The Adult Ballet Studio – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Pirkko Markula, contemporary dancer and professor of socio-cultural studies of physical activity at the University of Alberta in Canada, is in the studio!

She has a Ph.D in kinesiology and major sport sociology from the University of Illinois. Beyond academia, she’s a dancer herself, previously training in the Dance Department at the University of Illinois with an emphasis on Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor,  and José Limón techniques. She is currently a choreographer and dancer for Initial 6, a contemporary dance company for dancers above the age of 40 at the University of Alberta.

Combining her love for movement and academia, one of her areas of research is dance and exercise in contemporary culture, with an emphasis on dance and the aging process. Through her Psychology Today blog, Fit Femininity, she examines how adult ballet dancers discover a new sense of self in a ballet class. A collection of essays Pirkko edited alongside colleagues and students in January 2018, titled “The Evolving Feminine Ballet Body,” explores a range of topics regarding the ways ballet has influenced contemporary culture throughout its evolution. 

In this episode, we discuss how the ideal ballet body - both celebrated and criticized at times - has evolved alongside ballet as an art form, how ballet has contributed to broader cultural narratives, and especially, how body ideals in ballet have influenced societal views of femininity, beauty, and womanhood. Check it out!

**This episode discusses body image and touches on disordered eating, which can be a sensitive topic. That discussion begins around 14:00 and continues until 29:00, for any listeners who want to skip ahead. 

• Follow Pirkko’s Psychology Today blog, Fit Femininity: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fit-femininity
• Check out The Evolving Feminine Ballet Body essay collection: https://a.co/d/3IZotEW
• Read Pirkko’s article, What We Can Learn From Women Who Take Adult Ballet Classes: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fit-femininity/202302/what-we-can-learn-from-women-who-take-adult-ballet-classes 

Vote for The Adult Ballet Studio in the arts & design category for the Women in Podcasting Awards! Voting ends October 1st: https://www.womenpodcasters.com/vote

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield  | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

The Adult Ballet Studio has another special guest for this episode! Cecelia Beam, faculty member for adult ballet and dance classes for people with Parkinson’s at San Francisco Ballet, is in the studio.

Cecelia is a former dancer, training at School of American Ballet in New York City and graduating from the high school ballet program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After dancing in Oakland, California, North Carolina, Indiana and New York, Cecelia found teaching. She earned a master’s degree in ballet at Indiana University and has taught ballet at universities and private ballet schools, including Mills College, Indiana University, and San Francisco Ballet School. 

She has a passion for teaching ballet for adults, and in addition to that, she manages and is the lead teacher for San Francisco Ballet School’s Dance Class for People with Parkinson’s and has coordinated San Francisco Ballet Adult Education Programs for more than 15 years.

She shared some of the ways she structures her classes to make them as inclusive as possible while remaining committed to ballet technique and challenging her students. She also talked about the ways she’s seen ballet change throughout her time studying it, and where she hopes things are headed in the future. Check it out!

• Learn more about Cecelia and her classes at SF Ballet: https://www.sfballet.org/artist/cecelia-beam/ 
• Learn about Cecelia’s work with the Parkinson’s Foundation: https://www.parkinson.org/living-with-parkinsons/stories/cecelia-beam 
• Donate to the Parkinson’s Foundation: Donate here!
• Learn about SF Ballet’s adult program and Dance Class for People with Parkinson’s: https://www.sfballet.org/school-community/adult-programs/parkinsons/
• Email Cecelia: [email protected] 

Vote for The Adult Ballet Studio in the arts category for The People's Choice Podcast Awards! Voting ends July 31. https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield  | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Award-winning dancer, choreographer and creative director, Dani Vitale, is in the studio for our March 5th episode! She is a Los Angeles-based artist and has not only toured the world as a backup dancer for other top artists, but choreographed and creative directed world tours, awards shows, and music videos. She has also been a voice for the dance community, advocating on the boards of SAG-AFTRA and Dancers Alliance for fair industry wages and for dancers to be respected as athletes. As an Under Armor athlete in 2017, she returned to her hometown dance studio in Cleveland, Ohio, to give it a complete renovation so that it could continue to be a safe, inspiring, and creative place for its students. She spoke on this episode about her best advice for dancers to handle the industry’s challenges, how dancers can find a place where they fit within the dance world, and how instructors can build an inclusive environment in their studios. She shared audition advice, fun backstage memories from tours, and some recent, exciting projects she’s been working on!

