Our guest today is the dancer and choreographer Aakash Odedra. Based in the UK, his work tours internationally, and he collaborates with artists from across countries and art forms. Each piece he makes seems more ambitious than the last – next is Songs of the Bulbul, which premieres at the Edinburgh International Festival. His manner is gentle, but under the bonnet of his works sit difficult subjects like dyslexia or ageing. We find out how he shapes these themes into mesmerising dance. 

Aakash Odedra was born in Birmingham, and trained in kathak and Bharatanatyam, and incorporated that training in a unique synthesis with contemporary dance, both in his own choreography and his collaborations with other choreographers. He formed Aakash Odedra Company in 2011 as a vehicle for commissioning solos and to develop his own choreographic work. His work forms the heart of the company and as a soloist he has performed over 300 full length performances in 40 countries, receiving numerous awards and bursaries.  

LINKS 

Aakash Odedra Company https://aakashodedra.com/ 

Songs of the Bulbul https://www.eif.co.uk/events/songs-of-the-bulbul 

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The Royal Academy of Dance will soon hold the annual Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, where promising dancers from across the world dance their hearts out in front of some of ballet’s big names. In 2014, the Australian ballerina Eilis Small took part in the predecessor to the Fonteyn, the Genée, held that year in Antwerp, but didn’t make the final. Yet she now has a fulfilling career with Birmingham Royal Ballet – she’s here to prove that what happens in a ballet competition shouldn’t stop you from living your best dancing life.  

Eilis Small was born in Canberra, Australia. She trained at the Lisa Clark Academy and Australian Ballet School, and took part in the Genée International Ballet Competition. In 2018, she joined Birmingham Royal Ballet, where her roles include creating the lead role in Daniela Cardim’s Imminent, alongside prominent roles in Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote,  

David Bintley’s Cinderella, The Nutcracker Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. 

LINKS 

Eilis Small at Birmingham Royal Ballet https://www.brb.org.uk/profile/eilis-small 

The Fonteyn https://www.thefonteyn.org/ 

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In 2021, Naomi Smart qualified as a teacher from the Royal Academy of Dance. ‘Never thought dance teaching was an option for me but here I am – Deaf people can do anything.’ What are the particular challenges around ballet and dance teaching for a Deaf teacher? How did Naomi create a way of teaching that works for her and her students, and what advice would she have for teachers trying to make their classes as inclusive and welcoming as possible?

Naomi Smart is an RAD teacher based in London. She is also a writer and Deaf awareness activist, and is researching a PhD about community dance at Kings College London.

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Read a transcript of this episode

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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We launch the new season of Why Dance Matters with a vital figure in African contemporary dance. Wesley Ruzibiza discovered dance almost by accident – he was studying financial management at the University of Rwanda when he decided to sample a dance class. It set him on the path to becoming a choreographer and co-Artistic Director of the École des Sables in Senegal, one of the world’s most influential training organisations (their production of Pina Bausch’s Rite of Spring is an international sensation). Wesley grew up in turbulent times: Rwandan, he was raised in Kinshasa in Congo; the family was imprisoned for almost a year during the civil war. He recently created a festival around the idea of Tolerance – there’s no one better to ask about dance’s role in troubled times.

Wesley Ruzibiza is a dancer, choreographer and co-Artistic Director of the École des Sables in Senegal. He is also Associate Professor at the CPARC research centres in Bordeaux, National University of Rwanda and Muda Africa School of Dance in Tanzania. His productions have toured all over the world and he co-founded the award-winning Amizero Company, with the University of Rwanda’s Centre for the Arts, and created the international festival EANT in 2012, one of the first professional contemporary platforms in East Africa.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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Why Dance Matters celebrates its 50th episode in conversation with one of the world’s great ballerinas. Olga Smirnova’s Giselle with Dutch National Ballet will be broadcast to international cinemas on 21 January. She joined the company after making headlines in 2022 with a courageous, life-changing decision to leave Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation, she discusses stage fright (she never feels it), the challenges of being a ballerina in the age of smartphones, her momentous decision to leave Russia and her profound sense of why dance matters.

As a young girl, Olga Smirnova had no dream of becoming a ballerina. However, she did go to dance classes, and was then accepted into the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg. On completing her training in 2011, she joined the Bolshoi Ballet, starting immediately as a soloist and shining not only in the classics, but also in new and modern works. In 2016, she was promoted to prima ballerina, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Olga – strongly opposed to the invasion – decided to leave her homeland, making the transition to Dutch National Ballet.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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This festive episode visits the pantomime: that uniquely British blend of song, dance, and silliness. Explaining its appeal is the cherished comic actor, Nina Wadia, who stars in Jack and the Beanstalk at York Theatre Royal. Nina, who grew up in India and Hong Kong, is the perfect guide to anyone who is not steeped in panto. She also discusses a career that includes her trailblazing sketch show, Goodness Gracious Me, the iconic British soap opera, EastEnders, and a terrible car crash that helped her embrace the vagaries of an actor’s life. She has also appeared in many other comedies (Still Open All Hours, All About Me, The Vicar of Dibley) and dramatic roles (Holby City, White Teeth, Skins).

Nina's many awards include the Chairman's Award at the Asian Women Awards in 2004, Best Comedy Performance and Best Onscreen Partnership at the 2009 British Soap Awards, and the Outstanding Achievement in Television Award at the Asian Awards in 2013. She was awarded an OBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. Jack and the Beanstalk is at York Theatre Royal until 7 January 2024.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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In this episode of Why Dance Matters, we revisit a conversation from October 2022, in tribute to the poet, performer and activist Benjamin Zephaniah, who died earlier this month. As a performance poet he gave words a glorious physical form, his rhythms dancing from line to line. He had also provided a voiceover for Rambert’s dance version of the hit tv series Peaky Blinders. In our conversation, Benjamin was impressively candid about his journey, richly reflective about poetry, and also emotionally generous – unexpectedly moved when speaking about the generations of readers who have been touched and shaped by his work.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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Aaron S Watkin seems like a man who knows what he likes: perfect material to direct a leading ballet company, and to judge a leading ballet competition. The new artistic director of English National Ballet was recently a judge for the Royal Academy of Dance’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition in London. Canadian-born Aaron danced with many international companies and led the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden for 17 years, and has just taken charge at English National Ballet. What are the sensitive choices he must make as a director – and as a Fonteyn judge?

Born in British Columbia, Canada, Aaron graduated from the National Ballet School of Canada in 1988. He enjoyed a full career in dance including National Ballet of Canada, English National Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt and the National Dance Company of Spain. Having been Associate Artistic Director in Madrid and a choreographic assistant to William Forsythe, he became Artistic Director of the Semperoper Ballett, Dresden in 2006. After a 17-year tenure he became Artistic Director of English National Ballet in 2023.

