Craig Salstein-NYCB repertory director, longtime ABT soloist, teacher, and Broadway collaborator-shares grounded, generous advice for dancers navigating the hard parts: injury, casting politics, and self-comparison. With trademark humor and clarity, Craig makes a case for “dancing smart”: build technique like scaffolding, obsess over landings and communicate clearly and kindly. He talks about keeping class light without losing discipline, how to turn professional envy into fuel, and why presence beats perfection. We also dig into his work with Justin Peck (from Carousel and West Side Story to Maestro), teaching everyone from company principals to total beginners, and the mindset that sustains a long career-onstage and off. If you need perspective, a plan for rehab, or just permission to breathe and keep going, this one’s a balm.
You’ll learn:
Practical steps for dancing through injury and returning smarter
How to stay focused when you’re not first cast (and why it matters)
Turning comparison into craft, not crisis
Making the studio lighter while keeping standards high
The “iterate” mindset for longevity in dance
Take class with Craig, here: Train with the best
Try 7 Days Free and Download our App: Launch the app
--------
59:42
--------
59:42
Misty Copeland: Five Years Away and One Final Bow with ABT
Misty Copeland joins Saskia Gregson-Williams and Indiana Woodward on the Grace & Form Podcast for an intimate, reflective conversation about stepping away, returning, and saying goodbye to ABT.
After five years off stage, Misty shares the perspective she gained outside of ballet, the injuries and challenges that kept her away, and why she initially resisted the idea of a farewell. She talks about the decision to come back: and how gratitude, not finality, is what guides her farewell at ABT. With honesty and warmth, Misty reveals what movement means to her now, how she carries her legacy forward, and why perspective beyond dance has been such a wonderful teacher.
Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: Train with the best
Try 7 Days Free and Download our App: Launch the app
--------
1:15:15
--------
1:15:15
Jovani Furlan: The Leap That Changed Everything
In this episode of the Grace & Form podcast, we’re joined by New York City Ballet principal dancer and founder of Furlan Dancewear, Jovani Furlan. From his early training at the Bolshoi school in Brazil to dancing on some of the world’s biggest stages, Jovani shares the pivotal moments that shaped his path; including the risks he took, the pressure he’s learned to navigate, and the tools that keep him grounded.
We talk about performance anxiety, building a business while dancing full-time, and how meditation, therapy, and a sense of humor have helped him through it all. Jovani reflects on the importance of showing up, staying open, and letting go of the need to control every outcome: in dance and in life.
This is a heartfelt conversation about growth, reinvention, and learning to be kinder to yourself along the way.
Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: Train with the best
Try 7 Days Free and Download our App: Launch the app
Shop our Discount Dance edit here: DD EDIT
--------
1:16:19
--------
1:16:19
Ballet, Business & Best Friends: The Story Behind Grace & Form
In this special episode, co-founders Saskia Gregson-Williams and Indiana Woodward sit down for an honest conversation about friendship, creativity, and the leap from barre to business. From meeting through the ballet world to building Grace & Form from the ground up, they reflect on the highs, the hard bits, and how their bond has shaped everything along the way.
Expect behind-the-scenes stories, a few laughs, and a look at what it really takes to build something meaningful, with your best friend by your side.
Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: Train with the best
Try 7 Days Free and Download our App: Launch the app
Shop our Discount Dance edit here: DD EDIT
--------
1:03:08
--------
1:03:08
India Bradley: Pointe Shoes, Pressure & Self-Belief
In this powerful and personal episode, New York City Ballet’s India Bradley opens up about what it means to be the “first”; the first Black Dewdrop, the first in many roles - and the complex weight that comes with it. From her early years in Detroit to finding her voice at Dance Theatre of Harlem and SAB, India shares the winding path to NYCB, the pressure to prove she belongs, and the lessons she’s still learning about self-worth, representation, and resilience.
We talk about dancing through doubt, the difference between strength and visibility, pointe shoe trials, and the ever-shifting balance between ambition and self-kindness. This one is raw, funny, and deeply honest - a backstage pass into what it really takes to find your place in ballet when the stage has never quite looked like you.
Take class with one of our incredible Grace & Form teachers, here: Train with the best
Try 7 Days Free and Download our App: Launch the app
Shop our Discount Dance edit here: DD EDIT
Are you ballet curious? The Grace & Form podcast is your backstage pass to the world of movement and the stories that shape it. Hosted by the founders of the ballet and workout app Grace & Form, Indiana Woodward (Principal Ballerina at New York City Ballet) and Saskia Gregson-Williams (Bestselling Author), we share the inspiring journeys of top dancers, creators, and artists who find joy and purpose through movement. Each episode explores their careers, life lessons, and how they’ve learned to be a little kinder to themselves along the way.
España