Ballet Help Desk

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Lynne Charles, Artistic Director of  English National Ballet School , discusses the school's new Graduate Artist Programme (GAP), a postgraduate program that combines performing with English National Ballet and continued education. Unlike traditional programs where students serve as "free labor," GAP dancers per...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Listeners asked, and Fran Veyette answers! We're bringing back this fan-favorite #NoThirds "Fran's Mailbag" episode, now combined into one extended conversation. Fran breaks down how casting really works, whether principals dance less, what happens when dancers date (and break up), the truth about dogs in the st...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk CiCi Houston-Sudholt, Rehearsal Director at Saint Louis Ballet, discusses the organization's unique approach to dance education that puts students at the center. From integrating all levels of training to tailoring performance opportunities based on individual goals, Saint Louis Ballet adapts to each dancer's ne...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We asked you to tell us what you love about the Ballet Help Desk Podcast, what needs to improve, and what topics you want us to cover. And you delivered honest, thoughtful, sometimes tough feedback. In this episode, we share what you told us: what's working (our honest questioning, insider information, and balle...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Jayda Hazelett didn't follow the traditional pre-professional boarding school path to a ballet company. The  Ballet Hartford corps member grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, trained locally at Project Ballet, attended summer intensives, and chose to pursue college at I ndiana University's Jacobs School of Music befo...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk What does it mean to train dancers without "training them out of being natural"? For  Paulo Arrais , founder of Arrais Ballet School in Boston, that question shaped his entire approach to teaching. A former principal dancer with Boston Ballet, Paulo saw gaps in traditional ballet training: rigidity over artistry...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Joshua Beamish and Crystal Costa are building something new in the ballet world.  Ballet Vancouver is launching as a fresh company with a unique vision, and in this episode, they share the story of how it all came together. Joshua talks about starting his first company at just 17 years old and the 20-year journe...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We're rereleasing one of Ballet Help Desk's most popular episodes! Peter Stark from The Rock School discusses the ballet job market, choosing post-graduate ballet programs, and audition strategies for pre-professional dancers. Learn how to approach ballet auditions, what trainee programs look for, and how to sta...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk A rerelease: In our first episode of Dancer Stories, Jenny and her daughter Abbey share how Abbey got her first ballet contract. Tune in to hear how a meeting about dorm policy violations at a summer intensive turned into an apprenticeship offer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. After a last-minute decision to att...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Raymond Rodriguez, Dean of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, breaks down their Company Experience program and why they created it. Unlike traditional summer intensives, the Company Experience simulates professional dancer life through repertoire-heavy training and direct interaction with Pittsburgh Ballet's arti...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Davit Karapetyan and Laura Bowman Goldstein from Philadelphia Ballet break down three focused summer programs designed for dancers considering specialized training: the Pas de Deux Intensive, Variations Intensive, and Company Experience. They start with partnering, an essential skill that many students cannot ge...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Durante Verzola, resident choreographer for Miami City Ballet School, breaks down their Summer Choreographic Workshop, a specialized program that simulates professional dancer life for students as young as 14. Unlike traditional summer intensives, this program focuses on preparing dancers for the quick turnaroun...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Oliver Till, Artistic Director of Kansas City Ballet School, walks us through ChoreoLab, their unique summer program that pairs aspiring dancers with emerging choreographers. The program runs two tracks: Movers (dancers 17+) and Makers (choreographers 18-24). Instead of traditional technique classes, participant...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Erica Fischbach and Sean Omandam from Colorado Ballet Academy break down two of their specialized summer programs: the Choreographic Workshop and the Young Dancer Intensive. The Choreographic Workshop immerses older students in a professional-style setting where they learn to pick up choreography quickly, work w...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Katie Sopoci Drake and Zoica Tovar from the Washington School of Ballet break down their Junior and Senior Repertory Week programs in this episode. The two programs serve different levels of dancers, and our guests explain how each one works and what participants can expect. They discuss the school's teaching me...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Audition season is here again, and we're revisiting one of our most requested conversations. In this episode, Jess Spinner, founder of The Whole Dancer, breaks down how dancers can create an audition approach that actually works for them. She shares strategies for choosing auditions, tailoring a plan to the type...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In Part 2 of our #NoThirds series on bullying in ballet, we dig deeper into accountability, emotional health, and what it actually looks like to navigate harmful dynamics inside dance environments. Our guests explore how parents, students, and schools can recognize the signs of toxic training, respond to concern...

Before you listen, we'd love your help. Please take a minute to fill out our short podcast survey so we can keep making this show better for you. Link:  https://forms.gle/Uf3Xx3XyEUzBtQw69 In Part 1 of our # NoThirds  series on bullying in ballet, we sit down with two experts to unpack what bullying looks like in today's dance world. Dr. Suzette Takei, a longtime middle school principal with a PhD...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In Part 2 of our conversation with Troy Schumacher, Sara Mearns and Annie Sundberg, we pick up as opening night of  The Nutcracker at Wethersfield draws near. From a massive snowstorm that nearly shut everything down to the emotions that swept over the dancers once the curtain finally rose, Troy shares what it t...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk What would you do if, for the first time in forever, Nutcracker got canceled? This is what hundreds of thousands of ballet fans and thousands of dancers were faced with in the Winter of 2020. Covid had shut down the world and it was particularly bad in New York City. Enter Troy Schumacher, a soloist with the New...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk There's no such thing as a perfect path in ballet, and few people know that better than Francis Veyette, Co-Founder of the Veyette Virtual Ballet School. In part 2 of this episode of #NoThirds, Fran continues to discuss the ups and downs of a dance career, how setbacks can create unexpected growth, and why paren...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Avant Chamber Ballet is redefining what a regional ballet company can be – performing with live musicians, championing diversity and dancer wellness, and connecting with audiences far beyond traditional theaters. In this episode, Artistic Director Katie Puder and School Director Madelaine Boyce share how they've...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk There's no such thing as a perfect path in ballet, and few people know that better than Francis Veyette, Co-Founder of the Veyette Virtual Ballet School. In part 1 of this episode of #NoThirds, Fran talks about the ups and downs of a dance career, how setbacks can create unexpected growth, and why parental suppo...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Oğulcan Borova, Head of the Trainee and Studio Company Programs at the Grainger Academy, joins us to explain how the school is structured. The Conservatory provides intensive training, while the Trainee and Studio Company levels serve as postgraduate bridges to professional careers. Borova also discusses Winning...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Ballet Memphis is redefining what it means to be a ballet company. In this conversation, Artistic Director Steven McMahon and Academy Co-Directors Virginia and Brandon Ramey discuss how they've built a company that belongs to its city, one that reflects Memphis's energy, diversity, and creative spirit. They also...