• Follow Dani on Instagram: @danivitale
• See Dani perform with Halsey at the 2019 American Music Awards: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=halsey+graveyard+ama
• Learn about Dani’s renovation of The Dance Stop in Cleveland, Ohio: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2017/09/dani_vitale_and_under_armour_t.html

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Vanessa Woods, the founder of Vitality in Motion and Vitality Ballet and a former professional dancer, joined the Adult Ballet Studio for its mid-February episode! Vanessa trained at the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase, Princeton Ballet, Miami City Ballet School and STEPS on Broadway in New York City. She has performed with ballet companies around the country, including Suzanne Farrell Ballet in Washington DC, Pennsylvania Ballet and Colorado Ballet. She danced with the Saint Louis Ballet, performing soloist and principal roles for eight seasons. She was also on faculty with the Saint Louis Ballet School and has taught at other ballet schools across the country. She’s now teaching and bringing ballet classes to adults of all ages, with a specific focus on seniors in retirement communities and nursing homes. In this episode, she discusses her two companies and the work they’re doing to bring ballet to everyone, her ballet career, and what it was like transitioning from the stage to entrepreneurship.

• Follow Vanessa on Instagram: @Vanessamw2, @vitality_ballet, @vitality_in_motion

• Learn more about Vitality in Motion: https://vitalityinmotion.com/ 
• Learn more about Vitality Ballet: https://vitalityballet.com/ 

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Author, librarian, archivist, and adult ballet dancer Joanna Marsh joined The Adult Ballet Studio this month to talk all about books, history, ballet and more! She’s the author of two novels — Cantique and La Follia — that focus on the adult ballet community, and her work as a librarian and archivist has led her down some fun rabbit holes into the history of ballet. She’s also a visual artist and a ballet dancer herself, rediscovering ballet in her 20s after a brief experience with it in her teens. We talked about how dance has evolved throughout its history and why Joanna sees it as a countercultural art form, why it’s important to continuously surprise yourself and your audience as an artist, and she gives her best advice for adult ballet dancers to advocate for themselves in their training. She also offers some great writing tips! 

• Follow Joanna on Instagram: @balletlibrarian @jemvisualart
• Check out her books, Cantique and La Follia: https://www.joannamarshbooks.com
• Check out her art work: www.joannamarsh.com 
• Visit her February show at The David Strawn Gallery: http://www.strawnartgallery.org/2023-2024-gallery-season/

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Happy new year! Natalie Orr, body-based intelligence coach and former professional dancer and instructor, is in the studio this month to talk about dance, embodiment, chronic illness, and more! She has more than 16 years of teaching experience both as a dance teacher and an English as a foreign language teacher. She taught in Madrid for many years and created an online dance movement for adults called Natalie Danza, where she ran classes, workshops and retreats in London, Madrid, and Málaga. For the past four years, she’s taken a step back from dancing to run a success coaching business where she helps clients become more in tune with their bodies. We spoke about her decision to take a break from dance, as well as her experience being diagnosed with endometriosis and the challenges of being a person who menstruates or has a woman’s body in ballet. She shared her advice for adult dancers to focus on nurturing their bodies as well as growth and why both are important. We also discussed why dancers need to be more careful about balancing their hard work and perfectionism with periods of rest and kindness to their bodies. 

• Follow Natalie on Instagram: ⁠⁠@bodybasedintelligence⁠
• Learn more about Natalie and her coaching business: ⁠https://www.natalieorr.com
• Check out Natalie's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BodybasedIntelligence

