Why Dance Matters

Sir Peter Wright: a century of dance

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:01:42 GMT

Sir Peter Wright is living proof that doing what you love will sustain you. The ballet producer and artistic director turns 100 in November, but has been involved in recent revivals of his cherished productions of Giselle, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake for the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. In this special episode of Why Dance Matters, we listen in as Sir Peter talks about his life and work to the RAD’s Patrons’ Circle (who support the RAD’s charitable work). He discusses the star dancers he worked with, and how ballet has changed during his remarkable life in dance.

Peter Wright made his debut as a dancer with Ballets Jooss during World War II. In 1961 he joined John Cranko’s new Stuttgart company, choreographing ballets and mounting his first production of Giselle. His productions of the classics now feature in the repertories of companies around the world. In 1977 he became Director of Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, supervising its transformation into Birmingham Royal Ballet (he became Director Laureate on retirement from the company in 1995). In 1990 he received the RAD’s Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, and a knighthood in 1993. He is a Vice-President of the RAD.

The RAD’s Patrons Circle https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/support-dance/#patron

Birmingham Royal Ballet celebrate Sir Peter Wright on 18 June https://www.brb.org.uk/shows/sir-peter-wright-centenary

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Pawlet Brookes: the art of serendipity

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:28:53 GMT

Serendipity is what happens when the universe smiles on you: a happy chance, a creative coincidence. It is also the name of the remarkable Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage. Led by the unstoppable Pawlet Brookes, it shifts the lens through which we see dance, putting art and artists from the African and African Caribbean diaspora at the heart of the conversation. Pawlet’s career embraces every aspect of the performing arts. With Serendipity, she has created the annual festival, Let’s Dance International Frontiers, and now a pioneering MA programme. She’s a powerhouse. But why does dance matter to her?

Pawlet Brookes MBE is the CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage. Serendipity’s mission is to centre perspectives from the African and African Caribbean diaspora and present them as cultural experiences for all audiences. In 2011, Pawlet founded Let’s Dance International Frontiers, Leicester’s annual dance festival, which showcases high quality dance that celebrates diversity. A champion talent-spotter, Pawlet has brought countless international artists to the UK. Serendipity has a publishing wing, and is developing a digital archive called Unearthed: Forgotten Histories. Pawlet was awarded an MBE in 2022.

Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage https://www.serendipity-uk.com/

Let’s Dance International Frontiers 2026 runs from 29 April-9 May https://www.serendipity-uk.com/whats-on/lets-dance-international-frontiers/

MA Black British Dance and Performance

https://www.serendipity-uk.com/ma-black-british-dance-and-performance/

Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website.

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Jordan James Bridge: defying the gatekeepers

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:09:49 GMT

Jordan James Bridge is a sharp mover and thinker and an ambitious talent. Having danced for Company Wayne McGregor, his own choreography has made a splash on screen and in the Ballet Nights series of dance gigs. It all began for Jordan at school near Wigan, in the north of England, where he first discovered dance – where he returned last summer because the dance studio at Fred Longworth High School has been named after him. This full circle moment seems the perfect time to ask Jordan about forging his path, defying the gatekeepers – and why dance matters.

Jordan James Bridge is a multi award winning choreographer/performer for stage, screen and fashion. A longstanding dance artist of Company Wayne McGregor, he more recently appeared in Disney's The Marvels and walked for Moschino in Milan fashion week. Nominated for ‘Emerging Artist’ as both dancer and choreographer in the National Dance Award 2024, he has won multiple awards for his dance films Us, Locked Down and PARASITE. He made a ballet for Györi Ballet, Hungary, and is a consistent creative entity at Ballet Nights in London. He is a renowned lecturer in both Cunningham based technique and his signature Guided Improvisation method.

Jordan James Bridge https://jordanbridgedance.co.uk/

Jordan premieres two works in New English Ballet Theatre: Covent Garden Choreographics on 21 March (Clore Studio, RBO) https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-events/new-english-ballet-theatre-covent-garden-choreographics-details

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Sonia Sabri: the power of dance

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:01:00 GMT

Our guest today is the choreographer Sonia Sabri – dance changed her life, and now she uses it to change others. Sonia grew up in Wolverhampton, UK, in a traditional Indian family. Unusually her parents supported her dancing: her dad hoped she might conquer Bollywood, but instead, she devoted herself to kathak, which helped her withstand disapproval and bullying. Alongside her international career, her teaching reinforces the power of sharing dance – building not just steps, but self-belief. Our conversation touches on mental health and domestic abuse – Sonia has helped students change their lives in ways she would never have predicted.

Sonia Sabri MBE is a multi-award-winning dance artist, choreographer and movement director and Artistic Director of Sonia Sabri Company (SSC). One of the world’s leading Kathak dance artists, her work explores both the classical roots of Kathak and contemporary approaches, reflecting Western and Eastern cultures. In 2022, she was associate choreographer for Wondrous Stories, launching Birmingham Festival Commonwealth Games, and for the Opening Ceremony. SSC is an Associate Artist at Birmingham Hippodrome and Sonia is Creative Resident at Curve.

Sonia Sabri Company https://ssco.org.uk/

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Dr. Mark Broomfield: changing the world, one dance at a time

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:01:00 GMT

Dr. Mark Broomfield is a dance scholar and artist, and the author of Black Queer Dance: Gay Men and the Politics of Passing for Almost Straight. Born in London, he has spent much of his career in New York, currently as Associate Professor of English and the Founder and Director of Performance as Social Change at SUNY Geneseo. He says his work is about “moving minds, moving bodies and moving souls” to advance transformational social change. We’ll ask about bodies, identity and change.

