Hello dancers! Today I am doing something a little different. I had on the pod my good friend Olivia Cinculli. (you might remember her from season 2, episode 3, where she spoke about her own retirement journey, mental health, and becoming a mom). Olivia and I share our experiences with ballet on TV and in movies. How we feel about them, share about how they’ve affected us, and ask some pretty big questions about how they affect the ballet culture and how audiences view dancers because of them. Also, before we get started, when we are talking about male and female genders and depicted roles, we explore the bulk of TV shows and movies in mainstream media. Unfortunately, these explore mostly cis-gendered roles, so that is the primary context of our conversation today. This episode may have some topics that may not be suitable for all ages or that may be triggering for some. Parental discretion is advised. There is mention of abuse, drug use, and eating disorders. There is a lot of ballet-related content out there, and our discussion cannot cover all of it, but we’ve done some homework, and I think this will be an entertaining discussion. Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition. Follow Olivia on IG @oliviahcianciulli_dance If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Follow the pod on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Send in your questions or episode suggestions to [email protected] If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org