At the Barre with Madison Ballet

In this episode of At the Barre with Madison Ballet, Director of Outreach Chris Fahrenthold sits down with Outreach Programs Coordinator Caitlin Sloan to talk about Madison Ballet’s exciting new chapter and what audiences can expect from the 2026–27 season.

Madison Ballet Special Projects has officially evolved into Madison Ballet Outreach, becoming a division of the company itself. While much of the work remains the same, this new structure allows the team to expand its programming, collaborate with more dancers and faculty, reach more schools and libraries, and create even more opportunities for the Madison community to expe...

In this special summer edition of At the Barre with Madison Ballet Special Projects, Director Chris Fahrenthold is joined by Lauren Thompson, company artist with Madison Ballet and one of the creative forces behind Summer Suite, a one-day fundraising event benefiting the School of Madison Ballet Scholarship Fund.

Lauren shares how a personal fundraiser for her cats unexpectedly became the inspiration for Summer Suite, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the event, the upcoming performance, and why supporting dancers and dance education matters.

We also learn about Lauren's journey from Hawaii to Madison, the lessons...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet company member and emerging choreographer James Wainwright.

James shares how he transitioned from years of playing football into professional dance after starting ballet and musical theatre as a teenager. He reflects on growing up around his mother’s dance studio in Chicago, the sense of belonging he found in the studio environment, and the journey that eventually brought him to Madison Ballet.

We also get a sneak peek into the inspiration behind James’ Innovation II piece, Heure de Fermeture (“Closing Time”...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet company member and emerging choreographer Ben Rose.

Ben shares his unique path from competitive ballroom dance into ballet, and how that background continues to influence his creative voice. He discusses the structure of his new piece Tea for Two for Eight, built as a series of contrasting sections inspired by ballroom competitions, and his goal of highlighting both versatility and individuality within the dancers.

About Ben Rose

Benjamin Rose began his training in Houston at Vitacca Ballet school...

In this episode of At the Barre, we go behind the scenes with Madison Ballet apprentice and emerging choreographer Gianna DeMassio

In her first season with the company, Gianna shares her journey from a competition dance background to discovering her passion for ballet and how she unexpectedly fell in love with choreography during her training.

We also dive into her choreographic process for Innovation II, where she premieres a new work titled Memento Vivere inspired by a meaningful moment while dancing in Italy. The work is centered around the passage of time and the emotional...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Charlotte Junge, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II.

This conversation explores Charlotte’s early dance training, her move to Boston Ballet School at just 14, and the unexpected path that led her to Madison Ballet. She also discusses how her background in multiple dance styles continues to influence her movement vocabulary today.

We get a peek inside Charlotte’s choreographic process and how her piece As Above, So Below has come to life. Inspired by her relati...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Sarah Martin, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II.

Sarah shares her journey from early training at BalletMet to trainee programs across the country, and how the relationships she built along the way ultimately led her to Madison Ballet.

We dive into Sarah’s lifelong love of choreography: from creating dances as a child to developing her third original work for Madison Ballet. She shares insight into choreographing within the company, including how collaboration, trust, and fami...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Eric Stith, Company Dancer with Madison Ballet and emerging choreographer featured in this season’s Innovation II.

Eric shares his unconventional path into ballet and how he found his way back to the art form after almost stepping away completely due to burnout.

We dive into Eric’s evolution as a choreographer, including the moment he discovered his artistic voice and what it means to create work that reflects both his movement influences and his identity as a queer Black artist. He opens up abou...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Andrea Yorita, stager for Caili Quan’s work Dignity in Restraint, featured in Madison Ballet’s upcoming ChoreographHER program.

Andrea offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to restage a contemporary ballet work and how she balances the original choreographer’s vision with the individuality of new dancers

We dive into Caili Quan’s creative approach, exploring how her collaborative, dancer-centered process fosters both freedom and authenticity in the studio. Andrea discusses how Dignity in Restraint, originally created for film, translates to the stage, a...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Ilana Goldman, Professor of Dance and Director of the BFA program at Florida State University, as well as an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator.

Ilana shares her journey from early dance training and her time at Juilliard to a wide-ranging performance career with companies including Oakland Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Trey McIntyre Project, before transitioning into academia and choreography.

This conversation centers on her new work for Madison Ballet’s ChoreographHER, And Everything Is Still…, set to music by Andy Scot...

In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Endalyn Taylor Outlaw, Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and guest choreographer for Madison Ballet’s ChoreographHER.

Endalyn shares her journey from a creative childhood in Chicago to an acclaimed career with Dance Theatre of Harlem and on Broadway, to her evolution into a choreographer and educator.

This conversation centers on her work It’s the Thing with Feathers. Inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem Hope is the Thing with Feathers, the piece explores the varied ways hope c...

In this episode of At the Barre, host Chris Farenthold, Director of Madison Ballet Special Projects, is joined by Nathalia Arja, principal dancer with Miami City Ballet and choreographer of Seven Days Walking, featured in Madison Ballet’s upcoming performance, ChoreograpHER.

Natahlia shares her journey from growing up in a ballet family in Rio de Janeiro to becoming a principal dancer, and how an unexpected injury led her to discover her creative voice as a choreographer.

She also discusses the inspiration behind Seven Days Walking, the process of staging the work on Madison Ballet dancers, an...

In this episode of At the Barre, host Chris Fahrenthold, Director of Madison Ballet Special Projects, is joined by Ja’ Malik, Artistic and Executive Director of Madison Ballet to discuss his artistic journey, the influences that shaped his career, and the vision guiding Madison Ballet’s future.

Ja’ Malik shares how his early ballet training, exposure to powerful artistic role models, and passion for choreography led him to a career both onstage and behind the scenes. The conversation also explores how Madison Ballet programs its seasons, supports diverse choreographic voices, and creates meaningful connections with the Madison commun...

Welcome to the very first episode of At the Barre, A Madison Ballet Special Projects podcast!

In our premiere episode, Caitlin Sloan (Strategic Advisor, MBSP) interviews Madison Ballet Special Projects Director, Chris Fahrenthold to share some insight into who we are and what we do!

Key points in this episode:

At the Barre with Madison Ballet is your behind-the-scenes look at the ideas, stories, and creative processes shaping Madison Ballet’s work.

Hosted by Chris Fahrenthold, each episode brings our community a little closer to the dancers, choreographers, and collaborators who are making ballet in Madison right now.

Whether you’re a seasoned balletomane, current or former dancer, or simply curious about how dance gets made, we warmly invite you into the room where it happens.

Connect with us:

WEBSITE: madisonballet.org

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/madisonballet

EMAIL: outr...