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Open Barre Podcast with Brandon Lawrence


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Hi everyone! 

 

I have teamed up with Brandon Lawrence, Principal dancer at Birmingham Royal Ballet, to create Open Barre - a podcast set out to discover what goes on behind the scenes in ballet. It's meant to be light and fun rather than a serious in-depth look into the world of ballet! 

 

Today Brandon celebrates a year since his promotion to Principal so it seems fitting that we release our first episode of Open Barre on the same day! 

 

You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker. Apple works best on your phone via the app and I would recommend Spreaker and Spotify if listening on a computer.

Links below (just put us in the search bar for Spotify) 

 

https://www.spreaker.com/show/open-barre-season-one

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/open-barre/id1521293558?fbclid=IwAR3MNC3G_A3YjeJ39-IrQ_PatqO7i6STbL3_m_NlM-HtC9LqU5xMiZrek3w

 

Please like, subscribe, and give us a rating when you listen! I hope you all enjoy :) xx

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Well I really enjoyed that, TTP.  Fun, fascinating and an excellent insight into what really goes on!  You are both so funny, and you clearly have such a lovely rapport.  I can’t wait to hear the next one.  Thanks for the smiles amidst so much bad  news!  
 

And many congratulations to Brandon... I feel so gutted that his long-awaited promotion has been interrupted and disrupted in his first season as a Principal.  Fingers crossed that the powers that be finally see sense very soon and let performers and audiences back. 

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  • Sim changed the title to Open Barre Podcast with Brandon Lawrence

I love your introduction to the podcast on your Instagram page, TTP.  I hope you don't mind if I reproduce it here as these folks all merit a mention in these awful times:

 

I would like to dedicate our first episode of @openbarre_podcast to all of the dancers, artists, choreographers, musicians, costume makers, stage hands, backstage wizards, admin saviours and creatives - without whom we wouldn't have a podcast to talk about the incredible world that you all create.  It's a tough time for the arts and everyone who is a part of it so I hope that this podcast can provide a bit of light relief when needed!  I also have to thank the incredible Brandon Lawrence for the beautiful energy and positivity that he brings to this podcast.

 

I second that emotion!

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Congratulations, TTP. I’ve been following Brandon’s career since his White Lodge days and it’s been really rewarding to watch the way he has blossomed during those years.   Your questioning was very skilful and brought out, in a most interesting way, his thoughts and impressions of his experiences on the stage before, during and after performances.  I look forward to the next instalment of your podcast

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone - thank you so much for your support so far with the podcast! 

 

Episode 2 is now live and can be found, downloaded and played via Apple, Spotify and Spreaker. Please like, comment and subscribe where you can! 

 

In this episode, we discuss the interval and the wings. I hope you enjoy :)

 

https://www.spreaker.com/show/open-barre-season-one

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/open-barre/id1521293558?fbclid=IwAR3MNC3G_A3YjeJ39-IrQ_PatqO7i6STbL3_m_NlM-HtC9LqU5xMiZrek3w

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Thank you everyone for your support so far! 

 

Season Two is well underway and so far we have some exciting guests who have joined us for a chat - Aiden O'Brien, Tzu-Chao Chou, Ruth Brill and Kit Holder to name a few...!

 

We also have more exciting guests joining us so please keep listening :)

 

Julia & Brandon

 

 

 

You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker. Apple works best on your phone via the app and I would recommend Spreaker and Spotify if listening on a computer.

Links below (just put us in the search bar for Spotify) 

 

https://www.spreaker.com/show/open-barre-season-one

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/open-barre/id1521293558?fbclid=IwAR3MNC3G_A3YjeJ39-IrQ_PatqO7i6STbL3_m_NlM-HtC9LqU5xMiZrek3w

Edited by ToThePointe
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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks for getting back to me. Just to add an area that I think might make for a really interesting podcast is the daily class.  Since we get to see it on World Ballet day, it has generated a number of potential questions such as is there an etiquette about who goes where at the barre/ who carries the barre away? Are there some stories, which it’s okay to reveal, about individual  dancers’ habits and routines during class? What’s it like to do guest class with another company? What about the movements dancers make with their hands when going through the steps the teacher has set? Teachers (perhaps from the past) that can be revealed to be notorious in some way. Favourite music for class.Are there fashionistas  amongst dancers when it comes to class? .....Sorry I seem to have got carried away here!