Dr. Mark Broomfield is Associate Professor of English, Founder and Director of Performance as Social Change™ at SUNY Geneseo. The award-winning, London-born scholar and artist of Jamaican heritage has numerous publications on race, gender, sexuality, dance and ethnography, and he has lectured, choreographed and directed widely. His first book is Black Queer Dance: Gay Men and the Politics of Passing for Almost Straight (Routledge), while his forthcoming documentary Danced Out explores Black, gay male dancers in New York City.

Mark’s website https://www.markbroomfield.org/

Black Queer Dance https://www.routledge.com/Black-Queer-Dance-Gay-Men-and-the-Politics-of-Passing-for-Almost-Straight/Broomfield/p/book/9780367076351

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Elizabeth Honer: what does leadership look like?

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:01:00 GMT

We meet Elizabeth Honer – the RAD’s first female chief executive in its 106 year history – marking her first year in post. Elizabeth’s career in public service has included leadership roles in the UK’s Treasury and Foreign Office. But ballet has long been a passion, and Elizabeth first encountered the RAD when taking exams as a child. She returned to dance as a Silver Swan, the life-changing programme for older dance students. How do her values translate into leadership? Culture doesn’t stand still, so leaders must stay alert – how will the RAD develop on her watch?

Elizabeth Honer has had a lifelong love of dance, starting her career at Sadler’s Wells and most recently through classes at RAD headquarters and as a member of the RAD’s Finance Committee, before being appointed Chief Executive of the RAD. She has had an illustrious career in public service, latterly as CEO of an HM Treasury commercial agency and a director at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, engaging at senior levels around the globe. Elizabeth was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.

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Christopher Scott: making Wicked dance

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:01:00 GMT

Our first guest of 2026 is the choreographer of the Wicked movies: the defying gravity force field that is Christopher Scott. In two phenomenal films, based on the hit stage musical, Christopher brings the land of Oz to stomping, whirling life – continuing his collaboration with director John M Chu (including In the Heights and the web series Legion of Extraordinary Dancers). How does Christopher, who began as a street dancer, work with stars like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande? And there is no Oscar for choreography – how does this passionate advocate for dance feel about that?

Christopher Scott graduated from the Hollywood High Performing Arts Magnet Program, and began his choreography career in the Step Up dance films. He became associate producer and choreographer of The LXD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. From 2010-16, he was a resident choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance, receiving three Emmy nominations. He has directed for stage and screen and has worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Gloria Estefan. In 2019, for director Jon M Chu, he choreographed the film of Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, followed by Wicked and Wicked: For Good.

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Jamiel Devernay-Laurence: ballet entrepreneur

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:23:56 GMT

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence has a dance brain, but also a business brain. Founder, artistic director and enthusiastic compere of the ever-growing series of Ballet Nights events, he has also created the production house Fundamentally Dance. Having danced with Scottish Ballet, Jamiel then parlayed his energy into Ballet Nights, taking its programmes of dance into big London venues like Cadogan Hall and the Ministry of Sound nightclub, and to international editions. New events are in the works, and Jamiel’s ballet evangelism knows no bounds – why shouldn’t ballet play the biggest stadiums?

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence is an acclaimed creative arts producer, choreographer, filmmaker and entrepreneur. Through his production house, Fundamentally Dance, and the performance umbrella Ballet Nights, he curates and produces high-impact programmes of ballet and contemporary dance across the UK and beyond. A former Soloist with Scottish Ballet, he has earned critical acclaim and a nomination for the Innovation Award at the 2024 Stage Awards in recognition of his dynamic approach to developing exciting new ideas in performing arts.

An Evening With Matthew Ball is at the Susie Sainsbury Theatre, London on 14 December: https://www.fundamentallydance.com/an-evening-with-matthew-ball

Ballet Nights New Year’s Day Concert is at Cadogan Hall, London: https://www.balletnights.com/new-years-day

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Evie Templeton: Wednesday, ballet and Lady Gaga

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:01:00 GMT

Here’s an unusual compliment: “Evie has amazing eyes that can emote both compassion and complete psychotic behaviour.” This is a director describing Evie Templeton, who at 16 stars in the hit Netflix series Wednesday. Evie brings her compassionate/psychotic presence to Agnes DeMille – stalker and ally of Wednesday Addams in the comic and macabre series. The character, named for the pioneering choreographer Agnes DeMille, even dances to an original number by Lady Gaga. Evie herself has a background in RAD ballet (her sister Jessica was a medallist at the RAD’s Genée competition). How has ballet shaped Evie’s approach to performing?

Evie Templeton was born in Barbados and later moved to England. Aged 10, she played young Cosette and Eponine in Les Misérables in the West End. She made her film debut in Red, followed by roles in Life After Life, Disney’s Pinocchio and Lord of Misrule. As well as playing Agnes DeMille in Wednesday, she is due to appear in Return to Silent Hill.

Wednesday on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81231974

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Anthony Roth Costanzo: high notes and bold choices

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:01:00 GMT

Few classical singers embrace movement as vividly as the star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo. He explores all the possibilities of a performing career, from opera to cabaret. His captivating high tones specialise in both early and modern operas: famously, in the testing title role of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten. Recent audacious projects include playing Maria Callas, and a solo Marriage of Figaro where he sang all the roles. As director of Opera Philadelphia he has attracted new audiences with a successful Pick Your Price ticket scheme. He’s an astonishing, eloquent advocate for the arts – including dance.

