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.

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Website: conversationsondancepod.com

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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.

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with this summer’s Artist-in-Residence, Alexei Ratmansky. Ratmansky is widely regarded as one of the most important ballet choreographers of his generation, creating celebrated works for companies around the world and currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at New York City Ballet. This summer he brings that singular creative force to Vail, where he will create new work as part of the 2026 festival.

Hear Ratmansky reflect on his creative process, his vision for new work, and what it means to bring his artistry to the mountains of Colorado during Artistic Director Damian Woetzel’s landmark 20th year at the helm.

Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of 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

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with one of ballet’s most exciting rising stars: Ryan Tomash, newly promoted Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet.

Born in Toronto and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, Tomash spent eight formative years with the Royal Danish Ballet before joining NYCB for the 2025-26 season. Tomash made his American debut right here at the Vail Dance Festival in 2025. Hear him reflect on that journey, from Copenhagen to New York, and back to Vail, and what’s ahead.

Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of 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

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a special live podcast recording celebrating a remarkable milestone: the 10th year of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer and performer Caroline Shaw as the festival’s Leonard Bernstein Composer-in-Residence.

Shaw, the youngest-ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, has been a defining creative voice at Vail for a decade: composing and collaborating across genres, disciplines, and artists in ways that have transformed what’s possible on a summer stage. In this conversation, she reflects on ten years of pushing music and dance into new territory, what keeps drawing her back to the mountains of Colorado, and what is next for her.

Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of 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

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with Three of Vail’s most beloved returning artists: Lauren Lovette, Unity Phelan and Robbie Fairchild.

Fairchild, a former NYCB Principal Dancer, became a Tony-nominated Broadway star originating the role of Jerry Mulligan in An American in Paris before going on to film, acting, and an ever-evolving performance life. Lovette, also a former NYCB principal, continues to grace the stage and is currently serving as Resident Choreographer of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and earning commissions from ABT, Vail, and beyond. Unity Phelan continues her extraordinary career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and international guest artist!

Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of 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

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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

Enjoy one month of free access to Conversations on Dance on Patreon and listen ad-free. Click here to redeem.

Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a live podcast recording with tap visionary and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Michelle Dorrance and artists from Trinity Irish Dance Company, the Chicago-based ensemble that has spent 35 years pioneering a genre-defying fusion of Irish step dance, tap, and contemporary movement.

Dorrance and Trinity share a deep creative history, with Dorrance having choreographed multiple works for the company that push the boundaries of what percussive dance can be. Hear how this extraordinary collaboration was born, what it’s like to work across two distinct movement traditions, and what Dorrance is creating this summer at Vail.

Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of 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

Instagram: instagram.com/conversationsondance

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