This week we are joined by Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet.  Mathilde started dancing at the age of 9 in the South of France before going on to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1999.  In 2002 she joined The Paris Opera Ballet where she would dance numerous Principal roles for over a decade.  In January 2013 she accepted an offer from Helgi Tommasson to join the San Francisco Ballet as a Principal.  News of her leaving Paris Opera made waves, as she was the first top-notch dancer to leave the company in years.  Today we talk with Mathilde about her career and her time dancing with both Paris Opera and San Francisco Ballet.  She offers us especially interesting insight into Paris Opera and how the company is run, which is a stark contrast to companies in the United States.  The post (95) Mathilde Froustey, Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Katita Waldo, Ballet Master with San Francisco Ballet. Katita trained at San Francisco Ballet School, prior to joining the company in 1988 and becoming a Principal dancer in 1994.  She  performed Principal roles in a diverse repertory of works by acclaimed choreographers including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Lar Lubovitch, Helgi Tomasson, and Christopher Wheeldon before retiring from the stage in 2010. In 2008, SFB Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson asked Katita to serve as Ballet Master for 2 world premiers.  These experiences ultimately lead to her full-time appointment to the position upon her retirement. Today we talk with Katita about her career, he first experiences in the front of the room setting ballets, adjusting to her new role as Ballet Master, her process for learning ballets before coming into the studio, and her role in the ‘Unbound' festival.This episode is sponsored by San Francisco Ballet and Body Wrappers/Angelo Luzio.The post (94) Katita Waldo, Ballet Master with San Francisco Ballet appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast, we are joined in San Francisco by one of the world’s most in demand choreographers, Christopher Wheeldon. Having trained at Royal Ballet, Wheeldon was taken into the company, but soon transferred to the New York City Ballet, where he rose to the rank of soloist. His choreographic talents were soon recognized and while still in his twenties, he was named resident choreographer of the New York City ballet. He was shortly after in demand at major companies all over the globe, including the Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the Royal Ballet. In 2014, he made his Broadway directorial debut with ‘An American in Paris’, a production that garnered him a Tony for his work as choreographer. We talk with him about what it was like finding his voice as a young choreographer, how he made the transition to broadway, and what continues to inspire his work.The post (93) Christopher Wheeldon, Choreographer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we bring you an episode we recorded at New York City’s Guggenheim museum in January.  We wanted to catch up with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Sara Mearns, and Jodi Melnick, contemporary choreographer to hear about their Works and Process at the Guggenheim that they were putting together.  We chatted with the pair quickly between rehearsals, so we could offer our listeners a preview of this work “One of Sixty-Five Thousand Gestures/ NEW BODIES” that will be going to the  Spoleto Festival in Charelston, South Carolina June 7-10.  For more information about the festival and performances running May 25-June 10th, visit Spoletousa.org.  To get tickets to see Sara and Jodi, search “NEW BODIES” on the Spoleto website, or click here. The post (92) Sara Mearns and Jodi Melnick at the Guggenheim appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our final bonus episode from San Francisco Ballet’s Unbound festival.  Just as with last episode, today we will be talking with 3 different dancers in the company about what ultimately led them to SFB and about their experience at the Unbound festival.  These episodes were recorded in the first few days of the festival around April 20th.  First up today, we talk with Lauren Strongin.  Next we are joined by Principal Ulrik Birkkjaer who just finished his 1st year with the company.  Finally we sit down with soloist Julia Rowe.  The post BONUS: San Francisco Ballet Dancers Ep. 2 appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS: San Francisco Ballet Dancers Ep. 1.  Welcome to our 1st of two bonus episode wrap ups of San Francisco Ballet’s Unbound festival.  In each episode we will be talking with 3 different dancers in the company about what ultimately led them to SFB and about their experience at the Unbound festival.  These episodes were recorded in the first few days of the festival around April 20th.  To start off this episode, we sit down and chat with Principal Dancer, Luke Ingham.  Next, we welcome Benjamin Freemantle who was just promoted to soloist.  And lastly, we talk with Principal Dancer Jennifer Stahl.The post BONUS: San Francisco Ballet Dancers Ep. 1 appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are happy to be sharing with you a recording of our live event at SF MOMA last month.  We were pleased to be able to sit down and talk with San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer, Sofiane Sylve, as a part of a live lecture put together by the San Francisco Based organization, “Words on Dance.” We talk with Sofiane about launching her career at only 14, her time dancing with New York City Ballet, what brought her to San Francisco Ballet, and about her aspirations to be an Artistic Director.  Just before we started recording, Words on Dance founder Deborah Kaufman introduced us to the audience. This episode is sponsored by Body Wrappers/Angelo Luzio, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, and Words on Dance.  