Anthony Roth Costanzo began performing professionally aged 11 and has appeared in opera, concert, recital, film and on Broadway. In 2024, he became the General Director and President of Opera Philadelphia. He has appeared with many of the world’s leading opera houses and at a venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden. His most recent album is Anthony Roth Costanzo & Justin Vivian Bond: Only an Octave Apart, and he stars on the Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy award-winning recording of Akhnaten.

Anthony’s website https://anthonyrothcostanzo.com/

Opera Philadelphia https://www.operaphila.org/

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Tamara Rojo: the buck stops here

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:18:54 GMT

To be artistic director of one of the world’s great ballet companies is a daunting task.

But Tamara Rojo is accustomed to pressure: as Royal Ballet, artistic director of English National Ballet, and now of San Francisco Ballet (SFB), America’s oldest classical company. Tamara has the gift of making each programmes an event; the highlight of her first season at SFB was Mere Mortals, a ballet for the age of AI, which attracted a new audience to watch and party. We ask Tamara: how does she juggle all the demands of her role? And what is it like to lead a major arts organisation in modern America?

Tamara Rojo is a celebrated leader and principal dancer who became Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet in 2022. Previously, she was Artistic Director and Lead Principal of English National Ballet (ENB) for over 10 years, having also been principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. Her repertoire includes lead roles in all full-length ballet classics, as well as works by Balanchine, Robbins, Ashton and MacMillan. Her numerous awards include the Olivier Award for Best Achievement in Dance in 2017 and the Principe de Asturias Award in 2005. In 2016, she was awarded a CBE for services to dance.

Listen to RAD's Why Dance Matters podcast now, available on all major listening platforms.

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Karen Hauer: my life in Strictly

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Today we enter the world of Strictly Come Dancing. The show is a phenomenon of British television, and our guest is the longest serving professional dancer on the series – the sparky Venezuelan-American dancer Karen Hauer. Karen spoke to us just before she learned her partner for the 2025 series would be the Team GB sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (aka Nitro from Gladiators) – but Karen tells us how she forges a partnership with a non-dancing celebrity, and about the pressures and pleasures of the iconic show.

Karen Hauer is Strictly Come Dancing's longest standing professional dancer, starring in the show since 2012. Her partners have included Westlife's Nicky Byrne, The ‘Hairy Biker’ Dave Myers, Jeremy Vine, Will Young, Jayde Adams and Paul Merson. Previously, she was crowned 2008 World Mambo Champion, was a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance USA, and principal female dancer in the original Broadway cast of Burn The Floor and subsequent world tours. With Gorka Marquez, she created the successful shows Firedance and Speakeasy, on which she was Associate Choreographer and Associate Creative Producer.

Karen’s Hauer Power website https://www.hauerpower.co.uk/homepage

Strictly Come Dancing on BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m8dq

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Maddie Jamieson: but I’m a cheerleader!

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:18:14 GMT

Maddie Jamieson is one of the UK’s leading experts in dance team. As a former competitive dancer, and now a choreographer, coach and judge, she’s the perfect guide to a discipline which sits between sport and art (the International Cheer Union was recently recognised by the IOC, possibly paving the way for inclusion in a future Olympic Games). What is the difference between dance team and cheerleading? Why is ballet training good for dance team? And what is the best way to use a pom-pom?

Maddie Jamieson is an internationally-renowned dance team choreographer, coach and adjudicator. Following a dance career which saw her place 7th in the world and work for the BBC, IKEA, and Disney, she went on to coach the national dance team of Scotland to a bronze medal at the ICU World Championships in 2022, and had three teams placing in the top 10 at the Dance Worlds 2024. She has also judged across three continents including at the ICU European Championships in 2023.

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Alexander Campbell: becoming RAD's Artistic Director

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Alexander Campbell has been Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance for just over a year. Formerly a gleaming principal with the Royal Ballet, the Australian-born dancer is no stranger to the RAD. His grandmother was an RAD examiner, so he took the RAD exams and won medals in its major competitions. Stepping off stage and into the office must have seemed like a natural move – or did it? How easy is it for a dancer to leave their all-consuming dance routine? In a changing dance landscape, how might the RAD develop? And why does dance matter to Alexander?

Alexander Campbell was born in Sydney, moving to the UK to train at the Royal Ballet School. In 2003 he won the silver medal at the Genée International Ballet Competition and was a Prix de Lausanne finalist. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2005, and moved to the Royal Ballet in 2011, becoming a Principal in 2016. He left the Royal Ballet and became Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2024.

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Lewis Walker: movement beyond the medals

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Lewis Walker is a former world champion gymnast and now a dancer. We often talk about dance as a short career, one which embeds a very binary approach, and in which partnering is a question of intense trust – well, all this is even more true of gymnastics. Lewis discovered the sport at six, reached its peak – but also realised there was more to explore, more to express. Their side-shimmy into dance has led to collaborations in music, fashion and choreography. Their new work, Bornsick was co-commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery and travels to the Edinburgh Art Festival this summer.

