Episodes
Today’s episode features Dance Magazine’s November cover star, Ephraim Sykes, who lights up Broadway stages and screens with his triple-threat talent. In this episode, Sykes reflects on staying grounded, feeding his hunger to learn, and the “no’s” that led to his first “yes.”
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Published 10/24/23
The Dance Edit Podcast returns! As a publication of Dance Media, we’re kicking off this season with Dance Magazine’s October cover star, Hope Boykin. Beyond her legacy career dancing with Alvin Ailey, Hope continues to create, teach, motivate, and move beyond traditional scripts. Discover the three values Hope carries into any room, how she builds trust in a creation process, and what’s in store for the many creative languages she speaks.
Follow Hope...
Published 09/19/23
Melissa M. Young is a Dallas Black Dance Theatre lifer. Now in her 29th year with the company, the former dancer has held a range of leadership roles at DBDT, and served as its artistic director since 2018. Young joins to discuss her commitment to continuing DBDT's legacy of celebrating Black history and culture, and how she approaches her director role not as an authoritarian but as a collaborator.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-156
Dallas...
Published 04/27/23
Our headline roundup includes two mass shootings that have impacted the dance community, and a collection of leadership appointments and award announcements. As in-person shows and classes resume, dance organizations are cutting back on digital options—and disabled patrons are feeling that loss acutely.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-155
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a...
Published 04/20/23
For years, Phil Chan—writer, educator, consultant, choreographer, and Final Bow for Yellowface co-founder—has been fighting to improve Asian representation in dance. His latest book, "Banishing Orientalism: Dancing Between Exotic and Familiar," examines the history of Orientalism in ballet. Chan joins to discuss why he believes problematic older works should be not canceled but instead reimagined for 21st-century audiences.
A transcript of this episode is available here:...
Published 04/13/23
Our headline roundup includes Actors' Equity's new political action committee, Tyra Banks' exit from "Dancing with the Stars," and a Smash musical aiming for Broadway. Two recent articles consider how we're collecting bodily movement data—and how that data can and should be used.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-153
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a Dance Magazine...
Published 04/06/23
This special episode in partnership with The Kennedy Center features Akram Khan and Malavika Sarukkai, renowned choreographers and performers who both have roots in Indian classical dance traditions. They join to discuss the continued relevance of classical forms in a contemporary context, and how their work combines the old and the new. A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-152
More about Malavika Sarukkai's performances at The Kennedy Center's...
Published 03/30/23
Mailbag episode! The hosts discuss two topics suggested by listeners: the dance world's belated but significant incorporation of intimacy directors, and some of our favorite forgotten moments from dance history.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-151
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a Dance Magazine subscription. Claim the offer here: dancemagazine.com/offer
Links referenced...
Published 03/23/23
Choreographer Agnes de Mille, whose narrative works were often driven by multifaceted female characters, changed the course of American dance. As we approach the 30th anniversary of de Mille's death, former American Ballet Theatre dancer Kathleen Moore and New York Public Library for the Performing Arts curator Linda Murray join to discuss the enduring relevance of de Mille's art.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-150
More about The De Mille...
Published 03/16/23
Our headline roundup includes a plethora of season announcements and the release of Dance Data Project's Gender Equity Index. Alice Robb's book "Don't Think, Dear" and the new season of the podcast "The Turning" have spurred conversations about how ballet training shapes women’s psyches.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-149
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a Dance Magazine...
Published 03/09/23
Choreographer and Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper joins to discuss her upcoming premiere, "The Reckoning," commissioned by Ava DuVernay's Law Enforcement Accountability Project. A response to Detroit police officer Joseph Weekly's killing of 7-year-old Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones, "The Reckoning" is both a work of art and a work of activism.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-148
More about the LEAP Project and Harper's...
Published 03/02/23
Our headline roundup includes Rihanna's high-flying Super Bowl performance, a Black Sabbath ballet, and more artistic director news. Choreographer Marco Goecke's shocking attack on critic Wiebke Hüster has sparked a confounding mix of reactions in and beyond the dance world.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-147
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a Dance Magazine subscription....
