Conversations on Dance is an award winning podcast hosted by former Miami City Ballet dancers Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden. Since 2016, the podcast has provided an inside look at the world of dance through in-depth interviews with the field’s most influential dancers, choreographers, musicians, directors, and educators. With a mission to educate, inspire, and connect, Conversations on Dance goes beyond performance to uncover the stories, insights, and artistry that shape the dance world today.
Each week, listeners are invited into candid conversations that highlight the intelligence, passion, and creative process of those working at the highest levels of the art form. With over 500 episodes and partnerships with institutions like the Vail Dance Festival, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, Performing Arts Houston, San Francisco Ballet, The Kennedy Center, and more, the podcast has become a trusted and celebrated voice in the global dance community.
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.
(415) Caleb Teicher on 'Counterpoint' at Performing Arts Houston
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 • Duration 43:17
Today on 'Conversations On Dance', we are joined by dancing extraordinaire Caleb Teicher. Caleb takes us on the journey of their artistic self discovery, from tap to lindy hop and most recently jazz piano. Caleb is pairing up with their friend and frequent collaborator pianist and composer Conrad Tao for 'Counterpoint', an evening length work musically exploring and reimagining everything from Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' to Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'. If you are in the Houston area, visit performingartshouston.org to grab tickets to this one night only, unique and thrilling partnership: September 14, 2024.
(414) Adam Weinert, Artistic Associate of the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 • Duration 41:12
On today's episode of 'Conversations On Dance' we are joined by Adam Weinert, Artistic Associate of the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park's Annual Festival held in Tivoli, NY. The festival runs four consecutive weekends beginning Friday, September 13th. Adam takes us through his personal history with dance education and performing, how expanding his personal interests to include dance history and even gardening broadened his horizons, what it's like to work with the team at Kaatsbaan to develop and curate programming and what audiences can expect to see at this year's festival. To purchase tickets, visit kaatsbaan.org.
(405) Dante Puleio and Joey Columbus on the legacy of José Limón, LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival
Monday, July 29, 2024 • Duration 01:01:37
This episode was recorded live on Monday, July 29th, 2024 at the Vail Dance Festival. At the vanguard of American modern dance since its inception, Limón Dance Company returns to the Vail Dance Festival after making their debut in 2022. The company’s first performance at the festival earned rave reviews and now they return to celebrate the incredible dance legacy of this beloved and historic company. Join Conversations On Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden as they sit down with Limón Dance Company Artistic Director, Dante Puleio, and company artist Joey Columbus, to dig into the legacy of Limón and what audiences can expect to see from the company.
(321) Robert Garland, incoming Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 • Duration 41:02
On today's episode of ‘Conversations On Dance', we are joined by choreographer and incoming Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Robert Garland. Robert began his dance training in Philadelphia where he first saw DTH perform as a child. He continued his training at Juilliard before joining DTH as a company member. He eventually reached the rank of principal and began work in various leadership roles as a teacher and choreographer. We talk to Robert about having the legendary Arthur Mitchell as a mentor, the wide range of his choreographic inspirations and his appointment in June 2023 to Artistic Director of the company he has long called home. If you are in the Houston area, see Dance Theatre of Harlem with Performing Arts Houston on February 3 & 4. Tickets are available at performingartshouston.org
This Episode's Sponsors:
• Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School is training the next generation of professional dancers by providing ballet and dance education of the highest caliber that prepares students for professional careers in dance. PBT’s school focuses on the dancer as a whole person and nurturing them into creative, confident and well-rounded individuals. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Intensive Summer Program runs from June 25-July 29th. Auditions are held across the country January 7 – Feb 12, with a virtual audition on January 13. Learn more about Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and their Intensive Summer Program at https://www.pbt.org/pbts/isp2023/.
• Visit the Performing Arts Houston website to learn more about the performance and other upcoming shows, including four multidisciplinary world premieres by Houston artists Anthony Brandt, J.E. Hernandez, Vivalda Dula, and Tazeen Zahida. All four new works will be presented in festival format at New/Now: The Houston Artist Commissioning Project on February 24 and 25. Tickets are available at performingartshouston.org
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(320) Best of 2022 with Michael and Rebecca
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 • Duration 38:47
It's just us this week for our annual year-end wrap up. What a year 2022 has been! We list our favorite episodes from this year, our favorite performances we saw, our FOMO list of what we didn't get to see but wished we had, and we share what we learned this year.
Just in time for holiday gift-giving, DANCIO, the online dance instruction provider, has announced an expansion of its line-up of classes, teachers, and menu of subscriptions. Dancio is run by dancers for dancers, and makes a memorable holiday gift. To gift Dancio, Go to dancio.com and click on subscribe.
The Frederick Quinney Lawson Ballet West Academy is excited to announce announce their summer programs. Come explore Salt Lake City and all that Ballet West has to offer. We are launching an exciting chapter in 2023 under Academy Director, Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, with the return of our strong summer programs and year-round Professional Training Division. Start your journey to Ballet West Academy today at acadmey.balletwest.org and use code BWPOD for $5 off your audition fee.