Lewis Walker is a London-born queer, non-binary movement artist. A former Great Britain gymnast and Acrobatic Gymnastics World Champion, they trained from age 6 to 21 before earning a degree in Contemporary Dance. Their work spans theatre, film, fashion, music, and the commercial sector. Walker continues to choreograph gymnastics competition routines for the Great Britain, Italian and French national teams. Their creative vision and dynamic movement style have led to collaborations with Tim Walker, Yorgos Lanthimos, ANOHNI, Tirzah, BULLYACHE, Burberry, UNTITLAB, and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).

Beyond performance, Walker is dedicated to teaching movement as a tool for accessing deeper states of consciousness and developing a deeper understanding of consensual touch. Their Connecting to Improv workshop explores dance improvisation as a ritual of shared energy and expression, while MOVE HYPNO, a collaboration with hypnotherapist Michele Occelli, blends movement and hypnotherapy for personal transformation.

Walker is currently a Studio Wayne McGregor RESIDENT 6 artist-in-residence.

Lewis Walker’s website https://www.lewiswalker.uk/

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Kim Brandstrup: breaking boundaries

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Kim Brandstrup is a Danish born choreographer whose latest project, Breaking Bach, unites him with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Kim often works with leading classical companies, but in Breaking Bach he directs street dancers, some with no previous stage experience. What will they all find in Bach’s exacting rhythms? Kim took an unusual route into choreography – he initially trained in film, before finding that dance was the perfect medium for his narrative impulse. His recent rich, elegant ballets draw on Hans Christian Andersen and timeless Greek myths.

Kim Brandstrup studied film at the University of Copenhagen and choreography at London School of Contemporary Dance. He founded his dance company Arc in 1985, forging a narrative style that owes more to his early cinematic training than to classical story ballet or contemporary dance. His has been commissioned by international companies including the Royal Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and the Royal Danish Ballet. Throughout his career he has sought a theatre of movement that is both powerful and subtle, creating poignant and suggestive narratives that are intensely human and emotionally revealing.

Kim Brandstrup’s website https://kimbrandstrup.org/

Breaking Bach at the Edinburgh Festival https://www.eif.co.uk/events/breaking-bach

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Shelley Yacopetti: celebrating 90 years of RAD Australia

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 23:01:00 GMT

It’s the 90th anniversary of the RAD in Australia, so we are speaking to Shelley Yacopetti, the RAD’s National Director in Australia. Not all the national directors come from a dance background – but Shelley emphatically does: as a performer, teacher, leader. She has been involved with the RAD in Australia for over a decade, taking several roles before becoming National Director. Shelley is also helping shape the conversation around the direction of travel in dance teaching – thinking hard about safeguarding, and how dance can be more accessible and reflect the wider world.

Shelley Yacopetti has over 30 years’ experience in the dance industry in multiple roles, including performing artist, academic lecturer, dance educator, arts manager and executive. She trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), completing a Diploma of Performing Arts and later a Bachelor of Arts. Shelley performed with Tasdance, Fieldworks Performance Group and ID339, and taught at WAAPA and on RAD Faculty of Education Postgraduate teacher training programmes. Shelley joined the RAD in 2013, and is currently the National Director, Australia.

90 Stories Across 90 Years https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/en-au/news-and-facts/celebrating-90-years-of-the-rad-in-australia-2/

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Fabian Aloise: choreographing a London moment!

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 23:01:00 GMT

We go inside a London theatre phenomenon with Fabian Aloise, the choreographer whose latest show has made headlines around the world. Every night, Rachel Zegler, playing Evita in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, comes out onto the balcony at the London Palladium and sings Don’t Cry for Me Argentina to an excited crowd: a unique moment of London magic. Fabian works with director Jamie Lloyd on starry, groundbreaking productions: before Evita, they worked with Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston on Much Ado About Nothing and Nicole Scherzinger on the award-winning Sunset Blvd. Fabian’s work is muscly, characterful, properly theatrical. How does he do it?

Fabian Aloise's choreography has been critically acclaimed and garnered, among others, two Olivier Award nominations for best theatre choreographer, WhatsOnStage Award for best choreography, Stage Debut Award for best creative West End debut and the Off West End “OFFIE” award. Born in Canada to proud immigrant parents, Fabian trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia. His career spans Australia, Europe, the United States, Asia and London's West End. His choreography can currently be seen in Evita (London Palladium) for the Jamie Lloyd Company.

Fabian’s website https://www.fabianaloise.com/

Evita https://evitathemusical.com/

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Alina Cojocaru: the art that moves us

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Alina Cojocaru is one of the great ballerinas of her generation – her Giselle, Odette-Odile and Manon bring those complex, anguished characters to life. This deep dive of a conversation offers a rare chance to hear a dancer at the peak of their profession discuss the ways in which art works on both artist and audience. Now a freelance dancer, Alina can shape her own artistic path. She founded her own production company, ACWorkroom, and is currently guesting with London City Ballet – and tells us about creating character, mining emotion and sharing it with an audience.

Alina Cojocaru CBE is a former Principal of the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. After studying at the Royal Ballet School she joined the Kiev Ballet in Ukraine as a principal dancer and then the Royal Ballet, being promoted to Principal aged 19, in 2001. In 2013 she joined English National Ballet, where lead roles included Akram Khan’s acclaimed reimagining of Giselle. Her numerous awards include Best Female Dancer at the 2002 Critic’s Circle Awards and the 2004 and 2012 Benois de la Danse awards. A permanent Guest Artist with John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet, Alina dances as a guest artist with the world’s foremost ballet companies.

