{"podcast":{"title":"The Brainy Ballerina Podcast","slug":"the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194","podcast_index_feed_id":6926194,"rss_url":"https://feeds.zencastr.com/f/8eetcbDq.rss","website_url":"https://thebrainyballerina.com","image_url":"https://media.zencastr.com/image-files/65e9ecbdad8337c985a311c2/c74b191a-d40c-4b25-88b6-e1e09731b3b9.png","author":"thebrainyballerina@gmail.com","episode_count":114,"summary":"The Brainy Ballerina Podcast is a podcast for aspiring professional ballet dancers who want to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry. Former professional ballerina turned Dance Educator and Career Mentor Caitlin Sloan peels back the curtain of the professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer. Along with sharing her industry knowledge, Caitlin interviews top dancers, educators and experts in the dance industry who share their stories to inform, motivate and inspire you to pursue your dance career with confidence. Tune in each week for actionable tips and advice to empower you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in a professional dance career on your terms.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-29T18:18:01.511393+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194"},"episode":{"title":"108. How the Pandemic Unexpectedly Launched Kendall Lademann's Dance Career","slug":"108-how-the-pandemic-unexpectedly-launched-kendall-lademann-s-dance-career","published_at":"2026-06-15T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194/108-how-the-pandemic-unexpectedly-launched-kendall-lademann-s-dance-career","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194","url":"https://zencastr.com/z/q3c8Di65","audio_url":"https://redirect.zencastr.com/r/episode/6a2075203e707069770c9ae7/size/44296173/audio-files/65e9ecbdad8337c985a311c2/ea88060a-0add-4b54-bae4-2e0c9e9ac7ab.mp3","summary":"In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I'm joined by professional dancer (and one of my former students!) Kendall Lademann for a full-circle conversation on the unexpected twists and turns that have shaped her dance career. We dive into Kendall's transition from student to professional at Mareck Dance, including what it was like dancing alongside former teachers and how that environment helped her grow as both an artist and an adult. We also talk about how Kendall moved forward with her dance career after Mareck Dance unexpectedly folded, finding new opportunities at Lexington Ballet. Kendall is a true testament to the fact that dance careers never travel in a straight line. She shares so much thoughtful advice for aspiring professional dancers about taking risks, handling rejection, and treating people with kindness in the small world of dance. Key \"Pointes\" in this Episode: * How the teachers, choreographers and directors Kendall has worked with have grown her into the artist she is today * How the pandemic unexpectedly launched her professional dance career * Going from dancing as a student in \"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" to dancing the title role * Navigating the sudden closure of Mareck Dance and finding a new path * Moving away from home and starting fresh with Lexington Ballet * Unique performance experiences including dancing in a distillery, performing in a music video, and starring as Charlie Chaplin in \"A Charlie Chaplin Christmas\" with Lexington Ballet * Kendall's passion for adaptive dance through Danceability and why teaching became one of the most meaningful parts of her career Connect with Kendall INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/kendall_lademann [http://instagram.com/kendall_lademann] Links & Resources: SHOP MSeam Apparel: https://mseamapparel.…","meta_description":"In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I'm joined by professional dancer (and one of my former students!) Kendall Lademann for a full-circle con…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1845,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194/episodes/108-how-the-pandemic-unexpectedly-launched-kendall-lademann-s-dance-career/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-brainy-ballerina-podcast-6926194/108-how-the-pandemic-unexpectedly-launched-kendall-lademann-s-dance-career.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}