By Kealan McLaughlin
The Two Two Guys podcast will take you deep into the world of ballet through the lens of professional ballet dancers.
Each week, Kealan will interview a fellow dancer and bring you a re
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The podcast currently has 34 episodes available.
This week we are joined by intrepid choreographer Jera Wolfe to talk about his most recent creation — a dance film called "Soul" for the National Ballet of Canada — and get a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis of this profound piece. We talk about his rise to success, the unique blend of experiences that add to his choreographic vocabulary, and get some stories from his time as a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Lastly, we close with a conversation on the state of Indigenous representation in the arts in Canada, and hear what it has been like for Jera to re-discover his Métis heritage.
Check out "Soul" on NBoC's youtube here:
https://youtu.be/So9_pPS1rzo
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Jera Wolfe
@JeraWolfe
https://www.jerawolfe.com/
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, and if you're lucky enough to have older generations of your family in your life, take a few moments over the next few days to ask them a story about where you come from. It's so easy to lose contact with our heritage, so go learn about your tribe!
Have we got a real bumper of an episode for YOU! This week the man—the myth—the legend, Joseph Gatti stopped by the pod, and oh did he bring it!! Topics include (but are not limited to) that time he invented a new pirouette combination at the NY IBC, stories of working with the great Fernando Bujones, the key to making your feet look better (that I guarantee you've never heard before), what it takes to run a company and why he chose to start his company United Ballet Theatre in 2018! Plus we go deep into the Gatti Method and talk about the ways he and United Ballet Theatre are changing the ballet world forever.
Joseph Gatti is the founder and director of United Ballet Theatre (UBT) and United Ballet Theatre Academy (UBTA) in Orlando, FL. He has been a soloist with Boston Ballet, a principal with Cincinnati Ballet and Corella Ballet, guest principal with Orlando Ballet, and has danced in galas across the world and won numerous ballet competitions.
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Joseph Gatti
@BalletGatti
@UnitedBalletTheatre
@UBT.academy
https://www.athletesofart.org/
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to train your body in a different way than you're used to. They say variety is the spice of life ;)
This week we are joined by star of the stage for three decades - Greta Hodgkinson! Greta retired from the National Ballet of Canada as a principal ballerina in 2020 at the age of 46, having danced in the company for 30 years. During this episode we go into the "how" of it all, and try to determine the magic recipe which enabled Greta to dance so fabulously and with such longevity. We talk about how a dancer's mindset changes over time, the importance of good coaching and mentoring, and hear stories from her illustrious career.
Also, Greta is launching a mentorship program called Dance Mentoring by Greta. You can stay up to date by checking it out online and on social media!
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Greta Hodgkinson
@GretaHodgkinson
@DanceMentoringbyGreta
https://www.dancementoringbygreta.com/
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to imagine yourself in your future. Ask yourself what might be necessary for that future to be a happy one, then begin moving towards those things now.
This week on the podcast we present part 2 of our interview with Cuban ballet-phenom Osiel Gouneo. In part 2 Osiel speaks on some of his most serious struggles and the lessons he learned in overcoming them. He talks about the unique challenge in guesting with Paris Opera Ballet, and what makes it one of his most cherished professional memories. Finally, he tells a story about his special relationship with Cuban ballet-juggernaut Alicia Alonso, asking for a leave of absence on only his 2nd day at work, and a remarkable story of being recognized by a fan. Plus much more!
Make sure to listen to part 1 as well, and check out our Instagram for easy access to all the solos referenced in the episode.
And if you're looking for instructional videos, Osiel has a dance masterclass available online. Check out the link below.
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Osiel Gouneo
@gouneoosiel
https://osielgouneo.com/
https://www.dance-masterclass.com/osiel
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to check in with your body. Are you sleeping enough, do you need more water? We only get one body, so let's try to take care of the one we got.
This week on the pod we are joined by Cuban ballet-phenom Osiel Gouneo for part 1 of a 2-part interview. Having danced as a leading principal at Ballet Nacional de Cuba (Havana), Norweigan National Ballet (Oslo), and Bayerisches Staatsballett (Munich), as well as guesting and performing in galas all over the world, Osiel is in equal measure tremendously talented, completely charismatic, and utterly unpretentious. In part 1 we talk about the relationship between greatness & modesty, the ways people are, and the ways we could be pushing the art form further in the 21st century, take a look under the hood at what he is feeling and thinking about when he performs his remarkable feats on stage, and much more.
Make sure to come back for part 2 next week and check out our Instagram for easy access to all the solos referenced in the episode.
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Osiel Gouneo
@gouneoosiel
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to put the work into something you love. You never know, one day you might become famous for it.
