Conversations on Dance

Today we check in with Houston Ballet to hear about their upcoming performances of Stanton Welch’s ‘Sylvia.’ We are joined by Houston Ballet Artistic Director, Stanton Welch, and Principal dancers who will be performing the leads in the ballet, Connor Walsh and Karina González. We first spoke with Stanton Welch on the podcast in 2018 in episode 98, had Connor on in 2019 in episode 158, and are welcoming Karina on for the first time. Today we speak with this trio about what lead them each to Houston Ballet, getting back onstage this season for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, their work and process of creating ‘Sylvia,’ and what audiences can expect from this original full length production. Houston Ballet’s ‘Sylvia’ is on stage March 10-20, 2022 at the Brown Theater in Houston, TX. For tickets and more information about Houston Ballet’s 2021-2022 season, visit houstonballet.org. _________________________ LINKS: Cleveland School of Ballet: Trainee Program Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/trainee-program-auditions/ Summer Intensive Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/summer-intensive-2022/ Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami – dimensionsdancemia.com ________________________ Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by Karole Armitage, Artistic Director of the New York-based Armitage GONE! Dance Company. Karole has had an extensive career as a dancer and choreographer.  She began her professional career in 1973 as a member of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland, under the direction of George Balanchine. In 1976, she was invited to join Merce Cunningham’s company, where she remained for five years, performing leading roles in Cunningham’s landmark works. She began her choreographic career in 1979, showcasing her unique voice in the dichotomy of classical and modern dance. Requests for commissions came in quickly once she started creating dance, from companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and companies throughout Europe. In 1990, she choreographed Madonna’s now iconic music video, “Vogue,” then went on to choreograph for Michael Jackson’s music video, “In The Closet.” In 2004 she founded her company, Armitage GONE! Dance, which will be onstage this month at New York Live Arts. We caught up with Karole as she was at the studios between rehearsals to hear about her expansive career, stories of working with Balanchine and Cunningham, choreographing for two of the most prolific pop stars of all time, and about her company’s upcoming shows. Don’t miss “A Pandemic Notebook” at New York Live Arts March 16-19, 2022. Tickets are available at https://newyorklivearts.org/live-arts-plus. _________________________ LINKS: Cleveland School of Ballet: Trainee Program Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/trainee-program-auditions/ Summer Intensive Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/summer-intensive-2022/ Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by Lynn Garafola, dance historian and author of ‘La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern.’ Ms. Garafola is Professor Emerita of Dance at Barnard College, Columbia University. A dance historian and critic, she is the author of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and Legacies of Twentieth-Century Dance, and the editor of several books, including The Diaries of Marius Petipa, André Levinson on Dance (with Joan Acocella), José Limón: An Unfinished Memoir, and The Ballets Russes and Its World. She has curated several exhibitions, including Dance for a City: Fifty Years of the New York City Ballet, New York Story: Jerome Robbins and His World, Diaghilev’s Theater of Marvels: The Ballets Russes and Its Aftermath, and, most recently, Arthur Mitchell: Harlem’s Ballet Trailblazer. We talk with Lynn about her new biography of Bronislava Nijinska. Overshadowed in life and legend by her brother Vaslav Nijinsky, Garafola has written the first book to document the full scope of Nijinska’s creative work. Nijinska was a remarkable dancer in her own right with a bravura technique, a teacher, and a prolific choreographer, working with leading figures of twentieth-century art, music, and ballet, including Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Frederick Ashton, Alicia Markova, and Maria Tallchief. ‘La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern’ will be released next month, wherever books are sold. Pre-order now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BYWi1r. _________________________ LINKS: Cleveland School of Ballet: Trainee Program Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/trainee-program-auditions/ Summer Intensive Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/summer-intensive-2022/ Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by our friend, Monica Stephenson, who just started work at a new post as Director of Community Engagement at Miami City Ballet. Monica is originally from North Carolina and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Professional Training Program at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2002, she received her first professional contract with The Washington Ballet. She went on to perform with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble from 2003-2005 before joining the Los Angeles Ballet as an inaugural season company member. Monica was previously a member of the Education Staff at American Ballet Theatre as both a Teaching Artist and the Project Coordinator for Project Plié, an initiative to increase diversity in classical ballet. An engaging dancer, teacher, and administrator, Stephenson joined MCB in January 2022 from The Washington School of Ballet where she served as Head of School for the SE Campus in Washington, DC. We chat with Monica about leading The Washington School of Ballet’s SE campus through the pandemic, what