5.6.7.EIGHT

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Julian MacKay — a ballet dancer whose award-winning ballet skills and striking physical features have gained him worldwide notoriety in both dance and fashion circles. Julian, who is the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy with a full Russian diploma, has amassed gold medals from some of the world's top ballet competitions and...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Cory-Jeanne Houck-Cox, a choreographer, teacher, regional and national dance adjudicator, and retired prima ballerina. During her run as a ballerina, Cory-Jeanne gained recognition nationally and internationally, having performed for American presidents and having co-created and performed award-winning pieces for the Kennedy Center. Houck-Cox's true...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Skylar Campbell, Principal Dancer at The National Ballet of Canada. While Campbell has spent the majority of his career at The National Ballet of Canada, his quick rise to stardom has been recognized internationally, including gaining a mention in Dance Magazine 's "Top 25 to Watch in 2015" list. Skylar has also been awarded a Bronze Medal in the Pas...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Christopher Fairbank, motivational speaker and business leadership strategist. Christopher is truly a Renaissance man. Prior to his current motivational speaking and coaching work, he was an 18-year professional ballet dancer, with experience dancing for some of the nation's top ballet companies. Fairbank also held a career as a Sheriff's Deputy, and...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Harriet Ross and Mark Gomez, who both play vital roles in running Chicago Dance United's Dance for Life event. Dance for Life is a fundraiser performance featuring a united front of dance companies from across Chicago, raising money for "The Dancers' Fund." This fund, which was founded in 1994 by Ross, makes direct grants to individuals in the dance...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Maria Shclover, President and Producer at Maestro Artist Management (MAM) — a full-service production, touring, and promotion company that focuses on presenting international artists in various genres. Maria is also the Founder of the Russian Film Week in New York City and is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, which run...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Josephine Lee, Founder at The Pointe Shop . The evolution of Lee's company is remarkable. What started in 2011 as a simple brick-and-mortar retail store now has gained notoriety for its "mobile store" component, which takes pointe shoe fitting on the road to customers and, selfishly, allows Josephine to fulfill one of her favorite pastimes — road tri...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Meredith Harrill, professional dancer at Visceral Dance Chicago. Meredith received dance training at the Central Florida Ballet Academy, before studying on scholarship at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. Harrill was a trainee with Joffrey Ballet Chicago and BalletMet Columbus, where she also performed in several productions, and perfor...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Rachel Hamrick, Founder and CEO at Flexistretcher LLC . Hamrick's company is built around her namesake product, the Flexistretcher — an elastic resistance band that simulates dance-specific or sport-specific movement patterns, focused on building flexibility and strength. Hamrick has also developed a training method and certification program, whereby...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Misha Tchoupakov, Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Tchoupakov's resume is impressive, having been classically trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and having toured professionally for a number of ballet companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), the Vienna Sta...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra sits down with Lisa Schoene, Dance and Sports Medicine Podiatric Physician at Gurnee Podiatry and Sports Medicine Associates . Lisa, who founded Gurnee nearly 30 years ago, is also a certified athletic trainer and published author. Lisa has worked with dancers and athletes of all sports from all levels — from amateur to Olympic — and is also a traveling lecture...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Katie Pilone, Co-Founder of Pop Up Pilates — a Pilates business whose mission is to positively impact communities, starting in Oklahoma City and moving across the United States. Additionally, Katie is a dancer at the Oklahoma City Ballet, an RP Pro Brand Ambassador, and a graduate of Butler University, where she studied Dance and Arts Administration...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of the Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School — the largest ballet school in North America. Mikko was born in Finland and has danced for numerous ballet companies, including the Finnish National Ballet, the Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet, and the San Fransisco Ballet, where he spent a full decade as principal da...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Genevieve Weeks, Founder and CEO of Tutu School — a collection of boutique-style ballet schools for young children. Since its founding in 2008, Tutu School has adopted a franchise model and has grown to over 33 different locations across the United States. Prior to becoming a business owner, Genevieve was a professional ballet dancer, having received...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra sits down with "The Shoemaker of the Stars," Phil LaDuca. This shoemaker lives up to his name, as dancers and actors have worn his famous shoes in well over 200 Broadway productions. His shoes are well-known for providing the support and stability that dancers need and the flexibility to perform many different styles of dance, without changing footwear. Prior t...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Sonica Shah, a renown Indian wedding dance choreographer and teacher based out of Mumbai, India. Though Sonica received a degree in Accounting and Finance, she decided to set aside the comfortable "9 to 6 job" to pursue a career that more aligned with her passions. Sonica now spends her days planning Indian wedding dance routines, which average a min...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Lizzie MacKenzie, co-founder of Extensions Dance Company , which is currently in its 14 th year, and its associated Extensions Dance Center, which is now in its 8 th year. This Chicago-based nonprofit serves the community by offering both competitive and non-competitive dance lessons to dancers of all ages. Lizzie herself has been dancing, teaching,...

This week on 5.6.7. EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with Tania Moskalenko, Executive Director of Miami City Ballet . Tania's resume is extensive in the world of dance, including over 20 years in performing arts and executive management expertise and having most previously been CEO of Chicago's renown Auditorium Theater. Her accomplishments have gained praise by many, both inside and outside of the perform...

This week on 5.6.7. EIGHT, Aleksandra sits down with nationally-recognized financial planner Katerina Simonetti, Private Wealth Advisor and Senior Vice President – Wealth Management at UBS Bank. Katerina is one of the most successful private wealth advisors in the United States, having been recognized as a "Best-in-State Advisor" on multiple occasions by Forbes and as "Top Wealth Advisor Mom" on m...

This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Katherine Barkman, an award-winning American ballerina who is currently a dancer at The Washington Ballet and has performed as an international guest principal across the world. She began her career as a principal dancer at the prestigious Ballet Manila in Southeast Asia and, at 18, was the youngest artist to claim this role. Katherine has won numero...

This week on 5.6.7. EIGHT, Aleksandra chats with esteemed podiatrist Brad Schaeffer, whose smarts extend well beyond the doctor's office. While he's not busy helping young athletes perform at their maximum potential, Brad is curating his social media following — including an Instagram account beyond 76,000 followers — and is competing on nationally-televised reality show competitions. In Spring 20...

Welcome to the 5.6.7. EIGHT Podcast