Published 02/23/23
The prolific choreographer and educator Sidra Bell is about to premiere a new work at Nevada Ballet Theatre. She joins to discuss her intuitive and collaborative creative process, the power of mentorship, and how thoughtful dance practice can model the world we aspire to.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-146
More about Bell's Nevada Ballet Theatre premiere: nevadaballet.org/performances/blue-until-juneMore about Karmina Šilec's "BABA":...
Published 02/16/23
Our headline roundup includes the Broadway-bound "La La Land" musical, dance highlights of the Grammy Awards, and ballerina baby news. In-person auditions have returned, but the pandemic has permanently changed the audition landscape—for better and for worse.
A transcript of this episode is available here: thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-145
Visit/add to the Dance Media Events Calendar: dancemediacalendar.comPodcast listeners can save $5 on a Dance Magazine subscription. Claim the offer...
Published 02/09/23
Pacific Northwest Ballet corps members Ashton Edwards and Zsilas Michael Hughes have forged a deep connection as queer nonbinary artists of color navigating the challenges of professional ballet life. They join to talk about ballet beyond gender "boxes," and how they've supported and inspired each other on and offstage.
Published 02/02/23
Our headline roundup includes Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's director announcement, two acclaimed musical productions finding Broadway homes, and some news from Dance Media. Monterey Park's Star Ballroom Dance Studio, where a shooting on Lunar New Year's Eve left 11 dead, has been a fixture of its predominantly Asian American community for decades.
Published 01/26/23
The once-in-a-generation ballet star Natalia Osipova is renowned for her vibrant interpretations of classic ballerina roles. But her curiosity extends well beyond the ballet canon. This month, her eclectic repertory program "Force of Nature" makes its U.S. debut at New York City Center, with a portion of ticket proceeds going to the Ukrainian relief effort. Osipova talks with great candor about finding her truest self onstage, and about her evolving feelings on the role of the artist during...
Published 01/19/23
Our headline roundup includes Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch for 2023, a new Broadway labor deal, and Dance/NYC's move toward collective leadership. Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky's jump from American Ballet Theatre to New York City Ballet has raised hopes, questions, and eyebrows.
Published 01/12/23
Dance critic and historian Jennifer Homans' new biography of George Balanchine, "Mr. B: George Balanchine's 20th Century," is the product of more than 10 years of extensive research. Homans joins to talk about the previously unexplored archival sources that helped illuminate Balanchine's creative process—and about her approach to the complexities of his life and legacy, particularly his frequently cruel treatment of women.
Published 01/05/23
In this special rebroadcast of a conversation that first aired as part of our former subscription series The Dance Edit Extra, Susan Jaffe, the new artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, discusses her vision for the company, which includes commissioning works from diverse choreographers and updating culturally insensitive classics.
Published 12/29/22
The renowned choreographer, performer, writer, and teacher Liz Lerman has spent much of her artistic life looking at how the creative process can help us better understand the world. She believes, with inspiring conviction, in the power of dance to make both meaning and change. Lerman joins to talk about her latest dance-theater work, "Wicked Bodies," and how its exploration of the history of witches and witchcraft connects to our current social and political reality.
Published 12/22/22
The death of multitalented artist Stephen "tWitch" Boss sent shockwaves through the dance community. Following The Washington Post's elimination of its dance critic position, journalists are wondering aloud (again) about the future of dance writing. American Ballet Theatre and Dutch National Ballet had a delightful pseudo-feud over...gargouillades.
Published 12/15/22
The dance industry is plagued by pervasive gender inequity. One of the best tools in the fight against it? Data. Two leaders of Dance Data Project—president and founder Elizabeth Yntema and research lead and programming consultant Rebecca Ferrell—join to discuss how the organization is documenting dance's gender imbalances and uplifting women in the field.
Published 12/08/22
Our headline roundup includes the recent controversy around John Neumeier's "Othello," the reimagining of Jacob's Pillow's fire-ravaged Doris Duke Theatre, and Marcelo Gomes' new job. The tumultuous life of Andy Blankenbuehler's "Only Gold" reveals both the challenges and the singular potential of the dance-driven musical.
Published 12/01/22