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Pam Tanowitz is now an in-demand choreographer – but her career has followed a unique trajectory. For years, she and her company had an under-the-radar following in New York, but only recently did she win wider attention. A work set to TS Eliot’s 4 Quartets led to international tours and commissions for the Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet. Before that happened she worked and worked: at dance, but also unglamorous admin jobs. When we met at the Barbican for the London premiere of her Song of Songs, she talked about giving hope to all the late bloomers.

Pam Tanowitz has delineated her own dance language through decades of research and creation. Now, the world’s most respected companies – Martha Graham Dance Company, Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet and more – are integrating her poetic universe into their repertories. In 2000 she founded Pam Tanowitz Dance to explore dance-making with a consistent community of dancers. She has been commissioned by Fisher Center at Bard, Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow and others. Four Quartets (2018) was called ‘the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century’ by the New York Times. 

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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Jakob Wheway Hughes was gold medallist at the Royal Academy of Dance’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2023. The Fonteyn took place at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, the opulent home of Phantom of the Opera. Jakob performed a new solo and a bravura classical variation, and seemed strikingly at ease on stage, communicating his dance to the packed audience. It was no surprise that Dame Darcey Bussell, the RAD President, presented him with the gold medal. Jakob,16, who trains at Tring Park School tells us why dance matters to him.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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Drew McOnie is a British choreographer and theatre director, and one of the busiest people in show business. He danced with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company, but soon wanted to run the show. His work hits a sweet spot between warm and witty, always with a kinetic fizz: whether in the West End, on Broadway or in ballet. His new version of the Nutcracker gives the festive favourite a sweetly queer twist, and next year sees his stage version of the Oscar winning movie The Artist. Drew became a father just a week before this recording – no wonder that we speak about making families in and out of dance.

Drew McOnie is Artistic Director of the McOnie Company and an Associate Artist at the Old Vic and Birmingham Rep theatres. He won an Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography for In the Heights and was nominated for the same award the following year for Jesus Christ Superstar. His credits as director/choreographer include: On the Town (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival), The Wild Party and Strictly Ballroom in the UK and King Kong on Broadway. Ballets include Merlin (Northern Ballet). The McOnie Company’s latest works are Nutcracker (Tuff Nutt Jazz Club), which runs until 6 January 2024, and The Artist, which opens in May 2024.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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Jennifer White is a choreographer who occupies a unique sweet spot between RAD ballet, contemporary dance, Kylie and the year’s hottest movie: she is the choreographer of Barbie. Greta Gerwig’s film includes delirious dance sequences led by Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Those scenes chart the film’s trajectory – in Barbie, dance really does matter. Jennifer has also choreographed films like the eerie Last Night in Soho, and worked with leading names in both pop and contemporary dance. And the young Jennifer did RAD ballet: so is Barbie herself RAD-trained?

Jennifer White is a London-based movement director, performer and choreographer. She graduated from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. In 2006 she was nominated for the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for Emerging Artist, and in 2007, was highlighted as a breakthrough artist in The Observer’s Hot List. She has toured internationally with Hofesh Shechter, Russell Maliphant, Ballet Boyz and Kylie Minogue, and has choreographed and performed for Adele and Basement Jaxx. She choreographed for Marvel Comic’s ‘Avengers – Age of Ultron’, where she also coached and was movement double for Elizabeth Olsen, and for Last Night in Soho. She has worked extensively with choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. She choreographed Barbie.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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We often talk about how dance changes lives on Why Dance Matters. No one exemplifies that more than the remarkable RAD dance teacher Michael Wamaya. He works with Project Elimu in Kibera, Kenya. Kibera faces many challenges – extreme poverty, intense lack of resources. But Mike offers children and young people the chance to engage in artistic activity and dance, and to think too about sexual and reproductive health. It’s an immensely ambitious programme, which attracts great acclaim. But why is RAD ballet part of the mix? And why does dance matter to him? 

Michael Wamaya is a dance teacher and community activist in Kenya. He teaches ballet in Kenya’s Kibera and Mathare slums for Project Elimu, combining the teaching of dance skills with social skills. The programme explores individual human potential and creativity, and works to develop confidence and self-esteem. Many children within the programme have gained scholarships, enabling them to finish their studies, and the programme has created a platform where children can engage in creative activities while developing their careers.  

LINK 

https://www.projectelimu.org/ 

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The RAD’s flagship event, the Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, gives young dancers a chance to learn from top professionals. This year’s coaches include Endalyn T Outlaw – dancer, educator, choreographer and Dean of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina. Endalyn’s career is incredibly varied – she performed with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and in the original Broadway cast of The Lion King, she’s restaged ballets and developed a philosophy of dance teaching that is focused on helping dancers bring their whole selves to the stage.

Endalyn T Outlaw – dancer, choreographer and educator – is dean of the School of Dance at UNCSA. She was previously director of Dance Theatre of Harlem School in New York – a company she joined in 1984, becoming a principal dancer in 1993 – and director of the Cambridge Summer Art Institute, Massachusetts. She has created an eclectic body of choreographic works and excels at restaging ballets, having worked with luminaries including Arthur Mitchell, Alonzo King, Agnes de Mille and Garth Fagan. She has performed on Broadway and internationally, including in the original casts of The Lion King and Aida.

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‘Living in the movement’ is the motto of Australian Royal Academy of Dance teacher Mitchell Rayner. Enjoying and fully inhabiting your movement is a fantastic goal for anyone in dance. Mitchell came to dance training relatively late but progressed quickly, joining the Australian Ballet. He retired from the company in 2016, and re-trained as a dance teacher with the RAD, taking his philosophy of living in the movement through his practise and onto his own range of clothing. What was his journey from a dancing boy into a too-rare male ballet teacher?

Mitchell Rayner began formal dance lessons in Newcastle, Australia at the age of 13, before taking up full-time dance studies with Tessa Maunder OAM. He joined the Australian Ballet School in 2005, and in 2008 the Australian Ballet. Retiring from the company in 2016 he chose to share his professional experience through teaching and mentoring, and has since taught for Sydney Dance Company, Australian Ballet, RAD, Tanya Pearson Academy, Ballet Without Borders and others. He attained the RAD Professional Dancers’ Postgraduate Teaching Certificate and is a registered RAD teacher.

Find out more about Mitchell on his website.

Or follow Mitchell on Instagram @balletwithmitch

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Alice Oseman’s work stops hearts – in a good way. They capture the delirious rush of first love, above all in the Heartstopper series – online, in books, and onscreen – which has become a sensation. Heartstopper is also all about young people finding ways to express themselves, creatively and emotionally, becoming the people they want to be – ideas that resonate with the RAD’s own ethos. But also: Alice’s mother is a dance teacher! What has dance given them?