Learn more about the work Words on Dance is doing at wordsondance.org.The post (91) Sofiane Sylve, LIVE From SF MOMA appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on ‘Conversations On Dance', we are joined by esteemed choreographer Trey McIntyre, whose second work for the San Francisco Ballet recently premiered in the company's Unbound Festival. Trey's rise to prominence as a choreographer began when Ben Stevenson, then director of the Houston Ballet, created the position of choreographic apprentice for him. He has gone on to choreograph works for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Stutgartt Ballet and many others. In 2005, he found his own dance company, the Trey McIntyre Project, which was an immense critical success and was lauded for its innovative business model. Trey has recently added photographer to his list of considerable talents, with his work being published by the New York Times, The Washington Post and the Boston Globe. To see and support Trey's photographic work, check out patreon.com/treymcintyre.The post BONUS: Choreographer Trey McIntyre from SFB's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another live podcast from San Francisco Ballet.  In this episode we are joined by festival choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.  This episode is a recording of a live “Meet the Artist” event that took place  before a performance of the Unbound festival on April 22nd.  For more live content like this from other San Francisco Ballet performances, please check out San Francisco Ballet’s podcast network on iTunes. Stay tuned to Conversations on Dance for regularly programmed Monday episodes, as well as continued bonus content from our time in San Francisco.  Enjoy, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival.We are back from San Francisco where we recorded a massive 26 episodes that are waiting to be published on your feed.  We chatted with world class choreographers about their careers and work including Christopher Wheeldon, Stanton Welch, and Edwaard Liang, ballet master Katita Waldo, as well as some of the remarkable dancers of San Francisco Ballet, like Sarah Van Patten, Ana Sophia Scheller, and Sofiane Sylve.  Subscribe now on iTunes to recieve notifications of new episodes when they are published.  Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for some behind the scenes content and new episode alertsEpisode sponsored by Body Wrappers Angelo LuzioThe post (90) Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by choreographer and dancer, Myles Thatcher, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival, and his collaborators for his new ballet ‘Otherness’, costume designer Sylvie Rood, and nonbinary artist, Kersh Branz.  This episode was recorded from a live “Meet The Artist” event before the opening of Myles’ ballet at the Unbound festival at San Francisco Ballet.  For more live content like this from these events, please check out San Francisco Ballet’s podcast network on iTunes. Stay tuned to Conversations on Dance as we continue to bring more content to you directly from the festival.The post BONUS: Myles Thatcher, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are with Justin Peck, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival in a live “Meet The Artist” event before the opening night of San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival.  We talk about his career, his process, and about the concept behind his new ballet for SFB, “Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.”  Stay tuned this week for more from the festival coming soon!The post (89) Justin Peck, LIVE from San Francisco Ballet's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are bringing you the first of a series of podcasts recorded live in San Francisco. San Francisco Ballet is kicking off its ‘Unbound’ Festival tonight, an event that will span 17 days and feature the world premieres of 12 choreographers. Our first guest is Dores Andre, a principal dancer here with the company, who is to be featured in 4 of the premieres.The post BONUS: Dores André from SFB's Unbound Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shelby Williams, Biscuit Ballerina.  On this week's podcast, our guest is Shelby Williams, dancer at the Royal Ballet Of Flanders, and creator of internet sensation Biscuit Ballerina. Shelby began her career with Houston Ballet II, before shortly moving on to several major companies in Europe. In addition to the Royal Ballet Of Flanders, she has danced with Dresden Ballet, Barcelona Ballet and Ballet D'Europe.Shelby created an alternate instagram personality ‘Biscuit Ballerina', a hysterical parody starring a technically deficient, and bafflingly confident dancer butchering her way through the classical canon. While these videos are riotously funny, they are also Shelby's commentary on how perfection obsessed ballet dancers can be. Today we talk to Shelby about her own dancer career, how ‘biscuit ballerina' was born, and what she hopes followers of this persona take away from the account.If you aren't following @biscuitballerina on Instagram yet, we highly recommend it. Check out our sponsors: Body Wrappers and Sudio Sweeden (use promo code DANCE at checkout).The post (88) Shelby Williams, Creator of Instagram's ‘Biscuit Ballerina' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s just Rebecca and Michael this week, together from New York City, as they return to discuss some of the feedback received after last week’s episode.  They also discuss a recent article on dancers' and negativity (10:30), and how a dancer’s perspective on their career changes post retirement (16:29).  They return to their interview format next week, and the following week will be reporting from San Francisco Ballet to cover their Unbound Festival.  Subscribe now so you won’t miss a moment!The post (87) Dancers' Negativity and Perspective Post-Retirement appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's just Rebecca and Michael this week as they sit down to discuss some of the stories that have been making news recently.  We talk about Misty Copeland's epic and graceful response to a Twitter troll last week (7:55) and discuss Avichai Scher's article for the Huffington Post, “The Me Too Moment Is Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point” (16:15).  We will be going to San Francisco April 20-25th to partner with San Francisco Ballet to bring you coverage from their massive “Unbound” Festival, which will feature 12 new works by 12 choreographers in 17 days (34:48).  Subscribe now to Conversations on Dance in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts to automatically be notified when new episodes are available.The post (86) Misty Copeland's Clap Back & Ballet's Chance for a Turning Point appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome Caitlin Trainor, Artistic Director of Trainor Dance and Founder of Dancio.  