Broche Banter | Adult ballet training, philosophy, & inspiration

Today on the show, I chat with Veronica K, who runs an online ballet cross-training and injury prevention platform. We talk about a wide range of topics, including physical therapy, cyberbullying, and popular fake or unrealistic before/after photos. It’s an awesome conversation where we get a chance to compare notes on how we help ballet work for adult dancers and regular everyday human bodies. Bu...

Today on the show, I chat with Kara, a Celtic singer, and musician who also shares her love of traditional Celtic arts with her many adult students. She also started ballet a few years ago and is about to get en pointe for the first time. We connect on so many levels as teachers of adult students about the notion of it being “too late” or of a person being “too old” and about expressing ourselves...

Today, I chat with Mic, a long-time piano teacher and professional musician who recently started ballet. 2020 was a really hard year for musicians, but Mic is so happy that it gave her the opportunity to pursue her love of ballet. We connect on so many topics including why art matters, the learning process of a technical artform like ballet and piano, and why we love ballet. Her kind and warm hear...

Today, I chat with Alyssa about her experiences finding her way back to ballet as an adult. She shares her love of dance and her winding journey to find a ballet studio to call home. She hopes that by sharing some of her struggles with different levels, teachers, and studio situations will help you feel less alone with challenges you might face, and help you keep pushing to find the right environm...

Today on the show, I chat with Madame Olga, a celebrity teacher in New York City and online on Instagram and her streaming service Madame Olga Television. She is known for her true Russian style of teaching, but even more so for bringing humor to the ballet studio to help dancers find their perfect 5th position through love, light, and positivity. If you haven’t experienced a class with Madame Olg...

Today, I chat with Harmony, who recently achieved her goal of her first pair of pointe shoes before her upcoming 50th birthday! We talk about her absolute undying love of ballet, what it was like for her to take her very first ballet class a little over a year ago, and why she thinks anyone with dreams of ballet should just get started and hop in with us! Follow Harmony’s story on instagram @balle...

This podcast episode is a little different. Many of us are re-entering lockdowns, again feeling separated from our communities, and maybe even wondering what’s the point of it all. Looking ahead at a difficult winter, wondering how we’ll make it through.  So, I wanted to take a moment, inspired by the season of giving thanks on Thanksgiving, to share my story. The last time I shared my own story o...

Today, I chat with Tom who lives across the pond in the UK. He’s always been fascinated with ballet, but only started dancing a few years ago. Before that, he began his journey with mindfulness practice, which helped pull him out of a dark time. That led him to yoga, and finally now to ballet. He now teaches both yoga and mindfulness, and enjoys ballet for the purity of the movement, and strives t...

Today, I chat with Patricia, the creator of Late to the Party Ballet blog and Instagram account. She started ballet 6 years ago, after doing ice hockey, hip hop, a little pole dancing, and then ballet. She cares for her son who has cerebral palsey. Her incredible breadth of life experience gives her a very unique perspective on ballet, and our conversation winds to many fascinating places, from th...

Today, I chat with Kat all the way from Tasmania in Australia. She started ballet just a few weeks before lockdown. She’s also a writer and an illustrator, and we discuss the similarities and differences between how one learns those artistic pursuits and how she’s learning ballet. She also provides a fun look into the experience of a beginner, so whether it’s been a while since you had to think ab...

Today, I chat with Jamie. She’s legally blind and despite only being able to see light, dark, shapes and colors, Jamie started ballet 3 years ago after attending a magical sensory-friendly ballet performance. About 2 years before that, she had decided to grab the bull by the horns and embarked on a weight-loss journey, losing about 120 pounds. From performing in her local community, to her dreams...

Today, I chat with Danielle in The Netherlands. After a magical experience watching a ballet performance as a child, she danced for several years in her youth. She stopped dancing at the age of 13, and returned to ballet at age 40 after having her second child. From ballet to the oboe to crocheting, Danielle loves to try fun new things, work hard, and persevere through challenges. Her positive and...

