Podcasts about north carolina dance theatre

Ja' Malik is just wrapping up his fourth year as the artistic director of Madison Ballet in Madison, WI, but his path to leadership has been shaped by decades inside the field. A former professional dancer with a 25-year performing career, Malik danced with companies including Cleveland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, BalletX and Ballet Hispánico, performing a wide range of classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertory. Trained at the Joffrey Ballet School and holding a BFA from The New School, his artistic voice draws equally on rigorous classical technique and socially engaged contemporary practice. He also continues to serve as the artistic director of Ballet Boy Productions, an organization he founded in 2007 that provides young men of color access to classical and contemporary ballet performing opportunities and that also offers training and mentoring.Since arriving in Madison, Ja' has led a period of significant artistic and organizational change, and the results are more than encouraging. At a moment when many ballet companies nationwide are grappling with shrinking audiences, Madison Ballet is growing its own, responding to programming that places contemporary work alongside the classics and reflects the community it serves. Six months into his tenure, Malik also stepped into the additional role of interim executive director, guiding the organization through a demanding transition with a small staff and limited resources.In this interview, Ja' reflects on the risks involved in reshaping a regional ballet company, from extending dancer contracts to rethinking programming and institutional structure. He also speaks candidly about leadership during the in-between phase of change and the emotional, physical and ethical demands placed on artists and arts leaders alike.https://www.madisonballet.org/about/staff/ja-malikHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

"Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey and special guests, NYC Ballet principal dancer, Sarah Mearns and choreographer, Jodi MelnickIn this episode of "Dance Talk” ® , host Joanne Carey engages in a rich conversation with Sarah Mearns, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, and choreographer Jodi Melnick. They explore their individual journeys into dance, the evolution of their collaboration over the past decade, and the creation of their new piece, Super Bloom, which celebrates women in dance. The discussion highlights the importance of joy in the creative process, the impact of social media on live performance, and the bridging of ballet and modern dance. Both artists emphasize the need for authenticity and presence in their work, making this a compelling dialogue about the future of dance.Sara Mearns was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and began her dance training at the age of three with Ann Brodie at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance, also in Columbia.At the age of 13, Ms. Mearns trained with Patricia McBride at Dance Place, the School of North Carolina Dance Theatre, in Charlotte. She continued her studies at age 14 with Stanislav Issaev at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville.Ms. Mearns entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, full time in the fall of 2001. In the fall of 2003 Ms. Mearns became an apprentice with New York City Ballet.As an apprentice, Ms. Mearns danced a featured role in Michel Fokine's Chopiniana, performed by SAB as part of New York City Ballet's 2004 winter season.In June of 2004, Ms. Mearns joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet.In March of 2006 she was promoted to soloist and in June 2008, Ms. Mearns was promoted to principal dancer. Jodi Melnick is a NYC based choreographer, performer, and teacher. The profound expression of the dancing body and lucid performing instincts drive her creative process as the work is transformed through the phenomenon of movement. Her rich dance background includes dancing for Twyla Tharp, collaborating with Trisha Brown and years of creative experiences with esteemed artists such as Sara Rudner, David Neumann, Rashaun Mitchell, Silas Reiner, Liz Roche, Jon Kinzel, Vicky Shick, John Jasperse, Susan Rethorst, Donna Uchizono, Yoshiko Chuma, Charles Atlas, Sibyl Kempson, and most recently, Maya Lee-Parritz. Her post – modern, experimental sensibilities have intersected with NYCBallet principal dancers, and middle and highs schoolers. Honors include, Doris Duke Impact Award, Guggenheim Fellow, Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant, two Bessie Awards, Gibney's DIP Residency Grant, Lower Manhattan Cultural Center 2 -year extended Life Grant, and Center for Ballet Arts Fellow.Superbloom (Dancing Into Choreographic Forms) is a world premiere that reaches into the dance made at 92NY. Part of Women Move the World, 92NY's 2025/26 Harkness Mainstage Series, this reflective and evocative performance honors the evolution of dance while continuously redefining a movement language that represents where we are right now.Get Tickets https://www.92ny.org/event/superbloom-dancing-into-choreographic-forms“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey "Where the Dance World Connects, the Conversations Inspire, and Where We Are Keeping Them Real."⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dancetalkwithjoannecarey.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Please leave us a Review.Please help support the podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gofund.me/e561b42ac⁠⁠

