The Ballerinatist

Helping your dancer prepare to become the director of their path in dance is critical to their transitions through opportunities. Key pieces to this include: audition mindset, healthy boundaries, proactive communication, mentorship, financial literacy, accountability and transparency. Even though the majority of your dancer’s training and performing will take place in group settings, progression a...

Learn how to make the most out of teacher relationships - from communication to feedback and even becoming a teacher. Teaching is more than just telling people what to do. It is a craft and skill to be nurtured. This is an excerpt from the Parent for Dancers guide which can be found here . For more resources on dance training and career planning for dancers, visit emceemovement.com .

Get Melissa’s guide to Summer Dance Programs - Melissa worked for Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet’s summer programs. She created an ebook for Parents with her tips and recommendations from her experiences in different cities with different companies so they can prepare their dancers to have a fun, meaningful experience at summer dance p...

Dancer-choreographers Brandon Masele and Laura Defretin shared about their work Rave Lucid which is being presented by Oz Arts Nashville February 29-March 2nd. Brandon, an Electro dancer and Laura, a hip hop dancer worked together in this piece to bring electro dance to the forefront as its own independent technique from hip hop dance. You’ll hear about their growth as creative partners and indepe...

Matthew Robinson has a diverse background of movement experience in dance and martial arts. He performed with The West Virginia Dance Company and Roanoke Ballet Theatre while studying to receive his BFA from Radford University. In Cleveland, OH he performed with The Dancing Wheels Company. He also choreographed for and worked with The Cleveland Dance Project Company, performed with North Pointe Ba...

A Nashville based photographer specializing in dance and fine art photography, Martin O’Connor has worked with professional dance companies, studios, and collegiate dance programs to capture dance. He received the Dance Advocate Award from the TN Association of Dance in 2008 for his dedication and support of the dance community. In our conversation, Martin shares about the dynamics of creating mea...

Today’s guest Kaitlyn McDermitt graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Dance Performance in 2012. She has performed with Roxey Ballet, Avant Chamber Ballet, Ballet North Texas and Bruce Wood Dance Project. Following her transition from performing, Kaitlyn saw a need for mindset training and personal development in the dance industry and created her coaching business Confidance....

Melissa shares six Pro-tips for choosing a dance studio that will save you the time and frustration of feeling like you’re missing out on the best option for you and your dancer. Grab the free download and learn more about planning for a career in dance: emceemovement.com.

If your dancer is serious about dance and in a pre-professional dance program, you're probably learning that being the best dancer isn't always enough. This episode covers timelines for pre-professional dance training and milestones for dancers planning for a professional career in dance. For more tools on planning for a career in dance: https://hpdtn.com/thingsdancersneed Timeline for Pre...

Melissa shares from her ebook, “Parenting for Dancers: learn how dance training works and how to help your dancer be successful.” This is a must-have guide for parents of dancers whether your child is about to start dance training or has been dancing for years. If you feel like you have no idea how to support your dancer or manage their dance training, this is a great place to start. Get the ebook...

About today’s guests: Nashville Ballet’s Artistic Director and CEO, Nick Mullikin oversees all administrative staff, artistic productions, and School of Nashville Ballet programs, serving over 40,000 Middle Tennesseans and 1800 students. He has commissioned over 20 new works for the organization, choreographed several works for Nashville Ballet and NB2, and is highly sought after for teaching and...

Nicole Ahima, affectionately known as Nicole la Bailarina, is a popular Salsa dance instructor in Nashville, helping organize the entire local Salsa Scene. Many in the area know her for her great instruction in the art of Salsa, for her women’s dance team, Music City Mambo, for her song-spinning and social planning skills. In this episode, Nicole talks about making shifts inside and outside of her...

Jackie Zarcone is originally from Nashville, Tennessee and grew up dancing at Franklin School of Performing under the direction of Kaylee Cahoon. She expanded her training in college, graduating from the University of Alabama with a BA in Dance and a minor in Biology. She completed an intensive workshop in the Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) Junior, Senior & Advanced programs conducted and prod...

