Ballet Help Desk

As parents, you play a crucial role in supporting your dancer's ballet path and we know navigating the world of ballet training can be challenging. The Ballet Help Desk podcast is here to help! Tune in for expert insights on supporting your student's ballet education. We cover key topics like summer intensives, ballet competitions, full-time and postgraduate training, health and wellness, boys in ballet and more. Hear valuable advice from leading professionals across the ballet world to help your dancer make the most informed decisions about their unique training path. Learn more at www.ballethelpdesk.com.

Ballet Help Desk is a arts podcast hosted by Jenny Huang and Brett Gardner, with 196 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jenny Huang and Brett Gardner hosts Ballet Help Desk, a arts show with 196 episodes published.

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  Ballet Help Desk

  The Life of a Freelance Ballet Dancer

  Aug 19, 20261h 9m

  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

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  Ballet Help Desk

  #NoThirds: Does Ballet Etiquette Matter for Young Dancers?

  Aug 12, 20261h 6m

  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

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  Ballet Help Desk

  Ballet West's Adam Sklute and Evelyn Cisneros-Legate on the Dancer Training Pipeline

  Aug 5, 20261h 12m

  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

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  Ballet Help Desk

  SMU's Carter Alexander on Training Versatile Dancers

  Jul 29, 20261h 25m

  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

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  Ballet Help Desk

  The Business of Ballet: Shane Jewell, Oregon Ballet Theatre

  Jul 22, 20261h 30m

  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

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