After Class: The Adult Ballet Podcast
Welcome to After Class, a podcast about all things adult ballet. I’m Hannah — your host and fellow dancer — and I'm so glad you're here! Each week I share stories, strategies, and encouragement to help you stay inspired on your ballet journey, because I understand what it’s like to balance real life and ballet dreams. So grab your water bottle (or cup of coffee) and join me for a chat after class...
Episodes
111 episodes
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...
Ep. 92 - Ballet Books Every Dancer Should Read: 2025 Favorites from the Bunhead Book Club 📚
In today’s episode of After Class, I’m sharing my favorite ballet books I read in 2025 — a mix of ballet fiction, biographies, memoirs, and educational reads, many of which we read together in The Bunhead Book Club (my In...
Ep. 91 - Reset Your Ballet Life: How to Declutter, Organize & Step Into 2026 Refreshed ✨
If you love feeling organized, refreshed, and clear-headed heading into a new year, this episode is for you. We're decluttering your dance bag, cleaning out your dancewear drawer, reviewing your subscriptions, organizing your journal, locking i...
Ep. 90 - “If Only I’d Started Sooner..." Reframing Regret as an Adult Ballet Dancer, with Merry King
Ever wish you’d started ballet sooner? You’re not alone. But today's guest is living proof that "late" might actually be right on time...In this episode of After Class, Hannah sits down with Merry King, a university profess...
Ep. 89 - The Adult Ballet Dancer's Holiday Gift Guide! 🎁
Whether you're shopping for a fellow adult ballet dancer or treating yourself (you go, girl 😌) these gift ideas are a mix of functional, stylish, and self-care items that make dance life better. Each of these products I LOVE and stand behind in...
Ep. 88 - Designing a Ballet Training Plan That Fits Your Life, with Katy Barton
Today, I sit down with fellow adult dancer, Katy, to talk about her ingenious method for designing and maintaining a ballet training schedule. But first, thank you Jule Dancewear for sponsoring this episode! If you're looking...
Ep. 87 - Finding Creative Joy in Ballet, Business & Beyond, with Kelsey of Rose & Clay Jewelry
What happens when ballet stops being your whole identity, and starts becoming your joy again?In this heartfelt conversation, Hannah talks with Kelsey, adult ballet dancer and founder of Rose & Clay Jewelry, about redisc...