(504) LIVE from The Vail Dance Festival with Composer & Musician Caroline Shaw

(504) LIVE from The Vail Dance Festival with Composer & Musician Caroline Shaw

Author: Michael Sean Breeden & Rebecca King Ferraro August 6, 2026 Duration: 54:28

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Join Conversations on Dance hosts Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden for a special live podcast recording celebrating a remarkable milestone: the 10th year of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer and performer Caroline Shaw as the festival’s Leonard Bernstein Composer-in-Residence.


Shaw, the youngest-ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, has been a defining creative voice at Vail for a decade: composing and collaborating across genres, disciplines, and artists in ways that have transformed what’s possible on a summer stage. In this conversation, she reflects on ten years of pushing music and dance into new territory, what keeps drawing her back to the mountains of Colorado, and what is next for her.


Stay tuned for more episodes coming from the Vail Dance Festival 2026.

Conversations on Dance at the Vail Dance Festival is generously underwritten by The Town of Vail.

Conversations on Dance was the recipient of the 2024 Clive Barnes Award for Journalism and Media Achievement.


Access bonus episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance


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For anyone who has ever watched a performance and wondered about the life that happens in the wings, Conversations on Dance offers a rare and thoughtful backstage pass. Hosted by former Miami City Ballet dancers Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden, this award-winning podcast builds on a simple, powerful premise: the most compelling stories in dance aren't always told under the lights. Since 2016, their interviews have provided an essential, grounded look at the art form, moving far beyond reviews or technique to explore the real human endeavors behind the curtain. Each episode is a deep, considered dialogue with the field's most influential voices-not only dancers and choreographers, but also the musicians, directors, and educators whose work shapes the entire ecosystem. Listening feels like pulling up a chair in a studio lounge, where the conversation might cover the gritty reality of a choreographer's creative process, the collaborative tension with a composer, or an educator's philosophy on cultivating the next generation. The hosts' own professional backgrounds inform a dialogue that is both knowledgeable and genuinely curious, fostering connections between the art and its audience. This podcast consistently uncovers the discipline, vulnerability, and sheer hard work that define a life in dance, making the vast world of performance feel intimately accessible. It’s for the dedicated student, the lifelong enthusiast, and the simply curious-anyone who believes understanding the struggle and joy behind the steps only deepens the appreciation of the final, fleeting bow.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Conversations on Dance
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