brought about this opportunity at Miami City Ballet, what this position entails, and what she is looking to accomplish in the Miami community. To hear our first chat with Monica, tune into episode 141. _________________________ LINKS: Cleveland School of Ballet: Trainee Program Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/trainee-program-auditions/ Summer Intensive Auditions – https://clevelandballet.org/summer-intensive-2022/ Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by our friend Kate Penner. Kate is figure skating super fan, so we decided to chat with her and have her to give us the run down on the sport to give us a better idea of what to be looking for during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Throughout the discussion, we compare and contrast the sport with ballet. At the end, she answers questions that were submitted to us by listeners via Instagram. As a note, this episode was recorded on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022. Since this has been recorded, there has been significant developments regarding drug test results from the Russian team that arose on February 9th. _________________________ LINKS: • Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we have the pleasure of being joined by Colleen Neary, Artistic Director of Los Angeles Ballet. Born in Miami, Florida, Neary trained in New York at both the School of American Ballet and Harkness House for Ballet Arts. From 1969 to 1979, she danced as a soloist with New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine and became one of his quintessential ballerinas. Colleen’s career path led her to Europe in 1979 when she became Rehearsal Director and Choreographic Assistant at Switzerland’s Zurich Ballet.  In 1986 she accepted the position of Principal Dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet,  then returned to Europe in 1992 to spend a decade with The Royal Danish Ballet as Rehearsal Director, Company Teacher, and First Instructor in charge of productions.  In 2004, she and her husband, Thordal Christensen, founded Los Angeles Ballet. Today we take a deep dive into Colleen’s career, where she shares with us what it was like dancing at SAB as a young dancer while her older sister, Pat Neary, was in the company, her relationship with Balanchine, and her unusual path to join NYCB.  She shares delightful stories with us about working with Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, and where her career took her after leaving the company.  You won’t want to miss a moment of this chat, so we hope you all enjoy!  ___________________________ LINKS: • Jule Dancewear: juledancewear.com code COD15 for 15% off. • The Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project has released its application cycle for performances on May 21 and 22 of this year. Visit the website at riwomenschoreographyproject.com for more information and apply by February 13. • Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by New York City Ballet principal dancer, Megan Fairchild. Megan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four. She went on to train at Ballet West Conservatory, where she was also a Ballet West trainee. In 2000, Megan continued training at the School of American Ballet and in November 2001, she became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. In October 2002 she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet, was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, she was promoted to principal dancer. Megan made her Broadway stage debut playing the role of Ivy Smith in the 2014 revival of “On the Town,” which opened on October 16, 2014 at the Lyric Theatre. She received the 2015 Theatre World Award for her performance. We chat with Megan about her origins in dance, her early years with the company, receiving featured opportunities at a young age, a quick rise through the ranks, dealing with performance anxiety, and returning to dance after having children. In 2021, Megan published a book, “The Ballerina Mindset: How to Protect Your Mental Health While Striving for Excellence.” Megan tells us about how the idea for this book came about and what she hopes that readers will take away. Get “The Ballerina Mindset” at book retailers nationwide and on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tV6LbW. ___________________________ LINKS: • The Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project has released its application cycle for performances on May 21 and 22 of this year. Visit the website at riwomenschoreographyproject.com for more information and apply by February 13. • Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are joined by educator, repetiteur, and former principal dancer with American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet, Robert La Fosse. Robert was born in Beaumont, Texas. He moved to New York City to further his dance education with David Howard at Harkness House and Stanley Williams at The School of American Ballet. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1977, where he danced as a Principal Dancer for nine years. Then, in 1986, he was invited by Jerome Robbins to join New York City Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Throughout his career, he has danced leading roles in a broad repertoire, including originating roles in Jerome Robbins’ works. In addition to his work in classical ballet, Mr. La Fosse has also starred in numerous Broadway productions. Robert works now as an educator and repetiteur. He currently teaches at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. He has worked with American Dance Machine for the 21st Century since 2013 staging the dances from Jerome Robbins musicals. Learn more about American Dance Machine for the 21st Century at adm21.org. _________________________________ LINKS: • Company XIV’s Nutcracker Rouge tickets: http://goldstar.com/new-york • Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

