#156: In this episode of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast, host Martheya Nygaard Scott sits down with Niloo Jalilvand, filmmaker, educator, multidisciplinary artist, and founder and executive director of Pegasus Media Project, to explore how storytelling, technology, and education can create more accessible pathways into the creative industries.

Niloo shares how more than two decades in education—and an after-school film club she started while teaching mathematics at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts—eventually grew into Pegasus Media Project. She discusses the connection between math and filmmaking, the importance of removing barriers to creative education, and Pegasus's whole-person approach to supporting emerging filmmakers.

The conversation explores collaboration, access, and creative workforce development, including how Pegasus provides tuition-free training, mentorship, hands-on production experience, and pathways into the professional film industry. Niloo reflects on why trust and care are essential to learning and why the impact of arts education can't always be captured by numbers alone.

Niloo and Martheya also dig into dance on screen, exploring the relationship between movement and filmmaking. Niloo offers practical advice for dance filmmakers—from building the right team and rehearsing with the camera to thinking of the camera itself as part of the choreography.

The conversation then turns toward AI, technology, and ethics in the arts. Niloo shares her perspective on balancing technological access with the need to protect human creativity, consent, and original thought. Through a deeply personal story about her late father's voice being recreated with AI, she raises important questions about ownership, ethics, and how far emerging technologies should go.

Finally, Niloo reflects on the growing North Texas film community, the value of collaboration over competition, and why curiosity is essential to building a more open and creative future.

00:00 Meet Niloo Jalilvand + Flash Four
02:00 From Math Teacher to Filmmaker
04:00 The Origins of Pegasus Media Project
05:00 Creating Accessible Pathways into Film
09:00 Trust + the Whole-Person Approach
12:00 Why Filmmaking Starts with Connection
14:00 Measuring Impact Beyond the Numbers
16:00 Creating Pathways into the Film Industry
18:00 Dance + Movement for the Camera
22:00 Advice for Dance Filmmakers
24:00 Building a Film Team on a Budget
26:00 AI, Technology + the Future of Creativity
33:00 Technology as a Tool for Access
36:00 AI, Voice + Consent
40:00 Making Space for Difficult Conversations
44:00 The Future of Film in North Texas
45:00 Collaboration Over Competition
50:00 Saying NO to the BOX
51:00 Curiosity as a Creative Practice
53:00 Connect with Niloo + Pegasus Media Project
54:00 Global Recognition at Cannes

To watch the show click HERE.

Episode Show kNOwtes | Podcast Home

This season of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast is supported in part by the Moody Fund for the Arts and our generous individual Season Sponsors, Dexter & Jenel Evans and Helen & James Gallas.

Say NO to the BOX and YES to the future of dance.

#155: In this episode of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast, host Martheya Nygaard Scott sits down with Jennifer Mabus, choreographer, performer, educator, and founder of Grackle Dance Collective, to explore what it means to create dance rooted in community, empathy, and human connection.

Jennifer shares how immersive and site-specific performance transformed the way she thinks about the relationship between artists and audiences. From taking over a historic home to creating work in a funeral home and skate park, she reflects on the power of moving dance beyond traditional performance spaces and inviting audiences to become part of the experience.

The conversation also explores trust, consent, and collaboration in the creative process. Jennifer offers practical advice for performers: ground yourself, know and communicate your boundaries, and trust your instincts as a creative artist.

Jennifer also takes us behind the scenes of Grackle Dance Collective, a platform created to support Texas artists, amplify local voices, and bring dance directly into communities. She discusses the importance of listening, holding space, and thinking about community care as an ongoing practice rather than simply building an audience.

Finally, Jennifer reflects on building a sustainable life in dance. There is no single path—or timeline—for success as an artist. The episode closes with an optimistic look at the North Texas dance community, where established organizations and emerging voices are increasingly connecting, collaborating, and pushing the boundaries of performance.

00:00 Meet Jennifer Mabus + Flash Four
03:00 A Human Future for Dance
04:00 Discovering Immersive Performance
08:00 Breaking the Barrier Between Artist + Audience
11:00 Creating Site-Specific Dance Experiences
15:00 Trust, Consent + Creative Ownership
17:00 Advice for Performers
19:00 Founding Grackle Dance Collective
22:00 Community Stories + Collaboration
24:00 Taking Dance to a Skate Park
29:00 What Does Community Really Mean?
32:00 Community Care + Holding Space
37:00 Building a Life as a Dance Artist
40:00 There Is No One Path to Success
43:00 Letting Go of the Artist Timeline
45:00 The Future of Dance in North Texas
49:00 Connect with Jennifer + Grackle Dance Collective

To watch the show click HERE.

Episode Show kNOwtes | Podcast Home

This season of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast is supported in part by the Moody Fund for the Arts and our generous individual Season Sponsors, Dexter & Jenel Evans and Helen & James Gallas.

Say NO to the BOX and YES to the future of dance.

#154: In the Season 8 premiere of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast, host Martheya Nygaard Scott is joined by former co-host and current kNOwBOX dance Manager of People & Community Reyna Mondragon for a behind-the-scenes conversation about the ideas shaping this new season.

At the center of the conversation is a simple question: How do we better value the artists doing the work?

Martheya shares how kNOwBOX dance is prioritizing artist compensation by providing honorariums to podcast guests, festival makers, performers, production teams, editors, and designers—putting resources directly back into the creative community.

Martheya and Reyna also unpack some of the recurring themes emerging from Season 8: humanity, collaboration, and artificial intelligence. What does meaningful collaboration actually look like? How can stepping back and listening create space for someone else to lead? And how can artists use AI to reduce administrative labor without allowing technology to become the center of their creative work?

Finally, the conversation comes home to North Texas, where the founding members of kNOwBOX dance first met. Season 8 celebrates the artists, organizations, and community builders shaping dance and media across the Dallas–Fort Worth area while exploring what their work can teach us about the future of the field.

00:00 Welcome to Season 8 + Reyna Returns Behind the Screen
01:00 Centering Artists + Paying Creatives
03:00 Humanity + Human-Centered Artmaking
04:00 Rethinking What Collaboration Looks Like
05:30 Artists, AI + Fear-Based Decisions
07:00 Using AI as a Creative + Administrative Tool
10:00 Creating More Space to Be an Artist
11:00 Celebrating North Texas Dance
13:00 Looking Ahead to Season 8

To watch the show click HERE.

Episode Show kNOwtes | Podcast Home

This season of the Dance Behind the Screen Podcast is supported in part by the Moody Fund for the Arts and our generous individual Season Sponsors, Dexter & Jenel Evans and Helen & James Gallas.

Say NO to the BOX and YES to the future of dance.