Named one of the 25 to watch in 2016 by Dance Magazine, Caitlin is a performer, choreographer, and a member of the faculty at Barnard College.  Caitlin fell in love with dance and choreography during her time in college at Skidmore, where she became determined to carve out a career for herself in the field.  And indeed she did.  She has been prolific in the field ever since, founding her own company, Trainor Dance, in 2011.  Last year Caitlin launched her newest venture, Dancio, a website that offers on-demand videos of ballet classes with some of the best teachers in the world.  Today we talk with Caitlin about how she came to love dance, how she pursed her dream of a career in dance, and founding her own company. We find out more about Dancio: how the idea came about, and what she sees in it’s future.***We are thrilled to announce that we will be working with San Francisco Ballet April 20th-25th to cover their massive “Unbound: A Festival of New Works.”  Unbound will feature 12 choreographers creating 12 world premiers on the dancers of SFB, that will premier over 17 days.  We are so thrilled to be partnering with the company to bring this ground breaking festival to you through Conversations on Dance.  To make sure you don’t miss a moment from San Francisco, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to Conversations on Dance via iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. You won’t want to miss it. ***The post (85) Caitlin Trainor, Artistic Director of Trainor Dance and Founder of Dancio appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome back costume designer duo, Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung.  We first had them on the pod in 2016 in episode 21, where we talk with them about how they became interested in fashion, how they met each other, and about their work.  This time we met up with them in person back in January at the Guggenheim Museum, the site of their newest project.  We talk with them about what they have been up to since we last spoke, including their time as fellows at Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, then we get a preview of their upcoming event as part of the Works & Process at the Guggenheim. On March 25th and 26th, the pair will be presenting new work  in collaboration with their favorite clients and choreographers, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Jack Ferver, Gwen Welliver, and Burr Johnson. As part of the program Barteme and Jung will participate in a moderated discussion led by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi on March 25 and New York City Ballet principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring on March 26. Dancers include Reid Bartelme, Maggie Cloud, Jack Ferver, Russell Janzen, Burr Johnson, Harriet Jung, and Stuart Singer with singer Tiffany Abban accompanied by pianist Patrick Gallagher.   If you are in New York City, you won’t want to miss Reid and Harriet atWork & Process at the Guggeheim March 25th and 26th.  For tickets, visit guggenheim.org and use Promo code “COD” for $25 tickets.The post (84) Reid and Harriet on their Works & Process at the Guggenheim appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we head back in our archives to our time at The Kennedy Center in October of 2017.  With this episode we are delighted to share an inside look into the world of arts administration.  We are speaking with Meg Booth, Director of Dance Programming at The Kennedy Center.  Meg attended the University of Notre Dame where she recieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She began her work in the arts at North Carolina Dance Theatre before joining IMG Artists as an Associate.  She went on to work with Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov before landing at The Kennedy Center as the Marketing Manager.  After 4 years in that  position, in 2007, Meg would become responsible for all the dance seen on Kennedy Center stages.  Hear her talk about her journey, how she decides what companies and works to bring to Kennedy Center audiences, and the puzzle of logistics she goes through to bring these world class performances to fruition.As a note, we wanted to bring this episode to you in conjuction with the announcement of The Kennedy Center’s 18-19 season of dance.  Since this was recorded in October, it was before the final performances of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet.  Since Meg is the administrative Director of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, we talk at length about the company and what was expected from the final performances.  For more on what is coming to the Kennedy Center in their new season, visit tkc.com/newseason.The post (83) Meg Booth, Director of Dance Programming at The Kennedy Center appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week it is just Michael and Rebecca, taking some time to catch up.  Rebecca has a big announcement to make, we talk changes happening at New York City Ballet and what it means for ballet as a whole (30:10), and we discuss what is coming up for Conversations on Dance (44:07).This episode is sponsored by Sudio headphones. Start listening to Conversations on Dance today with Sudio headphones.  We are happy to be able to offer our listeners 15% off any purchase when you use promocode DANCE at checkout.  To take advantage of this offer, go to https://goo.gl/fAH3D6.  The post (82) Michael and Rebecca on Retirement & Changes in the Ballet World appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are presenting our final episode recorded from the Vail Dance Festival in August 2017.  Today we sit down with Matthew Neenan, PA Ballet Choreographer in Residence & Co-founder of BalletX.  Matthew began his dance training at the Boston Ballet School, later continuing his studies at the School of American Ballet.  From 1994-2007 Neenan danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet.   In 2006, Matthew received the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute’s Fellowship Initiative Award, and in 2007 was named Choreographer in Residence at Pennsylvania Ballet. His work has been performed at the Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, and many others.  In 2005, Matthew co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox. BalletX has toured and performed Neenan’s choreography in New York City at The Joyce Theater and The Skirball Center, at the Vail Dance Festival, and at Jacob’s Pillow.  