Alice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter. Alice is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance comic Heartstopper, and the writer, creator, and executive producer for the Emmy-winning television adaptation for Netflix. Alice is the author of several YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: Solitaire, Radio Silence, I Was Born For This and Loveless. The books have won, been shortlisted or nominated for awards including the YA Book Prize, Inky Awards, Carnegie Medal and the Goodreads Choice Awards. Alice was named Attitude Person of the Year 2023 and the British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year.

Find out more about Alice on their website.

Follow Alice on social media:

Instagram @AliceOseman

Twitter @AliceOseman

Heartstopper on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81059939

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Wayne McGregor, one of the world’s leading choreographers, is an ideas man who makes abstract thought into thrillingly visceral dance. His collaborations are prodigious – from his own contemporary dancers to the world’s great ballet companies, and in film, fashion and more. He discusses his latest premiere for the Royal Ballet, his programme for the Venice Biennale and his game changing collaboration with ABBA. So many things matter to him – but why dance in particular?

Wayne McGregor CBE is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director, internationally renowned for trailblazing innovations in performance that have radically redefined dance. Driven by an insatiable curiosity about movement and its creative potentials, his experiments have involved collaborative dialogue with an array of artistic forms, scientific disciplines and technological interventions, producing works that have placed him at the cutting edge of contemporary arts for over 25 years. His work has earned a multitude of awards, and in 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Prix de Lausanne.

Find out more about Wayne McGregor on his website.

Or on his social media:

Instagram @studiowaynemcgregor

Twitter @WayneMcGregor

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Why Dance Matters often meets people whose interest in dance sits alongside expertise in a completely different field. Merritt Moore’s talents seem especially unlikely: she’s a Harvard-trained physicist who dances with robots. She is also a professional ballerina, performing at the highest level (most recently with Boston Ballet). Can the rigours of the ballet studio meet the intellectual challenges of the lab? During lockdown, Merritt began exploring the world of dancing with robots, and they now perform together across the world. And Merritt also dreams of being the first ballerina in space.

Merritt Moore graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors in physics from Harvard and with a PhD in atomic and laser physics from Oxford. She also pursues a professional ballet career, with the Zurich Ballet, English National Ballet and Norwegian National Ballet, and most recently Boston Ballet. An Adjunct Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi teaching Creative Robotics, she also appeared on the BBC series Astronauts: Do you have what it takes? During the pandemic, she programmed and danced with robots and has been invited to perform at Boston Ballet, Forbes Women's Summit, Harvard AI Opening and more.

Or follow Merritt on social media:

Instagram @merrittmoore

Twitter @merrittmoore

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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The new season of Why Dance Matters opens with one of the great ballet princes – David Hallberg, star dancer and now artistic director of Australian Ballet. The epitome of classical elegance, in his memoir, A Body of Work, he writes feelingly about being a boy who dances, and a dancer who yearns for perfection, even when at the height of a career as a principal at both American Ballet Theatre and at the Bolshoi Ballet. Now, he has pivoted from dancer to director, leading Australian Ballet to London as it celebrates its 60th birthday.

David Hallberg was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet, a principal guest artist with the Royal Ballet and resident guest artist with the Australian Ballet. Author of the acclaimed memoir, A Body of Work: Dancing to the Edge and Back, he made history in 2011 as the first American to join the Bolshoi Ballet under the title premier dancer. He danced every major full-length classical ballet, along with works by leading modern choreographers. In 2021, he became Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet.

You can find David Hallberg on:

Instagram @officialdavidhallberg

Twitter @DavidHallberg

The Australian Ballet performs in London on 2-6 August 2023.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

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In an exciting bonus episode of Why Dance Matters, we meet the choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips as she receives a special honour at the Olivier Awards, marking a career packed with achievement. A dance legend, Arlene made her name with her racy dance troupe Hot Gossip in the 1970s, before becoming a major player in musical theatre, starting with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express. As she approaches her 80th birthday she’s working with undimmed energy, most recently on a rapturously received immersive production of Guys and Dolls. She’s clearly not stopping for anyone.

Dame Arlene Phillips is a show business legend, honoured with a Special Award at the Olivier Awards ceremony in April. Arlene is known for shows including Starlight Express, Grease and Saturday Night Fever, and currently Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre. She has also choreographed high profile music videos for Whitney Houston, Elton John and Queen and films including Annie, Ridley Scott’s Legend and Monty Python, and was an expert judge on TV shows Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance.

Learn more about Dame Arlene Phillips on her website.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giles Terera is no ordinary actor. He won an Olivier Award as Aaron Burr in the UK premiere of the all-conquering musical Hamilton, writing a book about his creative journey. Last year, he played two very different roles at the National Theatre: as Shakespeare’s tragic hero Othello, and as a designer in 1930s Harlem in Blues for an Alabama Sky. He also writes songs and his play, The Meaning of Zong, will soon open at the Barbican in London. Giles is a virtuoso with language – so how do dance and movement shape his art?

Giles Terera MBE is an award-winning actor, musician and writer, working consistently at venues including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe. He is best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the London production of the award-winning musical Hamilton, winning the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He recently appeared in Blues for an Alabama Sky and as Othello at the National Theatre. His book Hamilton and Me records his journey through the musical and his play The Meaning of Zong is at the Barbican, London in April.

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David Jays @mrdavidjays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francesca Harper, Artistic Director of Ailey II, is back where it all began. She trained at the Alvin Ailey School, where her mother, Denise Jefferson, was director for 26 years. She has also choreographed for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and now leads Ailey II, which fosters new generations of shining talent and will visit the UK later this year. Francesca has enjoyed an astonishingly varied journey through classical and contemporary dance – notably as a principal dancer with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt – not to mention in music and theatre. What has sustained her, and what does she hope to pass on to her young dancers?

Francesca Harper is Artistic Director of Ailey II, the celebrated second company to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She began her career with Dance Theater of Harlem and was a Principal with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. She performed with designers Issey Miyake and Gianni Versace, and on Broadway in Fosse, All Shook Up, and The Color Purple. A writer and recording artist, she has choreographed for companies including Ailey, Ailey II, Dance Theater of Harlem and The Francesca Harper Project. She was ballet consultant for the film Black Swan and movement director for Nick Cave’s The Let Go.

Learn more about Ailey II’s Dance Consortium tour of the UK.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ana Maria Campos is a Royal Academy of Dance teacher from Brazil. She has travelled widely and lived in several different countries – dance and dance teaching are wonderfully portable skills. As an RAD examiner, she also visits dance schools all over the world – how does she calm the nerves of young dancers and help them give their best? And as someone who has dedicated their career to dance and helping others dance, she will know better than most why dance matters.