Alina’s company ACWorkroom https://www.alinacojocaru.com/

London City Ballet (Alina performs in Oxford, Bath, Birmingham and at Sadler's Wells in London) https://londoncityballet.com/production/momentum/#tour-dates

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Robert Pranzatelli on Pilobolus: twists, tumbling, and transformative dance

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 10:40:08 GMT

We take a deep dive into a single dance company – the tumbling, twisty, transporting Pilobolus – through the eyes of Robert Pranzatelli, who has written a wonderfully involving book about the company and its work. Pilobolus began in 1971, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. It grew out of dance classes held at the then all-male university, and soon found a following in the US and beyond – one early description of their work was Dr Seuss meets Monty Python. Seeing them perform also changed Robert Pranzatelli’s life, as he tells us.

Robert Pranzatelli is the author of a number of essays published by the Paris Review and other literary journals, and a longtime staff member of Yale University Press. His book Pilobolus: A Story of Dance and Life is published by the University Press of Florida.

Robert’s book: https://www.ubcpress.ca/pilobolus

Pilobolus in New York: https://pilobolus.org/tour-dates/2025/the-joyce

"Why Dance Matters" is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website.

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Amir Nizar Zuabi: The Herds, empathy and changing the world

Wed, 28 May 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Amir Nizar Zuabi is artistic director of The Herds – an astonishing work of cardboard and imagination, which is sweeping northwards from Africa. The lifesize puppets of The Herds are given dazzling life by teams of puppeteers, drawing attention to climate emergency as the animals look for home in a changing world. Amir previously directed The Walk, where a 12-foot puppet girl sought refuge, greeted by dance and music wherever she went – these projects inspire art as well as empathy. Amir’s own journey is also remarkable – a Palestinian-Israeli director now working on an almost unimaginable scale.

Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning playwright and director. He was the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company, an Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement, and an alumni of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Following his work on The Walk, in 2022 he took up the role of Artistic Director of The Walk Productions Limited. Alongside many writing credits, he has directed productions at Flanders Opera, Edinburgh International Festival, Bouffes du Nord and Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Herds https://www.theherds.org/

The Herds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the__herds/

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Angela Rippon: dancing through decades

Wed, 14 May 2025 23:01:00 GMT

When it comes to youthful spirit, Angela Rippon is unmatchable. Angela is a journalist and broadcaster, who 50 years ago this year became the BBC’s first regular female newsreader. But dance has also defined her career. She caused a sensation in 1976 as a high-kicking guest on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas show, and in 2023, at 79, she took part in tv’s Strictly Come Dancing, almost reaching the final. Still an enthusiastic dancer, she’s an ambassador for the RAD’s Silver Swans programme and founder of Let’s Dance – an untiring advocate for the benefits of ballet in wellbeing.

Angela Rippon is an award-winning journalist, TV presenter, newsreader and author, whose career spans over 50 years. She’s had a groundbreaking career, hitting many milestones, and has presented a diverse array of television programmes. After becoming a reporter at the BBC, she transitioned to the role of newsreader in 1975. She has since presented numerous notable shows, and in 1988 became the host of the predecessor to Strictly Come Dancing –taking part in the competition herself in 2023. She is Ambassador for the RAD’s Silver Swans programme and founder of Let’s Dance.

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Christina Ho: finding grace in governance

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 23:01:00 GMT

Christina S Ho, Professor of Law at Rutgers University, is deeply engaged in questions around access to healthcare, law and governance – but is also a lover of ballet. We relish enriching conversations with non-dancers on Why Dance Matters, and Christina who not only cherishes her time in ballet class, but also sees ballet as a model for civil society. Issues around the right to health or the rule of law aren’t quiet questions in today’s United States – are Christina’s ballet classes a sanctuary from the onrush of turbulent headlines?

Christina S Ho is Professor of Law at Rutgers University. She previously held senior roles at the China Health Law Initiative at Georgetown University Law Center, and on the Clinton Foundation’s China program. During the Clinton Administration, she worked on the Domestic Policy Council at the White House and later led Senator Hillary Clinton’s health legislative staff. Her book, Normalizing an American Right to Health, was published last year by Oxford University Press.

Christina at Rutgers https://law.rutgers.edu/christina-s-ho

Christina’s book https://academic.oup.com/book/45833

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Dames Arlene Phillips, Darcey Bussell & Monica Mason: special episode

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 23:01:00 GMT

This special episode was recorded live to celebrate International Women’s Day. The RAD gathered three distinguished dancing dames in front of an invited audience to discuss their lives in dance. A ballerina, an artistic director and a choreographer: Dame Darcey Bussell, Dame Monica Mason and Dame Arlene Phillips. All three were previously guests on Why Dance Matters, and there are other points of connection: Darcey and Monica were both luminaries of the Royal Ballet and are now the RAD’s President and Vice-President respectively; Darcey and Arlene have both been judges of Strictly Come Dancing. This is a rare opportunity to hear them compare notes about their extraordinary careers and love of dance.

Why Dance Matters" is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website.

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Valentino Zucchetti: charisma and choreography

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

When Valentino Zucchetti won the gold medal at the Genée International Ballet Competition in 2006, Dance Gazette called him ‘dazzling’ and ‘above all, devastatingly charismatic.’ The Italian artist has brought those qualities as dancer with the Royal Ballet in London (especially in vivid roles like Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Lescaut in Manon and Lensky in Onegin), and an award-winning choreographer. Works like Scherzo, Anemoi and Jeunesse (created for the RAD’s Fonteyn competition in 2023) radiate a lyrical eye and a heartfelt response to music. As he prepares a premiere for the London Handel Festival, he discusses the rewards and challenges of his dual career.

