Kinetic Conversations with the Fort Wayne Ballet

Cameron Basden, Répétiteur for the Arpino Trust, joins us ahead of Fort Wayne Ballet's staging of Light Rain, as part of the Ballet Russe Reimagined series conclusion. Jim and Cameron discuss the evolution of our company over the years of performing Gerald Arpino's masterworks and the versatility and skill of Fort Wayne's dancers.

For the first time in its history, Fort Wayne Ballet is performing a work by the great choreographer George Balanchine. As we anticipate the upcoming part two of our Ballet Russe Reimagined series, Jim Sparrow and Karen Gibbons-Brown discuss the iconic ballet Serenade.Fort Wayne Ballet's second of a three-part series, Ballet Russe Reimagined, will be performed on April 11 and 12 at the Pearl Street Arts Center. This performance features Rite of Spring and Serenade.Purchase tickets at:   https://tickets.artstix.org/TheatreManager/6/login?event=0&search=P_SEQ%20in(4250,4251,4252)

David Ingram is Fort Wayne Ballet's guest choreographer for Les Sylphides as part of the Ballet Russe Reimagined series. In this interview, Jim Sparrow asks David about his career and his inspiration for setting new movement to this classic piece. Fort Wayne Ballet's first of a 3-part series, Ballet Russe Reimagined, will be performed on March 21 and 22 at the Pearl Street Arts Center. The first performance features Les Sylphides and The Rite of Spring.

The En Avant series, narrated by Fort Wayne Ballet Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown, airs Saturdays on 89.1 WBOI during the Classical Connections Review. This episode of the Kinetic Conversations Podcast is a supercut of Karen's six-part series on the history of the Ballet Russe, from its post-classical beginnings in Russia to its influence on the American ballet renaissance.Fort Wayne Ballet's first of a 3-part series, Ballet Russe Reimagined, will be performed on March 21 and 22 at the Pearl Street Arts Center. The first performance features Les Sylphides and The Rite of Spring.

On March 21, Fort Wayne Ballet is presenting Le Sacre du printemps, otherwise known as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, as part of the Ballet Russe Reimagined series. It will be presented as a world premiere, with new choreography by famed choreographer, Mark Godden. Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown sat down with Mark to discuss the process of creating a new show and working in tandem with the dancers to bring new life to this Ballet Russe classic.

Stravinsky's unnerving music meets backdrops by... Picasso? As we move into our Spring season, we look ahead to our three stagings of the Ballet Russe Reimagined.  Jim and Karen sit down and discuss what the Ballet Russe means historically to ballet, and how our performances bring back the traditions of the roving dance company of the early 20th century. 

After getting his start in the Ballet Russe, George Balanchine makes a name in New York.

The Ballet Russe finds new life in America after Diaghilev's death.

The Ballet's repertoire expands during a successful tour of South America.

Diaghilev brings together the greatest artists, composers, and choreographers of the day to create innovative and sometimes controversial works.

The Bolshevik revolution makes artistic expression a dangerous undertaking in Russia, and Diaghilev takes the Ballet to the West instead.

Diaghilev takes the reigns and showcases Russian dance to the rest of the world.

Having found new life in America, the Nutcracker thrives as a holiday tradition.

Petipa works with the famed composer to establish the music for the famed holiday ballet.

We explore Petipa's inspiration for the dances in his Nutcracker

Time to hear from the dancers!In this all-new Nutcracker chat, we start with three of our dancers - Talbot Rue, Anna Orzulak, and Abby Zinsser, who tell us what dancing in The Nutcracker every year means to them, both artistically and nostalgically. Then, we join Jim and Karen for a discussion on bringing new elements to this year's staging of the Christmas classic.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI. This version has been modified from its broadcast edition to accommodate musical copyright.We know and love The Nutcracker, but was it always so popular? Marius Petipa and his assistant, along with Tchaikovsky, created a holiday classic that wasn't initially well received. 

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI. This version has been modified from its broadcast edition to accommodate musical copyright.In this segment, Karen overviews the career of famed choreographer Marius Petipa, who essentially created the Classical Era of ballet.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI. This version has been modified from its broadcast edition to accommodate musical copyright.In this segment, Karen notes the transition from the Romantic Ballet era into the Classic.

