Technology, and Creative Recovery
(42:11) Embodied Cognition, Science, and Spirituality
(50:57) Future Vision, Advocacy, and Sharing Knowledge
(56:31) Universal Truths, Identity, and Final Reflections

Links & Resources:

Mia Tate’s IMDb
Viktoria Modesta
Subscribe and Follow Why We Dance on YouTube and Instagram
Podcast Producer S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
Executive Producer Meredith Gooderham
Production Studio Caspian Studios
Camera Operator Kai Irvine
Assistant Camera Ben Drummond
Production also by Dark to Light Productions
Thank you to Davies Reid Rugs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Presence as Craft. Movement as Meaning.

In this episode of Why We Dance, Mia Tate welcomes Will Swenson for an intimate conversation that looks beyond the spotlight and inside the life of an actor shaped by movement, memory, and truth.

From their shared high school years in Salt Lake City to Will’s acclaimed career on Broadway, the conversation traces the arc of a life lived in performance. Will reflects on growing up in a theater family, his early connection to movement and dance, and how those foundations informed his approach to acting long before he stepped onto a Broadway stage.

Together, Mia and Will explore the importance of presence in storytelling, the differences between theater and film, and what it means to stay grounded while inhabiting iconic roles in productions such as Hair, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Les Misérables, Waitress, and A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Story. Will speaks openly about balancing career and family, navigating change, and learning to remain honest—both in performance and in life.

The conversation also touches on faith, identity, and Will’s decision to step away from the LDS Church, examining how movement and embodiment can become tools for truth and self-connection. The episode closes with Will reading a deeply personal letter about dance and movement—an invitation to listen more closely to the body and stay present as life continues to unfold.

This is a conversation about craft, courage, and what it really means to live inside the work.

[00:00] Introduction and Guest Welcome
[00:31] High School Memories with Will Swenson
[03:16] Movement and Acting
[07:03] Growing Up in a Theater Family
[14:28] Journey to New York and Early Career
[21:44] Balancing Career and Personal Life
[23:44] Theater vs. Film: The Actor’s Perspective
[30:06] Experiences in Iconic Roles
[33:02] Tony Nomination and a Humbling Preschool Moment
[34:31] A Beautiful Noise and Neil Diamond’s Influence
[37:12] Landing the Role
[42:22] Creation, Pottery, and Staying Grounded
[46:22] Leaving the LDS Church and Family Dynamics
[52:45] Reflecting on Life’s Journey and Memory
[01:01:33] The Power of Dance and Movement

Mia Tate’s IMDb
Will Swenson IMDb
Subscribe and Follow Why We Dance on Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram
Podcast Producer S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
Executive Producer Meredith Gooderham
Production Studio Caspian Studios
Camera Operator Kai Irvine
Assistant Camera Ben Drummond
Production also by Dark to Light Productions
Thank you to Davies Reid Rugs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Freedom as Practice. Movement as Choice.

In this episode of Why We Dance, Mia Tate welcomes Aaron Walton for a reflective and wide-ranging conversation about freedom—not as a destination, but as something lived, practiced, and earned through motion.

Aaron shares how growing up in a musically rich household shaped his earliest relationship to rhythm and expression, long before his career in advertising took shape. He reflects on formative professional experiences, including working alongside Michael Jackson, and how proximity to cultural icons taught him less about spectacle and more about discipline, trust, and creative rigor.

Rather than lingering in the spotlight, the conversation moves forward—through fashion, embodied learning, and spiritual curiosity. Aaron traces his path from Paris runways to the quiet intensity of the ballet studio, including his involvement with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, where structure, humility, and presence reshaped his relationship to movement.

The episode culminates in a deeply personal moment as Aaron reads a letter on why he dances—an intimate reflection on authenticity, gratitude, and the courage to remain open to change. This is a conversation about loosening definitions, honoring lineage, and discovering that true freedom is not found in stillness, but in motion.

Episode Timestamps:
[00:00] Embracing Curiosity and Growth
[01:22] Introducing Aaron Walton
[03:02] The Power of Dance and Movement
[06:36] Childhood and Early Influences
[08:36] Educational Journey and METCO Program
[12:03] Career Beginnings at Pepsi
[14:36] Michael Jackson’s Bad Tour Experience
[17:57] The Discipline Behind Creativity
[22:12] Fashion Week and Personal Growth
[29:17] Embracing Confidence and Body Awareness
[30:29] Joining the LINES Ballet Board
[32:05] Winning the Auction and Preparing to Dance
[33:46] The Joy of Ballet and Continuous Learning
[35:03] The Power of Movement and Creativity
[37:09] The Importance of Disruption and Curiosity
[45:11] Personal Truths and Coming Out
[47:08] Spiritual Connection to Movement
[49:19] Reflecting on Family and Upbringing
[54:25] Concluding Thoughts and Letter Reading

Links & Resources:
Mia Tate’s IMDb
Aaron Walton – Walton Isaacson
Alonzo King LINES Ballet}
Subscribe and Follow Why We Dance on Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram
Podcast Producer S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
Executive Producer Meredith Gooderham
Production Studio Caspian Studios
Camera Operator Kai Irvine
Assistant Camera Ben Drummond
Production also by Dark to Light Productions
Thank you to Davies Reid Rugs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Movement as Meaning. Dance as Belonging.

