Irma Becker: dance is for everyone

When the young finalists take the stage at the London Coliseum for the RAD’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, they will also see some impressive guest artists. One of them joins us today – the Royal Ballet’s Marianna Tsembenhoi. Born in Kyiv, Marianna has moved swiftly through the ranks of the Royal Ballet, recently promoted to soloist. She is, wrote one critic about her Giselle, confidently her own artist. But how do you channel that confidence, and navigate the nerves of competitions and stage debuts? The Fonteyn finalists will surely be excited to find a role model in this rising star.The Fonteyn final is on 8 November at the London Coliseum https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/the-fonteyn/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People often say ‘dance is for everyone’, but few people walk the walk like Irma Becker. In Miami, she leads the Inspire Theatre Project at Area Stage Conservatory. Inspire is an inclusive programme for neurodiverse ballet students – but it doesn’t water down the rigorous RAD ballet syllabus. Irma ran both a professional dance school and a special needs dance company in Mexico before moving to Miami, and has been nominated for the RAD’s Community Engagement award. How does she lead students through ballet’s forbidding thickets of technique? And where does her passion for teaching come from?Inspire Theatre Project at Area Stage Conservatory: https://www.areastageconservatory.org/itpWhy Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sonia Brown is an award-winning RAD teacher in Berkshire, UK. The RAD’s Silver Swans programme, aimed at people aged 55 and over, struck a chord with her. Her mother was Sonia’s first student, and the classes have grown into a warm and inclusive community of dancers: they even threw her a surprise hen party when she got married. And in 2025 Sonia won the People’s Choice Award at the One Dance UK Awards. But how do you release the joy of dance among people who may not have danced for decades, or have never danced before?Sonia’s dance classes: https://www.withsoniabrown.com/Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Murphy is the acclaimed choreographer and movement director of Bridgerton. Initially an actor, he became a movement director (training in part at the RAD), helping actors find a physicality to connect them with their characters. Jack was involved in the BBC’s iconic 1995 Pride and Prejudice: in a full-circle moment, he’s worked on Netflix’s new version, starring Emma Corrin. But his work is seen at its most captivating in Bridgerton, which shakes up the rules of period drama and puts dance at its centre. His dance is rooted in why people dance, who they truly are. Pride and Prejudice launches on Netflix later in 2026, and season five of Bridgerton in 2027. Jack’s website is https://jackmurphymovement.co.uk/Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Wheeldon is a very special guest for the 100th episode of Why Dance Matters. He’s a ballet great – creator of marvels like After the Rain and Tryst, and full length enchantments like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter’s Tale. He’s big on Broadway and in the West End, with shows like An American in Paris and MJ the Musical. He’s also president of Benesh International, dedicated to the notation which keeps dance alive, and has just received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, the RAD’s highest honour. And he is the 100th brilliant person to answer the question: why does dance matter? Christopher Wheeldon: https://christopherwheeldon.com/Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The RAD has an impressive global reach – in over 80 countries across the world, thousands of teachers are progressing even more thousands of students the curves and lines that make up classical ballet technique. And looking after all those teachers are a wonderful flock of RAD National Directors, including our guest Amanda Teo, RAD National Director in Singapore. Amanda trained in RAD ballet before working behind the scenes at Singapore Ballet and then coming to the RAD as National Director. She has never lost her passion for what dance can do, the way it inspires, elevates and can create community. Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia Graf Mack is only the fourth ever director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It’s a company with a huge significance for dance history – and especially for Black America. Alicia danced with them from 2005-14, and was mentored by Ailey’s own star dancer, Judith Jamison. Previously a principal ballerina at Dance Theatre of Harlem, more recently she was Dean & Director of Dance at Juilliard School. Now at Ailey, Alicia must maintain the company’s legacy and nurture new works that connect with today’s audiences. The company is fired by lyrical dance, and also by a commitment to social justice and as a platform for Black artists. We speak to Alicia as the company prepares to visit Sadler’s Wells in London. Ailey at Sadler’s Wells, 15-19 September 2026: https://www.sadlerswells.com/alvin-ailey-american-dance-theater-legacy-new-works/Ailey: ailey.orgAlicia Graf Mack’s website: https://www.aliciagrafmack.com/aboutWhy Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wonderful Scottish dancer Serena McCall is currently appearing in Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man. It’s a tale of torrid sex and violence, set in a small US town. Serena herself always looks cucumber cool. She was head girl at her school outside Stirling in Scotland, and her socials showcase her poise and chic. She has also performed in some of the UK’s biggest dance shows, like Kate Prince’s Message in a Bottle and Quadrophenia, based on the Who’s album and movie, as well as the Wicked movies. These projects lean on her ballet technique but mix it up with hip hop, commercial moves and the steamy drama of characters living on the edge. The Car Man https://www.new-adventures.net/the-car-manSerena on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/serenamccall_/Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The human body is a walking repository of human experience, its joys and terrors, surprises and exhilarations. Someone who knows how to tap into that embodied experience is Alexandra Beller – an American dancer, choreographer and somatic educator, whose new book explores how movement and our lived relationship to it can widen our capacity for self-trust and curiosity. Alexandra danced for several years with choreographer Bill T Jones and now creates work for theatre and dance, alongside her own therapy and teaching practice. She’s perfectly placed to tell us what the body knows. The Anatomy of Art: Unlocking the Creative Process for Theater and Dance is published by Bloomsbury https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/anatomy-of-art-9781350564206/ Alexandra’s website https://www.alexandrabeller.com/Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No one moves like Charles “Lil Buck” Riley. The dancer, renowned for Memphis jookin’, has a breathtakingly fluid style which has led to collaborations in ballet, music, fashion and more. His latest project is part of the opening season at Oxford’s new arts centre: he is a Schwarzman Centre Cultural Fellow, and collaborating with ZooNation on 1776, a new piece marking 250 years of American independence. How does that make him reflect on America in 2026? And how does Lil Buck feel about a dance journey that has taken him from the parking lots of Memphis to a global audience?  1776 is at Schwarzman Centre, Oxford on 26 June https://www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on/1776-z24j  https://www.lilbuck.comWhy Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.