The Grace & Form Podcast

Season 2 Finale: Advice from Megan Fairchild, Esteban Hernandez, Ashton Edwards, Katherine Barkman and more!

What is the advice that stays with you long after the curtain falls? In this Season 2 finale of the Grace & Form Podcast, we bring together the most powerful, honest, and unexpected pieces of wisdom from dancers, directors, and creative leaders across the ballet world. From Megan Fairchild, Ashton Edwards, Katherine Barkman, Tamara Rojo, Wendy Whelan and more, we revisit moments of advice that shaped careers, challenged perspectives, and redefined what it means to succeed in dance. Alongside these voices, we share new reflections and personal insights from artists like Esteban Hernandez - advice they’ve carried with them, returned to in difficult moments, and used to navigate the realities of a life in movement. This episode is part highlight reel, part collective manifesto: a curated archive of lessons from Season 1 and Season 2, woven together with fresh commentary and timeless truths. Whether you’re a dancer, creator, or simply someone learning how to listen more closely to your own voice, this finale is a reminder that the right words, at the right time, can change everything.

Lauren Lovette: On Spreading Her Wings

Former New York City Ballet Principal, choreographer, and creative force, Lauren Lovette has always felt most at home in the studio where curiosity, fear, and becoming collide. In this intimate conversation, Lauren reflects on starting ballet later than most, navigating performance anxiety, injury, identity, and the pressure of rising fast, and why the rehearsal room has always mattered more than the spotlight. She speaks candidly about motherhood, creativity after the stage, ADHD, self-trust, and what it means to build a life and an artistic voice without a final version. This episode is about the quiet work, the unfinished process, and the courage it takes to keep becoming. --- Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Train with the best ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://app.graceandformstudio.com/categories/trainwiththebest] Try 7 Days Free and Download our App:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Launch the app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grace-form/id1391220951]

Taylor Stanley: Bringing Your Whole Self to the Stage

In this episode, we sit down with Taylor Stanley, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, for a deeply honest conversation about identity, self-acceptance, and what it means to take up space on stage and in life. Taylor reflects on growing up in ballet, navigating gender and fluidity within a highly traditional art form, and learning to trust an evolving sense of self. We talk about musicality as instinct, softness as strength, and how sensitivity, often misunderstood, can become a source of power. Taylor shares how therapy, community, and creative outlets beyond ballet have helped shape a more grounded, expansive relationship with both art and self. From redefining masculinity in classical roles, to finding freedom in Balanchine rep, to stepping into Broadway and visual art, this episode explores what happens when you stop trying to fit the mould and instead let your whole identity lead the movement. A conversation about courage, presence, and creating spaces where dancers, and humans, feel safe to be exactly who they are. Some links we mention: Taylor Stanley's Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgsdrwngs/?hl=en-gb [https://www.instagram.com/tgsdrwngs/?hl=en-gb] Taylor's broadway show Gotta Dance: https://www.yorktheatre.org/gotta-dance [https://www.yorktheatre.org/gotta-dance] --- Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Train with the best ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://app.graceandformstudio.com/categories/trainwiththebest] Try 7 Days Free and Download our App:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Launch the app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grace-form/id1391220951]

Gonzalo Garcia: A Full-Circle Journey to a New Chapter at Miami City Ballet

In this episode, we sit down with Gonzalo Garcia as he steps into a new chapter as Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet. Gonzalo reflects on the full-circle journey that brought him back to the very studio where his training began in Zaragoza, Spain, a return that now marks the start of his leadership role. We explore the moments that shaped him: early mentorship under María de Ávila, winning the Prix de Lausanne at just 15, navigating pressure and perfectionism, and rising to principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet before making the leap to New York City Ballet. Gonzalo speaks candidly about hierarchy, patience, ambition, and what it really takes to grow within major institutions. Now on the other side of the studio, Gonzalo shares his evolving philosophy on leadership. Why vulnerability matters, how trust is built in the room, and what today’s dancers need from those guiding them. He also opens up about injury, emotional resilience, and the responsibility of holding both high standards and human care. This conversation is an intimate look at what it means to move from dancer to decision-maker and how the values that shaped Gonzalo as an artist continue to guide him as a leader. Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Train with the best ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://app.graceandformstudio.com/categories/trainwiththebest] Try 7 Days Free and Download our App:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Launch the app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grace-form/id1391220951]

Gillian Murphy: 29 Years at ABT and the Power of Presence

In this episode, we sit down with the legendary Gillian Murphy to reflect on her extraordinary 29-year career at American Ballet Theatre. From joining the company at 17 to her unforgettable final bow as Odette, Gillian shares the moments that shaped her, the roles that changed her, and the mindset that carried her through nearly three decades onstage. A conversation about presence, artistry, fearlessness, and what comes next. Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Train with the best ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://app.graceandformstudio.com/categories/trainwiththebest] Try 7 Days Free and Download our App:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Launch the app⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grace-form/id1391220951]