Breaking the Wall Podcast

I'd say that a professional dancer might have one or two "big" jobs in their career. While a dance career is fluttered with many different kind of jobs, its rare for a dancer to have one that checks so many of their desires off their list. Sleep No More was that job for me.  By the end, I performed 10 roles and over 1,200 shows. I left literal blood sweat and tears in that building...

Theres a new place to ask Brandon your questions and it's right here in the show notes! In this episode, Brandon talks about starting your career in your 30s. The question reads:  "I am starting from square 1 at the age of 34, but I want to give it my all. Is it too late for me? I'm moving to NYC later in the year and was beginning to look into what would be a good training course p...

The truth is, auditions are set up for magic to happen, not necessarily to show someone at their best. If they were, every audition would be multiple days to show growth and consistency. Unfortunately, the time and money to make that happen just doesn’t exist in our world at the moment. Although they aren’t my favorite pastime, the reality remains that auditions are the barrier between me and the...

I love this episode with my friend Omri Drumlevich. Omri and I worked together in Sleep No More for many years. While in the show, I could always count on him for good conversation in the dressing room. While we spent a good portion of our time fighting on stage, he's such a beautiful person that I get to know. In our conversation we dive into a lot of big ideas about the dance world and how...

In this episode, Brandon is sharing his FREE workshop: The Proactive Dancer where he breaks down EXACTLY what he would do if he was starting his over career TODAY. -- No credits -- No connections In the workshop Brandon breaks down five factors that he would be paying attention too: 1. Proximity to the work he wanted to do 2. Where to invest in his career (time + money) 3. Where to build connectio...

I see it time and time again. It's not unusual for a dancer be snubbed from an audition for their schools shows. Is it right? I don't think so. However, it is what it is. Some schools look at it as a reality of the industry and in a way their right. I think too many dancer's take moments like this a defeat instead of an opportunity to hone their skills and find a place where the do...

My first teaching tour was a road trip across the US and I spent more money then I made. I'd like to say the next year was a complete 180 but if anything, it wasn't monetarily much better. However, little did I realize the positive benefits of just taking massive action towards the career I dreamed of. In this episode, Brandon breaks down exactly how he went from losing money to selling...

As professional dancers, were in this industry for the love of it. HOWEVER, we also want to be able to make money to support this love as well. In this episode, Brandon shares three ideas on how to make $1000 this week. This money could go towards your next creative project or your rent in NYC. The point is, with these ideas, you can offer something you're excited about and make money doing w...

When you're looking at summer intensives, it's important that you get specific about what you're looking to gain from them. Are the expectations you set for the intensive the same ones their offering you? In this episode, Brandon breaks down how to look at a summer intensive from a birds eye view. He asks 'what does a workshop offer?' and how does that compare to my expect...

For our first LIVE podcast interview, I got to chat with my friend and fellow UNCSA Summer Workshop teacher Brandon Cournay. In our #Brandon2Brandon conversation, we dive into the benefits of networking early on, what to look for in a dance job, and how to develope skills/interests outside of the studio that you're interested in. Today, you can't just be a dancer. Finding other work that...

In June, my sister Jill invited me to do a 30 days of reels challenge with her. These days, Instagram is showing more reels to non-followers and she thought it would be fun to see what could come of it. I agreed. In this episode, I'll take you through my journey and how I gained over 3 thousand new followers on Instagram by posting a reel a day. For me, it's not really about getting a la...

I'm out here at UNCSA for the week and having a blast. I actually use to come out here every summer when I was a kid so I'm feeling some nostalgia this week. I'm working with dancers from the age of 16-23 in both technique classes and creative process.  One of the classes I was asked to teach was a marketing/social media class for dancers and was thinking about what I would do if I...

CJ and I met back in 2016 while working with Shannon Gillen at Springboard. I was a year into my career and CJ was navigating the end of his college experience. As many dancer are in their early 20's, CJ was full of curiosity, drive, and ambition. Today, not much has changed. Now he spends his time between NYC and Europe as both a dancer, collaborator, and choreographer. In our talk, CJ talks...

The when is really out of our control when it comes to achieving the career goals we set for ourselves. Over the years we have to pivot, engage with new ideas, and much of the time learn on the job. When I first joined Visceral in 2015, Paige Fraser was one of those dancer's I looked up to. In our conversation we dive into the life of a dance captain on Broadway, the importance of sharing you...

I remember talking to JBC for the first time in 2015 when I was considering a position with Giordano Dance Chicago. He is the definition of charisma and Mr. Chicago Dance World if you ask me! It wasn't until the following year that I got to perform a new solo by him and a friendship was formed. JBC has been a great resource for me over the years and in our conversation we got to  peak behind...

Although many dancers dream of making larger cities like NYC or LA their homes, this isn't the case for our Guest on todays episode. Elisa and I met back in 2018 when I took a road trip across the country with my friend Owen. We made a stop in Pittsburgh where Elisa took ous out and let us crash on her couch for the night. Years later she would invite me to teach at her FireWall Dance Theater...

"Please stop expecting superior results from mediocre effort." -- Dr. Shante Cofield This quote really hit me this morning as I was drinking my coffee and made me think about how we show up to class. In this episode, Brandon rants about the importance of prioritizing quality over quantity in class and workshops. While its important to just 'check the box' from time to time, we...

A lot of the time on this podcast, I speak with artists who are established or moved onto other aspects of their career. I'm excited to have Hannah on the podcast today because she is approaching her three year anniversary of NYC living. In this episode, Hannah talks about her journey so far, what she recommends for dancer's who are interested in moving to NYC, and what she didn't e...

In our community, there is a lot of talk about working for free, valuing our talent, and being paid what we deserve for the work we do so well. A lot of advice around working for free revolves around early-career artists and the hoops they have to jump through. However, as some one who has worked for free in the past, there are times when I STILL would and times I never would and don't think...

It's that time of year again! Summer teaching and choreographing is how a lot of dancer's support themselves over the slower performing months. However, when we set our rate, no one ever tells us what the "right amount" is. In this episode, Brandon breaks down what studio owners are thinking and what they probably wont be telling you. It important to set the correct value on yo...

Dancer's are no longer just one thing. They never really have been. But these days, dancers are simultaneously making their own work, teaching classes, setting other peoples work, and taking on additional skills/responsibilities. In this episode, Brandon talks about the importance of being a multi-hyphen artist and why you can be even as you primarily focus on your dance journey. Send Brandon...

As a mentor, I want to offer only the best tools and resources for the dancers I work with. However, what they do with that information is up to them. In this episode, Brandon shares why decision making is such an important factor in a successful dance career. We face so many obstacles on our journeys and our ability to make decisions in the face of constant change is paramount for what were able...

As we start our careers, we create an idea of what it will look like. We build up stories and images in our minds about what it will be like to have success, and set goals around finding stability. More than that, we can feel like we have a grasp on what is correct and struggle to open our minds to other ideas. However, what if letting go of these ideas are the keys to our success? In this episode...

I'm so excited to share this conversation with Ali with you. We dive into her careers, knowing when to transition, and what it takes to book work + build a fulfilling career today. Alicia Delgadillo began her career with Hubbard Street 2 and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, was a founding member of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre in 2020, and later joined Gibney Company as an Artistic Associate from 2021...

As performers, we're going to face high stakes moment regularly. For some of us, that may mean dealing with nervousness and anxiety around performing more often than others. In this short mindset episode, I want to encourage you all to acknowledge those feelings WITHOUT projecting them onto your audience, even if it makes us feel better in the moment.  Send Brandon a text with your questions...