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Why Dance Matters
The Royal Academy of Dance asks remarkable people from the world of dance and beyond and all corners of the globe, why dance matters.
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21. Alicia Graf Mack: holding history in her hand
47:47||Season 11, Ep. 21Alicia 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.
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20. Serena McCall: style and steam
46:29||Season 11, Ep. 20The 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.19. Alexandra Beller: what does the body know?
38:49||Season 11, Ep. 19The 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 website18. Lil Buck: from Memphis to the world stage
45:04||Season 11, Ep. 18No 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.17. Isabelle Brouwers: sharing the dance
45:25||Season 11, Ep. 17Isabelle Brouwers is an eloquent advocate for ballet and the way it can speak to young people, audiences and wider communities. She retired from English National Ballet earlier this year to become Artistic Director of Yorkshire Ballet Seminars, which offer opportunities to talented young dancers (the rollcall of past participants is impressive). Isabelle’s links with the RAD run deep: she took a Silver Medal at the Genée (now Fonteyn) International Ballet Competition and recently attained the RAD’s Professional Dancers’ Graduate Teaching Diploma. With a sharp brain and unique international perspective, she tells us about her exciting next steps. Yorkshire Ballet Seminars: https://www.ybss.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 website16. Nathan James: taptastic!
38:03||Season 11, Ep. 16As the RAD releases its new Musical Theatre syllabus, Dr Nathan James (the RAD’s Deputy Artistic Director – Education) describes what makes it distinctive. From falling under the spell of the tap-happy musical 42nd Street in childhood, to performing in the show as an adult performer, he tells us about discovering his calling as teacher, his research into MGM musicals, the rigours of tap and whether choreographers are right to complain that dance is often ‘bottom of the list’ in contemporary musicals. https://www.nathanjamesdance.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 website15. Dena Kaplan: good-girl dancer to euphoric DJ
44:24||Season 11, Ep. 15In a candid interview, the Australian-based dancer, actor and musician Dena Kaplan describes the unexpected places dance may take you. Dena was born in South Africa and moved to Australia. A talented young dancer, at 16 she was cast in The Lion King: an experience far less supportive than it should have been. After training in New York she returned to Australia in the hit tv series Dance Academy, as the ruthlessly ambitious Abigail Armstrong. Next came the euphoria of music, as a DJ and recording artist under the name Dena Amy. What might the path ahead look like? https://www.denaamy.com/