Life of a Dance Podcast Host

I feel like I'm on the verge of something big. I don't know what, but I feel like my voice is being heard and recognized in new ways throughout our beautiful dance world. And, even more important to me, I feel like I'm making a difference. As you all know, I began hosting my own podcast, Pas de Chat: Talking Dance, on the Premier Dance Network nearly two months ago. In that amount of time, I've been contacted to write articles, I was asked for an interview to offer insight for a dance book, I've been sought to teach and choreograph, and for general advice. The press keeps coming out as my producer continues adding exciting new hosts to our network. From former New York City Ballet Soloist Kathryn Morgan (who was recently featured here on LOFD) to Ballet West & Breaking Pointe star Allison Debona, American Ballet Theatre Principal James Whiteside, and new Miami City Ballet Soloist Lauren Fadeley, it is very exciting to be a part of this revolution of dance artists finding their voices!

An old pic in Huntington Beach, CA back in 2006 right after we met

I'm getting married to the love of my life on Sunday, then heading off to Alaska for my summer intensive next Thursday. While I take some time to enjoy these events, I thought I would leave you with a list of my first set of podcasts that have been released. It's a holiday weekend coming up, so be sure to download these onto your phone for easy listening while you have a relaxing lay on the beach. If you enjoy, please be sure to share, rate, and review. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

1. Let's Meet Your Host - Just a little introduction and what Pas de Chat: Talking Dance is all about

2. Determining Your Value - An exploration on whether professional value is determined by our own feelings of worth or the influence of outside factors like rank, company, salary, etc. Listen in as I chat about looking inward at your own value and how others perception of your worth can change dependent upon multiple factors.

3. How to Choose a Show to Go See - Many potential dance-lovers find themselves nervous to purchase tickets to local dance productions, touring musicals, and more. In this episode, I discuss the best ways to go about choosing which performances may be a best fit for you.

4. Emotional Training - In this episode, I discuss the importance of developing and integrating emotional training into the world of dance. While much of a dancer's training focuses on building physicality, most programs leave out cultivating these young professional's psyche.

5. Getting Fired - In this episode, I talk about my experience getting fired from a small contemporary ballet company in Philadelphia. Listen in as I discuss this experience and chat about coming to terms with being fired from this job.

6. What Does a Choreographer Do - Many people believe that the work of a choreographer only takes place in a dance studio. While much of a dance maker's product comes to fruition in the studio, there is a great deal of effort that must take place outside of this environment to complete a true work of art. In this episode I talk about my career as a choreographer and explains the many aspects of a dance maker's job that takes place outside of the studio.

7. Education for Leadership - In this episode, I discuss the track of most incumbent directors into ballet companies in the U.S. and their lack of formal education on the administrative side of the Artistic Director spectrum. Included in this discussion are details on the recent expose in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Artistic Director Angel Corella, comparison of leaders in the ballet world to those in the business world, and conversation on education versus starpower.

8. Explaining Company Ranking Systems - In this episode, I discuss the function and purpose behind the strict structure of most dance companies and their ranking systems.

9. The Challenges of Success - It is ingrained in our culture to praise talented youth and their successes. As we have seen in popular culture, young talent rises quickly and often falls just as fast. Dance is one of few professions that is largely comprised of ultra-talented teenage and 20-something professionals working in the highest levels of their field. Success is thrilling, but difficult to maintain. Listen in as I discuss the challenges of gaining success and how it becomes exponentially more difficult to maintain with each additional achievement.

10. Rating National Ballet Companies - In this episode, I offer a break down of most ballet companies in the United States and how they compare to one another in both quality and public opinion. Sharing research on information ranging from budget, roster size, repertoire, visibility in press, and more, listen in as I explain this fluid 3-tier system of national, regional, and local dance companies.

11. Contemporary Dance Training in the US - In this episode, I discuss how contemporary dance has evolved over the past decade from both classical ballet and modern dance forms. I also share my pick of the best training and degree programs in the U.S. for anybody interested in pursuing a career or education in this hard-to-define genre of dance.