TMU Panel: The Invisible Mentor

On Monday, April 26th, TMU hosted The Invisible Mentor, the first in what will be a larger series of discussions on pressing issues in the fields of the arts and the environment.

The Invisible Mentor centered on the topic of mentorship in the performing arts and explored who and what influences the life work of some of the most inspirational theater and dance artists in the field today.

Our esteemed panel included:

Ivy Baldwin (Artistic Director of Ivy Baldwin Dance)

Anne Bogart (Artistic Director of the SITI Company)

Yanira Castro (Artistic Director of a canary torsi)

Ping Chong (Artistic Director of Ping Chong & Company)

Ellen Lauren (Associate Artistic Director of the SITI Company)

Dan Safer (Artistic Director of Witness Relocation)

Kate Valk (founding member of The Wooster Group)

The Panelists dissected their impressions of the inherent power and structural implications of the word “mentor,” and spoke with heart and eloquence on what it means to be a creative presence in the performing arts and how artistic influences, connections, and personal relationships are the result of an organic process between the communion of like minds.  The conversation was insightful, provocative, and uplifting–we’ll be discussing and debating here in the office for months to come!