A Conversation With Jen Sommers, Director of Houston Ballet Academy

Larry Attaway Chats With Us About Butler University's Dance Program: Join us as we explore Butler University's Department of Dance, with Larry Attaway, who serves as Chair and Executive Artistic Director. Consistently ranked as one of the top five collegiate ballet programs in the U.S., Mr. Attaway fills us in on its... by Ballet Help Desk

73 min listen

Phil Chan, Co-Founder Final Bow For Yellowface: Tune in to our latest episode featuring Phil Chan, co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, as we discuss the issue of Orientalism in ballet. Phil talks us through how his origanization is actively combating stereotypes and orientalist tropes within... by Ballet Help Desk

51 min listen

Tim O'Keefe, Artistic Director, Texas Ballet Theater: In this episode, we sit down with Tim O'Keefe, Artistic Director of Texas Ballet Theater, for an insightful discussion on the company's repertoire and his approach to artistic direction. We also explore the Texas Ballet Theater Studio Training... by Ballet Help Desk

48 min listen

Mavis Staines & Keith Morino Discuss The Company Life Experience at Canada's National Ballet School: Mavis Staines has been described as a visionary dance educator who has revolutionized the way dance is taught, performed, witnessed and shared across Canada and around the world. Over her 30-year tenure as Artistic Director of Canada’s National... by Ballet Help Desk

63 min listen

Christopher Hird Takes Us Inside Sarasota Ballet's Studio Company: Christopher Hird, Director of Education for Sarasota Ballet joins us to discuss post-graduate training programs. Hird brings a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation, having dedicated his career to shaping the next generation of ballet... by Ballet Help Desk

57 min listen

Chatting With Christopher Ruud, Second Company Manager & Rehearsal Director, Kansas City Ballet: Ballet Help Desk sat down with Christoper Ruud, Second Company Manager and Rehearsal Director at Kansas City Ballet. This wide-ranging conversation covered everything from how the post-graduate levels are structured to performance opportunities to how... by Ballet Help Desk

50 min listen

Inside Indiana University's Ballet Program with Sarah Wroth: We sat down with Sarah Wroth, Chair of the Department of Ballet and Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, to hear all about IU's ballet program. University ballet programs are becoming an ever more viable means to a professional ballet career... by Ballet Help Desk

71 min listen

European Bridge Programs: Talking With Jean-Yves Esquerre, European School of Ballet: Jean-Yves Esquerre, Founder and Director of European School of Ballet, joins us to talk about his classical and contemporary trainee programs, the current state of the job market in Europe and why he thinks some schools need to rethink their... by Ballet Help Desk

83 min listen

Racheal Nye, Oklahoma City Ballet, Talks High Achievement And High Empathy: Join us for a wide ranging chat with Racheal Nye, Director of the Yvonne Chouteau School and Studio Company at Oklahoma City Ballet. Ms. Nye covers everything wanted to know about their trainee program and second company, including how they recruit,... by Ballet Help Desk

72 min listen

Chatting With Lauren Richter, Principal Tulsa Ballet Center For Dance Education: Ballet Help Desk sat down with Lauren Richter, School Principal for the Tulsa Ballet Center For Dance Education to learn more about the school, its trainee program as well as the second company, known as TBII. She talked about how the programs... by Ballet Help Desk

58 min listen

Vanessa Léonard Discusses Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Aspirant Program: Ballet Help Desk sat down with Vanessa Léonard, Director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program. She covered not only how the program is structured, but how dancers work with the main company, where dancers get jobs and... by Ballet Help Desk

50 min listen

Peter Stark Discusses Ballet Post-Grad Programs & The State Of The Job Market: Peter Stark, President and Director of The Rock School For Dance Education, talks with us about the current state of the job market and what he thinks about the growth of post-graduate ballet programs. He also provides valuable advice for any students... by Ballet Help Desk

73 min listen

A Force For Change: TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian, Brown Girls Do Ballet: We talked with TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian, founder of Brown Girls Do Ballet, to learn about its evolution from a personal photography project to a major philanthropic force. She discussed the organization's impact on diversity in the arts, highlighting... by Ballet Help Desk

93 min listen

Inside BalletMet: Talking Trainees and Second Company with Maria Torija: Ballet Help Desk sat down with Maria Torija, Director of the Academy at BalletMet. Tune in to hear all about how the trainee program is structured, how the schol recriuits and how they work with BalletMet2. Dr. Torija also discusses school provides... by Ballet Help Desk

70 min listen

Ballet Bridge Programs: Maria Konrad, Director Nashville Ballet 2: Maria Konrad sat down with Ballet Help Desk to share her experiences working with Nashville Ballet Two's trainees and dancers, preparing them for future ballet careers. Gain insights into the unique blend of training and performance opportunities that... by Ballet Help Desk