Today, on the show, I chat with Elizabeth from The Whole Pointe. We talk about her journey starting ballet at age 14 and getting her first professional contract at age 19. But, that didn’t come without its challenges, and we talk about her experience with disordered eating and how she has rediscovered her self-worth after spending her ballet career at the bottom of the ballet hierarchy. The conver...

Today, on the show, I chat with Kelsey. She started ballet during grad school after retiring from a competitive swimming career in high school and college. Much of her ballet training to date has been in classes with teenagers. We go deep about a traumatic event in Kelsey’s life that led her to be diagnosed with PTSD. This event caused her to work through perfectionism and body image challenges, a...

Today on the show, Julie chats with Jana, who is one of the two fabulous Ballerinas by Night, a staple of the YouTube and social media world of adult ballet.  We talk about the challenges we have faced through the COVID time, the mixed relationship with ballet that we and our fellow dancers have felt, and just take a minute to commiserate.  We hope that if you’re in the same boat, you’ll find some...

Today, I chat with Rosy, a kind soul, private ballet coach for adults, and a professional dancer. Even though this was the first time we’ve met, we quickly connected over so many topics, including mental health challenges that dancers and athletes face, a little about our own mental health running our businesses, and why we both love working with adult dancers. Enjoy!

Today on the show, I chat with Lucy all the way from Belgium. We talk about her experience moving all over as a child, and how she walked into her first ballet class just 2 years ago! Just as much as she used to love the flow state of surfing as a teenager off the coast in Morocco, she loves ballet for the magic of quieting her internal chatter. Enjoy!

Today on the show, Solange and I get philosophical. We hardly talk about ballet, but we talk about life, loss, perfectionism, what it means to be happy and live a passionate life in our short time on this earth, and how to find the right environment to follow your dreams. This episode is jam packed with inspiration, wisdom, and you’ll leave with a smile on your face, ready to dance! Enjoy!

Today on the show, I chat with Denise. Ballet has been in her heart for decades, since the age of 6. Flat feet, pigeon toes, a stroke, a horseback riding accident, and a tornado have all kept her away from the barre, until now. And she couldn’t be happier dancing the days away. Enjoy Denise’s fascinating story of how she’s finally found her way to the barre.

Today on the show, I chat with Lauren, who started ballet for the first time less than a year ago. She danced in a small local studio with little kids and found us online during quarantine. We talk about turnout, getting discouraged, and being obsessed with ballet. Enjoy!

Today on the show, I interview Cody, one of the dancers who danced with us in our Denver studios. We talk about how ballet calms her mind, a little about her hyper-mobility and her experience with perfect turnout. But then we get real about quarantine and the effect it’s had on us all, and how sometimes, dancing at home is just a sad reminder of how much we miss our friends and our old life. If yo...

Today on the show, Mai joins me all the way from Saudi Arabia to talk about her journey with ballet.

Today on the show, I talk with Jessie, a dancer who started ballet for the first time ever as an adult, about 3 years ago. We talk about her absolute love for ballet, how it has helped her build self confidence after a difficult time with post-partum depression, and how her hard work has transformed her from her tomboy teenage years struggling with pigeon toed legs to a beautiful ballerina about t...

Today on the show, we have Erin, who formerly danced with us in Denver before moving to London about a year ago. We talk about her struggles with ballet as a very serious teenage dancer, her return to the barre after an 8-year break, and how she finds the joy in dancing in a new body, for new reasons, and for, well, fun.  Enjoy!

Today on the show, we have Erica, an adult ballerina who is opening her own broche-inspired adult ballet studio in Rochester New York. We get philosophical, covering everything from her start with ballet as a baby ballerina, to her very long hiatus from 6th grade until after the birth of her second child, to her journey back to the barre after on a quest for ballet technique, and most importantly,...