(484) Deborah Wingert on Marcia Dale Weary, Balanchine, and Preserving Ballet Lineage
11/03/2026 | 1 h 5 min
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Today on the Conversations on Dance podcast, we talk with former New York City Ballet dancer and Balanchine répétiteur Deborah Wingert about her early training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, where rigorous daily classes, musical and artistic context, and early teaching responsibilities shaped her discipline and curiosity. Wingert recounts being accepted to the School of American Ballet, performing key workshop roles, and joining NYCB at 16, including formative experiences and personal coaching from George Balanchine before his death in 1983. She describes thriving as a detail-oriented “sponge,” navigating later casting and body-image pressures, and building a wide repertory across Balanchine and Robbins works. After leaving NYCB, she began teaching privately and at multiple New York schools, then expanded into staging Balanchine works around the world.
00:00 Meet The Hosts 00:11 Debra Wingert Overview 01:35 First Ballet Spark 04:16 CPYB Magic And Context 06:31 Rigor And Early Teaching 14:24 SAB Audition And Move 16:50 Workshop Breakthrough Roles 18:57 Joining NYCB At Sixteen 25:10 Balanchine Coaching Moments 27:21 Life After Balanchine 28:19 Other SAB Teachers 33:22 Body Image And Confidence 35:09 Backstage Ballet Devotion 35:34 Staying in the Company 36:39 Outside Projects and Robbins 38:07 Leaving NYCB and Starting to Teach 40:55 Outreach and Repertory Staging 43:10 Learning to Stage New Works 45:33 Musicality and Version Options 51:18 Keeping Patterns and Details Alive 55:56 Dream Ballets and Future Stagings 01:04:06 Closing Thanks and Signoff
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(483) Stanton Welch and Julie Kent on Houston Ballet’s Creative Culture and the Season Ahead
04/03/2026 | 44 min
Stanton Welch and Julie Kent join the Conversations on Dance podcast this week and reflect on nearly three years leading Houston Ballet, praising the dancers’ versatility, focus, and the engaged Houston community, and describing the value of sharing leadership. They discuss how the company’s identity is shaped by having a prolific choreographer as artistic director in Stanton and what they look for in dancers. Looking ahead, they highlight a variety of works still to come this season including Welch’s new 12-minute piece to Mason Bates featuring electronics and live percussion, and they outline how Welch’s Giselle differs musically and dramatically, with expanded characters and staging, while Kent coaches intention and relationships.
For more information on performances still to come this season, visit houstonballet.org.
Houston Ballet 25/27 Season announced here: https://www.houstonballet.org/seasontickets/2026-2027-season-announced/
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TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome Back Catch Up 02:14 Partnership Leading Together 03:01 Studio Time And Support 04:21 Choreographic Hub Culture 07:54 Auditions Finding Versatility 13:35 Season Variety Story Ballets 18:44 Programming And Identity 21:39 New Work Alice Topp 25:43 Staging Hazards and Effects 25:57 Avatar as Ballet Pitch 26:22 More Dancers on Stage 27:17 New Work Mason Bates 29:08 Reimagining Giselle 31:32 Coaching Story Over Steps 34:39 Technique vs Artistry Debate 38:12 Season Highlights Dances 39:50 Rehearsal Timing and Stamina 41:21 Next Season Tease and Farewell LINKS:
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(482) Dance writer Marina Harss, on documenting dance in Vienna and Copenhagen
25/02/2026 | 1 h
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance" we are joined by dance writer Marina Harss. Marina tells us about her recent excursions to Vienna and Copenhagen, where she traveled to document some of the most exciting new dynamics in European dance companies, including a renewed focus on Copenhagen's genius choreographer Bournonville, new directors in the Royal Danish Ballet and the Vienna State Ballet, and buzzy new Ratmansky productions in both companies. Marina wrote on these experiences in the New York Times and the New York Review Of Books. Both articles are available online today.
Alexei Ratmansky’s Leap of Faith - By Marina Harss for The New York Review
For Royal Danish Ballet, It’s Back to Bournonville - By Marina Harss for the New York Times At City Ballet, Alexei Ratmansky’s Morality Tale Is Wrapped in Farce - By Marina Harss for the New York Times Get Marina's book on Ratmansky: The Boy from Kyiv: Alexei Ratmansky's Life in Ballet
Sneak Peek of Ratmansky's newest work for Miami City Ballet, mentioned in this episode.
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(481) Robert Battle, resident choreographer at Paul Taylor Dance Company
18/02/2026 | 53 min
On today's episode of "Conversations On Dance" we are joined by choreographer Robert Battle. Robert tells us about how he started a company to push his own choreographic work, what it was like to become the third director in the history of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and how he's just begun to explore his recent post as resident choreographer of Paul Taylor Dance Company. To see Robert's latest work for Paul Taylor on tour visit paultaylordance.org/performances.
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(480) LIVE with Alexei Ratmansky & Gonzalo Garcia, Works & Process at the Guggenheim with Miami City Ballet
11/02/2026 | 40 min
WATCH the program on YouTube here.
On February 7, 2026, Miami City Ballet presented a first look of world-renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s new commission celebrating MCB founder Toby Lerner Ansin’s 85th birthday, before its February premiere in Florida. This work blends history, tradition, and forward-thinking creativity, with a score by Johann Strauss. Ratmansky and Miami City Ballet’s new artistic director Gonzalo Garcia will participate in the discussion, and MCB dancers perform excerpts.
Miami City Ballet's 'Into The Magic City' program runs February 20th - March 1 in Miami and West Palm Beach. The program includes the World Premiere of 'Roses from the South, Three Waltzes for Toby' as discussed here, as well as George Balanchine's 'Serenade' and 'Tarantella'. Tickets available here.
Works & Process at the Guggenheim is a non-profit organization dedicated to championing the creative process from studio to stage, with programs just like this one. Find more information and ways to support on their website: https://www.worksandprocess.org/.
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Conversations on Dance is an award winning podcast hosted by former Miami City Ballet dancers Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden. Since 2016, the podcast has provided an inside look at the world of dance through in-depth interviews with the field’s most influential dancers, choreographers, musicians, directors, and educators. With a mission to educate, inspire, and connect, Conversations on Dance goes beyond performance to uncover the stories, insights, and artistry that shape the dance world today.Each week, listeners are invited into candid conversations that highlight the intelligence, passion, and creative process of those working at the highest levels of the art form. With hundreds of episodes and partnerships with institutions like the Vail Dance Festival, San Francisco Ballet, The Kennedy Center, Guggenheim’s Works & Process, and more, the podcast has become a trusted and celebrated voice in the global dance community.Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.Website: conversationsondancepod.comJoin our email list: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/5taTM5H/CODYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@conversationsondanceInstagram: instagram.com/conversationsondanceFacebook: facebook.com/conversationsondance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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