Ballet Help Desk

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, Elizabeth Sullivan, a mentor to pre-professional dancers, discusses the concept of mental fitness and why it's essential for ballet parents. We explore the challenges of guiding young dancers through an increasingly complex ballet landscape—where training opportunities are vast, but professional...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode Griff Braun, National Organizing Director of the American Guild of Musical Artists, discusses the role of unions in the ballet world. Griff shares insights into AGMA's advocacy for dancer rights, safety, and equitable treatment, including their recent work supporting the dancers of Dallas Black D...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we talk with Caitlin Sloan, the Brainy Ballerina, about her approach to audition coaching. Caitlin explains how she helps students develop personalized audition strategies that consider more than just ballet, setting them up for success in and beyond the studio. Learn more about Caitlin and The...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, Jess Spinner of The Whole Dancer shares her approach to helping ballet dancers navigate the audition circuit. She offers strategies for auditioning, advice on setting a personalized audition plan that aligns with the type of job they're aiming for, and insights on the mental, physical, and emoti...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, Philip Neal, former Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet and current Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet, shares insights on shaping up and coming dancers, while championing the art of ballet. Neal discusses his transition from performing to directing, the importance of mentorship,...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we sit down with Julie Bowers, former Royal Ballet dancer and founder of Grad Pro, an innovative program designed to help dancers bridge the gap between training and professional careers. Julie shares how her experiences and insights into the challenges dancers face in today's job market, especi...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we chat with Cecilia Iliesiu, Principal Dancer at Pacific Northwest Ballet and a ballet career coach. As we're headed into audition season, Cecilia discusses the importance of networking in the industry and offers practical tips for aspiring artists on building meaningful connections, setting ca...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Sometimes you just need to talk to other ballet parents! In this episode, we chat with three moderators of large Facebook groups for parents and caregivers of dancers as they spill the tea on what really goes on behind the scenes (hint: it's sometimes a delicate dance). In our wide-ranging conversation, they sha...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode we sit down with Jaimie Tapper, Head of Performance Coaching at The Royal Ballet, to explore the significant changes she's witnessed in ballet schools since her own dancing days. Jaimie discusses key challenges today's ballet students face and questions whether schools are being asked to take on...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode we talk with Rachel Bar, Director of Research and Health at Canada's National Ballet School, about the comprehensive wellness program designed to support the physical and mental health of ballet students. Rachel shares how the school integrates science-based practices to promote long-term dancer...

  Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In 2017, Kathleen Gaines shared her experience with depression in a Dance Magazine article titled " Why Are We Still So Bad at Addressing Dancers' Mental Health? " The article quickly went viral, becoming one of the most-read in the magazine's history, and inspired the creation of her organization, We Are Mind...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we sit down with Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux, Founders of Danscend, to explore the good, the bad and the in-between of social media in the ballet world. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer dancers unprecedented opportunities to showcase their artistry, build communities, and...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk This week's special guest is Lauren Richter, a former professional dancer and current Principal of the  Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education. Lauren reached out to us because she thought it was important to let dancers hear her story. Join us as she recounts her journey through a years-long eating disorder, n...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We sit down with Monika Saigal, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and former professional dancer, who works with professional ballet dancers and ballet students. Monika shares her expertise on the important role of nutrition in a dancer's life and offers valuable insight...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we sit down with Dawn Smith-Theodore, a licensed therapist and author of the book  Tutu Thin: A Guide To Dancing Without An Eating Disorder.   In our conversation about ballet wellness programs, Dawn talks about the crucial role that teachers play in ensuring the success of these programs in bal...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Why do we claim to have zero tolerance for bullying when it remains pervasive in society? In this episode, we sit down with Jennifer Fraser to discuss the profound impact of bullying on the human brain. Jennifer uses scientific evidence to illustrate how bullying hurts not just youths' self-esteem and emotions,...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Join us for a candid conversation with Shane Wuerthner, former professional ballet dancer and current master trainer and teacher to hear him talk about how wellness programs in ballet schools have evolved since he was in training. Shane also weighs in on what he thinks of coded language, the power imbalance that...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We're joined this week by Chloe Angyal, author of the widely regarded ballet book, Turning Pointe. Chloe addresses such issues as the "ballet brain" and how if affects dancers' willingness to accept problematic practices in the ballet world. We also discuss why she thinks ballet is in crisis, including how we te...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Intimacy direction in dance . What the heck is it, why is it important and how can these practices be brought into ballet training? Our guests, Nicole Perry and Sarah Lozoff, respected intimacy coordinators who have consulted with RudduR Dance as well as American Ballet Theater, share their expertise on how effe...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this episode, we revisit one of our earliest topics: "What would you have done differently as dance parents?" Join us as we reflect on our journey, sharing the mistakes we made and the invaluable lessons we learned along the way. Tune in for honest insights and practical advice for every ballet parent. We'll...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk 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 attend the Pitt...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We're talking with Robert Fulton and Camille Kellems, both professional dancers and also RAs at ballet summer intensives. Get ready for a mix of insider info that's helpful for parents as well as hilarious anecdotes as Robert and Camille let us in on what really goes on behind the scenes. From dorm antics to pr...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Tune in as we chat with Adam McKinney who has just finished his first year as artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Hear about McKinney's own background to learn how it impacted his career as a male ballet dancer and how it informs his leadership at PBT. We also got a sneak peek at McKinney's plans fo...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Join us as we talk with Alicia Graf Mack, the first person of color and the youngest ever to head the Dance Department at Juilliard. Our conversation covered not only how the program is structured, but also the current state of the job market, what Juilliard dancers do once they graduate as well as the school's...

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk We're joined by Melonie Buchanan Murray, the Director of the School of Dance at the University of Utah. Our conversation covered a variety of areas, including the repertoire the dancers typically perform, admissions standards, the emphasis Ms. Murray puts on mental health awareness, how injuries affect grading...