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
123 episodes
Ep. 123 - Creating a Pointe Plan You LOVE as an Adult Dancer, with Julie of Broche Ballet (pt 3)
You've conquered the basics en pointe.... So now what? This is the final episode in my three-part series on the adult pointe journey with Julie of Broche Ballet, who has coached hundreds of adult dancers (myself included) through their p...
Ep 122 - The Adult Pointe Plateau: Why You Feel Stuck (And How to Get Unstuck) with Julie of Broche Ballet (pt 2)
You've got your pointe shoes and you've survived the first few months, but now you're in that weird in-between phase: still clutching the barre but dreaming of center, wondering if what you're feeling is normal or if you should be further along...
Ep. 121 - Starting Pointe as an Adult? Here's What You Actually Need to Know, with Julie of Broche Ballet (pt 1)
For so many adult dancers, pointe is the dream, whether you're returning to it after years away or dreaming about it for the very first time. But how do you actually know if you're ready? And if your teacher says not yet, what does that actuall...
Ep 120 - Ballet on a Budget: Practical Ways to Save Money as an Adult Dancer
Saving money on ballet doesn't have to mean cutting corners on your training, and that's exactly what this episode is about. Where I live, the cost of everything has gone up, and ballet is no exception. Classes are more expensive, dancewear is ...
Ep. 119 - Acting in Ballet: How to Overcome Self-Consciousness & Embody a Character, with Chelsea Weidmann
You can have clean technique, beautiful lines, and perfect musicality and still leave an audience completely cold. The missing ingredient? Acting. And for most of us, it's the element of artistry we've spent the least amount of time deve...
Ep. 118 - Making Time for Ballet When Your Life Is Already Full, with Rebecca Holden
If you've ever felt like ballet is the first thing to get dropped when life gets busy, this episode is for you.I'm joined by Rebecca Holden, a fellow adult dancer who is also a wife, a mom to a son with autism, and a full-time ma...
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...