Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered

Pull back the curtain on the professional dance world. Hosted by Jared Redick, Company Secrets features candid conversations with Artistic Directors and industry leaders who share the real stories behind auditions, casting, company life, and artistic vision. From navigating contracts to embracing career pivots, this podcast offers insider knowledge for young dancers striving to thrive in the ballet world—and for anyone who loves the art form and wants to understand what really happens behind the scenes. Whether you're a student, educator, emerging artist, or lifelong fan, Company Secrets is your backstage pass to the dance world’s most essential conversations. 🎧 Season One: New episodes every Tuesday beginning August 5th!

Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered is a arts podcast hosted by Jared Redick, with 24 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.

Jared Redick hosts Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered, a arts show with 24 episodes published.

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  Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered

  S2 EP11: The Nutcracker Paradox- From Orphanage to Fantasy

  Dec 28, 202515 minS0

  <p>The season finale of Company Secrets: The Nutcracker Paradox closes with a powerful conversation featuring Sir Matthew Bourne, one of the most influential dance theatre makers of our time. Bourne reflects on his landmark 1992 Nutcracker, a bold reimagining that begins in a Dickensian orphanage and transforms into a vivid fantasy world, redefining how this holiday classic can tell an emotionally grounded story.</p><p>In this wide-ranging finale, Bourne shares his creative philosophy of finding the “big idea,” his deep respect for music as the foundation of storytelling, and his belief in humor, humanity, and audience connection as essential tool...

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  Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered

  S2 EP10: The Nutcracker Paradox- De-Centering the Nutcracker with Dr. Brenda Dixon-Gottschild

  Dec 23, 202522 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Company Secrets: The Nutcracker Paradox, Jared Redick is joined by renowned dance scholar and cultural critic Dr. Brenda Dixon-Gottschild for a bracing conversation about why The Nutcracker may no longer deserve its outsized place in American ballet culture.</p><p>Rather than arguing for yet another reinvention of the holiday classic, Dixon-Gottschild challenges the field to de center The Nutcracker altogether, questioning its cultural neutrality, its mythologized role as an entry point, and the disproportionate time, money, and discourse it absorbs. She reframes the ballet as a uniquely American obsession, likening it to a kind...

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  Episode #9

  S2 EP9: The Nutcracker Paradox- Building a City, Building a Dream with Christopher Wheeldon

  Dec 21, 202521 minS2

  <p>In this episode of Company Secrets, Jared Redick is joined by choreographer and director Christopher Wheeldon for a deep dive into The Nutcracker as narrative, tradition, and opportunity for reinvention.</p><p>Wheeldon reflects on why The Nutcracker has become the definitive holiday ballet, from its concise storytelling and iconic Tchaikovsky score to its role as both a family introduction to ballet and a vital economic engine for companies. Drawing on his background in creating richly layered narrative worlds, he discusses why clarity of story and emotional access are essential to sustaining audience connection today.</p><p>The conversation...

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  Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered

  S2 EP8: The Nutcracker Paradox- Magic at the World's Fair with Helgi Tomasson

  Dec 19, 202516 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Company Secrets, The Nutcracker Paradox: Magic at the World’s Fair, host Jared Redick sits down with legendary former San Francisco Ballet artistic director Helgi Tomasson to explore how The Nutcracker became both a beloved holiday tradition and a living, evolving work of art.</p><p>Tomasson reflects on nearly four decades of leadership at San Francisco Ballet and his deep personal relationship with The Nutcracker, from dancing it as a principal at New York City Ballet to reimagining it through the lens of San Francisco’s 1915 World’s Fair. He shares how anchoring the ballet...

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  Company Secrets: Ballet Unfiltered

  S2 EP7: The Nutcracker Paradox- Progressive Classicism and 2 Pairs of White Tights

  Dec 17, 202523 minS0

  <p>In this episode of Company Secrets: The Nutcracker Paradox, Jared Redick sits down with Ethan Stiefel; principal dancer, film star, choreographer, and arts leader. From performing The Nutcracker at New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre to choreographing his own version and leading major institutions, Stiefel reflects on a lifetime spent inside the ballet.</p><p>Together, they explore why The Nutcracker remains a powerful gateway for audiences, what it gets right artistically, and where it demands thoughtful evolution. Stiefel introduces the idea of “progressive classicism,” arguing for honoring ballet’s technical rigor while reimagining context, storytelling, and cultur...

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