This week we are joined by our friend, Tricia Albertson, Principal dancer with Miami City Ballet. Raised in Santa Cruz, CA, she began her ballet training at The Studio School of Classical Ballet. She attended summer programs at San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet (SAB) before joining SAB for the year-round program in 1995. In 1997 she joined Miami City Ballet as a corps member and was promoted to Principal in 2006. In her 22 years with Miami City Ballet, Tricia has danced most of the corps, soloist and principal roles in the companys repertoire. We talk with Tricia about her time at SAB, her early years at Miami City Ballet, how the company has changed in 22 years, and even as she has now been with the company longer than any member in Miami City Ballet history, she is still being pushed and growing as an artist.
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 week we are joined by Tyler Angle, Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet and Artistic Director of the Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival. Tyler Angle was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and began his dance training at the age of nine at the Allegheny Ballet Company. He entered the School of American Ballet full-time in the fall of 2001. In the fall of 2003, Mr. Angle became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. Mr. Angle joined New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in June 2004 and was promoted to the rank of principal dancers in October 2009. This will be Tyler's fifth season as the Artistic Director of the Nantucket Dance Festival, which will be taking place this July 22-27 and feature world class stars from the New York City Ballet, LA Dance Project, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Tickets will go on sale for the festival July 1st and can be purchased through their website, (nantucketatheneum.org), or at the box office, located in the Great Hall of the Atheneum, during library hours. Tickets are $45, $60, or $85, with discounts offered for children under 12, students, and seniors.
This week on Conversations On Dance, we talk to Daniel Applebaum, dancer with the New York City Ballet. Daniel joined the company in 2005, and quickly became one of the most depended upon dancers, regularly dancing triple bills, morphing into varied choreographic styles, and keeping dozens of ballets ready to go in his mind and body. Noted for his intelligence, elegance, musicality, and full out movement quality, Daniel continues to be an onstage force and promises to be a mind that will shape the dance world in the years to come.
Today we are joined by one of our former colleagues, Nathalia Arja, principal dancer with Miami City Ballet. Nathalia was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she began taking dance classes at the age of five at her mother's ballet school. As a young dancer she competed in and won several dance competitions, where she was offered scholarships to various prestigious schools. At her mother's suggestion, she auditioned for Miami City Ballet School at 15, receiving a full scholarship to attend the year-round program. She joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2009. In March 2020, during the company's last performances before the pandemic hit, Nathalia was promoted to Principal. We talk with Nathalia about her career, how she became aware of Miami City Ballet, navigating the company's change direction early in her tenure, her promotion to principal, and the company's upcoming streaming of George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream.' Since its premiere in 2016, Miami City Ballets reimagining of Balanchines A Midsummer Nights Dream has been beloved by audiences and acclaimed by critics. Now, enjoy the online premiere of this shimmery, shadowy, magical jewel box of a show from the comfort of your home. Midsummer's virtual premiere is available online from October 14-31, 2021. Tickets are $20 and are available on their website, miamicityballet.org/midsummer.
Today we are joined by Karole Armitage, Artistic Director of the New York-based Armitage GONE! Dance Company. Karole has had an extensive career as a dancer and choreographer. She began her professional career in 1973 as a member of the Ballet du Grand Thtre de Genve, Switzerland, under the direction of George Balanchine. In 1976, she was invited to join Merce Cunningham's company, where she remained for five years, performing leading roles in Cunningham's landmark works. She began her choreographic career in 1979, showcasing her unique voice in the dichotomy of classical and modern dance. Requests for commissions came in quickly once she started creating dance, from companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and companies throughout Europe. In 1990, she choreographed Madonna's now iconic music video, Vogue, then went on to choreograph for Michael Jackson's music video, In The Closet. In 2004 she founded her company, Armitage GONE! Dance, which will be onstage this month at New York Live Arts. We caught up with Karole as she was at the studios between rehearsals to hear about her expansive career, stories of working with Balanchine and Cunningham, choreographing for two of the most prolific pop stars of all time, and about her company's upcoming shows. Don't miss A Pandemic Notebook at New York Live Arts March 16-19, 2022. Tickets are available at https://newyorklivearts.org/live-arts-plus. _________________________
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Ephrat Asherie, Bessie Award winning b-girl and choreographer. We caught up with Ephrat on her artistic output since her first appearance on the podcast in January 2021, including her work for Guggenheim Works & Process, collaborating with the elders of the underground dance scene, and touring her work Odeon'. Ephrat is returning to the Vail Dance Festival this year where Odeon' and a new choreographic work will be performed. Catch Ephrat Asherie Dance at the festival on July 31st. Tickets available at vaildance.org.
This week we are pleased to bring you a special behind the scenes look at some of the Works & Process creation that has been happening safely throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Today we are joined by Ephrat Asherie, New York City-based b-girl, and Duke Dang, General Manager of Works & Process. We hear about Ephrat's career and her recent work developed at a Works and Process Bubble Residency called, UnderScored.' Duke offers us an inside view into the arts administration side of this pandemic and how he and his team worked to get dancers and choreographers back to creating. A four-part docuseries called Isolation to Creation, follows the path of artists who participated in bubble residencies this summer as a part of Works & Process, including Ephrat. The series will stream nationwide on January 27, 2021, and February 3, 10, and 17, at 8pm ET. Access is free on the ALL ARTS app, available at allarts.org, and also will air in the New York metro area on the ALL ARTS TV channel. You won't want to miss this fascinating look at how dance persevered during this monumental moment in history.
Welcome to Live From The Kennedy Center: Mariinsky Ballet Director Yuri Fateev and Dancer Timur Askerov. A few weeks ago we were in Washington, DC to cover a busy weekend of ballet at the Kennedy Center. While we were there, the Mariinsky Ballet was in town performing La Bayadre. We had the pleasure of sitting down with the acting director of the Mariinsky, Yuri Fateev and one of their star dancers, Timur Askerov. Mr. Fateev graduated from the Leningrad Academic Vaganova Choreography School in 1982 and joined the Mariinsky Ballet the same year. In 1996 he became a coach with the Mariinsky and has been a guest coach with the Royal Ballet in London, ABT, and Russias Bolshoi Theatre. He has been Acting Head of the Mariinsky Ballet since 2008. Mr. Askerov was born in Azerbaijan and graduated from the Baku School of Dance in 2008. From 20092011 he danced in Ukraine before joining the Mariinsky in 2011. He has danced lead roles in the majority of the companys repetoire and has toured with the Mariinsky to Europe, Asia, and America. Timur prefered to answer our questions in Russian, so Yuri was nice enough to translate for us. In this version of the interview we have done a voice over to translate for Timur. If you would like to listen to Timurs complete answers in Russian, we have tacked that interview on in its entirety to the end of this episode. To listen to that version, please fast forward to 50 minutes and 30 seconds in the time stamp now. We really enjoyed chatting with these two to get a better idea of what is happening at the Mariinsky, so we hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did.
This week on Conversations on Dance, we talk with dancer turned photographer, Erin Baiano from the Vail Dance Festival. If you follow Vail Dance Festival on social media, it is Erin's beautiful photos that tell the story of the festival, from rehearsals to performances. Erin grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attended the School of American Ballet before joining American Ballet Theater. She danced with ABT for 6 years before retiring from the stage. She quickly found a love for photography and was rented by culture photographer, Paul Kolnick. Her work has been published in Vanity Fair, Time Out NY, Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine and various other publications. Hear Erin talk about her dance career (including her role in the movie, Center Stage'), about how she became interested in photography, how Paul taught her how to photograph dance, and her role at the Vail Dance Festival.
Over the past few weeks we have been examining different college dance programs including Indiana University and St. Marys Colleges LEAP Program. This week we are concluding our higher education series on Conversations on Dance, with an in depth look at the University of Southern Californias Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. We are joined, for a second time, by the program's vice dean and director, Jodie Gates. We first spoke with Jodie in episode 137, where we talk with her about her distinguished career dancing with Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and guesting with companies around the world. Today we have the opportunity to hear more about her work at USC Kaufman, her role in helping to found the program in 2012, what students can expect from the program, and where their graduates are now. For more information on USCs Glorya Kaufman School of Dance visit kaufman.usc.edu.
Over the past few weeks we have been examining different college dance programs including Indiana University and St. Marys Colleges LEAP Program. This week we are concluding our higher education series on Conversations on Dance, with an in depth look at the University of Southern Californias Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. We are joined, for a second time, by the program's vice dean and director, Jodie Gates. We first spoke with Jodie in episode 137, where we talk with her about her distinguished career dancing with Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and guesting with companies around the world. Today we have the opportunity to hear more about her work at USC Kaufman, her role in helping to found the program in 2012, what students can expect from the program, and where their graduates are now. For more information on USCs Glorya Kaufman School of Dance visit kaufman.usc.edu.
Today we are joined by our friends Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. Reid and Harriet are exceptionally talented costume designers working with many of the dance world's most prolific choreographers. The duo come on the pod this week for their third time to share with us what this past year has been like for them, how they participated in virtual works in the summer of 2020, starting to get back to normal with a commission in Australia last month, and what comes next for them. Listen to our earlier episodes with Reid and Harriet in episodes 21 and 84. This month, join our friends at Final Bow For Yellowface, as they host the 10,000 Dreams Virtual Choreography Event, an occasion to celebrate a different choreographer of asian descent every day of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This programming is designed to help elevate Asian American choreographic voices and push past the negative racial tropes that have permeated famous ballets of the past. Join co-founder of Final Bow For Yellowface, Phil Chan, as he moderates a panel of esteemed guests Rohan Barghava, Edward Liaang, Jessica Chen and Brinda Guha on Monday May 3rd, 2021 at 6PM to discuss this project. You can view this event at www.yellowface.org or click the link in the description of this episode.
This week we welcome back costume designer duo, Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. We first had them on the pod in 2016 in episode 21, where we talk with them about how they became interested in fashion, how they met each other, and about their work. This time we met up with them in person back in January at the Guggenheim Museum, the site of their newest project. We talk with them about what they have been up to since we last spoke, including their time as fellows at Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, then we get a preview of their upcoming event as part of the Works & Process at the Guggenheim. On March 25th and 26th, the pair will be presenting new work in collaboration with their favorite clients and choreographers, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Jack Ferver, Gwen Welliver, and Burr Johnson. As part of the program Barteme and Jung will participate in a moderated discussion led by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi on March 25 and New York City Ballet principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring on March 26. Dancers include Reid Bartelme, Maggie Cloud, Jack Ferver, Russell Janzen, Burr Johnson, Harriet Jung, and Stuart Singer with singer Tiffany Abban accompanied by pianist Patrick Gallagher. If you are in New York City, you wont want to miss Reid and Harriet atWork & Process at the Guggeheim March 25th and 26th. For tickets, visit guggenheim.org and use Promo code COD for $25 tickets.
This week we are joined by Reid Bartelme and Jack Ferver, hosts of the podcast Whats Going on With Dance and Stuff. We have had Reid on the podcast before to discuss his work as a costume designer, so tune into episode 21. Today we get to know Jack a little more when he tells us about his acting career, his choreography, and how ballet and other art forms inform his work. The two are close friends and they talk about how they met, how they collaborate, and how they decided to start their podcast Whats Going on With Dance and Stuff. After recording this episodes, Reid and Jack turned the tables on us and interviewed us for their pod. Dance podcast worlds collide this week on Conversations on dance. If you have yet to tuned into Whats Going on With Dance and Stuff we highly reccommend you check them out. New episodes go live on Fridays, and you can even go back and find the episode when they had us as guests. Find them on iTunes and subscribe today!
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Ted Brandsen and Rachel Beaujean, Director and Associate Artistic Director of Dutch National Ballet. We are speaking to them in advance of the company's first tour to the United States in 40 years, which is to take place at the Ballet Sun Valley festival in Sun Valley, Idaho. First, we talk with Ted briefly about his career and his directorship. Then Rachel joins the conversation to discuss how they chose the repertoire for the upcoming tour and what they hope American audiences take away from the performances. Performances and additional events will be held this July 1st and 2nd and tickets can be purchased at balletsunvalley.org. _______________________________________________This episodes sponsors: For our listeners in Hilton Head, and Charleston South Carolina, we hope you will join Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami as they tour to your area on March 22 thru 24th. A bold, cutting edge contemporary ballet company founded in 2016 by former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, DDTM has established itself with a dazzling repertoire and dynamic world class dancers hailing from various Hispanic, North and South American backgrounds. On March 24th, audiences will be treated to a full evening performance a mixed bill program that will feature Gerald Arpinos masterwork, Light Rain, a main staple of the Dimensions repertoire since the company first brought the full ballet to South Florida in 2017. For tickets, visit artshhi.org.
Today we are joined by global artist, Stefanie Batten Bland, founder of Company SBB. Child of a jazz composer/producer father and writer mother, and raised in Soho, Stefanie was clearly destined for a future in the arts. She situates her work at the intersection of dance-theatre, film, and installation, with a focus on the interrogation of contemporary and historical culture. This November 1-5, Stefanie's Embarqued: Stories of Soil' takes the stage at BAM. This new dance-theater work is an excavation of self and country, created in textiles, skin tones, labor, land, humor, and moving bodies. Stefanie talks with us about how she got her start in the arts, founding Company SBB, her creative process, and the impetus for Embarqued.' Tickets for Embarqued' are available at https://www.bam.org/embarqued. More information on Company BB: https://www.companysbb.org. Transcript excerpt available here. ________________________________
Today we are joined by the Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Peter Boal. We have had the pleasure of having Peter on the podcast a handful of times in the past, but today we were happy to get to speak with him about his new memoir which was released in June, 'Illusions of Camelot: A Memoir.' Peter tells us about how he built the concept of the book, what he wanted to convey, and the experience of writing such personal essays about his life. 'Illusions of Camelot' is now available at your local book store or online on Amazon. Get Peter's book here: https://amzn.to/43ntRGlVAIL DANCE FESTIVAL TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Conversations on Dance events: https://bit.ly/3NQwoDjPerformance tickets: https://vaildance.org/
This week we welcome Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, Peter Boal, back to the podcast. We first spoke with Peter in March of 2017, for a fantastic conversation surrounding his career and directorship. (Tune into episode 36 with Peter). Today, we catch up with Peter to hear about his experience leading PNB through the COVID-19 pandemic, how the dancers are safely and creatively returning to the studios to work, and about the incredible virtual programming that PNB has been curating exclusively for Ballet Sun Valley. On August 23rd at 7pm MST (9pm EST), tune into Ballet Sun Valley's exclusive one-night only streaming event featuring PNB. Peter tells gives us a preview of the works we will be seeing and how these pieces are being filmed especially for this event. For more information on how to register to have the performance streamed to your home, visit: balletsunvalley.org.
This week we bring you our final episode from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival! Today we speak with Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet Artistic Director. Gil began his dance career with the Atlanta Ballet and he joined American Ballet Theatre in 1982. In 1991 he was promoted to Principal Dancer and danced with the company for 17 years. Boggs also performed with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, Baryshnikov and Company, Nureyev and Friends, and made several guest appearances around the world. Boggs accepted the position of Artistic Director with Colorado Ballet in the Spring of 2006. We talk with Gil about his distinguished career, his transition after retiring from the stage, how his directorship at Colorado Ballet came about, and some of the ways he has been able to grow the company.
Today on Conversations On Dance' we are joined by Meg Booth and Claire Williamson, who offer us an inside look behind the scenes of what it takes to keep a major performing arts organization running successfully beyond the stage. Meg has been the CEO at Performing Arts Houston since 2018, while Claire joined as Director of Education and Community Engagement in early 2020. They take us through the ways they put together programming years in advance, engage with local artists and how they executed a decision as difficult as changing the name of a decades old institution. Performing Arts Houston is now accepting applications for its Houston Artist Commissioning Project through June 12th. 3-4 working performing artists or groups within the Greater Houston Metro Area will be awarded commissions to create a new 20-25 minute work to premiere in Festival Format on the Cullen Theater stage at the Wortham Center in Spring 2023. For more information, visit performingartshouston.org. 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. The tenth annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival: tickets are on sale now at laketahoedancefestival.org. ________________________________
This week we head back in our archives to our time at The Kennedy Center in October of 2017. With this episode we are delighted to share an inside look into the world of arts administration. We are speaking with Meg Booth, Director of Dance Programming at The Kennedy Center. Meg attended the University of Notre Dame where she recieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She began her work in the arts at North Carolina Dance Theatre before joining IMG Artists as an Associate. She went on to work with Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov before landing at The Kennedy Center as the Marketing Manager. After 4 years in that position, in 2007, Meg would become responsible for all the dance seen on Kennedy Center stages. Hear her talk about her journey, how she decides what companies and works to bring to Kennedy Center audiences, and the puzzle of logistics she goes through to bring these world class performances to fruition. As a note, we wanted to bring this episode to you in conjuction with the announcement of The Kennedy Centers 18-19 season of dance. Since this was recorded in October, it was before the final performances of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Since Meg is the administrative Director of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, we talk at length about the company and what was expected from the final performances. For more on what is coming to the Kennedy Center in their new season, visit tkc.com/newseason.
This week we are joined by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Ashley Bouder. It has been over 4 years since we last had Ashley on the pod, so we have a lot of catch up on. We talk about what this last year has been like for her, about her college courses and teaching career, her advocacy efforts including her association with Dancers Amplified, and what she will be performing at this year's Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. The Lake Tahoe Dance Festival returns to in person performances this July 27 30. See Ashley and other world-renowned dancers, including friend of the pod, Christopher Charles McDaniel of Dance Theatre of Harlem, onstage in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Tickets and more information available here: https://bit.ly/3mGM51U. We will be returning to the Vail Dance Festival this year. From July 30th August 9th we will be conducting nine live events with festival artists, recording bonus interviews, and teaching master classes. If you are planning on being in Vail for the festival, tickets for our live events go on sale on June 16th, 2021 at 11am Mountain Time.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a special live recording with American Ballet Theatre principal ballerinas Isabella Boylston and Chloe Misseldine. Powerhouses on the international stage and here at home, Boylston and Misseldine will share their journeys to principal status, their experiences performing with ABT, and their artistic perspectives as leading women in classical ballet today. This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 30, 2025.Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
Today, on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are sharing our chat with American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancers, Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside, that was recorded as a part of the 2020 Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition. Through August 15th, you can watch our Zoom chat with James and Bella on the Vail Dance Festival Facebook page or on their YouTube Channel. While you are there, we encourage you to explore the incredible 8 evenings of content that truly highlights what makes this festival so special! But hurry, videos are only available through August 15th.
On this week's episode of Conversations On Dance, we are thrilled to be joined once again by American Ballet Theatre principal Isabella Boylston. We caught up with her at the Vail Dance Festival, where we talked about her most recent season at the Met with ABT, how her second year running the Ballet Sun Valley Festival differed from the first, and her preparations for her first performances dancing Justin Peck's In Creases'.
This week we are joined by Isabella Boylston, American Ballet Theater Principal Dancer. Isabella was born in Sun Valley Idaho and started dancing at the age of 3. In 1994 she began training at a small studio, and by the age of 12 was commuting to Denver every day to study at the Academy of Colorado Ballet. After winning gold at the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York City in 2001, she moved to Florida to study at the Harid Conservatory. After attending a summer course at American Ballet Theater, she joined the studio company in 2005, and joined the main company a year later. She was then promoted to Principal Dancer in 2014. She has danced many lead roles with the company, most noteably Giselle, Odette/Odile, Kitri in Don Quixote, and the lead in George Balanchines Theme and Variations. Recently she appeared as a guest star with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Today we chat with Bella ahead of the opening of ABTs Fall Season at the Koch Theater in New York City starting this Wednesday and going through October 29th. We talk today about the path that brought her to ABT, what her first big opportunities in the company were like, about her time as Artistic Director of this summers Ballet Sun Valley festival, and get a preview of what she is dancing this week in New York. Get tickets now: abt.org.
This episode was recorded live on August 1, 2024 from the Vail Dance Festival. Today we are joined by: India Bradley (New York City Ballet), Mayfield Myers (Philadelphia Ballet), Olivia Bell (New York City Ballet), Philip Duclos (Royal Danish Ballet), and Spencer Lenain (freelance artist).Every year at the Vail Dance Festival, new budding talents from companies all over get the first opportunities to take the stage with the world class dancers who populate the cast list of VDFs performances. Watching young dancers cut their teeth in some of their early major opportunities has become as thrilling to Vail audiences as seeing its international stars. Come watch Conversations On Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden interview some of these stars-in-the-making about their experiences at Vail before you catch them making career breakthroughs in the evenings performance. Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
This week we talk with New York City Ballet dancer, India Bradley, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival this past summer, before the company returned to work. India last appeared on the podcast at the Vail Dance Festival prior to beginning her first season at NYCB as a member of the corps de ballet. You can listen to our chat with her in episode 159. Today, India talks about giving herself grace during the pandemic to step away from dance, how she has found her way back, and what she has most enjoyed about returning to the studio and stage. Photo credit: Christopher Duggan __________________________________
This week on COD, we are joined by New York City Ballet dancer India Bradley. With a history of dance in her family, India began her training in her home state of Michigan. After training at DTH and SAB, India was accepted into NYCB. After just one year in the company, she has proven to be an in demand talent elsewhere, with a spate of additional performing opportunities that have included the Ashley Bouder Project, Vail Dance Festival and BalletCollective. We talk to India about her early experiences at NYCB, her experiences with a multitude of side projects and what the leadership transition at NYCB has been like for the newest generation of dancers. This episode is generously supported by Yumiko (yumiko.com), Vail Dance Festival, and BalletCollective. Conversations On Dance would like to take this opportunity to invite you to an evening of dance and music that finds NYCB soloist Troy Schumacher's trailblazing BalletCollective collaborating with the groundbreaking orchestral collective The Knights. Comprised entirely of dancers from the New York City Ballet, and featuring world premieres by two of its dancers, Schumacher and Preston Chamblee, the evening will build on BalletCollective's tradition of creating forward-thinking, collaboration driven art that reflects the world we live in. Hailed by the New York Times as being unforced, experimental and refreshing', BalletCollective has been at the forefront of collaborative art for nearly a decade. Don't miss their performances at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center in Brooklyn, this Oct 23, 25 and 26. You can purchase tickets at www.balletcollective.com/tickets.
