Kicking It Real

55. 10 years a Rockette: how a torn ankle ended ballet and started Radio City, and who you are after the line with Alyssa Lemons

Alyssa Lemons was a Radio City Rockette for ten years, and she was never once on the list. Every single year, she auditioned for her own job. Then one summer, she didn't

54. from Rockette to Broadway to TV host: getting cut twice, Dancing With the Stars and why it's never a pivot with Amanda Kloots

Amanda Kloots got cut from the Rockettes twice before she booked it. What came after: 16 years of performing, Broadway, a fitness brand, Dancing with the Stars, five seas

53. reinventing your dance career: cruise ships to Broadway to professor, why burnout is really boredom & how to choose a dance college with Lindsey Hanson

Lindsey Hanson has performed on Broadway, on the Radio City stage, on Sesame Street, and on cruise ships doing trapeze. And every time she got to the top of one corner of

52. why Broadway vets can't get auditions right now: celebrity casting, rejection, and starting a side business with Mary Page Nance

Mary Page Nance is living proof of something every artist finds out eventually: talent can get you into the room, but your willingness to stay uncomfortable decides what

51. from Chicago Bulls dance captain to Squid Game contestant with Julia Pontarelli

Julia Pontarelli packed her car, said goodbye to the only city she had ever called home, and moved to Seattle with two weeks to spare between the end of one dance career

50. Rockette secret retirement to future therapist with Natalie Butt

Natalie is back on Kicking It Real, and this conversation is proof that you're allowed to walk away from the thing you built your whole identity around and come out the o

49. building a successful career in LA, financial literacy for dancers and knowing your worth with Bella Bernath

Bella Bernath will tell you that talent gets you in the room, but knowing your worth is what actually keeps you working, and keeps you sane while you are doing it. She st

48. stop being so perfect: breaking the desperation mindset & learning to trust yourself as a freelance dancer with Sam Assemany

Two years into taking his class, Mike Esperanza pulled Sam Assemany aside and told her to stop being so perfect, to mess it up a little. That is the fear underneath most

47. redefining what winning actually means as a dance adjudicator after years of chasing titles and national crowns with Clara Eaton Ribeiro

Clara Eaton Ribeiro used to stand on the podium wondering why she was the only one of her friends walking away with silver instead of gold. That is the trap of chasing re

46. dethroning the industry: finding your authentic voice & defining success with Antonio King

Antonio King spent a full month convinced one audition was going to define the rest of his career. That is the trap of wanting anything badly enough, the belief that a si

45. manifesting her dream Broadway role without losing her love for the art & work with Khori Petinaud

Khori Petinaud will tell you she almost strangled her dream before she learned how to hold it, and that might be the real thesis of this conversation. Sometimes the diffe

44. 40 years on Broadway and TV since starting dance at 20 & what it taught her about motherhood and resilience with Paula Leggett Chase

Paula Leggett Chase didn't grow up dreaming of Broadway, and that might be the real thesis of this conversation. Sometimes the skill that changes your whole life is the o

43. how wearing all the hats led to dance captaining her own Broadway debut, her own LaDuca boot & the toll it all took with Lizz Picini

Lizz Picini is the kind of guest who makes you want to throw out every box anyone has ever tried to put you in. There is a moment in every performance career where wearin

42. Disney cruise ships, Wicked obsession, and setting boundaries as a performer with Conor DeVoe

Today I sit down with Conor DeVoe. This conversation is a reminder that walking away from something does not always mean giving up on it, and that protecting yourself is

41. Pilobolus life, letting go of ego and redefining what success means with Ryan Hayes

Ryan Hayes didn't take his first dance class until he was twenty years old, and this episode is proof that the timeline you think you're supposed to be on rarely has anyt

40. pivoting from ballet to Broadway and what faith has to do with it with Deanna Cudjoe

Years before she ever thought she'd actually play her, Deanna Cudjoe performed Cassie's monologue in a college acting class and texted her old teacher the day she booked

39. stepping back from broadway auditions, redefining identity, and building a nonprofit with Andrew Norlen

This episode felt like getting a download from someone a few steps further down a road I'm just starting to walk myself. Andrew Norlen is a Boston Conservatory grad who

38. from Dandruff Danny on Hannah Montana to dancing at the McKittrick Hotel with Jack Taylor

This episode wrecked me a little, in the best way. I went into this conversation thinking I was catching up with someone whose childhood I half remember from Disney Chann

37. early career moves, dance companies & being a part time New Yorker: how to make a dance career work without burning out with Erzsi Bernath

This episode felt less like recording a podcast and more like exactly what it is. Two WMU alums who haven't had a real sit-down in way too long, finally doing it on mic.

36. Rockettes, confidence & why not me: round 02 with Alli Bollinger

In today's episode, my first ever repeat guest is back and honestly, it felt less like recording a podcast and more like exactly what it is.In today's episode, my first e