Michael Sean Breeden — Host — Conversations on Dance
Today it's just Michael and Rebecca for our annual look back over the year. Enjoy! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone! We will be back with a new episode on January 7th, 2026.Listen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondanceMiami City Ballet Nutcracker running through 12/28: https://www.miamicityballet.org/tickets-and-events/202526-season/nutcracker/#e214Miami City Ballet world premiere by Alexei Ratmansky: https://www.miamicityballet.org/tickets-and-events/202526-season/winter/
?This week on Conversations on Dance, it's just Michael and Rebecca. We catch up on what we have been up to since Vail Dance Festival in August. Michael talks about working as a rehearsal director for James Whiteside in Mexico, and staging Justin Peck's 'Heatscape' at New York City Ballet this Fall.SPONSOR:San Francisco-based choreographer Alyssa Mitchel presents the premiere of Endure, a multimedia dance production taking place at Dance Mission Theater on October 3rd, 4th and 5th. The piece features six dancers, the graphic art and animations of designer Zach Litoff and recorded interviews with six marathon runners. This new work celebrates running while paying tribute to the enduring human spirit, with the intention of empowering audience members to persevere through difficult challenges. Tickets are on sale now at dancemissiontheater.org. You can follow Alyssa Mitchel on Instagram at @alymitchel or visit alyssaevemitchel.com for more information.
Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Today it's just us as we catch up on the past few weeks: Miami City Ballet's recent announcement of Gonzalo Garcia as the new Artistic Director, Michael's time in Amsterdam, the Clive Barnes awards, and we go through all our events that are coming up at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival. You can support the Clive Barnes Foundation by donating here: https://www.clivebarnesfoundation.org/.SPONSOR:Felice Lesser Dance Theater celebrates its 50th Anniversary with the live documentary, I AM A DANCER 2020, a real-time journey into the effects of the pandemic on the dance world. Combining live dance, projected video, and filmed interviews depicting how dance workers navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, I AM A DANCER 2020 will have four performances, June 26th to 28th at New York Live Arts in New York City. For tickets and information, please visit newyorklivearts.org.
Today it's just Michael & Rebecca. We go through the listener survey submissions and start building our 2025 guest wish list! Thank you to everyone who took the time to take our listener survey!
Today, we sit down for our annual "Best of" episode! We saw great dance this year and talked with amazing guests. Cheers to another year with all of you. Thank you for coming on this ride with us! Please take 5 mins to take our listener survey. We want to hear from you.Episodes referenced:Maria Calegari - Part 1 Part 2Jennifer Lin - (382) The story of George Lee, the original Tea in Balanchine's 'Nutcracker', with Jennifer LinGeorge Lee & Jennifer Lin - (396) Jennifer Lin and George Lee, the original Tea in Balanchine's 'Nutcracker'Michael Vernon - (391) Michael Vernon, Professor of Music (Ballet) at Indiana University Jacobs School of MusicKatlyn Addison - (383) Katlyn Addison, Principal Dancer with Ballet WestLimon at VDF - (405) Dante Puleio and Joey Columbus on the legacy of Jos Limn, LIVE from the Vail Dance FestivalGolden State Ballet's Nutcracker: https://www.goldenstateballet.org/
Today it's just Michael and Rebecca checking in. Please take 5 mins to take our listener survey. We want to hear from you!LINKS related to this episode:Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/UU6eFZD2WH6JCmjG7Episode with Silas Farley: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/416-silas-farley-teacher-and-choreographer. If you donate dance books to a local dance school, please let us know! We would love to hear about it: info@conversationsondancepod.com.Episode with Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-on-dance/id1128237763?i=1000413007256Golden State Ballet's Nutcracker: https://www.goldenstateballet.org/
This episode was recorded live on July 30, 2024 at the Vail Dance Festival. In part two of this episode, we are joined by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Catherine Hurlin. Look for part one of this episode, now in the feed.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously supported by the Town of Vail.Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
We are leaving for the Vail Dance Festival in just a few days, so today we sit down to talk through the performances that we will be catching during the festival and preview who we will be talking to during our live events.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Vail Dance Festival performances: https://vaildance.org/
It's just us this week and we catch up on Michael's staging of Alexei Ratmansky's 'The Fairy's Kiss' at Dutch National Ballet. PLUS - JUST ANNOUNCED! Tickets for Conversations on Dance at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival are on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
It's just us this week! We check in on some of the dance we have seen recently and talk about Michael's work as a repetiteur.THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:Unlock your potential with the Graduate Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. In partnership with the prestigious Price College of Business, this innovative program is expertly designed for the aspiring arts entrepreneur, blending your creative and artistic talents with the business knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to successfully launch and manage arts-related enterprises. Affordable and fast-track, you can achieve this transformative education remotely in less than 12 months. To learn more and apply, visit ou.edu/finearts.artmotions popular adult summer intensive program returns this May 27 - June 1. This program includes Advanced, Intermediate Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginner classes, with no prior dance experience needed for the beginner level. Let artmotion be the bridge between audience and the studio. Come dance this summer. For more information visit https://artemotionballetschool.com/.The White Feather: A Persian BalletThe Kennedy Center: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2023-2024/the-white-feather-persian-ballet/New York City: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-white-feather-tickets-800305734997
This week, Michael and Rebecca sit down to catch up. Michael tells Rebecca about his experience over the past 3 weeks in Dresden, Germany setting Justin Peck's 'Rodeo.' We also chat about miscellaneous items including Johan Inger's Swan Lake, auditions for Golden State Ballet, and the Artistic Director opening at Lexington Ballet Company.
Michael and Rebecca sit down for our annual "Best of 2023." Hop over to our Instagram account to comment and share with us some of your fave dance moments you experienced this year: @conversationsondance.Happy New Year and thank you for your support of Conversations on Dance this past year!LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:Janet Eilber on Martha Graham Dance Company in 'Cave': https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/janet-eilber-vail-dance-festivalRussell Janzen 'On Leaving the Life of the Body: A Dancer Reports': https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/arts/dance/dancer-retirement-new-york-city-ballet.htmlRussell Janzen on Conversations on Dance: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/russell-janzen-new-york-city-ballet-principal-dancerMira Nadon on 'Copland Dance Episodes': https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/mira-nadon-copland-dance-episodes'The Boy From Kyiv' audiobook: https://amzn.to/41Alurw'Mr. B' audiobook: https://amzn.to/3REOcmAWebsite: conversationsondancepod.comInstagram: @conversationsondanceMerch: https://bit.ly/cod-merchYouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-CODJoin our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-COD
Today's episode is a special bonus episode and cross over with Nashville Ballet's Inside the Ballet Podcast. In this episode, Michael takes the guest chair and chats with two members of the Nashville Ballet team, Briona Richardson, Senior Manager of Community Engagement and Nick Mullikin, Artistic Director. This episode gives a behind the scenes look at the work Michael did helping bring JustinPeck's 'Year Of the Rabbit' to Nashville Ballet. If you're in the Nashville area, visit nashvilleballet.com to purchase tickets for performances Sep 22-24. Listen to Nashville Ballet's Inside the Ballet Podcast here.
It's just us this week. We chat about the 2023 Vail Dance Festival (listen to episodes from the fest here) and catch up on what else we have been up to recently.Email us: info@conversationsondancepod.comRebecca's website: rebeccaferraro.com
Welcome to the brand new Conversations on Dance! We are pleased to announce we are now a part of the Acast Creator Network. Check out what else is new:New website: conversationsondancepod.comMerch: https://bit.ly/cod-merchYouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-CODSpotify Playlists: COD Fave Ballets Program A and Program BJoin our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-CODThis episode's sponsor:Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami: Auditions for DDTM's 2023/2024 season! April 23 in Miami. More info: https://www.dimensionsdancemia.com/auditions
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week. We start by catch up after Michael's live events at Works & Process at the Guggenheim and Inside NYCB. Michael tells us about seeing Justin Peck's newest work at New York City Ballet, Copland Dance Episodes,' then about his work on The Night Falls' with Troy Schumacher and BalletCollective. See The Night Falls' February 9th through 12th at Montclair State University. Tickets for The Night Falls can be found at peakperfs.org. Watch the Works & Process event on their YouTube Channel, or click here: https://youtu.be/FfidIh8pi0o. This Episodes Sponsors: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School is training the next generation of professional dancers by providing ballet and dance education of the highest caliber that prepares students for professional careers in dance. PBTs school focuses on the dancer as a whole person and nurturing them into creative, confident and well-rounded individuals. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schools Intensive Summer Program runs from June 25-July 29th. Auditions are held across the country January 7 Feb 12. Learn more about Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and their Intensive Summer Program at https://www.pbt.org/pbts/isp2023/.