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Ted Brandsen and Rachel Beaujean, Director and Associate Artistic Director of Dutch National Ballet. We are speaking to them in advance of the company's first tour to the United States in 40 years, which is to take place at the Ballet Sun Valley festival in Sun Valley, Idaho. First, we talk with Ted briefly about his career and his directorship. Then Rachel joins the conversation to discuss how they chose the repertoire for the upcoming tour and what they hope American audiences take away from the performances. Performances and additional events will be held this July 1st and 2nd and tickets can be purchased at balletsunvalley.org. _______________________________________________This episodes sponsors: For our listeners in Hilton Head, and Charleston South Carolina, we hope you will join Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami as they tour to your area on March 22 thru 24th. A bold, cutting edge contemporary ballet company founded in 2016 by former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, DDTM has established itself with a dazzling repertoire and dynamic world class dancers hailing from various Hispanic, North and South American backgrounds. On March 24th, audiences will be treated to a full evening performance a mixed bill program that will feature Gerald Arpinos masterwork, Light Rain, a main staple of the Dimensions repertoire since the company first brought the full ballet to South Florida in 2017. For tickets, visit artshhi.org.
Today on Conversations On Dance' we are joined by Diana Byer, founder and artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet. Diana has been at the helm of NYTB for over 4 decades, guiding the company to critical acclaim and providing a home for many nearly-lost works of master choreographers like Antony Tudor, Agnes DeMille and Frederick Ashton. We talk to Diana about the serendipitous nature of her career, her training and its impact on her own teaching methods and how preserving forgotten and infrequently performed works of genius choreographers became such an important part of NYTB's artistic identity. Vulcan Productions and Beaufort 9 Films, in association with JustFilms | Ford Foundation and Catapult Film Fund, are pleased to present the World Premiere of LIFT at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, starting June 12, 2022. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker David Petersen and counting Sam Pollard as one of its executive producers and Misty Copeland as its principal advisor, LIFT shines a spotlight on the invisible story of homelessness in America through the eyes of a group of young home-insecure ballet dancers in New York City and the mentor who inspires them. The film will be featured in the festivals Viewpoints section. SPONSORS: Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival July 30 August 9: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance. Tickets on sale now. The tenth annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival: tickets are on sale now at laketahoedancefestival.org. ________________________________
Today we are joined by Michele Byrd-McPhee, founder of Ladies of Hip-Hop. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective is an all female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop. Michele founded the company in 2004 and continues to lead the organization. On November 3rd, join Ladies of Hip-Hop for The Black Dancing Bodies Project in the Clark Studio Theater in Lincoln Center as part of Works & Process at Lincoln Center. An ongoing performance and documentary effort to represent Black women in street and club dance culture, this session highlights the choreopoem. Led by Michele, new writing, poetry by Ursula Rucker, and music and dance of street, club and African culture come together in this show-and-tell, culminating the Ladies of Hip-Hops Works & Process LaunchPAD residency at the Catskill Mountain Foundation. Tickets on sale now at lincolncenter.org. Photo: Ladies of Hip-Hop. March 29, 2021. Works & Process at the Guggenheim.
Today we talk with Chris Celiz, a world champion beatboxer, and b-boy Anthony Vito Rodriguez, creative directors behind the awe-inspiring new work, The Missing Element.' Created at the peak of the pandemic in two Works & Process bubble residencies, The Missing Element is an immersive experience exploring the universal elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and space. During the performance, street dancers and beatboxers utilize their abilities to embark on an adventure of sound and dance. All music and sound featured is 100% human-generated. Today we talk with Chris and Anthony about their backgrounds in their respective art forms, how they first started working together, the impetus behind The Missing Element,' and the creative process. Catch the culmination of this work May 15th and 16th at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Tickets available online only at guggenheim.org.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by two dancers currently on tour with Twyla Tharp, Renan Cerdeiro and Alex Peters. They take us through their journey with Twyla, first as principal dancers with the Miami City Ballet performing her repertoire, then to the creative process for both her new work and a challenging revival, and finally through the experience of taking these works across America. They continue their tour with Twyla through April 20th.
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.
Today on Conversations on Dance, we welcome back Phil Chan, author and co-founder of 'Final Bow for Yellowface.' Back in May of 2023 in episode 339, we had Phil on the podcast with Doug Fullington and Sarah Wroth to tell us about how the idea for 'Star on the rise : La Bayadre ... reimagined!' came about, and what made Indiana University a great place to mount this production. Now, following the premiere, Phil joins us again to tell us about the finished product and what the reactions have been.We are thrilled to share that 'Star on the rise' is now streaming on IU's website. Click here to watch now for free: https://media.dlib.indiana.edu/media_objects/gb19g015j/section/1g05g3541Episode 339 with Phil, Doug, and Sarah: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/339-la-bayadere
Today on Conversations on Dance we are happy to bring you a panel discussion on a very special project: the reimagining of La Bayadre. Joining us are Phil Chan, of Final Bow for Yellowface, Doug Fullington, dance historian and musicologist, and Sarah Wroth, Associate Professor and Chair at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. The trio talk with us about the idea to reexamine La Bayadre for a 21st century audience, how they are transforming the ballet while preserving it's history, and Indiana University's important role in it's creation.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.After a nearly-decade-long hiatus from live performance, ChrisMastersDance returns with Mausoleum, at Brooklyn Academy of Musics Fishman Space, June 2nd to 4th. Reckoning with the dance fields history of systematic exploitation, ChrisMastersDance is building a Mausoleum a place to acknowledge and remember a past that has been laid to rest making way for a tomorrow that sets aside unsustainable forms of life and work. Dont miss Mausoleum at BAM this is June 2- 4. Tickets are available at bam.org/Mausoleum or click the link in the show notes.
This week we welcome back Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin, founders of the Final Bow For Yellowface. We first spoke with Gina in 2017 in episode 52 and with Phil in May of 2020 in episode 186. This dynamic duo shares with us some background on their organization and their advocacy efforts. We chat about what they have been up to over the past year and what they are working towards in the years to come. You also won't want to miss their extraordinary digital festival happening now. This month, Final Bow For Yellowface is hosting the 10,000 Dreams virtual choreography event as an occasion to celebrate a different choreographer of asian descent every day of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This programming is designed to help elevate Asian American choreographic voices and push past the negative racial tropes that have permeated famous ballets of the past. For more information and to watch, visit yellowface.org. Get Georgina's book: https://amzn.to/3mvEIw3
Today we are joined by Phil Chan, a co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface. Phil is a graduate of Carleton College and an alumnus of the Ailey School and is now an arts administrator and educator. Phil was the founding General Manager of the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, and was the General Manager for Armitage Gone! Dance and Youth America Grand Prix. He served multiple years on the National Endowment for the Arts dance panel and the Jadin Wong Award panel presented by the Asian American Arts Alliance, and is on the advisory committee for the Parsons Dance Company. In 2017, he teamed up with NYCB dancer, and friend of the pod, Georgina Pazcoguin, to found Final Bow for Yellowface. Phil tells us about how this initiative came about, what work he is currently doing as a part of this organization, and tells us about his new book, Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing between Intention and Impact. You can access Phil's e-book online at yellowface.org.
Today we are live from Vail with one of the Vail Dance Festival's most beloved returning artists, ABT Principal Dancer Herman Cornejo. Called “the most technically accomplished male ballet dancer in the United States” by The New Yorker, Cornejo has spent more than 15 summers on the Vail stage, becoming a touchstone of the festival experience for audiences and artists alike. The Argentine-born virtuoso joined American Ballet Theatre in 1999 and has since accumulated an extraordinary list of accolades. He is also the founder of the American Dancers Off-Road (ADOR) initiative and Director of Repertoire at ABT. In this conversation, he looks back at his history with the festival and forward to what's next. Stay tuned for eight more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of Vail.
The Vail Dance Festival is just around the corner and our coverage starts now! Today we are joined by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer and friend of the pod, Herman Cornejo. Herman joins us in the midst of ABTs season where he is celebrating 25 incredible years with the company. We catch up with Herman about this season, what it means to be celebrating such an important milestone, what his plans are for the future, and what he will be dancing this year at the Vail Dance Festival. As a festival favorite, we are so looking forward to seeing him soon on the VDF stage.The Vail Dance Festival returns July 26 August 5:The Vail Dance Festival returns July 26 August 5 with THIRTEEN performances featuring dance luminaries from across the United States and around the world. This summer they welcome Dance Theatre of Harlem, Limn Dance Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Colorado Ballet, and DanceAspen, as well as artists from Alonzo King LINES Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, BalletX, New York City Ballet, and so much more. Conversations on Dance will be bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at all the action. Join us in person for 8 live events featuring incredible festival artists including Catherine Hurlin, Sara Mearns, Robert Garland, Adji Cissoko and many more. If you are not able to join us in person, be sure to subscribe to Conversations on Dance wherever you get your podcasts to listen to the live episodes after the events.Get your tickets now for festival performances and vaildance.org. And claim your tickets for COD events at vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance.
We are joined today by Tiler Peck, principal dancer with New York City Ballet and Herman Cornejo, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. The pair tell us about their partnership here at the festival and Justin Peck's newest work. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 4, 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 festival's closing evening: NOW Premieres, which we discuss in this episode. Access will be available for one week on VDF's YouTube Channel. More information on VDF's 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Herman Cornejo, sits down with us from the Vail Dance Festival. We talk about his year of dance since we last saw him in Vail, his 20th anniversary with ABT, and about what he is dancing this year at the festival. You will want to listen to the end where he shares some BIG news with us!
The Vail Dance Festival has announced their dates for their 2019 festival and to celebrate, we are diving into our archives from our time last year at the festival. Today we are joined by festival favorite, Herman Cornejo. Herman was born in Argentina and began his ballet studies at the age of eight. At the age of 14 he attended the School of American Ballet, and upon returning home he joined Ballet Argentino under the direction of Julio Bocca. In 1999 he joined American Ballet Theatre, was promoted to Soloist in 2000 and to Principal Dancer in 2003. Cornejo has performed as a guest artist with numerous companies around the world, La Scala Ballet, Universal Ballet of Korea, National Ballet of Japan, Kremlin Ballet, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, and many others. We talk to Herman about his time as a young dancer being mentored by Julio Bocca, what his early years in American Ballet Theatre were like, and what keeps bringing him back to the Vail Dance Festival.
This week we are pleased to bring you a special behind the scenes look at some of the Works & Process creation that has been happening safely throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Today we are joined by Ephrat Asherie, New York City-based b-girl, and Duke Dang, General Manager of Works & Process. We hear about Ephrat's career and her recent work developed at a Works and Process Bubble Residency called, UnderScored.' Duke offers us an inside view into the arts administration side of this pandemic and how he and his team worked to get dancers and choreographers back to creating. A four-part docuseries called Isolation to Creation, follows the path of artists who participated in bubble residencies this summer as a part of Works & Process, including Ephrat. The series will stream nationwide on January 27, 2021, and February 3, 10, and 17, at 8pm ET. Access is free on the ALL ARTS app, available at allarts.org, and also will air in the New York metro area on the ALL ARTS TV channel. You won't want to miss this fascinating look at how dance persevered during this monumental moment in history.
Omar Romn De Jess — Choreographer
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by choreographer, Omar Romn De Jess. Omar takes us through his early training in Puerto Rico, the leap of faith he took in moving to New York City and how his humble early choreographic beginnings have led to a Princess Grace Award and commissions from world renowned companies. Omar's first work for Ballet Hispanico will premiere at New York City Center this summer, with performances running June 1st through the 3rd, on a program featuring additional works by Pedro Ruiz, Michelle Manzanales and William Forsythe. Tickets can be purchased at nycitycenter.org.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Today we are joined by New York City Ballet principal dancer, Megan Fairchild. Megan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four. She went on to train at Ballet West Conservatory, where she was also a Ballet West trainee. In 2000, Megan continued training at the School of American Ballet and in November 2001, she became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. In October 2002 she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet, was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, she was promoted to principal dancer. Megan made her Broadway stage debut playing the role of Ivy Smith in the 2014 revival of On the Town, which opened on October 16, 2014 at the Lyric Theatre. She received the 2015 Theatre World Award for her performance. We chat with Megan about her origins in dance, her early years with the company, receiving featured opportunities at a young age, a quick rise through the ranks, dealing with performance anxiety, and returning to dance after having children. In 2021, Megan published a book, The Ballerina Mindset: How to Protect Your Mental Health While Striving for Excellence. Megan tells us about how the idea for this book came about and what she hopes that readers will take away. Get The Ballerina Mindset at book retailers nationwide and on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tV6LbW. ___________________________
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with Three of Vail’s most beloved returning artists: Lauren Lovette, Unity Phelan and Robbie Fairchild.Fairchild, a former NYCB Principal Dancer, became a Tony-nominated Broadway star originating the role of Jerry Mulligan in An American in Paris before going on to film, acting, and an ever-evolving performance life. Lovette, also a former NYCB principal, continues to grace the stage and is currently serving as Resident Choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and earning commissions from ABT, Vail, and beyond. Unity Phelan continues her extraordinary career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and international guest artist!Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of Vail.
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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance' we are joined by New York City Ballet repertory director and former principal dancer Jean-Pierre Frohlich. JP, as he is referred to by friends and colleagues, began his training at the School Of American Ballet and quickly caught the eye of George Balanchine. Once accepted into the New York City Ballet, he soon began dancing coveted soloist and principal roles. When Jerome Robbins returned to the company, after spending over a decade on Broadway, he also began to push JP into featured roles. Following his retirement from the stage, JP began to stage the works of Jerome Robbins all over the world and has been an integral figure in maintaining the integrity of the Robbins repertoire at home at New York City Ballet as a repertory director. We talk to JP about his early interactions with Balanchine, performing iconic roles of the works of two living geniuses, and how he came to stage ballets for Robbins. 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/. I Heart Dance Stands With Ukraine' April 9, 2022 at Florence Gould Hall in New York City: iheartdancenyc.com. Take our listener survey: https://conversationsondancepod.com/listener-survey ________________________________
Kurt Froman — Coach
This week we are joined by celebrity ballet coach and former NYCB dancer, Kurt Froman. Kurt danced senior corps de ballet and soloist parts for over seven years at the New York City Ballet before venturing off to Broadway when he was cast in the leading role of James in the Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel show, Movin' Out. He amassed numerous Broadway credits before being presented with the opportunity to be Associate Choreographer for the film, Black Swan, where he was the responsible for training and coaching Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and overseeing the Corps de Ballet. Since then, he has created a niche for himself as a celebrity ballet coach working on various projects. As a self-proclaimed bun-head, Kurt is a must follow on Instagram, where he shares incredible and rare videos of NYCB dancers and repertoire from his personal collection. Follow him now @kurtfroman or click the link in the description of this episode: https://www.instagram.com/kurtfroman. Join us for this wonderful chat with Kurt as we go through his expansive and varied career, including wonderful stories of working with celebrities including Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence.
In his first year at VDF, New York City Ballet soloist Jovani Furlan is set to take Vail audiences by storm. Joining the Conversations On Dance podcast, Furlan will discuss his dance upbringing in his native Brazil, the leap to american stages and what dancing at VDF for the first time has been like. 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 9, 2022 with special guest host, Mira Nadon. 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.
This week we are joined by our friend, Jovani Furlan, soloist with New York City Ballet. Born in Joinville, Brazil, Jovani started dancing at the age of 11 at The Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil. In 2010 he participated in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, and was offered a full scholarship to attend the Miami City Ballet School by Edward Villella. He began his training at the MCB School in 2011 and joined Miami City Ballet in 2012. He was promoted to soloist in 2015 and was named an MCB principal dancer in 2017. Jovani joined NYCB as a soloist in August 2019. We talk with Jovani, who we both danced with for many years in Miami, about his origins with ballet, why he had his eye on coming to dance in the US, joining MCB during the directorship transition, and how his new position at New York City Ballet came about.
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.
Lynn Garafola — writer
Today we are joined by Lynn Garafola, dance historian and author of La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern.' Ms. Garafola is Professor Emerita of Dance at Barnard College, Columbia University. A dance historian and critic, she is the author of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance, and the editor of several books, including The Diaries of Marius Petipa, Andr Levinson on Dance (with Joan Acocella), Jos Limn: An Unfinished Memoir, and The Ballets Russes and Its World. She has curated several exhibitions, including Dance for a City: Fifty Years of the New York City Ballet, New York Story: Jerome Robbins and His World, Diaghilev's Theater of Marvels: The Ballets Russes and Its Aftermath, and, most recently, Arthur Mitchell: Harlem's Ballet Trailblazer. We talk with Lynn about her new biography of Bronislava Nijinska. Overshadowed in life and legend by her brother Vaslav Nijinsky, Garafola has written the first book to document the full scope of Nijinska's creative work. Nijinska was a remarkable dancer in her own right with a bravura technique, a teacher, and a prolific choreographer, working with leading figures of twentieth-century art, music, and ballet, including Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Frederick Ashton, Alicia Markova, and Maria Tallchief. La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern' will be released next month, wherever books are sold. Pre-order now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BYWi1r. _________________________
Jennifer Garner — Bunhead
Today we have the pleasure of welcoming Actress, Golden Globe Award Winner, and bunhead, Jennifer Garner to the Conversations on Dance podcast. While she doesnt need an introduction, what you might be fascinated to learn, like we were, is that her love for ballet runs deep and started at a young age. As a girl, she took ballet all through high school, only stopping once she got to college and turned her focus to other things. She has remained a lover of ballet, and since she has taken to Instagram with this love, she is using her platform to spread the word about ballet far and wide. We talk with Jennifer about how dance really sparked her interest in performing and acting, how ballet shaped her into who she is today, and she reveals that she truly is a bunhead in every sense of the word.
Today we are joined by Jodie Gates, vice dean and director of the University of Southern Californias Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Ms. Gates was a celebrated principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet, as well as a principal guest artist with several companies around the world. She was a muse for celebrated choreographer Robert Joffrey and has worked with a host of renowned choreographers, including Merce Cunningham, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, and Gerald Arpino. In addition to her work at USC, she continues her passion of choreographing around the world and works as a beloved repetiteur for William Forsythe. Founded in 2012, USC Kaufman is at the forefront of developing dancers, choreographers and dance leaders for the future. Their degree program embraces the artistic rigor of conservatory dance instruction with unparalleled academic opportunity offered by one of the worlds leading universities to shape the next generation of dance leaders who are connected to the world-at-large.
Diana Gonzalez-Duclert — Repetiteur
This week we have the pleasure of diving into one of the works that will be presented this year at the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, Agnes De Milles The Other.' We speak with dancers Stephen Hanna (formerly of NYCB) and Abi Stafford (Principal at NYCB) who will be performing this work at the festival. We are also joined by Diana Gonzalez-Duclert, who is setting the ballet on Stephen and Abi. Diana assisted Ms. De Mille in setting the ballet on American Ballet Theatre in 1992. We caught up with this trio at the end of their week long rehearsal process to prepare the work for the festival. We talk about why this work is so significant, the challenges that come along with dancing De Mille ballets, and talk through the story line. Diana tells us why it is so important that companies like New York Theatre Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, and Alabama ballet continue to present De Mille works in their repertoire. The Lake Tahoe Dance festival is July 24-26. Tickets are on sale at laketahoedancecollective.org. We would like to mention that we were unfortunately unable to deliver our usual sound quality for this episode. Because we could not geographically be together for this interview, all 5 of us skyped in to discuss this work. We appreciate your understanding that sometimes these things are out of our control, but it was important for us to bring this episode to you, as we find what Diana, Abi, and Stephen had to say about this work fascinating, and important. Thank you.
Today we check in with Houston Ballet to hear about their upcoming performances of Stanton Welch's Sylvia.' We are joined by Houston Ballet Artistic Director, Stanton Welch, and Principal dancers who will be performing the leads in the ballet, Connor Walsh and Karina Gonzlez. We first spoke with Stanton Welch on the podcast in 2018 in episode 98, had Connor on in 2019 in episode 158, and are welcoming Karina on for the first time. Today we speak with this trio about what lead them each to Houston Ballet, getting back onstage this season for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, their work and process of creating Sylvia,' and what audiences can expect from this original full length production. Houston Ballet's Sylvia' is on stage March 10-20, 2022 at the Brown Theater in Houston, TX. For tickets and more information about Houston Ballet's 2021-2022 season, visit houstonballet.org. _________________________
Bob Gottlieb — writer
As our final episode of 2017, we are saluting this years biggest ballet celebration, 50 years of George Balanchines Jewels. Today we take an in depth look at Balanchine's Jewels' with Bob Gottlieb: author, editor, and dance critic. Bob has been editor-and-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and the New Yorker. Gottlieb is widely considered to be one of the greatest editors of the second half of the 20th century. For many years he was associated with the New York City Ballet during Balanchines time, often contributing to programming and serving on the Board of Directors. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Miami City Ballet. We always enjoy talking with Bob, and sometimes veer off topic, and in this case, around 45 minutes into this episode, our bun-head sides take over. Today we talk extensively with Bob about Balanchines process, the premier of Jewels, the original cast, and how the ballet is being danced today.
