Episode 42: Danscend
- allisonsheff
- Nov 8
- 2 min read
Resilience isn’t about bouncing back—it’s about learning to bend, rebuild, and grow through what challenges you.
In this episode of Anxiety and the Artist, Allison talks with Michelle Loucadoux and Kristin Deiss, co-founders of Danscend, a company devoted to supporting the mental wellness of dancers, educators, and organizations.
Born out of the pandemic, Danscend began with a simple mission: to make mental wellness as integral to dance training as technique. Michelle and Kristin share their personal journeys through injury, reinvention, and identity shifts—revealing how rest, reflection, and community can help cultivate resilience in both art and life.
Together, they explore:
How Danscend started and what it offers the dance community
Why resilience is built, not born
The fine line between dance as healing and dance as harm
Finding balance between ambition, artistry, and mental health
Practical tools for staying grounded through change and uncertainty
“Resilience is staying in the discomfort long enough to move through it.” — Michelle Loucadoux
“When one version of success ends, you have to be brave enough to define another.” — Kristin Deiss
Connect with Danscend
About the Guests
Kristin Deiss is a dancer, educator, yogi, and mom who finds purpose in helping others improve their lives. She holds an MA in History and an MFA in Dance, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Dance Division at AMDA.
After a diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) altered the course of her professional dance career, Kristin turned her focus to supporting the next generation of artists. Her work centers on equipping dancers with the tools and resilience needed to navigate both the physical and emotional challenges of their art form.
Michelle Loucadoux Fraser has performed in five Broadway shows including The Little Mermaid (Original Broadway Cast, Ariel u/s), Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt u/s), Mary Poppins (OBC), Beauty and the Beast (Babette u/s), and Chance and Chemistry. She danced with four ballet companies, appeared in film and television, and has traveled the world empowering young artists.
Michelle currently serves as Co-Chair of the Dance Division at AMDA, is a published author (I’m Talented, Now What?, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020), and holds an MBA. A mom and lifelong advocate for dancer mental health, Michelle continues to champion creativity, education, and well-being in equal measure.
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