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PODCAST

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast is a podcast for aspiring professional ballet dancers who want to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.Former professional ballerina turned Dance Educator and Career Mentor Caitlin Sloan peels back the curtain of the professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer.Along with sharing her industry knowledge, Caitlin interviews top dancers, educators and

arts performing arts

All Episodes

17:49

124. Unconventional Choices I Made as a Pre-Pro Dance...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/10/05

What if the path to a professional ballet career doesn't look the way you think it "should"?In this solo episode, I’m sharing the unconventional choices I made as a pre-professional dancer that ultimately still led me to a career in ballet (and helped me stay in love with dance along the way).From staying at my home studio through high school to skipping summer intensives, scaling back my dance training during my senior year, choosing college over immediately pursuing a company contract, and even

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27:44

123. Behind the Scenes of The Wiz with Dance Captain...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/09/28

Khi’Shawn Robinson began dancing at 14 and initially set his sights on a career in classical ballet. After studying ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he unexpectedly took a professional job with Royal Caribbean, which opened the door to a completely different side of the dance industry.Today, Khi’Shawn is a performer and dance captain with the national tour of The Wiz. In this episode, he shares his journey to The Wiz (including auditioning multiple times before finally

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61:57

122. Danscend on How to Take Feedback Without Taking...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/09/21

In dance, feedback can shape much more than how you perform. It can influence how you see yourself, what you believe you’re capable of, and even the choices you make in the studio and beyond.In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux, co-founders of Danscend, to talk about how feedback can affect a dancer’s confidence, identity, and sense of self-worth.We discuss why dancers can be particularly vulnerable to internalizing what teachers say,

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45:04

121. Beyond the Trophy: Carrie Euker of Étoile Dance...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/09/14

Choosing a ballet variation can feel overwhelming. With so many options, and so much pressure to choose the “right” one, it can be easy to focus only on what looks impressive or what might earn the highest score.In this episode, I’m joined by Carrie Euker, founder of Étoile Dance Competition, to talk about how dancers, teachers, and parents can approach variation selection (and the entire competition dance landscape) more thoughtfully.Key “pointes” in this episode: Why age-appropriateness should be

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31:16

120. New York City Ballet Soloist Sara Adams on...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/09/07

In this week’s episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by New York City Ballet Soloist Sara Adams.In this episode, Sara shares her journey from taking her first ballet class on Cape Cod to training at the School of American Ballet and ultimately joining New York City Ballet. We talk about the transition from student to professional, finding confidence, dealing with comparison, and what she's learned from nearly two decades in the company.We also talk about pursuing a college degree while

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27:51

119. Your Audition Season Starts NOW: The Timeline...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/08/31

Audition season can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to.In this solo episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m walking you through my recommended timeline for preparing for professional dance auditions, starting in September and continuing through the end of audition season.Instead of waiting until January to start thinking about auditions, you’ll learn how to use the fall months to get your materials, finances, company research, and audition strategy in place, so you can head into the new

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37:18

118. Ballet Idaho Artistic Director Garrett Anderson...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/08/24

In this week’s episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I sat down with Garrett Anderson, Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho, to talk about his journey from professional dancer to arts leader and what it really takes to build a lasting career in dance.Garrett spent 20 years performing with companies including San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Trey McIntyre Project, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago before stepping into his current role. We talk about how he got his start in ballet,

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46:43

117. From Professional Ballerina to PhD with Caroline...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/08/17

In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, former professional ballerina Caroline Simpkins shares her inspiring journey from professional ballerina to earning a PhD in biomechanics and creating Ballet Science, a platform dedicated to making dance research accessible to dancers, teachers, and educators.After dancing professionally for 12 years, Caroline found herself facing burnout, uncertainty about her future, and a life-changing thyroid cancer diagnosis at just 29 years old. That experience

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32:35

116. Inside Vanessa Mlyniec's First Season with New...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/08/10

What does it take to go from a competition dance studio to the stage of New York City Ballet?In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by Vanessa Mlyniec, who recently completed her first season in the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet. Vanessa shares the path that led her from Rhode Island to the School of American Ballet, what drew her to Balanchine technique, and the whirlwind moment she unexpectedly learned she would be joining NYCB for The Nutcracker.We also dive into

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31:08

115. ENCORE: Side Gigs I've Had as a Professional Dancer

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/08/03

It’s no secret that many dancers in the industry are underpaid and overworked. And while we’re pushing for change, the reality is that many of us will take on side gigs to support ourselves financially, especially when we’re first starting out.I found it necessary to have a side gig during my entire professional ballet career in order to support myself. Of course, some of these gigs were better than others and eventually I fell into my dream job!Have you ever wondered what kind of side gigs might