Welcome to the second part of our interview with Balanchine Ballerina, Gloria Govrin. If you are tuning in and haven't heard part one, we hope that you will go back in your feed to episode 212 for our chat with Gloria about her career. Today in Part II, Gloria tells us about where her career took her after retiring from the stage. She has since gone on to a prolific teaching career, being considered one of the leading masters of the Balanchine Technique. She is currently the Artistic Director of Eastern Connecticut Ballet.
Today we are joined by Balanchine Ballerina, Gloria Govrin. Gloria danced with New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1974 and was promoted to soloist in 1963. An unusually tall dancer, she inspired Balanchine to choreograph several distinctive roles on her. Roles such as Hippolyta in A Midsummer's Night Dream, Coffee in Nutcracker, the Princess in Firebird, and La Bonne Fee in Harlequinade were stamped with her identity. After her distinguished stage career, Ms. Govrin has gone on to a prolific teaching career, being considered one of the leading masters of the Balanchine Technique. She is now the Artistic Director of Eastern Connecticut Ballet. We spoke with Gloria for over an hour and a half, so we will be splitting this interview into two parts. In Part One, we talk with Gloria about her origin in ballet, how she came to join NYCB, dancing for Balanchine, and the many iconic roles he created specifically for her. Be sure to subscribe to Conversations on Dance wherever you get your podcasts, to receive a notification when we publish Part Two of this interview next week. In Part Two we go in depth with Gloria about the trajectory of her teaching career after her retirement from the stage.
In our next installment of LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, we are joined by New York City Ballet pianist, Cameron Grant. Cameron has played for the ballet for nearly 40 years, and shares with us some of his wealth of experiences and stories. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 6, 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
This week on Conversations On Dance we are joined by one of the ballet world's most celebrated pianists, Cameron Grant. Cameron joined the New York City Ballet in 1984, where he was appointed pianist of the New York City Ballet orchestra four years later. He has played nearly every major piano ballet in the repertoire, including Balanchine masterworks like Davidsbundlertanze' and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2', and Robbins ballets like Dances At a Gathering' and Goldberg Variations'. We spoke with Cameron about how he came to work for the ballet, what working with Robbins was like, and the unique challenges of playing for ballet dancers.
Today we are joined by mother-daughter duo, Gladisa Guadalupe, and Marla Minadeo. Gladisa is the co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Cleveland Ballet and her daughter, Marla, is a dancer in the company. We talk with the pair about how they each were introduced to ballet, balancing their professional life with their family life, the many incarnations of Cleveland Ballet, and what the company has coming up as they enter their 2021-2022 season. Join Cleveland Ballet for its first performance of Momentum set to the magnificent score of Felix Mendelssohn, with choreography by Gladisa, in the city of Vermilion on Saturday, September 18th, 2021. Tickets and more information on this, and the company's full season at Playhouse Square, are available on their website, clevelandballet.org.
Today we are joined by Tamisha Guy, dancer with Kyle Abraham's A.I.M. Tamisha is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and began her formal dance training at Ballet Tech, under the direction of Eliot Feld. She went on to attend SUNY Purchase College as a double major in dance and arts management. In 2013 she graduated with honors from SUNY Purchase College and joined the Martha Graham Dance Company shortly after. In 2016 Tamisha was selected as one of Dance Magazine' Top 25 to Watch and received the 2016 Princess Grace Award. Tamisha currently dances with A.I.M, under Artistic Direction of Kyle Abraham, which she joined in 2014. We catch up with Tamisha in the morning before she starts rehearsal. We Zoom with her to record this episode, while she is staying warm in a mall across the street from the studio. Safely masked, she tells us about her training, how she came to decide to pursue a career in dance, working with Kyle Abraham, and some of her outside pursuits, including two upcoming dance films.
This week we are joined by Craig Hall, New York City Ballet Repertory Director. Craig was born in Maywood, Illinois. At age 14, he began studying at the Chicago Academy of the Arts and entered the School of American Ballet full time in the fall of 1997. In October 1999, Craig became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in February 2000. In 2007, he was promoted to soloist. Craig is currently NYCB Repertory Director and assistant to world renowned New York City Ballet Resident-Choreographer Justin Peck. Hes also a guest teacher at Manhattan Movements Arts Center, coach, and has given master classes and seminars across the U.S. We talk with Craig about his career, reminisce on some important advice from teachers, talk about his transition to becoming a repetiteur (his first gig was with us at Miami City Ballet), and the work he is doing now.
While all performing arts organizations are shifting their content to a digital format, so are we. Today's episode is meant to act like a pre-performance talk for the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, which is presented by the Lake Tahoe Dance Collective. We chat with Artistic Director Christin Hanna about their digital festival which will be shown on their website this Wednesday Friday, July 22-24. We talk about the programming for all three evenings and what we can expect from the 2020 festival. You can watch this interview as well, to give you that live event feeling, on Lake Tahoe Dance Collective's Facebook page or Instagram (@laketahoedancecollective).
This week we are joined by Christin Hanna and Constantine Baecher of the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. Christin and Constantine met twenty years ago as students at American Ballet Theater. Constantine's career as both choreographer and dancer has led him to the Hamburg Ballet School, Royal Danish Ballet and Compagnie de Carolyn Carlson amongst others as well as co-founding his own company Cross Connection Ballet and the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition in 2007. Christin has danced with Oakland Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, participated in numerous independent projects and is a founding member of New Chamber Ballet NYC where she brought Constantine as guest choreographer in 2003. Six years ago they started the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival in Christin's hometown of Tahoe City, CA. For more information on the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival which is being held July 24-26, visit laketahoedancecollective.org.
Stephen Hanna — Dancer
This week we have the pleasure of diving into one of the works that will be presented this year at the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, Agnes De Milles The Other.' We speak with dancers Stephen Hanna (formerly of NYCB) and Abi Stafford (Principal at NYCB) who will be performing this work at the festival. We are also joined by Diana Gonzalez-Duclert, who is setting the ballet on Stephen and Abi. Diana assisted Ms. De Mille in setting the ballet on American Ballet Theatre in 1992. We caught up with this trio at the end of their week long rehearsal process to prepare the work for the festival. We talk about why this work is so significant, the challenges that come along with dancing De Mille ballets, and talk through the story line. Diana tells us why it is so important that companies like New York Theatre Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, and Alabama ballet continue to present De Mille works in their repertoire. The Lake Tahoe Dance festival is July 24-26. Tickets are on sale at laketahoedancecollective.org. We would like to mention that we were unfortunately unable to deliver our usual sound quality for this episode. Because we could not geographically be together for this interview, all 5 of us skyped in to discuss this work. We appreciate your understanding that sometimes these things are out of our control, but it was important for us to bring this episode to you, as we find what Diana, Abi, and Stephen had to say about this work fascinating, and important. Thank you.
Today we speak with Austin Hartel, Oklahoma International Dance Festival Artistic Director. Austin was a soloist and co-choreographer with Pilobolus Dance Theater, making appearances worldwide and on television. After his dance career, he joined the faculty of University of Oklahoma's School of Dance where he has coordinated the Modern Dance Program for nearly 20 years. This year was meant to welcome the inaugural Oklahoma International Dance Festival, featuring artists from around the world for performances and student workshops. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all arts organizations to adapt to these times, and this festival is no different. Now, from July 26 August 9th, students from all over will be able to participate in their online summer intensive, learning from an incredible faculty. Registration is open until July 15th, 2020. For more information and to register, visit, okdancefest.org.
Andreas Heise — Choreographer
Today we are joined by choreographer Andreas Heise. Born in Germany, Andreas began his formal ballet training at the age of 16. In 1998, he joined his first company, Leipziger Ballett, and in 2003, he joined the Norwegian National Ballet in Oslo where he performed many leading roles. In 2006 Andreas started to choreograph regularly for the Norwegian National Ballet and has since choreographed for companies around the world. Today Andreas talks to us about how he came to dance, about his career, his background in music and opera, his choreography, and his dance film for friend of the pod, Trey McIntyre's streaming service, FLTPK (flatpack). See Andreas' newest dance film created exclusively for FLTPK starting Friday, December 18th, 2020 at 8pm EST on FLTPK.com. You can join now for as little as $2 per month and your patron dollars go directly to support the artists involved in the platform.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording exploring the special and unique process of preparing today’s generation of dancers for the world stages. In this special conversation, four of today’s passionate leading dance educators gather to discuss how they cultivate tomorrow’s stars and what it means to pass artistry from one generation to the next.The panel includes Nikolaj Hubbe, former Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet and former New York City Ballet principal; Margaret Tracey, Artistic Director of Canada’s National Ballet School and former New York City Ballet principal; Carla Korbes, former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal and now ballet chair at Juilliard; and Melissa Toogood, Bessie Award-winning dancer and Dean of Juilliard’s Dance Division. Together, they bring decades of combined artistic and teaching experience to a conversation about craft, education, and a love of dance.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording exploring the special and unique process of preparing today’s generation of dancers for the world stages. In this special conversation, four of today’s passionate leading dance educators gather to discuss how they cultivate tomorrow’s stars and what it means to pass artistry from one generation to the next.The panel includes Nikolaj Hubbe, former Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet and former New York City Ballet principal; Margaret Tracey, Artistic Director of Canada’s National Ballet School and former New York City Ballet principal; Carla Korbes, former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal and now ballet chair at Juilliard; and Melissa Toogood, Bessie Award-winning dancer and Dean of Juilliard’s Dance Division. Together, they bring decades of combined artistic and teaching experience to a conversation about craft, education, and a love of dance.
Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast we are joined by Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. Susan reflects on ABT’s Spring Season, the challenges of the Met season shifting later into summer, and the company exceeding attendance goals while continuing strong ticket sales. She talk about how Executive Director Barry Hughson's arrival has strengthened fundraising and operations, freeing her to focus on artistic work. She previews the upcoming Met lineup—two weeks of Swan Lake, Cranko’s Onegin, and 10 performances of Don Quixote with seven Kitri/Basilio casts. Jaffe details her Don Quixote refresh: keeping the 1978 production, tightening storytelling and pacing, making music cuts, adjusting mime and choreography, and more. See ABT at the Met June 17 - July 18th. Tickets available at ABT.org: https://www.abt.org/performances/summer-season/Listen to our other episodes with Susan here: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/search?q=susan+jaffe____________________________________Introduction: Conversations on Dance with Susan JaffeJoin hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden on the latest episode of the "Conversations on Dance" podcast as they engage with Susan Jaffe, the esteemed artistic director of American Ballet Theatre (ABT). They dive into the intricacies of ABT’s performances, the innovations under Jaffe's leadership, and the exciting future of ballet.Reflections on the Spring SeasonSusan Jaffe begins by reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of ABT’s spring season. Originally set for mid-April at the Metropolitan Opera House, a shift pushed performances into summer, prompting concerns about audience engagement. Despite these challenges, ABT exceeded attendance expectations, experiencing what Susan coined as “Timothee Chalamet moments” – standing ovations each night. With the support of Executive Director Barry Hughson, the company navigated these changes with finesse, focusing on enriching its artistic offerings while maintaining strong ticket sales.Previewing the Met Season: New Approaches and Old FavoritesAs the discussion shifts to upcoming performances at the Metropolitan Opera House, Susan announces a packed lineup featuring two weeks of "Swan Lake", George Cranko’s emotionally rich "Onegin", and a refreshed "Don Quixote" (Don Q). The conversation reveals how adjustments to the season were strategically planned to cater to both New York residents and the influx of summer tourists.Don Quixote Gets a RefreshThe process behind updating "Don Quixote" was intricate, with Susan focusing on tightening storytelling, enhancing choreography, and making selective cuts to maintain audience engagement. Her collaboration with renowned figures such as Susan Jones and forthcoming music director David LaMarche highlights a commitment to retaining the piece’s essence while injecting fresh energy.Conclusion: An Invitation to Experience the MagicThe episode closes with an invitation from Susan Jaffe for audiences to experience the magic of ABT’s upcoming performances. With refreshed classics and bold new directions, each ballet is crafted to captivate and inspire. Whether a longtime fan or a newcomer, ABT’s vibrant season promises unforgettable experiences for all.Join the ConversationListen to the full episode for a detailed exploration of ABT’s artistic journey. Subscribe to "Conversations on Dance" for more illuminating discussions on ballet's vibrant tapestry. Visit conversationsondancepod.com for more information and to explore sponsorship opportunities.
Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined once again by Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. We last had Susan on the podcast in late 2022 in episode 309 as she was about to take the helm of the company. This week we get the opportunity to hear from Susan about what her first year has been like, some of the challenges she has faced, and we get a preview of what is next for the company. For more information about upcoming performances of American Ballet Theatre, visit, abt.org. Listen to episode 309.
On today's episode, we are joined by former ballerina and incoming artist director of American Ballet Theatre Susan Jaffe. Susan has previously appeared on the podcast in an interview that covered her rapid rise to stardom at ABT, the accompanying self doubts during this success, and how working through those moments affects her present day work as a coach and director. (Listen here: https://conversationsondancepod.com/2020/08/31/susan-jaffe/). Today she talks about her time directing Pittsburgh Ballet Theater through a pandemic and what her plans are for when she takes the helm of American Ballet Theatre later this year.
Today we chat with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's newly appointed Artistic Director, Susan Jaffe. Susan was a Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre for 22 years, appearing prominently in the international dance scene and frequently dancing with Mikhail Baryshnikov. She retired from the stage in 2002 at age 40 and went on to serve as an adviser to the chairman of the board of American Ballet Theatre. From 2003-2010, she taught in the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre and from 2010-2012, she worked with American Ballet Theatre as ballet mistress. Since 2012, Ms. Jaffe has been the dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. In April 2020, it was announced that Susan would be taking on the role of Artistic Director at PBT. We talk with Susan about her prolific career, dancing with and for Baryshnikov, her ambition, dealing with career stress, & her new position in the dance world. Learn more about the Susan Jaffe Series: https://www.susanjaffe.com
This week on Conversations on Dance, we are happy to bring you a chat with our friend, Damien Johnson. The topic of todays conversation was suggested by one of our listeners who was looking for us to delve into male specific training and some of the issues that arise that are different from females in the field. Damien is a permanent guest faculty member at The School of American Ballet, and a sought after teacher who is certified in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum in Pre-Primary-Level 3 as well as classical Pilates through Power Pilates. It was just announced that Damien will be stepping into the role of Upper Division Head at The Washington School of Ballet after his recent time as a faculty at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.Damien is the perfect person to chat with about this topic as he shares advice for young male dancers navigating an aspiring career in ballet.Special thanks to Brett Elizabeth Gardner for this topic suggestion. As a parent of a male dancer, who is now a part of a second company, Brett has founded The Ballet Help Desk, to help other parents support their dancers as they navigate the serious ballet training path. The Ballet Help Desk provides an extensive digital library, featuring a collection of articles and videos. Users can explore various topics, ranging from the path to becoming a professional dancer to how to choose a ballet residential program to how ballet competitions fit into the mix. Be sure the check them out at ballethelpdesk.com.
This week we are joined by our friend, Damien Johnson, faculty member of the Washington School of Ballet. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Damien started dancing at 13, eventually going on to study at The Rock School and The School of American Ballet. As a professional dancer, Damien has been a member of American Repertory Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, New Chamber Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, and London based Ballet Black where he was a principal dancer for 10 seasons. Since returning to the states in 2017, Johnson has performed with Madison Ballet, The Ashley Bouder Project, and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. We talk to Damien via Zoom, while he is currently in Lake Tahoe, guest teaching for Lake Tahoe Dance Collective. He shares with us his experiences in Lake Tahoe as a teacher during these times, but also as a mainstay of the annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival.
This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Jacob Jonas, Director, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company. Jacob started dancing at the age of 13 when he came across a street-performing group in Venice Beach. From there, his passion for dance expanded into various technique and across many different mediums. He is the founding Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company, a creative company that intersects dance across mediums to make original works and initiate nontraditional collaborations. Experience Jacob's newest project, Films.Dance. Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by Jacob's vision, this film series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences. The second round of films began on September 13, 2021, with a new film every Monday following for 15 weeks. All films are free and available at www.films.dance, @films.dance on Instagram and their Facebook page. Films.Dance is co-presented by four leading performing arts organizations Los Angeless Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Chicagos Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater, New Yorks Brooklyn Academy of Music and Stanford Universitys Stanford Live. ____________________________
Harriet Jung — Costume Designer
Today we are joined by our friends Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. Reid and Harriet are exceptionally talented costume designers working with many of the dance world's most prolific choreographers. The duo come on the pod this week for their third time to share with us what this past year has been like for them, how they participated in virtual works in the summer of 2020, starting to get back to normal with a commission in Australia last month, and what comes next for them. Listen to our earlier episodes with Reid and Harriet in episodes 21 and 84. This month, join our friends at Final Bow For Yellowface, as they host the 10,000 Dreams Virtual Choreography Event, an occasion to celebrate a different choreographer of asian descent every day of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This programming is designed to help elevate Asian American choreographic voices and push past the negative racial tropes that have permeated famous ballets of the past. Join co-founder of Final Bow For Yellowface, Phil Chan, as he moderates a panel of esteemed guests Rohan Barghava, Edward Liaang, Jessica Chen and Brinda Guha on Monday May 3rd, 2021 at 6PM to discuss this project. You can view this event at www.yellowface.org or click the link in the description of this episode.
This week we welcome back costume designer duo, Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung. We first had them on the pod in 2016 in episode 21, where we talk with them about how they became interested in fashion, how they met each other, and about their work. This time we met up with them in person back in January at the Guggenheim Museum, the site of their newest project. We talk with them about what they have been up to since we last spoke, including their time as fellows at Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, then we get a preview of their upcoming event as part of the Works & Process at the Guggenheim. On March 25th and 26th, the pair will be presenting new work in collaboration with their favorite clients and choreographers, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Jack Ferver, Gwen Welliver, and Burr Johnson. As part of the program Barteme and Jung will participate in a moderated discussion led by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi on March 25 and New York City Ballet principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring on March 26. Dancers include Reid Bartelme, Maggie Cloud, Jack Ferver, Russell Janzen, Burr Johnson, Harriet Jung, and Stuart Singer with singer Tiffany Abban accompanied by pianist Patrick Gallagher. If you are in New York City, you wont want to miss Reid and Harriet atWork & Process at the Guggeheim March 25th and 26th. For tickets, visit guggenheim.org and use Promo code COD for $25 tickets.
This week we are joined by Laurie Kanyok, founder of the Kanyok Arts Initiative. Laurie has performed on Broadway, television and film. She played the lead roles in Twyla Tharp's COME FLY AWAY and MOVIN OUT. Her other Broadway credits include FOSSE, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, and IN YOUR ARMS. She was the ballet casting consultant for Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's An AMERICAN IN PARIS. She is the founder of the Kanyok Arts Initiative, which is preparing emerging artists to meet the demands of collegiate and creative endeavors through performance and collaborative experiences. Today we talk with Laurie about her career, how she was inspired to start this organization, and about her non-profit, FATE Foundation-Kids, which offers free online dance classes to all kids ages 5 and up. Before we begin, a quick note. This is our final episode of 2020. It has truly been a difficult year for us all, but we are grateful to be able to continue this podcast, talking with people who have extraordinary stories and who are finding ways to be creative and innovative during this time. As we close out this year, we hope that if you are able, you will consider offering support to arts organizations that matter to you and that you want to see survive this challenging time. We have had the pleasure of watching first hand how dance is fighting to survive and adapt and now is a wonderful time to support these efforts. Any amount helps. Thank you all for listening and for your continued support of our podcast. We love you all and hope that you have a wonderful and safe holiday season. See you in 2021.
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' __________________________________
This week we are re-joined by our very special co-host and friend, Evelyn Kocak. Recently, there was an article in the New York Times surrounding What is a ballet body? We decided, that as these kinds of conversations continue about how to evolve our art form, we thought we would sit down and talk about creating a fantasy company of our own. How could we change things for the better? What would our repertory be? Who would we bring in to be a part of the artistic team? Join us for this fun fantasy experiment. Catch Evelyn's last co-host appearance on the pod in episode 211.
Happy New Year and welcome to our first episode of 2021! Today we are joined by a very special co-host and friend, Evelyn Kocak, to chat about the Disney+ series streaming now, On Pointe.' Evelyn is a former NYCB dancer, Staatsballett Berlin dancer, and former soloist with Pennsylvania Ballet.
Welcome to the Conversations on Dance higher education series. Over the next few weeks, we will be talking with individuals from different college dance programs across the country. This week we are joined by Carla Krbes, former Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal Dancer and Associate Professor of Music in ballet at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Carla was born in Brazil and in 2000, she joined the New York City Ballet as a member of the corps. In 2005 she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet where she would dance as a Principal Dancer until her retirement in 2015. Since retiring, she worked as associate artistic director for LA Dance Project, before accepting her position at Indiana University. We talk with Carla from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival about her position at the University, what the students' curriculum and daily life is like, and how these dancers are uniquely set up for company life. For more information on the program, visit music.indiana.edu. Listen to our last chat with Carla about her career from 2017 in episode 55.
