POdcast + poetry

Carly Vanderheyden with CiCi Kai on Dancers Making Moves Podcast, Season One: Episode Twenty-One

Description: CiCi Kai (they/them), from St. Louis, MO, began their dance journey at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and is a 2024 alum of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where they earned a B.F.A. in Contemporary Dance Performance. Through the Dancers Making Moves project, CiCi is reintroducing their artistry by sharing moments of their injury recovery journey through poetry. While injuries are common, they believe the most intriguing and unique part of the process is the in-between stage. The journey of transformation involves navigating the complexities of emotions, mindset, self-talk, and mental health while rebuilding the physical body. Their work aims to shed light on how injuries can shift a person’s perception of one’s self and the process of embracing a new version of self after the impact of an injury. CiCi has much to express about the profound impact of a torn ACL and meniscus tear, finding it fascinating that once healed, you don’t look like what you have been through, the internal journey. As a movement artist, they aspire to create space for open conversations about these experiences and expand their artistry across art mediums.

Follow @dancers.making.moves on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about the artists involved in this project at www.dancersmakingmoves.com

Episode Cover

created by Carly Vanderheyden

Logo

created by Carly Vanderheyden

Poetry/Writing: CiCi Kai
Visual Organizer: CiCi Kai
Photographer: Carly Vanderheyden Photography

Thank you so much, Carly, for creating Dancers Making Moves—a platform that gave me the space to capture a milestone and find closure through podcast, photography, and poetry. I’m deeply grateful and ready to step into my next!