Ana Maria Campos grew up in Brazil, training as a dancer with Ilara Lopes and Jorge Pena. She graduated as a teacher from the Royal Academy of Dance in London, receiving the Karsavina and Philipe Nind Awards, and also holds a degree from Durham University in Ballet Teaching and Contextual Studies. Now based in Brazil, she is now a Mentor, Tutor and Examiner for the RAD.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know the Royal Ballet had a performance psychologist? Britt Tajet-Foxell was a pioneer in the discipline, which is more familiar in the sports world. As well as dancers and musicians, Britt also works with elite athletes: at the Olympics in Paris, she’s working with teams from both the UK and her native Norway. There may be less stigma around discussing mental and emotional health than when Britt began her career – but she still addresses sensitive subjects like anxiety, returning from injury or taking on an exposing leading role. 

Britt Tajet Foxell was a chartered physiotherapist with the Royal Ballet for 20 years before retraining to become a chartered psychologist. She is an accredited European psychologist and cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, and an Honorary Fellow at Goldsmith College, University of London. She has been the psychologist to the Royal Ballet for over 20 years, and also works with the British and Norwegian Olympic Associations. 

LINKS 

Britt in conversation with Darcey Bussell https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/mind-games/ 

How Britt worked with ballerina Yasmine Naghdi https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jun/18/royal-ballet-yasmine-haghdi-britt-tajet-foxell-psychologist 

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Raphael Ng began his career in the ballet studio – only to leap effortlessly into high finance. Based in Singapore, Raphael threw himself into ballet, contemporary and Chinese dance, taking part in international shows and competitions – but when exploring how to manage his money as a student, he caught an excitement for the financial world. Now a fund manager, he discusses the invaluable transferrable skills of dance training – and why, having co-founded a school teaching RAD ballet in Singapore, dance retains a special place in his heart.

Raphael Ng is Fund Manager at Salzworth Global Currency Fund. Born in Hong Kong, he grew up in Singapore. His parents were both dancers; he studied RAD ballet, going on to perform and take part in competitions in Europe and Australia. At Singapore Management University (SMU) he studied information systems management; he took part in dance competitions and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. His finance career began at Credit Suisse, and he joined Salzworth in 2019. He co-founded Jeté Studios in Singapore, led by RAD Registered teachers.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, we visit the Royal Academy of Dance’s global headquarters in London to meet its new chief executive – the ebullient Tim Arthur. Tim’s previous experience is dizzyingly varied – he arrives at the RAD via senior roles in theatre, publishing and finance, working with companies like Time Out and Virgin Money. Why did a dance organisation feel like the logical next step? We also explore Tim’s current training as a psychotherapist, not to mention his unexpected glory as an almost-award-winning burlesque performer. It’s a heady mix!

Tim Arthur became Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2022. He started his career as a drama teacher, theatre director and playwright. He has been CEO/Artistic Director of Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, Derby Playhouse’s internationally renowned Community Theatre and Cardboard Citizens, a multi-award-winning charity creating theatre with and for the homeless. As Global CEO of Time Out, he transformed a beloved heritage print title into one of the world’s most innovative media brands, and as Creative Director of Virgin Money helped them to transform into a leading customer champion. 

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tiler Peck, one of the world’s great ballerinas, opens the new season of Why Dance Matters. The California-born dancer is a reigning star at New York City Ballet, where she has been a principal since 2009, and is also a director and choreographer in her own right. Feted for her innate musicality and formidable work ethic, audiences respond to her warmth and enthusiasm. She commissions her own programmes of dance, working with great choreographers like William Forsythe and Michelle Dorrance. Having lost valuable time to a career-threatening injury and to the pandemic, she is thrumming with energy. 

Tiler Peck is a principal dancer of New York City Ballet, and has danced on Broadway and on screen. She is also a director, curator, choreographer and designer, and continues to evolve as an artist and add to her extensive repertoire. She launched and starred in BalletNOW in Los Angeles and directed the inaugural Artists at the Center for New York City Center. She developed a daily ballet class, #TurnItOutWithTiler, initially aimed at helping people stay connected and moving during the pandemic. Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends is at Sadler’s Wells, London in March. 

Find out more about Tiler on her website or Instagram @tilerpeck

Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends is at Sadler’s Wells, London, on 9–11 March.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Benjamin Zephaniah

In the last episode of this series of Why Dance Matters, we meet a poet – the resonant, rousing, heart-stopping Benjamin Zephaniah. Benjamin’s specific dance connection is that he’s recorded the narration for Rambert’s acclaimed new stage production based on Peaky Blinders, the cult period crime drama. As a celebrated performance poet, he’s used to making language, voice and physicality fuse in the most memorable of ways. His writing for young people as well as adults has been transforming, inspiring generations of readers. He will explore words and bodies, and the way that creativity can change a life.

About Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah was a pioneer of the performance poetry scene in Britain. He has spent most of his life performing around the world in schools, universities, concert halls and other public spaces. He is also an actor, a TV and radio presenter, and a novelist, who has written over 20 books. He has his own band, The Revolutionary Minds, but he has also worked musically with Sinead O’Connor, Moby, and Bob Marley’s Wailers. He has his own poetry show on Sky Arts, called Life and Rhymes, and he was born and bred in Birmingham

Find out more about the work of the RAD.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation.

Benjamin’s website is https://benjaminzephaniah.com

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby will tour during 2023 – visit https://peakyblindersdance.com/

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Why Dance Matters has benefited hugely from encouragement and inspiration from Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel in the Faculty of Education at the Royal Academy of Dance, so it’s high time she was a guest. Born in Malta, Kathrina has been with the Faculty since 2005, and her books include Princess Poutiatine and the Art of Ballet in Malta and co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet, a brilliant survey of choreographers shaping the art of ballet. Dance education isn’t just a job to Kathrina, it’s a passion: how did she discover that this was where she wanted to spend her working life?

Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel is Head of Research and Lead Academic Integrity Officer at the RAD’s Faculty of Education. A graduate of the RAD, the Universities of Durham and Surrey and London Metropolitan University, she took up the position of Lecturer in Dance Studies at the Faculty of Education in 2005, and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2014. She is editor of Focus on Education, has authored a book on the legacy of Princess Nathalie Poutiatine and co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet. She also set up and managed the dance company, three-fortyone dances, from 2003–07, and coaches gifted and talented students in a local ballet school in Surrey.

Find out more about RAD’ Faculty of Education.

Explore the Faculty’s Guest Lecture Series.

