Sue Mayes, Healing Hands
Today I have the immense privilege of speaking with Dr. Sue Mayes. She's the current director of the Australian Ballet's globally recognized artistic health team.
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James Boyd, the Light Inside
Today I have the immense privilege of speaking with Bangarra Dance Theatre’s James Boyd. James is a proud Aboriginal man with connections to the Kunja and Muruwari people of southwest Queensland. Born on Wiradjuri country in Orange, as a little boy, James wasn't quick to use his words, and had delayed speech. James's mum and dad then began to notice other things—James kept getting bruises. At just five years of age, James was diagnosed with Leukemia. In this most incredible episode, James shares his journey through cancer, the lows of hospital life, and also the highs when James was introduced...
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Lucia Field, Family Ties
Today I have the immense privilege of speaking with Lucia Field. Lucia grew up with her family in Sydney, but with her dad, Anthony, as the original Blue Wiggle. It's not the childhood you might imagine. As the Wiggles became global superstars, Lucia didn't see her dad for nearly nine months a year. Instead, Lucia grew up alongside her mom, her brother, and her sister, dancing and dreaming of becoming a ballerina. And it was not just a dream. Lucia's star was already on the rise. And by 13, she was accepted into the Australian Ballet School. In this exceptionally...
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Riley Lapham, the Come Back
Today I have the immense privilege of speaking with Riley Lapham. Riley started dancing early in her home town of Wollongong, and by age 14, she had joined the Australian Ballet School. But from here, Riley's journey takes twists and turns. In her graduation year, Riley missed her final performance due to injury. But in a Center Stage-like moment, the then artistic director David McAllister offered her a contract with the company. In this brave and vulnerable conversation, Riley and I talk about what it's like to join a company while injured, and what it was like to deal with...
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Brooke Cassen, Back in the Studio
Today we have the pleasure of speaking with former Australian Ballet dancer Brooke Cassen. On Season Three of Talking Pointes, I spoke with Brooke on what became one of our most listened-to episodes of all time.
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Juliet Doherty, Following the Light
Today I have the privilege of speaking with the divine Juliet Doherty. Juliet was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is slightly more Breaking Bad than “Swan Lake,” but Juliet's grandparents owned a ballet studio which passed to Juliet's mother, and so the artistic genes ran deep.
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Get Well with Dr. Brandi Cole
In today's episode we speak with superstar Dr. Brandi Cole. You may have seen Dr. Brandi on your screens as she worked to keep the Matilda's on the field during the Women's World Cup in 2023, and then at the Paris Olympics.
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Talking Pointes Season Four
Talking Pointes, the podcast that shines a light on life in dance and the performing arts, is back for a fourth season.
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Dana Stephensen, Bonus Chapter
For our Season Three bonus episode, we speak again with the divine Dana Stephensen, who recently retired after two decades with the Australian Ballet and is ready for her bonus chapter.
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John Lam in Motion
Boston Ballet's legendary principal dancer, John Lam talks about the joys of dance, about finding his sexuality, and the moment he came out to his parents.
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Evie Ferris, Finding her Voice
We speak with Evie Ferris, the second Indigenous Australian to dance with the Australian Ballet, and the first Indigenous Australian to be a member of The Wiggles.
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Ethan Stiefel, Center Stage
Today we speak with Ethan Stiefel, who is far more interesting than the notorious Cooper Nielson.
FREE ARTICLEFeatured Reads
Spellbound
Two performers crawl in on hands and knees wearing neon green, hooded coveralls—the lightweight papery kind made for working in a sterile environment—and clusters of balloons pinned to their backs.
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Green Light
Will Rawls makes boundaries visible by defying them. Known for the disciplinary and topical range of his projects, the choreographer, director, and performer approaches issues of representation in “[siccer],” a multi-part, multi-site work co-presented by L’Alliance New York’s Crossing the Line Festival. A live performance at Performance Space New York...
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It is always interesting when multiple theme steps emerge over the course of a mixed repertory evening, but it is uncanny on one featuring five different ballets, each with a different choreographer and composer, covering a twenty-year span (2005-2025).
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Of Dandelions and Resilience
Zvidance premiered its new work “Dandelion” mid-November at New York Live Arts. Founded by Zvi Gotheiner in 1989, Zvidance has been a steady presence in the New York contemporary dance scene, a reliable source of compositional integrity, and a magnet for wonderful dancers.
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The Music Within
Cleveland native Dianne McIntrye received a hometown hero's welcome during her curtain speech prior to her eponymous dance group thrilling the audience in her latest work, “In the Same Tongue.”
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