(319) Dance Data Project with Elizabeth Yntema and Junyla Silmon
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 • Duration 50:24
Today on Conversations on Dance we are delving into the research and advocacy of the Dance Data Project. We are joined by DDP President and Founder, Elizabeth Yntema, and Senior Research Consultant, Junyla Silmon. The pair tell us about DDP and it's mission, they break down their recent Artistic Director/Executive Director Compensation report, tell us about their First Look report that came out this month, and the research they have planned for the future. Learn more about DDP on their website: dancedataproject.com. We have linked to the recent reports that we discuss in the description of this episode.
(318) Jennifer Homans, author and historian, on her new book, ‘Mr. B’
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 • Duration 01:05:09
On today's episode of ‘Conversations On Dance' we are joined by author, Jennifer Homans. Jennifer received critical acclaim for her 2011 book ‘Apollo's Angels', a historical documentation of ballet from its creation to the present day. She has spent the past ten years working on ‘Mr. B', a biography of George Balanchine that was published this November. We talk to Jennifer about the research process, her most fascinating finds and what her final takeaways are from spending a decade getting to know the life of George Balanchine. Get your copy of ‘Mr. B': https://amzn.to/3VRCKEH.
This episode's sponsor:
Just in time for holiday gift-giving, DANCIO, the online dance instruction provider, has announced an expansion of its line-up of classes, teachers, and menu of subscriptions.
Led by world-renowned teachers, Dancio’s library now includes over 100 classes in a wide range of dance and fitness genres from Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, and West African dance, to yoga and body conditioning. Available in monthly and yearly subscriptions and ala carte individual classes, Dancio offers high-quality instruction at affordable prices from the comfort of your home or studio. Aspiring dancers of all ages can turn to Dancio to improve their technique, develop artistry, or simply participate in the joy of dance. Best of all, Dancio is run by dancers for dancers, and makes a memorable holiday gift. To gift Dancio, Go to dancio.com and click on subscribe.
(317) Dimitris Papaioannou, director, choreographer, performer, and designer
Friday, December 2, 2022 • Duration 33:26
On today's episode of ‘Conversations On Dance', we are joined by choreographer, visual artist and experimental theater director Dimitris Papaioannou. Dimitris' life as an artist began with a natural gift for visual arts at a very young age before eventually venturing into theater and dance. He founded his own company, Edofos Dance Theatre, leading to critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase. Dimitris talks to us about how his experience in a wide array of arts comes together to form his vision, his early years of creating art with few resources, and the difference between commercial and artistic endeavors as defined through his experience choreographing the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. His latest work ‘Transverse Orientation' has embarked on an ambitious tour that will have its final performances this coming December 9th and 10th at the Memorial Auditorium in Stanford, CA. Tickets can be purchased at live.stanford.edu.
(316) Lauryn Johnson: uncovering gems of New York City Ballet history
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 • Duration 38:23
You know her as @laurynjohnson20 on Instagram. On today's episode of ‘Conversations On Dance', our guest is Lauryn Johnson, a dancer and New York City Ballet usher who has captivated the dance world with her documentation of historic NYCB photography via her social media. We talk to Lauryn about how she fell in love with the company, grew her collection of dance books to nearly 1,000, where she sources her incredible images of the Balanchine era and her brand new merchandise line of ornaments and sweatshirts. To view Lauryn's curation of classic NYCB images, follow her on instagram at @laurynjohnson20. To purchase from her merchandise line, go to lauryn-johnson.com and use our special listener code ‘COD10' for 10% off.
This episode's sponsor:
The Bard College Dance Program, located 90 miles north of New York City in the Hudson Valley and housed in the Frank Gehry designed Fisher Center, sees the pursuit of artistry and intellect as a single endeavor and the study of the body as a cognitive act, demanding both physical practice and exploration of the broader academic contexts in which the art form exists. Through intensive technique and composition courses, onstage performance, and production experience, dance students are prepared to understand and practice the art of choreography and performance. Since 2009, the Bard Dance Program has hosted an in-residence dance company or performing arts organization bringing professional technique and composition to the academic program in the form of teaching, educational licensing projects, master classes, full-Company production residencies, and public performances. Past partnerships have included Bill T Jones Dance Company, Trisha Brown Dance Company, American Dance Festival, and Gibney Dance. For more information please contact Program Director, Tara Lorenzen tlorenzen@bard.edu.
This week on ‘Conversations On Dance' we are joined by Viki Bromberg Psihoyos, former New York City Ballet dancer and repetiteur with the Balanchine Trust. Viki takes us on a journey through her experiences working with Balanchine from her childhood to her professional career, how she became a repetiteur and what it is like working in companies who have never previously danced Balanchine's work.
This episode’s sponsor:
The BFA Dance program at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University prepares students to be at the forefront of dance innovation through performance, choreographic and critical historical and theoretical exploration. Studying dance at Johns Hopkins, one of the world’s premier research institutions, gives students the opportunity to make connections between dance, science, technology, and the humanities. Peabody students take courses in Modern Dance, African Expressions, Ballet, somatic approaches to movement, choreography, and dance as social justice; perform in a pre-professional student dance company, and collaborate with world-renowned guest artists. From the first year, students have the opportunity to choreograph their own pieces. At Peabody, we welcome a broad range of creative voices and prepare student artists for success in the real world. Submit your application by December 1st. Learn more at Peabody.jhu.edu/dancebfa
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