3 New Ballet Podcasts to Add to Your Queue

May 14, 2020

With the dance world shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, everyone’s looking for new ways to connect. And what better way than podcasts? In the past few weeks, three new ballet podcasts have emerged to join the likes of Conversations on Dance, City Ballet The Podcast, Dance and Stuff and DanceMedia’s very own The Dance Edit Podcast.

These three new finds—Blab Swans, A Seat at the Barre and Outsiders—are all carving out their own niche in the podcast universe, ranging from long-form interviews to friendly conversations to abstract discussion. So grab your headphones and head out on a socially distanced walk, all while connecting with virtual pals and learning something new.

Blab Swans

Blab Swans
is the brand-new brainchild of Cloud and Victory founder Min and Bayerisches Staatsballett soloist Jeanette Kakareka. Longtime friends, the duo chat from across the world (Min is based in Singapore, while Kakareka is in Munich) about all things ballet. While the first episode, which dropped this week, focuses on coping in the time of coronavirus, the next few will cover body image, eating disorders and social media tips for dancers. And who better than Min, the creator of memes like this gem and this one, to give us social media advice!

Blab Swans is available on Spotify.

A Seat at the Barre

National Ballet of Canada principal Skylar Campbell was gearing up to present the inaugural season of his summer company, Skylar Campbell Dance Collective, when the pandemic hit. But he quickly switched gears, instead launching A Seat at the Barre, a new podcast where Campbell interviews the members of his troupe on all things dance and non-dance related. With seven episodes up so far, listeners can hear conversations with dancers including Greta Hodgkinson, Jillian Vanstone and Patrick Yocum.

A Seat at the Barre is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout.

American Contemporary Ballet – Outsiders

Los Angeles-based American Contemporary Ballet director Lincoln Jones is known for pushing boundaries. So it’s no surprise that he’s bringing that same sense of curiosity and creativity to his new podcast, Outsiders, co-hosted with ACB dancer Elise Filo. Jones and Filo dive into abstract questions related to the world of ballet, such as “what makes an art form classical,” “what’s wrong with ballet photography” and “why the placement of toilets are critical to ballet training.” Outsiders will also occasionally bring in special guests from the L.A. dance scene.

Outsiders is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.