Classical music is pervasive and ubiquitous and yet for many people, it is difficult to connect with. We met one classical pianist who makes it her mission to connect with audiences and bring her joy of classical music to the masses. She is the extraordinary Jeeyoon Kim. a multi-hyphenate musician-author-blogger-podcaster-educator-and-performer. Our Athletes and the Arts founder Randy Dick caught up with Jeeyoon recently and he's here with her on our show today. For more on Jeeyoon, go to...

Yasi and Steven welcome prolific researcher and NEAMA Vice-President Dr. Tomi-Ann Roberts PhD to discuss her work on objectification and sexualization in dance.  We also examine the negative effects of social media on one's mental health and how a simple three-day cleanse off of social media had surprising and powerful results. Our conversation delves into college NIL (name, image, and license) money and how this all connects with male athletes as well.   For more about "ways of Seeing" by...

Our esteemed guest is Jack Noseworthy, long-time veteran on Broadway, TV, and film, to talk about his career and his process as an actor. He also is a Individual Giving Officer for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since 1988 they have led the fight against AIDS, becoming the nation's leading industry-based nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. They have raised over $300 million dollars to fight AIDS, as well as COVID-19 and other illnesses. Noseworthy also formed...

Figure skating is similar to gymnastics and even dance, where there is an aesthetic and athletic component to competition. This is a sport where we see incredible displays of athleticism, as well as beauty and grace. So Yasi and Steven wanted to learn more about the life and training of a competitive figure skater by talking to one of the best in U.S. figure skating history, Todd Eldredge.  We are also joined by Athletes and the Arts founding member--and Todd's skating prodigy--Julie...

We shine our spotlight on the New Orleans Musician's Clinic, the only low or no-cost medical clinic in the United State dedicated to caring for performing artists. They have been a founding member of Athletes and the Arts since our launch 10 years ago, and their outreach includes preventing noise-induced hearing loss.  Joining Yasi and Steven on the show are Taylor Cohen, Public Health Director, Kalie Falls, Community Outreach, Ngoma Numu Jordan, New Orleans musician, and Dr. Marshall Chasin,...

Sponsored by School Health: https://www.schoolhealth.com Yasi and Steven talk with Ryan Dusick, the founding drummer of Maroon 5 and now licensed therapist and life coach in Los Angeles.  He went from being a Little League baseball phenom to drummer for the world's hottest rock band before injuries and mental illness forced him out of music.  He spent a decade suffering from substance abuse and crippling anxiety.  How he recovered, found redemption, and discovered a new calling is detailed...

Yasi and Steven talk with the incomparable Galit Friedlander, professional dancer, choreographer for the LA Sparks Dance Team, fitness coach, and host of the DanceSpeak podcast. She is also part of Doctors for Dancers, founded by our second guest, CEO Jennifer DePaola, who work to bring dance medicine specialists together to care for dancers of all ages and levels. Galit and Jennifer join us today to discuss their journeys to advocating health and wellness nationwide. Galit also discusses her...

The U.S. fitness industry is valued at almost $90 billion, ranging from health clubs to boutique studios, online platforms to digital home machines. Yoga to HIIT, Pilates to barre, Tonal to Peloton...the fitness world is vast and diverse. So how does it all work behind the scenes? If you're a performing artist, how do you break into the fitness industry? How do you stand out? Become a fitness celebrity? Develop your very own fitness brand? Yasi and Steven sit down with someone who has...

Yasi and Steven explore college dance education at one of the largest performing arts programs in the country, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Specifically, we talk about adapting to a rapidly evolving post-COVID educational environment, the effects of the Michigan State University shooting on students and faculty, integrating Black activism into one's artistic journey, the effects of competition dance on college dance education, and mental health. Our guests...

Never before have so many excellent films, docuseries, and TV shows been produced about many important topics…historical events, political upheaval, stories of courage and personal triumph, true crime, and of course…athletes and artists.   To learn more about this golden age of documentary filmmaking, Yasi and Steven talk to award-winning filmmaker Marius Markevicius.  His new film that just debuted at the Austin Film Festival is "Thug Rose", about famed UFC straw-weight champion Rose...

When COVID-19 caused schools to keep students of all grades at home, those arguably most disadvantaged by this were musicians. Many barriers stood in the way of getting students back in the music room: aerosolization from instruments and voice, close proximity between students, secretions from brass instruments, and antiquated ventilation systems in thousands of school buildings. Early projections indicated that musicians would not get back in the room for 2 YEARS! Well, that didn't happen,...

Your voice...perhaps the most underrated and misunderstood human ability.  For an ankle sprain, you go see a trainer, a physical therapist, a sports doc, you wear a brace, get taped, do some exercises.  For vocal injuries, for vocal dysfunctions, what do you do? How do you make your voice better? How do you improve your performance? Well, just like athletes, vocalists have vocal coaches, speech therapists, and voice doctors whose life's work is dedicated to keep vocalists performing.   So to...