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠

Source: ⁠⁠http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310⁠⁠

Artist: ⁠⁠http://incompetech.com/⁠⁠

⁠⁠@eblosfield⁠⁠ | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! ⁠https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Phil Chan, co-founder of the non-profit Final Bow for Yellowface, joined the studio this month to talk about his work with the organization to improve representation of Asians in ballet and eliminate offensive stereotypes on stage. Phil co-founded the organization alongside Georgina Pazcoguin, former New York City Ballet soloist, and they are both doing great work to advocate for Asian artists within ballet and beyond. Phil is also the author of two books - Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing between Intention and Impact and Banishing Orientalism: Dancing between Exotic and Familiar - as well as a choreographer and a stage director. He directed his first opera this summer, a reimagining of Puccini's 1904 classic Madama Butterfly, and is currently in the process of reworking the famous ballet La Bayadere to appeal to 21st century audiences. We talked about how his own experiences as a Chinese American during the COVID-19 pandemic shaped his approach to his work as a dancer and activist. We also talked about how dancers of any age can push through fear and get into the ballet studio. And, as if he’s not busy enough, Phil is also president of the Gold Standard Arts Foundation, an organization that works to elevate Asian voices in the arts. Phil does so much great work for dance and the live arts, and it was an honor to talk to him!

• Follow Final Bow on Instagram: ⁠@finalbowforyellowface
• Learn more about Final Bow for Yellowface: https://www.yellowface.org/
• Support Asian voices in the arts: https://www.goldstandardarts.org/
• Stop hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: https://stopaapihate.org/donate/
• Donate to Maui's wildfire recovery efforts: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/strengthening/maui-strong-fund

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠

Source: ⁠http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310⁠

Artist: ⁠http://incompetech.com/⁠

⁠@eblosfield⁠ | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Julie Leung, founder of Broche Ballet, joined the studio this month to talk about her journey from being "a clumsy and inflexible teen" to taking her first ballet class at 17 and eventually opening her own studio for adult ballet dancers in 2017! Broche Ballet is now thriving as a fully online ballet studio offering classes and resources to help adult dancers follow their ballet dreams. She spoke about spending her early 20s in New York, where she connected with the teachers and studios that taught her hustle and perseverance, why facing fears is important to her and led her to try ballet in the first place, and her best advice for adult dancers to improve and achieve their goals at any age.

• Follow Julie on Instagram: @julietheballerina | @brocheballet | @iabf_adultballetfestival
• Visit Broche Ballet: www.brocheballetonline.com
• Check out the International Adult Ballet Festival: https://www.internationaladultballetfestival.com/
• Be the first to know about Broche Magazine: https://brochemagazine.com/password

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! ⁠https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link⁠

Leigh Purtill Ballet Company is an LA-based non-profit adult ballet company, and artistic director Leigh Purtill joined the studio this month to talk about its mission of bringing ballet to everyone! We chatted about the need for more women in leadership roles in ballet, breaking boundaries with storytelling and reaching those who don't fit the mold of the perfect dancer, zombies and a spooky-themed ballet (it is October, after all!), and how Leigh went from feeling frustrated with ballet in college to rediscovering its joys through teaching adults. Check out her interview!

• Follow Leigh Purtill Ballet Company on Instagram: @leighpurtillballetcompany
• Support LPBC's mission of ballet for everyone: https://www.leighpurtillballetcompany.org/donate
• Buy tickets for Cracked: Nutcracker with a Twist: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cracked-nutcracker-with-a-twist-tickets-693801006487?aff=oddtdtcreator

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! ⁠https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link⁠

Two guests are in the studio this month! Jana Carson, professional photographer for the Oklahoma City Ballet, and Abby Hudgins, ballet instructor, mom and former pro dancer, chatted with me about founding Ballerinas by Night, a support community that provides resources for adults who are beginning or continuing their dance education. Both have been dancing since they were kids but took a break before re-connecting with ballet in adulthood. We talk about what that was like, how they decided it was time for a break, and ultimately, what led them back to ballet. A few tears were shed as we reflected on how important friendships and communities are in the dance world, and we talked about how dancers can work through barriers to entry in ballet like body image, financial challenges, competition, and physical demands.

• Follow Ballerinas by Night on Instagram: @ballerinasbynight
• Follow Ballerinas by Night on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeyW9p82iYLmgF34JG6_oog
• Check out the Ballerinas by Night blog: http://ballerinasbynight.blogspot.com/
• Check out Jana's photography: www.janacarson.com

Music in this episode:

Waltz of the Flowers - Tchaikovsky

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light - Kevin MacLeod

Barroom Ballet - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100310

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

@eblosfield | [email protected]

Support this podcast on Patreon! ⁠https://patreon.com/TheAdultBalletStudio?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link⁠