Find out more about the RAD’s Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing project.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation.

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Ballroom culture was celebrated in the tv drama Pose, set in New York during the 1980s and 90s. It originated in Harlem, where queer people of colour came together in act of self-expression and resistance, and is now international. A key figure in London’s scene is DJ, community activist and impresario, Jay Jay Revlon. Jay Jay has serious dance training, and found a home for his talents in ballroom – often with his mother on the door at his events! As father of the House of Revlon, Jay Jay looks after the people who work and perform with him. He’s the perfect guide to ballroom culture.

Born and raised in Peckham, South London, Jay Jay has many hats. His focus is curating events, DJing, Ballroom (voguing) and mentoring. Listed in Time Out’s ‘One to Watch’, he is a committed community activist, dedicated to creating safe spaces and conversations for QPOC and LGBTQ+. He does this through his own club night ‘Let’s Have a Kiki #theparty’ and as a volunteer peer to peer mentor at Stonewall Housing. A devoted influence on the London Ballroom scene, as Father of the ‘UK House of Revlon’, Jay Jay is a leading authority of Ballroom in the UK.

Find out more about the work of the RAD.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation.

Jay Jay’s website is https://www.justjayjay.com/ and you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter @jayjayrevlon

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Unusually, Charlotte Edmonds began her career as a professional choreographer while still a teenager. The RAD spotted her talent for making dance when she was just 18: she was Commissioned Choreographer for the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition (now named The Fonteyn) in 2015, and also became The Royal Ballet’s inaugural young choreographer. She continues to navigate a varied freelance career, often making her own creative opportunities.

Charlotte Edmonds is a choreographer, dancer and filmmaker. In 2013 she received her first choreographic commission from the Yorke Dance Project and The Royal Ballet and has an impressive number of choreographies to her name. She studied at the Royal Ballet School and Rambert, and was The Royal Ballet’s Inaugural Young Choreographer. She has also worked with Dutch National Ballet Junior Company, Studio Wayne McGregor and Ballet Cymru, and was Commissioned Choreographer for the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition (now The Fonteyn). She founded Cameo, a series of dialogues with female and non-binary dance makers; and drawing on her own experience, co-founded Move Beyond Words, to amplify the voices of artists with dyslexia.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

Find out more about The Fonteyn competition

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation

Charlotte Edmond’s website: https://charlotteedmonds.com/

Move Beyond Words: https://www.movebeyondwords.co.uk/

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The Savannah Bananas is not what you might expect from a US baseball team; players break off to twerk, or do a TikTok challenge, and the Entertainment Director, Zack Frongillo, is a trained classical dancer.

We love seeing dance sneak into unexpected places. In this episode, we hear from Zack who tells us how the Savannah Bananas in Georgia are making a double play with dance and baseball, and bringing more fun to their fans in the process. If you thought the team might be a stranger to dance breaks and pirouettes, then think again. Let’s play ball…

Zack Frongillo, the Littleton, Colorado native, began his dance career at the age of 16 and continued his dance career at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. While in college, Zack took his studies overseas to the Korean National Sports University and trained with the Seoul National Ballet. Zack joined the Savannah Bananas after the spring series in 2021, and shortly thereafter joined full time during the 2021 CPL Season as the Director of Entertainment. Previously, Zack was a Stage Manager for the Vegas Golden Knights Entertainment Team before their Inaugural Season in 2017, until eventually moving to Savannah in 2021. Zack was also the Entertainment Director for UNLV Hockey and assisted in regional tournaments with organizations such as the Pac-12, Mountain West, and WAC.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation

Find out more about the Savannah Bananas: https://thesavannahbananas.com

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May you live in interesting times may be an ancient curse, but Monica Mason has voyaged through some very interesting times and places. She spent most of her career at The Royal Ballet, eventually as its artistic director – but was born in South Africa, moving to London in the 1950s to ignite her astonishing career. She later toured through segregated America, behind the Iron Curtain, and to Cuba and China. As a Vice-President at the RAD she was a key figure in realising its dream of a new home, so is perfectly placed to discuss what it means to a dancer to feel at home and far away.

Dame Monica Mason is a Vice-President of the RAD. Born in Johannesburg, she came to England aged 14. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1958 and was promoted to Principal in 1968. She created the Chosen Maiden in Kenneth MacMillan’s The Rite of Spring and many other roles in her wide repertoire. She later became Assistant Director, Acting Director and then Director of The Royal Ballet, from 2002–12, leaving the Royal Opera House after 54 years. She was made a Dame Commander for her services to dance and received the Queen Elizabeth II Award from the RAD in 2011.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation

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The opening guest in the new series of Why Dance Matters is a star among contemporary dance artists. Akram Khan is a dancer, choreographer, director and dreamer, whose work has shaped the international landscape of dance. He came to attention early as a virtuoso in kathak, the Indian classical dance form, and at 13 appeared in Peter Brook’s landmark Mahabharata. His own work explores kathak, contemporary dance and increasingly classical ballet, driving deep roots into myth and his own personal story – and our conversation is heartfelt and thoughtful, spiralling off in unexpected directions.

Akram Khan is one of today’s most celebrated dance artists, his imaginative and highly accessible productions including XENOS, Until the Lions, DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees. A magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines, he has collaborated with the National Ballet of China, Juliette Binoche, Sylvie Guillem, Kylie Minogue, Florence and the Machine, visual artists Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney and Jocelyn Pook. He created a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, and has developed a close collaboration with English National Ballet. He was awarded an MBE in 2005.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or make a donation.

Explore Akram’s work and find where Jungle Book Reimagined and Outwitting the Devil are touring at https://www.akramkhancompany.net/whats-on/

Creature premieres at the London Film Festival on 15 October and will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 24 February 2023. https://www.ballet.org.uk/onscreen/creature-film/

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Our guest today is the Canadian hip hop dancer and choreographer professionally known as Crazy Smooth. We ask how Crazy Smooth came by his dance name? What makes Canadian street dance distinctive? In this Olympic year, where breaking makes its debut in the Paris games, should we really think of dance as a sport? And if breaking is a young man’s game, how does a b-boy feel when he becomes a b-man? 

Crazy Smooth is one of Canada’s top street dance ambassadors, a choreographer, dancer, teacher and community leader. He is the founder and artistic director of Bboyizm, an award-winning dance company that has been instrumental in the preservation and proliferation of street dance in Canada and beyond. Smooth founded Bboyizm in 2004 and the company has successfully brought authentic street dance choreography onto the professional stage. His most recent show, In My Body, won four 2022 Dora Awards including Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Original Choreography, and Crazy Smooth was named Dancer of the Year at the 2023 Dynastie award.  