Valentino Zucchetti trained at La Scala and the Royal Ballet School and won the RAD’s 2006 Genée International Ballet Competition (now The Fonteyn) and the 2007 Solo Seal award. He danced with Zürich Ballet and Norwegian National Ballet before joining the Royal Ballet in 2010, promoted to First Soloist in 2014. He won the RBS’s Ursula Moreton Choreographic Award in 2005, and has created ballets for New English Ballet Theatre (Orbital Motion, Enticement’s Lure, Firth of Fifth, Into the Light) and the Royal Ballet, including Scherzo (South Bank Sky Arts Award for Dance) and Anemoi (Critic’s Circle National Dance Award). He created Jeunesse for The Fonteyn 2023.

LINKS

https://www.london-handel-festival.com/show/2025-double-bill-tales-of-apollo-hercules/

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Takero Shimazaki: architecture meets dance

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:00:00 GMT

The architect Takero Shimazaki was born in Tokyo but is a longtime Londoner. He has designed many kinds of buildings – including the London home of the Royal Academy of Dance. It’s a warm, open, lovingly designed space and last year, the Royal Institute of British Architects gave it both an RIBA National Award and RIBA London Award, calling it “an uplifting, welcoming and inclusively safe place.” So how do you take a heritage organisation like the RAD and build it a 21st century home? An architect can shape the way bodies move through space, just like a choreographer – so we ask Takero why dance matters to him.

Takero Shimazaki is an architect and a director of Takero Shimazaki Architects, t-sa. He studied at University of Wales, Cardiff and The Bartlett, UCL. He has worked for Richard Rogers Partnership, Itsuko Hasegawa and Alison and Peter Smithson, and is a lecturer in Architecture at the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University.

LINKS

https://www.t-sa.co.uk/

https://www.ribaj.com/buildings/riba-awards-2024-london-south-west-royal-academy-of-dance-takero-shimazaki-architects-education-wandsworth

https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/

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Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu: dance, empowerment and Olympic magic

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu is an inventive choreographer, an Olympic movement director and a very positive lifecoach. Her dance company Uchenna promises to Empower, Entertain & Educate, while she wants everyone she engages with to Think Fierce, Be Fabulous & Live Free Spirited. Sadler’s Wells in London are channelling that positive spirit, asking her to create Our Mighty Groove, a show that will open their brand new theatre in London’s Olympic Park – just minutes from where Vicki helped create the legendary opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Vicki tells us about taking her own advice, and

how she first got her groove on.

Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu is the founder and joint CEO of Uchenna, an international touring dance company. Her work in theatre as a choreographer and movement director includes productions at Leeds Playhouse, Regents Park Open Air Theatre, Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, National Youth Theatre, Royal Court and more. She created Uchenna’s four touring shows: Our Mighty Groove, The Head Wrap Diaries, Hansel and Gretel and The Head Wrap Diaries – Fierce and Free. Internationally, she has worked as a mass movement choreographer for Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies, including London 2012. She is Director of Empowerment at People Make It Work and is the Self-First Instigator, empowering creative women to kickstart the habit of putting themselves first.

LINKS

https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/vicki-igbokwe-ozoagus-our-mighty-groove/

https://www.vickiigbokwe.co.uk/

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Pia Sutaria: on ballet, access and dancing against the odds

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 00:01:00 GMT

India is renowned for its rich dance traditions, but rarely for ballet. Pia Sutaria is changing that. Pia’s career has been immensely varied – from ballet to modern, from TedX talks to musical theatre. She’s also an RAD dance teacher, and in 2018 set up the Institute of Classical & Modern Dance in her home city of Mumbai. It aims to broaden access to dance, and particularly ballet, for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue it. Students from the ICMD are already training in some of the world’s best vocational schools. Pia tells us how Billy Elliott brought her to ballet, and why dance matters to her.

Pia Sutaria is a registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance. She also received the Disney Theatrical Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, London and performed in the UK tour of the musical Bombay Superstar, with Welsh National Opera and more. Her performances in India and beyond include touring internationally with Navdhara India Dance Theatre. She has represented global brands and gave a TEDx talk on dance and classical ballet in India. In 2018, Pia founded the Institute of Classical & Modern Dance (ICMD) to make vocational training in dance accessible to young artists in India. The school has successfully sent students on scholarships to top performing arts institutions in Europe, UK and USA.

Institute of Classical & Modern Dance https://icmdindia.com/faculty/

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Sir Matthew Bourne: transforming the dance world

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:01:05 GMT

To celebrate our tenth series, we are launching this season with a brilliant episode with Sir Matthew Bourne whose Swan Lake returns this year for its 30th anniversary.

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Aakash Odedra: stories in motion

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 08:51:13 GMT

Our guest today is the dancer and choreographer Aakash Odedra. Based in the UK, his work tours internationally, and he collaborates with artists from across countries and art forms. Each piece he makes seems more ambitious than the last – next is Songs of the Bulbul, which premieres at the Edinburgh International Festival. His manner is gentle, but under the bonnet of his works sit difficult subjects like dyslexia or ageing. We find out how he shapes these themes into mesmerising dance.