It's just us this week for our annual year-end wrap up. What a year 2022 has been! We list our favorite episodes from this year, our favorite performances we saw, our FOMO list of what we didn't get to see but wished we had, and we share what we learned this year. Check out our COD Reading List for some last minute gift ideas for the dance lover in your life: https://conversationsondancepod.com/cod-reading-list/ Support COD: https://conversationsondancepod.com/support/ This episodes sponsors: Just in time for holiday gift-giving, DANCIO, the online dance instruction provider, has announced an expansion of its line-up of classes, teachers, and menu of subscriptions. Dancio is run by dancers for dancers, and makes a memorable holiday gift. To gift Dancio, Go to dancio.com and click on subscribe. The Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy is excited to announce announce their summer programs. Come explore Salt Lake City and all that Ballet West has to offer. We are launching an exciting chapter in 2023 under Academy Director, Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, with the return of our strong summer programs and year-round Professional Training Division. Start your journey to Ballet West Academy today at acadmey.balletwest.org and use code BWPOD for $5 off your audition fee. _____________________________
It's just us this week on Conversations on Dance. Michael is in Denmark setting a ballet for choreographer Justin Peck at Royal Danish Ballet, so he fills us in on how it's going, 3 weeks in. Rebecca fills us in on how everything is going with her new baby. Links: Rate and Review us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RwJqWc Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3USVfcp Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (310) Michael & Rebecca: catching up from Copenhagen appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week. We're back and catch up on what we have been up to this summer and we dive into some recent news. Subscribe to Conversations on Dance wherever you get your podcasts to notified of our upcoming content featuring dance this fall, all new interviews, and much more! The post (306) Michael & Rebecca: We're Back! appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Michael and Rebecca in this bonus episode, where we chat about the great dance performances we have seen over the past few months, including Royal Danish Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ragamala, Karole Armitage's Armitage Gone Dance!, and more! Support COD: conversationsondancepod.com/support SPONSORS: Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival July 30 August 9: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. Tickets go on sale May 20th. MENAJI Skin Care: www.menskincare.com. Use code COD30 to receive 30% savings on all individual products. ________________________________
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week as we come together for a catch up, plus we go through responses to our 2022 listener survey. Thank you to everyone who participated! Your feedback was very valuable and will help us plan our content moving forward. This past weekend we were together in Miami to see Miami City Ballet in Jewels,' which we will be discussing in an upcoming episode of COD. Be sure to subscribe to COD wherever you get your podcasts. Information on the 2022 Vail Dance Festival is now available on their website. Information coming soon regarding COD events: vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. SPONSORS: Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo, August 4-7, 2022 in Las Vegas. Use code COD50 at checkout for $50 off your conference registration at http://danceteachersummerexpo.com/. MENAJI Skin Care: www.menskincare.com. Use code COD30 to receive 30% savings on all individual products. ________________________________
It's 2022 and COD is back! We are ushering in the new year by celebrating some of the great things that friends of the pod have been up to recently, discussing the complexity surrounding dancer promotions, and how the change in the social media landscape in the past few years is affecting content that dancers and companies are putting out. Plus, we tease next week's guest. We have lots of exciting things coming your way this year, so thank you for tuning in and for supporting the pod. In the beginning of this episode, we mention our close friend, Jovani Furlan, who has created a Go Fund Me page for help with family medical expenses. You can read Jovani's story here: https://bit.ly/3FlnOpI. If you are able to give, that would be greatly appreciated. Please also feel free share the link with people who might be interested. Thank you all. _________________________________
It's our last episode of 2021 and we are looking back over the year with our friend, Evelyn Kocak. Thank you to all of our listeners and our partners for joining us for another year of COD! We will be back in 2022 with some exciting new episodes and thrilling guests. We love you all! Thank you for listening. Happy Holidays! Photo: Mira Nadon in Movements for Piano and Orchestra' __________________________________
We have been off this month, but on Thursday we head to Vail for the Vail Dance Festival. So we hopped on our last zoom before we are back together in person recording episodes and live podcast recordings at the festival, just for a check in. Links: Tickets for live events July 30 August 10 Master Classes August 2 & 3 This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). The post (236) Rebecca and Michael catch up appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week on the pod. We do a check in on what we have been up to (Michael got the vaccine!), we take a couple detours, then share a few books we are looking forward to getting our hands on. Thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of the pod. Shop online at Yumiko.com and connect with them on Instagem: @yumiko. Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (219) Rebecca and Michael, a check in appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
We are back! It's been a minute, but unfortunately some work obligations took us away from the pod last month. Now, we are back and ready to get back to it! Today we catch up and go through our Conversations on Dance Best of 2020. Brought to you by Yumiko (Yumiko.com.) YUMIKOs holiday collection, comprised of festive ready-to-wear options, will be available in-stores and online this month! Receive a first chance to shop the new items at their Instagram LIVE shopping event on December 15th, plus for the very first time the new 2021 colors will be revealed! These events are a lot of fun and discounts are offered, so be sure to tune in @yumiko on Instagram on the 15th. Links: instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (207) COD's Best of 2020 appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's our 200th episode of Conversations on Dance! To celebrate, Rebecca and Michael get together to chat about the beginnings of COD, some favorite memories, and catch up on what they have been up to recently. If you would like to give to the Miami City Ballet dancer relief fund, you can do so here: https://tickets.miamicityballet.org/donate/q/dsf Thank you as always to our amazing sponsor, Yumiko (yumiko.com). Be sure to check out their new release, the Camila, and enjoy a 15% off introductory rate on all ready to wear and custom orders this month. This episode is also brought to you by Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com). Launching new group classes starting September 14th. Links: instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (200) Rebecca and Michael: Our 200th Episode appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week on the pod, Rebecca and Michael fill out a Balanchine masterwork tournament bracket to crown the ultimate Balanchine ballet. In March, two students at Indiana University sent us an email: they were missing March Madness and decided to create a bracket for Balanchine Masterworks as a fun activity for the dance department. They were kind enough to share their bracket with us. So today, we each fill out our bracket, share our results, and defend our choices. Our bracket discussion starts at time marker 16:00. Follow along with us (file below and on conversationsondancepod.com) and be sure to share your winner with us! Share your bracket on social media and tag us: @conversationsondance. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko. (yumiko.com). Introducing Yumiko at home. Post a picture or video wearing your favorite yumiko and be entered to win a free piece. Just follow them on Instagram, @Yumiko, tag them in your post, and use #yumikoathome. They are choosing a winner every Friday, so be sure to click over to their Instagram for all the details. Remember you can shop online anytime at yumiko.com. The post (182) Rebecca and Michael: Balanchine Masterworks Tournament Bracket appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today, Rebecca and Michael connect via Skype from quarantine. We discuss some options of ballet related content to consume while the world is social distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We list some online class options, resources for dancers who are out of work, and our favorite dance related books, movies, and much more. This list was put together based on internet research and content that we are familiar with. Pointe Magazine and Dance Magazine are also offering a lot of great up to date resources. Conversations on Dance is brought to you by Yumiko. (Yumiko.com) Remember to please follow CDC guidelines and the direction of your local officials during this time. We are hoping to be able to bring our listeners content to help take your mind off of everything, if just for a short time. During this time, we will not be following our regular publishing schedule, so follow us on social media to stay up to date on our new content. Below is a list that includes links to the items we discuss in this episode. ONLINE CLASSES: Kathryn Morgan YouTube Channel, World Ballet Day Videos, John Clifford Class with Portland Ballet, Miami City Ballet School Class via Dance Spirit, Mens Class (PNB Summer Course 2018), PNB School Class (Summer 2016), Herman Dance Live by Herman Cornejo on YouTube, and Ashley Bouder just launched a YouTube Channel. INSTAGRAM RESOURCES FOR CLASS: Martha Graham classes via @marziamem @lloydknight, Tiler Peck via @tilerpeck, Juilliard class available at @juilliardschool, and @vaildancefest is cataloging a lot of what your favorite dancers are doing during this time. PLACES TO TAKE BALLET CLASS ONLINE OUTSIDE OF INSTAGRAM OR YOUTUBE: Dancio (offering two free weeks of classes due to Coronavirus), Veyette Virtual Ballet School, 1on1 Ballet, and Ballet Beautiful. HOW CAN WE HELP DANCERS DIRECTLY DURING THIS TIME? If you are a dancer, get in touch with the Actors Fund or explore these freelance dancer resources. The Dance Union Podcast is starting a GoFundMe for NYC Based Dancers. Tell Congress to include displaced entertainment workers in relief package via Action Network. MOVIES: The Red Shoes (Amazon Prime), Billy Elliot (Netflix), Center Stage (Netflix), Turning Point (Amazon Prime), White Knights (Amazon Prime), Black Swan (Hulu, Amazon Prime), Oklahoma (Amazon Prime), Carousel (Amazon Prime), Singin In the Rain (iTunes), On The Town (iTunes), American In Paris (Amazon Prime), Top Hat (Netflix), West Side Story (Netflix), Fame (Netflix.) BOOKS: Repertory In Review (Nancy Reynolds), Apollos Angels (Jennifer Homans), Winters Season (Toni Bentley), Holding Onto the Air (Suzanne Farrell), The Unmaking Of a Dancer (Joan Brady), Once a Dancer (Allegra Kent), Balanchine (Bernard Taper), Margot Fonteyn (Alastair Macaulay). VIRTUAL ART: 12 museums with virtual tours, stream the Met Opera via Metopera.org, and John Clifford's YouTube Channel. Video of the Italian Opera singer on his balcony. We will be putting out emails with some of our favorite episodes chronologically, so go to our website to sign up for our email list to get an email with a featured episode from our older catalog. The post (177) Rebecca and Michael: Quarantine Guide for Ballet Dancers and Fans appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Last week, in episode 168, we talked about Michael's coming out of retirement for Nutcracker guesting. Unfortunately due to scheduling, this episode was cut short, so in a BONUS episode this week, we are finishing that chat, and taking a few detours along the way! The post BONUS: Rebecca and Michael: Nutcracker Gigs, Part Deux appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Nutcracker may be over, but this week Rebecca and Michael sit down to catch up and discuss Michael's Nutcracker gigs. Rebecca asks Michael about coming out of retirement for his return to the Nutcracker this past December. We chat about how he prepared, what the rehearsal process was like, and we get nostalgic over other Nutcracker memories from years past. This week we are happy to welcome a new sponsor, Veyette Virtual Ballet School. Be sure to check them out: veyettevirtualballetschool.com. As always, thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of COD: yumiko.com. The post (168) Rebecca and Michael: Nutcracker Gigs appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it's just Rebecca and Michael. We sit down to go through the responses from our listener survey. We talk about some of the statistics that came to light from our questionnaire, go through some of the guest requests, talk about the ins and outs of creating the podcast, and go through your feed back. If you have not yet taken our survey, it's not too late: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XVM5KJ. If you wish to request a guest or put us in touch with a potential guest, email us at info@conversationsondancepod.com This episode is brought to you by Yumiko, yumiko.com. The post (155) Rebecca & Michael Respond to COD Listener Survey appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week, breaking down everything that happened surrounding Lara Spencer's comments on Prince George studying ballet on Good Morning America. We are guessing that this story may have made it on your radar over the past few days, but we are here to break down the dance community's reaction, why it was important, and how Good Morning America reacted on Monday morning. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko. Please take a moment to fill out our 9 question listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XVM5KJ The post (152) Boys Dance Our Reaction to Lara Spencer and GMA appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week on the pod. We talk about looking forward to this year's Vail Dance Festival, our 3 year anniversary, what Michael has been up to, and we answer your questions from social media. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com.) The post (144) Rebecca and Michael: Catching Up & Vail Dance Festival Preview appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week, through the magic of Skype, Rebecca talks with Michael and friend of the pod, Zoe Zien, who are in Hong Kong setting Justin Peck's Year of the Rabbit for Hong Kong Ballet. Michael and Rebecca danced with Zoe at Miami City Ballet for the majority of her 13 years with the company. Listen to our full episode with Zoe about her career and training in episode 58. Today, Michael and Zoe talk with Rebecca about their first international experience as repetiteurs, what their process has been like, dealing with jet lag, and they break down some of their favorite experiences they have had in Hong Kong so far. The post (139) Michael and Zoe Zien, On Staging Year of the Rabbit' in Hong Kong appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This episode was recorded in February, when Rebecca & Michael were at the Kennedy Center to cover American Ballet Theatre's tour to Washington, D.C. We sit down to finally catch up on Michael's experience setting a ballet for the very first time. Michael spent about a month in Phoenix with the wonderful dancers of Ballet Arizona to teach them Justin Peck's ballet In Creases.' He shares with us how he prepared, what the first day was like, how he modeled his work ethic, and what it felt like to see the ballet on stage for the first time. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and The Kennedy Center. The post (133) Rebecca & Michael: Becoming a Repetiteur appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Rebecca and Michael record an emergency podcast to discuss and react to the big news this week in the ballet world: the announcement of the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as artistic director and Wendy Whelan as associate artistic director of New York City Ballet. Our sound quality isn't our best, and for that we apologize, but we had to drop everything and get on the phone to chat about the news ASAP! Thanks for your understanding. Check out our social media channels on Monday March 4th, 2019 for a special giveaway from our sponsor Yumiko! The post (128) Rebecca & Michael: NYCB Directorship Announcement appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week. It's that time of year when company contracts are going out, which means that dancers across the country may not be getting their contracts renewed for the 2019-2020 season. We put together a handful of bullet points to help dancers navigate this tough time and discuss what to do next. We turn this challenging experience into something positive, this week on Conversations on Dance. This episode is sponsored by Yumiko and The Kennedy Center. The post (126) Rebecca & Michael: What to do if you didnt get your contract renewed appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week, Rebecca & Michael sit down to discuss this past summer, what we are up to in the coming months, and to discuss the New York City Ballet Artistic Director job description. Here is the New York Times article by Michael Cooper which we reference. We are thrilled to welcome Yumiko as our newest sponsor of Conversations on Dance. Visit their Flagship boutique in New York City featuring the all new interactive Color Bar. ___________________________________________ We recorded this episode before the devastating news came last week that the dance world lost two greats: Paul Taylor and Peter Frame. We did not feel it appropriate to publish this weeks episode without mentioning these two who impacted dance on a grand scale and who also impacted our careers directly. Firstly, we never met Paul Taylor, but we both had the great pleasure of dancing quite a few of his works. These works offered up some of our most memorable and challenging onstage moments. We felt as if we got to know Paul through his dances and through his repetiteurs who staged the ballets on us. We will always treasure the memories of dancing these works. As for Peter Frame, Rebecca only had a short experience with him when he came to Miami City Ballet to share his solo for Episodes that Paul Taylor created on him. Michael had the pleasure of being his student. Whether you knew him just a short time, or came in contact with him on a regular basis, it was clear to everyone that Peter was a truly selfless, humble, beautiful human being. He truly wanted to bring joy to any person he touched. His legacy will live on through the audiences who watched him dance, and the students whom he mentored. Rest in Peace Paul Taylor and Peter Frame. The post (105) Rebecca & Michael: Summer 2018 & NYCB Artistic Director Job Posting appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it's just Rebecca and Michael to celebrate our 100th episode. We take the time to reflect on the past two years of Conversations on Dance by counting down our top 10 favorite episodes. We have had so many incredible guests that it was hard to narrow it down, so a few other favorite moments come up. Thank you to all of our listeners who have made these past two years of podcasting such a wonderful journey and thank you to each and every one of our guests who took the time to talk with us a spread the good word of ballet! We are heading to Vail on Tuesday, July 31st, so stay tuned for lots of content coming at you live from The Vail Dance Festival. Subscribe now on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to receive notifications when a new episode has been published. For more information on what we will be up to in Vail click here: https://conversationsondancepod.com/vail-dance-festival The post (100) Rebecca & Michael celebrate 100 episodes! appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Its just Rebecca and Michael this week, together from New York City, as they return to discuss some of the feedback received after last weeks episode. They also discuss a recent article on dancers' and negativity (10:30), and how a dancers perspective on their career changes post retirement (16:29). They return to their interview format next week, and the following week will be reporting from San Francisco Ballet to cover their Unbound Festival. Subscribe now so you wont miss a moment! The post (87) Dancers' Negativity and Perspective Post-Retirement appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week as they sit down to discuss some of the stories that have been making news recently. We talk about Misty Copeland's epic and graceful response to a Twitter troll last week (7:55) and discuss Avichai Scher's article for the Huffington Post, The Me Too Moment Is Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point (16:15). We will be going to San Francisco April 20-25th to partner with San Francisco Ballet to bring you coverage from their massive Unbound Festival, which will feature 12 new works by 12 choreographers in 17 days (34:48). Subscribe now to Conversations on Dance in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts to automatically be notified when new episodes are available. The post (86) Misty Copeland's Clap Back & Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it is just Michael and Rebecca, taking some time to catch up. Rebecca has a big announcement to make, we talk changes happening at New York City Ballet and what it means for ballet as a whole (30:10), and we discuss what is coming up for Conversations on Dance (44:07). This episode is sponsored by Sudio headphones. Start listening to Conversations on Dance today with Sudio headphones. We are happy to be able to offer our listeners 15% off any purchase when you use promocode DANCE at checkout. To take advantage of this offer, go to https://goo.gl/fAH3D6. The post (82) Michael and Rebecca on Retirement & Changes in the Ballet World appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This episode was recorded live on October 19, 2025 at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami before the opening of Miami City Ballet's 40th anniversary season. Guests in this episode are Tony Award winning choreographer and former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer, Patricia Delgado, and Miami City Ballet Artistic Director, Gonzalo Garcia.Listen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance
Today we are joined by our friend and former colleague at Miami City Ballet, Patricia Delgado. While we have had Patricia on the podcast many times in the past, it has been a few years since we have had her back. We catch up with her on her work she did as a part of the West Side Story movie, working closely with her husband, Justin Peck. She talks about her experience as a producer on both Broadway and as a part of #QueertheBallet with friend of the pod, Adriana Pierce. This summer, Patricia will be back at the Vail Dance Festival and making her return to the stage for the first time in years and after the birth of her daughter, Lucia. She will also be stepping in as a Conversations on Dance guest host with Michael for some live events from Vail. This is our last episode before the Vail Dance Festival. Our Festival Forum events will be published on the COD feed, so be sure to subscribe to Conversations on Dance wherever you get your podcasts so that you will automatically be notified when these episodes go live. For tickets to the performances and Festival Forum events, visit, validance.org. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival July 30 August 9: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. Tickets on sale now. ____________________________
This week, friend of the pod Patricia Delgado, makes another appearance on Conversations on Dance, to discuss Zoom ballet class. Patricia is a former Principal Dancer with Miami City Ballet and is now a faculty member of the Juilliard Dance Division. Join us for a chat about what it's like to teach dance digitally, troubleshooting some of the technical glitches with Zoom, and what tricks we have developed during this time as teachers. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) The post (187) Patricia Delgado on Teaching via Zoom appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week we head back into our vault from our time at the Vail Dance Festival last summer. Today we speak with former Miami City Ballet Principal dancer, Patricia Delgado, and New York City Ballet Principal, Jared Angle. Even though they have never danced in the same company, many gigs have brought them to dance together, especially at the Vail Dance Festival. So we sat down with them to talk about what makes their special partnership work. This year they danced the central pas de deux of Justin Pecks new work created at the festival Rise Wait Climb Through, with music created by Caroline Shaw. We chat about what we would like to see them dance together next year in Vail, about dancing Year of our Lord from Year of the Rabbit together, and about the process of Justins new work that had it's premier later that night. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and The Vail Dance Festival. The post (124) Patricia Delgado and Jared Angle appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are joined by two of our close friends, former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer, Patricia Delgado, and current MCB Principal, Renan Cerdeiro. Patricia has been on our podcast quite a few times in the past, so to hear more from Pat, visit our past catalog of episodes. Renan was born in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and started dancing at a young age. In 2008, he was named a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and was awarded a scholarship to train at Miami City Ballet School. He joined MCB in 2010, and was promoted to Principal in 2013. Patricia and Renan often danced together at Miami City Ballet, and became one of the companys most beloved onstage couples. We caught up with the pair when they were guesting as The Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavelier in Next Generation Ballets Nutcracker this past December. Hear them talk about their first time dancing together, what makes their partnership so special, their experience dancing Romeo and Juliet together, and what it feels like to reunite here in Tampa with Next Generation Ballet. The post (78) Renan Cerdeiro, MCB Principal, & Patricia Delgado, Former MCB Principal appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week we are joined Patricia Delgado, Former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer. Patricia was born and raised in Miami and joined MCB in 2000 at the age of 18. For 17 years she danced in the majority of the companys repertoire, moving quickly through the ranks. This past April, Patricia retired from the stage and has since moved to New York City to explore other creative and artistic opportunities. We talk with Patricia from the Vail Dance Festival about her retirement shows, what the transition has been like for her moving from a full time company to becoming a free lance artist, and what her next projects are. This episode is sponsored by the Vail Dance Festival and BodyWrappers. FabFitFun is also a sponsor of Conversations on Dance. To get a seasonal box full of $200 worth of the best beauty secrets, glam fashion finds, and fitness gear for only $49.99, visit https://t.fabfitfun.com/SHqQ. The post (63) Retiring From the Stage with Patricia Delgado, Former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Rebecca King Ferraro — Host — Conversations on Dance
It's just us this week and we catch up on Michael's staging of Alexei Ratmansky's 'The Fairy's Kiss' at Dutch National Ballet. PLUS - JUST ANNOUNCED! Tickets for Conversations on Dance at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival are on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
It's just us this week! We check in on some of the dance we have seen recently and talk about Michael's work as a repetiteur.THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:Unlock your potential with the Graduate Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. In partnership with the prestigious Price College of Business, this innovative program is expertly designed for the aspiring arts entrepreneur, blending your creative and artistic talents with the business knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to successfully launch and manage arts-related enterprises. Affordable and fast-track, you can achieve this transformative education remotely in less than 12 months. To learn more and apply, visit ou.edu/finearts.artmotions popular adult summer intensive program returns this May 27 - June 1. This program includes Advanced, Intermediate Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginner classes, with no prior dance experience needed for the beginner level. Let artmotion be the bridge between audience and the studio. Come dance this summer. For more information visit https://artemotionballetschool.com/.The White Feather: A Persian BalletThe Kennedy Center: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2023-2024/the-white-feather-persian-ballet/New York City: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-white-feather-tickets-800305734997
It's just us this week. We chat about the 2023 Vail Dance Festival (listen to episodes from the fest here) and catch up on what else we have been up to recently.Email us: info@conversationsondancepod.comRebecca's website: rebeccaferraro.com
Welcome to the brand new Conversations on Dance! We are pleased to announce we are now a part of the Acast Creator Network. Check out what else is new:New website: conversationsondancepod.comMerch: https://bit.ly/cod-merchYouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-CODSpotify Playlists: COD Fave Ballets Program A and Program BJoin our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-CODThis episode's sponsor:Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami: Auditions for DDTM's 2023/2024 season! April 23 in Miami. More info: https://www.dimensionsdancemia.com/auditions
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week. We start by catch up after Michael's live events at Works & Process at the Guggenheim and Inside NYCB. Michael tells us about seeing Justin Peck's newest work at New York City Ballet, Copland Dance Episodes,' then about his work on The Night Falls' with Troy Schumacher and BalletCollective. See The Night Falls' February 9th through 12th at Montclair State University. Tickets for The Night Falls can be found at peakperfs.org. Watch the Works & Process event on their YouTube Channel, or click here: https://youtu.be/FfidIh8pi0o. This Episodes Sponsors: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School is training the next generation of professional dancers by providing ballet and dance education of the highest caliber that prepares students for professional careers in dance. PBTs school focuses on the dancer as a whole person and nurturing them into creative, confident and well-rounded individuals. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schools Intensive Summer Program runs from June 25-July 29th. Auditions are held across the country January 7 Feb 12. Learn more about Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and their Intensive Summer Program at https://www.pbt.org/pbts/isp2023/.
