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PODCAST

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast

The Busy Bunhead

If you"ve ever cried in the car after ballet class, questioned whether you started too late, or wondered why your pirouettes still aren"t cooperating, this is your podcast. After Class is for adult ballet dancers — the ones balancing real life, careers, and ballet dreams. Each week, host and fellow dancer Hannah covers technique, artistry, mindset, and the honest conversations that don"t always happen in the studio. Whether you"re brand new to the barre or a seasoned bunhead, you belong here.

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All Episodes

1:48

Adult Ballet Dancers, You Belong Here: Welcome to...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/10/01

After Class is a podcast for adult ballet dancers: beginners, dancers returning after years away, and anyone balancing training alongside a busy life. Because ballet as an adult comes with its own questions, challenges and joys, and this show is here for all of it. I'm Hannah, and when I started dancing as an adult, I struggled to find content I could relate to. There was plenty made by professionals, but not much from the perspective of the adult ballet student. So now I create the con...

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47:48

Ep. 130 - Inside the LABL Active Adult Ballet...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/09/23

If you've ever thought about signing up for an adult ballet retreat or intensive, you know the internal debate that comes with it: Is it worth the money? Is it worth the time off work? Will I spend the week feeling in over my head? I asked myself every one of those questions. This week, I'm handing the mic over to someone with all the answers... I'm joined by Maria Montanez, whose adult ballet events I've personally attended and trusted for five years running. In 2022, she co-founded KM &...

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30:54

Ep. 129 - Dancing Beyond the Mirror: Using 3D Space...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/09/09

If you're an adult dancer, chances are most of your training happens in a studio with a big mirror at the front of the room. It's easy to let that mirror become your main reference point for whether something looks right. But the mirror can only show you one flat angle of movement that's actually happening in three dimensions. In this episode, I'm joined again by Chelsea Weidmann (also know as The Geeky Ballerina) for the next installment in our ongoing series on the elements of artistry, as ...

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47:29

Ep. 128 - Bulletproof Your Feet & Ankles for Ballet...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/09/02

If theraband work has been the foundation of your ankle-strengthening routine, this episode is going to change the game for you... I'm joined again by fan-favorite guest, Allie Christensen, Founder of the Dancer Strong platform, and a strength and conditioning coach who works specifically with adult dancers. We discuss why relying on your theraband alone won't build the strength your feet and ankles actually need for ballet, including a study comparing dancers who trained with resistance ban...

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14:05

Ep. 127 - 7 Strategies for Remembering Choreography...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/08/26

If you're an adult dancer, you probably know this feeling: the teacher gives the combination once, maybe twice if you're lucky, and then the music starts... and somewhere around count five, your brain goes completely blank. In this episode, I'm digging into something almost every single one of us has struggled with: remembering choreography. It's easy to write this off as a gift you're either born with or you're not — some people just "have a good memory" and some people don't. But I'm ...

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33:29

Ep. 126 - Ballet Posture Explained: The Fundamentals,...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/08/19

Ask someone to picture a ballet dancer, and posture is probably the first thing that comes to mind — that effortless, upright poise that reads as ballerina the second you see it. But if you've ever felt like you struggle to achieve it as an adult dancer, you're not alone! In this episode, I'm joined again by Chelsea Weidmann for the next installment in our ongoing series on the elements of artistry, as she defined & unpacked them in her thesis on artistry in ballet. This time we're diggin...

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59:39

Ep. 125 - Perfectionism Is Sabotaging Your Ballet...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/08/12

If you’ve ever walked out of ballet class replaying every mistake in your head — the turn you fell out of, the combination you messed up, the step that just won’t click — you’re not alone... As adult dancers, we often hold ourselves to incredibly high standards. And while that drive can be a powerful motivator, it can also quietly take the joy out of dancing, and even sabotage our progress. In this episode, I’m joined by Kirsten Kemp, a high-performance mindset coach who works specifically wi...

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9:33

Ep. 124 - Ballet Hacks Every Adult Dancer Should Know...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/08/05

In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite ballet hacks. The tips, tricks, and discoveries that have made my life as an adult dancer easier and more comfortable.😄 Some I figured out on my own, some were passed along by teachers or fellow dancers, and all of them are just too good not to share, like: The game-changing nipple cover option for those who want a little extra coverageUsing toe spacers in your ballet slippers (NOT just for pointe shoes) to reduce bunion discomfortThe

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60:19

Ep. 123 - Creating a Pointe Plan You LOVE as an Adult...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/07/29

You've conquered the basics en pointe.... So now what? This is the final episode in my three-part series on the adult pointe journey with Julie of Broche Ballet, who has coached hundreds of adult dancers (myself included) through their pointe journeys. In this episode, we talk about how to build a sustainable, realistic training plan around a busy adult life, why short frequent practice sessions are so effective, the recovery habits that will support your body for the long haul, how to work t...