Today we talk with Matthew about his dancing career, his choreography, how the evolution of Pennsylavnia ballet has changed his work, the founding of BalletX while still dancing, and the hopes and dreams he has for the company going forward.The post (81) Matthew Neenan, PA Ballet Choreographer in Residence & Co-founder of BalletX appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Reid Bartelme and Jack Ferver, hosts of the podcast “What’s Going on With Dance and Stuff.”  We have had Reid on the podcast before to discuss his work as a costume designer, so tune into episode 21. Today we get to know Jack a little more when he tells us about his acting career, his choreography, and how ballet and other art forms inform his work.  The two are close friends and they talk about how they met, how they collaborate, and how they decided to start their podcast “What’s Going on With Dance and Stuff.”  After recording this episodes, Reid and Jack turned the tables on us and interviewed us for their pod.  Dance podcast worlds collide this week on Conversations on dance.If you have yet to tuned into “What’s Going on With Dance and Stuff” we highly reccommend you check them out.  New episodes go live on Fridays, and you can even go back and find the episode when they had us as guests. Find them on iTunes and subscribe today!The post (80) Reid Bartelme and Jack Ferver, hosts of ‘What’s Going on With Dance and Stuff' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are joined by Amy Brandt, Pointe Magazine Editor-in-Chief.  Amy invited us to the Pointe headquarters in New York City and gave us a tour of their beautiful offices before we sat down to chat.  Amy dance professionally with Milwaukee Ballet and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet among others.  During her ballet career, she pursued her college degree part-time, while also beginning to write for Pointe Magazine, starting with her advice column, “Ask Amy.”  Amy graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BA in English and World Literatures, and currently serves on its advisory board.  She has been the editor in chief since 2014.  Today we talk with Amy about getting a college degree while dancing full time, what she sees as her responsibility as the editor of the ballet world’s most widely read publication, and some of the tough issues facing ballet today.The post (79) Amy Brandt, Pointe Magazine Editor-in-Chief appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are joined by two of our close friends, former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer, Patricia Delgado, and current MCB Principal, Renan Cerdeiro.  Patricia has been on our podcast quite a few times in the past, so to hear more from Pat, visit our past catalog of episodes.  Renan was born in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and started dancing at a young age.  In 2008, he was named a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and was awarded a scholarship to train at Miami City Ballet School.  He joined MCB in 2010, and was promoted to Principal in 2013.  Patricia and Renan often danced together at Miami City Ballet, and became one of the company’s most beloved onstage couples.  We caught up with the pair when they were guesting as The Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavelier in Next Generation Ballet’s Nutcracker this past December.  Hear them talk about their first time dancing together, what makes their partnership so special, their experience dancing Romeo and Juliet together, and what it feels like to reunite here in Tampa with Next Generation Ballet.The post (78) Renan Cerdeiro, MCB Principal, & Patricia Delgado, Former MCB Principal appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we have a wonderful bunhead episode in store, with one of our favorite guests, The Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times, Alastair Macaulay. Alastair and Michael are together in Michael’s New York City apartment, while I call in to join the conversation. Today we are focusing on two of the most important choreographers of the 20th century: George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton. If you listen to the pod, you have heard us speak of Balanchine, and are likely a fan yourself, but we haven’t covered Ashton much, until today. Mr. Macaulay has been preparing for a lecture he will be presenting at the New York Public Library on February 5th on the subject of these two choreographers.  Alastair offers us a wonderful preview of the content he will cover, tells stories of the two choreographic greats, and compares and contrasts their work.Alastair will be presenting the annual Lincoln Kirstein Lecture, “Ashton and Balanchine: Parallel Lives” at the New York Public Library on February 5th at 6pm. This event is co-presented by The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.  For more information, visit NYPL.org.The post (77) Ashton and Balanchine: Parallel Lives with Alastair Macaulay appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are bringing you another episode from Next Generation Ballet in Tampa.  We sit down with esteemed New York City Ballet Principals Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar who were performing as guest artists for NGB’s “Nutcracker” this past December.   Sara has been on the pod before, so if you haven’t heard our interview with her, check out episode 24.  Amar and Sara have been dancing together since they joined the company in 2000 and 2003 respectively.  They have had works created on them and surrounding their partnership by countless choreographers including Justin Peck, Peter Martins, Chris Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky to name a few.  Today we talk with them about what makes a successful partnership, how they worked through some difficult times, why they work so well together, and they share with us some of their favorite onstage moments together.The post (76) Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar, New York City Ballet Principals appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the podcast we are tackling a subject that we find of immense interest to students and parents in our travels to schools across the country: does having a career in ballet mean forgoing college?  Our guest this week is a Harvard Graduate and an Los Angeles Ballet Soloist who shows that it’s possible to do both.  This week we talk with Elizabeth Claire Walker, who always dreamed of a career in ballet, and had parents who strongly valued her education.  