After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast
If you've ever cried in the car after ballet class, questioned whether you started too late, or wondered why your pirouettes still aren't cooperating, this is your podcast. After Class is for adult ballet dancers — the ones balancing real life, careers, and ballet dreams. Each week, host and fellow dancer Hannah covers technique, artistry, mindset, and the honest conversations that don't always happen in the studio. Whether you're brand new to the barre or a seasoned bunhead, you belong here.
Episodes
117 episodes
Ep. 117 - How to Prepare for an Adult Ballet Intensive: Everything You Need to Know
If you have a ballet intensive coming up (or you're thinking about doing one) this episode is your complete guide to showing up prepared, taking care of your body, and getting the absolute most out of the experience.I'm walking you thro...
Ep. 116 - Life-Changing Facts About YOUR Anatomy as an Adult Dancer, with Erica Centola
If you've ever received a correction in class and thought, "Why won't my body won't just do that.." this episode is for you.I'm back with Erica Centola, founder of Tournesol Dance and creator of The Ballet Body Blueprint, f...
Ep. 115 - Understanding Musicality in Ballet and How to Develop it, with Chelsea Weidmann
Musicality is one of those qualities teachers ask for constantly, and yet almost never explain. "Be more musical. Feel the music. Let it move through you..." But what does that actually mean?In this episode, I'm back with Chelsea Weid...
Ep. 114 - Ballet Hacks Every Adult Dancer Should Know
In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite ballet hacks — the tips, tricks, and discoveries that have made my life as an adult dancer easier and more comfortable.Some I figured out on my own, some were passed along by teachers or f...
Ep. 113 - Hyperextended Legs in Ballet: What's Not Explained in Class... with Shane Wuerthner
If you have hyperextended knees, you've probably spent a lot of time in class feeling like your body is working against you. You get corrections like "straighten your legs" and no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to change. Closing in fif...
Ep. 112 - Your Adult Ballet Photoshoot Guide with Professional Photographer Katie Ging 📷
For a lot of adult dancers, a professional photoshoot feels exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. You want beautiful images that capture how far you've come. But knowing how to actually prepare and show up confidently in front of the came...
Ep. 111 - Unlock Your Best Ballet LINES (At Any Level!) with Chelsea Weidmann
You know it when you see it. That effortless, magnetic quality professional dancers have, the way their bodies seem to cut through space with clarity and length. But do you know what you're actually looking at?In this episode, we're bac...
Ep. 110 - Find the Best Ballet Slippers for YOUR Feet: What to Know & How to Choose
If you've ever walked into a dance store and been completely overwhelmed (Canvas or leather? Split sole or full sole? What size? What width? Ahhhh!!) fret no more! This episode is for you.☺️In this episode, I'm diving deep into...
Ep. 109 - No Studio, No Blueprint, No Problem: Bringing Ballet to Pakistan with Lauren Woodbury
What does it take to bring ballet to a place where it doesn't exist yet? Today's guest, Lauren, found herself living in Islamabad, Pakistan — a city of over a million people with no ballet studio — and decided to build one herself.In thi...
Ep. 108 - Ballet Makeup for Class AND Stage: Everything Adult Dancers Need to Know, with Suzanne Jolie
Makeup in ballet can feel a bit complicated as an adult dancer. Should you wear makeup to class at all? If you do, what actually works when you're sweating through a full barre? And when it comes to performing, what does it actually take to mak...
Ep. 107 - Somatic Awareness: How to Connect with Your Body and Dance with More Artistry, with Chelsea Weidmann
In ballet, we spend a lot of time thinking about what our dancing looks like, our lines, our placement, what we see in the mirror. But artistry isn't just visual. It's also deeply connected to what we're actually feeling and sensing in...
Ep. 106 - Perfectionism Is Sabotaging Your Ballet Training — Here’s What to Do About It, with Kirsten Kemp
If you’ve ever walked out of ballet class replaying every mistake in your head — the turn you fell out of, the combination you messed up, the step that just won’t click — you’re not alone...As adult dancers, we often hold ourselves to in...