LINKS 

Bboyizm website https://bboyizm.ca/ 

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In this episode, we meet dance royalty – Dame Darcey Bussell, who is President of the Royal Academy of Dance. Darcey has been a warm and inspiring figurehead for dance as an artform and for the RAD in particular – whether it’s through her glittering career as a principal ballerina with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, or as a broadcaster, or as a judge for seven years on Strictly Come Dancing. Speaking in the RAD’s purpose-built new home in London, we ask if dance feels like a home to her? And why does dance matter to Darcey?

Dame Darcey Bussell is a former Principal with The Royal Ballet and the most famous British ballerina of her generation. Darcey trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined the Company in 1988, retiring from the Company in 2007. Her extensive broadcast work includes being a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and many BBC documentaries. She remains a Guest principal coach at The Royal Ballet and is Artist Laureate of The Royal Ballet School. In 2015 she founded the dance fitness charity DDMIX. Darcey became the President of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2012.

Find out more about RAD's new home for dance: https://bit.ly/37eDNun

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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Facebook @RoyalAcademyofDance

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David Jays @mrdavidjays

Sign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9

RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

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Harper Watters is a highly accomplished dancer with Houston Ballet – but that’s not what got him noticed on social media. The combination of a quick-running treadmill in the gym and a pair of towering pink heels made Harper something of a sensation. His subsequent eye-catching films have won him a serious following on social media and given him a platform to discuss race, sexuality and dance. Harper tells us how he combines a busy life on social media with dancing in one of America’s most prestigious companies, and what it means to be a proud role model to many who might not feel they fit the mould of classical dance.

Harper Watters has a passion for being bold and unapologetically himself, as evidenced not only in his onstage dancing as a Soloist for the Houston Ballet but in his viral heel treadmill videos. He has over 244,000 followers on Instagram and created the YouTube series The Pre Show, which documents the behind-the-scenes stage life of professional dancers. Harper's videos have featured on Elle Magazine, Marie Clare, and Urban Outfitters, and he has worked with prominent photographers and magazines. He’s worked with leading choreographers and has performed on international stages and in numerous US cities.

Find out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/3KcB5UB

Similarly to Harper, the RAD has an engaged following on social media. Join the RAD's online communities here:

Instagram @royalacademyofdance

Facebook @RoyalAcademyofDance

Twitter @RADheadquarters

TikTok: @RoyalAcademyOfDance

YouTube / royalacademydance

Join the conversation with host, David Jays @mrdavidjays

Sign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9

RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Follow Harper Watters on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3ubOLKn

Follow Harper Watters on TikTok: https://bit.ly/3u8FdiX

Learn more about Houston Ballet: https://bit.ly/2S397iS

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On Why Dance Matters we enjoy meeting people whose work isn’t obviously connected to dance. As a teenager in California, Jordan Thomas was being groomed as a political fixer, but instead broke away to study choreography at one of America’s leading modern dance schools, before beginning a remarkable legal career. He is now America’s leading attorney representing whistleblowers, exposing wrongdoing in some of Wall Street’s biggest companies. Whistleblowers have also prompted revelations from the dance world, exposing racism, harassment and bullying. We ask Jordan how dance changed his life, and about the courage it takes to blow the whistle on your boss.

A principal architect of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program, in 2011, Jordan Thomas established the first US whistleblower practice exclusively focused on violations of federal securities laws. Both pioneer and recognised leader in the field, his clients have launched many of the SEC’s landmark cases. His clients won the largest single-case SEC whistleblower award in history, more than $83 million for reporting misconduct at Merrill Lynch. A longtime public servant and seasoned trial lawyer, at the SEC Jordan had a leadership role in developing the Whistleblower Program and was assigned to many of the SEC’s highest-profile actions. He is a nationally sought after writer and commentator on securities enforcement, corporate ethics and whistleblower issues.

 Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

Instagram @royalacademyofdance

Facebook @RoyalAcademyofDance

Twitter @RADheadquarters

YouTube / royalacademydance

David Jays @mrdavidjays

Sign up to our mailing list: https://bit.ly/3frWPh9

RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Find out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/3KcB5UB

Discover the core principles of Jordan Thomas’ practice: https://bit.ly/3IMrNxq

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Twenty years ago, in the early hours of new year’s day, a young artist tumbled off the Eurostar, ready to begin a new life in London. Hofesh Shechter grew up in Israel but had been living in Paris, and considered making dance as a showcase for his music. Instead, his unmistakable dance pieces – visceral and propulsive, witty and vulnerable – have made him one of the most distinctive modern choreographers, bringing the energy of a gig to often solemn contemporary dance. Political Mother, the title of perhaps his best-known piece, suggests how Hofesh’s work can feel both public and private. But how does it feel to him?

Hofesh Shechter, one of the most exciting contemporary choreographers, is renowned for composing atmospheric musical scores to compliment the unique physicality of his movement. Artistic Director of the Hofesh Shechter Company, formed in 2008, he is also an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells. His repertoire for the company includes Uprising, In your rooms, Political Mother, Grand Finale (Olivier Award nomination) and most recently Double Murder. He works with leading international companies including Alvin Ailey, Batsheva, Candoco, Paris Opera Ballet and The Royal Ballet. He has choreographed for theatre, television and opera, including Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway (Tony Award nomination), and was awarded an OBE in 2018.

Find out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/3KcB5UB

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

UK and international tour details for Hofesh Shechter Company and Shechter II UK are at https://bit.ly/3qpNeht

Hofesh Shechter double bill at Paris Opéra: https://bit.ly/3Iq9cH3

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With American ballerina Kathryn Morgan we cover some challenging subject matter – Kathryn’s journey through dance has clearly brought her joy but she has also had to deal with issues around physical and mental health, and especially around body image. With a large and devoted following on social media, she speaks with rare honesty about her experiences. In October 2020, she posted a YouTube video describing why earlier that year she left Miami City Ballet, where she was a soloist. Kathryn’s story has prompted a wider discussion of the culture of professional ballet, its attitude to body image, and what needs to change.

Content warning: This podcast includes a discussion about eating disorders and mental health. For help with eating disorders please go to the NHS Eating Disorder page: https://bit.ly/3w5hJgh

For help with eating disorders or other mental health concerns, please contact the Samaritans helpline on 116 123.

RAD acknowledges that these resources are UK specific so for those listening outside of the UK, suggests contacting local health services for advice and support.