It’s 2022 and COD is back! We are ushering in the new year by celebrating some of the great things that friends of the pod have been up to recently, discussing the complexity surrounding dancer promotions, and how the change in the social media landscape in the past few years is affecting content that dancers and companies are putting out. Plus, we tease next week’s guest. We have lots of exciting things coming your way this year, so thank you for tuning in and for supporting the pod. In the beginning of this episode, we mention our close friend, Jovani Furlan, who has created a Go Fund Me page for help with family medical expenses. You can read Jovani’s story here: https://bit.ly/3FlnOpI. If you are able to give, that would be greatly appreciated. Please also feel free share the link with people who might be interested. Thank you all. _________________________________ LINKS: Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3fl7F97 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

It’s our last episode of 2021 and we are looking back over the year with our friend, Evelyn Kocak. Thank you to all of our listeners and our partners for joining us for another year of COD! We will be back in 2022 with some exciting new episodes and thrilling guests. We love you all! Thank you for listening. Happy Holidays! Photo: Mira Nadon in ‘Movements for Piano and Orchestra’ __________________________________ LINKS: * Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8* Trey McIntyre Projects new website: Treycool.com Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Last week in episode 262, we talked with Choreographer, Kyle Abraham, about his new work that premiered on December 4, 2021 at Stanford Live, called  ‘Requiem: Fire In the Air of the Earth.’ After chatting with Kyle, we knew we had to follow up with his musical collaborator, Jlin, to hear more about her work and the process of creating the score for ‘Requiem.’ More information on upcoming performances at Stanford Live available on their website, live.stanford.edu, or click the link in the description of this episode. __________________________________ LINKS: * Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8* Trey McIntyre Projects new website: Treycool.com Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

As Nutcracker performances return to stages around the world, we decided to celebrate the return of the beloved classic by chatting with friend of the pod, Alastair Macaulay. As a historian of the performing arts and the former Chief Dance Critic of the New York Times, Alastair has a wealth of information to share with us about the history of this ballet that has become a staple for schools and companies across the country. We chat about the ballet’s origins, elements of the production that have been lost over time, different versions Alastair has reviewed, and finally, he tells us which production he finds to be the best. For his current musings on dance and performing arts history, visit alastairmacaulay.com, or click the link in the description of this episode. _______________________________ LINKS: • Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 • Shop juledancewear.com. Use code: HOHOHO15 for 15% off your entire order. • Trey McIntyre Project new website: Treycool.com • Photo credit: Maria Tallchief, a famed Native American dancer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a 1954 production. George Balanchine designed the choreography of the Sugar Plum Fairy for Tallchief. Fred Melton / Jerome Robbins Dance Division. See more historic photos here. Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

This week on ‘Conversations On Dance’ we are joined by award winning choreographer Kyle Abraham. Kyle’s choreographic talents garnered attention quickly in works he created for his company A.I.M., leading to a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013 and commissions from some of the most respected dance institutions in the world. We talk to Kyle about his creative process leading up to his new work ‘Requiem: Fire In the Air Of the Earth’ that will premiere at Stanford Live this December 4th. Tickets and more information: https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/december-2021/requiem-fire-air-earth __________________________________ LINKS: * James Whiteside’s ‘Center Center’: https://amzn.to/3o8hQSr* Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

This week we talk with New York City Ballet dancer, India Bradley, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival this past summer, before the company returned to work. India last appeared on the podcast at the Vail Dance Festival prior to beginning her first season at NYCB as a member of the corps de ballet. You can listen to our chat with her in episode 159. Today, India talks about giving herself grace during the pandemic to step away from dance, how she has found her way back, and what she has most enjoyed about returning to the studio and stage.  Photo credit: Christopher Duggan __________________________________ LINKS: * James Whiteside’s ‘Center Center’: https://amzn.to/3o8hQSr* Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are revisiting the 2021 Vail Dance Festival and one of our favorite chats from the summer. This week on the pod, we sit down with NYC-based Musician, Caroline Shaw. Caroline is a vocalist, violinist, composer, and producers. She was the youngest recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2013 for Partita for 8 Voices, written for the Grammy-winning Roomful of Teeth, of which she is a member. She has collaborated with incredible artists including Kayne West, Nas, Renee Fleming, the National, and so many others. Check out her website, carolineshaw.com for a full list of her work. Caroline has been an integral part of the Vail Dance Festival for years now, collaborating with dancers, choreographers, and making new works. We had so much fun getting the opportunity to sit down to nerd out with her about all things dance and music. At the end of the episode, we are including Caroline’s track that she created in collaboration with Jookin dancer, ‘Lil Buck for a piece called “38109.” This work debuted at the 2018 Vail Dance Festival, ran again this year, and was just a part of City Center’s Fall for Dance. We talk about this track in the episode and even embarrass ourselves by singing it for her. Enjoy. __________________________________ LINKS: * James Whiteside’s ‘Center Center’: https://amzn.to/3o8hQSr* Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8 Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance Facebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Facebook Group:  facebook.com/groups/conversationsondancefriends Twitter: twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com