Aakash Odedra was born in Birmingham, and trained in kathak and Bharatanatyam, and incorporated that training in a unique synthesis with contemporary dance, both in his own choreography and his collaborations with other choreographers. He formed Aakash Odedra Company in 2011 as a vehicle for commissioning solos and to develop his own choreographic work. His work forms the heart of the company and as a soloist he has performed over 300 full length performances in 40 countries, receiving numerous awards and bursaries.

LINKS

Aakash Odedra Company https://aakashodedra.com/

Songs of the Bulbul https://www.eif.co.uk/events/songs-of-the-bulbul

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Eilis Small: Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:26:34 GMT

The Royal Academy of Dance will soon hold the annual Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, where promising dancers from across the world dance their hearts out in front of some of ballet’s big names. In 2014, the Australian ballerina Eilis Small took part in the predecessor to the Fonteyn, the Genée, held that year in Antwerp, but didn’t make the final. Yet she now has a fulfilling career with Birmingham Royal Ballet – she’s here to prove that what happens in a ballet competition shouldn’t stop you from living your best dancing life.

Eilis Small was born in Canberra, Australia. She trained at the Lisa Clark Academy and Australian Ballet School, and took part in the Genée International Ballet Competition. In 2018, she joined Birmingham Royal Ballet, where her roles include creating the lead role in Daniela Cardim’s Imminent, alongside prominent roles in Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote,

David Bintley’s Cinderella, The Nutcracker Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.

LINKS

Eilis Small at Birmingham Royal Ballet https://www.brb.org.uk/profile/eilis-small

The Fonteyn https://www.thefonteyn.org/

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Mike Wamaya: changing lives through dance in Kenya

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:25:24 GMT

We often talk about how dance changes lives on Why Dance Matters. No one exemplifies that more than the remarkable RAD dance teacher Michael Wamaya. He works with Project Elimu in Kibera, Kenya. Kibera faces many challenges – extreme poverty, intense lack of resources. But Mike offers children and young people the chance to engage in artistic activity and dance, and to think too about sexual and reproductive health. It’s an immensely ambitious programme, which attracts great acclaim. But why is RAD ballet part of the mix? And why does dance matter to him?

Michael Wamaya is a dance teacher and community activist in Kenya. He teaches ballet in Kenya’s Kibera and Mathare slums for Project Elimu, combining the teaching of dance skills with social skills. The programme explores individual human potential and creativity, and works to develop confidence and self-esteem. Many children within the programme have gained scholarships, enabling them to finish their studies, and the programme has created a platform where children can engage in creative activities while developing their careers.

LINK

https://www.projectelimu.org/

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Britt Tajet-Foxell: pioneering performance psychology

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:06:30 GMT

Did you know the Royal Ballet had a performance psychologist? Britt Tajet-Foxell was a pioneer in the discipline, which is more familiar in the sports world. As well as dancers and musicians, Britt also works with elite athletes: at the Olympics in Paris, she’s working with teams from both the UK and her native Norway. There may be less stigma around discussing mental and emotional health than when Britt began her career – but she still addresses sensitive subjects like anxiety, returning from injury or taking on an exposing leading role.

Britt Tajet Foxell was a chartered physiotherapist with the Royal Ballet for 20 years before retraining to become a chartered psychologist. She is an accredited European psychologist and cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, and an Honorary Fellow at Goldsmith College, University of London. She has been the psychologist to the Royal Ballet for over 20 years, and also works with the British and Norwegian Olympic Associations.

LINKS

Britt in conversation with Darcey Bussell https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/mind-games/

How Britt worked with ballerina Yasmine Naghdi https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jun/18/royal-ballet-yasmine-haghdi-britt-tajet-foxell-psychologist

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Crazy Smooth: street dance, identity and breaking's Olympic moment

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 23:01:42 GMT

Our guest today is the Canadian hip hop dancer and choreographer professionally known as Crazy Smooth. We ask how Crazy Smooth came by his dance name? What makes Canadian street dance distinctive? In this Olympic year, where breaking makes its debut in the Paris games, should we really think of dance as a sport? And if breaking is a young man’s game, how does a b-boy feel when he becomes a b-man?

Crazy Smooth is one of Canada’s top street dance ambassadors, a choreographer, dancer, teacher and community leader. He is the founder and artistic director of Bboyizm, an award-winning dance company that has been instrumental in the preservation and proliferation of street dance in Canada and beyond. Smooth founded Bboyizm in 2004 and the company has successfully brought authentic street dance choreography onto the professional stage. His most recent show, In My Body, won four 2022 Dora Awards including Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Original Choreography, and Crazy Smooth was named Dancer of the Year at the 2023 Dynastie award.

LINKS

Bboyizm website https://bboyizm.ca/

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Misty Copeland: an extraordinary journey in ballet

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 23:15:41 GMT

Nine years ago this month, Misty Copeland became the first ever Black American woman to be promoted to principal at American Ballet Theatre. One of ballet’s most inspirational figures, she opens this new season of Why Dance Matters. Was she prepared for the attention around her promotion? What can ballet give young people? How does George Michael’s I Want Your Sex figure in her dance career, and will she return to the stage after ‘one of the longest maternity leaves in ballet history’? Misty reflects on her extraordinary journey – and why dance matters to her.

Misty Copeland is acclaimed as a champion of change. Born in Kansas City and raised in California, she began her ballet studies at the late age of 13. A member of American Ballet Theatre since 2001, in 2015 she was the first African American woman in the company’s history to be promoted to principal dancer, having made history as the first Black woman to perform the lead role in its Swan Lake. In 2022, Misty launched The Misty Copeland Foundation, with its signature program BEBOLD, which aims to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to dance, especially ballet.

