Interview with Michael Sean Breeden from Conversations on Dance

It seems like podcasts are all the rage these days in the ballet world. I think dancers tend to prefer that medium for expression instead of blogging, because it involves more of a performance than a blog. And, you know we love a good performance. Another reason is that podcasts involve a little less editing, which is helpful, especially after a long day in the studio. Whatever a dancer's reason may be, many have been starting their own podcasts and some of them are actually informative and fun to listen to. 

Following yesterday's post about my favorite blog, today I would like to tell you all about my favorite podcast, Conversations on Dance. This podcast was started by Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden, both ex-dancers from Miami City Ballet. They use their platform to give a little insight into this crazy and beautiful world of ballet. They have interviewed everybody from principal dancers to choreographers on the rise. 

I emailed them a few days ago because I thought it would be fun to interview one of them for Bullet Pointes. Since they interview others all the time, I thought we could turn the tables and interview them for a change. To my surprise, Michael Sean Breeden responded right away and graciously took time out of his day to answer a few of my questions. Here is the full interview below. 

Bullet Pointes: First of all, whose idea was it to start Conversations on Dance? What prompted you to take on such an endeavor?

Michael: My co-host, Rebecca Ferraro, came up with the idea. She was cruising through iTunes one day, looking for a dance related podcast to listen to and realized that options were very thin. Rebecca and I had been hosting some of Miami City Ballet's pre-performance talks with the audience, discussing the ballets on the program and our role as performers in them. Rebecca realized that we could take that format to the podcasting world and hopefully bring some insight to our experience as dancers to those who might be interested. 

Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden from Conversations on Dance 

Bullet Pointes: How did you build this podcast into what it is today? What did it look like at the start compared to what it is now? 

Michael: It mostly built pretty organically. For our early episodes, we asked friends of ours with prominence in the dance world to come talk about their experiences, like James Whiteside and Justin Peck. I think the interest surrounding these figures helped build some buzz about the podcast itself, and eventually we built a small but loyal following. 

I think what propelled us into what we are today is the generosity of one of our guests, Heather Watts. She had a positive experience on the podcast, and thought that we would be an asset for the Vail Dance Festival, in which she plays a major role curating and coaching. This laid the groundwork for future engagements with the Kennedy Center and San Francisco Ballet that have continued to bring exciting content to our listeners. We are extremely grateful to Heather for believing in us. 

Heather Watts in the Winter Section of Jerome Robbins' The Four Seasons

Bullet Pointes: What would you like to achieve with this platform?

Michael: One major hope Rebecca and I have is that through our podcast we are able to help aspiring dancers, and their parents, navigate through some of the more difficult or upsetting moments that a career in dance can present. If, through relaying my personal experiences as a corps member who was not handed an easy or simple path, I can help even one young dancer understand themselves a little better, or give them hope that persevering through their trials will be worth it in the end, then I'll consider the podcast a success.

Bullet Pointes: What is the process behind preparing for these interviews? 

Michael: Rebecca and I generally do research before, skimming through old articles or books that have been published about our subjects. Then, we will brainstorm together about questions that we personally might want answered. One thing that is unique about our podcast is that we are dancers ourselves, so we really lean into questions that make us tick, but ones that a typical writer might ignore.

Bullet Pointes: Who was the first person you interviewed? 

Michael: Leigh Witchel. He is a wonderful writer, with a great mind, and a long time friend of mine. I'm so glad he was our first guest. 

Leigh Witchel

Bullet Pointes: Which episode is your favorite and why? (You can list multiple episodes if you want.) 

Michael: Heather Watts, and not just because she has been so generous to us. She opened in a way that was brutally honest, almost shocking, and completely disarming. Rebecca and I were in tears. If someone who has never heard the podcast asks us for an episode to start with, we always say Heather.

Click this link for Heather Watts' episode from Conversations on Dance (Her episode made me cry too!)

Bullet Pointes: I might know the answer to this question, but who is your dream interviewee, dead or alive? 

Michael: George Balanchine. I think he's the greatest choreographer of all time, and dancing his ballets has given me the greatest joy of my life. I don't even know where I would begin. 

George Balanchine (By the way, I knew Michael would say him!)

Bullet Pointes: Can you tell us something you learned about the world of professional ballet that you didn’t already know? 

Michael: Maybe just that no one has an easy path? It's very easy to imagine that those at the top have never dealt with any of the same issues that corps de ballet members confront. So many major principals have told us of early rejections, major setbacks they had to push through in order to become who they are. 

Bullet Pointes: How did you spread the word about your podcast?

Michael: We knew that with zero budget our best chance to spread the word was to drum up positive word of mouth, so we simply focused on putting out the best product possible. We've been very lucky that the fans of the podcast have been vocally supportive of our show to others that would be interested as well. 

Bullet Pointes: Is there any advice you can give others trying to start a blog or podcast? 

Michael: I would say to focus on delivering the best content you can and be true to yourself. If you are trying to achieve a level of success, you'll only be distracted. People will respond to your genuine passion about the subject you are covering.

Michael and Rebecca definitely deliver fantastic content that speaks to dancers everywhere, from professionals to those just starting out in ballet. Seriously, head over to their website and listen to their podcast. This is not an ad! I just genuinely believe every dancer should be tuning in to hear this magic.