In this episode of Why We Dance, Mia Tate welcomes Alice Sheppard for a powerful conversation about redefining dance through disability culture, collaboration, and lived experience.

Alice shares her unconventional path into dance, beginning in academia with music and medieval studies before movement reshaped how she understood her body and the world around her. A pivotal encounter with disabled dancer Homer Avila challenged long-held assumptions about who dance is for—and what it can communicate beyond traditional norms.

The conversation traces the founding and evolution of Kinetic Light, a disability-led arts company known for creating visually striking, culturally rich work rooted in disabled experience. Alice speaks candidly about collaboration as a creative practice, the responsibility of representation in the arts, and the essential role audiences play in meaning-making.

Together, Mia and Alice explore dance as both a deeply personal and collective act—one that holds space for resilience, interdependence, and universal human truths. This episode is a meditation on creativity, movement, and why dance remains one of our most honest forms of expression.

Episode Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction and Initial Thoughts on Disability Representation
[00:52] Welcoming Alice Shepherd
[01:30] Alice Shepherd's Background and Description
[02:33] Introduction of Mia Tate
[03:41] Alice Shepherd's Artistic Journey
[04:43] Exploring the Concept of Movement
[08:02] Alice Shepherd's Early Life and Musical Background
[11:05] Transition to Medieval Studies and Dance
[17:01] The Influence of Homer Avila
[22:03] Challenges and Breakthroughs in Dance
[27:35] The Connection with the Audience
[29:45] Founding Kinetic Light
[30:41] Collaborating with Michael Mag
[31:32] Forming the Dance Company
[32:19] Creating Art Rooted in Disability Culture
[36:21] The Impact of the Performance Wired
[40:14] Responsibilities as an Artist and Audience
[44:49] The Collaborative Nature of Dance
[51:40] Processing and Preparing for Future Projects
[53:14] Reflections on Dance and Writing
[01:01:03] A Letter on Why I Dance

Links & Resources:
Mia Tate’s IMDb
Alice Sheppard Dance Magazine
Kinetic Light – Official Website

Subscribe and follow Why We Dance on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram @WhyWeDance

Podcast Producer: S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
Executive Producer: Meredith Gooderham
Production Studio: Caspian Studios
Camera Operator: Kai Irvine
Assistant Camera: Ben Drummond
Production also by: Dark to Light Productions
Thank you to: Davies Reid Rugs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Movement as Courage. Dance as Truth.

In this powerful episode of Why We Dance, Mia Tate welcomes Mallika Sarabhai—world-renowned Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, actress, author, and fearless activist—for a conversation that stretches far beyond the stage.

Mallika reflects on growing up in an extraordinary family deeply rooted in Mahatma Gandhi’s movement, her early resistance to becoming a dancer, and the intellectual path that initially pulled her away from the arts. She shares the pivotal “Eureka moment” that called her back to dance—and into partnership with her mother, the legendary Mrinalini Sarabhai.

Together, Mia and Mallika explore how dance became a shared language between mother and daughter, a vehicle for confronting injustice, and a lifelong tool for asking uncomfortable questions. Mallika speaks candidly about using art to challenge power, facing government opposition and hate mail, and why humor, discipline, and vulnerability are essential to survival—both onstage and off.

Their conversation weaves through themes of womanhood, courage, authenticity, and the radical power of movement to communicate what words cannot. This episode is a testament to living fully—embracing both light and darkness—and choosing truth, even when it costs something.

It’s a conversation about legacy, resistance, and why dance, at its best, is an act of profound honesty.

Episode Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to Why We Dance
(00:57) Mallika Sarabhai: A Journey of Movement
(02:29) Early Life and Family Legacy
(04:01) Discovering Dance and Early Resistance
(05:01) The Eureka Moment: Choosing Dance
(06:14) Dancing with Her Mother and Building a Company
(11:30) Dance as a Language for Social Change
(23:09) Speaking Truth to Power and Government Opposition
(26:08) Purpose, Perseverance, and Personal Cost
(27:52) The Strength and Struggles of Women
(31:22) Responding to Hate with Compassion
(32:08) Vulnerability as a Source of Power
(38:54) Encouraging Critical Thinking Through Art
(45:58) Humor, Heartbreak, and Humanity in Dance
(51:37) Universal Truths and Living Authentically

Links & Resources:

• Mia Tate’s IMDb
• Mallika Sarabhai – Official Website
• Subscribe and Follow Why We Dance on Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram
• Podcast Producer S.J. Nichols (Seannon Gonzalez)
• Executive Producer Meredith Gooderham
• Production Studio Caspian Studios
• Camera Operator Kai Irvine
• Assistant Camera Ben Drummond
• Production also by Dark to Light Productions
• Thank you to Davies Reid Rugs

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.