Kathryn Morgan is a modern-day ballerina, blazing a career path outside of the confines of company life. A performer, teacher, judge and influencer, she is also the founder of Kathryn Morgan & Friends, a community focused on the joy that ballet can bring to dancers. Kathryn began her professional career with New York City Ballet in 2006, and was promoted to soloist in 2009. She left NYCB in 2012 while battling an auto-immune illness, and returned to the stage seven years later as a soloist with Miami City Ballet. In 2020, she decided to step away from company life to pursue dancing on her own terms. Her notable performances include Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and the Striptease girl in Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Find out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/3KcB5UB

Kathryn Morgan's website: https://bit.ly/3MRDLc6

Kathryn's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3JgSJpU

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Barbara Peters, a life-enhancing RAD teacher from Yorkshire, has been teaching for over 60 years. She has travelled the world as an RAD examiner, and continued teaching throughout the pandemic over Zoom, attracting some devoted international students. A couple of years ago, in her 80s, she passed the RAD’s Grade 7 and 8 exams, attracting much media interest, and has now been recognised by a fellowship of the RAD and the British Empire Medal. Dance is crucial to the way she approaches the world: we are proud to be her first podcast interview.

Born in Huddersfield, Barbara Peters began her dance journey over 75 years ago when she had her first RAD ballet class, at the age of nine. Between 1948 and 1950, she passed Grades 1 to 5 all with Honours, as it was then. In 1954, after passing Intermediate, she became a full member of RAD. Following an audition to attend the RAD teachers’ training course, she became a student in 1956. In 1957, she passed Advanced and the next year, she was elected Senior Student. She then moved to Italy to help establish the RAD Children’s Ballet in Education syllabus there.

Barbara has been teaching dance for 66 years and at the age of 80, passed Grades 7 and 8, and Discovering Repertoire, all with Merit. In 2022, Barbara was named in the New Year’s Honours list as a recipient of the British Empire Medal for services to dance.

Find out more about Silver Swans for over 55s: https://bit.ly/3pJiOX6

Learn more about Discovering Repertoire: https://bit.ly/37buiw3

Find your nearest RAD teacher: https://bit.ly/3EW4L6x

Find out more about RAD exams: https://bit.ly/34jJdDc

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

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The American mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato has won deserved acclaim in the world’s great opera houses – in Rossini, Handel and brand new works – and she’s a passionate communicator. Growing up in Kansas she originally planned to become a music teacher. Even after committing to a singing career, the breaks only followed a whole heap of rejection. A very present, physical performer, the temperature always rises when she comes on stage. She tells us about art and activism, including her work in prisons and with refugees. Joyce’s journey has helped her think about why her work is valuable – why art matters.

Joyce DiDonato was born in Kansas. A multi-Grammy Award winner and 2018 Olivier Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, the New Yorker proclaimed her ‘perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation.’ Acclaimed as both a performer and a fierce advocate for the arts, she has gained international prominence in operas by Handel and Mozart, and in the bel canto roles of Rossini and Donizetti. She has held residencies at Carnegie Hall and London’s Barbican Centre and appeared as guest soloist at the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms. The latest release in her award-winning discography is Eden, a multi-faceted initiative embracing a global tour, an album and a ground-breaking education programme all exploring our connection to nature.

Find out more about the work of the RAD: https://bit.ly/3KcB5UB

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Joyce DiDonato’s new album EDEN is released on 25 February and her international tour begins on 2 March, with performances at the Barbican Centre in London on 5 and 6 April.

Learn more about Joyce DiDonato and The Walk: https://bit.ly/3MgaWWI

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Carlos Acosta has an electric connection to audiences – a combination of elegance, fire and rare charisma. Starting life in one of Havana’s poorest neighbourhoods, the Cuban dancer became a favourite at The Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi. His inspirational effect has been widely recognised – including, in 2018, by the RAD’s Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award. He now leads his own contemporary company, Acosta Danza, and is director of Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB). He describes how he came to love ballet, keeping motivated through the pandemic and a new partnership between BRB and the RAD, designed to share the love of ballet among teachers, students and audiences.

Carlos Acosta is Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and of Acosta Danza. Born in Havana in 1973, he trained at the National Ballet School of Havana in Cuba, winning awards including the Prix de Lausanne in 1990. He went on to dance with the world’s most prestigious companies, with London’s Royal Ballet becoming his home. He retired from ballet in 2016, having performed almost every classical role from Spartacus to Romeo. He created award-winning shows including Tocororo, and choreographed Royal Ballet productions of Don Quixote and Carmen, plus Guys and Dolls in the West End. He has also written Pig’s Foot, a novel, and his autobiography No Way Home. His awards include a CBE and the RAD’s Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award.

Find out more about RAD’s new partnership with BRB: https://bit.ly/3Ifx3dm

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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Facebook @RoyalAcademyofDance

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Carlos reflects on his career after receiving the Royal Academy of Dance QEII Award: https://bit.ly/3H53I3W

Carlos' new production of Don Quixote for BRB is on tour: https://bit.ly/36mUALi

Acosta Danza is also touring the UK: https://bit.ly/35lauFm

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This week we meet portrait artist Ralph Heimans as the RAD prepares to celebrate a landmark in its 100 year history - a move to a new purpose built headquarters - with a brand new portrait competition. The competition will invite artists of all abilities to create a portrait of world famous ballerina and founding President of the RAD Dame Adeline Genée. Ralph sits on the judging panel of this competition and will be responsible for selecting the new commission, which will hang pride of place for all to enjoy in the new building when it formally opens in 2022.

Known for high profile commissions of royalty, how would Ralph approach the portrait of a dancer? And what's the point of portraiture in this selfie-ridden age? Join us for this portrait of the artist.

London-based Australian artist Ralph Heimans is one of today's leading portrait artists. His official portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth, produced for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, hangs in Westminster Abbey, while his portraits of the Duke of Edinburgh (2017) and Prince of Wales (2018) are in the Royal Collection. In 2018, the National Portrait Gallery of Denmark held a mid-career retrospective, including portraits of artists like Dame Judi Dench, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Margaret Atwood. Ralph's large-scale portraits are renowned for innovative compositions that offer engaging narratives about his subjects and their life stories. His works are held in major international collections and in 2014 he became a Member of the Order of Australia.

Find out more about the RAD: https://bit.ly/3qqFBrW

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Ralph Heimans' website: https://www.ralphheimans.com

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At just 19, Hannah Martin has already achieved remarkable things. In September 2021, the young ballet dancer won a medal in the RAD's flagship event, The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition. And before that, she was a top flight gymnast, the youngest official member of the England team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when she was only 15. It is rare to shine in two disciplines at an elite level, competing with some of the very best international dancers and gymnasts. Now an apprentice with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Hannah discusses the similarities and differences between the different disciplines.

