Ballet & Beyond Podcast

Thanks for checking in with us at Ballet and Beyond. We hope you enjoyed Season 1. Thanks so much to all of our guests this season! Season 2 is coming soon so make sure you check back in.

Today we're joined by Goucher College professor, Rick Southerland. We talk about his career path in dance education and some of his experiences as both a teacher and performer.
Rick is Associate Professor of Dance at Goucher College and past president of the National Dance Education Organization. Rick spent more than 20 years teaching in PK12 dance education in North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Nevada, and Washington, DC. Rick currently oversees the K12 dance education certification program and teaches dance education, modern dance technique, composition, and study abroad courses on the African continent.

Today we hear from dancer and director Charlie Abel. We talk about how he got started in dance, as well as some of his strategies and focuses as a director.
A former high-school wrestler and semi-pro baseball player, Charlie fell in love with ballet in his home state of Louisiana where he performed with the Louisiana Ballet. Since then he has performed principal roles with the Yugoslav National Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, and the Baltimore Ballet. He has appeared in numerous theater production including two Helen Hayes nominated stage plays with the Keegan Theatre in Washington, DC. Charlie has taught classical and theater dance at Dance Institute of Washington, Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts, Ballet Royale Institute of Maryland, and the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts. He has served on the faculty at Catholic University and University of Maryland in Baltimore County, and he is currently the Director of Ballet Performance at Metropolitan School of the Arts.

Today we're joined by Washington Ballet principal Tamako Miyazaki. We discuss her transition from Japan to the U.S., what it was like for her to compete, and her experience in Washington Ballet.
Tamako began her ballet training in Japan, before moving to the US, where she has won many awards and scholarships on the competition circuit, including first place in the Youth America Grand Prix finals in 2002. After dancing for two seasons with the Washington Ballet Studio Company, and then briefly with Columbia Classical Ballet, she joined the Washington Ballet as a company member and is currently in her sixth season.

Today we chat with former Dayton Ballet principal Annalise Bodamer about her experience in professional life, how she got to where she is, and her current work as an artistic director.
Annalise began dancing at six years old, later graduating from Goucher College with honors in dance performance and a minor in mathematics. She was a principal dancer with Boulder Ballet then with The Dayton Ballet (OH), performing in Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, various classics by Gerald Arpino, and more. Favorite performances showcased contemporary ballets by Jirí Kylián, Amy Seiwert, and Gina Patterson. She has taught all over the country at Goucher College Summer Dance Intensive, Dayton Ballet, Boulder Ballet, Charm City Ballet and Rise Vineyard Performing Arts School.*
*from contemporarydanceacademy.com/faculty