It's just us this week for our annual year-end wrap up. What a year 2022 has been! We list our favorite episodes from this year, our favorite performances we saw, our FOMO list of what we didn't get to see but wished we had, and we share what we learned this year. Check out our COD Reading List for some last minute gift ideas for the dance lover in your life: https://conversationsondancepod.com/cod-reading-list/ Support COD: https://conversationsondancepod.com/support/ This episodes sponsors: Just in time for holiday gift-giving, DANCIO, the online dance instruction provider, has announced an expansion of its line-up of classes, teachers, and menu of subscriptions. Dancio is run by dancers for dancers, and makes a memorable holiday gift. To gift Dancio, Go to dancio.com and click on subscribe. The Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy is excited to announce announce their summer programs. Come explore Salt Lake City and all that Ballet West has to offer. We are launching an exciting chapter in 2023 under Academy Director, Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, with the return of our strong summer programs and year-round Professional Training Division. Start your journey to Ballet West Academy today at acadmey.balletwest.org and use code BWPOD for $5 off your audition fee. _____________________________
It's just us this week on Conversations on Dance. Michael is in Denmark setting a ballet for choreographer Justin Peck at Royal Danish Ballet, so he fills us in on how it's going, 3 weeks in. Rebecca fills us in on how everything is going with her new baby. Links: Rate and Review us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3RwJqWc Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3USVfcp Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (310) Michael & Rebecca: catching up from Copenhagen appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week. We're back and catch up on what we have been up to this summer and we dive into some recent news. Subscribe to Conversations on Dance wherever you get your podcasts to notified of our upcoming content featuring dance this fall, all new interviews, and much more! The post (306) Michael & Rebecca: We're Back! appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Michael and Rebecca in this bonus episode, where we chat about the great dance performances we have seen over the past few months, including Royal Danish Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ragamala, Karole Armitage's Armitage Gone Dance!, and more! Support COD: conversationsondancepod.com/support SPONSORS: Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival July 30 August 9: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. Tickets go on sale May 20th. MENAJI Skin Care: www.menskincare.com. Use code COD30 to receive 30% savings on all individual products. ________________________________
It's just Michael and Rebecca this week as we come together for a catch up, plus we go through responses to our 2022 listener survey. Thank you to everyone who participated! Your feedback was very valuable and will help us plan our content moving forward. This past weekend we were together in Miami to see Miami City Ballet in Jewels,' which we will be discussing in an upcoming episode of COD. Be sure to subscribe to COD wherever you get your podcasts. Information on the 2022 Vail Dance Festival is now available on their website. Information coming soon regarding COD events: vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. SPONSORS: Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo, August 4-7, 2022 in Las Vegas. Use code COD50 at checkout for $50 off your conference registration at http://danceteachersummerexpo.com/. MENAJI Skin Care: www.menskincare.com. Use code COD30 to receive 30% savings on all individual products. ________________________________
It's 2022 and COD is back! We are ushering in the new year by celebrating some of the great things that friends of the pod have been up to recently, discussing the complexity surrounding dancer promotions, and how the change in the social media landscape in the past few years is affecting content that dancers and companies are putting out. Plus, we tease next week's guest. We have lots of exciting things coming your way this year, so thank you for tuning in and for supporting the pod. In the beginning of this episode, we mention our close friend, Jovani Furlan, who has created a Go Fund Me page for help with family medical expenses. You can read Jovani's story here: https://bit.ly/3FlnOpI. If you are able to give, that would be greatly appreciated. Please also feel free share the link with people who might be interested. Thank you all. _________________________________
It's our last episode of 2021 and we are looking back over the year with our friend, Evelyn Kocak. Thank you to all of our listeners and our partners for joining us for another year of COD! We will be back in 2022 with some exciting new episodes and thrilling guests. We love you all! Thank you for listening. Happy Holidays! Photo: Mira Nadon in Movements for Piano and Orchestra' __________________________________
We have been off this month, but on Thursday we head to Vail for the Vail Dance Festival. So we hopped on our last zoom before we are back together in person recording episodes and live podcast recordings at the festival, just for a check in. Links: Tickets for live events July 30 August 10 Master Classes August 2 & 3 This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). The post (236) Rebecca and Michael catch up appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Rebecca pops in today to share some COD updates, including live events and master classes at Vail Dance Festival, and publishing schedule this month. Links: Live events: https://vaildance.org/festival-forums-2021/ Master classes: https://vaildance.org/master-class-series-2021/ Thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of COD. Shop online at Yumiko.com. Follow us on social media @conversationsondance The post COD July Update + Come see us at Vail Dance Festival! appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week on the pod. We do a check in on what we have been up to (Michael got the vaccine!), we take a couple detours, then share a few books we are looking forward to getting our hands on. Thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of the pod. Shop online at Yumiko.com and connect with them on Instagem: @yumiko. Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (219) Rebecca and Michael, a check in appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
We are back! It's been a minute, but unfortunately some work obligations took us away from the pod last month. Now, we are back and ready to get back to it! Today we catch up and go through our Conversations on Dance Best of 2020. Brought to you by Yumiko (Yumiko.com.) YUMIKOs holiday collection, comprised of festive ready-to-wear options, will be available in-stores and online this month! Receive a first chance to shop the new items at their Instagram LIVE shopping event on December 15th, plus for the very first time the new 2021 colors will be revealed! These events are a lot of fun and discounts are offered, so be sure to tune in @yumiko on Instagram on the 15th. Links: instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (207) COD's Best of 2020 appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's our 200th episode of Conversations on Dance! To celebrate, Rebecca and Michael get together to chat about the beginnings of COD, some favorite memories, and catch up on what they have been up to recently. If you would like to give to the Miami City Ballet dancer relief fund, you can do so here: https://tickets.miamicityballet.org/donate/q/dsf Thank you as always to our amazing sponsor, Yumiko (yumiko.com). Be sure to check out their new release, the Camila, and enjoy a 15% off introductory rate on all ready to wear and custom orders this month. This episode is also brought to you by Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com). Launching new group classes starting September 14th. Links: instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (200) Rebecca and Michael: Our 200th Episode appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week on the pod, Rebecca and Michael fill out a Balanchine masterwork tournament bracket to crown the ultimate Balanchine ballet. In March, two students at Indiana University sent us an email: they were missing March Madness and decided to create a bracket for Balanchine Masterworks as a fun activity for the dance department. They were kind enough to share their bracket with us. So today, we each fill out our bracket, share our results, and defend our choices. Our bracket discussion starts at time marker 16:00. Follow along with us (file below and on conversationsondancepod.com) and be sure to share your winner with us! Share your bracket on social media and tag us: @conversationsondance. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko. (yumiko.com). Introducing Yumiko at home. Post a picture or video wearing your favorite yumiko and be entered to win a free piece. Just follow them on Instagram, @Yumiko, tag them in your post, and use #yumikoathome. They are choosing a winner every Friday, so be sure to click over to their Instagram for all the details. Remember you can shop online anytime at yumiko.com. The post (182) Rebecca and Michael: Balanchine Masterworks Tournament Bracket appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today, Rebecca and Michael connect via Skype from quarantine. We discuss some options of ballet related content to consume while the world is social distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We list some online class options, resources for dancers who are out of work, and our favorite dance related books, movies, and much more. This list was put together based on internet research and content that we are familiar with. Pointe Magazine and Dance Magazine are also offering a lot of great up to date resources. Conversations on Dance is brought to you by Yumiko. (Yumiko.com) Remember to please follow CDC guidelines and the direction of your local officials during this time. We are hoping to be able to bring our listeners content to help take your mind off of everything, if just for a short time. During this time, we will not be following our regular publishing schedule, so follow us on social media to stay up to date on our new content. Below is a list that includes links to the items we discuss in this episode. ONLINE CLASSES: Kathryn Morgan YouTube Channel, World Ballet Day Videos, John Clifford Class with Portland Ballet, Miami City Ballet School Class via Dance Spirit, Mens Class (PNB Summer Course 2018), PNB School Class (Summer 2016), Herman Dance Live by Herman Cornejo on YouTube, and Ashley Bouder just launched a YouTube Channel. INSTAGRAM RESOURCES FOR CLASS: Martha Graham classes via @marziamem @lloydknight, Tiler Peck via @tilerpeck, Juilliard class available at @juilliardschool, and @vaildancefest is cataloging a lot of what your favorite dancers are doing during this time. PLACES TO TAKE BALLET CLASS ONLINE OUTSIDE OF INSTAGRAM OR YOUTUBE: Dancio (offering two free weeks of classes due to Coronavirus), Veyette Virtual Ballet School, 1on1 Ballet, and Ballet Beautiful. HOW CAN WE HELP DANCERS DIRECTLY DURING THIS TIME? If you are a dancer, get in touch with the Actors Fund or explore these freelance dancer resources. The Dance Union Podcast is starting a GoFundMe for NYC Based Dancers. Tell Congress to include displaced entertainment workers in relief package via Action Network. MOVIES: The Red Shoes (Amazon Prime), Billy Elliot (Netflix), Center Stage (Netflix), Turning Point (Amazon Prime), White Knights (Amazon Prime), Black Swan (Hulu, Amazon Prime), Oklahoma (Amazon Prime), Carousel (Amazon Prime), Singin In the Rain (iTunes), On The Town (iTunes), American In Paris (Amazon Prime), Top Hat (Netflix), West Side Story (Netflix), Fame (Netflix.) BOOKS: Repertory In Review (Nancy Reynolds), Apollos Angels (Jennifer Homans), Winters Season (Toni Bentley), Holding Onto the Air (Suzanne Farrell), The Unmaking Of a Dancer (Joan Brady), Once a Dancer (Allegra Kent), Balanchine (Bernard Taper), Margot Fonteyn (Alastair Macaulay). VIRTUAL ART: 12 museums with virtual tours, stream the Met Opera via Metopera.org, and John Clifford's YouTube Channel. Video of the Italian Opera singer on his balcony. We will be putting out emails with some of our favorite episodes