72 min listen

The Realities Of Post-Grad Ballet Programs With Alan Hineline, CPYB: We sat down with Alan Hineline, Director of the Pre-Professional Division & Resident Choreographer at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet to get his take on the growing world of post-graduate ballet programs. We asked him why so many programs seem... by Ballet Help Desk

43 min listen

Navigating The Post-Graduate Levels in Ballet Education: Join us as we chat with former San Francisco Ballet Soloist, Julianne Spratlin. Julianne now runs Dance Training Center, San Francisco a pre-professional ballet program. We discussed the current state of ballet training and how she sees the role... by Ballet Help Desk

68 min listen

Ballet By The Numbers: Navigating The Career Landscape In The U.S. With Jason Yeung: "Becoming a professional ballet dancer in the United States requires years of training, dedication, and luck. With only a few thousand full-time jobs available, navigating a ballet career can be challenging and filled with uncertainty." These are the... by Ballet Help Desk

42 min listen

Making The Most of Your Older Teen's Summer Intensive: We're rereleasing a podcast we aired back in the late spring. Tune in to hear everything you need to know on how your older teens can maximize success at their summer intensive. by Ballet Help Desk

18 min listen

Sending Your Young Dancer Off To A Summer Intensive: As a close-out to our Summer Intensive Boot Camp, we're releasing an episode that talks about getting ready to send your young dancer off to a ballet summer intensive. Tune in for tips for making the most of your dancer's time away! Summer... by Ballet Help Desk

24 min listen

Talking Summer Intensive Planning and Strategies With Deidre Byrne, Maryland Youth Ballet: Tune in for our conversation with Deidre Byrne, Artistic Director of Maryland Youth Ballet. Deidre takes us through how they counsel students on how to choose which summer intensives to audition for and ultimately attend. She looks at it from the... by Ballet Help Desk

46 min listen

Navigating Ballet Summer Intensive Auditions With Lauren Fadeley-Veyette: We sat down with to discuss how handles ballet summer intensive auditions. KC Ballet School is part of the Tour and part of our conversation covered the pros and cons of the NSIA. We also covered a lot of ground on both in-person and video... by Ballet Help Desk

54 min listen

Summer Intensive Auditions: Advice From Houston Ballet Academy Rehearsal Director, Kelly Myernick: Join us as we chat with Kelly Myernick, Rehearsal Director and Principal Teacher for Houston Ballet Academy. Our conversation covered a broad range of topics related to ballet summer intensive auditions, including what she loves to see, what dancers... by Ballet Help Desk

42 min listen

Ballet Audition Photos And Videos: A Definitive Guide: Tune in for our chat with Emily Brunner, a professional dance photographer based in the Philadelphia metro area. Emily shares invaluable insights on camera positioning, perfect lighting techniques, and the secrets to capturing stunning audition photos... by Ballet Help Desk

42 min listen

What Boys Should Look For In Ballet Summer Intensives: Boys face unique challenges in ballet and summer intensives are no different. Join us as we sit down with some seasoned parents of male ballet dancers to discuss hurdles they've all had to overcome as well as how each family took a unique... by Ballet Help Desk

90 min listen

The Audition Blueprint: Advice From Robert Fulton, Co-Founder of Ballet Scout: Join us as Ballet Help Desk sits down with Robert Fulton, a dancer with and the Co-Founder of . Robert takes us through not only how Ballet Scout can help with sourcing auditions, but he also talks, in detail, about what dancrs should consider when... by Ballet Help Desk

68 min listen

Plié & Slay! A Guide To Researching & Scheduling Ballet Summer Intensive Auditions: Can you believe it's already time for ballet summer intensive planning? You're thinking, "we just finished this summer! Well, buckle up! It's time for researching and developing that summer intensive audition list. Jenny and Brett give you a detailed... by Ballet Help Desk

35 min listen

It's Kickoff Time For Our Summer Intensive Boot Camp!: As the kickoff to the Ballet Help Desk Summer Intensive Boot Camp, Brett and Jenny discuss what matters in a summer intensive and how dancers should think strategically about them. Ballet Help Desk also covers what dancers should consider in... by Ballet Help Desk

38 min listen

Francis Veyette: What The Heck Does Potential, Facility and Body Type REALLY Mean?: Ballet Help Desk sits down with Francis Veyette, a former principal dancer with Pennsylvania (now Philadelphia) Ballet and the Co-Founder of the . In this episode, we tackle all of those loaded terms like potential, facility, and body type. Fran helps... by Ballet Help Desk

71 min listen

The YAGP Effect: A Chat With YAGP's Hailey Kolker And Sergey Gordeev: Join us for an insightful conversation with Hailey Kolker and Sergey Gordeev, two senior members of , the world's largest student ballet competition. In this episode, we delve into the impact of YAGP on the world of dance, exploring its influence on... by Ballet Help Desk

76 min listen

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A Conversation With Jen Sommers, Director of Houston Ballet Academy

A Conversation With Jen Sommers, Director of Houston Ballet Academy

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