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47:19

114. Following your North Star in a Dance Career with...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/07/27

What does it take to sustain a professional dance career for 15 years while always finding new ways to grow as an artist?In this episode I’m joined by Madison Ballet company artist Shannon Quirk to discuss her journey from a young ballet student in Southern California to a longtime professional dancer and co-founder of the newly launched North Star Dance Theatre.Shannon reflects on her decision to pursue a BFA at UC Irvine, the realities of transitioning from college into the professional world, and

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34:34

113. Breaking the Burnout Cycle in Dance with Rylie...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/07/20

What if becoming a stronger dancer had less to do with pushing harder and more to do with creating space to breathe?In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by former professional dancer and founder of Inner Studio, Rylie Beck, to talk about burnout, dancer identity, nervous system regulation, and the mental habits that so many dancers struggle with behind the scenes.Rylie shares her journey from student to professional, and how repeated experiences with burnout ultimately led her

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46:28

112. Inside Louisville Ballet's Innovative College...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/07/13

What happens when a ballet company invests in its dancers' futures both on and off the stage?In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by Jill Marlow Krutzkamp, former professional dancer and current Artistic Director of the Louisville Ballet Studio Company.Jill shares the story behind an exciting partnership between Louisville Ballet and Bellarmine University that allows dancers to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration while continuing their professional training.Key

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45:13

111. From Ballet to Broadway Tours with Ashley Talluto

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/07/06

In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by professional dancer Ashley Talluto to talk about the realities of building a career in New York City.Ashley dives into how she transitioned from ballet into musical theater and how auditions, casting, and unions work in the musical theater world.She also shares what it’s like to tour with major productions like West Side Story, Flashdance, and An American in Paris and gives us invaluable insight into the life of a swing and dance

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22:19

110. Land More Dance Teaching Opportunities (What...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/06/29

In this solo episode of the Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m sharing practical advice for professional dancers and aspiring teachers looking to connect with studio owners and build a sustainable teaching career in the dance industry.Drawing from my own experiences as an experienced dance educator and former school director, I’m breaking down the realities of finding teaching work, from preparing your materials and making initial contact with a studio to understanding what studio owners actually value

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59:53

109. What Dancers and Parents Need to Know About...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/06/22

Ashley Thorndike is a licensed clinical professional counselor, longtime dance educator, and founder of Dance and College Counseling. With a PhD in Dance Studies, an MEd in Counselor Education, and a BFA in Modern Dance, she brings a rare combination of mental health expertise and firsthand academic experience to college and career planning for dancers.Ashley and I are both products of college dance programs and have gone on to mentor dancers through this process, so I absolutely loved connecting

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30:45

108. How the Pandemic Unexpectedly Launched Kendall...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/06/15

In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by professional dancer (and one of my former students!) Kendall Lademann for a full-circle conversation on the unexpected twists and turns that have shaped her dance career.We dive into Kendall’s transition from student to professional at Mareck Dance, including what it was like dancing alongside former teachers and how that environment helped her grow as both an artist and an adult.We also talk about how Kendall moved forward with her

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52:12

107. Dance as Medicine with Arts in Health...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/06/08

In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by former professional dancer and Arts in Health professional Kate Webb Berk to explore the powerful connection between dance and health.Kate shares her journey from dancing professionally with Verb Ballets (now Ohio Contemporary Ballet) to pursuing a master’s degree in Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, where she focuses on social prescribing and arts-based health interventions.We dive into the growing field of arts in health,

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23:51

106. ENCORE: How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/06/01

In this solo episode, I dive into everything dancers need to know to make the most of their summer intensives. Whether you’re a first-time attendee or a seasoned pre-professional, this episode is packed with insight to help you thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally during one of the most transformative times in your dance training.Key “Pointes” in this Episode🩰Why summer intensives are critical for growth in technique, artistry, and professionalism🩰The importance of journaling and

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41:36

105. How Dancers Can Prevent Injuries During Busy...

The Brainy Ballerina Podcast ·

2026/05/25

Physiotherapist and dance medicine specialist Erika Mayall, founder of Allegro Performance + Wellness in Vancouver, BC, joins us to share expert guidance on managing and preventing injuries during a dancer's busiest seasons.Erika breaks down why high-stakes periods like auditions, competitions, and intensives carry such elevated injury risk, and what dancers can do to protect themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. She walks us through how to build a smarter annual training calendar, how

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128 results

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