Interview: Mickela Mallozzi of Bare Feet- A Unique Take on Travel Through Dance

Bare Feet is a 3-time New York Emmy® Award-winning travel and dance series. The show follows executive producer, dancer, and host Mickela Mallozzi, as she travels throughout different parts of the world. What makes this show unique, is that she features, discovers, and highlights the rich dance and cultural traditions of the locals of each region she visits.

I had the opportunity to speak with Mickela Mallozzi about the show and the new upcoming season.

Can you talk about what the show Bare Feet is and how you came up with the concept?

Bare Feet is a travel and dance series that follows me on my trips. The show came about by accident. Travelling has been a hobby of mine. I actually try to make a point to travel internationally at least once a year. And being a dancer, I just wanted to be able to travel and learn as many dances as I could. I started a blog where I could talk about the different experiences I had. Then, it became a YouTube series. I later pitched the idea to NYC media and they liked the concept. And 7 ½ years later, it became a TV series.

What about this project has been meaningful for you?

One of the most meaningful parts of this process is being able to interact with complete strangers and having them allow me into the intimate spaces of their culture. The folks that I'm interacting with are not professional dancers. These are local everyday people that are using dance to celebrate their culture. And it's been amazing to be able to make such profound connections with each and every person in a short amount of time.

Another part is the positive response from the viewers. It's been so overwhelming. It's been a way for people to make connections while watching the show. And I hope to be able to encourage others to do the same and go beyond being a tourist.

What can we expect in season two?

The theme for season two is dance in New York City. I wanted to feature the diverse ethnic stories and the things that are iconic to the city. I wanted to show what New York means to me and how we as New Yorkers view our home.

Some of the cultures/parts of town in this season includes Chinatown and their traditional dances, going to Harlem- which has long history of arts and culture- and dancing with Jason Samuels Smith, being in the Bronx and dancing with Orlando Marin- the Last Mambo King, dancing on the set of a Broadway show, interacting with a small Bolivian community, and more.

I'm excited to be able to showcase my home. These are the stories of American immigrants. This is showing how they are preserving and passing on their culture through dance. They are keeping it alive, because if they stop dancing, this (the dance, the language, the food, and culture), it all stops here.

Why do you feel a show like this is important to have?

I think it's important to show our diversity, but also for us to see we all have these commonalities of being human. Dance doesn't discriminate- it's a human basic necessity of expression. It's also about making this work accessible and supporting the arts. Showcasing this work at this moment is timely, but was not planned. We started this process way before.