This week we are joined by one of our former colleagues, Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg. Jennifer is a former Principal Dancer with the Miami City Ballet and is now the co-artistic director of Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami. Jennifer began her dance training in her hometown of Queens, New York, before going on to study at the School of American Ballet. From there, she was spotted by Edward Villella, who asked her to join his company, Miami City Ballet, as an apprentice when she was just 17. She moved through the ranks and became a principal in 2001. She danced in the company's vast repertoire through to her retirement from the company in 2016. She and her husband, Carlos Guerra, also a former MCB Principal, went on to found Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, which is continuing to grow and prosper. Today we talk with Jen about her career, share some of our favorite memories of dancing with her in the company, talk about her transitions into directorship, and what challenges she and the company have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this week's episode of Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Boston Ballet principal Misa Kuranaga. A native of Japan, Misa first came to dance professionally in America with the San Francisco Ballet, before additional training at the School of American Ballet. In 2003, she joined Boston Ballet, where was quickly handed major soloist and principal opportunities, ultimately rising to the rank of principal dancer in 2009. We talk to her about her path to Boston Ballet, fighting through periods of uncertainty and lack of motivation, and how she continues to develop her artistry after nearly ten years as a principal
Today we are joined by educator, repetiteur, and former principal dancer with American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, Robert La Fosse. Robert was born in Beaumont, Texas. He moved to New York City to further his dance education with David Howard at Harkness House and Stanley Williams at The School of American Ballet. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1977, where he danced as a Principal Dancer for nine years. Then, in 1986, he was invited by Jerome Robbins to join New York City Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Throughout his career, he has danced leading roles in a broad repertoire, including originating roles in Jerome Robbins' works. In addition to his work in classical ballet, Mr. La Fosse has also starred in numerous Broadway productions. Robert works now as an educator and repetiteur. He currently teaches at American Ballet Theatres Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. He has worked with American Dance Machine for the 21st Century since 2013 staging the dances from Jerome Robbins musicals. Learn more about American Dance Machine for the 21st Century at adm21.org. _________________________________
This week we are joined from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival last summer by Charlotte Landreau, dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. A native of France, she trained first as a rhythmic gymnast, where she was the third in France. With her sights set on the Olympics, an injury forced her career trajectory to shift. She attended the Bjart School in Switzerland, studying acting and dance, before coming to NYC to study at the Martha Graham School. She joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2013. She speaks with us about how her training as a rhythmic gymnast influences her dance career, the challenges of seeing the career she dreamt of slip away, how she made a quick transition into the dance world, and how she connected so deeply with the Graham technique.
Michael Langlois — writer
We are off this week as we work to prepare for our live podcast events at the 2021 Vail Dance Festival later this month, so we are taking this opportunity to re-release an old episode. As we continue to highlight great summer dance reads, enjoy this chat with former American Ballet Theatre dancer and author Michael Langlois from May 2019. (Fortunately, as you will be able to tell, our technology and sound quality has improved over the past 2 years.) Today we are joined by Michael Langlois. Michael began studying ballet at the age of 10 and once he began getting more serious with his training, attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the School of American Ballet in New York. He was offered a job at American Ballet Theatre by Mikhail Baryshnikov the year he took over the company. In his 16 years as a professional dancer, he went on to dance with Feld Ballet and Ballet du Nord. In 2018 he wrote a memoir, B Plus: Dancing for Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theatre, where he gives an intimate look at the upper echelons of the dance world. In our conversation with Michael, we talk about his training at SAB, being hired into Baryshnikov's ABT, the unique challenges of being in the corps de ballet, and he talks openly and honestly about struggling with an eating disorder. The Vail Dance Festival is returning to live performances and we will be there to cover all the action. From July 30 August 9th, 2021, we will be conducting live podcast events with incredible festival artists, getting an inside look at their careers and the works they will be a part of during the festival. If you will be in Vail for the festival, we hope you will join us for these live events. Tickets are available now at valiance.org. If you will not be there in person, be sure to subscribe to Conversations on Dance through your favorite podcast app, and follow us on social media, so you don't miss a moment from Vail.
Gavin Larsen — writer
Today we are re-joined by friend of the pod, Gavin Larsen, former principal dancer with Oregon Ballet Theatre. We first spoke with Gavin in May 2020 in episode 185 about her career and the then timely topic, teaching ballet on Zoom. Today, Gavin returns to talk with us about her book that is officially being released on April 27, 2021. We got advanced copies of the book, which is truly so wonderful and beautifully written. We talk with Gavin about her writing style, her process, and we share and react to small excerpts. If you would like to get Gavin's book, Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life,' it is available on Amazon, Indiebound, and Bookshop. Links are available in the description of this episode. A note: We were deeply saddened by the news last week of the passing of our friend, Liam Scarlett. The world has lost a special talent and a bright light. He will be missed by many within the ballet world, as he impacted so many dancers and their careers. We are sending love to his family and his friends around the world, as we mourn with them.
This week we are continuing our conversation about teaching ballet classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk with Gavin Larsen, a former principal dancer with Oregon Ballet Theatre, now living in Asheville, NC, where she teaches and writes about dance. After training at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, she danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Alberta Ballet, and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet before joining OBT. For the first half of this episode, we get to know Gavin by chatting about her extensive career. Starting around 35 minutes in, we dive into how she is adapting to teaching online, how she is articulating corrections, how to combat challenges for specific students, and what positives we can take from this time. ALSO: along the theme of Zoom classes, we know that ballet students and professionals alike are feeling a huge sense of missing out as we navigate this pandemic. Summer courses are being cancelled across the country, and here on Conversations on Dance, we often discuss how important summer courses are for dancer development. This is why we are exploring offering Conversations on Dance Zoom classes as a way to supplement your current training regimen, in an affordable way. We want to test the waters and see what kind of interest there might be. So, this Thursday, May 21st, 2020 at 4pm EST, we will be offering a FREE Zoom Intermediate/Advanced ballet class for the first 10 people who email us. Sign up now to take class with Rebecca and Michael, by emailing info@conversationsondancepod.com and we will send you the Zoom info! Get in touch now!
Today we are joined by Megan LeCrone, soloist with the New York City Ballet. Megan was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and at age 14, began studying with Melissa Hayden and Duncan Noble at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Megan entered the School of American Ballet full-time in the fall of 2001, and in November 2001 she became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. She joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in October 2002 and was promoted to soloist in February 2013. We talk with Megan about her training, what brought her to SAB, how she joined the company, dealing with injuries, and her close working relationship with Peter Martins.
Today we talk with Ivonne Lemus: Ballet Mistress at Next Generation Ballet & Former Soloist with National Ballet of Cuba. We took a quick break over the holiday from our regularly scheduled programming, but while we were on our break, we went to Tampa to teach master classes, host a lecture, and record interviews with the dancers, staff, and guest artists of Next Generation Ballet. Today we talk with NGBs Ballet Mistress, Ivonne Lemus. Ivonne trained at the National School of Ballet in Havana, Cuba, where she graduated in 1986. She then went on to join the National Ballet of Cuba where she danced under the direction of Alicia Alonso for a decade. After her promotion to soloist in Cuba, she went on to join the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. After her dancing career, she has gone on to teach all over the country, joining Next Generation Ballets full-time teaching staff in 2007. We talk with Ivonne about what he training was like in Cuba, about dancing for Alicia, how she defected and ended up in Canada, and how she is now producing the next generation of professional dancers.
This week on Conversations On Dance', we are joined by in-demand choreographer and artistic director of BalletMet, Edwaard Liang. Liang danced for the New York City Ballet, where he rose to the rank of soloist. He later joined the Netherlands Dance Theatre, and performed in the broadway show Fosse'. These influences have shaped his choregraphic talents, which are sought all of the globe. He has choreographed for the Bolshoi Ballet, the New York City Ballet, The Kirov Ballet, Shanghai Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and many more. In our final episode from our time at the San Francisco Ballet's Unbound' festival, we talk with Edwaard about his then upcoming premiere for the company.
Today we are joined by Yaron Lifschitz, Artistic Director and CEO of Circa.' Yaron is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, and National Institute of Dramatic Arts, where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate directors course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre, and circus. His work has been seen in more than 40 countries and across six continents by over 1.5 million people. Yaron tells us about how he came to the circus, what he looks for in artists, and how he created a new work called Leviathan,' co-commissioned by Stanford Live. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, see Leviathan' at Stanford Live September 30th and October 1st, 2022. Tickets available at live.stanford.edu.
Lil Buck — Dancer
Join the Conversations On Dance podcast in a discussion with one of Vails most celebrated mainstays, Lil Buck, and one of its newest artists, New York City Ballet dancer KJ Takahashi. Buck and KJ will take us on a tour of their own relationships with ballet and street dance and how these two forms of dance have intersected for each of them in their own artistic identity. 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 8, 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.
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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. Photo by Christopher Duggan
This episode with Lil Buck exists only as a YouTube video.
Today we are bringing you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival with Jookin superstar, Lil Buck. Charles Lil Buck Riley is an dancer, actor and model from Memphis, Tennessee who specializes in a style of street dance called jookin. He gained popularity after director Spike Jonze used his cell phone to record an interpretive performance of The Dying Swan by Lil Buck and Yo-Yo Ma. Li' Buck has been a long time favorite of the festival since 2011. Lil Buck is the founder of Movement Art Is, an organization focused on using movement artistry to inspire change in the world. This episode was recorded live on July 31st, 2019. Watch the video of this live event here: https://bit.ly/2MRqcNs
Today we are joined by Andrea Renee Long-Naidu, Former Principal with Dance Theatre of Harlem and current Boston Ballet School Faculty Member. Andrea began her ballet training at the Pennsylvania Ballet School, accepting an apprenticeship position with the company at just 14 years-old. After a year working with the company, she went on to continue her training at the School of American Ballet, then went on to join the New York City Ballet. She was a corps member with NYCB for eight years, before going on to join Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell, where she would go on to rise to the rank of Principal. She began her second career as a teacher in 2008 and joined the Boston Ballet School Faculty in 2020. We talk with Andrea about her incredible career, working with countless dance legends, her time working with Arthur Mitchell, and her second career as a teacher.
Todays episode was recorded live at The Kennedy Center on Saturday June 1, 2019 before the matinee performance of Miami City Ballet as a part of Ballet Across America. We were joined by Virginia Johnson, the Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem (who had been performing earlier in the week), Lourdes Lopez, Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet, and celebrated choreographer, Pam Tanowitz. This panel was put together to discuss women leading the way in ballet. Be sure to explore all the happenings at the Kennedy Center by visiting, kennedy-center.org.
Today we are joined by Miami City Ballet Artistic Director, Lourdes Lopez, and our former boss. Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Miami, Lopez began taking ballet lessons at the age of five and continued her training full time at the School of American Ballet when she was 14. George Balanchine chose her to join the New York City Ballet corps de ballet shortly after her 16th birthday. She danced many featured roles with the company and was promoted by Balanchine to soloist in 1981, one of the last dancers he promoted. She became a Principal under the direction of Peter Martins in 1984 and she retired from the stage in 1997. After retiring she joined WNBC-TV in New York as a cultural arts reporter. She later went on to become the Executive Director of The George Balanchine Foundation and then co-founded the dance company, Morphoses with Christopher Wheeldon in 2007. In 2012, she became the Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet. Lourdes has been named a Nominee at this years Dance Magazine Awards taking place in New York City on December 3rd. For more information on the Dance Magazine awards, visit dancemagazine.com. Note: Lourdes discusses the book entitled, Bravura!: Lucia Chase and the American Ballet Theatre.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with Three of Vail’s most beloved returning artists: Lauren Lovette, Unity Phelan and Robbie Fairchild.Fairchild, a former NYCB Principal Dancer, became a Tony-nominated Broadway star originating the role of Jerry Mulligan in An American in Paris before going on to film, acting, and an ever-evolving performance life. Lovette, also a former NYCB principal, continues to grace the stage and is currently serving as Resident Choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and earning commissions from ABT, Vail, and beyond. Unity Phelan continues her extraordinary career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and international guest artist!Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of Vail.
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.
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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. Photo by Christopher Duggan
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.
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
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.
Ellis Ludwig-Leone — Lyricist
Today's episode of Conversations On Dance' is a live podcast from the Guggenheim's Works & Process series. We explore the creation of a new dance driven music theater production The Night Falls', which is set to run February 9th through 12th at Montclair State University. The Night Falls' is a new myth for our fractured era, depicting the metamorphosis of atomized individuals into a true community, with choreography that dramatizes the leap of empathy between bodies and music that channels the polarities of surrender and resistance. In this interview, we are joined by the show's creative team, choreographer and director Troy Schumacher, composer and co-lyricist Ellis Ludwig-Leone and librettist and co-lyricist Karen Russell. Tickets for The Night Falls' can be found at peakperfs.org. We are happy to be able to share a visual companion to this episode. To watch the full interview including the dancing and signing segments, visit Works & Process' YouTube Channel, or click here: https://youtu.be/FfidIh8pi0o.This episode was recorded live on January 22, 2023 as a part of Guggenheim's Works & Process.The Night Falls': Co-produced by BalletCollective, Inc., and PEAK Performances at Montclair State University. The Night Falls was developed during a 2018 residency for Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals with further support provided during a virtual creative residency in 2021. This season was made possible, in part, by the Alexander Kasser Theater Endowment Fund, PEAK Patrons, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Today we are happy to welcome back Principal Guest Conductor for the San Francisco Ballet, Ming Luke. We had a fascinating conversation with Ming back in September 2020 in episode 203, where we dive into his background and career as a conductor. Ming has a wealth of knowledge in music and dance history, as he has a background in dance himself, and has conducted for ballet all around the world. In light of the 50th anniversary of the Stravinsky Festival, we have Ming on to talk about the relationship between composers and choreographers, dating back to Tchaikovsky and Petipa, through to present day collaborations.
Today, we welcome our first conductor to the podcast, Ming Luke. Ming holds a Master of Fine Arts in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. With a background in ballet himself, Ming has conducted for ballet performances around the world. He is currently serving as Music Director for the Merced Symphony and Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra; Associate Conductor for the Berkeley Symphony; Principal Guest Conductor for the San Francisco Ballet; and Principal Conductor of the Nashville Ballet. While live theatre is on hiatus due to COVID-19, Ming has started an online series called Musical Point(e)s, a virtual in-depth exploration of how movement and music work together in some of the most beloved ballet in the repertoire. Upcoming programming includes Romeo and Juliet on Saturday, Sept 26th, The Winter's Tale on October 3rd, and The Nutcracker on October 10th. All events are at 12pm Pacific Time, 3pm Eastern. Access to these conversations are free. Register for access on his website, mingluke.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
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
Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined by Alastair Macaulay, critic and historian of the performing arts, and former Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times. While Alastair is no stranger to the podcast, today we get to delve into the history of numerous rare Balanchine ballets. Ahead of Alastair's program at the New York Public Library on the topic, he gives a preview of what audiences can expect, what films will be shown, and gives us the backstory of some of these works that were only seen a few times. Plus, he tells us about some of the works that aren't able to be shown and why. If you are in the New York area, don't miss 'Alastair Macaulay on Balanchine Rarities' on May 6th at 6pm at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Reserve your spot here: https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2024/05/06/alastair-macaulay-balanchine-rarities.Visit Alastair's website for more of his writings on dance: alastairmacaulay.com.
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'.
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.
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 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 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.
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
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.
In January and February we put together a higher education series to explore dance programs in schools across the country. Today we are adding to this distinguished list of programs as we talk with the Juilliard School's Director of the Dance Division, Alicia Graf Mack. Alicia enjoyed a distinguished career as a leading dancer of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has also been a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and she has danced as a guest performer with Alonzo Kings LINES Ballet. She graduated from Columbia University and holds an MA in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis. She began her inaugural season as director of the Juilliard Dance Division in the fall of 2018. Each year 24 new dancers are accepted into Juilliard's four-year BFA program. In addition to the daily ballet and modern technique classes, every dancer participates in classical and contemporary, partnering, dance composition, anatomy, acting, dance history, stagecraft, production, music theory, repertory, and elements of performing. In today's episode, Alicia tells us about her career, dealing with injuries, her personal experience with higher education, and what ultimately landed her at the Juilliard Dance Division. For information on admissions, please visit juilliard.edu/admissions. During this time of quarantine, Alicia has taught a beautiful online class that can be accessed on Juilliard's website: https://www.juilliard.edu/school/news/media-gallery. Be sure to follow Juilliard on their social media channels for more content from faculty, current students, and alumni, as they unify all this creativity under #JuilliardThrives. Photo by Rachel Papo.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Gregory Maqoma, founder of Vuyani Dance Theater. Gregory tells us about how he first came to discover and fall in love with dance in South Africa, his artistic journey from performer to choreographer and creator and his latest work Cion: Requiem Of Ravel's Bolero', which is currently on tour and will take the stage at Performing Arts Houston on Friday, April 21st at 7:30PM. Visit performingartshouston.org to purchase tickets. This episode was recorded in December 2022. _______________________________________________ This episode's sponsors: For our listeners in Hilton Head, and Charleston South Carolina, we hope you will join Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami as they tour to your area on March 22 thru 24th. A bold, cutting edge contemporary ballet company founded in 2016 by former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, DDTM has established itself with a dazzling repertoire and dynamic world class dancers hailing from various Hispanic, North and South American backgrounds. On March 24th, audiences will be treated to a full evening performance a mixed bill program that will feature Gerald Arpinos masterwork, Light Rain, a main staple of the Dimensions' repertoire since the company first brought the full ballet to South Florida in 2017. For tickets, visit artshhi.org. A quick update from friend of the pod, Tamisha Guy. Tamisha is thrilled to share with the COD audience, that she is launching Empower Hour, which she talked with us about in Episode 220. Empower Hour is a series of financial wellness workshops tailored towards equipping all artists and arts administrators with the financial prowess to lead a sustainable life beyond their careers. First up is Lets Talk Taxes with Nayilah Antoine, a free virtual workshop sharing the tools for the participants to advocate for themselves as it pertains to tax literacy. This is a FREE Virtual Workshop on March 26 from 1-2:30PM. Click here to sign up. More information also available on Tamishas instagram: @tamishaguy.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance', we have celebrated choreographer Cathy Marston on to discuss her upcoming premiere for Houston Ballet, Summer and Smoke'. Cathy tells us what drew her to Tennesse Williams' play as source material for a new ballet, her casting process and creating to composer Michael Daugherty's original score for the work. If you are in the Houston area, you can attend performances of Summer and Smoke' from March 9 through 19th, with tickets available to purchase on houstonballet.org.
Today we are joined by choreographer Cathy Marston. Cathy began choreographing while still at the Royal Ballet School, ultimately leaving life as a professional dancer to pursue choreography full time. She has carved out a unique identity for herself as a choreographer who dives head first into creating full length narrative works based on beloved literary classics and other preexisting source material. We talk to Cathy about her creative process in adapting text to steps, her upcoming premiere of Of Mice and Men' at the Joffrey and her plans for Ballet Zurich, where she will take over as artistic director in the coming year. See Of Mice and Men' at the Joffrey Ballet April 27 May 8, 2022 at Joffrey Ballet. Tickets and more information on their website: joffrey.org.
Today, on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined by Christopher Charles McDaniel, dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem. Christopher was born in East Harlem and started his formal training at the Dance Theatre of Harlem School, later going on to train at LaGuardia School of Performing Arts and Ballet Academy East. Christopher has danced professionally with Los Angeles Ballet and Ballet San Antonio, before coming full circle to join Dance Theatre of Harlem. We talk with Christopher about his start in praise dance at church, his relationship with Arthur Mitchell as a young student at Dance Theatre of Harlem, his trajectory that ultimately lead him back to DTH, and his participation in this year's Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, where he will be dancing a new commission by Durante Verzola. Lake Tahoe Dance Festival has just announced their 2021 live, outdoor performances July 27 30. Tickets are on sale now by pod seating. See Christopher and other world-renowned dancers, including friend of the pod, Ashley Bouder, onstage in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Tickets and more information available at laketahoedancecollective.org.
Today on Conversations On Dance, we are joined by choreographer Trey McIntyre. Trey first made his mark as a choreographer in the role of choreographic apprentice at Houston Ballet, a position created for him by then-director Ben Stevenson. He has since created dozens of works on internationally renowned companies, as well as founded his own company The Trey McIntyre Project' and received critical and public attention for his work as a photographer. We talk to Trey about his early years at Houston Ballet, what it's been like to return to choreograph for the company throughout the years, and his new work Pretty Things', set to the music of David Bowie will be performed in Houston from May 20th to the 29th. Get your tickets at houstonballet.org.
Today we are joined by choreographer, Trey McIntyre. Yesterday, on August 4th, 2020, Trey announced the reimagining of his Trey McIntyre Project, as a way to adapt dance to the COVID era. He has dubbed this new project, FLTPK (flatpack) which is an online subscription service that gives viewers access to one-of-a-kind, original dance works by some of the greatest dance makers on the planet. Access to these works is exclusive to FLTPKs Patreon platform accessible at fltpk.com. We talk with Trey about what life has been like for him since the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, how he has been able to be creative during this time, how this idea came about, and how FLTPK works.
This week on Conversations On Dance', we are joined by esteemed choreographer Trey McIntyre, whose second work for the San Francisco Ballet recently premiered in the company's Unbound Festival. Trey's rise to prominence as a choreographer began when Ben Stevenson, then director of the Houston Ballet, created the position of choreographic apprentice for him. He has gone on to choreograph works for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Stutgartt Ballet and many others. In 2005, he found his own dance company, the Trey McIntyre Project, which was an immense critical success and was lauded for its innovative business model. Trey has recently added photographer to his list of considerable talents, with his work being published by the New York Times, The Washington Post and the Boston Globe. To see and support Trey's photographic work, check out patreon.com/treymcintyre.