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46 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

What about the movements dancers make with their hands when going through the steps the teacher has set? 

I've assumed these are self-developed aides memoire.  Evidence that they work?  60 years or so later my wife will still respond to certain music on the radio by executing some of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Our latest episode features such an interesting conversation with Jonathan Lo, conductor and Music Director at Northern Ballet. We asked him about conducting The Royal Ballet: Back on Stage live stream, what it's like conducting a social distanced orchestra and why galas can be so difficult, plus loads more!

 

I know I'm biased but I really think it's a great episode! Link below to listen or you can find us on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

https://www.spreaker.com/user/openbarre/season-2-episode-5 

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Well I am not biased and it’s a fascinating episode!  Maestro Lo is so engaging and witty.  So interesting to hear how it’s different to conduct when you have dancers as well as musicians!  
 

Highly recommended episode.  Maestro Lo is well worth a listen.  I caught a brass band Christmas show (filmed in the caves of the Peak District in 2015) on tele the other night and it was none other than Jonathan Lo conducting!  He certainly is an all-rounder!!  

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1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

I second Sim's recommendation - it's a particularly fabulous episode of this excellent podcast series.

 

I will never look at soap dishes in the same way again!!  (You'll have to listen to find out why!!)

You and me both, Jan!!  😂😂

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a wonderful podcast.  I could have listened to them for hours!  So interesting to hear Gary discuss his approach to roles, his special partnership with Darcey Bussell, his influences, how he felt when he realised it was Her Majesty herself who was going to present him with his MBE,  etc etc.  Please may we have a part 2, TTP!!  

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  • 1 month later...

Welcome back TTP and Brandon Lawrence!  Great to have Open Barre back again.  Loved this opening episode of Season 3 all about romantic ballets and romance in ballets.  I love hearing from the point of view of both dancer and audience member.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone! The latest episode of Open Barre is out now, starring special guest David Peden. 

 

Thanks to BalletCoForum member 'Odyssey' for inspiring us with this episode :) 

 

...and of course to the rest of the Balletcoforum members for all of their support x

 

 

 

You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker. Apple works best on your phone via the app and I would recommend Spreaker and Spotify if listening on a computer.

Links below (just put us in the search bar for Spotify) 

 

https://www.spreaker.com/show/open-barre-season-one

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/open-barre/id1521293558?fbclid=IwAR3MNC3G_A3YjeJ39-IrQ_PatqO7i6STbL3_m_NlM-HtC9LqU5xMiZrek3w

 

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Another great episode that helped my walk fly by today.

 

If it's not been dealt with in a previous episode I may have missed I'd like to know how dancers are taught leading or significant roles they've never danced before...is it in chronological order or is the trickiest bits of choreography dealt with first/last? And how does a choreographer go about teaching potentially a whole company of dancers a new ballet (such as Titanic: The Ballet!). Do all the leading men and/or ladies get taught together in the same sessions or do they all get one to one sessions. Whenever the ROH does an Insight on Youtube the dancers always know what they are doing and the ballet master/mistress is only ever fine tuning, we never see the initial teaching stage (probably for good reason)

Edited by Rob S
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Another excellent episode indeed.  Fascinating listening to Brandon and Mr P talking about ballet class from the perspective of both student and teacher.  
 

Rob, I think you provide the basis for a future episode there!  
 

TTP many thanks for the shout out to the forum on this episode.  Keep up the great work!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for all of your kind messages! 

 

Episode 3 of Season 3 is now live...we speak to former Royal Ballet dancer Nathalie Harrison and Mathias Dingman, current Principal dancer with Birmingham Royal Ballet. The episode focuses around what it's like to balance parenthood with a busy working ballet schedule! 

 

Enjoy!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another fascinating podcast.  As you say TTP,  we don’t get to hear much from Romany as she doesn’t really do social media, nor many interviews at all, so what a rare treat to hear her talk about her career past, present and future.   I so hope she will be able to dance Juliet and Aurora one day...

 

Thanks so much for this special podcast.   ❤️

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