Bianca and Andrés discuss the Nutcracker Ballet by Tchaikovsky, the annual tradition that you either love or hate.

It get's "butts in seats," and it features surprise butts for people who have never seen ballet before.

For some ballet dancers, it's something they never want to hear again, for others, they enjoy taking part in the annual tradition.

We share the history, our own favorite moments and experiences, and break down the ballet scene by scene.

We discuss the best and worst moments in one of the most popular ballets.

Bianca and Andrés get into how it plays a role in the holiday season and shapes our view of dance in America.

Get to know Alex Ossadnik even more in this episode with new suspenseful stories about his time in the politically charged German Cold War ballet system.

In this episode, the sequence of events Alex talks about:

-Berlin wall comes down

-Alex goes to Germany to rehab his ankle, he's dealing with a major injury

-He talks us through the riveting audition he experienced in Bordeaux

-"1 Bagette a day"! in Bordeaux, a "Ritzy city."

You are a down-and-out kid in Cold War East Germany. How do you survive? Perfect feet get you into a government boarding school to train as a dancer under government sponsorship, and the adventure begins....

A fascinating and true story of how Bianca Lily Ballet's instructor Alex Ossadnik started his life and career in East Germany.

Auditions, performances, dance competitions, and political intrigue await!

Listen to the stories of misfortune and woe as well as providence and talent as Ossadnik prevailed as a young dancer.

Struggling with ongoing or recent injuries? Here is some great insight for you. In this episode we cover:

-how you can reframe your injury and still take class

-how injuries, while they can be awful, can also bring us body awareness and proprioceptive wisdom

-examples of people who have come back from injury

-how to take class with an injury and what to do in that scenario

Photo by Iryna Muller

Bianca and Andrés discuss the Nutcracker Ballet by Tchaikovsky, the annual tradition that you either love or hate.

It get's "butts in seats," and it features surprise butts for people who have never seen ballet before.

For some ballet dancers, it's something they never want to hear again, for others, they enjoy taking part in the annual tradition.

We share the history, our own favorite moments and experiences, and break down the ballet scene by scene.

We discuss the best and worst moments in one of the most popular ballets.

Bianca and Andrés get into how it plays a role in the holiday season and shapes our view of dance in America.

This is the audio only version of the podcast, to see the video version, visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/biancalilyballet

Have you ever experienced toxicity or abuse in the arts? We discuss the details here and go into some of the culture of ballet that needs to change, starting with Balanchine!

In this episode we cover:

-Introducing Anna Adaska, we call ourselves "teaching soul sisters!"

-"We have validated the worst behavior in dance."

-George Balanchine— his company NYC Ballet and its influence.

-Why George Balanchine is making Anna's job hard!

-Pushing people to loose weight!

-What progress have we made and what needs to happen to create change?

All this and more in this episode

Signed up for a dance class but you're feeling some butterflies or anxiety? You're not alone!

But we have tools for you to manage and even feel confident in class.

This episode will help you feel confident as you show up to class, it will give you the proper tools to be prepared for class or even make it through a class that is harder than you thought!

What we discuss in the episode:

-What to bring to class!

-What kinds of stretches to do for your body before and after

-Why you don't have to put up with a bad teacher and what the red flags 🚩 🚩 🚩 are.

-The secrets to getting through a challenging class.

-How to feel your most confident in class.

-Feel your most prepared to go to a new teacher or re enter your dance studies!

Bianca and Andres recap the weekend the week after the exciting weekend intensive in Santa Fe!

Get to know:

-What did we forget to talk about?!

-Why Bianca finally decided to do an event like this!

-Does Andres read his emails?

-Some of Andres' favorite classes and moments.

-Those chocolate chip cookies--we must discuss.

-Some fun things to say about Kris and her students and Alex, Bianca's co-conspirator!

-Some fun stories from the event!

-All this and more in this fun recap episode from Bianca's studio in Albuquerque.