Conversations on Dance

This week we are joined by choreographer, Durante Verzola. Durante began to hone his choreographic talents while training to become a dancer at the Miami City Ballet School. While still dancing professionally at Pennsylvania Ballet and Suzanne Farrell Ballet, the choreographic notices continued to pour in and he’s since created many works for Miami City Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and many others. We talk to him about his creative process, how he adapted his methods during COVID and what we can expect to see from him in the future. His work ‘La Follia’ will be performed by Miami City Ballet at the Guggenheim Works & Process in NYC on November 21 & 22, as well as in Doral, FL at the Doral Holiday Fest on December 3 & 4. Tickets and more information: Works & Process Tickets. __________________________________ 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 on the podcast, we check in with our friends at St. Mary’s College’s LEAP Program. We last heard about LEAP from the program’s Associate Director, Stephanie Miller, in episode 170 from January of 2020. When we spoke with her right before the pandemic, the program was working on launching an online program. Since then, the program has expanded exponentially to reach more dancers throughout the country. Today we talk with Shaunna Vella, LEAP Program Director, and Andrew Pearson, Program Coordinator, Online. We hear about how the program works, how it is growing and shifting, and how interested dancers can inquire and apply. For more information, visit stmarys-ca.edu/leap. __________________________ We hope you will join our friends at BalletCollective for a very special 10th anniversary celebration performance. Their performances at Bohemian National Hall in New York City are already sold out, but on Tuesday, November 2nd, you can enjoy the show via livestream at 7:30pm Eastern, 4:20pm Pacific. For the first time ever, the 14 dancers for BalletCollective will be taken from both the ranks of the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company, a rare collaboration between artists from two of the most respected dance organizations in the world. Dancers involved include friends of the pod, Daniel Applebaum, Jovani Furlan, Megan LeCrone, Marzia Memoli, Mira Nadon, Leslie Andrea Williams, and more! Plus, our very own COD co-host, Michael Sean Breeden has been working with BalletCollective on this evening of dance in a repertory director role. So don’t miss it! Stream information available at balletcollective.com/live. LINKS: * Conversations on Dance Reading List, our favorite dance-related reads: https://bit.ly/3GFVWi8* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. Winter box: www.oliveandjune.com/?mct=NOqmMMql* Listen to Edit Extra and The Dance Edit Podcast at thedanceedit.com/podcast. 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 Jacob Jonas, Director, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company. Jacob started dancing at the age of 13 when he came across a street-performing group in Venice Beach.  From there, his passion for dance expanded into various technique and across many different mediums. He is the founding Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company, a creative company that intersects dance across mediums to make original works and initiate nontraditional collaborations. Experience Jacob’s newest project, Films.Dance. Through non-traditional collaborations across cultures and continents, and led by Jacob’s vision, this film series connects the perspectives of diverse artists from a range of disciplines, dance genres, abilities, and experiences.  The second round of films began on September 13, 2021, with a new film every Monday following for 15 weeks. All films are free and available at www.films.dance, @films.dance on Instagram and their Facebook page. Films.Dance is co-presented by four leading performing arts organizations – Los Angeles’s Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater, New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music and Stanford University’s Stanford Live. ____________________________ LINKS: * Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Stanford Live dance films: https://live.stanford.edu/node/2226* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. Winter box: www.oliveandjune.com/?mct=NOqmMMql* Listen to Edit Extra and The Dance Edit Podcast at thedanceedit.com/podcast. 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 on Conversations on Dance, we talk with Marzia Memoli, chorus dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company. Marzia is from Palermo, Italy, where she started her dance and ballet training. She graduated from the Academy of Teatro Carcano in Milan and the Bejart’s school, where she performed with the Bejart Ballet Lausanne. In 2016, she joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. We initially chatted with Marzia this summer to hear about her career, what lead her to Martha Graham, and how she spent her time off from dancing during the shuttering of theaters during the pandemic. At the end of the episode, we recently caught up with Marzia again to hear about her preparations to return to the stage and the company’s upcoming performances at the Joyce Theater October 26-31. Tickets for two joyous programs celebrating the exhilarating return to live theater at the Joyce are available on their website, joyce.org. _______________________________ LINKS: * Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Thank you to Jule Dancewear for their support of this episode. Shop online at juledancewear.com. Starting on Wednesday, October 13th, be sure to follow our instagram accounts to enter to win a Jule leotard and a set of their meshie crop top and tights. @conversationsondance and @juledancewear.* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx* Listen to Edit Extra and The Dance Edit Podcast at thedanceedit.com/podcast. 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 on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by friend of the pod and New York City Ballet Soloist, Georgina Pazcoguin. This summer, Georgina’s new book, “Swan Dive” was released, so we caught up with her between rehearsals and performances to chat. While she sat outside of the David H Koch Theater, she told us about the inspiration behind the book, her writing process, what she hopes readers take away from “Swan Dive,” and what her return to stage this past month has felt like. You can get your copy of Swan Dive wherever books or sold, or click here: https://amzn.to/3AA34YQ. ________________________________ LINKS: * Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Stream Miami City Ballet’s reimagining of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream from October 14-31, 2021. miamicityballet.org/midsummer.* Thank you to Jule Dancewear for their support of this episode. Shop online at juledancewear.com. Starting on Wednesday, October 13th, be sure to follow our instagram accounts to enter to win a Jule leotard and a set of their meshie crop top and tights. @conversationsondance and @juledancewear. * Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx 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 one of our former colleagues, Nathalia Arja, principal dancer with Miami City Ballet. Nathalia was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she began taking dance classes at the age of five at her mother’s ballet school. As a young dancer she competed in and won several dance competitions, where she was offered scholarships to various prestigious schools. At her mother’s suggestion, she auditioned for Miami City Ballet School at 15, receiving a full scholarship to attend the year-round program. She joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2009. In March 2020, during the company’s last performances before the pandemic hit, Nathalia was promoted to Principal. We talk with Nathalia about her career, how she became aware of Miami City Ballet, navigating the company’s change direction early in her tenure, her promotion to principal, and the company’s upcoming streaming of George Balanchine’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Since its premiere in 2016, Miami City Ballet’s reimagining of Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been beloved by audiences and acclaimed by critics. Now, enjoy the online premiere of this “shimmery, shadowy, magical jewel box of a show” from the comfort of your home. Midsummer’s virtual premiere is available online from October 14-31, 2021. Tickets are $20 and are available on their website, miamicityballet.org/midsummer. LINKS: * Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx 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 chat with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Russell Janzen, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. Russell was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and began his dance training at the age of six at The Rock School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enrolled as a full-time student at the School of American Ballet in the winter of 2005. In June 2008, he joined the New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to principal in February 2017. We talk with Russell about his training, dealing with a myriad of injuries during his first few years in the company, about his fellowship at Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, and his love for writing. LINKS: * This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).* More information on Universal Ballet Competition and 2021-2022 tour dates available on their website: universalballetcompetition.com.* Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx 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