She trained as a teenager at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.  After being accepted at Harvard, she pushed on with her ballet career, attending company auditions and being discovered by Los Angeles Ballet in their inagural season.  Liz defered college and headed to LA to start her career.  An experimental summer-school stint in Cambridge in 2007 made Walker fall in love with Harvard and gave her the push she needed to pursue her degree. She continued dancing while attending college, suffering an injury that made her hesitant to re-enter the world of professional ballet so soon.  After graduating, she was re-hired at LA Ballet, and was recently promoted to soloist.  We talk with Liz as a part of our time at the Vail Dance Festival in August of last year.  We have such an enlightening talk with Liz that we truely reccommend for all parents with children who wish to pursue a career in ballet.The post (75) Elizabeth Claire Walker, Los Angeles Ballet Soloist and Harvard Graduate appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we continue our coverage of Next Generation Ballet’s Nutcracker by speaking with Philip Neal, Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet.  Philip began his training at the age of 11 at the School of Richmond Ballet, where he was recognized by Edward Villella and offered a scholarship to the School of American Ballet.  He joined the New York City Ballet in 1987 becoming a Principal in 1992.  He went on to dance lead roles in the vast majority of the company’s rep,  and was invited to guest with many companies including the Kirov Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet.  After a 23- year tenure with City Ballet, 17 of those years as a Principal, Philip was invited by The George Balanchine Trust and The Jerome Robbins Rights Trust to become a Repetiteur, staging the ballets of both legendary choreographers throughout the world.  From 2010-2013, he directed developmental efforts in  Palm Beach County on behalf of Miami City Ballet before being appointed the Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet & Dance Dean of the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center in Tampa FL, one the largest performing arts center in the United States.  Today we talk with Philip about his career, how he discovered his talent for arts development, get some teaching pointers, and learn more about the great work he is doing at Next Generation Ballet.The post (74) Philip Neal, Artistic Director of Next Generation Ballet and Former New York City Ballet Principal appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we talk with Ivonne Lemus: Ballet Mistress at Next Generation Ballet & Former Soloist with National Ballet of Cuba. We took a quick break over the holiday from our regularly scheduled programming, but while we were on our break, we went to Tampa to teach master classes, host a lecture, and record interviews with the dancers, staff, and guest artists of Next Generation Ballet. Today we talk with NGB’s Ballet Mistress, Ivonne Lemus. Ivonne trained at the National School of Ballet in Havana, Cuba, where she graduated in 1986. She then went on to join the National Ballet of Cuba where she danced under the direction of Alicia Alonso for a decade. After her promotion to soloist in Cuba, she went on to join the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. After her dancing career, she has gone on to teach all over the country, joining Next Generation Ballet’s full-time teaching staff in 2007. We talk with Ivonne about what he training was like in Cuba, about dancing for Alicia, how she defected and ended up in Canada, and how she is now producing the next generation of professional dancers.The post (73) Ivonne Lemus: Ballet Mistress at Next Generation Ballet & Former Soloist with National Ballet of Cuba appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a special episode of Conversations on Dance.  We are in Tampa, Florida this week covering Next Generation Ballet and their Nutcracker run at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.  In the coming weeks we will be releasing content with the staff including Director Philip Neal and Ballet Mistress Ivonne Lemus and their guest artists performing this weekend.  So stayed tuned for that.  But today, we will be talking with some of the students who will be featured in the production: Stephen Myers, Audra Cockrell, Virginia Archer, Avery Jarrard, and Abigail White.The post Bonus Episode: More from Next Generation Ballet's ‘Nutcracker' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a special episode of Conversations on Dance.  We are in Tampa, Florida this week covering Next Generation Ballet and their Nutcracker run at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.  In the coming weeks we will be releasing content with the staff including Director Philip Neal and Ballet Mistress Ivonne Lemus and their guest artists performing this weekend.  So stayed tuned for that.  But today, we will be talking with some alumni of the Next Generation Ballet: Jordan Martinez of the Royal Ballet School and Alexandra de Roos of the School of American Ballet.The post Bonus Episode: Next Generation Ballet's ‘Nutcracker' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 As our final episode of 2017, we are saluting this year’s biggest ballet celebration, 50 years of George Balanchine’s “Jewels.” Today we take an in depth look at Balanchine's ‘Jewels' with Bob Gottlieb: author, editor, and dance critic. Bob has been editor-and-chief of Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf, and the New Yorker. Gottlieb is widely considered to be one of the greatest editors of the second half of the 20th century. For many years he was associated with the New York City Ballet during Balanchine’s time, often contributing to programming and serving on the Board of Directors. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Miami City Ballet. We always enjoy talking with Bob, and sometimes veer off topic, and in this case, around 45 minutes into this episode, our bun-head sides take over. Today we talk extensively with Bob about Balanchine’s process, the premier of Jewels, the original cast, and how the ballet is being danced today.LINKS:Website: conversationsondancepod.comInstagram: @conversationsondanceMerch: https://bit.ly/cod-merchYouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-CODJoin our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-COD Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are going back into our vault from our time at the Vail Dance Festival this past summer, for another episode with a festival favorite.  