As we continue working on all-new podcast content, here's the best of the best! Jim Sparrow hosts this introspective look back at past Kinetic Conversations, all about our favorite Holiday show, The Nutcracker! This episode originally released in November of 2023.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI. This version has been modified from its broadcast edition to accommodate musical copyright.This episode notes the first rising stars of ballet - the ballerinas of the Romanic Period.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI.This episode first aired on October 26, 2024, and discusses the particular stars of the Romantic Era of ballet.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI.This episode first aired on October 19, 2024, and discusses the early French roots of the ballet and its terminology.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI.This episode first aired on October 12, 2024, and continues the discussion on Fort Wayne Ballet's latest staging of Don Quixote.

Jim Sparrow and Karen Gibbons-Brown discuss what they agree can be called Ballet's best-beloved romantic comedy, as Fort Wayne Ballet prepares to perform Don Quixote, this weekend at the brand new Pearl Street Arts. Jim and Karen review the characters and synopsis of the show and the challenges and opportunities of staging in a non-traditional new space.

En Avant is a five minute ballet segment, hosted by Karen Gibbons-Brown, which airs during Rob Nylund's Classical Connection Review, every Saturday evening on Fort Wayne's 89.1 WBOI.This episode first aired on October 5th, 2024, and introduces audiences to Don Quixote - described as ballet's favorite Rom-Com.

In this episode, Jim and Karen take a look at our exciting new season, complete with world premieres and brand-new venues. Welcome to Fort Wayne Ballet's sixty-eighth season!

Welcome to the Kinetic Conversations series on pre-professional dance programs, featuring the Fort Wayne Ballet Summer Intensive program. Over three episodes, Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown sits down with professional dancers Talbot Rue, Jessica Humphrey, and Abby Zinsser, and graduating pre-professional GiGi McDowell to discuss this all-important phase in a young dancer's training. Part two of our podcast on the Summer Intensive also finishes out our pre-professional series. We discuss what life is like for intensive students living in the dorms for a couple of weeks, hear from more of our intensive students from all over the country, and hear about training from one of our guest instructors. Thank you for joining us in this informative look at pre-pro training. 

Welcome to the Kinetic Conversations series on pre-professional dance programs, featuring the Fort Wayne Ballet Summer Intensive program. Over three episodes, Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown sits down with professional dancers Talbot Rue, Jessica Humphrey, and Abby Zinsser, and graduating pre-professional GiGi McDowell to discuss this all-important phase in a young dancer's training.Following up on our episode on pre-pro development, this is the first of two-parts discussing the importance of summer training in the life of a pre-professional dancer and the benefits of a program like Fort Wayne Ballet's Summer Intensive.

Welcome to the Kinetic Conversations series on pre-professional dance programs, featuring the Fort Wayne Ballet Summer Intensive program. Over three episodes, Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown sits down with professional dancers Talbot Rue, Jessica Humphrey, and Abby Zinsser, and graduating pre-professional GiGi McDowell to discuss this all-important phase in a young dancer's training.In this episode, the group discusses Fort Wayne Ballet's Pre-Pro training curriculum and its importance in introducing young dancers to the larger world of professional ballet.

Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown hosts this special episode of Kinetic Conversations, as she pulls in Academy instructors Avalou Burns and Schuyler Kechely, to discuss the fun and magic that is Fort Wayne Ballet's summer camps.Register now for our July camps! No dance experience necessary for ages 3-10. Register online at fortwayneballet.org or call us at 260-484-9646.Kinetic Conversations is a joint production by Fort Wayne Ballet and Wayneshout Productions.

In our final Romeo & Juliet podcast, Jim Sparrow sits down with our own Romeo and Juliet, as Thomas Caleb Roberts and Brittany Focht tell us of their individual journeys in developing their characters for the stage. Along the way, we discuss a dancer's quest to maintain good physical and mental health and the joys of performing with a live orchestra.

In part two of our discussion of Fort Wayne Ballet's upcoming production of Romeo & Juliet, Jim Sparrow sits down with two former Romeos to discuss what is often thought of as a “man's ballet.” Choreographers Robert La Fosse and David Ingram break down strenuous male roles that include multiple pas de deux and sword fighting. Meanwhile, Jim continues his quest to understand the “pillow dance.”Kinetic Conversations is a creation of Wayneshout Productions. 

