Today I had the pleasure of having back my podcast bestie, Courtney along with Ola Tarnowski to talk about the ballet company reimagined. Ola is an Indianapolis-based professional ballet dancer, theatre performer, dance educator, and Pilates instructor. She co-founded Ballet Initiative, a dance collective, which focuses on providing a safe, inclusive, artist-forward environment for local professional dancers. You can connect with Ballet INitiative www.balletinitiative.org Instagram...

Welcome to Season 2 Everyone! So happy to be back and learning with all of you! In today's episode, I spoke with two representatives from Dancers Connect.de Dominic Hodal and Shai Ottolenghi. Dancers Connect De is a neutral and informal platform aimed at professional dancers in permanently employed ensembles as well as the independent dance scene in Germany, but open for all. Their mission is to create safe spaces for communication and discussion, promote education and information sharing,...

For this week, Courtney and Sarah wanted to catch you guys up on a few things... First, they go back and reflect on THIRTY EPISODES in Season 1! It has been an incredible journey of growth, friendship, and learning so many things about the ballet world, and how it can and will move forward. And they make a bittersweet announcement. Sadly, this will be the last episode with Courtney, as she moves into the next phase of her life as an entrepreneur, but do not fear! Sarah will be back with...

Today Sarah and Courtney spoke with Zachary Whittenburg about many areas of ballet culture: hiring practices, company structure, inclusivity, and how all of that ties into the mental health of dancers. Zac spent ten years as a professional dancer followed by a freelance career including performance, teaching, and choreographic work with many prominent companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BJM Danse Montréal, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and North Carolina Dance Theatre, now...

Sarah and Courtney spoke with Alea Brown about her experience as a pre-professional student. She brings a fresh perspective on the challenges of being a pre-professional dancer in the era of COVID, college auditions, and everything in between. Alea is a 17-year-old high school senior and pre-professional dancer with the Colorado Ballet Society. She plans to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts this fall to continue her training in classical ballet. To follow Alea's...

 Today Sarah and Courtney spoke with Dr. Christina Donaldson. Christina serves as an Advisory Panel Member for Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD), an organization dedicated to building empowered dance communities and keeping kids healthy and safe in all dance environments. Christina is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private practice in California an Adjunct Faculty member at Antioch University, and a guest lecturer at various Universities and Community Colleges on the topic...

Today Courtney and Sarah spoke with Chloe Angyal. Chloe is the author of the new book, "Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet from Itself," which is available anywhere you buy books. Chloe’s book is a fascinating read about inequality in the ballet world, and how it affects dancers everywhere. Her message is truly a powerful one. To schedule a free presentation with Chloe for your school or company, go to https://chloesangyal.com/ You can connect with Chloe on...

In today's episode, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Jackson Jirard about his extensive research in psychology and dance and what a social-emotional revolution in the ballet industry looks like from his perspective. Jackson is a Bostonian artist and educator. He received his BA in Psychology from Stanford University, his M.Ed. in Human Development & Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has been researching power, responsibility, and emotional well-being in ballet...

Today, Courtney and Sarah unpacked one of the prevailing afflictions in the ballet world today: comparison. They shared their earliest memories with comparison in dance, how it can lead to distorted constructive criticism, and how it shows up in adulthood. They also shared some quick tips and resources that help them combat it. Please remember that Courtney and Sarah are not mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be...

Hey everyone! Today Courtney and Sarah spoke with Sophia Martins from Neuroscience of Dance. We dove deep into neurodiversity and how it affects all parts of the ballet world. Sophia is an international dance neuroscientist, dancer, performer, and dance teacher. She trained in dance therapy and somatic practices, has a double degree in Psychology and Forensic Psychology and worked as a mental health practitioner for 4 years. Through her Neuroscience of Dance project and Dance Integrated...

In today's episode, the girls spoke with the amazing Georgia Canning. Georgia shared with us some incredible tips on how she developed her studio culture that fosters inclusivity while maintaining a Vaganova curriculum. Georgia is the Founder of Balanced Ballerinas - podcast, vlog, blog, and community dedicated to breaking down the elitist barriers usually associated with ballet and providing a more holistic approach to ballet training. Georgia is also the co-owner and Director of GC Dance...

In today's episode, the girls spoke with former professional dancer and now graduate student, Glenn Kelich. He spoke candidly about his experience as a football player and ballet dancer, struggles with concussion injuries, and ways we can change the ballet world for the better. Glenn was both a high school football player as well as a pre-professional ballet student. He went on to graduate from Indiana University’s rigorous ballet program with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet as well as a...

In today's episode, the girls spoke with former professional dancer, Suvi Honkanen. Suvi was born in Helsinki, Finland, and began her ballet training at age five at Helsinki Dance Institute. She went on to train at Russia's Vaganova Academy and danced professionally with Finnish National Ballet for nine years before transitioning into writing and journalism in 2019.  Suvi recently wrote an article in Pointe Magazine titled “As ballet looks towards its future, let’s talk about its troubling...

