Conversations on Dance | Ballet & Dance Careers

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with New York City Ballet’s exciting new generation of principal dancers: Chun Wai Chan, Mira Nadon, and Gilbert Bolden III. These dynamic artists are shaping the future of classical ballet with their exceptional talent, artistry, and fresh perspectives. Hear about their paths to principal status, experiences dancing with NYCB, and their aspirations both on and off the stage. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 3, 2025.

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording featuring BalletX dancers Savannah Green and Francesca Forcella. Known for their innovative artistry and bold performances, these talented dancers bring fresh energy and perspective from one of America’s leading contemporary ballet companies. Join us for an engaging conversation about their artistic journeys, creative process, and what it means to be part of BalletX’s groundbreaking repertoire. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 2, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a vibrant live podcast recording spotlighting the Vail Dance Festival’s Rising Voices: Gianna Reisen, My’Kal Stromile, and Rachel Lockhart. 

These dynamic emerging artists represent the new generation of dance innovators, each bringing a fresh voice and perspective to the art form. Hear about their journeys, creative visions, and the inspiration behind their work as they prepare to make their mark on the Festival stage. Reisen, Stromile, and Lockhart will be creating new work for this year’s NOW: Premieres program. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 1, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome two of the Festival’s most beloved artists for a long-anticipated live podcast recording: Calvin Royal III, Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, and Unity Phelan, Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet. 

Royal and Phelan—widely regarded as one of the most iconic duos to emerge from the Vail Dance Festival—will reflect on their enduring partnership, born at Vail and nurtured through countless collaborations across stages and companies. This conversation explores the artistic trust, chemistry, and shared vision that have made them audience favorites. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 31, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a special live recording with American Ballet Theatre principal ballerinas Isabella Boylston and Chloe Misseldine. Powerhouses on the international stage and here at home, Boylston and Misseldine will share their journeys to principal status, their experiences performing with ABT, and their artistic perspectives as leading women in classical ballet today. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 30, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with one of the Vail Dance Festival’s most celebrated returning artists and this year’s Artist-in-Residence, Melissa Toogood. 

Toogood, a Bessie Award-winning dancer and former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, has just been named Director of The Juilliard School’s Dance Division and will share her vision for the next chapter of one of the world’s most prestigious conservatories. She also debuts a new work for the Festival’s NOW: Premieres program this year.

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 29, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

MacArthur Fellow and tap visionary Michelle Dorrance joins Conversations on Dance for a live podcast recording with hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden. A festival mainstay, Dorrance shares insight into her newest work, The Center Will Not Hold, co-created with b-girl and choreographer Ephrat Asherie. 

Following last year’s sold-out performance, this new evening-length piece blends rhythm tap with a wide range of street, club, and social dances—brought to life by an electric ensemble and live music by composer Donovan Dorrance and percussionist John Angeles. 

Gain a behind-the-scenes look into Dorrance’s creative process, her collaborative spirit, and how she continues to expand the boundaries of tap dance. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 28, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with Michael Novak, Artistic Director of the legendary Paul Taylor Dance Company. As the company returns to the Vail Dance Festival for the first time since 2018, Novak reflects on honoring the legacy of Paul Taylor—one of the most influential figures in American modern dance—on what would have been Taylor’s 95th birthday.

This special conversation offers insight into the company’s tribute performance, featuring the beloved Company B and the 50th anniversary presentation of Esplanade, a masterwork hailed for transforming everyday movement into mythic dance. 

This episode is brought to you by Discover Vail and was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 27, 2025.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

It's that time of year again! Get ready for daily drops from Conversations on Dance all throughout the 2025 Vail Dance Festival through August 3rd. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a moment.

Today we are joined by four dancers from LINES Ballert: Adji Cissoko, Lorris Eichinger, Ilaria Guerra, and Shuaib Elhassan. In this morning’s conversation, explore the company’s return to the Vail Dance Festival with a program that includes Ode to Alice Coltrane—a tribute to the legendary spiritual jazz icon—and Mother Goose, a mesmerizing reimagining of Ravel’s beloved 1912 suite, Ma mère l’Oye. 

Hear behind-the-scenes insights into the creative process behind these visionary works and get to know the artists shaping them. The conversation will be followed by an open audience Q&A. 

This episode was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on July 26, 2025.

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

The Vail Dance Festival is almost here! If you are going to be at the festival, please join us for our in-person events. Ticket and more information available here: https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/.

If you can't be with us, please subscribe to the Conversations on Dance podcast wherever you get your podcasts to be notified as we are publishing episodes daily from the festival. Episodes will be running from July 26 - August 3.

Tickets to Conversations on Dance at the 2025 Vail Dance Festival on sale now! https://vaildance.org/conversations-on-dance/

LINKS:

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Instagram: @conversationsondance

Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch

YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD

Join our email list: https://bit.ly/COD-email

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com

Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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