Amy Weber is the founder of THE pow{h}er METHOD and releve one foundation - a non-profit dedicated to helping ensure every woman has access to a safe place to begin and/or continue the journey of becoming healthy in a setting that believes in renewing the mind, body and spirit through movement, encouragement and prayer.  THE pow{h}er METHOD online memberships help to fund the purpose of relev...

Megan Ciccoline White has been a movement educator for over 20 years. She specializes in teaching Classical Pilates, Restorative practices, and dance education. She lives in Columbia TN, with her husband and three kids, where she owns and teaches at Movement Lab. In her story, you'll hear about learning to listen to one's inner voice, observing and reflecting on every experience, and courageously...

Founder and Executive Director of MOVE Inclusive Dance, Lauren Morris, shares about starting her organization with the mission to empower individuals of all ability levels to learn life skills through dance using the power of movement and music to transform students’ lives while providing a nurturing, inviting community for all. She has successfully grown her organization from a small summer camp...

Christi's decades of experience in arts management began from her own career as a performing artist in musical theatre across the country. She played all the parts from within; performing, choreographing directing, and producing before moving directly into management. A Nashville native, Christi has witnessed the growth of the industry from performing with Nashville Children's Theatre to rising th...

Nashvillian Cortney Henry shares about her experiences in Music City's Swing Dance community. Upon moving to Nashville six years ago, she started dancing, taking classes, and volunteering with Swing Dance Nashville which includes planning Music City Exchange - a weekend of non-stop dancing. Cortney also started Jukebox Mondays at Bold Patriot Brewing Co. in Nashville. Cortney shares about the pers...

A graduate of Florida State University, Michelle Mercedes worked with Urban Bush Women and Dance Lab New York prior to being cast as Clarice in the 2020 West Side Story revival on Broadway. She appeared in New York productions of I Married an Angel and Samson et Dalila , and regional productions of The Wiz , Mary Poppins , Crazy for You , and Footloose . In addition to her performance career, she...

Melissa reflects on her experiences working in summer dance programs - including Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, & San Francisco Ballet - and how those programs opened up other opportunities. You'll be amused, recognize yourself at times, and inspired to think strategically about how you approach summer dance programs. Need more support? Check out En Pointe Parenting & Rock Summer Dance...

Melissa reflects upon her first summer dance programs as a dancer and as an RA with Boston Conservatory (now part of Berklee College), Central Pennsylvania Youth, and Boston Ballet - lessons, losses, and living memories. You'll be amused, recognize yourself at times, and inspired to think strategically about how you approach summer dance program opportunities. Need more support? Check out En Point...

I met Maia Claire Garrison through our work at The Joyce Theater in the Dance Education Program. She is the Owner & Creative Director of Reel. Dance. Music. With a musician father and dancer mother, the arts were embedded in her upbringing. Maia Claire started in childhood as a competitive gymnast, at age 10 she was discovered by The Big Apple Circus. For two years she studied circus arts and...

Becca Hoback joined me in advance of her program, Enactor, premiering at OZ Arts Nashville on June 24th with three solo dances that explore the relationship between the body, womanhood, and a rapidly changing society. She is a founding member of contemporary dance collective New Dialect, and featured in the company as a performer, outreach workshop team leader, community and company class teacher,...

Ashley Brown teaches dance and technical theatre at Brooklyn Prospect High School and is the K-12 Dance Coordinator for Prospect Schools Network. She collaborates with Shining Light as a teaching artist jail/prison facilities and as a way to process and bring awareness to those experiences, she performed at TEDxColumbiaUniversity2019. She's also served as Stage Manager for Off Broadway productions...

I briefly worked for Catherine Gallant several years ago assisting with event planning and grant writing on a freelance basis. She is a performer, choreographer and teacher - approaching 25 years with PS 89 in Manhattan. Catherine and her students appeared in the documentary PS DANCE. She served on the writing committee for the NYCDOE’s Blueprint for the Arts in DANCE and is on the faculty of the...