Nutcracker may be over, but this week Rebecca and Michael sit down to catch up and discuss Michael's Nutcracker gigs. Rebecca asks Michael about coming out of retirement for his return to the Nutcracker this past December. We chat about how he prepared, what the rehearsal process was like, and we get nostalgic over other Nutcracker memories from years past.

This week we are happy to welcome a new sponsor, Veyette Virtual Ballet School. Be sure to check them out: veyettevirtualballetschool.com. As always, thank you to Yumiko for their continued support of COD: yumiko.com.

The post (168) Rebecca and Michael: Nutcracker Gigs appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

This week, for our first episode of 2020, we are joined by Hope Boykin, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Dancer, from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival. Hope is from Durham North Carolina, and attended Howard University. She was a student and intern at the Ailey School before going on the join the company. She was an original member of Complexions, was a member of Philadanco, and received a New York Dance and Performance Award, or Bessie Award. We talk with Hope about her journey with dance as a youth, the challenges she faced, her now 20 years with Ailey, her work as a choreographer, and her personal podcast. Hope brings such light and optimism to this chat, and we can’t wait to share her with you!

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and The Town of Vail.

LINKS:

• Website: conversationsondancepod.com
• Merch: https://bit.ly/cod-merch
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/youtube-COD
• Join our email list: https://bit.ly/mail-COD
• Instagram: @conversationsondance

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

This week we are joined from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival by Joseph Gordon, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer.  Joe was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began his dance training at the age of five at The Phoenix Dance Academy. He began studying at the School of American Ballet during the 2006 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. In August of 2011, Mr. Gordon became an apprentice with NYCB.  He worked his way through the ranks for the next 7 years and in October 2018, he was promoted to principal dancer.  We talk with Joe about how his job at New York City Ballet came about, some of his first opportunities, his 6 years in Vail, and some of his favorite memories from the festival.

The post (166) Joseph Gordon, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

This week we are joined from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival last summer by Charlotte Landreau, dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company.  A native of France, she trained first as a rhythmic gymnast, where she was the third in France.  With her sights set on the Olympics, an injury forced her career trajectory to shift.  She attended the Béjart School in Switzerland, studying acting and dance, before coming to NYC to study at the Martha Graham School.  She joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2013.  She speaks with us about how her training as a rhythmic gymnast influences her dance career, the challenges of seeing the career she dreamt of slip away, how she made a quick transition into the dance world, and how she connected so deeply with the Graham technique.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and The Town of Vail.

The post (165) Charlotte Landreau, Dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

This week we are joined from the 2019 Vail Dance Festival this past summer, by Christopher Grant, New York City Ballet dancer.  Christopher was born in Jamaica, Queens. He began his dance training at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in 2002.  In August 2015, he became an apprentice with NYCB and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2016.  We talk with Chris about his training, the struggles of moving from student life to company life, how he hopes that he can set an example for students coming through the school, and his second year at the Vail Dance Festival.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko and The Town of Vail.

YUMIKO's new Holiday Collection is the perfect way to get winter-ready this season!  The Holiday Collection ships within 2-3 days.  Available to order at www.yumiko.com.

The post (164) Christopher Grant, New York City Ballet Dancer appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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