In this two-part episode of ICIC (Intimacy Choreography In Conversation), co-hosts Ann James and Carly DW Bones interview Tonia Sina, a pioneer in the field of intimacy direction. Tonia shares her profound origin story, detailing her transition from actress to intimacy director, how she arrived at the term 'intimacy choreography,' and her struggles with chronic kidney failure and a rare disease. Despite personal and professional challenges, including advocacy for actor's rights and fighting gender inequality in academia, Tonia has made significant contributions to the field. Her journey includes promoting empathy, proper choreography for intimate scenes, and fighting against abuse in the theater industry. Tonia's story is one of resilience, dedication, and the ongoing effort to better the industry for all actors.
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:33 Meet Tonia Sina: Origin Story
02:38 Challenges and Breakthroughs in Academia
04:08 Pioneering Intimacy Direction
10:28 Personal Struggles and Advocacy
14:51 Controversies and Consequences
20:08 Empowering Students and Facing Backlash
26:12 Personal and Professional Turmoil
29:24 Reflection and Future Directions
Tonia Sina (she/her)
Tonia Sina is the first ever Intimacy Choreographer and created the term in her master’s thesis, Intimate Encounters: Staging Intimacy and Sensuality, at VCU in 2006. Along with teaching workshops internationally while traveling with her service dog, Daphne Rose, she has choreographed intimacy at the Chicago Lyric Opera, Stratford Festival, Steppenwolf, Marriott Theatre, the Great River Shakespeare Festival, and the Guthrie Theatre among many others. Featured in the NY Times, the LA Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, American Theatre Magazine, CBC Radio, Huffington Post, and hundreds of other publications and podcasts, Tonia has been researching Intimacy for the Stage and Sexual Harassment in the industry since she began research for her thesis in 2004.
Also a playwright, director, and performer, Tonia is a triple kidney transplant recipient and rare and chronic disease patient ambassador and national motivational speaker She attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she studied movement and stage combat, and she earned her MFA in Movement Pedagogy with a specialty in Intimacy for the Stage. She was the Executive Director of Intimacy Directors International, the first non-profit intimacy direction organization. She is currently writing a book about her life and the origins of the intimacy direction movement. Tonia is reemerging into the theatre field as a teacher and advocate after five years of severe health challenges with her now cured rare terminal illness.
32 mins