This week we have the pleasure of being joined Kevin McKenzie, American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director. A native of Vermont, McKenzie recieved his ballet trianing from the Washington School of Ballet. He was a leading dancer with the Joffrey Ballet and the National Ballet of Washington before joining American Ballet Theatre in 1979 as a soloist. He would go on to dance with the company as a Principal dancer until 1991. During his time with the company he danced many leading roles including Don Jose in Carmen, Albrecht in Giselle, and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. In 1989 McKenzie was appointed Artistic Associate at The Washington Ballet where he was a permanent guest artist, and he also acted as Associate Artistic Director of New Amsterdam Ballet. In October of 1992, he was appointed Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, where he would go on to choreograph many works on the company. This year, the company is celebrating his 25th year as Artistic Director, so we were happy to get the opportunity to take a look back over his career, and the past 25 years with ABT.
Every year audiences at the Vail Dance Festival watch the Artist-In-Residence delve deeply into their craft, pushing outside their comfort zone to create rapidly in the ten days the festival spans. This year audiences will be treated to two such artists, the beloved New York City Ballet ballerina Sara Mearns, and highly acclaimed and sought after choreographer Jamar Roberts. Sara and Jamar sit down with Conversations On Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden to discuss what their artistic output at the festival will be and how the artistic direction of the festival this year is guiding them in their own creative pursuits. Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
Sara Mearns and Pam Tanowitz are two of the most talked about dance artists of their generation, both regarded for their bold, fearless and personal interpretations of their respective art forms. At this years festival, Mearns will be premiering in a new work by Bobbi Jene Smith, while Tanowitz will create a new work to the music of Kate Davis. Join these mavericks of the industry for a discussion with the Conversations On Dance podcast about these premieres and the collaboration Mearns and Tanowitz most recently worked on together at the New York City Ballet. 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 3, 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.
This week we bring you an episode we recorded at New York Citys Guggenheim museum in January. We wanted to catch up with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Sara Mearns, and Jodi Melnick, contemporary choreographer to hear about their Works and Process at the Guggenheim that they were putting together. We chatted with the pair quickly between rehearsals, so we could offer our listeners a preview of this work One of Sixty-Five Thousand Gestures/ NEW BODIES that will be going to the Spoleto Festival in Charelston, South Carolina June 7-10. For more information about the festival and performances running May 25-June 10th, visit Spoletousa.org. To get tickets to see Sara and Jodi, search NEW BODIES on the Spoleto website, or click here.
Today we are bringing you another episode from Next Generation Ballet in Tampa. We sit down with esteemed New York City Ballet Principals Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar who were performing as guest artists for NGBs Nutcracker this past December. Sara has been on the pod before, so if you havent heard our interview with her, check out episode 24. Amar and Sara have been dancing together since they joined the company in 2000 and 2003 respectively. They have had works created on them and surrounding their partnership by countless choreographers including Justin Peck, Peter Martins, Chris Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky to name a few. Today we talk with them about what makes a successful partnership, how they worked through some difficult times, why they work so well together, and they share with us some of their favorite onstage moments together.
New York City Ballet up-and-coming corps member, Roman Mejia, sits down with us from the Vail Dance Festival. We talk about his year of dance since we last saw him in Vail, working with Edward Villella, and on performing Alexei Ratmansky's Fandango' here at Vail Dance Festival on August 2nd, 2019. This episode was recorded at Manor Vail Lodge.
Roman Mejia is one of the newest members of the New York City Ballet, having burst onto the scene at the Vail Dance Festival fresh out of the School of American Ballet. In just his first year at the company, hes garnered critical acclaim for numerous solo roles, and is quickly gathering momentum as a dancer to be seen. We talk with Roman about the pressures of being thrust into the spotlight so soon into his career, how he prepares for these challenges, and how coming from a ballet family has prepared him in his career. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 4th, 2018) Photo: Roman Mejia in Pas de Deux from William Tell at the 2018 Vail Dance Festival. Photo by Erin Baiano
Jodi Melnick — choreographer
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance' we are joined by choreographer Jodi Melnick. (Listen to our most recent conversation with Jodi in episode 300). Jodi has been featured on the podcast several times to explore the range of her experiences as both choreographer and dancer, but today we focus specifically on how Jodi defines and explores the collaborative process. Jodi's latest creative output, a work for American Ballet Theatre principal, Devon Teuscher will be featured at Art Bath in New York City on November 12th. Tickets are available at artbathnyc.com. See Jodi in her collaboration with Maya Lee-Parritz at Weiss Acres, Sunday Dec 11th.
Choreographer Jodi Melnick has found international acclaim with her unique approach to the art form, encapsulating seemingly disparate moments of subtlety, nuance, recklessness and drama. The Conversations On Dance podcast leads a discussion with Melnick about her artistic identity, creative process and her new work premiering at VDF this year, set to a commissioned score by Andreia Pinto-Correia. 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 4, 2022 with special guest host, Patricia Delgado. 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.
This week we bring you an episode we recorded at New York Citys Guggenheim museum in January. We wanted to catch up with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Sara Mearns, and Jodi Melnick, contemporary choreographer to hear about their Works and Process at the Guggenheim that they were putting together. We chatted with the pair quickly between rehearsals, so we could offer our listeners a preview of this work One of Sixty-Five Thousand Gestures/ NEW BODIES that will be going to the Spoleto Festival in Charelston, South Carolina June 7-10. For more information about the festival and performances running May 25-June 10th, visit Spoletousa.org. To get tickets to see Sara and Jodi, search NEW BODIES on the Spoleto website, or click here.
Today on Conversations on Dance, we talk with Marzia Memoli, chorus dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. Marzia is from Palermo, Italy, where she started her dance and ballet training. She graduated from the Academy of Teatro Carcano in Milan and the Bejarts school, where she performed with the Bejart Ballet Lausanne. In 2016, she joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. We initially chatted with Marzia this summer to hear about her career, what lead her to Martha Graham, and how she spent her time off from dancing during the shuttering of theaters during the pandemic. At the end of the episode, we recently caught up with Marzia again to hear about her preparations to return to the stage and the company's upcoming performances at the Joyce Theater October 26-31. Tickets for two joyous programs celebrating the exhilarating return to live theater at the Joyce are available on their website, joyce.org. _______________________________
This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by New York City Ballet dancer, Miriam Miller from last summers Vail Dance Festival. Miriam was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and began her dance training in 2001. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in 2011 and 2012, enrolling as a full-time student during the 2012 winter term. Ms. Miller became an apprentice with NYCB in January 2015. While still an apprentice with NYCB, Miller performed the role of Titania in George Balanchines A Midsummer Nights Dream, as well as featured roles in Balanchines Harlequinade and Peter Martins Swan Lake. She joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in January 2016. We talk with Miriam about her start with ballet, how her first show of Titania came about, her hopes for her career, and going to college while dancing full time.
This week we are continuing our higher education series on Conversations on Dance by introducing you to an incredibly unique program. Today we chat with Stephanie Miller, the Associate Director at St. Marys College's LEAP Program. Stephanie began dancing at the age of three, and received her BA in Dance from Saint Mary's College, as well as an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College. She danced primarily with Paufve Dance from 2002-2011, and has performed with several other Bay Area dance companies. In July 2017, she returned to her alma mater to step into the role of Associate Director for the LEAP Program or Liberal Education for Arts Professionals. LEAP is a program that brings higher education to current or former professional dancers with 2 or more years experience, in a way that works with students busy schedules. Stephanie tells us about her personal experience in dance, how the LEAP program came about, her role in the program, and how the program is looking to expand in order to serve more professional artists. For more information visit https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/leap.
Today we are joined by mother-daughter duo, Gladisa Guadalupe, and Marla Minadeo. Gladisa is the co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Cleveland Ballet and her daughter, Marla, is a dancer in the company. We talk with the pair about how they each were introduced to ballet, balancing their professional life with their family life, the many incarnations of Cleveland Ballet, and what the company has coming up as they enter their 2021-2022 season. Join Cleveland Ballet for its first performance of Momentum set to the magnificent score of Felix Mendelssohn, with choreography by Gladisa, in the city of Vermilion on Saturday, September 18th, 2021. Tickets and more information on this, and the company's full season at Playhouse Square, are available on their website, clevelandballet.org.
Rashaun Mitchell — Choreographer
This week on Conversations On Dance', we are joined by the choreographic team sweeping the modern dance world, Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener. The duo performed together at Merce Cunningham Dance company where they discovered their choreographic compatibility and a similar willingness to explore the way abstraction and representation coincide in the body. Their works have been presented at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, NY Live Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and many other prestigious venues throughout the country. They will premiere Switch' for the Joyce theater this Oct 2-6. Tickets may be purchased at www.Joyce.org .
This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Michael Montgomery, dancer with Alonzo King LINES Ballet from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival. Michael was born in Long Beach, CA, trained at the Orange County High School of the Arts and studied at the Alvin Ailey School in the Certificate program. In 2011 he graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. In 2010, he joined LINES Ballet and was named to the list of 25 to Watch by Dance Magazine in 2013. We talk with Michael about his origins in dance, the BFA program at Dominican University, what a typical day is like as a member of LINES, and what it is like working in the studio with Alonzo during his creation process.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with New York City Ballets exciting new generation of principal dancers: Chun Wai Chan, Mira Nadon, and Gilbert Bolden III. These dynamic artists are shaping the future of classical ballet with their exceptional talent, artistry, and fresh perspectives. Hear about their paths to principal status, experiences dancing with NYCB, and their aspirations both on and off the stage. This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 3, 2025.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance', we are joined by New York City Ballet soloist Mira Nadon. Mira joins us for a special bonus episode discussing her role as the central ballerina in Justin Peck's upcoming premiere Copland Dance Episodes'. She gives us an inside view of NYCB's first non-narrative full length premiere since George Balanchine's Jewels', discussing the creative process, her character's emotional arc and what audiences can expect to see at the premiere this January 26th at the David H. Koch theater.
Today we are joined by New York City Ballet soloist Mira Nadon. Mira last joined us on the podcast in April 2020, episode 180, where we talked about her training, early career and the early days of the pandemic. For her second appearance, we catch up with Mira about navigating the year and a half without performances at NYCB, her promotion to soloist and the numerous debuts she's conquered in the first half of 2022.
This week we are joined by Mira Nadon, New York City Ballet Corps de Ballet dancer. Mira began her ballet training at the age of six at the Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair, California. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), in 2014 and 2015, before entering SAB full-time for the 2015 winter term. In November 2017, Ms. Nadon became an apprentice with NYCB and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2018. We talk with this rising star about her training, joining NYCB as an apprentice at just 16, and her career accomplishments at such a young age. Photo: Nadon in Peter Martins' The Sleeping Beauty. Erin Baiano, Courtesy NYCB
This week we continue our coverage of Next Generation Ballets Nutcracker by speaking with Philip Neal, Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet. Philip began his training at the age of 11 at the School of Richmond Ballet, where he was recognized by Edward Villella and offered a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. He joined the New York City Ballet in 1987 becoming a Principal in 1992. He went on to dance lead roles in the vast majority of the companys rep, and was invited to guest with many companies including the Kirov Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. After a 23- year tenure with City Ballet, 17 of those years as a Principal, Philip was invited by The George Balanchine Trust and The Jerome Robbins Rights Trust to become a Repetiteur, staging the ballets of both legendary choreographers throughout the world. From 2010-2013, he directed developmental efforts in Palm Beach County on behalf of Miami City Ballet before being appointed the Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet & Dance Dean of the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center in Tampa FL, one the largest performing arts center in the United States. Today we talk with Philip about his career, how he discovered his talent for arts development, get some teaching pointers, and learn more about the great work he is doing at Next Generation Ballet.
Today we have the pleasure of being joined by Colleen Neary, Artistic Director of Los Angeles Ballet. Born in Miami, Florida, Neary trained in New York at both the School of American Ballet and Harkness House for Ballet Arts. From 1969 to 1979, she danced as a soloist with New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine and became one of his quintessential ballerinas. Colleen's career path led her to Europe in 1979 when she became Rehearsal Director and Choreographic Assistant at Switzerlands Zurich Ballet. In 1986 she accepted the position of Principal Dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, then returned to Europe in 1992 to spend a decade with The Royal Danish Ballet as Rehearsal Director, Company Teacher, and First Instructor in charge of productions. In 2004, she and her husband, Thordal Christensen, founded Los Angeles Ballet. Today we take a deep dive into Colleens career, where she shares with us what it was like dancing at SAB as a young dancer while her older sister, Pat Neary, was in the company, her relationship with Balanchine, and her unusual path to join NYCB. She shares delightful stories with us about working with Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and where her career took her after leaving the company. You wont want to miss a moment of this chat, so we hope you all enjoy! ___________________________
This week we are presenting our final episode recorded from the Vail Dance Festival in August 2017. Today we sit down with Matthew Neenan, PA Ballet Choreographer in Residence & Co-founder of BalletX. Matthew began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School, later continuing his studies at the School of American Ballet. From 1994-2007 Neenan danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet. In 2006, Matthew received the New York City Ballets Choreographic Institutes Fellowship Initiative Award, and in 2007 was named Choreographer in Residence at Pennsylvania Ballet. His work has been performed at the Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, and many others. In 2005, Matthew co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox. BalletX has toured and performed Neenans choreography in New York City at The Joyce Theater and The Skirball Center, at the Vail Dance Festival, and at Jacobs Pillow. Today we talk with Matthew about his dancing career, his choreography, how the evolution of Pennsylavnia ballet has changed his work, the founding of BalletX while still dancing, and the hopes and dreams he has for the company going forward.
This week, we are joined by Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston Ballet. We first spoke with Mikko about his career and his 20 plus years at the helm of Boston Ballet in episode 183 from May 2020. Today we catch up with Mikko to hear about how Boston Ballet weathered the pandemic, how the company reacted to COVID and the Black Lives Matter movement, and their recent ChoreograpHER program. Boston Ballet will be on tour for the first time since the pandemic hit this month at Ballet Sun Valley. Ballet Sun Valley's Festival 2022 will feature Boston Ballet in two distinct programs. Mikko takes us through the programming for these performances and how he curated these evenings of dance that is sure to delight audiences. Catch Boston Ballet's debut at Ballet Sun Valley June 24th and 25th, 2022 at 7pm in the Sun Valley Pavilion. Tickets are available at balletsunvalley.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. ____________________________
This week, we are joined by Mikko Nissinen, Boston Ballet Artistic Director. Born in Helsinki, Mikko began his dance training at age ten with The Finnish National Ballet School, and launched his professional dance career at age 15 with The Finnish National Ballet. He went on to continue his dance training at The Kirov Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia. He danced professionally for 19 years, with Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet and as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet. In 2001 he was appointed Artistic Director of Boston Ballet. Now nearly 20 years into his tenure as director, we talk with Mikko about his training and early career, his ambition to always be learning more about ballet, his aspirations to run a large company, and how he landed with his position at Boston Ballet. Mikko also talks with us about leading the organization through numerous crises, including navigating the current COVID-19 pandemic.
This week we are joined by Allynne Noelle, Suzanne Farrell Ballet First Soloist. Allynne started her training at the age of five in Southern California and began her professional career at age 15 with Ballet Pacifica. In 2003 she joined Miami City Ballet where she would dance as a soloist until leaving the company in 2010. After battling some serious injuries, she recovered and joined Los Angeles Ballet as a Principal in 2011. In 2015 she joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. She will be dancing in the companys final shows entitled, Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances at the Kennedy Center December 7th- 9th. We caught up with Allynne while we were visiting the Kennedy Center in October. She was kind enough to join us in the middle of her first day of rehearsals for these performances. We talk with her about her career, struggles with injuries, her love of working with Suzanne, and she offers a preview of what audiences can expect from the Suzanne Farrell Ballets Farewell Performances. For more information on these performances and other happenings at the Kennedy Center, visit kennedy-center.org.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with Michael Novak, Artistic Director of the legendary Paul Taylor Dance Company. As the company returns to the Vail Dance Festival for the first time since 2018, Novak reflects on honoring the legacy of Paul Taylorone of the most influential figures in American modern danceon what would have been Taylors 95th birthday.This special conversation offers insight into the companys tribute performance, featuring the beloved Company B and the 50th anniversary presentation of Esplanade, a masterwork hailed for transforming everyday movement into mythic dance. This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 27, 2025.Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
This we we are delighted to welcome Michael Novak, the Artistic Director Designate of the Paul Taylor Dance Foundation. Raised in Rolling Meadows, IL, Michael began studying dance at age ten. In 2001, he was offered a Presidential Scholarship to attend The University of the Arts in Philadelphia to pursue training in jazz and ballet. The following year, he undertook an apprenticeship at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society, where he remained until 2004. After moving to New York City, Michael was admitted to Columbia Universitys School of General Studies where he was awarded scholarships for academic excellence. After being a freelance dancer in New York City for many years, Michael joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 2010. This past May, Paul Taylor chose Michael as a successor, naming him artistic director-designate of the Paul Taylor Dance Foundation. Michael is 35 and will continue on with the company as a dancer. Today we talk with Michael about what brought him to dance, finding Paul Taylor and his choreography, and what has happened since Paul called him in March with some big news.
Today we are bringing you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival on the Vail premiere of The Little Prince. We are joined by choreographer, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and BalletX dancer who dances the title role in the peice, Roderick Phifer. This episode was recorded on July 29th, 2019, one day before the ballet will hit the stage here in Vail on the evening of July 30th. Tune into our previous chat with Annabelle in episode 90.
Welcome to another live podcast from San Francisco Ballet. In this episode we are joined by festival choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. This episode is a recording of a live Meet the Artist event that took place before a performance of the Unbound festival on April 22nd. For more live content like this from other San Francisco Ballet performances, please check out San Francisco Ballets podcast network on iTunes. Stay tuned to Conversations on Dance for regularly programmed Monday episodes, as well as continued bonus content from our time in San Francisco. Enjoy, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival. We are back from San Francisco where we recorded a massive 26 episodes that are waiting to be published on your feed. We chatted with world class choreographers about their careers and work including Christopher Wheeldon, Stanton Welch, and Edwaard Liang, ballet master Katita Waldo, as well as some of the remarkable dancers of San Francisco Ballet, like Sarah Van Patten, Ana Sophia Scheller, and Sofiane Sylve. Subscribe now on iTunes to recieve notifications of new episodes when they are published. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for some behind the scenes content and new episode alerts
Today on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by friend of the pod and New York City Ballet Soloist, Georgina Pazcoguin. This summer, Georgina's new book, Swan Dive was released, so we caught up with her between rehearsals and performances to chat. While she sat outside of the David H Koch Theater, she told us about the inspiration behind the book, her writing process, what she hopes readers take away from Swan Dive, and what her return to stage this past month has felt like. You can get your copy of Swan Dive wherever books or sold, or click here: https://amzn.to/3AA34YQ. ________________________________
This week we welcome back Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin, founders of the Final Bow For Yellowface. We first spoke with Gina in 2017 in episode 52 and with Phil in May of 2020 in episode 186. This dynamic duo shares with us some background on their organization and their advocacy efforts. We chat about what they have been up to over the past year and what they are working towards in the years to come. You also won't want to miss their extraordinary digital festival happening now. This month, Final Bow For Yellowface is hosting the 10,000 Dreams virtual choreography event as an occasion to celebrate a different choreographer of asian descent every day of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This programming is designed to help elevate Asian American choreographic voices and push past the negative racial tropes that have permeated famous ballets of the past. For more information and to watch, visit yellowface.org. Get Georgina's book: https://amzn.to/3mvEIw3
Today on the podcast, we check in with our friends at St. Mary's College's LEAP Program. We last heard about LEAP from the program's Associate Director, Stephanie Miller, in episode 170 from January of 2020. When we spoke with her right before the pandemic, the program was working on launching an online program. Since then, the program has expanded exponentially to reach more dancers throughout the country. Today we talk with Shaunna Vella, LEAP Program Director, and Andrew Pearson, Program Coordinator, Online. We hear about how the program works, how it is growing and shifting, and how interested dancers can inquire and apply. For more information, visit stmarys-ca.edu/leap.
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-eQ
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.
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.
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
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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
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!
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance" we are joined by superstar NYCB ballerina Tiler Peck and Garen Scribner, former SFB soloist and the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. Tiler recounts how her harrowing recovery from a potentially life altering injury was captured on film after Garen suggested the process be turned into a documentary. The resulting project is "Tiler Peck: Suspending Time", a documentary film making its premiere at the SF Dance Film Festival this October 24th at the Lucasfilm Premier Theater. To purchase tickets, visit sfdancefilmfest.org. Get Tiler's new book: https://amzn.to/4oXookXAnnouncement:We are thrilled to announce that we will be returning to Miami City Ballet October 17th-19th to host live pre-performance talks for the opening weekend of the companys 40th anniversary season. For each talk, we will be joined by Gonzalo Garcia as he ushers the company into its first season under his direction. Full details below. This program is truly not to be missed: the all Peck program includes Year of the Rabbit, Chutes and Ladders, and Heatscape. If you are in the Miami area come join us.DETAILS:FRI October 17 with Gonzalo Garcia at 6:30pmSAT October 18 with Gonzalo and Justin Peck at 6:30pmSUN October 19 with Gonzalo and Patricia Delgado at 1pmAdmission to pre-performance talks at the Arsht Center is complimentary with ticket purchase. Tickets available here: https://www.miamicityballet.org/tickets-and-events/202526-season/peck/. If you are unable to join us in person, subscribe to the Conversations on Dance podcast feed through your favorite podcast app, where we will be publishing recordings of the events.