Hey friends! Courtney and Sarah recorded a mini-episode for you to celebrate 20 episodes! We're taking a bit of a spring break. The ladies return next week with an incredible episode with Suvi Honkanen. Check out her recent Pointe Magazine article, "As Ballet Looks Toward Its Future, Let's Talk About Its Troubling Emotional Demands" and get ready to learn all about the woman behind these powerful words. Hope you all are taking some intentional time to rest this weekend as well and we'll see...

In this ep, Courtney and Sarah got together for a chat about the all too common mindset around "my way or the highway". They spoke about how this shows up in the studio from a day-to-day student perspective with ballet techniques, styles, teachers' beliefs, and what it means to "make it".  Please remember Courtney and Sarah are not mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say in this episode should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call...

Welcome back Terry! In this ep, we brought back our very first guest, UK-based dance psychotherapist Terry Hyde. In this conversation we dig deeper into the web that is perfectionism. We all hear that word a lot these days, and we know that it can be harmful, but what can we do about it? Terry walked us through what defines perfectionism, when to know it is becoming a barrier to your success, and how to navigate it. You can connect with Terry on Instagram @counsellingfordancers  and on his...

In today's ep, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Taylor Behringer, a life-long dancer, educator, & mom, helping professional dancers heal their relationship with their bodies. She is a certified PAUSE Breathwork Facilitator & Life Coach, who works with the somatics of the body to help dancers find safety & peace with their bodies. Her work as a coach for professional dancers provides a unique perspective on the relationship between their bodies and how they show up in the...

In this ep, we spoke with Dr. Lucie Clements, The Dance Psychologist. She is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chichester and a Chartered Psychologist. She now runs a business as a  dance psychologist along with her academic position. She supports dancers across the world, including India, Hong Kong, and the USA. She is particularly interested in the interplay between the environment and the individual in developing a rounded healthy dancer, not just a technically "perfect"...

In today's ep, Sarah and Courtney began a series about retirement; engaging in conversation with dancers who are going through or have transitioned out of being a professional dancer.  That transition looks different for everyone and in this part one episode, we interviewed Sadie Sommer, a former dancer with Nashville Ballet. She spoke to us about having a balanced life as a dancer and how that affected how she transitioned from the stage to working in a support role in the social research...

Today we spoke with Kathryn Morgan. Do we need to say more?! Kathryn is a YouTube phenom, ballet influencer, author, coach, YAGP judge, and the creator of Kathryn Morgan Online, Kathryn Morgan and Friends, and so much more. She shared with us her amazing journey through being a preprofessional, getting hired at NYCB, a seven year retirement and harrowing health journey, her comeback to the stage, and now creating her own space in the dance world. Kathryn is a true phoenix, rising from the...

In this ep, Sarah and Courtney sat down with Susanne Puerschel, creator of Pointe to Rise, an empowerment society for dancers and other artists. We spoke to her about the mindset involved with competing at an elite level. Pre-professional competitions are a growing pillar in the ballet industry and it is crucial to have a solid understanding of your mindset as a competitor as well as to "arm" yourself with a good headspace as you step into the competition season.  Susanne came with all the...

In today's episode, the girls spoke with the brilliant force behind Minding The Gap, Kathleen Gaines. She is a former professional dancer, turned journalist and now creator of an amazing mental health research and education platform for dancers. Her work has been most recently highlighted in the Dance Teacher Magazine article, Inside Point Park’s First-of-Its-Kind Dancer Mental-Health Program, but it all started in 2017 when she wrote the article that went viral for Dance Magazine, Why Are We...

In this ep, Courtney and Sarah spoke with Katrena Cohea with Different Drummer Dance, a studio owner and dance wellness educator. She dove into just how wellness practices can be easily integrated into studio life so your dancers can approach their training with the best mindset possible. She gave us some actionable tips and insight so if you are a studio owner, teacher, or director, you will want to grab a pen and a notebook! You can connect with Katrena on Instagram at @diffdrummdance and...

In today's ep, the girls spoke with the incredible Jess Spinner, creator of the Whole Dancer platforms.  Coming from her perspective as a certified health coach as well as drawing on her own experiences as a dancer, she spoke about what it means to be in a healthy place as a pre-professional ballet dancer. When it comes to mindset work as well as eating habits, Jess has become the go-to for dancers to repair and replenish themselves. She gives some great "how tos" on the day-to-day caring...

In this ep. Courtney and Sarah sat down with success coach and wellness mentor, Elizabeth Sullivan. She has years of experience working with pre-professional students, helping them uncover and change those mental blocks surrounding their bodies, their technique, and their artistry. This episode really uncovered the roots of how your mindset can, and will, affect all aspects of your dancing life. You can book a discovery session with Elizabeth here: https://easullivan.com/ The music is, "A...