Dancing with Shadows is a podcast exploring the culture and history of New York City Ballet through the voices of those who spent their lives inside the company.
It has been built upon the genius of its founder, the so-called father of American ballet, George Balanchine and has seen some of the greatest works of the modern age.
For journalist Nicky Anderson, a childhood love for ballet has become a lifelong fascination with this unique, insular and often complicated world. The way ballet demands absolute sacrifice. How dancers push the limits of the human mind and body in the pursuit of perfection.
Behind this company lies a more complicated truth. Across its 76-year history, the New York City Ballet has faced allegations of misuse of power, a major lawsuit, and investigations into sexual, physical and verbal abuse by a former Ballet Master-in-Chief.
Balanchine had almost divine status among his dancers and demanded absolute commitment to him and his methods. It led to some of the world’s greatest ever ballets, but it also blurred the lines between so many dancers’ personal and professional lives. When Peter Martins succeeded him, history repeated itself.
Dancing with Shadows hears from the ballet dancers who speak about the real culture of one of America’s most prestigious artistic institutions and what it’s like to be an elite ballet dancer.
This is a story about the people who graced that famous stage, what became of them and the price of art and genius.
The series includes interviews with America’s most celebrated male ballet dancer of all time, Edward Villella, one of Balanchine’s most famous muses, Allegra Kent and Chase Finlay, in his first media interview since being sued in 2018 for allegedly sharing sexually explicit images of his girlfriend with other dancers.
Host Nicky Anderson says: “Ballet is an insular world. The intense demands of ballet training, the culture of elite companies, and the influence of key individuals within the art form have long been underreported – and yet they contain so many lessons that everyone can learn from.
“That’s why we are shining a light on this beautiful yet complex world, through the voices of the dancers who lived and breathed it. By addressing ballet’s challenges, we aim to inspire change and ensure that the art form continues to evolve and thrive.”
From Stak as part of its Legacy series, the first two episodes of Dancing with Shadows will be available from Tuesday 18 February.