We are joined today by Tiler Peck, principal dancer with New York City Ballet and Herman Cornejo, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. The pair tell us about their partnership here at the festival and Justin Peck's newest work. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 4, 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 festival's closing evening: NOW Premieres, which we discuss in this episode. Access will be available for one week on VDF's YouTube Channel. More information on VDF's 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
Today we are bringing you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival with New York City Ballet Principal Tiler Peck. In her 11th year at the Vail Dance Festival, Tiler continues to explore her work as a choreographer with a revival of last year's premiere Lincoln Square' and new premiere to Caroline Shaw's Thousandth Orange'. We talk to her about her choreographic inspirations, and the thought process behind her latest work. This episode was recorded on August 6, 2019.
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.
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.
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.
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/.
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.
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.
Arthur Pita — Choreographer
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by internationally acclaimed choreographer Arthur Pita and Royal Danish Ballet dancer Isabella Carroll. They take us through Arthur's process creating a new full length production of "The Great Gatsby" for the Royal Danish Ballet in the centennial year of the novel, touching on how the idea for the project came to fruition, how the dancers developed the iconic characters and what role production design has in bringing this classic American story to life. If you are in the Copenhagen area, "The Great Gatsby" premieres May 3rd and runs through May 31st. Tickets.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance' we are joined by choreographer Arthur Pita. Arthur's choreography has been featured across a broad spectrum of art forms including opera, ballet, film, and musical theatre, never shying away from artistic risks like tackling Kafka's Metamorphosis' or creating to the music of Bjork. Today we talk to Arthur about his surprising early inspirations, finding his own choreographic voice and how his new work for Houston Ballet finally found its way to the stage after navigating its way through the pandemic. If you are in the Houston area, you can see Arthur's Good Vibrations' starting Thursday, September 22nd through October 2nd. You can purchase tickets at houstonballet.org. https://www.houstonballet.org/seasontickets/pdps/2022-2023/good-vibrations/
This week on Conversations On Dance, we are joined by choreographer Arthur Pita. Pita graduated with a master's degree from London Contemporary Dance School, and has choreographed internationally in many different formats, including works for opera, musical theatre, plays and film. He has garnered attention for his imaginative and personal re-interpretations of classic narratives like Kafka's Metamorphosis' and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream'. This week at the Joyce Theater in New York City, his interpretation of Roland Topor's The Tenant' will premiere, with American Ballet Theater principal James Whiteside as the lead. This episode was recorded back in April 2018, when we were at San Francisco Ballet for their Unbound Festival, in which Arthur was one of the 12 choreographers who created a new work.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the Limn Dance Company, and esteemed choreographer Diego Vega Solorza, whose work for the company will premiere in the company's upcoming Joyce season. Dante tells us how he became familiar with Diego's work and why it was a natural fit for the company and the season, while Diego dives into his creative process and how the Limn dancers have shaped this particular work. The Limn Dance Company will perform at the storied Joyce theater in New York City from Tuesday, October 14th through Sunday October 19th. To purchase tickets visit joyce.org. SPONSOR:Friday through Sunday, November 7th through 9th, join Amanda Treiber and Company for their debut performances at the Mark ODonnell Theater in Brooklyn! Featuring a cast of international artists, including dancers and musicians from New York City Ballet, and a world premiere to music by Philip Glass, these performances showcase NYC-based choreographer and dancer Amanda Treiber's ability to create worlds through unique movement vocabularies and her deep collaborations with dancers, musicians, and visual artists. You won't want to miss it! Reserve your tickets today at amandatreiber.com.
This episode was recorded live on Monday, July 29th, 2024 at the Vail Dance Festival. At the vanguard of American modern dance since its inception, Limn Dance Company returns to the Vail Dance Festival after making their debut in 2022. The companys first performance at the festival earned rave reviews and now they return to celebrate the incredible dance legacy of this beloved and historic company. Join Conversations On Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden as they sit down with Limn Dance Company Artistic Director, Dante Puleio, and company artist Joey Columbus, to dig into the legacy of Limn and what audiences can expect to see from the company.Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
At the vanguard of American modern dance since its inception, Limon Dance Company is celebrating its landmark 75th anniversary this season. Making their VDF debut this summer, come celebrate the incredible dance legacy of this beloved and historic company. Artistic Director Dance Puleio will join the Conversations On Dance podcast in a discussion about preserving the companys incredible heritage while pushing forward into the future with new commissions. Celebrating its landmark 75th anniversary season, the Limn Dance Company makes its Festival debut this summer. 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 1, 2022 with special guest host, Patricia Delgado. 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
Today we are bringing you another episode from Next Generation Ballet in Tampa. We sit down with esteemed New York City Ballet Principals Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar who were performing as guest artists for NGBs Nutcracker this past December. Sara has been on the pod before, so if you havent heard our interview with her, check out episode 24. Amar and Sara have been dancing together since they joined the company in 2000 and 2003 respectively. They have had works created on them and surrounding their partnership by countless choreographers including Justin Peck, Peter Martins, Chris Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky to name a few. Today we talk with them about what makes a successful partnership, how they worked through some difficult times, why they work so well together, and they share with us some of their favorite onstage moments together.
Today we are thrilled to welcome back to the pod, the ladies of Ragamala Dance Company. Today we talk with companys founder and co-artistic director, Ranee Ramaswamy, and her daughter, co-artistic director Aparna Ramaswamy. We first had Ranee and Aparna on the podcast about a year ago, with Aparna's sister, Ashwini, in episode 275. If you haven't heard that episode yet, we hope you will go back and tune in to hear more about the trio's origin in dance and about the founding of Ragamala Dance Company. Ranne and Aparna join us today to talk about Fires of Varanasi,' the show that they have been touring for the last year. For our listeners in the Houston area, don't miss Ragamala Dance Company in Fires of Varanasi' March 10th with Performing Arts Houston. For tickets and more information, visit performingartshouston.org.
Today we hear about the Ragamala Dance Company. We are joined by the company's founder and co-artistic director, Ranee Ramaswamy, and her two daughters: co-artistic director Aparna Ramaswamy and Choreographic Associate Ashwini Ramaswamy. This mother-daughter run company was founded in 1992 and is rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. Through multi-disciplinary dance works for the stage, engaging the community, and educating the next generation, Ragamala epitomizes intercultural and immigrant narratives that evoke a shared sense of humanity. They train the next generation of dancers through the Ragamala Training Center. We talk with this trio about their origins in dance, the style of Bharatanatyam, the founding of their company, their choreography, and what they have coming up in the next few months. The company will be performing Fires of Varanasi' at the Soraya in Los Angeles on April 9, 2022 (https://www.thesoraya.org/calendar/details/ragamala-2022). The premiere of Ashwini Ramaswamy Let the Crows Come' is April 13, 2022 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (https://www.albany.edu/pac/news/2021-ashwini-ramaswamys-let-crows-come-march-27). _________________________
Today we are thrilled to welcome back to the pod, the ladies of Ragamala Dance Company. Today we talk with companys founder and co-artistic director, Ranee Ramaswamy, and her daughter, co-artistic director Aparna Ramaswamy. We first had Ranee and Aparna on the podcast about a year ago, with Aparna's sister, Ashwini, in episode 275. If you haven't heard that episode yet, we hope you will go back and tune in to hear more about the trio's origin in dance and about the founding of Ragamala Dance Company. Ranne and Aparna join us today to talk about Fires of Varanasi,' the show that they have been touring for the last year. For our listeners in the Houston area, don't miss Ragamala Dance Company in Fires of Varanasi' March 10th with Performing Arts Houston. For tickets and more information, visit performingartshouston.org.
Today we hear about the Ragamala Dance Company. We are joined by the company's founder and co-artistic director, Ranee Ramaswamy, and her two daughters: co-artistic director Aparna Ramaswamy and Choreographic Associate Ashwini Ramaswamy. This mother-daughter run company was founded in 1992 and is rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. Through multi-disciplinary dance works for the stage, engaging the community, and educating the next generation, Ragamala epitomizes intercultural and immigrant narratives that evoke a shared sense of humanity. They train the next generation of dancers through the Ragamala Training Center. We talk with this trio about their origins in dance, the style of Bharatanatyam, the founding of their company, their choreography, and what they have coming up in the next few months. The company will be performing Fires of Varanasi' at the Soraya in Los Angeles on April 9, 2022 (https://www.thesoraya.org/calendar/details/ragamala-2022). The premiere of Ashwini Ramaswamy Let the Crows Come' is April 13, 2022 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (https://www.albany.edu/pac/news/2021-ashwini-ramaswamys-let-crows-come-march-27). _________________________
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by the co-founders of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. They take us through the history of their artistic connection, the inauspicious beginnings of the company, and how they've built on the mission of Complexions over the course of its 30 year history. Complexions will be performing at Performing Arts Houston in Houston, TX on February 1st. To purchase tickets visit performingartshouston.org. Dwight on COD in June 2024: https://www.conversationsondancepod.com/episodes-transcripts/399-dwight-rhoden-choreographer-amp-artistic-director-of-complexions-contemporary-ballet
Today we are joined by Dwight Rhoden, Choreographer & Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Since it has been over six years since we last had him on the podcast, we go back to the beginning and hear about his start in dance and choreography. We dig into his process and what he looks for in dancers, both for Complexions and when he is choreographing on other companies. Dwight tells us about his new work for Houston Ballet that is running from June 6-16 as a part of a mixed bill program called, "Four Seasons." This is Dwight's first work on the company so he tells us what it has been like working with the dancers, how the work evolved from his initial vision, and what he hopes audience's take away from his work. For more information and to get tickets, visit houstonballet.org.
Today on Conversations On Dance, we speak with Dwight Rhoden, founding artistic director and resident choreographer of Complexions Dance Company. Despite a late start in dance, Rhoden danced for numerous major companies, including as a principal with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Partnering with acclaimed performer Desmond Richardson, Rhoden co-founded Complexions in 1994, a company often cited as Americas original multi-cultural dance company. With its profound commitment to diversity and new contemporary work, Complexions has achieved international acclaim. Rhoden has choreographed over 80 works for Complexions, in addition to works created for the Mariinsky Ballet, the New York City Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and many others. Today we talk to Dwight about his beginnings as a dancer, whats next for Complexions and the work he most recently created at San Francisco Ballets Unbound festival.
This week we are joined by Tegan Rich, a dancer with Festival Ballet Providence, who is currently recovering from a full rupture of her achilles tendon. Originally from Stuart, Florida she began her training at the Dance Academy of Stuart and as a teenager, she later moved to Miami to train with the Miami City Ballet School. When she was 19, she went on to join Festival Ballet Providence in Providence, Rhode Island. Now in her eighth year with the company, she has danced a broad corps and principal repertoire in ballets by George Balanchine, Yury Yanowsky, Viktor Plotnikov, Christopher Wheeldon, among others. Today we talk with Tegan about her journey through Miami City Ballet School, her path to Festival Ballet Providence, her struggles with an eating disorder, and how she is recovering from her recent full rupture of her achilles tendon.
Silas Riener — Choreographer
This week on Conversations On Dance', we are joined by the choreographic team sweeping the modern dance world, Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener. The duo performed together at Merce Cunningham Dance company where they discovered their choreographic compatibility and a similar willingness to explore the way abstraction and representation coincide in the body. Their works have been presented at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, NY Live Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and many other prestigious venues throughout the country. They will premiere Switch' for the Joyce theater this Oct 2-6. Tickets may be purchased at www.Joyce.org .
Every year audiences at the Vail Dance Festival watch the Artist-In-Residence delve deeply into their craft, pushing outside their comfort zone to create rapidly in the ten days the festival spans. This year audiences will be treated to two such artists, the beloved New York City Ballet ballerina Sara Mearns, and highly acclaimed and sought after choreographer Jamar Roberts. Sara and Jamar sit down with Conversations On Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden to discuss what their artistic output at the festival will be and how the artistic direction of the festival this year is guiding them in their own creative pursuits. Upcoming Conversations on Dance events at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
Vail Dance Festival has always been a laboratory for new creations and experimentation, and 2023 is no exception. This live recording of the Conversations On Dance podcast will feature choreographers Jamar Roberts and Caili Quan, and cover their creative processes at Vail Dance Festival and how it differs from their choreographic undertakings year round.This Monday August 7th, The Vail Dance Festival comes to you! Dont miss the live stream of Mondays Now: Premieres program at 7:30pm mountain, 9:30pm Eastern. Visit vaildance.org to enjoy an evening of world premieres from the festivals all star cast of choreographers and dancers. You have heard them all right here on Conversations on Dance, now catch them live from the VDF stage on Monday August 7th. Link in the description of this episode for more info. This episode was recorded live on August 5th, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.
We are joined today by Jamar Roberts, dancer and Resident Choreographer at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival. We talk with Jamar about his origins in dance, his love for visual art, how he got into choreography, and about his world premiere coming to the Vail Dance Festival this year. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 5, 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, we are joined by choreographer, Cleo Parker Robinson. Cleo is the found of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. She gives us background on her career, coming, and her choreography. She also tells us about the work that she created for the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival, This episode was recorded on August 8, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Experience the Vail Dance Festival from wherever you are. 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. Photo by Christopher Duggan
Today we talk with Chris Celiz, a world champion beatboxer, and b-boy Anthony Vito Rodriguez, creative directors behind the awe-inspiring new work, The Missing Element.' Created at the peak of the pandemic in two Works & Process bubble residencies, The Missing Element is an immersive experience exploring the universal elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and space. During the performance, street dancers and beatboxers utilize their abilities to embark on an adventure of sound and dance. All music and sound featured is 100% human-generated. Today we talk with Chris and Anthony about their backgrounds in their respective art forms, how they first started working together, the impetus behind The Missing Element,' and the creative process. Catch the culmination of this work May 15th and 16th at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Tickets available online only at guggenheim.org.
Sylvia Rood — Costume Designer
This week we are joined by choreographer and dancer, Myles Thatcher, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival, and his collaborators for his new ballet Otherness, costume designer Sylvie Rood, and nonbinary artist, Kersh Branz. This episode was recorded from a live Meet The Artist event before the opening of Myles ballet at the Unbound festival at San Francisco Ballet. For more live content like this from these events, please check out San Francisco Ballets podcast network on iTunes. Stay tuned to Conversations on Dance as we continue to bring more content to you directly from the festival.
Meryl Rosofsky — Curator
Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we have a very special episode in store. We are offering a preview of this weekends Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Tanaquil Le Clercqs The Ballet Cook Book,' a 50th Anniversary Celebration. In 1967, ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq published The Ballet CookBook, a fascinating compilation of ballet history, food stories, and recipes from over 90 leading dancers and choreographers of her generation, including George Balanchine, Jacques d'Amboise, Melissa Hayden, and Allegra Kent. For the books 50th anniversary, food scholar Meryl Rosofsky is curating a program honoring Le Clercq's artistic, literary, and culinary legacy as a part of the Works & Process series at the Guggenheim museum in New York City. Today we talk with Meryl, who, as part of the event, will be sharing her findings from her fall 2016 fellowship at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU where she delved into the cultural history of Tanaquils book. We are also joined by New York City Ballet Principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring, who is a passionate at home chef and has been working with Meryl to curate this event. Joining the pair at the Guggenheim on November 5th and 6th will be Jacques d'Amboise and Allegra Kent who were both at Tanaquils book signing 50 years ago, and New York City Ballet Principal Jared Angle, whom Meryl and Adrian reference often in this episode. The program will include discussions with the panelists, interspersed live performances, and The Wright restaurant at the Guggenheim will serve select dishes from The Ballet Cook Book. Catch Meryl and Adrian at the Guggenheim this Sunday and Monday, November 5th and 6th at 7:30. For more information on Works & Process at the Guggenheim, go to worksandprocess.org.
Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome two of the Festivals most beloved artists for a long-anticipated live podcast recording: Calvin Royal III, Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, and Unity Phelan, Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet. Royal and Phelanwidely regarded as one of the most iconic duos to emerge from the Vail Dance Festivalwill reflect on their enduring partnership, born at Vail and nurtured through countless collaborations across stages and companies. This conversation explores the artistic trust, chemistry, and shared vision that have made them audience favorites. This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 31, 2025.Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
Welcome to a special bonus episode from the 2024 Vail Dance Festival. Today we welcome back our friend, Calvin Royal III, Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre. We chat about his met season at ABT, his experience this year at the Vail Dance Festival, and about the ballet festival he is producing at the Joyce this month.UNITE: Joyce Ballet Festival, directed and co-produced by Calvin Royal III. August 13-18, 2024Tickets: https://www.joyce.org/performances/118/unite/ballet-festival
LIVE from Vail Dance Festival, today we chat with American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer and Vail Dance Festival Artist in Residence, Calvin Royal III. We hear from Calvin about his beginnings in dance, his promotion to principal, how he stayed inspired during the pandemic, and being artist in residence at this year's festival. This episode was recorded on July 31, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode. Photo by Chris Kendig.
Today, on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are sharing our chat with American Ballet Theatre Soloist, Calvin Royal III, that was recorded as a part of the 2020 Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition. Through August 15th, you can watch our Zoom chat with Calvin on the Vail Dance Festival Facebook page or on their YouTube Channel. While you are there, we encourage you to explore the incredible 8 evenings of content that truly highlights what makes this festival so special! But hurry, videos are only available through August 15th.
This week we are going back into our vault from our time at the Vail Dance Festival this past summer, for another episode with a festival favorite. Today we talk Calvin Royal III, American Ballet Theatre Soloist. Calvin started his formal ballet training at the age of 14 in St. Petersburg, Florida. In April of 2006 he was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix Scholarship Comeptition in New York City, and joined ABTs Jacqueline Kennedy Onnasis School a few months later. He joined ABT II (now the ABT Studio Company) in 2007, and joined the main company in 2010. Royal was a 2014 winner of a grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund. He was promoted to soloist just this past summer. We talk with Calvin about how he got his start in ballet despite being 14, how he quickly caught up with his peers, what the Fellowship Fund grant has afforded him, and what he looks forward to as a new soloist.
At the vanguard of American modern dance since its inception, Limon Dance Company is celebrating its landmark 75th anniversary this season. Making their VDF debut this summer, come celebrate the incredible dance legacy of this beloved and historic company. Artistic Director Dance Puleio will join the Conversations On Dance podcast in a discussion about preserving the companys incredible heritage while pushing forward into the future with new commissions. Celebrating its landmark 75th anniversary season, the Limn Dance Company makes its Festival debut this summer. 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 1, 2022 with special guest host, Patricia Delgado. 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
Karen Russel — Lyricist
Today's episode of Conversations On Dance' is a live podcast from the Guggenheim's Works & Process series. We explore the creation of a new dance driven music theater production The Night Falls', which is set to run February 9th through 12th at Montclair State University. The Night Falls' is a new myth for our fractured era, depicting the metamorphosis of atomized individuals into a true community, with choreography that dramatizes the leap of empathy between bodies and music that channels the polarities of surrender and resistance. In this interview, we are joined by the show's creative team, choreographer and director Troy Schumacher, composer and co-lyricist Ellis Ludwig-Leone and librettist and co-lyricist Karen Russell. Tickets for The Night Falls' can be found at peakperfs.org. We are happy to be able to share a visual companion to this episode. To watch the full interview including the dancing and signing segments, visit Works & Process' YouTube Channel, or click here: https://youtu.be/FfidIh8pi0o.This episode was recorded live on January 22, 2023 as a part of Guggenheim's Works & Process.The Night Falls': Co-produced by BalletCollective, Inc., and PEAK Performances at Montclair State University. The Night Falls was developed during a 2018 residency for Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals with further support provided during a virtual creative residency in 2021. This season was made possible, in part, by the Alexander Kasser Theater Endowment Fund, PEAK Patrons, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
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.
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
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we dive into the new documentary "The Nutcracker At Wethersfield", a film that explores the chaotic, thrilling experience of a huge team of dancers, artists and volunteers coming together to ensure that the "Nutcracker" holiday tradition could continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are joined by the choreographer Troy Schumacher and ballerina Ashley Laracey, the Sugar Plum Fairy in this production, both veteran NYCB soloists who had not had a year without Nutcracker in their lives for more than two decades. They take us through the numerous complications to consider while mounting the production, from legal constraints, health concerns and the logistics of building a massive production in just five weeks, and how this experience ultimately came to be a documentary that perfectly encapsulates a moment unlike any of us shall ever experience again in our lives. "The Nutcracker At Wethersfield" will be available to stream on demand from December 21st through January 5th through the website nutcrackerfilm.com.
Today's episode of Conversations On Dance' is a live podcast from the Guggenheim's Works & Process series. We explore the creation of a new dance driven music theater production The Night Falls', which is set to run February 9th through 12th at Montclair State University. The Night Falls' is a new myth for our fractured era, depicting the metamorphosis of atomized individuals into a true community, with choreography that dramatizes the leap of empathy between bodies and music that channels the polarities of surrender and resistance. In this interview, we are joined by the show's creative team, choreographer and director Troy Schumacher, composer and co-lyricist Ellis Ludwig-Leone and librettist and co-lyricist Karen Russell. Tickets for The Night Falls' can be found at peakperfs.org. We are happy to be able to share a visual companion to this episode. To watch the full interview including the dancing and signing segments, visit Works & Process' YouTube Channel, or click here: https://youtu.be/FfidIh8pi0o.This episode was recorded live on January 22, 2023 as a part of Guggenheim's Works & Process.The Night Falls': Co-produced by BalletCollective, Inc., and PEAK Performances at Montclair State University. The Night Falls was developed during a 2018 residency for Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals with further support provided during a virtual creative residency in 2021. This season was made possible, in part, by the Alexander Kasser Theater Endowment Fund, PEAK Patrons, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Today we sit down with BalletCollective's Artistic Director, Troy Schumacher. Troy first came on the podcast in episode 17, back in 2016, where we chat with him about his career at New York City Ballet, his choreography, and his company, BalletCollective. Today, Troy returns to the pod to tell us about his current project, The Nutcracker at Wethersfield.' In the age of COVID, Troy has taken on the incredible task of creating an immersive live dance experience, with a pod of over 20 dancers. Troy tells us all about this enormous undertaking, how people can support this project, and how you will be able to stream it. More information about BalletCollective can be found at balletcollective.com and streaming information can be found here: https://www.nutcrackeratwethersfield.com/stream.