On today’s episode of Conversations On Dance we speak with Wes Chapman, former American Ballet Theatre principal, former director of Alabama Ballet, and sought after teacher and coach. Wes tells us about his illustrious career performing on the Met stage with ABT, how he came to direct Alabama Ballet, and how he now shepherds young dancers into their own professional careers as the chairman of the jury for the Universal Ballet Competition. LINKS: * This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).* More information on Universal Ballet Competition and 2021-2022 tour dates available on their website: universalballetcompetition.com.* Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx 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

On this episode of Conversations on Dance, recorded at the 2021 Vail Dance Festival, we give you an inside look at two roles that are essential to every dance and ballet performance. Today we are joined by NYCB Assistant Stage Manager, Nicole Mitchell Mommen, and Lighting Director and Lighting Designer of Boston Ballet, Brandon Stirling Baker. Nicole was the stage manager at Miami City Ballet for many years while we danced there, Brandon is Justin Peck’s go-to lighting designer, and both Nicole and Brandon were two of our earliest guests on the podcast. These two have worked very closely for years, so we thought Vail would be the perfect opportunity to have them back on the pod to talk about what lead them to the career they love and to hear more about their respective roles in the performances at the festival. LINKS: * This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).* More information on Universal Ballet Competition and 2021-2022 tour dates available on their website: universalballetcompetition.com.* Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP* Olive & June: get 20% off first-time customer’s order of any Olive & June system when you use code Dance20 at checkout. oliveandjune.com/?mct=vepYpDqx 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 mother-daughter duo, Gladisa Guadalupe, and Marla Minadeo. Gladisa is the co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Cleveland Ballet and her daughter, Marla, is a dancer in the company. We talk with the pair about how they each were introduced to ballet, balancing their professional life with their family life, the many incarnations of Cleveland Ballet, and what the company has coming up as they enter their 2021-2022 season. Join Cleveland Ballet for its first performance of Momentum set to the magnificent score of Felix Mendelssohn, with choreography by Gladisa, in the city of Vermilion on Saturday, September 18th, 2021. Tickets and more information on this, and the company’s full season at Playhouse Square, are available on their website, clevelandballet.org. LINKS: * This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).* More information on Universal Ballet Competition and 2021-2022 tour dates available on their website: universalballetcompetition.com.* Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP 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