Today's guest, Kati Hanlon Mayo, Academy Associate Director for Charlotte Ballet's Upper School, trained at The Boston School of Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams & Violette Verdy. At the age of 15, she became a member of Boston Ballet 2 before joining North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) as a principal dancer. She also performed with Chautauqua Ballet Company under the direction of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux.Her students have gone on to professional careers with companies throughout the world, including: New York City Ballet, Nederland Dans Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. Kati has been a guest teacher for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Chautauqua Institution, Regional Dance America and she is a repetiteur for the Salvatore Aiello Trust. She is a certified instructor of Dance for Parkinson's Disease through The Mark Morris Dance Group and she also completed her instructor certification with Progressing Ballet Technique.In our conversation, Kati shares about the value of mentors, allowing yourself to grow, and staying focused on your training despite the distractions of competing for roles, navigating the unknowns, and all the things that can pull your focus from your technique.Thanks for listening to our conversation, thanks for sharing this episode with a friend and for leaving a review. Takeaways from our conversation:-mentors help you understand what you don't know-a life in dance starts at a young age; requiring both physical and emotional strength and maturity-stay connected to the joyful adventure of danceLearn more about Kati and Charlotte Ballet - including their summer program at Charlotteballet.org.You can learn more about dance education and career planning for dancers at theballerinatist.com#dance #danceeducation #professionaldancer #dancecompany #ballet #ballerina #summerdanceprogram

Darrell Grand Moultrie is one of America's most sought-after choreographers and master teachers. His humble beginnings informed his craft. Darrell's work has been performed by, The Juilliard School, Colorado Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, BalletMet Columbus, Milwaukee Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Rasta Thomas and his Bad Boys of Dance, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet X, Ballet Arkansas, Smuin Ballet and chosen by Beyonce to choreograph for her Mrs. Carter World Tour. Tune in to hear about his jouney and those that lifted him up.

Melody Lynch fell in love with the ballet. She started dancing at 3 and made it in the professional ranks by the age of 15. She continued ballet studies at Butler University and after graduation landed a position with the North Carolina Dance Theatre where she worked for several years. But her passion was for performance rather than teaching. And realizing that a dancer's career span is limited, she made the leap to law school. She has been a practicing attorney for the past 14 years at the Lowndes law firm in Orlando, Florida. She keeps her hands in the arts serving as chair of her local philharmonic orchestra and via her 7-year-old daughter's love of dance.      

Melody Lynch fell in love with the ballet. She started dancing at 3 and made it in the professional ranks by the age of 15. She continued ballet studies at Butler University and after graduation landed a position with the North Carolina Dance Theatre where she worked for several years. But her passion was for performance rather than teaching. And realizing that a dancer's career span is limited, she made the leap to law school. She has been a practicing attorney for the past 14 years at the Lowndes law firm in Orlando, Florida. She keeps her hands in the arts serving as chair of her local philharmonic orchestra and via her 7-year-old daughter's love of dance.

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 Charlotte Ballet. Zac is a regular contributor to Dance Magazine, a panelist and guest speaker, and tweets @trailerpilot about contemporary culture, politics, and the performing arts. Founding board secretary for the Chicago Dance History Project, he serves on the artistic advisory council for High Concept Labs, and consults on a variety of programs for artist support and equitable funding in the cultural sector. As associate director of marketing and communication at Hubbard Street, he represented the company on the Chicago Dancemakers Forum consortium. As communications and engagement director at Arts Alliance Illinois, he helped promote the value of the arts and give voice to a creative state. You can follow Zac at @trailerpilot On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailerpilot/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trailerpilot On Twitter: https://twitter.com/trailerpilot Please remember that Sarah and Courtney are mental health professionals, and anything you hear them say are experiences from their lives and should not be considered medical advice. 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 us on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Courtney @courtulrich Sarah @techballet Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we'd love to hear from you!