Today we talk Calvin Royal III,  American Ballet Theatre Soloist.  Calvin started his formal ballet training at the age of 14 in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In April of 2006 he was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix Scholarship Comeptition in New York City, and joined ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onnasis School a few months later.  He joined ABT II (now the ABT Studio Company) in 2007, and joined the main company in 2010.  Royal was a 2014 winner of a grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund.  He was promoted to soloist just this past summer.  We talk with Calvin about how he got his start in ballet despite being 14, how he quickly caught up with his peers, what the Fellowship Fund grant has afforded him, and what he looks forward to as a new soloist.The post (71) Calvin Royal III, American Ballet Theatre Soloist appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are heading into our vault from our time at the Vail Dance Festival this past summer, where we spoke with many of the festival’s amazing and talented artists.  Today we talk with Lauren Lovette, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer who was not only dancing at the festival, but also choreographing a new piece. Lauren began dancing at the age of 11 at the Cary Ballet Conservatory in Cary, North Carolina. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet during the summers of 2004 and 2005 and became a year-round student in 2006. After joining New York City Ballet as member of the corps de ballet in 2010, she became a principal dancer in 2015.   We talk with Lauren about her start in ballet, how she became interested in choreography, how becoming a vegan has changed her dancing, and about her new ballet that premiered a few nights after we recorded this episode.The post (70) Lauren Lovette, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Allynne Noelle, Suzanne Farrell Ballet First Soloist.  Allynne started her training at the age of five in Southern California and began her professional career at age 15 with Ballet Pacifica.  In 2003 she joined Miami City Ballet where she would dance as a soloist until leaving the company in 2010.  After battling some serious injuries, she recovered and joined Los Angeles Ballet as a Principal in 2011.  In 2015 she joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet.  She will be dancing in the company’s final shows entitled, “Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances” at the Kennedy Center December 7th- 9th.  We caught up with Allynne while we were visiting the Kennedy Center in October.  She was kind enough to join us in the middle of her first day of rehearsals for these performances.  We talk with her about her career, struggles with injuries, her love of working with Suzanne, and she offers a preview of what audiences can expect from the Suzanne  Farrell Ballet’s Farewell Performances.For more information on these performances and other happenings at the Kennedy Center, visit kennedy-center.org.The post (69) Allynne Noelle, Suzanne Farrell Ballet First Soloist appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Live From The Kennedy Center: Mariinsky Ballet Director Yuri Fateev and Dancer Timur Askerov.  A few weeks ago we were in Washington, DC to cover a busy weekend of ballet at the Kennedy Center.  While we were there, the Mariinsky Ballet was in town performing La Bayadère.  We had the pleasure of sitting down with the acting director of the Mariinsky, Yuri Fateev and one of their star dancers, Timur Askerov.  Mr. Fateev graduated from the Leningrad Academic Vaganova Choreography School in 1982 and joined the Mariinsky Ballet the same year.  In 1996 he became a coach with the Mariinsky and has been a guest coach with the Royal Ballet in London, ABT, and Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre.  He has been Acting Head of the Mariinsky Ballet since 2008.  Mr. Askerov was born in Azerbaijan and graduated from the Baku School of Dance in 2008. From 2009–2011 he danced in Ukraine before joining the Mariinsky in 2011.  He has danced lead roles in the majority of the company’s repetoire and has toured with the Mariinsky to Europe, Asia, and America.Timur prefered to answer our questions in Russian, so Yuri was nice enough to translate for us.  In this version of the interview we have done a voice over to translate for Timur.  If you would like to listen to Timur’s complete answers in Russian, we have tacked that interview on in it’s entirety to the end of this episode.  To listen to that version, please fast forward to 50 minutes and 30 seconds in the time stamp now.  We really enjoyed chatting with these two to get a better idea of what is happening at the Mariinsky, so we hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did.This episode is sponsored by Body Wrappers and The Kennedy Center.  For more on the events happening at the Kennedy Center, visit kennedy-center.org.The post (68) Live From The Kennedy Center: Mariinsky Ballet Director Yuri Fateev and Dancer Timur Askerov appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Live From the Kennedy Center: Damian Woetzel & Tiler Peck on Jerome Robbins. Two weeks ago we were in Washington, DC to cover a busy weekend of ballet at the Kennedy Center.  We arrived on Friday night just in time to watch an exceptional performance entitled “DEMO: Jerome Robbins- An American Dance Genius.”  These DEMO programs are curated by former New York City Ballet Principal, Artistic Director of the Vail Dance Festival, and incoming president of Julliard, Damian Woetzel.  Damian hosted the evening, which gave audiences an educational behind the scenes look at working with Jermone Robbins and dancing his ballets.  He brought 5 New York City Ballet dancers with him to demonstrate multiple excerpts of Robbins ballets: Tyler Angle, Tiler Peck, Unity Phelan, Amar Ramasar, and Daniel Ulbricht.  Damian’s wife, and former New York City Ballet Principal, (also a former Conversations on Dance guest) Heather Watts, was a special guest for the evening.  The dancers were all clad in rehearsal attire, the stage was bare, with the exceptions of a few barres to constitue sets, organized onstage just as they are in the studios for rehearsals.  