Perhaps no field in medicine is fraught with as much misinformation and confusion as nutrition. This directly impacts the dance world, as many restrict the very food elements that fuels a dancer to perform. So Yasi and Steven get into it with two of Yasi's colleagues and mentors from the Sports and Human Performance Nutrition practice group, Michelle Macedonio MS, RDN, LD and Roberta Anding MS, RD/LD, CSSD, CDE. Joining the conversation is former professional dancer and current...

Perhaps nothing embodies the idea of "Athletes and the Arts" than professional wrestling. For 52 weeks a year, AEW (All Elite Wrestling) tours the world, putting on shows that combine athleticism, power, theatricality, performance, and toughness that thrills audiences everywhere. So how in the world can they do it week after week? How do they perform gravity-defying stunts and falls without fracturing their spines? How does one become a champion wrestler and stay sane doing it? Steven and...

Raymond Meade has been in the UK music industry for over two decades, first as a singer/songwriter for the Ronelles, a solo artist and session musician, and current bassist for Ocean Colour Scene. He also made a BBC documentary about the music of Auschwitz. His life is literally in his hands. So what happens when those hands start tingling during a concert...and it doesn't stop? When you suddenly can't play music? When your doctors tell you that you have Multiple Sclerosis? Listen to Yasi...

On this episode, Steven and Yasi talk with the artistic and wellness pros behind Diablo Ballet, a professional dance company and ballet school in Walnut Creek, California. As they celebrate the end of their 28th season, we find out how they manage to keep health and wellness a priority, while maintaining artistic excellence. We also delve into the working relationships among the artistic director, principal dancers, and music composer in creating original ballets, while reflecting on staying...

The power of music and sound to heal the mind and body is being unlocked through new neuroscience research and education. Exciting developments are showing how music and sound can tap into important brain functions and even treat such conditions as Autism, concussion, Alzheimer's, and even aging. Yasi and Steven talk to two people at the forefront of this exploding field. Acclaimed soprano Renèe Fleming is not only one of the most famous performers in our history, she also spearheads...

Marching band, drum corps, bugle corps...it's part of sports worldwide, but it's also its own entertainment industry, and competition is fierce and deep. Drum Corps International is Marching Music's Major League, celebrating their 50th year of performance. They hold over 100 events and competitions, including Drumline Battles. One of the top competitors is the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps from Dubuque, Iowa, and today, Yasi and Steven talk with members of the Colts to find out just what it...

Breaking, or Break Dancing, exploded in popularity in the 80s but thanks to TV and social media, it's more popular than ever, so much that it will become an Olympic sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Yasi and Steven talk to one of the U.S. Olympic hopefuls, Bboy Morris, and the medical team that helps him get there, Aaron Ngor and TeeJay Lee, founders of Offset Med. We get in deep about the Breaking community, its growth from the 80s to today, and how much physical stamina and...

Our biggest episode yet brings together the medical professionals in New York and Philadelphia who care for some of the biggest companies in the dance world. They give us insight on how they keep those performers on stage. We talk about what it's like to work in small, medium, and large-sized programs, how their dancers access care, and the challenges of pushing the boundaries of choreography without pushing physical boundaries. Brought to you by the American Medical Society of Sports...

How do you improve mental performance in sports and the performing arts? Is mental performance and mental illness along the same spectrum? How do you stay healthy in the face of failure and rejection? We talk to a doctor and a performer to find out how. Listen to Yasi and Steven talk with Dr. Stephen Gonzales of the Association of Applied Sports Psychology (AASP) and Brooke DeRosa, film composer and singer with the L.A. Opera. Learn more at the AASP conference October 6-9, 2021 at...

What does it take to become a professional dancer? A combination of physical gifts, proper training, and a lot of hard work for starters. But when the time comes to exit stage left, what does it take to then become a professional health care provider? We find out by talking to two extraordinary women who reached the top of two different fields. Listen as Yasi and Steven talk with Doctors Becca Rodriguez Regner, DO, FAOASM, and Kirsten Roberts, PT, DPT, CPT-PMA about the difficulties of a...

Dr. Laura Solomon shares her journey as a professional ballroom dancer, overcoming reconstructive ankle surgery and a career-threatening Jones fracture in her foot to compete at the highest levels in the world of ballroom dancing. She is joined by her team; her teacher and partner, Oscar Pedrinelli, and her podiatrist, Dr. Howard Osterman. They talk about the power of positive thinking, treatment for a Jones fracture, prevention foot and ankle injuries, and what it takes to excel in...

Our guest this episode is renowned otolaryngologist and President of the Performing Arts Medical Association, Lucinda Halstead, MD. She is a pioneer in performing arts medicine, starting one of the first vocal treatment centers in the United States in 1987 and becoming the Medical Director of the MUSC Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing. We discuss various medical issues related to vocalists, specifically vocal dystonia, a commonly misunderstood problem that can suddenly...