We’re looking forward to introducing you to Michelle Bernier. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
These days, I start my morning with a meditation and movement practice, blending yoga, somatic movement exercises, and dancing. Then I plug in for an hour of work, followed by the highlight of my day: time with my two year-old son getting him ready for the day. After a busy day of teaching and meetings in the Dance program at MSU Denver, I plug in again for any number of things involved in preparing for events with my passion project, Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema. After all that, evenings with my family are quiet and restorative… and full of Legos.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am so fortunate to have 2 jobs/passions: I am the Executive Director and Artistic Co-Director of Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, and I teach full time in the Dance program at MSU Denver, where students can major or minor in dance. I have been in Colorado since 2011, and I got my Master’s in Dance at CU Boulder, reinforcing my dedication to inspiring dancers of all ages along the Front Range to pursue dance as a passion, a career, and a life-affirming source of joy and resilience. Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema is a niche film festival where choreography meets cinematography, creating community around films featuring dance of all kinds from around the world, in and around Boulder since 2003. With the festival, I work with a team of curators and volunteers to create a robust schedule of public screenings, educational workshops, and outreach events, including our creative aging program “Dance is Like a Fine Wine” which brings artistic expression opportunities and intergenerational connections to folks age 60+ all around Colorado.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
My parents were the biggest influence on how I view work. My father has 4 degrees, and although he was a brother with the Catholic Church, he left their employ to find more freedom to teach the way he wanted to teach. He instilled in me not only a passion for helping others satisfy their curiosities through rigorous study, but also a conviction that when a path doesn’t make itself clear, you may have to leave the beaten path to carve your own. My mother, on the other hand, taught me that no matter how much you love your work, it is not who you are, and that your family deserves not just your time, but your quality time. She worked nights as a nurse to support our family and truly loved nursing, but somehow she managed to never miss a single dance recital or important moment of mine. Now that I’m a parent, my mom reminds me to take time for centering and self care, so my best self can stay within reach.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“Everyone is as lost as you are. Keep going. Your dreams won’t look like you think… they might just be better.”
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes! It has to be, because I don’t have the time or energy to keep up with competing stories about myself. That said, I’m a performer, so there are various sides of me that are free to express themselves according to the situation I’m in. There are ways I behave that do feel like me, but that I wouldn’t bring to life in front of my students, because it would feel like crossing a professional boundary. Like many dancers or other kinds of performers, I find it satisfying to be a chameleon and adapt to suit the needs of my situation, so long as it doesn’t feel corruptive or compromising of my morals. I allow myself a multiplicity of expressive modes, and I actually have fun with finding the right match for each moment.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I am literally tap dancing AT work! I teach tap! But I am also very excited about this point in my career, because I get to stay embodied every day in teaching my dance classes, constantly meeting new people and helping them achieve their goals as students and dance artists. The beauty of the dance program at MSU Denver is that it allows students to pave their own path, capitalizing on their own passion and turning it into a career… so how could I not love a job that facilitates that?! I also get to create artistically at work, choreographing on students and making films with them. If and when that job overwhelms me and I need to take a break, I can shift attention to Sans Souci Festival, where I’m my own boss with a zoomed-out, international view of the state of dance today. In that side of my work life, I’m facilitating screenings of the work of brilliant dance artists all over the globe, and exposing the fine folks of Colorado to this unique, niche world of dance cinema. What’s not to love?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sanssoucifestival.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanssoucifest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanssoucifest/
Image Credits
Photo credits: Jun Akiyama, Megan Roney
