Athlete Voices Belicia Tang

Risa Ono (she/her) is a Tokyo native dancer and represented by Rae Dance Agency. She started dancing Hip Hop, Lock, and Street Jazz when she was 16. Once she started her dance journey, she performed in multiple events and started making choreography for her school performances / her hip hop team in Japan as well as New York. While she was in New York, she also trained Heels from Army of Sass and joined a bachata team led by Daniel and Desirée who is the world’s most famous Bachata dance couple. The dream job she recently did was making a musical promotion PV for   university in Japan as a director/choreographer. Her dance style and choreography focuses on musicality so that all of the dancers are able to enjoy dancing through the music as well as express and discover themselves.  She is currently teaching Street Jazz at Rae studio every Thursdays at 6:30pm, as well as J-Pop at UN Plaza in San Francisco. 



Connect with Risa: @sonrisa_ddd

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Zohar the Nootzel is a passionate multi-disciplinary performer with a deep love for the stage and the magic it brings to audiences. After discovering contortion during her late 20s, she started to train consistently and eventually began to inspire and motivate others to improve their flexibility through her classes and YouTube channel. In 2021, she had an injury that completely changed her life and led her to step into the world of theatre and join musical theatre productions. Through performing arts, and burlesque shows, she found her true self and became Zohar The Nootzel.



Connect with Zohar: @zohar.the.nootzel

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Stay connected with Athlete Voices!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@athletevoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://athletevoices.net/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AthleteVoicesPodcast

Support the podcast directly HERE! - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Season 4 of the Athlete Voices Podcast! On this podcast, I talk about all things aesthetic sports, including gymnastics, dance, figure skating, artistic swimming, circus arts, musical theater, and more. I interview athletes and performers in these disciplines and share their stories. 



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Stay connected with Athlete Voices!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@athletevoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://athletevoices.net/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: Athlete Voices

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Wen Soon is a marriage and family therapist who began competitive Latin ballroom dancing in 2013. Once he became a therapist, his goal was to work with athletes in partner sports who are looking to resolve conflict and enhance their communication skills. On this podcast, he will talk about his experience doing couples therapy work and how those skills can translate over to partner sports. 



Connect with Wen: @whensoon

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Stay connected with Athlete Voices!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@athletevoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://athletevoices.net/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support the podcast directly HERE! - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Casey Hersch is a licensed clinical social worker, animal advocate, Regent’s Scholar, health journalist, and avid Latin Ballroom dancer. She is the author of the mental health children’s book I Am Pawso: A Cat Teaches Kids Ways to Turn Around Difficult Situations. As a psychotherapist, Casey embraces integrative and holistic healing methods to help people overcome trauma and adverse childhood experiences, and to help people live quality lives with chronic illness. She believes in building resiliency from the inside out which includes movement and somatic resourcing at the core. 

During a difficult time in Casey’s life, a community member gave her the opportunity to learn Balloom dance. The program, Paradise Dancers, inspired and transformed her so much that she studied the intricacies and used her observations to write her Social Work Master’s Thesis: Empowering Youth Voice. Casey has pursued Latin Ballroom Dance ever since. She considers the dancesport the greatest healing intervention of her life. Latin continues to help her live with Crohn’s disease and overcome past and present adversities.  Her cats, named Pawso and Samba, underscore her passion for the sport.

Casey's website: caseyhersch.com

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Stay connected with Athlete Voices!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@athletevoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://athletevoices.net/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support the podcast directly HERE! - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Pooja Kalyan is a former Team USA figure skater and Junior at Brown University. She is a pre-med student studying neuroscience. She represented Team USA from 2016 - 2021 and is a two-time national medalist at the novice and junior level. She is also the first South Asian and first person from Arkansas to represent Team USA figure skating. Pooja is now co-captain of Brown's figure skating team and serves on the Board of Directors for USA Figure Skating. In her free time, Pooja enjoys yoga, baking and writing.



Connect with Pooja: @poojamkalyan

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Stay connected with Athlete Voices!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@athletevoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://athletevoices.net/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support the podcast directly HERE! - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/athletevoices/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