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63:58

Ep 122 - The Pointe Plateau: Why You Feel Stuck (And...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/07/22

You've got your pointe shoes and you've survived the first few months, but now you're in that weird in-between phase: still clutching the barre but dreaming of center, wondering if what you're feeling is normal or if you should be further along by now. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. I'm back with Julie of Broche Ballet for part two of our three-part series on the adult pointe journey, and this episode digs into the messy middle: what those first few months in pointe s...

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52:39

Ep. 121 - Starting Pointe as an Adult? Here's What...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/07/15

For so many adult dancers, pointe is the dream, whether you're returning to it after years away or dreaming about it for the very first time. But how do you actually know if you're ready? And if your teacher says not yet, what does that actually mean? This is part one of a three part series on the entire adult pointe journey, and I'm joined by Julie of Broche Ballet, who has coached hundreds of adult dancers (myself included) through the process of going en pointe. We get into adult pointe re...

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13:39

Ep 120 - Ballet on a Budget: Practical Ways to Save...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/07/08

Saving money on ballet doesn't have to mean cutting corners on your training, and that's exactly what this episode is about. Where I live, the cost of everything has gone up, and ballet is no exception. Classes are more expensive, dancewear is more expensive, and don't even get me started on pointe shoes. I'm sharing all my favorite ways to save money as an adult dancer, how to use YouTube strategically, how to get more studio classes for less money, maximize private private lessons, ways to ...

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34:38

Ep. 119 - Acting in Ballet: How to Overcome...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/07/01

You can have clean technique, beautiful lines, and perfect musicality and still leave an audience completely cold. The missing ingredient? Acting. And for most of us, it's the element of artistry we've spent the least amount of time developing. In this episode, I'm back with Chelsea Weidmann, The Geeky Ballerina, for the next installment in our ongoing series on the essential elements of artistry in ballet. Chelsea breaks down what acting in the context of ballet actually entails, why it's h...

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45:15

Ep. 118 - Making Time for Ballet When Your Life Is...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/06/17

If you've ever felt like ballet is the first thing to get dropped when life gets busy, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Rebecca Holden, a fellow adult dancer who is also a wife, a mom to a son with autism, and a full-time manager and someone who has figured out how to make ballet a consistent, guilt-free part of her life. We get into the real, stuff: how she protects her training days when everything else is competing for that time, how she deals with burnout, and how she n...

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20:11

Ep. 117 - How to Prepare for an Adult Ballet...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/06/10

If you have a ballet intensive coming up (or you're thinking about doing one) this episode is your complete guide to showing up prepared, taking care of your body, and getting the absolute most out of the experience. I'm walking you through everything: what to do in the week before (including how much to train, and my best tips for rest, fueling and hydrating), how to pack strategically, choosing your footwear, and how to actually navigate the week itself — the social side, the logistics, th...

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45:37

Ep. 116 - Life-Changing Facts About YOUR Anatomy as...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/06/03

If you've ever received a correction in class and thought, "Why won't my body won't just do that.." this episode is for you. I'm back with Erica Centola, founder of Tournesol Dance and creator of The Ballet Body Blueprint, for a conversation that I genuinely wish I'd had at the very beginning of my ballet journey. We walk through the anatomy that actually determines what ballet looks and feels like in your unique body... Not a generic "ballerina body." YOUR body. We cover: - Foot shape: the d...

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34:10

Ep. 115 - Understanding Musicality in Ballet and How...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/05/27

Musicality is one of those qualities teachers ask for constantly, and yet almost never explain. "Be more musical. Feel the music. Let it move through you..." But what does that actually mean? In this episode, I'm back with Chelsea Weidmann, The Geeky Ballerina, as part of our ongoing series unpacking the elements of artistry she identified in her thesis on Artistry in Ballet. Today's topic: musicality — one of the most personal and most debated elements of all. In this episode we talk about w...

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9:33

Ep. 114 - Ballet Hacks Every Adult Dancer Should Know

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/05/20

In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite ballet hacks — the tips, tricks, and discoveries that have made my life as an adult dancer easier and more comfortable. Some I figured out on my own, some were passed along by teachers or fellow dancers, and all of them are things I actually do/use and swear by, like: - The nipple cover situation no one talks about (and the product that finally solved it for me) - Using toe spacers in your ballet slippers (NOT just for pointe shoes) to reduce b...

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44:53

Ep. 113 - Hyperextended Legs in Ballet: What's Not...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/05/13

If you have hyperextended knees, you've probably spent a lot of time in class feeling like your body is working against you. You get corrections like "straighten your legs" and no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to change. Closing in fifth without bending your knees feels impossible, your standing leg feels unstable, and nobody has ever actually explained why. In this episode, I'm joined by Shane Wuerthner, a former professional ballet dancer, who is now a ballet coach and the founder ...

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42:48

Ep. 112 - Your Adult Ballet Photoshoot Guide with...

After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast ·

2026/05/06

For a lot of adult dancers, a professional photoshoot feels exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. You want beautiful images that capture how far you've come. But knowing how to actually prepare and show up confidently in front of the camera? That part can feel pretty daunting. I sat down with professional dance photographer Katie Ging, who has photographed dancers of every level and has a real gift for making everyone look and feel their absolute best. We talk about how to choose the ri...

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131 results

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