chronologically, so go to our website to sign up for our email list to get an email with a featured episode from our older catalog. The post (177) Rebecca and Michael: Quarantine Guide for Ballet Dancers and Fans appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Last week, in episode 168, we talked about Michael's coming out of retirement for Nutcracker guesting. Unfortunately due to scheduling, this episode was cut short, so in a BONUS episode this week, we are finishing that chat, and taking a few detours along the way! The post BONUS: Rebecca and Michael: Nutcracker Gigs, Part Deux appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Nutcracker may be over, but this week Rebecca and Michael sit down to catch up and discuss Michael's Nutcracker gigs. Rebecca asks Michael about coming out of retirement for his return to the Nutcracker this past December. We chat about how he prepared, what the rehearsal process was like, and we get nostalgic over other Nutcracker memories from years past. This week we are happy to welcome a new sponsor, Veyette Virtual Ballet School. Be sure to check them out: veyettevirtualballetschool.com. As always, thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of COD: yumiko.com. The post (168) Rebecca and Michael: Nutcracker Gigs appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it's just Rebecca and Michael. We sit down to go through the responses from our listener survey. We talk about some of the statistics that came to light from our questionnaire, go through some of the guest requests, talk about the ins and outs of creating the podcast, and go through your feed back. If you have not yet taken our survey, it's not too late: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XVM5KJ. If you wish to request a guest or put us in touch with a potential guest, email us at info@conversationsondancepod.com This episode is brought to you by Yumiko, yumiko.com. The post (155) Rebecca & Michael Respond to COD Listener Survey appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week, breaking down everything that happened surrounding Lara Spencer's comments on Prince George studying ballet on Good Morning America. We are guessing that this story may have made it on your radar over the past few days, but we are here to break down the dance community's reaction, why it was important, and how Good Morning America reacted on Monday morning. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko. Please take a moment to fill out our 9 question listener survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XVM5KJ The post (152) Boys Dance Our Reaction to Lara Spencer and GMA appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week on the pod. We talk about looking forward to this year's Vail Dance Festival, our 3 year anniversary, what Michael has been up to, and we answer your questions from social media. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com.) The post (144) Rebecca and Michael: Catching Up & Vail Dance Festival Preview appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This episode was recorded in February, when Rebecca & Michael were at the Kennedy Center to cover American Ballet Theatre's tour to Washington, D.C. We sit down to finally catch up on Michael's experience setting a ballet for the very first time. Michael spent about a month in Phoenix with the wonderful dancers of Ballet Arizona to teach them Justin Peck's ballet In Creases.' He shares with us how he prepared, what the first day was like, how he modeled his work ethic, and what it felt like to see the ballet on stage for the first time. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and The Kennedy Center. The post (133) Rebecca & Michael: Becoming a Repetiteur appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Rebecca and Michael record an emergency podcast to discuss and react to the big news this week in the ballet world: the announcement of the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as artistic director and Wendy Whelan as associate artistic director of New York City Ballet. Our sound quality isn't our best, and for that we apologize, but we had to drop everything and get on the phone to chat about the news ASAP! Thanks for your understanding. Check out our social media channels on Monday March 4th, 2019 for a special giveaway from our sponsor Yumiko! The post (128) Rebecca & Michael: NYCB Directorship Announcement appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week. It's that time of year when company contracts are going out, which means that dancers across the country may not be getting their contracts renewed for the 2019-2020 season. We put together a handful of bullet points to help dancers navigate this tough time and discuss what to do next. We turn this challenging experience into something positive, this week on Conversations on Dance. This episode is sponsored by Yumiko and The Kennedy Center. The post (126) Rebecca & Michael: What to do if you didnt get your contract renewed appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week, Rebecca & Michael sit down to discuss this past summer, what we are up to in the coming months, and to discuss the New York City Ballet Artistic Director job description. Here is the New York Times article by Michael Cooper which we reference. We are thrilled to welcome Yumiko as our newest sponsor of Conversations on Dance. Visit their Flagship boutique in New York City featuring the all new interactive Color Bar. ___________________________________________ We recorded this episode before the devastating news came last week that the dance world lost two greats: Paul Taylor and Peter Frame. We did not feel it appropriate to publish this weeks episode without mentioning these two who impacted dance on a grand scale and who also impacted our careers directly. Firstly, we never met Paul Taylor, but we both had the great pleasure of dancing quite a few of his works. These works offered up some of our most memorable and challenging onstage moments. We felt as if we got to know Paul through his dances and through his repetiteurs who staged the ballets on us. We will always treasure the memories of dancing these works. As for Peter Frame, Rebecca only had a short experience with him when he came to Miami City Ballet to share his solo for Episodes that Paul Taylor created on him. Michael had the pleasure of being his student. Whether you knew him just a short time, or came in contact with him on a regular basis, it was clear to everyone that Peter was a truly selfless, humble, beautiful human being. He truly wanted to bring joy to any person he touched. His legacy will live on through the audiences who watched him dance, and the students whom he mentored. Rest in Peace Paul Taylor and Peter Frame. The post (105) Rebecca & Michael: Summer 2018 & NYCB Artistic Director Job Posting appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it's just Rebecca and Michael to celebrate our 100th episode. We take the time to reflect on the past two years of Conversations on Dance by counting down our top 10 favorite episodes. We have had so many incredible guests that it was hard to narrow it down, so a few other favorite moments come up. Thank you to all of our listeners who have made these past two years of podcasting such a wonderful journey and thank you to each and every one of our guests who took the time to talk with us a spread the good word of ballet! We are heading to Vail on Tuesday, July 31st, so stay tuned for lots of content coming at you live from The Vail Dance Festival. Subscribe now on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to receive notifications when a new episode has been published. For more information on what we will be up to in Vail click here: https://conversationsondancepod.com/vail-dance-festival The post (100) Rebecca & Michael celebrate 100 episodes! appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Its just Rebecca and Michael this week, together from New York City, as they return to discuss some of the feedback received after last weeks episode. They also discuss a recent article on dancers' and negativity (10:30), and how a dancers perspective on their career changes post retirement (16:29). They return to their interview format next week, and the following week will be reporting from San Francisco Ballet to cover their Unbound Festival. Subscribe now so you wont miss a moment! The post (87) Dancers' Negativity and Perspective Post-Retirement appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
It's just Rebecca and Michael this week as they sit down to discuss some of the stories that have been making news recently. We talk about Misty Copeland's epic and graceful response to a Twitter troll last week (7:55) and discuss Avichai Scher's article for the Huffington Post, The Me Too Moment Is Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point (16:15). We will be going to San Francisco April 20-25th to partner with San Francisco Ballet to bring you coverage from their massive Unbound Festival, which will feature 12 new works by 12 choreographers in 17 days (34:48). Subscribe now to Conversations on Dance in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts to automatically be notified when new episodes are available. The post (86) Misty Copeland's Clap Back & Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week it is just Michael and Rebecca, taking some time to catch up. Rebecca has a big announcement to make, we talk changes happening at New York City Ballet and what it means for ballet as a whole (30:10), and we discuss what is coming up for Conversations on Dance (44:07). This episode is sponsored by Sudio headphones. Start listening to Conversations on Dance today with Sudio headphones. We are happy to be able to offer our listeners 15% off any purchase when you use promocode DANCE at checkout. To take advantage of this offer, go to https://goo.gl/fAH3D6. The post (82) Michael and Rebecca on Retirement & Changes in the Ballet World appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Rebecca King Ferraro — Host — Conversations on Dance
Today it's just Michael and Rebecca for our annual look back over the year. Enjoy! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone! We will be back with a new episode on January 7th, 2026.Listen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondanceMiami City Ballet Nutcracker running through 12/28: https://www.miamicityballet.org/tickets-and-events/202526-season/nutcracker/#e214Miami City Ballet world premiere by Alexei Ratmansky: https://www.miamicityballet.org/tickets-and-events/202526-season/winter/
?This week on Conversations on Dance, it's just Michael and Rebecca. We catch up on what we have been up to since Vail Dance Festival in August. Michael talks about working as a rehearsal director for James Whiteside in Mexico, and staging Justin Peck's 'Heatscape' at New York City Ballet this Fall.SPONSOR:San Francisco-based choreographer Alyssa Mitchel presents the premiere of Endure, a multimedia dance production taking place at Dance Mission Theater on October 3rd, 4th and 5th. The piece features six dancers, the graphic art and animations of designer Zach Litoff and recorded interviews with six marathon runners. This new work celebrates running while paying tribute to the enduring human spirit, with the intention of empowering audience members to persevere through difficult challenges. Tickets are on sale now at dancemissiontheater.org. You can follow Alyssa Mitchel on Instagram at @alymitchel or visit alyssaevemitchel.com for more information.
Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Today it's just us as we catch up on the past few weeks: Miami City Ballet's recent announcement of Gonzalo Garcia as the new Artistic Director, Michael's time in Amsterdam, the Clive Barnes awards, and we go through all our events that are coming up at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival. You can support the Clive Barnes Foundation by donating here: https://www.clivebarnesfoundation.org/.SPONSOR:Felice Lesser Dance Theater celebrates its 50th Anniversary with the live documentary, I AM A DANCER 2020, a real-time journey into the effects of the pandemic on the dance world. Combining live dance, projected video, and filmed interviews depicting how dance workers navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, I AM A DANCER 2020 will have four performances, June 26th to 28th at New York Live Arts in New York City. For tickets and information, please visit newyorklivearts.org.
Today it's just Michael & Rebecca. We go through the listener survey submissions and start building our 2025 guest wish list! Thank you to everyone who took the time to take our listener survey!
Today, we sit down for our annual "Best of" episode! We saw great dance this year and talked with amazing guests. Cheers to another year with all of you. Thank you for coming on this ride with us! Please take 5 mins to take our listener survey. We want to hear from you.Episodes referenced:Maria Calegari - Part 1 Part 2Jennifer Lin - (382) The story of George Lee, the original Tea in Balanchine's 'Nutcracker', with Jennifer LinGeorge Lee & Jennifer Lin - (396) Jennifer Lin and George Lee, the original Tea in Balanchine's 'Nutcracker'Michael Vernon - (391) Michael Vernon, Professor of Music (Ballet) at Indiana University Jacobs School of MusicKatlyn Addison - (383) Katlyn Addison, Principal Dancer with Ballet WestLimon at VDF - (405) Dante Puleio and Joey Columbus on the legacy of Jos Limn, LIVE from the Vail Dance FestivalGolden State Ballet's Nutcracker: https://www.goldenstateballet.org/
Today it's just Michael and Rebecca checking in. Please take 5 mins to take our listener survey. We want to hear from you!LINKS related to this episode:Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/UU6eFZD2WH6JCmjG7Episode with Silas Farley: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/416-silas-farley-teacher-and-choreographer. If you donate dance books to a local dance school, please let us know! We would love to hear about it: info@conversationsondancepod.com.Episode with Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-on-dance/id1128237763?i=1000413007256Golden State Ballet's Nutcracker: https://www.goldenstateballet.org/
This episode was recorded live on July 30, 2024 at the Vail Dance Festival. In part two of this episode, we are joined by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Catherine Hurlin. Look for part one of this episode, now in the feed.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously supported by the Town of Vail.Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
We are leaving for the Vail Dance Festival in just a few days, so today we sit down to talk through the performances that we will be catching during the festival and preview who we will be talking to during our live events.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Vail Dance Festival performances: https://vaildance.org/
This week, Michael and Rebecca sit down to catch up. Michael tells Rebecca about his experience over the past 3 weeks in Dresden, Germany setting Justin Peck's 'Rodeo.' We also chat about miscellaneous items including Johan Inger's Swan Lake, auditions for Golden State Ballet, and the Artistic Director opening at Lexington Ballet Company.
Michael and Rebecca sit down for our annual "Best of 2023." Hop over to our Instagram account to comment and share with us some of your fave dance moments you experienced this year: @conversationsondance.Happy New Year and thank you for your support of Conversations on Dance this past year!LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:Janet Eilber on Martha Graham Dance Company in 'Cave': https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/janet-eilber-vail-dance-festivalRussell Janzen 'On Leaving the Life of the Body: A Dancer Reports': https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/arts/dance/dancer-retirement-new-york-city-ballet.htmlRussell Janzen on Conversations on Dance: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/russell-janzen-new-york-city-ballet-principal-dancerMira Nadon on 'Copland Dance Episodes': https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/mira-nadon-copland-dance-episodes'The Boy From Kyiv' audiobook: https://amzn.to/41Alurw'Mr. B' audiobook: https://amzn.to/3REOcmAWebsite: conversationsondancepod.comInstagram: @conversationsondanceMerch: https://bit.ly/cod-merchYouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-CODJoin our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-COD
Today's episode is a special bonus episode and cross over with Nashville Ballet's Inside the Ballet Podcast. In this episode, Michael takes the guest chair and chats with two members of the Nashville Ballet team, Briona Richardson, Senior Manager of Community Engagement and Nick Mullikin, Artistic Director. This episode gives a behind the scenes look at the work Michael did helping bring JustinPeck's 'Year Of the Rabbit' to Nashville Ballet. If you're in the Nashville area, visit nashvilleballet.com to purchase tickets for performances Sep 22-24. Listen to Nashville Ballet's Inside the Ballet Podcast here.
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance' we are joined by star ballerina and resident choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Lauren Lovette. We talk to Lauren about the leap of faith she took in leaving New York City Ballet to freelance, how her choreographic voice has developed since being offered her role as resident choreographer and what to expect from her dual world premieres this fall season. Tickets for Paul Taylor's fall season at the David H Koch theater this Oct 31st through Nov 12th can be purchased at paultaylordance.org. THIS EPISODE'S SPONSOR:New York Theatre Ballet celebrates its 45-year legacy with a Fall program of World and Company Premieres by Artistic Director Steven Melendez, Douglas Dunn, David Gordon, and Amanda Treiber, Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7 at Florence Gould Hall in New York City. New York Theatre Ballet performs small classic masterpieces and new contemporary works for adults and innovative hour-long ballets for young children, all at affordable prices. This seasons Once Upon a Ballet series features The Firebird and Merce Cunninghams Scramble for four family-friendly shows, Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8. For tickets and information, please visit NYTB.org/tickets.
Acclaimed Choreographer Claudia Schreier returns to the Vail Dance Festival this year with a new work to commissioned music by Conrad Tao. A classic Vail success story, join the Conversations On Dance podcast as they talk to Claudia about her origins at VDF as an intern and chart her path to one of the most highly sought after choreographers in the country. Please note: Conversations On Dance co-host, Rebecca King Ferraro, will be on maternity leave this summer. These live events will be hosted by Michael Sean Breeden with special guest hosts throughout the festival. This episode was recorded on August 7, 2022 with special guest host, Kate Penner. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of Conversations on Dance and the Vail Dance Festival. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Photo by Christopher Duggan. The post (304) Claudia Schreier and Lauren Lovette, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
In our next installment of LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, we are joined by New York City Ballet principal dancer, Lauren Lovette, and Memphis Jookin star, Lil Buck. We chat with the pair about what this past year has been like for them, how they continued to find inspiration, about their friendship, and their new work they have created just for the festival. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 9, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Experience the Vail Dance Festival from wherever you are this Monday, August 9th, 2021. Enjoy a live-streamed event of the festivals closing evening: NOW Premieres, which we discuss in this episode. Access will be available for one week on VDFs YouTube Channel. More information on VDFs social media channels. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of the Vail Dance Festival and Conversations on Dance live podcast recordings. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance is proud to have YUMIKO as a continued partner in 2021. yumiko.com Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. Photo by Christopher Duggan The post (243) Lauren Lovette and Lil Buck LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are bringing you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Lauren Lovette. We catch up on what she has been up to since we saw her last summer, talk about her choreography, and her position of Artist in Residence this year at the festival. Unfortunately, we again had a technology glitch during this episode and are bringing you an iphone audio recording of the event. As you know, this audio is not up to our usual quality, but Laurens chat with us was just too good not to bring to the masses. Thank you for your understanding. This episode was recorded live on August 4th, 2019. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and The Town of Vail. The post (151) Lauren Lovette LIVE From Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we talk with New York City Ballet Principal, Lauren Lovette. The last time we chatted with her was last year at the Vail Dance Festival, so this year we catch up with her, talk about her guesting gig with Royal Danish Ballet, and hear about her new work Papillons that premiered on August 6th, 2018 at the Vail Dance Festival. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 6th, 2018.) Photo: Unity Phelan and cast in Papillons at the 2018 Vail Dance Festival. Choreography by Lauren Lovette. Photo by Erin Baiano The post BONUS: Lauren Lovette on her new work for Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week we are heading into our vault from our time at the Vail Dance Festival this past summer, where we spoke with many of the festivals amazing and talented artists. Today we talk with Lauren Lovette, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer who was not only dancing at the festival, but also choreographing a new piece. Lauren began dancing at the age of 11 at the Cary Ballet Conservatory in Cary, North Carolina. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet during the summers of 2004 and 2005 and became a year-round student in 2006. After joining New York City Ballet as member of the corps de ballet in 2010, she became a principal dancer in 2015. We talk with Lauren about her start in ballet, how she became interested in choreography, how becoming a vegan has changed her dancing, and about her new ballet that premiered a few nights after we recorded this episode. The post (70) Lauren Lovette, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Alastair Macaulay — Writer
Today on Conversations on Dance, we welcome back a listener favorite and our friend, Alastair Macaulay, former Chief Dance Critic for the New York Times. This past week, on Friday November 14th, Alastair hosted an event at the New York Public Library where he examined films of revered Balanchine ballerina, Suzanne Farrell. Alastair tells us about how research for this event, talks about the films he showed, and other tidbits on Suzannes career and dancing. At the end, Alastair talks about his City Center Studio 5 event which is available to watch now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAkP-QnDpL0 Listen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondanceSPONSOR: The Royal Ballet School are bringing their diverse programme of non-selective and selective Intensive Courses for students aged 8-19 to London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and for the first time, Los Angeles next summer! Explore your love for dance in a supportive environment, as the Schools expert Artistic staff and guest coaches guide you in a variety of styles to hone your technique, artistry and musicality. Classes include classical ballet, repertoire, contemporary, choreography, character, body conditioning, pas de deux, stagecraft and pointe work. Dont miss your chance to train with one of the worlds leading centres for classical ballet training. Applications are now open. Head to royalballetschool.org.uk to secure your spot today.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by former Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times and performing arts historian Alastair Macaulay to discuss the legacy of composer Maurice Ravel around the corner from his 150th birthday. We talk about Ravel's major commissions for dance, how dance influenced his compositions outside of those meant for the concert dance stage, and his continued impact on major choreographers of the 20th century and onwards, like Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine. The Torvill and Dean Bolero referenced: https://www.olympics.com/en/video/torvill-and-dean-s-legendary-bolero-performance-music-mondays
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Alastair Macaulay, esteemed critic and historian for the performing arts. Alastair previously joined us for a deep dive into the history of Balanchine's classic 'Serenade'; today he returns for critical analysis of one of the oldest and most beloved full lengths in ballet history, 'Giselle'. Alastair will be presenting a seminar on the same subject at the New York Public Library Bruno Walter Auditorium on Friday, December 1st. Tickets are sold out, but a standby line will form 45 minutes before with available seats distributed on a first come first served basis. Explore Alastair's dance musings on his website, alastairmacaulay.com.Try Audible Plus free for 30 daysGive the gift of Audible Plus
Today we are joined by critic, dance scholar, and former chief dance critic to the New York Times, Alastair Macaulay. We talk with Alastair about the incredible legacy of George Balanchine's 'Serenade'. Originally choreographed in 1934 for students at the School Of American Ballet, 'Serenade' has gone on to become one of the most beloved works of the 20th century. Alastair takes us through the history of the ballet, including the myths surrounding its creation, the many changes it has gone through over the years, and why we should really all be pronouncing it 'Seren-AYDE'.THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:?Energetiks specialize in creating sustainable, world class dancewear for the stars of tomorrow. Perform and feel your best at every stage of your dance journey in Energetiks premium, high performance fabrics. Try them out with a 20% discount site-wide using the code COD20 at the checkout [available until the end of September 2023]. Shop their extensive range online at energetiks.com and enjoy free express shipping on orders over $75.If you're in the southern California area this June, join Golden State Ballet as they present 'From New York, With Love', an evening featuring world premieres by Gabrielle Lamb and Norbert De La Cruz III, and the kaleidoscopic, heart-pumping work 'In Creases' by Tony-Award winner Justin Peck. You won't want to miss out on a chance to experience California's newest ballet company in three world class ballets. Performances are this June 6 at the Barclay Center in Irvine, CA and June 9 & 10 at the Poway Center For the Performing Arts. Tickets are available at goldenstateballet.org
Today we are joined again by listener favorite, Alastair Macaulay, former Chief Dance Critic for the New York Times. We asked Alastair to join us as he has been diligently chronicling the dance world's reaction to the Russian-Ukraine war since it started last month. We talk with Alastair about what he has been seeing from both Russian and Ukrainian dancers, what leaders within the dance world are doing to help, and how this conflict could change dance moving forward. Please note: this episode was recorded on March 18, 2022. You can follow Alastair's posts surrounding this topic on Instagram at @alastair.macaulay. Take our listener survey between now and April 1, 2022: https://conversationsondancepod.com/listener-survey _________________________
As Nutcracker performances return to stages around the world, we decided to celebrate the return of the beloved classic by chatting with friend of the pod, Alastair Macaulay. As a historian of the performing arts and the former Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times, Alastair has a wealth of information to share with us about the history of this ballet that has become a staple for schools and companies across the country. We chat about the ballet's origins, elements of the production that have been lost over time, different versions Alastair has reviewed, and finally, he tells us which production he finds to be the best. For his current musings on dance and performing arts history, visit alastairmacaulay.com, or click the link in the description of this episode. _______________________________
Listener favorite and former Chief Dance Critic at the New York Times, Alastair Macaulay returns to the podcast this week. We realize that we have never asked Alastair his origin story in dance, so he gives us background on how the love affair began. We take a few detours to discuss the late Jacques d'Amboise, Dances at a Gathering', Anthony Tudor, and stories of Balanchine Ballerinas. Then, Alastair talks with us about the virtual return of City Center's Studio 5' series that he hosts. This year, with Studio 5 | Dancing Across Continents' New York City Center brings us an intimate look at rare pairings of exceptional dance artists from around the world. To watch the films already available, and to be notified when new content goes live, subscribe to City Center's YouTube Channel, or click here: https://bit.ly/3vqqZrZ. Read Alastair's recent essays on dance on his website, alastairmacauly.com. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (230) Alastair Macaulay on new installments of New York City Center's Studio 5' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we check in with listener favorite, Alastair Macaulay. We last spoke with Alastair in 2018 as he was preparing to step down from his post as chief dance critic at the New York Times. We catch up on what he has been working on over the past couple of years, including his research for his book on Merce Cunningham. He tells us about his virtual series for New York City Center that has been exceedingly popular and about his new blog that he will soon be introducing. Be sure to tune into the next installments of City Center's Studio 5 Live @ Home on September 16th, 23rd, and 30th. More information can be found at nycitycenter.org. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com). Links: instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post (201) Alastair Macaulay appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week on Conversations On Dance, we are joined by the chief dance critic of the New York Times, and one of our most frequent guests, Alastair Macaulay. Alastair, an expert on dance history, has previously guided us through histories of Balanchine's classic ballet Serenade' and the work of Frederic Ashton. This week he delves into the true history of one of ballet's most revered choreographers, Marius Petipa. We take a look at what works have been falsely attributed to Petipa, how he was perceived in his lifetime, and why his work still matters. This is our last episode of 2018, and we want to personally thank every listener that tuned in this year. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and that you join us again in the New Year. Check out the Nikolai Sergeev dance notations and music scores from the Harvard Library that Alastair references. Notations on Snow from the Nutcracker can be found on pages 39-62. More information on Alastair's upcoming presentation on Petipa at the New York Public Library on December 26th HERE. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko. The post (120) Alastair Macaulay on Marius Petipa appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week on Conversations On Dance', we are bringing you a special bonus episode, with one of of most frequent guests, Alastair Macaulay. Today, Alastair has announced his decision to step down from his post as chief dance critic of the New York Times. In his years writing for the Times, Alastair's reviews became events unto themselves, illuminating the performances he saw for many avid readers. Today we talk to Alastair about the artists whose performances most inspired him, courting controversy with Sugarplumgate', and what he'll miss most about the job that made him a hugely important figure in the dance world. Episode sponsored by Yumiko, The Town of Vail, and Quarter Marks. The post BONUS: Alastair Macaulay on his departure from the New York Times appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
We sit down in Vail to catch up with The New York Times Chief Dance Critic Alastair Macaulay and discuss the Vail Dance Festival. We discuss what makes the festival so special, how it has evolved, dancers who he has watched flourish in Vail, and what makes him keep coming back for more. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 3, 2018.) Photo: Erin Baiano The post BONUS: Alastair Macaulay from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we have a wonderful bunhead episode in store, with one of our favorite guests, The Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times, Alastair Macaulay. Alastair and Michael are together in Michaels New York City apartment, while I call in to join the conversation. Today we are focusing on two of the most important choreographers of the 20th century: George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton. If you listen to the pod, you have heard us speak of Balanchine, and are likely a fan yourself, but we havent covered Ashton much, until today. Mr. Macaulay has been preparing for a lecture he will be presenting at the New York Public Library on February 5th on the subject of these two choreographers. Alastair offers us a wonderful preview of the content he will cover, tells stories of the two choreographic greats, and compares and contrasts their work. Alastair will be presenting the annual Lincoln Kirstein Lecture, Ashton and Balanchine: Parallel Lives at the New York Public Library on February 5th at 6pm. This event is co-presented by The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit NYPL.org. The post (77) Ashton and Balanchine: Parallel Lives with Alastair Macaulay appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This episode was recorded live on October 18, 2025 at The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami before the opening of Miami City Ballet's 40th anniversary season. Guests in this episode are is Tony Award winning choreographer, Justin Peck, and Miami City Ballet Artistic Director, Gonzalo Garcia. The pre-performance talk coordinated with the all Peck program that the company opened their season with, which included "Year of The Rabbit," "Chutes and Ladders," and "Heatscape." WATCH this episode on YouTube! Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je6FADBH-eQListen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance
Today on 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by choreographer Justin Peck to discuss his new work for Houston Ballet 'Under the Folding Sky'. Justin talks about how seeing the art work of James Turrell in Houston provided a jumping off point, how he's waited for almost a decade to use the ballet's Phillip Glass score and what it's been like to explore an epic scale of dance in this work for 24 artists. If you are in the Houston area, you can purchase tickets to see Justin's new work on houstonballet.org. 'Under the Folding Sky' runs on the 'Divergence' program alongside works by Aszure Barton and Stanton Welch from May 25th to June 4th. THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:?Ballet Bird is a streaming site designed by former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Julie Tobiason. Ballet Bird offers ballet classes for anyone at any level of training that you can do from the comfort of your home or studio. Ballet Bird is a great addition to your regular in-studio training too. Take advantage of the ten day free trial and use the discount code COD25 to get 25% off through June 30th 2023 at balletbird.com.Energetiks are a sustainable, Australian Made brand that specialise in creating world class dancewear for the stars of tomorrow. Perform and feel your best at every stage of your dance journey in Energetiks premium, high performance fabrics. See their entire range online at energetiks.com and for all listeners there's a 20% discount on all Energetiks products using the code COD20 at the checkout [available until the end of September 2023].
Join the Conversations On Dance podcast in an exploration of two art forms and how they coalesce into a single harmonious ballet. Join musician, Johnny Gandelsman of Brooklyn Rider and Choreographer Justin Peck as they will talk about how the ways in which their art forms intersect and diverge and how the collaborative process informs and elevates their own work. Please note: Conversations On Dance co-host, Rebecca King Ferraro, will be on maternity leave this summer. These live events will be hosted by Michael Sean Breeden with special guest hosts throughout the festival. This episode was recorded on August 5, 2022. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of Conversations on Dance and the Vail Dance Festival. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. _________________________________ Join Brooklyn-based contemporary ballet company, konverjdans for their performances of Kwento on August 26 and 27 at 7:30pm at Triskelion Arts in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Featuring three new works choreographed by each of the artistic directors, Amy Saunder, Jordan Miller and Tiffany Mangulabnan, Kwento, also the Tagalog word for story, tells stories of love, friendship, loss, and reunion through dance, live and original music, costume design, and film projection. Visit www.konverjdans.com for ticket information and more. The post (303) Choreographer, Justin Peck, and musician, Johnny Gandelsman, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Few choreographers have impacted the dance world in the past decade the way Justin Peck has. He burst onto the scene ten years ago with major commissions for New York City Ballet, eventually becoming the companys Resident Choreographer. This was followed by his Tony Award-winning Broadway debut choreographing Carousel, and his cinematic debut for Steven Spielbergs award-winning film remake of West Side Story. Peck joins the Conversations On Dance podcast to talk about his world premiere at VDF this year, where he will collaborate with bluegrass artist Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, National Public Radio), as well as the Vail premiere of his most recent New York City Ballet work, Partita. Please note: Conversations On Dance co-host, Rebecca King Ferraro, will be on maternity leave this summer. These live events will be hosted by Michael Sean Breeden with special guest hosts throughout the festival. This episode was recorded on July 30, 2022. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of Conversations on Dance and the Vail Dance Festival. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Photo by Christopher Duggan The post (297) Justin Peck, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are sharing with you our final LIVE event recording from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. In this episode, we are joined by New York City Ballet Resident Choreographer, Justin Peck, and dancer and actor, Robbie Fairchild. These two have been friends since they were students at the School of American Ballet, working together throughout their time with New York City Ballet. They talk about how they first became inspired by the theatre, their aspirations for Broadway, and their forays into film. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival on August 7, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Please note, we did have some technical difficulties with the sound on one of the microphones during this recording. We apologize in advance. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of the Vail Dance Festival and Conversations on Dance live podcast recordings. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance is proud to have YUMIKO as a continued partner in 2021. yumiko.com Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. The post (246) Justin Peck and Robbie Fairchild, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week we are with Justin Peck, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival in a live Meet The Artist event before the opening night of San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival. We talk about his career, his process, and about the concept behind his new ballet for SFB, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Stay tuned this week for more from the festival coming soon! The post (89) Justin Peck, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Kate Penner — Friend — Conversations on Dance
This week we welcome back friend of the pod, and frequent guest host, Kate Penner. Kate does the social media marketing for the Vail Dance Festival, so we come together to talk about social media and specifically TikTok culture's impact on ballet and dance. Plus, we hear about Kate and Michael's trip to see Boston Ballet's 'The Nutcracker' in December.THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS:Unlock your potential with the Graduate Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. In partnership with the prestigious Price College of Business, this innovative program is expertly designed for the aspiring arts entrepreneur, blending your creative and artistic talents with the business knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to successfully launch and manage arts-related enterprises. Affordable and fast-track, you can achieve this transformative education remotely in less than 12 months. To learn more and apply, visit ou.edu/finearts.artmotions popular adult summer intensive program returns this May 27 - June 1. This program includes Advanced, Intermediate Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginner classes, with no prior dance experience needed for the beginner level. Let artmotion be the bridge between audience and the studio. Come dance this summer. For more information visit https://artemotionballetschool.com/.