Ja' Malik, named “a choreographer to watch” by The New York Times, is quickly becoming an in-demand choreographer around the country. A former member of Cleveland Ballet, Oakland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, and Ballet X. He has created original works on such companies as Oakland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater 2, City Dance Ensemble, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Intermezzo Dance Company. Self produced worked in Harlem Stages E:Moves, Ballet Builders, 92nd Street Y, McCallum Theater Festival, The Young Choreographers Showcase & The Battery Park Dance Festival. Off Broadway Theater Credits include choreographer "Miss Julie" August Strindberg Repertory Co. Assistant Choreographer to Camille A. Brown for The Public Theater's production of "For Colored Girls..." In 2019. A 2016 CUNY Dance Initiative Residency. A 2019 Choreographic Resident apart of UNCSA's Choreographic Residency. 2019 marked the Debut Performance of Ballet Boy Productions at the 38th Annual Battery Dance Festival in NYC, NY. Ja' Malik is also the host of “ARTS UNCENSORED” a monthly podcast discussing topics going on in and and around the arts. Follow him on social media @balletboyproductions & @artsuncdnsored

WDAV's Matt Rogers talks with North Carolina Dance Theatre's artistic director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and dancer Pete Leo Walker about their production, Innovative Works. The popular series challenges the dancers and audiences with new choreography of diverse styles.

WDAV's Matt Rogers features the North Carolina Dance Theatre's production of Carmen. He speaks with dancers Melissa Anduiza (Carmen) and Naseeb Culpepper (Joe), plus Associate Artistic Director and Choreographer Sasha Janes.

Since the premiere of her first ballet in 2006, Emery LeCrone has choreographed more than fifty dance pieces and her highly acclaimed choreography has attracted numerous grants and new commissions across the country. Ms. LeCrone has premiered new ballets for The Juilliard School’s annual New Dances program, the New York City Ballet’s renowned New York Choreographic Institute, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s iconic Works & Process performing arts series.  She has also worked with many esteemed regional dance companies including Oregon Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and North Carolina Dance Theatre among many others. In addition to participating in several prestigious choreography competitions, Ms. LeCrone has previously served as resident choreographer for Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet. She is also a founding member and former resident choreographer of Columbia University’s Columbia Ballet Collaborative. Ms. LeCrone has worked at renowned university dance departments including University of North Carolina School of The Arts, Hartt University, Barnard University, and Goucher College. Currently Ms. LeCrone resides in New York and continues to teach, choreograph, and perform.

Since the premiere of her first ballet in 2006, Emery LeCrone has choreographed more than fifty dance pieces and her highly acclaimed choreography has attracted numerous grants and new commissions across the country. Ms. LeCrone has premiered new ballets for The Juilliard School’s annual New Dances program, the New York City Ballet’s renowned New York Choreographic Institute, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s iconic Works & Process performing arts series. She has also worked with many esteemed regional dance companies including Oregon Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and North Carolina Dance Theatre among many others. In addition to participating in several prestigious choreography competitions, Ms. LeCrone has previously served as resident choreographer for Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet. She is also a founding member and former resident choreographer of Columbia University’s Columbia Ballet Collaborative. Ms. LeCrone has worked at renowned university dance departments including University of North Carolina School of The Arts, Hartt University, Barnard University, and Goucher College. Currently Ms. LeCrone resides in New York and continues to teach, choreograph, and perform.

State lawmakers look into the implementation of the Read to Achieve Law. Kelly McCullen discusses the issue further with Sen. Phil Berger. Heather Burgiss learns how Chris Dutcher uses his disease to teach children about people with different disabilities. And Catherine Chao gives us a preview of the 35th annual Minority Health Conference.

We take a look at two contributors to the Charlotte arts scene - drummer Shannon Williams, and the NC Dance Theatre. And author Wilton Barnhardt talks about his new book.