Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Crazy Smooth chats about his dance journey and his new intergenerational work Crazy Smooth: In My Body coming to Southbank Centre this month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Nine years ago this month, Misty Copeland became the first ever Black American woman to be promoted to principal at American Ballet Theatre. One of ballet’s most inspirational figures, she opens this new season of Why Dance Matters. Was she prepared for the attention around her promotion? What can ballet give young people? How does George Michael’s I Want Your Sex figure in her dance career, and will she return to the stage after ‘one of the longest maternity leaves in ballet history’? Misty reflects on her extraordinary journey – and why dance matters to her.    Misty Copeland is ac ..read more

In this episode of Why Dance Matters, we revisit a conversation from October 2022, in tribute to the poet, performer and activist Benjamin Zephaniah, who died earlier this month. As a performance poet he gave words a glorious physical form, his rhythms dancing from line to line. He had also provided a voiceover for Rambert’s dance version of the hit tv series Peaky Blinders. In our conversation, Benjamin was impressively candid about his journey, richly reflective about poetry, and also emotionally generous – unexpectedly moved when speaking about the generations of readers who have been touch ..read more

Pam Tanowitz is now an in-demand choreographer – but her career has followed a unique trajectory. For years, she and her company had an under-the-radar following in New York, but only recently did she win wider attention. A work set to TS Eliot’s 4 Quartets led to international tours and commissions for the Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet. Before that happened she worked and worked: at dance, but also unglamorous admin jobs. When we met at the Barbican for the London premiere of her Song of Songs, she talked about giving hope to all the late bloomers.   Pam Tanowitz has delineated h ..read more

Jakob Wheway Hughes was gold medallist at the Royal Academy of Dance’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2023. The Fonteyn took place at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, the opulent home of Phantom of the Opera. Jakob performed a new solo and a bravura classical variation, and seemed strikingly at ease on stage, communicating his dance to the packed audience. It was no surprise that Dame Darcey Bussell, the RAD President, presented him with the gold medal. Jakob,16, who trains at Tring Park School tells us why dance matters to him. Find out more about the work of the RAD Follow ..read more

Ana Maria Campos is a Royal Academy of Dance teacher from Brazil. She has travelled widely and lived in several different countries – dance and dance teaching are wonderfully portable skills. As an RAD examiner, she also visits dance schools all over the world – how does she calm the nerves of young dancers and help them give their best? And as someone who has dedicated their career to dance and helping others dance, she will know better than most why dance matters.   Ana Maria Campos grew up in Brazil, training as a dancer with Ilara Lopes and Jorge Pena. She graduated as a teacher from ..read more

Charlotte Edmonds   Unusually, Charlotte Edmonds began her career as a professional choreographer while still a teenager. The RAD spotted her talent for making dance when she was just 18: she was Commissioned Choreographer for the RAD’s Genée International Ballet Competition (now named The Fonteyn) in 2015, and also became The Royal Ballet’s inaugural young choreographer. She continues to navigate a varied freelance career, often making her own creative opportunities.   About Charlotte Edmonds   Charlotte Edmonds is a choreographer, dancer and filmmaker. In 2013 she received her ..read more

Zack Frongillo   The Savannah Bananas is not what you might expect from a US baseball team; players break off to twerk, or do a TikTok challenge, and the Entertainment Director, Zack Frongillo, is a trained classical dancer. We love seeing dance sneak into unexpected places. In this episode, we hear from Zack who tells us how the Savannah Bananas in Georgia are making a double play with dance and baseball, and bringing more fun to their fans in the process. If you thought the team might be a stranger to dance breaks and pirouettes, then think again. Let’s play ball…   About Zack Fron ..read more