Our friend, Kate Penner, returns to the pod this week as our special guest host to talk all things Summer Intensives. We talk about our personal stories with summer training, how to choose the school that's right for you, why you should cast a wide net, and some tips and tricks for auditioning. This Episodes Sponsors: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School is training the next generation of professional dancers by providing ballet and dance education of the highest caliber that prepares students for professional careers in dance. PBTs school focuses on the dancer as a whole person and nurturing them into creative, confident and well-rounded individuals. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schools Intensive Summer Program runs from June 25-July 29th. Auditions are held across the country January 7 Feb 12, with a virtual audition on January 13. Learn more about Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and their Intensive Summer Program at https://www.pbt.org/pbts/isp2023/. The Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy is excited to announce announce their summer programs. Come explore Salt Lake City and all that Ballet West has to offer. We are launching an exciting chapter in 2023 under Academy Director, Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, with the return of our strong summer programs and year-round Professional Training Division. Start your journey to Ballet West Academy today at acadmey.balletwest.org and use code BWPOD for $5 off your audition fee. Works & Process moderated by Michael Sean Breeden: The Night Falls by Karen Russell, Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and Troy Schumacher (January 22, 2023) TICKETS Inside NYCB moderated by Michael Sean Breeden, with guest Justin Peck (January 23, 2023) TICKETS
Today we are joined by our friend Kate Penner. Kate is figure skating super fan, so we decided to chat with her and have her to give us the run down on the sport to give us a better idea of what to be looking for during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Throughout the discussion, we compare and contrast the sport with ballet. At the end, she answers questions that were submitted to us by listeners via Instagram. As a note, this episode was recorded on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022. Since this has been recorded, there has been significant developments regarding drug test results from the Russian team that arose on February 9th. _________________________
We were busy at the Vail Dance Festival during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With the news that was coming out of USA Women's Gymnastics with Simone Biles pulling out of elements of the competition, we had to debrief with our friend (and gymnastics super fan) Kate Penner. She gives us a low down on what happened and we chat about the parallels we see between gymnastics and ballet. This episode was recorded on August 1, 2021. Hear more from Kate and about her role at the Vail Dance Festival here: https://conversationsondancepod.com/2021/08/04/livestream-vail-dance-festival/. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com The post BONUS: USA Women's Gymnastics with Kate Penner appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are joined by Kate Penner, social media manager for the Vail Dance Festival. Kate tells us how her role has evolved since her first year at the festival, how the marketing team works with photographers and videographers, and we delve into how rights and permissions work. Then she announces that the NOW Premieres performance on August 9th will be available to livestream for FREE on Vail Dance Festival's YouTube channel. Be sure to follow VDF on social media for more information. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Special thanks to Bruce Wilson for his generous support of our new sound equipment. Conversations on Dance is proud to have YUMIKO as a continued partner in 2021. yumiko.com. The post BONUS: Livestream the Vail Dance Festival on August 9, 2021 with Kate Penner appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
This week we are joined by our friend, Kate Penner. Kate received her early dance training from Arlington Center for Dance, now BalletNova, in Arlington, VA and participated in the Kennedy Center's Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program and Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell. She attended and graduated from Harvard University, where she worked with Heather Watts and Damian Woetzel, performing ballets such as George Balanchines The Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Who Cares? Upon graduating, Kate has enjoyed a freelance career in the Boston area. Kate has taught ballet and math as a faculty member of both Boston Ballet School and Harvard's Department of Mathematics, and has been a part of the Vail Dance Festival team since the start of Damian Woetzel's tenure as Artistic Director in 2007. In this episode we discuss the article from the Guardian in November 2019 that asks, Does ballet have a race problem? Kate offers her thoughts and reactions to this topic that has been at the forefront of discussion in the ballet world over the past few months. Conversations on Dance is sponsored by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and The Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com). The post (172) Kate Penner, on Ballet's Race Problem appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are joined by Vail Dance Festival's Artistic Director, Damian Woetzel. While we have had Damian on the podcast many times, we ask him about his earliest memories in Vail as a dancer, we talk about some of his memories from over the years, and what to expect from this year's festival coming to the stage July 29 August 9. Audiences are in for another great year of new works, classics, new artists, familiar faces, and new collaborations. For more information on performances, programming, and festival artists, visit the Vail Dance Festival website. Tickets are on sale now at validance.org, or click the link in the description of this episode. SPONSORS: Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival July 30 August 9: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. Tickets on sale now. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of the Vail Dance Festival and this episode of Conversations on Dance. ____________________________
Today we chat with Vail Dance Festival Artistic Director Damian Woetzel to get a preview of what is in store for their eight night digital festival, July 31 August 7, 2020. Damian tells us what it was like to have to decide to cancel the in person festival and move to a digital format, how they have chosen what the audience will get to see, offers us some previews of different pieces, and shares what he hopes audiences will take away from these incredible eight evenings of VDF content. As a part of the festival, you can catch three full evenings of Conversations on Dance. On August 3rd, we chat with Lil Buck, August 5th with James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston of American Ballet Theatre, and on August 6th with Calvin Royal III, the festival's Artist in Residence for 2020 and 2021. Don't miss a moment of the action. For more information on these free digital events, visit vaildance.org and be sure to connect with them on social media. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). The post (193) Preview of 2020 Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition with Damian Woetzel appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Today we are bringing you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival with Festival Artistic Director Damian Woetzel and Janet Eilber, Martha Graham Dance Company Artistic Director. The pair talks with us about the Graham legacy, their roles as artistic directors of their respective organizations, and what audiences can expect to see from the Martha Graham Dance Company this year in Vail. This episode was recorded live on August 8th, 2019. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and the Town of Vail. This episode was recorded at Manor Vail Lodge. The post (149) Damian Woetzel & Janet Eilber LIVE from Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Join us for another live Festival Forum panel discussion with Damian Woetzel and Claudia Schreier. Damian Woetzel is the Artistic Director of The Vail Dance Festival and Claudia Schreier is back creating work at the festival for a third time. We talk about Damian's beginnings at the festival and how he developed it's mission. We talk with Claudia about her roots in the Vail Dance Festival as a young intern that grew into a burgeoning career as a choreographer noticed by major companies and critics alike. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 5th, 2018.) Photo: Dandara Veiga and Chris Bloom in Contra at the 2018 Vail Dance Festival. Choreography by Claudia Schreier. Photo by Erin Baiano The post Vail Festival Forum Bonus Content: Damian Woetzel and Claudia Schreier appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Welcome to Live From the Kennedy Center: Damian Woetzel & Tiler Peck on Jerome Robbins. Two weeks ago we were in Washington, DC to cover a busy weekend of ballet at the Kennedy Center. We arrived on Friday night just in time to watch an exceptional performance entitled DEMO: Jerome Robbins- An American Dance Genius. These DEMO programs are curated by former New York City Ballet Principal, Artistic Director of the Vail Dance Festival, and incoming president of Julliard, Damian Woetzel. Damian hosted the evening, which gave audiences an educational behind the scenes look at working with Jermone Robbins and dancing his ballets. He brought 5 New York City Ballet dancers with him to demonstrate multiple excerpts of Robbins ballets: Tyler Angle, Tiler Peck, Unity Phelan, Amar Ramasar, and Daniel Ulbricht. Damians wife, and former New York City Ballet Principal, (also a former Conversations on Dance guest) Heather Watts, was a special guest for the evening. The dancers were all clad in rehearsal attire, the stage was bare, with the exceptions of a few barres to constitue sets, organized onstage just as they are in the studios for rehearsals. The evening started with Robbins' first work Fancy Free, and moved in mostly chronological order, to include his Broadway work, his return to NYCB in 1969, and his interest in choreographing to Chopins music. One highlight of the evening was when Ms. Watts coached Ms. Peck in Afternoon of a Faun. The evening included so much history, details, and background on these ballets, that we invited Damian and Tiler Peck to join us the next day for a debrief of the performance. For more information on performances and events at the Kennedy Center, visit kennedy-center.org. The post (67) Live From the Kennedy Center: Damian Woetzel & Tiler Peck on Jerome Robbins appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.
Welcome to Conversations on Dance, our final bonus episode from the Vail Dance Festival with Damian Woetzel, Lil' Buck, and Janet Eilber. This episode is quite special because we have a guest host, Vail Dance Festival Artistic Director, Damian Woetzel. After we had left, there was one final live event to give audiences an inside look at the artists and the performance. In this episode, Damian is joined by Jookin dancer, Lil Buck and Janet Eilber, the Artistic Director of Martha Graham Dance Company. As a side note, Buck is the cousin of this weeks Conversations on Dance guest, Ron Myles. Check out our chat with him in episode 56. The recording starts slightly into the event, so we join them just as Lil Buck begins to explain how he became involved in creating a Lamentation Variation with the Martha Graham Dance Company. They go on to have a great conversation on Martha Graham, tap, and collaboration at the Vail Dance Festival and beyond. The first voice you will hear is Damians. This recording was provided to us by the Vail Dance Festival. The post Vail Festival Forum Bonus Content: LIVE with Damian Woetzel, Lil' Buck, and Janet Eilber appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.