On today’s episode of Conversations On Dance, we are joined by Nel Shelby, dance videographer and founder of Nel Shelby Productions. Nel tells us about her dance training and aspirations, falling in love with film and how she’s blended these two passions together to become one of the industry’s most in demand video producers. Nel also talks about the experience filming Lincoln Center’s 9/11 tribute ‘The Table of Silence Project’, which will be streaming on Saturday, September 11th beginning at 8AM, in partnership with Dance/NYC as part of their #RestartStages series. You can enjoy Nel’s digital content for Jacob’s Pillow from now until September 23rd at jacobspillow.org/whats-playing-now. LINKS: * This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). * More information on Universal Ballet Competition and 2021-2022 tour dates available on their website: universalballetcompetition.com. * Get Michael Langlois’ book, ‘B Plus’: https://amzn.to/3jRuILP 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 dancer Gretchen Smith, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival earlier this month. Gretchen was born in Evansville, Indiana, and began her dance training at the age of seven with Evansville Dance Theatre.  She began studying at the School of American Ballet during the 2003 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. She went on to join the New York City Ballet as an apprentice in October 2005, and in February 2006 she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. We talk with Gretchen about her path to NYCB, dancing iconic repertoire, working with choreographers on new works, some of her takeaways from the pandemic, and her debut as Green Girl in Dances at a Gathering at the Vail Dance Festival. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). LINKS: 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 chatting with friend of the pod and American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, James Whiteside, from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. James tells us all about his new (self-proclaimed) “almost-memoir” that just hit bookshelves called “Center Center.” We hear about how long he has dreamt of writing a book, how the idea came about, what the writing process was like, and what he hopes readers will take away. At the end of the episode he tells us a little bit about his newest ballet that he created for the Vail Dance Festival that was a part of the festival’s closing night performance. “Center Center” is available wherever books are sold, and in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. Get your copy now: https://amzn.to/3ymmrnr This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and the Town of Vail. This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

We were busy at the Vail Dance Festival during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With the news that was coming out of USA Women’s Gymnastics with Simone Biles pulling out of elements of the competition, we had to debrief with our friend (and gymnastics super fan) Kate Penner. She gives us a low down on what happened and we chat about the parallels we see between gymnastics and ballet. This episode was recorded on August 1, 2021. Hear more from Kate and about her role at the Vail Dance Festival here: https://conversationsondancepod.com/2021/08/04/livestream-vail-dance-festival/. This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com). Links: Join our email list: https://bit.ly/3basX5g instagram.com/conversationsondance facebook.com/conversationsondance twitter.com/convoondance conversationsondancepod.com

Today we are sharing with you our final LIVE event recording from the 2021 Vail Dance Festival. In this episode, we are joined by New York City Ballet Resident Choreographer, Justin Peck, and dancer and actor, Robbie Fairchild. These two have been friends since they were students at the School of American Ballet, working together throughout their time with New York City Ballet. They talk about how they first became inspired by the theatre, their aspirations for Broadway, and their forays into film. This episode was recorded LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival on August 7, 2021 at the Manor Vail Lodge. Please note,  we did have some technical difficulties with the sound on one of the microphones during this recording. We apologize in advance. Special thanks to the Town of Vail for their support of the Vail Dance Festival and Conversations on Dance live podcast recordings.  This episode was recorded at the Manor Vail Lodge. Conversations on Dance is proud to have YUMIKO as a continued partner in 2021. yumiko.com Thank you to Tom Boyd for producing this episode.