Roni Mahler — On Turning Down Joffrey, Swan Lake, and Disturbing Molecules | Pushing Over the Box
About this episode
Roni Mahler discusses her dance career, overcoming injury, and her philosophy on performance.
Roni Mahler was three performances into her career at American Ballet Theatre when Cynthia Gregory sprained her ankle. She had 24 hours to learn Odette. In this episode of Pushing Over the Box, Jasmine Jain sits down with Roni Mahler — former corps dancer with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, principal dancer with the National Ballet of Washington, and soloist with American Ballet Theatre, celebrated teacher at Juilliard, the Alvin Ailey School, and Ballet Academy East, and author of the memoir Tomboy Ballerina: My Life from Baseball to American Ballet Theatre and Beyond. They talk about turning down Robert Joffrey to honor a commitment, dancing at the White House, what she learned from ten months on crutches, training the Cleveland Browns, and the one thing she has always tried to do on stage: disturb molecules. TIMESTAMPS: [13:40] Her Favorite Role and the Night She Danced Swan Lake on 24 Hours' Notice [19:01] What Ten Months of Injury Taught Her About Mistakes and Resilience [28:41] Disturbing Molecules — How She Defines Success ABOUT THE GUEST: Roni Mahler began her career in the corps de ballet of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before becoming a principal dancer with the National…
People in this episode
Host: Jasmine Jain
Guest: Roni Mahler
Topics covered
- ballet
- dance career
- injury and resilience
- teaching
- performance
- success
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, National Ballet of Washington, Juilliard, Alvin Ailey School, Ballet Academy East, Cleveland Ballet
Books & works: Tomboy Ballerina: My Life from Baseball to American Ballet Theatre and Beyond
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