Conversations on Dance

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 podcast. Thank you for your support. https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Conversations on Dance hosts Michael Sean Breeden and Rebecca King Ferraro interview choreographer Houston Thomas. Houston recounts starting dance in Chicago inspired by Savion Glover, shifting from tap to ballet through Joffrey community classes, then training at the School of American Ballet and joining Dresden Semperoper Ballet, where he danced for 10 years. He describes growing choreographic ambitions through SAB’s workshop and Dresden’s young choreographers program. After winning the Emergence Choreographers Contest, he pursued commissions by widely sharing work, ultimately leaving Dresden as choreography opportunities grew in the U.S. In Winnipeg, he premieres a new, corporate-America reimagining of Firebird aimed at drawing audiences from streaming to live theater.

Royal Winnipeg's 'Stravinsky Stories' program runs in Winnipeg October 8 - 11th, 2026. Tickets and more information available here.

Listen to Ballet Help Desk wherever you get your podcasts. Click here for more information.
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com
Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b
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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 podcast. Thank you for your support. https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome back Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, to discuss the company’s upcoming tour to Houston (Performing Arts Houston, Oct. 23–24) with Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and preparations for the season.

He explains Joffrey’s marketing approach, long-range planning and budgeting through 2029, and balancing risk with audience draws like Christopher Wheeldon’s streamlined Sleeping Beauty. Wheater details Ekman’s Swedish Midsummer concept, hay-covered stage, surreal dinner party structure, and commissioned music featuring singer Anna von Hausswolff, and reflects on 20 years building Joffrey’s artistic identity, finances, community ties, and dancer wellness support.

If you are in the Houston area, don't miss the Joffrey Ballet at Performing Arts Houston. Tickets available here.
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com
Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b
Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 can listen to this entire episode, as part of your membership. Here on our main feed, we are sharing an excerpt of our interview with choreographer William Forsythe.

If you're not a Patreon member yet, join us over there, for a free month, and enjoy this bonus episode. Click here: https://www.patreon.com/conversationsondance/redeem/2D104

Also as a Patreon member, you get early and ad-free access to other episodes, and we will be having other bonus episodes that you surely won't want to miss over there. So give it a try!
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com
Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b
Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 podcast. Thank you for your support. https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Today on Conversations on Dance, hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome choreographer Alysa Pires, who's new work for New York City Ballet will be premiering October 1 as a part of NYCB's fashion gala.

Alysa who shares how she gravitated to dance as a child, discovered contemporary dance in high school, and began choreographing early. She discusses mentorship at Toronto Metropolitan University and explains her creative process: coming into ballet settings highly prepared with music charts and organizational planning while developing steps collaboratively in the studio. Byers describes managing imposter syndrome, the people-focused side of choreographing, and a career turning point when the National Ballet of Canada opened its choreographic workshop to outside artists, leading to bigger opportunities. She previews her second NYCB commission, inspired by motherhood, protection, and sacrifice. Tickets and more information: https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/fall-2026/fall-fashion-gala

00:00 Support on Patreon
00:40 Meet the Hosts
01:29 Early Dance Roots
03:14 Finding Contemporary Path
06:34 Choreography Takes Hold
09:28 Mentors and Ballet Return
11:46 Prepping a New Work
14:25 Music Charts and Logistics
18:57 Discovery in the Studio
20:55 Leading the Room
24:37 Breakthrough Commissions
28:53 City Ballet Nerves
30:10 Family Sacrifice Balance
31:48 Who Gets Choreography
36:06 Second Commission Process
37:49 Casting For Collaboration
43:59 NYCB commission Inspiration
48:19 Fashion And Motherhood
53:51 Title And Bird Imagery
55:49 Premiere Dates And Runs
56:57 Thanks And Credits

Interested in signing up? Enjoy one month access to our Patreon for free: CLICK HERE.
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com
Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b
Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 podcast. Thank you for your support. https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden welcome American Ballet Theatre principal dancer James Whiteside, who announces he will retire from the ABT stage on June 30, 2027, dancing Giselle with Isabella Boylston at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Whiteside explains the decision felt simple after 25 professional years, post-COVID recovery and a knee injury, and seeing peers retire, while emphasizing he values new colleagues and feels his body is ready. He reflects on industry changes, his growth as a dancer, and his early social media trailblazing that supported queerness in ballet and created income beyond the company, though he’s largely stepping away from being an influencer.

He discusses future plans in choreography and writing, including a new Indiana University work inspired by George Platt Lynes and Debussy titled Stone Blossom, upcoming premieres, a restaging of City of Women, and his ABT fall performances including Ballet Imperial, Petal, and Petite Mort, plus final California Nutcracker shows.
Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.

Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance

Website: conversationsondancepod.com
Join our email list: https://conversations-on-dance.kit.com/7f73880f5b
Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.