We present to you Part 2 of our conversations with ballerina-turned-conductor Maria Seletskaja. On the previous episode we talked about the unique career transition that took her from performing lead roles on stage to leading the orchestra in front of the stage and discussed her upcoming debut conducting Swan Lake for the Estonian National Ballet. On this episode we hear about the performance mere hours after the curtain has closed, share feedback directly from the dancers in the performance, and probe further into the psyche of a conductor in these high-pressure moments.
Maria has made the remarkable journey from dancing as a soloist ballerina with some of the leading ballet theatres in Europe to conducting across the globe with companies like the National Ballet of Canada, Royal Danish Ballet, and now her home theatre of the Estonian National Ballet. Join us for 2 conversations, both rich with insight, and learn about the intersection between the dancers and the orchestra from an artist unparalleled in her qualification. And make sure to listen to Part 1 if you haven't already!
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Maria Seletskaja
@mariaseletskaja
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to celebrate a win, big or small. The greatest results can come from the smallest beginnings.
SPECIAL MID-WEEK BONUS POD!
This week on the show we are joined by ballerina-turned-conductor Maria Seletskaja. Currently Conductor-in-Residence at the National Ballet of Canada, and simultaneously preparing for debuts with Royal Danish Ballet and Estonian National Ballet, she actually began as a ballet dancer. During her 15-year ballet career she danced for companies like Staatsoper Berlin, Estonian National Ballet, and Royal Ballet of Flanders; yet it wasn't until she lifted the baton in her first production as a conductor that she felt she was where she belonged.
Maria joins us on the eve of an auspicious premiere, as she returns home to Estonian National to conduct Swan Lake for the first time, in the same theatre where she premiered the roles of Odette/Odile 11 years ago. In this episode we discuss the difference between performing on stage as a dancer and standing in front of the stage as a conductor. Further, Maria explains how she was able to make this difficult transition, dishes on the challenges of leading an orchestra, and tells us how preparations are coming for her upcoming Swan Lake premiere.
Make sure to come back on the weekend for Part 2 when we check in post-premiere and see how it all went!
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Maria Seletskaja
@mariaseletskaja
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments over the next few days to try something new. You never know how you'll feel about something until you try it.
This week we are joined by soloist of the Estonian National Ballet, Ketlin Oja. Having performed together for years, Ketlin and Kealan are able to draw from their lived experience on stage to share stories – raw and honest – and give the listener real access into the quiet intensity that exists in every dancer in the moments surrounding a debut.
It is a very different thing to premiere a role than it is to partner somebody through their premiere. This is amplified if the role is the first foray into soloist or principal dancing, as was the case in 2018 when Ketlin premiered the role of Odette/Odile at only 20 years old, with Kealan as her Prince Siegfried, in front of the entire Estonian ballet community.
In this episode they tell stories from the pivotal premiere, discuss the differences – from seemingly small to positively profound – a dancer may feel as they make this transition from "new" to "veteran," and contrast the impacts that an inexperienced partner can have on a male and female dancer.
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Ketlin Oja
@ketlino
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments this week to give yourself a present. It can be big or small, planned or spontaneous, but let it bring you joy.
After a year and a half at home, a lot of us are beginning to go back to work/school. As life begins to return to "normal" we may notice there are pros but also some cons. Maybe we miss being able to wear the same onesie every day for a week, and now when we wear it to the office we get HR telling us we can't dress up as our favourite Lion King character?!? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH, SUSAN!!
This week on the pod, ballet dancer and friend of the show Julian Botnarenko joins to play a game of "Would You Rather: Lockdown vs Working Edition." Play along with us as you listen, learn about yourself as you go, and ultimately discover which lifestyle you prefer and why.
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Julian Botnarenko
@julianbotnarenko
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments this week to reflect on the positive changes you've undergone in the last year and a half, and consider how you can incorporate them into your life moving forward.
How do we find our groove? Each of us has natural rhythms, tendencies, gifts; how do we tap into them so they can be enjoyed and shared fully? On this episode, movement coach/choreographer/former Royal Swedish Ballet soloist and genuinely groovy guy Joakim Stephenson visits from all the way in Stockholm Sweden to offer his expertise on the subject.
Finding your natural way of moving and being is beneficial in dancing, choreographing, and anything non-dance related. It's about finding what works for YOU as an authentic expression of who and what you are, as opposed to just doing what has been programmed.
This episode includes:
Host: Kealan McLaughlin
Guest: Joakim Stephenson
http://joakimstephenson.com/
@joakimstephenson
Two Two Guys can be reached at:
Instagram and Facebook:
@twotwoguys
Email:
[email protected]
Leave a review! Send us a message! Let us know what topics are important to you! And if you can, take a few moments this week to play some groovy tunes and see how your body feels like moving.
The podcast currently has 34 episodes available.