Abi Sebaly — writer
Merce Cunningham is one of the greatest and most influential choreographers of the 20th century. In honor of the Merce Cunningham centennial, we were pleased to host Melissa Toogood, a dancer of his works and Abi Sebaly, a Cunningham scholar. We discuss Merces work methods, collaborations with artists like John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg, broad influence in the avant-garde in dance and beyond, and his Scenario, excerpts of which were performed at the Vail Dance Festival on August 3, 2018. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 3rd.) Photo: Scenario (an excerpt), International Evenings of Dance I, Vail Dance Festival, Friday, August 3, 2018, Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
This week we are joined by Jose Sebastian, dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Director of ABT Incubator. Jose, a native of New York City, started his dance training at age 8 with the School of American Ballet and continued training there for nearly 10 years. He joined ABT Studio Company in 2006 and American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in January 2009 and became a member of the corps de ballet in January 2010. In 2020, Sebastian was appointed director of ABT Incubator, ABTs choreographic workshop program for inspiring the creation of new work. To learn more about ABT Incubator, visit abt.org, and to watch some of the films from this year's program, visit American Ballet Theatre's YouTube Channel. T
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a special live podcast recording celebrating a remarkable milestone: the 10th year of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer and performer Caroline Shaw as the festival’s Leonard Bernstein Composer-in-Residence.Shaw, the youngest-ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, has been a defining creative voice at Vail for a decade: composing and collaborating across genres, disciplines, and artists in ways that have transformed what’s possible on a summer stage. In this conversation, she reflects on ten years of pushing music and dance into new territory, what keeps drawing her back to the mountains of Colorado, and what is next for her.Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of Vail.
Today we are revisiting the 2021 Vail Dance Festival and one of our favorite chats from the summer. This week on the pod, we sit down with NYC-based Musician, Caroline Shaw. Caroline is a vocalist, violinist, composer, and producers. She was the youngest recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2013 for Partita for 8 Voices, written for the Grammy-winning Roomful of Teeth, of which she is a member. She has collaborated with incredible artists including Kayne West, Nas, Renee Fleming, the National, and so many others. Check out her website, carolineshaw.com for a full list of her work. Caroline has been an integral part of the Vail Dance Festival for years now, collaborating with dancers, choreographers, and making new works. We had so much fun getting the opportunity to sit down to nerd out with her about all things dance and music. At the end of the episode, we are including Caroline's track that she created in collaboration with Jookin dancer, Lil Buck for a piece called 38109. This work debuted at the 2018 Vail Dance Festival, ran again this year, and was just a part of City Center's Fall for Dance. We talk about this track in the episode and even embarrass ourselves by singing it for her. Enjoy. __________________________________
Welcome to our first episode from the 2018 Vail Dance Festival. For our first live event we spoke with Justin Peck and Caroline Shaw. Justin Peck, one of the worlds most sought after and celebrated working ballet choreographers, and fresh off a Tony nomination for his work on the Broadway musical Carousel, will be premiering his first work at the Vail Dance Festival. Caroline Shaw, composer-in-residence at VDF, has been commissioned to create the score for this work. In conversation together with these artists, we will explore the possibilities of such a collaboration, from the first moments of mutual inspiration to bringing the premiere to the stage.
This week we talk with American Ballet Theatre's newest soloist dancer, Gabe Stone Shayer. Gabe was born in Philadelphia, where he began his dance training. At 14, he began training full time at the Rock School for Dance Education, before going on to move to Russia to continue his studies at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Shayer is the first African-American male to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in its nearly 250-year history. Gabe joined ABT Studio Company in September 2011, the main Company as an apprentice in April 2012 and the corps de ballet in November 2012. Just this month he was promoted to soloist. We talk with Gabe about his training, his time at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, how he came to ABT, what his promotion was like, and some of the incredible projects he has been working on while the company is on hiatus due to COVID.
Thank you to friend of the pod, Kate Penner, for guest hosting this episode. Every year, the Vail Dance Festival brings in thousands of additional audience members through its social media and streaming content. For a live recording of the Conversations On Dance podcast, videographer Nel Shelby and photographer Christopher Duggan will join to talk about how they bring the Festival to life for audiences everywhere in the dizzying amount of media content they produce for the Festival every year.Stream NOW Premieres from Vail Dance Festival now through August 14th, 2023. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/KrrDAMOTfXw?feature=share.This episode was recorded live on August 7th, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by dance videographer, director and producer Nel Shelby. Nel takes us through the entire creative process of filming Ballet Hispanico's performance of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's 'Doa Peron' at the Kennedy Center. She shares with us the challenges and rewards of helming this 15 camera project.The filming will premiere on PBS as part of the 'NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER' series this April 14 at 10 PM EST, the same date it becomes available to stream on the PBS app and pbs.org. NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER Ballet Hispnicos Doa Pern premieres Friday, April 14 at 10-11:30 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS app.
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance, we are joined by Nel Shelby, dance videographer and founder of Nel Shelby Productions. Nel tells us about her dance training and aspirations, falling in love with film and how she's blended these two passions together to become one of the industry's most in demand video producers. Nel also talks about the experience filming Lincoln Center's 9/11 tribute The Table of Silence Project', which will be streaming on Saturday, September 11th beginning at 8AM, in partnership with Dance/NYC as part of their #RestartStages series. You can enjoy Nel's digital content for Jacob's Pillow from now until September 23rd at jacobspillow.org/whats-playing-now.
This week we are joined by Christine Shevchenko, Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. Christine was born in Ukraine, where she was chosen to train in rhythmic gymnastics and ballet at an Olympic school. At eight years of age, she moved with her family to the United States where she trained for nine years at Pennsylvania Ballets Rock School. In 2003, Christine became the youngest recipient of the Princess Grace Award. She won a Bronze Medal in the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, and a Gold Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition. She joined American Ballet Theatres Studio Company in August 2006 and moved through the ranks, being promoted to Principal in September 2017. We talk with Christine from the Vail Dance Festival about her intense early training in Ukraine, dancing at the Rock School, her career at ABT, and her first time at the Vail Dance Festival.
Today on Conversations on Dance we are delving into the research and advocacy of the Dance Data Project. We are joined by DDP President and Founder, Elizabeth Yntema, and Senior Research Consultant, Junyla Silmon. The pair tell us about DDP and it's mission, they break down their recent Artistic Director/Executive Director Compensation report, tell us about their First Look report that came out this month, and the research they have planned for the future. Learn more about DDP on their website: dancedataproject.com. We have linked to the recent reports that we discuss in the description of this episode. DDP Website: https://www.dancedataproject.com AD/ED Compensation Data Byte: https://www.dancedataproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Artistic-Director_Executive-Director-Compensation-Data-Byte.pdf First Look report (2022-2023 season): https://www.dancedataproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/First-Look-Report-2022-2023.pdf _____________________________
Today on Conversations on Dance we are delving into the research and advocacy of the Dance Data Project. We are joined by DDP President and Founder, Elizabeth Yntema, and Senior Research Consultant, Junyla Silmon. The pair tell us about DDP and it's mission, they break down their recent Artistic Director/Executive Director Compensation report, tell us about their First Look report that came out this month, and the research they have planned for the future. Learn more about DDP on their website: dancedataproject.com. We have linked to the recent reports that we discuss in the description of this episode. DDP Website: https://www.dancedataproject.com AD/ED Compensation Data Byte: https://www.dancedataproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Artistic-Director_Executive-Director-Compensation-Data-Byte.pdf First Look report (2022-2023 season): https://www.dancedataproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/First-Look-Report-2022-2023.pdf _____________________________
Today we are joined by New York City Ballet dancer Gretchen Smith, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival earlier this month. Gretchen was born in Evansville, Indiana, and began her dance training at the age of seven with Evansville Dance Theatre. She began studying at the School of American Ballet during the 2003 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. She went on to join the New York City Ballet as an apprentice in October 2005, and in February 2006 she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. We talk with Gretchen about her path to NYCB, dancing iconic repertoire, working with choreographers on new works, some of her takeaways from the pandemic, and her debut as Green Girl in Dances at a Gathering at the Vail Dance Festival.
This week we have the pleasure of diving into one of the works that will be presented this year at the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, Agnes De Milles The Other.' We speak with dancers Stephen Hanna (formerly of NYCB) and Abi Stafford (Principal at NYCB) who will be performing this work at the festival. We are also joined by Diana Gonzalez-Duclert, who is setting the ballet on Stephen and Abi. Diana assisted Ms. De Mille in setting the ballet on American Ballet Theatre in 1992. We caught up with this trio at the end of their week long rehearsal process to prepare the work for the festival. We talk about why this work is so significant, the challenges that come along with dancing De Mille ballets, and talk through the story line. Diana tells us why it is so important that companies like New York Theatre Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, and Alabama ballet continue to present De Mille works in their repertoire. The Lake Tahoe Dance festival is July 24-26. Tickets are on sale at laketahoedancecollective.org. We would like to mention that we were unfortunately unable to deliver our usual sound quality for this episode. Because we could not geographically be together for this interview, all 5 of us skyped in to discuss this work. We appreciate your understanding that sometimes these things are out of our control, but it was important for us to bring this episode to you, as we find what Diana, Abi, and Stephen had to say about this work fascinating, and important. Thank you.
Welcome to our first live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival. First up, we chat with New York City Ballet Artistic Director, Jonathan Stafford. We talk with Jon about his pathway to NYCB, some of the leadership roles he held while he was still dancing, the NYCB Interim Transition Team, his role as Artistic Director, leading the company through this past unprecedented year, and what comes next. This episode was recorded on July 30th, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. 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. Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.
Today on Conversations On Dance we are thrilled to talk about a special children's programming co-production between Miami City Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, Rita Finds Home'. We are joined by the choreographer Amy Hall Garner and Miami City Ballet Director Of Community Engagement Monica Stephenson to talk about how Rita' relates to children today, why it was important to create something entirely new and how it's different from other works traditionally geared towards young audiences. Tickets to this performance are free. If you are in the south Florida area, you can reserve tickets to a performance of Rita Finds Home' near you by going to miamicityballet.org/ritafindshome.You can support Monica's Community Engagement work like Rita Finds Home' and the Ballet Bus program, here.
Today we are joined by our friend, Monica Stephenson, who just started work at a new post as Director of Community Engagement at Miami City Ballet. Monica is originally from North Carolina and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Professional Training Program at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2002, she received her first professional contract with The Washington Ballet. She went on to perform with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble from 2003-2005 before joining the Los Angeles Ballet as an inaugural season company member. Monica was previously a member of the Education Staff at American Ballet Theatre as both a Teaching Artist and the Project Coordinator for Project Pli, an initiative to increase diversity in classical ballet. An engaging dancer, teacher, and administrator, Stephenson joined MCB in January 2022 from The Washington School of Ballet where she served as Head of School for the SE Campus in Washington, DC. We chat with Monica about leading The Washington School of Ballet's SE campus through the pandemic, what brought about this opportunity at Miami City Ballet, what this position entails, and what she is looking to accomplish in the Miami community. To hear our first chat with Monica, tune into episode 141. _________________________
This week we are joined by Monica Stephenson, Associate Head of School at The Washington School of Ballet SE Campus. Monica is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Professional Training Program at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2002, she received her first professional contract with The Washington Ballet. She went on to perform with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble from 2003-2005 before joining the Los Angeles Ballet as an inaugural season company member. Monica was previously a member of the Education Staff at American Ballet Theatre as both a Teaching Artist and the Project Coordinator for Project Pli, an initiative to increase diversity in classical ballet. Today we talk with Monica about her career, her passion for teaching, and the amazing work being done at The Washington School of Ballet.
This week we are happy to be sharing with you a recording of our live event at SF MOMA last month. We were pleased to be able to sit down and talk with San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer, Sofiane Sylve, as a part of a live lecture put together by the San Francisco Based organization, Words on Dance. We talk with Sofiane about launching her career at only 14, her time dancing with New York City Ballet, what brought her to San Francisco Ballet, and about her aspirations to be an Artistic Director. Just before we started recording, Words on Dance founder Deborah Kaufman introduced us to the audience.
Yumiko Takeshima — Founder —
Yumiko
This week we are joined by Yumiko Takeshima, founder of dance wear company, Yumiko. Yumiko began dancing at the age of four in Sapporo Japan. At the age of 14, she moved to San Francisco to study at San Francisco Ballet School. Yumiko went on to dance with various companies, before ultimately ending up at Dutch National Ballet where she danced for over a decade. While at Dutch National, out of neccessity, she started to design her own leotards in 2002. Soon, word of her designs spread and the orders were pouring in. She would rehearse all day, then return to her apartment and sew throught the night to fulfill orders. After retiring from the stage, in April 2014, Yumiko has continued to grow her massive dance brand by focusing on designing and developing new styles and products for the company. Our listener survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9XVM5KJ
Sara Mearns and Pam Tanowitz are two of the most talked about dance artists of their generation, both regarded for their bold, fearless and personal interpretations of their respective art forms. At this years festival, Mearns will be premiering in a new work by Bobbi Jene Smith, while Tanowitz will create a new work to the music of Kate Davis. Join these mavericks of the industry for a discussion with the Conversations On Dance podcast about these premieres and the collaboration Mearns and Tanowitz most recently worked on together at the New York City Ballet. 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 3, 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.
This week we are happy to bring you our full conversation with celebrated Choreographer, Pam Tanowitz, from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival. We spoke with Pam from a Live panel event at Washington DCs Kennedy Center in episode 140 and we were thrilled to be able to get some time to speak with her more in depth about her career and work. As a choreographer, Pam Tanowitz is known for her abstract treatment of classical and contemporary movement ideas. Her work is deeply rooted in formal structures, manipulated and abstracted by her until the viewer sees through to the heart of the dance. In 2000, Tanowitz founded Pam Tanowitz Dance (PTD) to explore dance-making with a consistent community of dancers and has since choreographed works for some of the worlds most renowned dance companies, including The Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance and New York City Ballet. She has been commissioned by The Joyce Theater, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, Vail Dance Festival, and many other leading arts institutions. Today we talk with Pam about how she studied choreography, what inspires her, how she works in the studio, and about her work created for the Vail Dance Festival. This is book Pam references towards the end of the episode: Pas de Deux: A Textbook on Partnering.
Today we sit down with choreographer Pam Tanowitz from the Vail Dance Festival. We spoke with Pam from a Live event at Washington DCs Kennedy Center in episode 140 and today we get to chat with her about her new creation for Vail. This is a small excerpt of a longer conversation on her work that we will be publishing in the coming weeks. In this bonus episode, Pam gives us some insight into her new piece she is creating here at Vail Dance Festival that will premiere on Monday August 5, 2019 for NOW Premieres. This is book Pam references Pas de Deux: A Textbook on Partnering.
Todays episode was recorded live at The Kennedy Center on Saturday June 1, 2019 before the matinee performance of Miami City Ballet as a part of Ballet Across America. We were joined by Virginia Johnson, the Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem (who had been performing earlier in the week), Lourdes Lopez, Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet, and celebrated choreographer, Pam Tanowitz. This panel was put together to discuss women leading the way in ballet. Be sure to explore all the happenings at the Kennedy Center by visiting, kennedy-center.org.
Los Angeles Dance Project has been bringing a vast and varied repertoire to audiences in Los Angeles and throughout the world for over a decade, expanding the boundaries of dance and how the art interacts and relates to movement in the modern world. This live recording of the Conversations On Dance podcast feature artists of LADP discussing the companys return to the Vail Dance Festival, in its tenth anniversary, on a program of all female choreographers.This episode was recorded live on July 30th, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.VAIL DANCE FESTIVAL IS GOING ON NOW! Conversations on Dance events: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Performance tickets: https://vaildance.org/
Our guest today is Janie Taylor, a former principal ballerina with the New York City Ballet, present day dancer with LA Dance Project, repetiteur for the works of Benjamin Millepied, costume designer, and creator of the art newspaper Quarter Marks. At the New York City Ballet, Janie amassed a broad rep that showcased the full depth and range of her talents in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Justin Peck, and Peter Martins. After her retirement in 2014, Janie began to explore her talents as a costume designer and repetiteur, creating designs for numerous new ballets and staging works for companies all over the world, such as Dutch National Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. Janie returned to dancing with the Los Angeles Dance Project in 2016, enchanting audiences once again with her electrifying and unmistakable stage presence. Today we talk to Janie about her broad range of talents and unlikely career path.
Today on 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by dancing extraordinaire Caleb Teicher. Caleb takes us on the journey of their artistic self discovery, from tap to lindy hop and most recently jazz piano. Caleb is pairing up with their friend and frequent collaborator pianist and composer Conrad Tao for 'Counterpoint', an evening length work musically exploring and reimagining everything from Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' to Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'. If you are in the Houston area, visit performingartshouston.org to grab tickets to this one night only, unique and thrilling partnership: September 14, 2024.Tickets: https://performingartshouston.org/events/counterpoint-conrad-tao-caleb-teicher-2024-09-14-730-pm/.Opening Night Party: https://performingartshouston.org/opening-night-party-2024/Conrad Tao And Caleb Teicher: Tiny Desk Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61q6JoGLTc0&t=345s
Today on Conversations On Dance we are joined by New York based choreographer and dancer Caleb Teicher. Caleb began their career as a founding member of Michelle Dorance's critically acclaimed company Dorrance Dance, quick achieving personal critical acclaim as well when they received a Bessie Award at age 17. In 2015, Caleb shifted their creative focus towards Caleb Teicher & Company, a creative home for incubating new concert dance works from Teichers unique perspective. We talk to Caleb about their unique early training, how musicality and broad range of musical styles play an integral role in their creative output, and their upcoming performances of SW!NG OUT, directed by Caleb Teicher.' If you are located in the Houston area, see SW!NG OUT on April 9, 2022 at 7:30 at Society for the Performing Arts. Ticket and performance information available at spahouston.org. Take our listener survey: https://conversationsondancepod.com/listener-survey ________________________________
On today's episode of Conversations On Dance, we are joined by Devon Teuscher, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. In 2006, after completing her training at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Devon was invited to join ABT's studio company. Consistent soloist work led to her first promotion in 2014, and following a triumphant turn as Odette/Odile in the full length Swan Lake', she was promoted to principal in 2017. We sat down at the Vail Dance Festival with Devon to discuss how she pushed through difficult early years in the corps de ballet, the hours of hard work and thought that went into shaping her Swan Lake', and what she wants next from her career. Photo: Sarah Kehoe
This week we are joined by Jessica Tong, Associate Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Jessica received her formal training at The Ballet School in Salt Lake City and University of Utah. Tong danced with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, Eliot Felds Ballet Tech in New York, and Hubbard Street 2 before dancing with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for 11 years.Jessica was named one of Dance Magazines Top 25 to Watch in 2009. After retiring from the stage, she went on to become rehearsal director at Hubbard Street before recently being promoted to Associate Artistic Director. We talk with Jessica about her career, her work ethic, making the unexpected transition to being in front of the studio, what Hubbard Street has been doing in this past year of COVID, and how she got involved in Final Bow For Yellow Face's 10,000 Dreams: Virtual Choreography Festival. More information at yellowface.org.
Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with one of the Vail Dance Festivals most celebrated returning artists and this years Artist-in-Residence, Melissa Toogood. Toogood, a Bessie Award-winning dancer and former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, has just been named Director of The Juilliard Schools Dance Division and will share her vision for the next chapter of one of the worlds most prestigious conservatories. She also debuts a new work for the Festivals NOW: Premieres program this year.This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 29, 2025.Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/
A major highlight for the Vail Dance Festival every year is the NOW: Premieres program, a jam-packed evening of ten newly commissioned dances with an array of artists that only the Vail Dance Festival could manage to bring together. Internationally acclaimed choreographers and artists Kyle Abraham and Melissa Toogood join this live recording of the Conversations On Dance podcast to talk about their process this year creating two brand new works for this celebrated evening.This Monday August 7th, The Vail Dance Festival comes to you! Dont miss the live stream of Mondays Now: Premieres program at 7:30pm mountain, 9:30pm Eastern. Visit vaildance.org to enjoy an evening of world premieres from the festivals all star cast of choreographers and dancers. You have heard them all right here on Conversations on Dance, now catch them live from the VDF stage on Monday August 7th. Link in the description of this episode for more info. This episode was recorded live on August 6th, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.
This week we are sharing with you a live podcast recording from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival. Here we speak with Visual Artist Kenneth Parris III and dancer Melissa Toogood on Tuesday July 30th, 2019. Kenneth had many of his Merce Cunningham paintings and drawings featured throughout the festival this year, and many of these pieces feature Cunningham dancer and his wife, Melissa Toogood. We sit down to chat with this duo about their artistic partnership and their relationship to the works of Merce Cunningham.