Hannah Martin is an apprentice at Birmingham Royal Ballet, after graduating from Elmhurst Ballet School earlier in 2021. She was also a bronze medallist at The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2021, and won the London Ballet Circle Sir Peter Wright Performance Prize. She previously competed in rhythmic gymnastics for Team England in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia (as the youngest official member of the team), and reached the semi-finals of the BBC's The Greatest Dancer in 2020.

Find out more about the RAD's Fonteyn Competition: https://bit.ly/2RV9Qb7

Watch Hannah Martin's journey to The Fonteyn vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyXArRmOieE

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

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Nine years ago this month, Misty Copeland became the first ever Black American woman to be promoted to principal at American Ballet Theatre. One of ballet’s most inspirational figures, she opens this new season of Why Dance Matters. Was she prepared for the attention around her promotion? What can ballet give young people? How does George Michael’s I Want Your Sex figure in her dance career, and will she return to the stage after ‘one of the longest maternity leaves in ballet history’? Misty reflects on her extraordinary journey – and why dance matters to her. 

Misty Copeland is acclaimed as a champion of change. Born in Kansas City and raised in California, she began her ballet studies at the late age of 13. A member of American Ballet Theatre since 2001, in 2015 she was the first African American woman in the company’s history to be promoted to principal dancer, having made history as the first Black woman to perform the lead role in its Swan Lake. In 2022, Misty launched The Misty Copeland Foundation, with its signature program BEBOLD, which aims to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet. 

Misty Copeland Foundation https://www.mistycopelandfoundation.org/ 

Misty's website

Misty on Instagram @mistyonpointe 

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Australian ballerina Leanne Benjamin is a self-declared perfectionist - difficult in ballet, where the perfect performance is a tantalising impossibility. Her career took her from rural Queensland to the heights of The Royal Ballet in London. She conquered the great 19th-century ballets, created challenging new work, and revelled in the complex stories of Kenneth MacMillan. Leanne revisits her career in a new memoir, Built for Ballet (written with Sarah Crompton) and discusses her love of coaching, including of young dancers in the RAD's Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition.

Leanne Benjamin was born in Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia, and began dancing at the age of three. At 16, she followed her older sister to the Royal Ballet School, then won the RAD's Genée Gold Medal and the Prix de Lausanne. She graduated into Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (later Birmingham Royal Ballet) in 1983, then danced with London Festival and Deutsche Oper Ballets. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1992, retiring in 2013 after 20 years as a Principal. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and received an OBE for services to dance.

Find out more about the RAD's Fonteyn Competition: https://bit.ly/2RV9Qb7

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with David Jays.

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Leanne Benjamin: Built for Ballet by Leanne Benjamin and Sarah Crompton is published by Melbourne Books. https://bit.ly/3vRhpiM

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Libby Clegg loved dance and ballet when she was little, but became a multi-medal-winning Paralympic athlete. She won five medals games, capping her amazing career in Tokyo with a silver medal for Team GB in the 100m relay - then announced her retirement from the track. Last year she returned to dance in the tv competition Dancing on Ice, reaching the final. Libby, who has Stargardt macular dystrophy, is also candid about struggles with her mental health, even at what should have been her greatest moment of triumph - winning two gold medals at the Rio games.

Content warning: our conversation will discuss mental health and some of the darker moments of Libby's journey.

Libby Clegg MBE was a keen ballet dancer as a child before taking up athletics, specialising in sprinting. In 2008 she made her Paralympic debut in Beijing winning a silver medal in the T12 100m and won another silver medal in London 2012. She struck gold at Rio in 2016, winning both the T11 100m and T11 200m finals. She announced her retirement at the Tokyo Paralympics where she won a relay silver. She appeared in Dancing on Ice in 2020 and wrote My Life with Hatti, a book about her guide dog.

Discover more about the work of the RAD at www.royalacademyofdance.org

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Libby's book, My Life with Hatti, available now: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/libby-clegg/my-life-with-hatti/9781529416701/

The RNIB's See Sport Differently campaign: https://www.rnib.org.uk/about-us/see-sport-differently

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Gerard Charles arrived at the Royal Academy of Dance as its new Artistic Director in 2018, having been in leadership positions at some of America's liveliest ballet companies. As the RAD prepares to move to a new purpose-built headquarters in London's Battersea, we ask Gerard how a new home will help it grow, and reach into the community. As a seasoned director, how did he reconfigure the RAD's flagship event, The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, as an online experience? And in these uncertain times, we ask how he sees the future of dance and dance teaching.

Born in Folkestone, England, Gerard trained at the Royal Ballet School, then spent most of his professional career in America. He danced at Ballet International, Milwaukee Ballet and BalletMet in roles ranging from corps de ballet to Principal. He then served as Education Director for Ballet Met Columbus; Ballet Master for BalletMet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens; Artistic Director for BalletMet and most recently Director of Artistic Operations at Joffrey Ballet. Gerard has choreographed and staged works internationally and received an NEA Choreographic Fellowship. He was appointed as Artistic Director of the RAD in 2018.

Find out more about World Ballet Day and how you can tune into the RAD's section: https://bit.ly/2YFqbog

Find out more about RAD’s new home for dance: https://bit.ly/3wfVnoN

Discover more about the work of the RAD at www.royalacademyofdance.org

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

Instagram @royalacademyofdance

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

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The hip-hop choreographer, dancer and teacher Yami Löfvenberg is also known as 'Rowdy'. As that name suggests, hers is a wonderfully confident, engaged presence - but growing up in Sweden, she was racially bullied and called stupid, because she struggled with maths. Only later did she realise she had dyscalculia: a deep-seated difficulty in understanding numbers. Discovering a talent for dance transformed her life. As well as creating choreography, she's worked in schools with the RAD's Step into Dance programme, and has a gift for reaching young people who might be struggling as she once did.

Yami 'Rowdy' Löfvenberg is a multidisciplinary artist working between movement and theatre as a creative movement director, director, hip-hop theatre maker, performer and lecturer. Alongside making her own work, she also mentors, creates and delivers workshops across the UK and internationally. A One Dance UK DAD Trailblazer Fellow and Marion North Recipient, she was on the creative choreographic team for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and is a member of performance collective Hot Brown Honey. A fierce advocate for intersectional feminism and hip-hop dance culture, she is a highly respected role model and teacher within the art sector.

Step into Dance is a Royal Academy of Dance programme in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation. The largest inclusive dance programme in the UK, it reaches over six thousand secondary school students annually across London and Essex by offering regular dance classes. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3ozsjs3

Follow the RAD on social media, and join the conversation with host David Jays

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RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign: https://bit.ly/3fnxEwm or make a donation: https://bit.ly/3bxA6z5

Yami Löfvenberg’s website: https://yamilofvenberg.wixsite.com/yamilofvenberg

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