The evening started with Robbins' first work “Fancy Free,”  and moved in mostly chronological order, to include his Broadway work, his return to NYCB in 1969, and his interest in choreographing to Chopin’s music.  One highlight of the evening was when Ms. Watts coached Ms. Peck in “Afternoon of a Faun.”  The evening included so much history, details, and background on these ballets, that we invited Damian and Tiler Peck to join us the next day for a debrief of the performance.For more information on performances and events at the Kennedy Center, visit kennedy-center.org.  The post (67) Live From the Kennedy Center: Damian Woetzel & Tiler Peck on Jerome Robbins appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we have a very special episode in store.  We are offering a preview of this weekend’s Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Tanaquil Le Clercq’s ‘The Ballet Cook Book,' a 50th Anniversary Celebration.  In 1967, ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq published The Ballet CookBook, a fascinating compilation of ballet history, food stories, and recipes from over 90 leading dancers and choreographers of her generation, including George Balanchine, Jacques d'Amboise, Melissa Hayden, and Allegra Kent. For the book’s 50th anniversary, food scholar Meryl Rosofsky is curating a program honoring Le Clercq's artistic, literary, and culinary legacy as a part of the Works & Process series at the Guggenheim museum in New York City.  Today we talk with Meryl, who, as part of the event, will be sharing her findings from her fall 2016 fellowship at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU where she delved into the cultural history of Tanaquil’s book.  We are also joined by New York City Ballet Principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring, who is a passionate at home chef and has been working with Meryl to curate this event.  Joining the pair at the Guggenheim on November 5th and 6th will be Jacques d'Amboise and Allegra Kent who were both at Tanaquil’s book signing 50 years ago, and New York City Ballet Principal Jared Angle, whom Meryl and Adrian reference often in this episode.  The program will include discussions with the panelists, interspersed live performances, and The Wright restaurant at the Guggenheim will serve select dishes from The Ballet Cook Book.  Catch Meryl and Adrian at the Guggenheim this Sunday and Monday, November 5th and 6th at 7:30.  For more information on “Works & Process at the Guggenheim,” go to worksandprocess.org.The post (66) Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Tanaquil Le Clercq’s ‘The Ballet Cook Book' appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have the pleasure of being joined Kevin McKenzie, American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director.   A native of Vermont, McKenzie recieved his ballet trianing from the Washington School of Ballet.  He was a leading dancer with the Joffrey Ballet and the National Ballet of Washington before joining American Ballet Theatre in 1979 as a soloist.  He would go on to dance with the company as a Principal dancer until 1991.  During his time with the company he danced many leading roles including  Don Jose in “Carmen”, Albrecht in “Giselle”, and Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet.” In 1989 McKenzie was  appointed Artistic Associate at The Washington Ballet where he was a permanent guest artist,  and he also acted as Associate Artistic Director of New Amsterdam Ballet.  In October of 1992, he was appointed Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, where he would go on to choreograph many works on the company.  This year, the company is celebrating his 25th year as Artistic Director, so we were happy to get the opportunity to take a look back over his career, and the past 25 years with ABT.The post (65) Kevin McKenzie, American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Isabella Boylston, American Ballet Theater Principal Dancer.  Isabella was born in Sun Valley Idaho and started dancing at the age of 3.  In 1994 she began training at a small studio, and by the age of 12 was commuting to Denver every day to study at the Academy of Colorado Ballet.  After winning gold at the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York City in 2001, she moved to Florida to study at the Harid Conservatory.  After attending a summer course at American Ballet Theater, she joined the studio company in 2005, and joined the main company a year later.  She was then promoted to Principal Dancer in 2014.  She has danced many lead roles with the company, most noteably Giselle, Odette/Odile, Kitri in “Don Quixote,” and the lead in George Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations.”  Recently she appeared as a guest star with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Today we chat with Bella ahead of the opening of ABT’s Fall Season at the Koch Theater in New York City starting this Wednesday and going through October 29th.  We talk today about the path that  brought her to ABT, what her first big opportunities in the company were like, about her time as Artistic Director of this summer’s Ballet Sun Valley festival, and get a preview of what she is dancing this week in New York.  Get tickets now: abt.org.This episode is sponsored by Body Wrappers: http://bodywrappers.com.This episode is also sponsored by Blue Apron.  We are happy to offer a special $30 off your first order for all of our listeners when you visit conversationsondancepod.com/blueapron.  Take advantage of this offer now and next week you could be enjoying delicious meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less.  The post (64) Isabella Boylston, American Ballet Theater Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined Patricia Delgado, Former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer.  Patricia was born and raised in Miami and joined MCB in 2000 at the age of 18.  For 17 years she danced in the majority of the company’s repertoire, moving quickly through the ranks.  This past April, Patricia retired from the stage and has since moved to New York City to explore other creative and artistic opportunities.  We talk with Patricia from the Vail Dance Festival about her retirement shows, what the transition has been like for her moving from a full time company to becoming a free lance artist, and what her next projects are.This episode is sponsored by the Vail Dance Festival and BodyWrappers.FabFitFun is also a sponsor of Conversations on Dance.  