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 final episode of our Vail Dance Festival series, Michael Sean Breeden is joined by guest co-host Kate Penner for a rare conversation with the festival's pianists: Michael Scales, Derek Wang, Tony Yun, Joel Wenhardt. Together they pull back the curtain on what most audiences never see: the musicians who make dance possible. They talk about how each of them found music in the first place, what it's actually like to collaborate with choreographers and dancers in the room, the tiny details that can make or break a piece, and some of their favorite moments from years of playing at Vail.

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

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 early-morning session from the final day of the festival, Michael Sean Breeden is joined by guest co-host Kate Penner (Rebecca had already headed home for her son's first day of school) for a conversation with four dancers who represent very different paths into the profession: Savannah Green (BalletX), Kayla Mak (ABT), Brooks Landegger (ABT), and Philip Duclos (Royal Danish Ballet). They talk about how differently each of their careers began, the moment each of them was "thrown in the deep end" at Vail, how they mentally and physically prepare for a performance, and what it's like bringing what they learn at the festival back to their home companies.

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.

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 Patreon for free! Redeem here.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording exploring the special and unique process of preparing today’s generation of dancers for the world stages. In this special conversation, four of today’s passionate leading dance educators gather to discuss how they cultivate tomorrow’s stars and what it means to pass artistry from one generation to the next.

The panel includes Nikolaj Hubbe, former Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet and former New York City Ballet principal; Margaret Tracey, Artistic Director of Canada’s National Ballet School and former New York City Ballet principal; Carla Korbes, former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal and now ballet chair at Juilliard; and Melissa Toogood, Bessie Award-winning dancer and Dean of Juilliard’s Dance Division. Together, they bring decades of combined artistic and teaching experience to a conversation about craft, education, and a love of dance.

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.