This week we talk with American Ballet Theatre's newest soloist dancer, Gabe Stone Shayer. Gabe was born in Philadelphia, where he began his dance training. At 14, he began training full time at the Rock School for Dance Education, before going on to move to Russia to continue his studies at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Shayer is the first African-American male to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in its nearly 250-year history.  

Gabe joined ABT Studio Company in September 2011, the main Company as an apprentice in April 2012 and the corps de ballet in November 2012. Just this month he was promoted to soloist. We talk with Gabe about his training, his time at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, how he came to ABT, what his promotion was like, and some of the incredible projects he has been working on while the company is on hiatus due to COVID.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Trey McIntyre's FLTPK. Learn more at fltpk.com.

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (204) Gabe Stone Shayer, American Ballet Theatre Soloist appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today, we welcome our first conductor to the podcast, Ming Luke. Ming holds a Master of Fine Arts in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. With a background in ballet himself, Ming has conducted for ballet performances around the world. He is currently serving as Music Director for the Merced Symphony and Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra; Associate Conductor for the Berkeley Symphony; Principal Guest Conductor for the San Francisco Ballet; and Principal Conductor of the Nashville Ballet. 

While live theatre is on hiatus due to COVID-19, Ming has started an online series called “Musical Point(e)s,” a virtual in-depth exploration of how movement and music work together in some of the most beloved ballet in the repertoire. Upcoming programming includes “Romeo and Juliet” on Saturday, Sept 26th, “The Winter's Tale” on October 3rd, and “The Nutcracker” on October 10th. All events are at 12pm Pacific Time, 3pm Eastern.  Access to these conversations are free. Register for access on his website, mingluke.com.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Trey McIntyre's FLTPK (flatpack.) Learn more at fltpk.com.

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (203) Ming Luke, Principal Guest Conductor for the San Francisco Ballet and Principal Conductor of the Nashville Ballet appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Our guest today is Janie Taylor, a former principal ballerina with the New York City Ballet, present day dancer with LA Dance Project, repetiteur for the works of Benjamin Millepied, costume designer, and creator of the art newspaper Quarter Marks.

At the New York City Ballet, Janie amassed a broad rep that showcased the full depth and range of her talents in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Justin Peck, and Peter Martins. After her retirement in 2014, Janie began to explore her talents as a costume designer and repetiteur, creating designs for numerous new ballets and staging works for companies all over the world, such as Dutch National Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

Janie returned to dancing with the Los Angeles Dance Project in 2016, enchanting audiences once again with her electrifying and unmistakable stage presence. Today we talk to Janie about her broad range of talents and unlikely career path.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Trey McIntyre's FLTPK (flatpack). Learn more at FLTPK.com.

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (202) Janie Taylor, L.A. Dance Project Dancer & former NYCB Principal appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today we check in with listener favorite, Alastair Macaulay. We last spoke with Alastair in 2018 as he was preparing to step down from his post as chief dance critic at the New York Times. We catch up on what he has been working on over the past couple of years, including his research for his book on Merce Cunningham. He tells us about his virtual series for New York City Center that has been exceedingly popular and about his new blog that he will soon be introducing. Be sure to tune into the next installments of City Center's “Studio 5 Live @ Home” on September 16th, 23rd, and 30th. More information can be found at nycitycenter.org.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com).

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (201) Alastair Macaulay appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

It's our 200th episode of Conversations on Dance! To celebrate, Rebecca and Michael get together to chat about the beginnings of COD, some favorite memories, and catch up on what they have been up to recently.

If you would like to give to the Miami City Ballet dancer relief fund, you can do so here: https://tickets.miamicityballet.org/donate/q/dsf

Thank you as always to our amazing sponsor, Yumiko (yumiko.com). Be sure to check out their new release, the Camila, and enjoy a 15% off introductory rate on all ready to wear and custom orders this month.

This episode is also brought to you by Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com). Launching new group classes starting September 14th.

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (200) Rebecca and Michael: Our 200th Episode appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today we chat with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's newly appointed Artistic Director, Susan Jaffe. Susan was a Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre for 22 years, appearing prominently in the international dance scene and frequently dancing with Mikhail Baryshnikov.

She retired from the stage in 2002 at age 40 and went on to serve as an adviser to the chairman of the board of American Ballet Theatre. From 2003-2010, she taught in the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre and from 2010-2012, she worked with American Ballet Theatre as ballet mistress. Since 2012, Ms. Jaffe has been the dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

In April 2020, it was announced that Susan would be taking on the role of Artistic Director at PBT. We talk with Susan about her prolific career, dancing with and for Baryshnikov, her ambition, dealing with career stress, & her new position in the dance world.

Learn more about the Susan Jaffe Series: https://www.susanjaffe.com

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com) and Veyette Virtual Ballet School (veyettevirtualballetschool.com).

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (199) Susan Jaffe, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's New Artistic Director appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today we are joined by Megan LeCrone, soloist with the New York City Ballet. Megan was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and at age 14, began studying with Melissa Hayden and Duncan Noble at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Megan entered the School of American Ballet full-time in the fall of 2001, and in November 2001 she became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. 

She joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in October 2002 and was promoted to soloist in February 2013.

We talk with Megan about her training, what brought her to SAB, how she joined the company, dealing with injuries, and her close working relationship with Peter Martins.

This episode is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (198) Megan LeCrone, Soloist New York City Ballet appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

This week we welcome Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, Peter Boal, back to the podcast. We first spoke with Peter in March of 2017, for a fantastic conversation surrounding his career and directorship. (Tune into episode 36 with Peter). Today, we catch up with Peter to hear about his experience leading PNB through the COVID-19 pandemic, how the dancers are safely and creatively returning to the studios to work, and about the incredible virtual programming that PNB has been curating exclusively for Ballet Sun Valley.

On August 23rd at 7pm MST (9pm EST), tune into Ballet Sun Valley's exclusive one-night only streaming event featuring PNB. Peter tells gives us a preview of the works we will be seeing and how these pieces are being filmed especially for this event. For more information on how to register to have the performance streamed to your home, visit:  balletsunvalley.org.

Conversations on Dance is brought to you by Yumiko (yumiko.com).

Links:

instagram.com/conversationsondance

facebook.com/conversationsondance

twitter.com/convoondance

conversationsondancepod.com

The post (197) Peter Boal, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, on Ballet Sun Valley appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today, on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are sharing our chat with American Ballet Theatre Soloist, Calvin Royal III, that was recorded as a part of the 2020 Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition. Through August 15th, you can watch our Zoom chat with Calvin on the Vail Dance Festival Facebook page or on their YouTube Channel. While you are there, we encourage you to explore the incredible 8 evenings of content that truly highlights what makes this festival so special!

But hurry, videos are only available through August 15th.

Conversations on Dance is generously supported by Yumiko (yumiko.com).

The post (196) Calvin Royal III, Soloist with American Ballet Theatre appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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

Today, on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we are sharing our chat with American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancers, Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside, that was recorded as a part of the 2020 Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition. Through August 15th, you can watch our Zoom chat with James and Bella on the Vail Dance Festival Facebook page or on their YouTube Channel. While you are there, we encourage you to explore the incredible 8 evenings of content that truly highlights what makes this festival so special!

But hurry, videos are only available through August 15th.

Conversations on Dance is generously supported by Yumiko (yumiko.com).

The post (195) Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside – 2020 Vail Dance Festival appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

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