Janet O'Shea In Conversation With Susan Schorn And Cathy Chapaty Sep 26 2018

Janet O'Shea is Professor of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA. Author of 'RISK, FAILURE, PLAY', 'At Home in the World: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage' and the co-editor of the 'Routledge Dance Studies Reader', 2nd edition, her research focuses on corporeality, interdisciplinary exchange, and the politics of everyday life. She is a practitioner of Filipino martial arts, jeet kune do, Brazilian jiu jitsu, kickboxing, and empowerment self-defense. Cathy Chapaty is a 22-year martial arts veteran and third-degree Taekwondo black belt who specializes in teaching children, many with ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, and other challenges. She is the author of two books: "No Pouting in the Dojo: The Imperfect Journey of Teaching Children Character through Martial Arts" (Sidekick Publications, 2014) and "Sports Planet: Sports Played Around the World" (Steck-Vaughn Publishing Co., 2003). Susan “George” Schorn (the nickname . . . it’s a long story) is a writer, martial artist, and self defense advocate. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children, and trains and teaches at Sun Dragon Martial Arts and Self Defense. She writes "Bitchslap: A Column About Women and Fighting" for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Her first book, 'Smile at Strangers: Lessons in the Art of Living Fearlessly', was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in May 2013. As an Ambassador for the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors, Chapaty teaches workshops at girls' empowerment conferences and has helped area Girl Scouts earn their safety badges through self-defense seminars. She has also led seminars at National Women's Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) camps, which attract hundreds of girls and women from across the United States, Canada, and Europe. (The NWMAF named her Member of the Year in 2011.) Chapaty has had dozens of essays and articles published in a variety of media on topics such as integrity in sports, anger management, and mentorship through martial arts. In 2012, she was honored by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea for an essay on the transformational power of Taekwondo. Chapaty is a member of the NWMAF, Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors, USA Taekwondo, and the Writers' League of Texas.