Conversations on Dance

Nicole Mitchell, New York City Ballet Assistant Stage Manager, joins Rebecca and Michael this week to bring you closer to another aspect of theater: the happenings backstage.  As she says, “If you do your job well, no one knows you did it at all.  But if you make a mistake you run the risk of taking the audience out of the moment.”

This week we are joined by Troy Schumacher, a Corps member with New York City Ballet and Artistic Director of BalletCollective. Mr. Schumacher gives us insight into creating a company from the ground up, his vision for BalletCollective, and his performances coming up on October 27th and 28th at NYU’s Skirball Center.

Allison DeBona, first soloist with Ballet West, first came on the national stage in 2012 as a star on the CW’s reality show, ‘Breaking Pointe.’  Allison chats with us about her journey to the world of professional ballet, how she built her brand, and how ballet is portrayed in the mainstream media.

Michael and Rebecca sit down with American Ballet Theater Principal Dancer James Whiteside for an inside look into his career, his work at ABT, and what inspires him.

Michael and Rebecca sit down this week to answer listener questions submitted via Tendus Under A Palm Tree .com, by email, and by social media.  They discuss how they prepare for a show, how many shows they perform each year, define Balanchine technique, then answer questions from the BuzzFeed article “Questions we want to ask dancers.”

We return for part two of our conversation with former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer John Clifford. John was a dancer with NYCB from 1966-1974 and also choreographed eight works for the company.  Mr. Clifford had a very close relationship with Balanchine, and he continues to share wonderful stories about his career, his choreography, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins.

John Clifford, former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, joins us this week to talk about his career and share stories of George Balanchine.  John was a dancer with NYCB from 1966-1974 and also choreographed eight works for the company.  Mr. Clifford had a very close relationship with Balanchine, and we are thrilled to have him share him memories with us today.

Justin Peck joins Michael and Rebecca in Miami to discuss his choreography, his process, art, and other inspirations.  Join us as we explore the world of the hottest choreographic commodity in the ballet world.

We are back for a second installment with Miami City Ballet Principals Patricia and Jeanette Delgado.  This week we discuss dealing with and preventing injuries.

America’s dancing sweethearts, Patricia and Jeanette Delgado join us this week to look back on their careers.  Patricia is the older sister, but it turns out they started dancing at the same time.  Follow their journey as they fulfill their dreams together by becoming Principal Dancers at Miami City Ballet.

Leigh Witchel, esteemed dance critic, discusses why he thinks that today’s best a brightest choreographers are creating their best work on Miami City Ballet. We talk choreography, ballet’s classic productions, and his favorite ballerinas to follow. Sponsored by Ballet in the City.

Esteemed dance critic, Leigh Witchel sits down with Michael and Rebecca to discuss his dance career, how he crafts reviews, and how dancers should react to what they read on the internet.  Sponsored by: Ballet in the City.  balletinthecity.org

This week we respond to a question from an audience member: How do I convince my parents that I need to defer college to pursue a career in ballet?  Hosts Rebecca King and Michael Sean Breeden discuss their experiences, the experiences of other professional dancers, and which colleges offer great dance programs.

This week, hosts Rebecca King and Michael Sean Breeden of Miami City Ballet discuss ballet topics that have been making news, including Misty Copeland, women in choreography, and Pennsylvania Ballet’s transition to new leadership.

Hosts Rebecca King and Michael Sean Breeden return this week to discuss life as a professional dancer.  They describe in detail what their day to day routine is, discuss rehearsal period, performances, tours, and much more.  Delve into the world of Miami City Ballet dancers with this week’s pod.