Conversations on Dance

We are leaving for the Vail Dance Festival in just a few days, so today we sit down to talk through the performances that we will be catching during the festival and preview who we will be talking to during our live events. Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/ Vail Dance Festival performances: https://vaildance.org/ LINKS: Website: ...

The Vail Dance Festival is just around the corner and our coverage starts now! Today we are joined by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer and friend of the pod, Herman Cornejo. Herman joins us in the midst of ABT’s season where he is celebrating 25 incredible years with the company. We catch up with Herman about this season, what it means to be celebrating such an important mil...

It's just us this week and we catch up on Michael's staging of Alexei Ratmansky's 'The Fairy's Kiss' at Dutch National Ballet. PLUS - JUST ANNOUNCED! Tickets for Conversations on Dance at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival are on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/ LINKS: Website:  conversationsondancepod.com Instagram:  @conversationsondance Merch:  https://bit.ly/cod...

Today on Conversations on Dance, we welcome Theresa Ruth Howard, founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet, and Katlyn Addison, principal dancer with Ballet West. We first had Katlyn on the podcast in February of 2024 in episode 383, where we talk all about her career. We are happy to welcome Katlyn back on to talk about the upcoming "Pathways to Performance: Exercises in Reframing the Narrative" per...

Today we are joined by Dwight Rhoden, Choreographer & Artistic Director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Since it has been over six years since we last had him on the podcast, we go back to the beginning and hear about his start in dance and choreography. We dig into his process and what he looks for in dancers, both for Complexions and when he is choreographing on other companies. Dwight t...

Today on Conversations on Dance we are joined by Maria Kowroski, former Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet and current Artistic Director of New Jersey Ballet. Maria chats with us about her training, her incredible career, some of her favorite memories onstage, then the opportunity to become Artistic Director of New Jersey Ballet. She tells us about her focuses for the company, the challeng...

Michael is currently at the Dutch National Ballet setting Alexei Ratmansky's 'Fairy's Kiss.' This inspired us to go back into our vault and find this 2017 episode with dance historian, Doug Fullington, on the history of the ballet, also known as 'Baiser de la fée.' Ratmansky's 'Fairy's Kiss' was originally made on Miami City Ballet while we were in the company, and during the time this was recorde...

Today on the 'Conversations on Dance' podcast, we are joined by Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet. Ashley takes us through his career, tells us about the important roles mentors played in his dancing, how he came to the helm of the Joffrey, and what audiences can expect to see from the company this summer at the Ballet Sun Valley festival. Ballet Sun Valley presents The Joffr...

Today we are so pleased to bring you our interview with George Lee, the original 'Tea' dancer in George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker.' Also joining us for the second time, is documentary filmmaker Jennifer Lin. Jennifer's latest film 'Ten Times Better' explores the life and legacy of George. Jennifer talked to us about this film in episode 382, before it's premiere. Today, George tells us about hi...

Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined once again by Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. We last had Susan on the podcast in late 2022 in episode 309 as she was about to take the helm of the company. This week we get the opportunity to hear from Susan about what her first year has been like, some of the challenges she has faced, and we get a preview of wh...

Today on Conversations on Dance, we welcome back Phil Chan, author and co-founder of 'Final Bow for Yellowface.' Back in May of 2023 in episode 339, we had Phil on the podcast with Doug Fullington and Sarah Wroth to tell us about how the idea for 'Star on the rise : La Bayadère ... reimagined!' came about, and what made Indiana University a great place to mount this production. Now, following the...

Today on 'Conversations on Dance', we are joined by choreographer and director of Sydney Dance Company Rafael Bonachela and composer Bryce Dessner. Bryce and Rafael take us through their personal journeys towards finding their art as a profession, the inspiration and collaborative process behind their latest collaboration 'Impermanence', and how COVID delays extended and altered the work into its...

Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are joined by Alastair Macaulay, critic and historian of the performing arts, and former Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times. While Alastair is no stranger to the podcast, today we get to delve into the history of numerous rare Balanchine ballets. Ahead of Alastair's program at the New York Public Library on the topic, he gives a preview of what...

On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by internationally acclaimed ballet teacher and professor at Indiana University Michael Vernon. We talk to Michael about how his early artistic influences shaped his life's work as teacher and choreographer, his own philosophies of how to approach ideas in the classroom and how he is shaping the young dancers of Indiana Univer...

This week we welcome back friend of the pod, and frequent guest host, Kate Penner. Kate does the social media marketing for the Vail Dance Festival, so we come together to talk about social media and specifically TikTok culture's impact on ballet and dance. Plus, we hear about Kate and Michael's trip to see Boston Ballet's 'The Nutcracker' in December. THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS: Unlock your potentia...

It's just us this week! We check in on some of the dance we have seen recently and talk about Michael's work as a repetiteur. THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS: Unlock your potential with the Graduate Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma. In partnership with the prestigious Price College of Business, this innovative program is...

On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Jake Roxander, rising star at American Ballet Theatre. Jake tells us about the intensity of his training growing up in a family of ballet dancers, why it's important for dancers to keep an open mind about the companies and goals they set their sights on, and how he's handled the challenges of a year marked by numerous major principal...

This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Australian Choreographer, Tim Harbour. Tim tells us about his ballet career with The Australian Ballet, how he became interested in creating dance, and about his process. We talk in depth about his work, 'Filigree and Shadow,' which will be performed by Houston Ballet this month. Tim tell us about what inspired the work, what sets it apart form...

This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Cassandra Trenary, a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. Cassandra tells us about her leap of faith to pursue ballet, what it's like to be an ABT lifer, the challenges of the pandemic, and ultimately her promotion to principal dancer. Catch Cassandra onstage with ABT. For more information visit, abt.org. LINKS: Website:  convers...

On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Chyrstyn Fentroy, principal ballerina with Boston Ballet. We talk to Chyrstyn about how she built her work ethic during her training years, dancing under Virgina Johnson in the newly revived Dance Theater Of Harlem and what it was like to make the move to a larger company in the middle of her career. If you'd like to see Chyrstyn per...

This week, Michael and Rebecca welcome their friend, Scottie Norton. Since becoming friends and roommates with Michael, Scottie has been thrust into the ballet world. We talk with Scottie to get the perspective of a new dance lover: what might grab a new ballet-goer, what can the art form do to welcome new audience members, and why it's important (and fun!) to introduce your friends to live dance....

On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Katlyn Addison, principal dancer with Ballet West. Katlyn takes us on the journey through her early training days in Canada, the decision to take a risk by leaving her first major company for new terrain, and how that risk paid off through years of hard work and steady promotions. Katlyn will be making her premiere as Odette/Odi...

On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance' we are joined by documentary filmmaker Jennifer Lin. Jennifer's latest film 'Ten Times Better' explores the life and legacy of dancer George Lee, who originated the role of tea in 'George Balanchine's The Nutcracker'. She tells us the inspiring story of George's experience as an immigrant, performing as a child in nightclubs and shuffling across...

This week, Michael and Rebecca sit down to catch up. Michael tells Rebecca about his experience over the past 3 weeks in Dresden, Germany setting Justin Peck's 'Rodeo.' We also chat about miscellaneous items including Johan Inger's Swan Lake, auditions for Golden State Ballet, and the Artistic Director opening at Lexington Ballet Company. LINKS: Website:  conversationsondancepod.com Instagram...

Today on 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by Shohei Iwahama, dancer with Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a company affectionately known as The Trocks. We talk to Shohei about his bold decision to move to the United States, why he stepped away from dance before joining the Trocks, and what makes the company's history and identity as an all-male comic ballet company so unique among danc...