Ep. 105 - Why Does Ballet Feel Harder Some Weeks? Supporting Your Cycle as a Female Dancer with Jess Spinner
Many adult dancers have experienced walking into class one day feeling strong and energized, and another day feeling completely depleted... even though NOTHING about their training has changed!For female dancers, those fluctuations can o...
Ep. 104 - Why Are My Pirouettes STILL So Unstable? How to Get Strong & Stable Pirouettes with Allie Christensen
After months (or maybe even years) of practice, do your pirouettes still feel inconsistent, shaky, or unstable?In this episode, I’m joined by Allie Christensen, founder of Dancer Strong, to break down what actually makes a pirouet...
Ep. 103 - Adult Ballet Training That’s Serious and Supportive: The Ballet Project with Lisa Garvey
Have you ever wished there was an adult ballet program that felt both serious and supportive, where you could train with intention, but without sacrificing your health, confidence, or sense of belonging?In this episode, I’m joined by Lis...
Ep. 102 - Hip Pain in Ballet: Why It Happens and What It Means, with Dr. Sebastian Gonzales, D.C.
Have you ever left ballet class with hip or low back pain and wondered… Is this normal?In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Sebastian Gonzales, D.C., a licensed chiropractor specializing in sports injuries and rehabilitation, to tal...
Ep. 101 - Jealousy in Adult Ballet: Why It Happens (and How to Handle It)
Jealousy isn’t something most of us want to admit, especially as adults.But if you’ve ever found yourself genuinely happy for another dancer while quietly feeling that ache of comparison… you’re not alone.In this solo episode,&nbs...
Ep. 100 - Turning Used Pointe Shoes into Works of Art with Emily Thorpe of PointeReve
There’s something about pointe shoes that makes them almost impossible to throw away once we’re finished dancing in them. Which is why I LOVE what my guest in this episode is doing...Meet Emily Thorpe, a fellow adult dancer and the found...
Ep. 99 - Breath as an Essential Element of Artistry in Ballet with Chelsea Weidmann
Breathing is something we all do, but most of us were never really taught how to use it as an intentional part of our ballet technique and artistry.In this episode, I’m joined by recurring guest Chelsea Weidmann (The Geeky Balleri...
Ep. 98 - If January Didn’t Go as Planned: A Gentle Reset for Adult Ballet Dancers 🗓️
If January didn’t go as planned, this episode is for you.Maybe you started the year motivated and consistent… and then got sick, missed class, or lost momentum. Maybe your ballet routine didn’t restart the way you hoped it would.I...
Ep. 97 - Pas de Deux for Adult Dancers: What to Know Before You Try It with Lester & Laurence Gonzalez
Adult dancer, does pas de deux feel out of reach or like a long-lost dream? Many of us have been telling ourselves that partnering is only for pre-professionals or company dancers, and that if we didn’t start early, we somehow “missed our chanc...
Ep. 96 - Jumping with Confidence & Stability in the Center as an Adult Dancer with Christina Krigolson (Part 2)
This episode builds on last week's episode about building strong, stable jumps at the barre, so if you haven’t listened yet, start there for the full benefit of the conversation.✨ But first, thank you Frenchies Hairpins for sponsoring th...
Ep. 95 - Building Jumps That Feel Strong, Stable & Light as an Adult Dancer with Christina Krigolson (Part 1)
Great jumps don’t start in the air, they start at the barre!In part one of this two-part conversation, I’m joined by Christina Krigolson, founder of Face the Barre, to address some of the most common challenges adult dancer...
Ep. 94 - 3 Ways to Instantly Transform Your Dancing, For Adult Ballet Dancers of Any Level! (Archive Favorite)
Looking polished and confident in your dancing isn’t always about doing more — often, it’s about small the details. In this fan-favorite episode from the After Class archives, we’re revisiting three small but powerful elements that can i...
Ep. 93 - Ballet Studio Closed? 4 Ways to Maintain Momentum When Classes are Cancelled (Archive Favorite)
With many studios closing or shifting schedules during the holidays, staying consistent with ballet can feel especially challenging. In this fan-favorite episode from the After Class archives, we’re revisiting 4 simple, realistic ways to...