Ballet Help Desk

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon We're back with part 2 of our conversation with former New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet soloist Kathryn Morgan. This half covers what happens behind the scenes of judging, including why some score sheets come back without comments and what judges actually talk about when they're not watching dancers. Kathryn also talks about why most company directors steer clear of hiring dancers with a big social media following, and the toll that chasing a following and a certain body image can take on young dancers. She ends with her take on why ballet companies are struggling to hold onto talent and audiences, and why she doesn't think the repertoire is the problem. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon In part one of this two-part episode, we're joined by former New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet soloist Kathryn Morgan for an honest conversation about what really goes on inside ballet competitions. She talks about how scoring and judging works, why she believes the real evaluation at YAGP finals comes from the scholarship classes rather than the stage, and how social media has reshaped what young dancers think a ballet career looks like. We also posed some of the questions parents keep asking us, including whether independent dancers are treated differently than school-affiliated ones, what people mean by "connected schools," and how much influence a school's relationship with a competition really carries. Kathryn answers honestly, including moments where she's clearly thinking it through in real time rather than giving a rehearsed take, and she's upfront about where she does and doesn't have a clear answer. As competition season is about to get into full swing, this conversation is worth a listen. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon We're back for part 2 of our parent panel. Stephanie Lombardo, Jen Petersen-Hull, and Lisa Lecamu get specific about what it's like sending your American kid abroad for full-time ballet training. Drop-off day was harder than any of them expected. Lisa now wishes she'd stayed a few extra days to help her son settle into independent living in London, and Stephanie wasn't able to make the trip at all, so she switched to German time by phone instead, making sure she was the first and last person her daughter talked to each day. Once the kids were settled, these parents heard a lot less from the schools than they would have in the US, and mid-year evaluations meant classmates could be cut without warning. The competition among students was intense, especially among the girls, and each mom navigated a different version of that pressure with her own kids. They also talk through the moments that made it worthwhile: an unplanned donor performance in Stuttgart, choreography training at Princesse Grace, lead roles at English National Ballet School. And they get real about the things they wish they'd known going in, from navigating local laws to figuring out how to actually talk to your kid once they're an ocean away. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon Did you ever wonder what it's like to send your dancer off to full-time training? Now, ask yourself what it's like to send them to another continent. In part one of this two-part series, we sat down with three parents who, collectively, had four kids attend ballet programs in Europe. One went to Academie Princesse Grace in Monaco. Two headed to London - one to the Royal Ballet School and the other to English National Ballet School. The fourth went to John Cranko in Germany. Tune in to hear how each family ultimately made the decision to send their child overseas, how the opportunities first presented themselves and what they each saw as some unexpected ups and downs during the time they were there. If you've been curious about the pros and cons of European ballet training, tune in! Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon As we all know, the ballet job market is incredibly competitive. But, not all ballet careers involve signing a year-long contract with a company. Some dancers choose other paths and we sat down with Linnea Swarting to hear from a dancer who traded the security of a company contract to pursue a freelance career. She talked about how she made the decision to walk away from company life and how she got her first freelance gig. We also discussed what kinds of jobs are actually available to freelancers and then variety is pretty surprising! Think everything from corporate parties to full international tours performing Swan Lake. We also discussed what touring companies really are, how Linnea finds jobs, what she looks for in contracts and how to negotiate before agreeing to join the project. Interested in learning more about the freelance life? You can find Linnea on her website or Instagram at @lswarting. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read & Submit Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Get early access to ad-free episodes and exclusive panel discussions by joining our Patreon Fran is back for a conversation about respect in the ballet studio. We get into the mechanics of a real ballet class. A teacher giving thirty corrections in ninety minutes doesn't have room to let one go unanswered, and Fran talks about why trying a correction immediately signals something different than thinking it over first. We also press him on how a teacher decides who earns individual attention in a crowded room, and how he tells the difference between a student asking a genuine question and a student who's simply refusing to try what they were asked. Fran turns some of that scrutiny on teachers too. He admits egos flare up at the front of the room as much as anywhere else, and draws a line between authority that's been earned and authority that's being misused. We also discuss how a dancer's reputation travels through what we know is a small industry, and why character can matter as much as talent when a director decides whom to hire again. We close the conversation with Fran making the case for why the studio itself deserves to be treated seriously, calling it "sacred ground." Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon Ever wonder what it actually takes to move up through the ranks at a major ballet company's school, and what happens once your dancer gets there? We sat down with Adam Sklute, artistic director of Ballet West, and Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, who runs Ballet West Academy, to find out. They walk us through how the academy trains dancers from age three all the way up, and how the trainee program Sklute built actually works day to day. We also get into mentorship: how the school handles those honest, sometimes hard conversations with dancers about where they stand before contract decisions come down. Then the conversation opens up to the bigger picture. Ballet has a postgrad math problem: way more dancers than paid contracts. Sklute and Cisneros-Legate talk candidly about that gap, the idea of getting artistic directors more direct access to watch dancers across schools, and the case for rethinking what counts as success at the postgrad level. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk Podcast ad-free on Patreon We sit down with Carter Alexander, Chair of the Division of Dance at Southern Methodist University, to find out what sets the program apart from the more ballet-specific schools. Carter walks us through the conservatory-within-a-liberal-arts structure: required training in ballet, modern, and jazz, a newly added Afro modern component, and how the school's BFA program allows roughly 60% of students double major in fields like mechanical engineering, psychology, and business. We discuss admissions and auditions, how merit scholarships get awarded, and why the program has struggled to attract male dancers in recent years. Carter also weighs in on the trainee-versus-college debate, and how he sees the trade-offs given today's job market. Finally, he covers how SMU prepares these young adults for the job market by coaching all students on how to network effectively and explains how much SMU relies on their alumni mentorship network. Links: Pick Up a Year-Round Training Corrections Journal Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon Shane Jewell, executive director of Oregon Ballet Theatre, was kind enough to sit down with us to explain how ballet companies actually run as businesses. He takes us through the nonprofit structure, including what makes up the primary revenue streams. We also discussed what goes into building a season budget and how that impacts dancer compensation, benefits and artistic programming. With funding for the arts being cut, Shane also addresses how OBT is handling these challenges through creative solutions like co-productions between companies as well as new ways of driving corporate sponsorships. The conversation closes with his advice for young dancers weighing a contract, including what to look for in a company's finances, culture, and promotion patterns before signing. Links: Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon Peter Stark, president and director of The Rock School for Dance Education, has spent 26 years running ballet schools and knows the recruiting process from both sides of the table. We talk with him about how he evaluates students for recruitment. We also cover how his approach has changed over the years, including how he now weighs student conduct and how his views on age and late starters have shifted. Stark discusses what full-time training requires of a teenager beyond technical preparation, including conversations about consent, hygiene, and roommate dynamics that families need to have before their dancer moves away from home. Stark also discusses what "fitting in" means at the corps de ballet level and why understudying matters at every stage of a dancer's career, not just early on. Links: Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon Our parent panel is back for part two, picking up right where we left off. In this half of the conversation, Erin, Sarah, and Sue cover the topics that come up most for families navigating full-time residential training: how a highly competitive environment can affect a dancer's confidence, how SAB, Houston Ballet Academy, and Canada's National Ballet School each approach annual cuts, and how the academic models differ across the three programs. The conversation also gets into the pressure dancers carry during audition season, the friendships that form in competitive training environments, and what it looks like to keep family life running when your dancer is living far from home. We close with the advice each parent would offer a family just starting this journey, and the one thing they would tell themselves on drop-off day. Learn more about full-time ballet training on our website . Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon We are so excited to be publishing part 1 of this 2 part interview. It's something we've wanted to do for a long time. Three parents of dancers who attended some of the largest full-time training programs in North America joined us for an in-depth and candid conversation about what it was like, from the family's perspective, to allow their teenagers to head off to full-time training while they were still in their teens. Erin Miller's son, Wesley, attended Canada's National Ballet School and now dances with Boston Ballet. Sarah Borden's daughter, Charlotte, went clear across the country from their home in Washington to attend the full-time program at the School of American Ballet. And Sue McCarroll's son, Owen, left home to attend Houston Ballet Academy, where he is currently in their professional training program. We went into so much depth that we're breaking this conversation into two parts. Across both episodes, we dig into how each family made the decision to send their dancer off, what factors ultimately drove that decision, what it was like to drop their child off, and how the adjustment went, not just for the dancer, but for the siblings and parents left at home. The conversation also covers the difference between training at a company-affiliated school versus a conservatory, and pushes back on the assumption that Balanchine-trained dancers are limited to a small handful of companies after graduation. Learn more about full-time ballet training on our website . Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Riley Weber is back on the podcast. Since leaving a corporate dance brand job, Riley has been speaking more openly about how the influencer side of the dance industry actually works. In this episode, we talk about how influencer income works, from per view payouts to brand collabs, and what actually happens behind the scenes of a sponsored post. We also talk about brand ambassadorships for dance students. What it means when a brand sends a 12 year old free leotards in exchange for content, who benefits from that arrangement, and what it can do to a child's sense of self worth when it gets tied to follower counts and engagement. If you have ever wondered whether your dancer should pursue a brand deal, or whether a large following actually helps with getting hired by a company, this episode covers it. Find Riley on socials: @rileythomasweber Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Jenny and I are taking a much needed vacation with our families so we're rereleasing one of our most popular episodes. We sat down with Francis Veyette, former principal dancer with Pennsylvania (now Philadelphia) Ballet, Co-Founder of the Veyette Virtual Ballet School and Rehearsal Director & Outreach Manager for Indianapolis Ballet . In this episode, Fran breaks down loaded terms like potential, facility, and body type, offering a practical understanding of what they mean. He also shares insights into the qualities dancers need to thrive in the ballet world. For anyone who has ever scratched their head when they heard people refer to potential or facility, this interview is a must-listen! You can learn more about Fran on his website . Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk If you've been paying attention, you've noticed: Japanese dancers are everywhere. Winning competitions, yes, but also filling the upper ranks of major ballet companies around the world. We've been wondering for a while now what is actually going on over there. Turns out, Kenta Kura has some answers. Kura spent nearly three decades inside the Royal Ballet, first as a soloist with the Royal Ballet, then as the first Japanese permanent teacher at the Royal Ballet School. In 2023, he came home to Japan with a clear mission: bring that world-class methodology to K-Ballet Academy, and change the equation for Japanese dancers who have long had to leave the country to access professional-level training. In this conversation, we dig into how ballet training is structured in Japan from the ground up, what the Kumakawa Method is and why it matters, and how K-Ballet Academy's Pre-Professional Course functions as a direct pipeline into K-Ballet Tokyo. We also explore what it takes for Japanese dancers to build careers abroad, the mental and emotional preparation that journey requires, and what it was like for Kura to be the only boy in his ballet school in a small Hokkaido village, until he stepped onto that international stage and felt, for the first time, like he truly belonged. His advice for young dancers is as simple as it is hard: allow yourself to make mistakes. Stay hungry. Stay curious. And believe in your own potential more than anyone else does. Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Your dancer has decided to pursue the college path. But which program is the right fit? What's the real difference between a BFA and a BA? What does a video pre-screen actually need to accomplish? And when tuition can tip into six figures, how do families make smart financial decisions? Francisco Gella and Julie Friedrich of Francisco Gella Dance Works are back for Part 2, and they get specific. We cover BFA vs. BA, which programs they think are doing strong work right now, how to approach video pre-screens, the three types of financial aid available to dancers, and what happens if your dancer gets a company offer after already committing to a school. The 2026 workshop schedule can be found here . Discounts are available to listeners of the Ballet Help Desk Podcast. Use code CollegePrep for a 20% discount on one or more of the workshops. Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk Does your dancer need elite training to have a shot at a top college? But what does elite actually mean? Is it competition wins? A company-affiliated school? The right summer intensives? And does the answer look the same whether your dancer is pursuing a BFA or a non-dance degree? College and career specialists Francisco Gella and Julie Friedrich of Francisco Gella Dance Works have guided hundreds of dancers down both routes. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In Part 1, we dig into the real differences between the BFA route and the academic route. We talk about why your school's college counselor may not understand this world and what "Olympic level" actually means when elite universities evaluate a dancer's background. We also look at why competition results carry less weight in academic admissions than many families expect, and a distinction that confuses a lot of families: the difference between a dance portfolio and a dance supplement, and what each one is actually for. The 2026 workshop schedule can be found here . Discounts are available to listeners of the Ballet Help Desk Podcast. Use code CollegePrep for a 20% discount on one or more of the workshops. Links: Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk In this host-only episode, we draw on our combined years of navigating ballet summer intensives to break down how to make the most of every program -- for your dancer and for you. We talk through what to do before your dancer leaves, how to handle drop-off day, and what to expect once they're there. We also get into the stuff nobody warns you about: what a scholarship really signals, how to handle the tap-on-the-shoulder conversation about year-round enrollment, navigating roommate issues, and what to do if your kid gets in trouble -- and yes, we are speaking from experience on that last one. Links: Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk American Reportory Ballet Artistic Director Samantha Dunster and Executive Director Julie Diana Hench join us for a conversation that gets refreshingly honest about the post-graduate pipeline, the job market, and what it means to truly prepare dancers for professional life. We dig into the structure of Princeton Ballet School from youngest students through the trainee program, how the school and company function as a single organization, and what actionable feedback actually looks like in practice. We also get into ARB2, the tricky math of a large trainee cohort and a tight job market, and a genuinely moving conversation about hunger, artistry, and what it means to inspire an audience. Links: Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

Listen to Ballet Help Desk ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ BalletHelpDesk The corrections never stop. The casting is always uncertain. And somewhere along the way, many dancers learn to keep all of it behind a smile, because showing weakness feels like handing someone a reason to replace you. Josh Spell, Kari Brunson Wright, and Rachel Coates have all been in that studio. As former professional dancers (Josh and Kari at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Rachel at Kansas City Ballet), they understand this from the inside. Now, as licensed therapists and coaches, they've built the ILUMN Collective, an app and platform designed to give dancers the kind of mental and emotional tools to help navigate the often stressful times that inevatably arise during ballet training. In this conversation, the three founders get specific about what's actually happening in the minds of pre-professional dancers: the perfectionism that hardens into an inner critic, the body image challenges that develop quietly, the disembodiment that can take years (sometimes decades) to recognize and reverse. They talk about why gratitude culture in ballet can become a mechanism of control, what it looks like when a wellness program is real versus when it's just a sign on a door, and why giving dancers mental health tools without also educating teachers and directors is a little like handing someone a TheraBand and calling it physical therapy. For parents, there's a lot here too. How do you talk to a kid who's been trained not to show struggle? What's your role when the school has the authority and you're just the ride home? And what does it actually mean to be part of the care team, not just a spectator? Intrested in trying the ILUMN Collective's app? Check out our Summer Intensive Essentials Guide for an exclusive discoount. Links: Summer Intensive Essentials Guide Buy Summer Corrections Journals Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews Support Ballet Help Desk Instagram: @ BalletHelpDesk Facebook: BalletHelpDesk TikTok: @ BalletHelpDesk Music from #Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/ian- aisling/new-future License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI