Conversations on Dance | Ballet & Dance Careers - Podcast Episodes, Ranking & Reviews

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Lynn Garafola on Arthur Mitchell and the Making of Dance Theatre of Harlem

Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden interview dance historian Lynn Garafola about her book Arthur Mitchell: The Extraordinary Life of Harlem’s Ballet Visionary,

Nov 11
1 h 14 min

Alicia Graf Mack on Leading Ailey, Lessons from Juilliard, and Curating a Bold City Center Season - Episode 517

Hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome Alicia Graf Mack back to discuss her transition from leading Juilliard’s dance division (2018–2025) to becomin

Nov 4
43 min

Michael's Fall 2026 Repetiteur journey for George Balanchine, Justin Peck, and Alexei Ratmansky - Episode 516

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Oct 28
34 min

Peter Boal, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director, looking back over 22 years and upcoming season highlights - Episode 515

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Oct 22
41 min

[Excerpt] Merrill Ashley, Balanchine Ballerina - Patreon Bonus Episode

Welcome to our bonus episode with Merrill Ashley, which is available now on our Patreon page. If you are a member of our Supporter, Ruby or Emerald tier on Patreon, you c

Oct 14
7 min

Choreographer Houston Thomas, on reimagining 'Firebird' for Royal Winnipeg Ballet - Episode 514

ccess upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Oct 8
58 min

Ashley Wheater on Joffrey Ballet at Performing Arts Houston with Alexander Ekman's Midsummer Night's Dream - Episode 513

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Sep 30
45 min

[Excerpt] Choreographer William Forsythe - Patreon Bonus Episode

Welcome to our first Bonus episode of Conversations on Dance, which is available now on our Patreon page. If you are a member of our Ruby or Emerald tier on Patreon, you

Sep 23
5 min

Choreographer Alysa Pires on her new work for New York City Ballet - Episode 513

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Sep 16
58 min

James Whiteside announces retirement from American Ballet Theatre and tells us what's next - Episode 511

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Sep 9
29 min

Summer recap and a COD restructure with Michael and Rebecca - Episode 510

Access upcoming BONUS episodes plus listen ad-free when you join our Patreon page. Membership starts as low as $3 a month and every dollar helps support the future of the

Sep 2
35 min

(509) Pianists of Vail Dance Festival: Michael Scales, Derek Wang, Tony Yun, Joel Wenhardt

This episode was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 9th, 2026. Enjoy one month of Conversations on Dance on Patreon for free! Redeem here. In the fin

Aug 26
52 min

(508) Career Pathways at The Vail Dance Festival: Savannah Green, Kayla Mak, Brooks Landegger, Philip Duclos

Enjoy one month of Conversations on Dance on Patreon for free! Redeem here. This episode was recorded live from the Vail Dance Festival on August 9th, 2026. In this ea

Aug 26
45 min

(507) LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival with Nikolaj Hubbe, Carla Korbes, Margaret Tracey, & Melissa Toogood

Watch NOW: PREMIERES from the 2026 Vail Dance Festival here: https://www.youtube.com/live/IWR7IJTIUjM?si=Hew1Dst2yyijlh9k. Enjoy one month of Conversations on Dance on P

Aug 11
1 h 14 min

(506) LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival with Alexei Ratmansky

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and

Aug 8
1 h 02 min

(505) LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival with Ryan Tomash, Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and

Aug 7
59 min

(504) LIVE from The Vail Dance Festival with Composer & Musician Caroline Shaw

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and

Aug 6
54 min

(503) LIVE from the Vail Dance Festival with Lauren Lovette, Robbie Fairchild, and Unity Phelan

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and

Aug 5
1 h 01 min

(502) LIVE from The Vail Dance Festival with Michelle Dorrance and Trinity Irish Dance Company

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and

Aug 4
58 min

(501) LIVE from The Vail Dance Festival with Herman Cornejo, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem. Today we are live from Vail with one of the Vail Dance Fest

Aug 3
58 min

Chart trend

Position in the Performing Arts chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#81#161AugSepOctNov

#29

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Conversations on Dance | Ballet & Dance Careers ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Nov 14, 2026).

#62 ▼ 4 Performing Arts US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Rebecca and Michael have a knack for having great conversations across a wide range of the best of dance forms and the people who make them possible in America. They have the knowledge to get into the weeds of what makes for great performances but with a skill that makes it accessible even to newbies like me. If you have plans to see a performance check their podcast list to see if the dance or the dancers have been covered. You’ll likely find something that will enhance your enjoyment of the show!

JerryNelson123 · Nov 2024

I have enjoyed dance, especially ballet and modern for many years, but at a superficial level. My wife and I started going to the Vail Dance Festival about 8 years ago, initially one or two nights but more recently all of the performances. As a part of the Festival there were conversations with the dancers, and other artists associated with the event. Rebecca and Michael were the interviewers. Initially we went to just one or two but have recently been going to almost all. We have really enjoyed the deeper perspective on what we were seeing, what it took for the performers to get to this stage in their careers, how choreographers got into choreography, etc. This podcast is, for us, a continuation of our learning more about all elements of dance, and a bit more about the personalities of the dance world. The recent episode on an interview with Martha Graham done by Michael Small when she was 95. Michael and Rebecca do a wonderful job of interviewing Small, introducing his recording, and pausing the interview to reflect on what was being said. It was so funny to hear about how she told Mikhail Baryshnikov to move out of the way at one practice. And it was heartbreaking to hear her reflect on how much she still missed dancing at the end of the interview. The thing is, this is just one of the many great interviews available at COD. If you are at all interested in ballet, this podcast is a must!

JerryfromGrandJunction · Oct 2023

After one episode, you’ll want to hear the rest! Every interview is perfect and they feature so many incredible dancers/choreographers!

CatherineKBee · Apr 2023

After several years, the podcasters keep improving. They get interesting guests and ask probing questions while always remaining polite.

LuNYC · Feb 2023

I love the aim of this podcast—how it provides a much needed platform for dance artists! However, many of the interviews end up feeling superficial and predictable. I think this issue would be remedied by: 1) encouraging the guests to open up about past, personal struggles. The more candid, the more a person is relatable. Hence why Hope Boykin’s interview, in my opinion, is one of the strongest. 2) asking tougher questions. Don’t fear making the guests uncomfortable. Some claims (I won’t say by who) should’ve been questioned. 3) getting a more diverse roster of guests. The podcast tends to feature those who have had a clear and direct route to success. Why not interview more dancers who struggled to get work? Most dancers don’t make it; most don’t go directly from school to company. It can take some dancers years and hundreds of auditions before they make it. Interviewing those who had less of a linear path would be inspiring and informative for dancers of all levels. 3b) as a supplement to the former-mentioned: acknowledge the Balanchine bias. Avoid NYCB-affiliates making up over half of interviews.

miserableyouth · Mar 2020

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