In this first part of our discussion on the ballet, Romeo & Juliet, Jim sits down with Karen Gibbons-Brown to review Prokofiev's near-perfect score and the history of his adaptation of the Shakespearean tale of woeful romance. The composer dreamed of a happy ending for his version of the luckless lovers' tale, but Fate could not be deterred. Fort Wayne Ballet presents Romeo & Juliet on April 19 & 20 at the Arts United Center. Tickets are available now at fortwayneballet.org.Kinetic Conversations is a Wayneshout Production. Fort Wayne has a voice at Wayneshout.com.

For this episode, we take a look back at some of the previous conversations we have had about The Nutcracker in the years we have been doing this podcast. Join us as we revisit discussions on the ballet's history and legacy with Karen Gibbons-Brown and an insightful discussion on the Tchaikovsky's music with the help of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic's Caleb Young.

In this episode, we've turned the tables on show host Jim Sparrow, as he takes a turn in the interview chair. In his roll as Fort Wayne Ballet's Executive Director, he gives us a glimpse into the structure and the day-to-day mechanics of operating a ballet company. Find out what goes into a production from a fiscal standpoint, with the behind-the-scenes costs of staging, costuming, sets, courting trusts, and satisfying sponsors. Jim gives us the ins and outs of ballet as a business, as Kinetic Conversations takes ballet Beyond the Nutcracker.

Fort Wayne Ballet is getting ready to stage its first big show of the 2023-24 season, entitled Opening Night! In this three part series, Kinetic Conversations looks at each of the three ballets the company will be perform in the show - each with a nod to New York City. In our third installment of this miniseries, Jim Sparrow and Karen Gibbons-Brown discuss the Agnes de Mille  comic ballet, Three Virgins and a Devil. We learn about de Mille's career as a choreographer and her influential work on Broadway musicals in the 40's and 50's, and then Jim and Karen discuss Fort Wayne Ballet's upcoming productions for season 67. Tickets for Opening Night! can be purchased at fortwayneballet.org.

Fort Wayne Ballet is getting ready to stage it's first big show of the 2023-24 season, entitled Opening Night!. In this three part series, Kinetic Conversations looks at each of the three ballets the company will be perform in the show - each with a nod to New York City.In part two of our series, Jim interviews Robert LaFosse, repetiteur for Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free. They discuss the history of the piece and Robbins' first collaboration with Leonard Bernstein in a partnership that would eventually lead to the making of West Side Story.

Fort Wayne Ballet is getting ready to stage it's first big show of the 2023-24 season, entitled Opening Night!. In this three part series, Kinetic Conversations looks at each of the three ballets the company will be perform in the show - each with a nod to New York City.In part one, Jim Sparrow sits down with Arpino Foundation repetiteur Cameron Basden to discuss Italian Suite, the work by Gerald Arpino. They talk about Fort Wayne Ballet's efforts to restage this beautiful piece.

As we look ahead to the start of our fall semester at the Fort Wayne Ballet academy, we want to take a look at dance education in America in general and what it means to us at Fort Wayne Ballet to carry on this legacy in the fine arts.In the second half of our discussion, Jim and Karen discuss the different paths a student might take in the academy, and the benefits of a dance education.

As we look ahead to the start of our fall semester at the Fort Wayne Ballet academy, we want to take a look at dance education in America in general and what it means to us at Fort Wayne Ballet to carry on this legacy in the fine arts.In this first episode in a two-part discussion, Jim and Karen look at the deep past of dance education and how it has evolved into the modern American dance academy.

In our three-part miniseries, Kinetic Conversations looks at the life, career, and legacy of Eddie Stierle. In our third and final installment, we meet again with Eddie's sister, Rose, to talk about the lasting impact, the international recognition, and the touching tribute from the dance world that all stand as part of the deserving legacy of Eddie Stierle. Order your tickets today for Dancer's Legacy: An Evening of Stierle at fortwayneballet.org and artstix.org. Kinetic conversations is hosted by Fort Wayne Ballet Executive Director Jim Sparrow and Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown. Our Guests for this series are Rose Worton and Kim Sagami. Original music composed by John Dawkins. Produced and engineered by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

Join us for Part 2 of our podcast miniseries on Stierle! In our three-part miniseries, Kinetic Conversations looks at the life, career, and legacy of Eddie Stierle. In this heartfelt second episode, we talk to Kim Sagami, the repetiteur working with Fort Wayne Ballet to restage Eddie's works. Kim shares with us what it meant to her to not only dance in Eddie's ballets, but to be there as part of the team that kept him going in the last stages of his fight with AIDS. Order your tickets today for Dancer's Legacy: An Evening of Stierle at fortwayneballet.org and artstix.org. Kinetic conversations is hosted by Fort Wayne Ballet Executive Director Jim Sparrow and Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown. Our Guests for this series are Rose Worton and Kim Sagami. Original music composed by John Dawkins. Produced and engineered by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.  