Misty Copeland Foundation https://www.mistycopelandfoundation.org/

Misty's website

Misty on Instagram @mistyonpointe

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A special 50th episode!

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:18 GMT

Life changing moments with Why Dance Matters!

We’ve made over 50 episodes of Why Dance Matters, and the conversations often hinge on life-changing moments. This special episode gathers some compelling chats about change. Some are personal choices which prove momentous: the unlikely decision to pursue ballet, or to host a ballet class in your front room. Others include being part of a major cultural event, like a movie the whole world is watching, or a period of historic change, happening before your eyes.

From Carlos Acosta to Barbie, here are moments that changed our guests’ lives: past, present, even future. And don’t forget to explore our previous episodes, for more life-changing conversation with the people for whom dance matters.

Carlos Acosta is artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet. Dame Monica Mason is a Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dance and former director of the Royal Ballet. Victoria Treviño is an RAD dance teacher based in Mexico. Jennifer White is a stage and film choreographer. Wayne McGregor is a choreographer and director of Company Wayne McGregor.

Find out more about the work of the RAD

Read a transcript of this episode

Follow the RAD on social media and join the conversation with host David Jays:

Why Dance Matters

Sir Peter Wright: a century of dance

Pawlet Brookes: the art of serendipity

Jordan James Bridge: defying the gatekeepers

Sonia Sabri: the power of dance

Dr. Mark Broomfield: changing the world, one dance at a time

Elizabeth Honer: what does leadership look like?

Christopher Scott: making Wicked dance

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence: ballet entrepreneur

Evie Templeton: Wednesday, ballet and Lady Gaga

Anthony Roth Costanzo: high notes and bold choices

Tamara Rojo: the buck stops here

Karen Hauer: my life in Strictly

Maddie Jamieson: but I’m a cheerleader!

Alexander Campbell: becoming RAD's Artistic Director

Lewis Walker: movement beyond the medals

Kim Brandstrup: breaking boundaries

Shelley Yacopetti: celebrating 90 years of RAD Australia

Fabian Aloise: choreographing a London moment!

Alina Cojocaru: the art that moves us

Robert Pranzatelli on Pilobolus: twists, tumbling, and transformative dance

Amir Nizar Zuabi: The Herds, empathy and changing the world

Angela Rippon: dancing through decades

Christina Ho: finding grace in governance

Dames Arlene Phillips, Darcey Bussell & Monica Mason: special episode

Valentino Zucchetti: charisma and choreography

Takero Shimazaki: architecture meets dance

Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu: dance, empowerment and Olympic magic

Pia Sutaria: on ballet, access and dancing against the odds

Sir Matthew Bourne: transforming the dance world

Aakash Odedra: stories in motion

Eilis Small: Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer

Mike Wamaya: changing lives through dance in Kenya

Britt Tajet-Foxell: pioneering performance psychology

Crazy Smooth: street dance, identity and breaking's Olympic moment

Misty Copeland: an extraordinary journey in ballet

A special 50th episode!

Olivia Lume: National Director of RAD Africa

Rebecca Yates: on Silver Swans & dancing for mind, body and joy!

Patrick Makuakāne: hula, heritage and cultural survival

Naomi Smart: her experience as a deaf dance teacher

Wesley Ruzibiza: the role of dance in challenging times

Olga Smirnova: on courage, stage fright and why dance matters

Nina Wadia: oh yes she did!

Benjamin Zephaniah: a special tribute

Aaron S. Watkin: English National Ballet's new Artistic Director

Pam Tanowitz: on choreography, Martha Graham and hope

Jakob Wheway Hughes: Fonteyn 2023 gold medallist

Drew McOnie: running the show

Jennifer White: choreographer of the Barbie movie!

Endalyn T. Outlaw: dance, identity and excellence

Mitchell Rayner: living in the moment

Alice Oseman: on becoming who you want to be

Sir Wayne McGregor: on radically redefining dance

Merritt Moore: dance and robots!

David Hallberg: Artistic Director of Australian Ballet

Dame Arlene Phillips: Olivier Award winner!

Giles Terera: Hamilton, Othello and The Meaning of Zong

Francesca Harper: from William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt to Ailey II

Ana Maria Campos: on all things RAD Brazil and exams

Raphael Ng: dance training meets finance!

Tim Arthur: RAD, Time Out and Virgin Money

Tiler Peck: reigning star at New York City Ballet

Benjamin Zephaniah: inspiring generations

Dr Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel: passionate about dance education!

Jay Jay Revlon: father of the House of Revlon

Charlotte Edmonds: on choreography, freelancing and making her own creative opportunities

Zack Frongillo: dance in unexpected places

Dame Monica Mason: a dance career for the history books!

Akram Khan: on shaping the international landscape of dance

Dame Darcey Bussell: the most famous British ballerina of her generation

Harper Watters: breaking the ballet mould

Jordan Thomas: how dance changed his life

Hofesh Shechter: bringing the energy to contemporary dance

Kathryn Morgan: body image and ballet

Barbara Peters: on taking RAD exams in her 80's!

Joyce DiDonato: why art matters

Carlos Acosta: on sharing the love of ballet

Ralph Heimans: painting the portrait of Dame Adeline Genée

Hannah Martin: from rhythmic gymnastics to ballet