Merce Cunningham is one of the greatest and most influential choreographers of the 20th century. In honor of the Merce Cunningham centennial, we were pleased to host Melissa Toogood, a dancer of his works and Abi Sebaly, a Cunningham scholar. We discuss Merces work methods, collaborations with artists like John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg, broad influence in the avant-garde in dance and beyond, and his Scenario, excerpts of which were performed at the Vail Dance Festival on August 3, 2018. (Note: This episode was recorded on August 3rd.) Photo: Scenario (an excerpt), International Evenings of Dance I, Vail Dance Festival, Friday, August 3, 2018, Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
Summer is almost over and many of our listeners are getting ready to head back to school. To help ease us into that transition, we sat down with the director of the Boston Ballet School, Margaret Tracey. Margaret had an illustrious 16 year career as a principal at the New York City Ballet, dancing a massive repertoire of works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Trey Mcintyre, William Forsythe and Peter Martins. Margaret began teaching at Boston Ballet School in 2005, and accepted her position as director in 2007. In today's episode, we talk to Margaret from the Vail Dance Festival about how her years as a dancer inform her work as a teacher, how she tailors teaching methods to each individual student, and how she plans to continue to expand and enrich the programs offered at the Boston Ballet School.
This week we welcome Caitlin Trainor, Artistic Director of Trainor Dance and Founder of Dancio. Named one of the 25 to watch in 2016 by Dance Magazine, Caitlin is a performer, choreographer, and a member of the faculty at Barnard College. Caitlin fell in love with dance and choreography during her time in college at Skidmore, where she became determined to carve out a career for herself in the field. And indeed she did. She has been prolific in the field ever since, founding her own company, Trainor Dance, in 2011. Last year Caitlin launched her newest venture, Dancio, a website that offers on-demand videos of ballet classes with some of the best teachers in the world. Today we talk with Caitlin about how she came to love dance, how she pursed her dream of a career in dance, and founding her own company. We find out more about Dancio: how the idea came about, and what she sees in its future.
This week we are joined by Sarah Van Patten, Principal with San Francisco Ballet. Sarah trained at Ballet Workshop of New England, and danced with Massachusetts Youth Ballet. In 2000 at age 15, she joined the Royal Danish Ballet as an apprentice where John Neumeier cast her as Juliet in his Romeo and Juliet. Soon after, she was promoted to the rank of corps dancer, one of the youngest corps dancer ever invited to the Royal Danish Ballet in its 200-year history. Van Patten joined San Francisco Ballet as a soloist dancer in 2002 and was promoted to the rank of principal dancer in 2007. We talk with Sarah about her training, traveling so far from home at such a young age to join Royal Danish Ballet, what brought her to San Francisco Ballet, and about returning to dancing after the birth of her son. This episode was recorded in April during our time at San Francisco Ballets Unbound Festival. Get information about our live podcast recording with guest Helgi Tomasson, Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet, on October 22, 2018 at 4pm.
Today on the podcast, we check in with our friends at St. Mary's College's LEAP Program. We last heard about LEAP from the program's Associate Director, Stephanie Miller, in episode 170 from January of 2020. When we spoke with her right before the pandemic, the program was working on launching an online program. Since then, the program has expanded exponentially to reach more dancers throughout the country. Today we talk with Shaunna Vella, LEAP Program Director, and Andrew Pearson, Program Coordinator, Online. We hear about how the program works, how it is growing and shifting, and how interested dancers can inquire and apply. For more information, visit stmarys-ca.edu/leap.
In light of the impact that the Coronavirus is having on the arts community, not to mention the world, we are shining some light on one of the ways that you can stay in shape during these times of social distancing. Today we are talking with friends of the pod, Francis Veyette and Lauren Fadeley Veyette, founders of Veyette Virtual Ballet School. We catch up with them to hear about their personalized virtual training, coaching, and mentorship programs. They tell us about new offerings that they are putting together in order to serve the demand within the dance community during this time. If you are looking for ways to keep dancing during this quarantine, you will definitely want to hear more about what Fran and Lauren are doing. Listen to our first episode with Fran in episode 28 and Lauren in episode 30. Get in touch with them through their website: veyettevirtualballetschool.com.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispanico New York. Eduardo makes his fourth appearance on the show, running through a broad range of topics, from how the political climate is directly impacting his arts organization to viral celebrity comments on the arts. He dives into the programming for the company's upcoming City Center season, titled "Mujeres: Women in Motion" featuring varied, dynamic choreographic works from four latina women. Ballet Hispanico New York's City Center season runs from April 23rd through the 26th, and tickets can be purchased at nycitycenter.org. Come see us this weekend in NYC! On Sunday April 19th, join us as we host Works & Process at the Guggenheim in NYC, featuring the talents of the Philadelphia Ballet and choreographer Juliano Nunes. We will be talking to Juliano about the process of creating a brand new full length "Romeo & Juliet" for the company, set to premiere in Philadelphia on April 30th. Tickets for Works & Process are nearly sold out, but you can catch the last few available on worksandprocess.org.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance" we are joined by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispnico. In our first conversation with Eduardo in five years, we catch up him about how the company weathered the COVID years, how the dance landscape has changed since then, and the company's upcoming 55th anniversary gala and City Center engagement, featuring performances of their stylish re-imagination of the Bizet classic "Carmen" titled "Carmen.maquia", choreographed by Gustavo Ramierz Sansano. To purchase tickets to Ballet Hispnico's City Center performances running May 29th through June 1st, visit nycitycenter.org.
Today we check in with Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Hispnico. We last spoke with Eduardo in November 2019 in episode 160 about his career and his directorship at Ballet Hispnico. If you want to listen to that episode, you can find the link in the description of this episode. Today we chat with Eduardo about what it has been like for him leading his organization through the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ballet Hispnico is offering and creating incredible online content that they are sharing regularly. Most notably, on June 30th at 7:30 pm EST, the company will be premiering a virtual evening of dance that includes an incredible ten world premiers created by notable choreographers including Andrea Miller, Carlos Pons Guerra, and friend of the pod Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Each new work was choreographed and filmed virtually, in many cases, from across the world. Be sure to catch this incredible evening of dance on their Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. More information is available at ballethispanico.org. Episode 160 with Eduardo: https://conversationsondancepod.com/2019/11/06/eduardo-vilaro/
This week, on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispnico. Eduardo recounts his early years adjusting to New York City life as a Cuban immigrant, what it was like building his first company from the ground up, and how Ballet Hispnico has carved out an identity for itself that is unique in the dance world. Ballet Hispnico, America's leading Latino dance organization, returns to the Apollo Theater on November 22 & 23 to celebrate the power of the Latina voice with works by all female choreographers. This season includes the world premiere of Anabelle Lopez Ochoa's Triburones,' as well as the return of Nac' by Andrea Miller and Michelle Manzanales' Con Brazos Abiertos.' Tickets begin at $13.50 and are available by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.apollotheater.org.
This week we are joined by Katita Waldo, Ballet Master with San Francisco Ballet. Katita trained at San Francisco Ballet School, prior to joining the company in 1988 and becoming a Principal dancer in 1994. She performed Principal roles in a diverse repertory of works by acclaimed choreographers including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Lar Lubovitch, Helgi Tomasson, and Christopher Wheeldon before retiring from the stage in 2010. In 2008, SFB Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson asked Katita to serve as Ballet Master for 2 world premiers. These experiences ultimately lead to her full-time appointment to the position upon her retirement. Today we talk with Katita about her career, he first experiences in the front of the room setting ballets, adjusting to her new role as Ballet Master, her process for learning ballets before coming into the studio, and her role in the Unbound' festival.
This week on the podcast we are tackling a subject that we find of immense interest to students and parents in our travels to schools across the country: does having a career in ballet mean forgoing college? Our guest this week is a Harvard Graduate and an Los Angeles Ballet Soloist who shows that its possible to do both. This week we talk with Elizabeth Claire Walker, who always dreamed of a career in ballet, and had parents who strongly valued her education. She trained as a teenager at American Ballet Theatres Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. After being accepted at Harvard, she pushed on with her ballet career, attending company auditions and being discovered by Los Angeles Ballet in their inagural season. Liz defered college and headed to LA to start her career. An experimental summer-school stint in Cambridge in 2007 made Walker fall in love with Harvard and gave her the push she needed to pursue her degree. She continued dancing while attending college, suffering an injury that made her hesitant to re-enter the world of professional ballet so soon. After graduating, she was re-hired at LA Ballet, and was recently promoted to soloist. We talk with Liz as a part of our time at the Vail Dance Festival in August of last year. We have such an enlightening talk with Liz that we truely reccommend for all parents with children who wish to pursue a career in ballet.
Today on Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Houston Ballet principal dancer and choreographer Connor Walsh and composer and conductor Quinn Mason. Connor has joined us on the podcast previously to talk about his performing career, but sits down with us for the first time to discuss choreographing for the company. Quinn's work as a composer quickly gained notice, resulting in a premiere creation for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the age of 21. Connor and Quinn take us through the journey of Connor's new ballet set to Quinn's existing work A Joyous Trilogy', including their early discussions about the ballet's concepts, how the ballet has grown since its inception and the decision to have Quinn conduct several performances. A Joyous Trilogy' premieres on June 2nd at The Wortham Theater Center, with performances running through June 12th. Tickets can be purchased at houstonballet.org Listen to Running from A Joyous Trilogy by Quinn Mason // U-M Symphony Orchestra // Kenneth Kiesler, cond. youtube.com/watch?v=gOC9PVpnvkg
Today we check in with Houston Ballet to hear about their upcoming performances of Stanton Welch's Sylvia.' We are joined by Houston Ballet Artistic Director, Stanton Welch, and Principal dancers who will be performing the leads in the ballet, Connor Walsh and Karina Gonzlez. We first spoke with Stanton Welch on the podcast in 2018 in episode 98, had Connor on in 2019 in episode 158, and are welcoming Karina on for the first time. Today we speak with this trio about what lead them each to Houston Ballet, getting back onstage this season for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, their work and process of creating Sylvia,' and what audiences can expect from this original full length production. Houston Ballet's Sylvia' is on stage March 10-20, 2022 at the Brown Theater in Houston, TX. For tickets and more information about Houston Ballet's 2021-2022 season, visit houstonballet.org. _________________________
Today we are joined by Houston Ballet Principal Dancer, Connor Walsh. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Connor began his training at the age of seven under the direction of his mother Constance Walsh. He has trained at The Kirov Academy of Ballet, The Harid Conservatory, and Houston Ballets Ben Stevenson Academy. In 2004, Walsh joined Houston Ballets company as a member of the corps de ballet. He was quickly promoted to soloist in 2006 and then to principal dancer in 2007. Connor talks with us about how his mother influenced his early dance training, his experience looking for the right school for him, Houston Ballets director transition when he was just a student, and what it is like dancing in Houston. If you are in the New York City area, catch Connor and his fellow dancers onstage later this month at City Center. From October 24 through 26, 2019, Houston Ballet will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Season at New York City Center with a program of contemporary works showcasing the Companys diverse talents. Seldom seen on the East Coast, this performance marks the Companys largest engagement in New York since 2013 and their first program at City Center since 1986. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office.
Stanton Welch and Julie Kent join the Conversations on Dance podcast this week and reflect on nearly three years leading Houston Ballet, praising the dancers versatility, focus, and the engaged Houston community, and describing the value of sharing leadership. They discuss how the companys identity is shaped by having a prolific choreographer as artistic director in Stanton and what they look for in dancers. Looking ahead, they highlight a variety of works still to come this season including Welchs new 12-minute piece to Mason Bates featuring electronics and live percussion, and they outline how Welchs Giselle differs musically and dramatically, with expanded characters and staging, while Kent coaches intention and relationships.For more information on performances still to come this season, visit houstonballet.org.Houston Ballet 25/27 Season announced here: https://www.houstonballet.org/seasontickets/2026-2027-season-announced/TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Welcome Back Catch Up02:14 Partnership Leading Together03:01 Studio Time And Support04:21 Choreographic Hub Culture07:54 Auditions Finding Versatility13:35 Season Variety Story Ballets18:44 Programming And Identity21:39 New Work Alice Topp25:43 Staging Hazards and Effects25:57 Avatar as Ballet Pitch26:22 More Dancers on Stage27:17 New Work Mason Bates29:08 Reimagining Giselle31:32 Coaching Story Over Steps34:39 Technique vs Artistry Debate38:12 Season Highlights Dances39:50 Rehearsal Timing and Stamina41:21 Next Season Tease and Farewell
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by Stanton Welch, Artistic Director of Houston Ballet and choreographer of the company's upcoming premiere of the full length classic "Raymonda". Stanton talks about his deep love of the glorious Glazunov score, his approach to creating full length narrative works, and how he sculpts these ballets in a years long process. Houston Ballet's "Raymonda" runs May 29th through June 8th. Tickets can be purchased at houstonballet.org. Also available on their website, subscriptions for Houston Ballet's recently announced 25-26 season, a journey across centuries of composers, choreographers and ballet's greatest stories.
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Houston Ballet's Artistic Directors, Stanton Welch and Julie Kent. Stanton looks back on 20 years leading the Houston Ballet, while the two of them give us an inside look at what their shared leadership roles mean to both them and the organization at large, while also offering a glimpse into what audiences can expect from the company this season and into the future. If you are in the Houston area and would like to purchase tickets to Houston Ballet's 2023-24 season, visit houstonballet.org. Try Audible Plus free for 30 daysGive the gift of Audible Plus
Today we check in with Houston Ballet to hear about their upcoming performances of Stanton Welch's Sylvia.' We are joined by Houston Ballet Artistic Director, Stanton Welch, and Principal dancers who will be performing the leads in the ballet, Connor Walsh and Karina Gonzlez. We first spoke with Stanton Welch on the podcast in 2018 in episode 98, had Connor on in 2019 in episode 158, and are welcoming Karina on for the first time. Today we speak with this trio about what lead them each to Houston Ballet, getting back onstage this season for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, their work and process of creating Sylvia,' and what audiences can expect from this original full length production. Houston Ballet's Sylvia' is on stage March 10-20, 2022 at the Brown Theater in Houston, TX. For tickets and more information about Houston Ballet's 2021-2022 season, visit houstonballet.org. _________________________
This week on Conversations On Dance, our guest is Houston Ballet Artistic Director and acclaimed choreographer Stanton Welch. Born in Australia to two prominent ballet dancers, Welch expressed an interest in choreography almost immediately after beginning his dance training. Soon after joining the Australian Ballet as a dancer he received his first choreographic commission, and five years later he was named resident choreographer. Following major commissions at companies around the globe, Welch was appointed artistic director of the Houston Ballet. We talk to Welch about coming from a family of dancers, his choreographic inspirations, and the challenges of directing a company.
This week on the podcast, we are joined in San Francisco by one of the worlds most in demand choreographers, Christopher Wheeldon. Having trained at Royal Ballet, Wheeldon was taken into the company, but soon transferred to the New York City Ballet, where he rose to the rank of soloist. His choreographic talents were soon recognized and while still in his twenties, he was named resident choreographer of the New York City ballet. He was shortly after in demand at major companies all over the globe, including the Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the Royal Ballet. In 2014, he made his Broadway directorial debut with An American in Paris, a production that garnered him a Tony for his work as choreographer. We talk with him about what it was like finding his voice as a young choreographer, how he made the transition to broadway, and what continues to inspire his work.
Vail Dance Festival has long committed to bringing artists at all different points in their journey and development, and 2023 is no different. The Conversations On Dance podcast is joined by this years Scholar-In-Residence Spencer Lenain and his childhood dance idol esteemed American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside for a live podcast recording. The pair will talk about how having such a range bolsters the experiences of dancers and audiences alike.This episode was recorded live on August 3rd, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.VAIL DANCE FESTIVAL IS GOING ON NOW! Conversations on Dance events: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/Performance tickets: https://vaildance.org/
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance' we are joined by principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre James Whiteside to discuss his upcoming directorial debut film 'Daytripper'. James catches up to speed about his recovery from knee surgery, transforming his book 'Center Center' into a play and the creative concept and filming process for 'Daytripper'. You can stream 'Daytripper' as part of the All Arts Artist In Residence series this April 23rd at 10:55pm on PBS or stream the film on the All Arts app.
Today, we are chatting with friend of the pod and American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, James Whiteside, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. James tells us all about his new (self-proclaimed) almost-memoir that just hit bookshelves called Center Center. We hear about how long he has dreamt of writing a book, how the idea came about, what the writing process was like, and what he hopes readers will take away. At the end of the episode he tells us a little bit about his newest ballet that he created for the Vail Dance Festival that was a part of the festival's closing night performance. Center Center is available wherever books are sold, and in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. Get your copy now: https://amzn.to/3ymmrnr This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge.
Today we are brining you a live podcast recording from the Vail Dance Festival with American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, James Whiteside. This episode was recorded on July 27th, the morning before the premier of his newest work, New American Dream. Unfortunately, we did come up against some technical difficulties, so we are sharing this episode from a backup file, with a little lower quality than we are used to. We appologize for the inconvenience, but we felt that this conversation with James was too enjoyable for our audience to miss. Enjoy.
Today we are joined by Leslie Andrea Williams, chorus dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Leslie was born in Newport News, Virginia and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She received her BFA from The Juilliard School. Ms Williams has danced in the Martha Graham Dance Company for six seasons. She performs numerous featured roles in iconic Graham ballets such as The Woman in White in Diversion of Angels and The Pioneering Woman in Appalachian Spring. Her most notable role has been performing the Lead in Chronicle the first Black dancer to do so. Her performance recently earned Ms. Williams a mention in The New York Times Best Dance of 2019 list. Ms. Williamss work has been described as hypnotic and larger than life, and in 2016 she was named in dance magazine as a dancer On the rise. Today we talk with Leslie about her training, her transition to the Graham technique, and her time with the company. As a note: we wanted to let you know that we will be taking a short time off from Conversations on Dance due to other work commitments. This will be our last episode until the middle of November. We are hoping to make it up to you with some extra bonus content in November, so stay tuned. In the meantime, be sure to connect with us on social media @conversationsondance. One more note. During the editing process of this episode we realized we had some background noises that were not apparent to us while we were recording. While we tried to edit the episode as much as possible, we appreciate your patience with at home Zoom recordings. Enjoy the episode and we can't wait to be back with you in November!
Shelby Williams, Biscuit Ballerina. On this week's podcast, our guest is Shelby Williams, dancer at the Royal Ballet Of Flanders, and creator of internet sensation Biscuit Ballerina. Shelby began her career with Houston Ballet II, before shortly moving on to several major companies in Europe. In addition to the Royal Ballet Of Flanders, she has danced with Dresden Ballet, Barcelona Ballet and Ballet D'Europe. Shelby created an alternate instagram personality Biscuit Ballerina', a hysterical parody starring a technically deficient, and bafflingly confident dancer butchering her way through the classical canon. While these videos are riotously funny, they are also Shelby's commentary on how perfection obsessed ballet dancers can be. Today we talk to Shelby about her own dancer career, how biscuit ballerina' was born, and what she hopes followers of this persona take away from the account. If you aren't following @biscuitballerina on Instagram yet, we highly recommend it.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
This week on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined by Martha Graham Dance Company Principal Dancer, Xin Ying. Ying was born in China and began dancing at the age of 6 taking classes in Chinese folk dance. At just 15 she entered college and after graduating, she went on to teach dance at the Sichuan University of Culture and Arts. After years of teaching, she decided that she wanted to travel to further her understanding of dance, then bring that knowledge back to her students. Ying received funding from her University to travel to New York City and attend the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. From there, her love for the Martha Graham technique blossomed: she took a position in the second company and would go on to join the main company in 2011. We talk with Ying about her training and education in China, her incredible career trajectory, what made her fall in love with the Graham technique, and what this past year has been like for her. We recorded this episode on Friday, April 30th before the companys return to live shows this past weekend. For more information on the companys live and virtual programming, please visit marthagraham.org.
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.
This week we are joined by Eugenia Zinovieva, Co-Director of Rhode Island Women's Choreography Project and dancer with Festival Ballet Providence. Born in Moscow, Russia, Eugenia moved to the United States at a young age and began her classical ballet training at the Boston Ballet School while also competing as a rhythmic gymnast. She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts high school program under the artistic direction of Ethan Stiefel. She spent a year coaching with SLK Ballet in New York City before coming to Festival Ballet Providence. Eugenia got her start in choreography through a unique program, which she now co-directs called, Rhode Island Women's Choreography Project or RIWCP. RIWCP returns on June 26st, 2021. This years digital production features six short dance films by up-and-coming women choreographers from New England and beyond. Enjoy inspired works filmed in settings such as mountains, sand dunes, a city apartment, and more. Each dance creator has also had the opportunity to connect with a personal mentor to deepen her creative process this year. For more information on the project and for tickets for their virtual event on June 26th, visit: riwomenschoreographyproject.com. Eugenia got in touch with us after listening to episode 221, where we discussed our fantasy ballet company. She let us know about RIWCP, so we knew we had to have her on to share her work with our listeners.
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance", we are joined by renowned choreographer Kyle Abraham. Kyle sits down with us to talk about his upcoming first work for American Ballet Theatre, "Mercurial Son", including the casting process, the creative environment and how working on several projects concurrently fuels his creativity. To catch "Mercurial Son", premiering on October 16th and running through the 24th, visit abt.org to purchase tickets.
A major highlight for the Vail Dance Festival every year is the NOW: Premieres program, a jam-packed evening of ten newly commissioned dances with an array of artists that only the Vail Dance Festival could manage to bring together. Internationally acclaimed choreographers and artists Kyle Abraham and Melissa Toogood join this live recording of the Conversations On Dance podcast to talk about their process this year creating two brand new works for this celebrated evening.This Monday August 7th, The Vail Dance Festival comes to you! Dont miss the live stream of Mondays Now: Premieres program at 7:30pm mountain, 9:30pm Eastern. Visit vaildance.org to enjoy an evening of world premieres from the festivals all star cast of choreographers and dancers. You have heard them all right here on Conversations on Dance, now catch them live from the VDF stage on Monday August 7th. Link in the description of this episode for more info. This episode was recorded live on August 6th, 2023 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by the Town of Vail.