Fort Wayne Ballet is set to make history in May, as we perform three ballets by Edward Stierle together for the first time. A gifted young dancer and choreographer for the Joffrey Ballet, Eddie passed away in 1991 just after the premier of his last ballet. He was 23 years old.  In our three-part miniseries, Kinetic Conversations looks at the life, career, and legacy of Eddie Stierle. In this first episode, we talk to his sister, Rose Worton, about what made Eddie a unique light in the ballet world – the man who could have been the next Balanchine if fate had not intervened. Kinetic conversations is hosted by Fort Wayne Ballet Executive Director Jim Sparrow and Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown. Our Guests for this series are Rose Worton and Kim Sagami. Music composed by John Dawkins. Produced and engineered by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

“I have been dancing since I was three..." In this special episode of Kinetic Conversations, we hear from trainers, educators, and the dancers themselves what it means to them to be a dancer. Join with us as we celebrate these wonderful people who are the heart and soul of our company.We take a look back at some past sound bites from Raymond Lukens and Kim Sagami, and a never-before-aired interview with Cameron Basden, as well as some fun and thought-provoking ballet stories from our dancers - Avalou Burns, Brittany Focht, David Claypoole, and Tatum Farlow. 

In the final part of this miniseries, we Look at Fort Wayne Ballet's upcoming production of Swan Lake and take a look at the plot and characters in Tchaikovsky's famed tragic tale.Do you know who defied convention to dance in shorter skirts, paving the way to the tutu? When did ballets transition from tragedies to happy-ever-afters?  When did we start dancing on point? The Ballet 101 conversations are here to fill us in on the basics of the ballet world in bite-sized doses.  This three-episode miniseries discusses the components of romantic and classical era story ballets, examining their history and the evolution their choreography, their structure, and audiences' expectations, with a special look at our upcoming production of Swan Lake. The series will drop on consecutive Fridays in March.

Every good story needs a villain. Some are evil, some are misunderstood, and some are merely careless in their intentions, but they drive the plot. What makes up a ballet villain, and how are they overcome? Let's take a look.This three-episode miniseries discusses the components of romantic and classical era story ballets, examining their history and the evolution their choreography, their structure, and audiences' expectations, with a special look at our upcoming production of Swan Lake. The series will drop on consecutive Fridays in March. 

This three-episode miniseries discusses the components of romantic and classical era story ballets, examining their history and the evolution their choreography, their structure, and audiences' expectations, with a special look at our upcoming production of Swan Lake. The series will drop on consecutive Fridays in March. Series is hosted by Jim Sparrow and Karen Gibbons-Brown. This episode debuts new theme music by John Dawkins. Episode 1: The Story Ballet  In our first episode, we look at the history of story ballets, from the supernatural tragedies of Giselle and Swan Lake to the playful dreamlands of Nutcracker. How did dancers' roles evolve over time, and how did audience demands reshaped the expectations of the story. 

In preparation for our Dracula performances, we take a look at the music of Alfred Schnittke, first through a choreographer's eye, as Jim has a discussion with Tracy Tritz. Then podcast's producer John Dawkins has a discussion with orchestral music expert, Dr. Steven Kandow.

Host Jim Sparrow and Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown talk ballet history, as they debate the collaborative history of Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa and the timelessness of Sleeping Beauty. In preparation for the Fort Wayne Ballet's production of the classic, they discuss staging, both modern and historical, and the origins of the grand pas de deus.Kinetic Conversations is a creation of Wayneshout Productions, LLC. Fort Wayne has a voice at Wayneshout.com.

In honor of Fort Wayne Ballet's 65th anniversary, Jim Sparrow talks with Karen Gibbons-Brown about the upcoming Gala Weekend, with the Sapphire Soiree and Celebration Series performances. Featured are two works by Gerald Arpino, including the popular Light Rain. Kinetic Conversations is a creation of Wayneshout Productions, and is powered by Wayneshout.com.