In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Ilana Goldman, Professor of Dance and Director of the BFA program at Florida State University, as well as an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator.

Ilana shares her journey from early dance training and her time at Juilliard to a wide-ranging performance career with companies including Oakland Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Trey McIntyre Project, before transitioning into academia and choreography.

This conversation centers on her new work for Madison Ballet’s ChoreographHER, And Everything Is Still…, set to music by Andy Scott. Originally inspired by a short piece she created at Florida State, Ilana expands the work into a larger, multi-sectional piece that explores musicality, spatial design, and the architecture of movement.

Throughout the episode, Ilana offers insight into her creative process and how she worked with the “genius in the room” to create a work that reflects the dancers’ personalities and strengths. Ultimately, her work embraces the idea that dance can mean many things at once, leaving space for audiences to bring their own interpretations to what they see on stage.

About Ilana Goldman

Ilana Goldman is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, and educator. She served as Choreographer in Residence of Metro D.C.’s Bowen McCauley Dance (2018–2019) and Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park (2022). She has choreographed works for Sacramento Ballet first and second companies, New York Theatre Ballet, ARC Dance Seattle, Tallahassee Ballet, Black Rock City Ballet, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Perry-Mansfield, Shenandoah University, Missouri State University, Florida State University, and University of Washington, among others. Her work was selected for performances at Brooklyn’s Dumbo Dance Festival and the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival.

She performed professionally as a principal dancer with Oakland Ballet and Sacramento Ballet, as a member of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Trey McIntyre Project, and as a guest artist with Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

See “And Everything Is Still…” by Ilana LIVE in ChoreograpHER April 3-5, 2026

🎟️ madisonballet.org/choreographer

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Credits

COVER PHOTO: Matthew Ulrich

DANCER: Madison Ballet Company Artist Lauren Thompson

MUSIC: Capet String Quartet - Ravel (Col. D 15057-60) 1928