To get a seasonal box full of $200 worth of the best beauty secrets, glam fashion finds, and fitness gear for only $49.99, visit https://t.fabfitfun.com/SHqQ.The post (63) Retiring From the Stage with Patricia Delgado, Former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are joined by Gonzalo Garcia, New York City Ballet Principal. Born in Spain, Mr. Garcia began studying ballet at the age of eight at Maria Avila's school. In 1995 he came to the U.S. to study at the San Francisco Ballet School’s summer intensive.  He then went on to become the youngest dancer to ever win a gold medal in the Prix de Lausanne.  He returned to San Francisco Ballet School to complete his training when we was asked to join the company in 1998. He was promote to principal in 2002.  In 2007 he joined New York City Ballet as a principal dancer. Today we talk with Gonzalo about his training in Spain, coming to the US at such a young age, deciding to take the leap of changing companies, and what he is considering doing after his ballet career.Sponsored by FabFitFun. Visit conversationsondancepod.com/FabFitFun to receive a box full of fashion and beauty merchandise, a $200 value, for only $49.99.The post (62) Gonzalo Garcia, New York City Ballet Principal appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by New York City Ballet soloist, Unity Phelan. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Unity began her training at the age of 5 at the Princeton Ballet School. In 2008 and 2009 she attended the School of American Ballet for the summer, becoming a year-round student in the fall of 2009. In December 2012 she was asked to become an apprentice with the New York City Ballet, and was promoted to soloist just this past February.  Today we talk with Unity from the Vail Dance Festival back in August.  We discuss her quick rise through the ranks at New York City Ballet, being selected to dance a Principal role in a new ballet at just 20 years old, and the role Vail Dance Festival plays in her development as an artist.This episode is brought to you by Blue Apron.  We are happy to offer a special $30 off your first order at Blue Apron for all of our listeners by visiting conversationsondancepod.com/blueapron.The post (61) Unity Phelan, New York City Ballet Soloist appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by distinguished Balanchine ballerina, Heather Watts.  Immediately noticed for her stunning physicality and the individuality of her interpretations, Watts was one of the last ballerinas to inspire Balanchine, having roles created for her in ballets like ‘Walpurgisnacht' and danced many of his existing masterpieces such as ‘Concerto Barocco,’ ‘Symphony in C,’ and ‘Theme in Variations.’ She has devoted her life after the stage to keeping Balanchine's works alive, whether it's giving lectures on the way Balanchine's worlds related to art and world events at the time of their creation, or coaching her roles for the many artists of the Vail Dance Festival. In 2012, Watts was awarded an honorary doctorate from Hunter College.  She is married to former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Damian Woetzel.  Today we talk with Heather about her early career, how she caught Balanchine’s eye, the way his death impacted her life, and why coaching his ballets and influencing the next generation is so important to her.The post (60) Heather Watts, Balanchine Ballerina appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Susan Pilarre, esteemed teacher at the School of American Ballet, repetiteur for the Balanchine Trust, and former New York City Ballet soloist. Suzy, as her students, friends and family call her, joined the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine’s direction at the age of 15. She spent 16 years there, premiering in many of his most important works and eventually rising to the rank of soloist. She has remained a keeper of the Balanchine flame ever since, officially joining the staff at the School of American Ballet in 1986. Ms. Pillare also stages Balanchine's works throughout the world, as a representative of the Balanchine Trust. Her daughter Zoe, a former Miami City Ballet dancer and repetiteur, appeared on Conversations on Dance just last week.  Today we talk with Suzy about her first encounters with Balanchine, her career dancing for him, how she got her position at the School of American Ballet, and about her passion for passing on her knowledge to future generations of SAB students.The post (59) Susan Pilarre, Esteemed Teacher at the School of American Ballet appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Zoe Zien, repetiteur and former Miami City Ballet dancer.  Zoe was born and raised in New York City and received her training from the School of American Ballet.  After graduating, Zoe joined the Miami City Balle.  Zoe remained in the company until her retirement from the stage, dancing a bulk of the company’s expansive Balanchine repertoire.  Since leaving the company, Zoe has gone on to work as a repetiteur setting pieces for our former podcast guest, Justin Peck.  Today we talk with Zoe about growing up in a family of artists, what drew her to the Balanchine tradition, the unique challenges of starting a new career teaching ballets, and her new project working on the new Broadway show, “Carousel.” Also, it’s a family affair for these next two weeks on Conversations on Dance, so stay tuned for our next episode when we talk with Zoe’s mother and beloved SAB teacher, Susan Pilarre.The post (58) Zoe Zien, Repetiteur and Former Miami City Ballet Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are joined by Jared Angle, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer.  Jared was born in Altoona Pennsylvania and began dancing at the age of six.  In 1996, he moved to New York City to continue his training at the School of American Ballet.  The following year he received  the Rudolph Nureyev Scholarship to continue his training at SAB.  Jared joined New York City Ballet in 1998 as a corps member and was promoted to Principal in 2005.  Today we talk with Jared about his early career, his skilled talent for partnering, being in the company with his brother Tyler, and what he sees for his future.The post (57) Jared Angle, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.