At the Barre with Madison Ballet Special Projects

In this episode of At the Barre with Madison Ballet , host Chris Fahrenthold sits down with Janessa Urwin, costume designer for Madison Ballet’s upcoming production of Jekyll & Hyde , to explore how costumes help tell a story. Janessa shares her journey from professional ballet dancer to costume designer, including how an unexpected opportunity at American Repertory Ballet opened the door to a...

In this episode of At the Barre with Madison Ballet , Director of Outreach Chris Fahrenthold sits down with Artistic/Executive Director Ja’ Malik and Rehearsal Director/School Principal Richard Walters to discuss Jekyll & Hyde , a new full-length ballet opening Madison Ballet’s 45th anniversary season. Choreographed collaboratively by Ja’ and Richard, Jekyll and Hyde explores the duality of hu...

In this episode of At the Barre with Madison Ballet , Director of Outreach Chris Fahrenthold sits down with Outreach Programs Coordinator Caitlin Sloan to talk about Madison Ballet’s exciting new chapter and what audiences can expect from the 2026–27 season. Madison Ballet Special Projects has officially evolved into Madison Ballet Outreach , becoming a division of the company itself. While much o...

In this special summer edition of At the Barre with Madison Ballet Special Projects, Director Chris Fahrenthold is joined by Lauren Thompson, company artist with Madison Ballet and one of the creative forces behind Summer Suite, a one-day fundraising event benefiting the School of Madison Ballet Scholarship Fund. Lauren shares how a personal fundraiser for her cats unexpectedly became the inspirat...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet company member and emerging choreographer James Wainwright. James shares how he transitioned from years of playing football into professional dance after starting ballet and musical theatre as a teenager. He reflects on growing up around his mother’s dance studio in Chicago, the sense of belonging he found in the studio e...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet company member and emerging choreographer Ben Rose. Ben shares his unique path from competitive ballroom dance into ballet, and how that background continues to influence his creative voice. He discusses the structure of his new piece Tea for Two for Eight , built as a series of contrasting sections inspired by ballroom c...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet apprentice and emerging choreographer Gianna DeMassio In her first season with the company, Gianna shares her journey from a competition dance background to discovering her passion for ballet and how she unexpectedly fell in love with choreography during her training. We also dive into her choreographic process for Innova...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Charlotte Junge, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II. This conversation explores Charlotte’s early dance training, her move to Boston Ballet School at just 14, and the unexpected path that led her to Madison Ballet. She also discusses how her background in multiple dance styles conti...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Sarah Martin, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II. Sarah shares her journey from early training at BalletMet to trainee programs across the country, and how the relationships she built along the way ultimately led her to Madison Ballet. We dive into Sarah’s lifelong love of choreogra...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Eric Stith, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II. Eric shares his unconventional path into ballet and how he found his way back to the art form after almost stepping away completely due to burnout. We dive into Eric’s evolution as a choreographer, including the moment he discovered hi...

In this episode of At the Barre , we are joined by Andrea Yorita, stager for Caili Quan’s work Dignity in Restraint , featured in Madison Ballet’s upcoming ChoreographHER program. Andrea offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to restage a contemporary ballet work and how she balances the original choreographer’s vision with the individuality of new dancers We dive into Caili Quan’s creat...

In this episode of At the Barre , we are joined by Ilana Goldman, Professor of Dance and Director of the BFA program at Florida State University, as well as an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator. Ilana shares her journey from early dance training and her time at Juilliard to a wide-ranging performance career with companies including Oakland Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Cedar Lake Conte...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Endalyn Taylor Outlaw, Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and guest choreographer for Madison Ballet’s ChoreographHER. Endalyn shares her journey from a creative childhood in Chicago to an acclaimed career with Dance Theatre of Harlem and on Broadway, to her evolution into a choreographer and educator. This convers...

In this episode of At the Barre, host Chris Farenthold, Director of Madison Ballet Special Projects, is joined by Nathalia Arja, principal dancer with Miami City Ballet and choreographer of Seven Days Walking , featured in Madison Ballet’s upcoming performance, ChoreograpHER . Natahlia shares her journey from growing up in a ballet family in Rio de Janeiro to becoming a principal dancer, and how a...

In this episode of At the Barre, host Chris Fahrenthold, Director of Madison Ballet Special Projects, is joined by Ja’ Malik, Artistic and Executive Director of Madison Ballet to discuss his artistic journey, the influences that shaped his career, and the vision guiding Madison Ballet’s future. Ja’ Malik shares how his early ballet training, exposure to powerful artistic role models, and passion f...

Welcome to the very first episode of At the Barre, A Madison Ballet Special Projects podcast! In our premiere episode, Caitlin Sloan (Strategic Advisor, MBSP) interviews Madison Ballet Special Projects Director, Chris Fahrenthold to share some insight into who we are and what we do! Key points in this episode: Chris’s background and journey into the ballet world The origin story of Madison Ballet...

At the Barre with Madison Ballet Special Projects is your behind-the-scenes look at the ideas, stories, and creative processes shaping Madison Ballet’s work. Hosted by Chris Fahrenthold, each episode brings our community a little closer to the dancers, choreographers, and collaborators who are making ballet in Madison right now. Whether you’re a seasoned balletomane, current or former dancer, or s...