The Curious Dancer: Recent Episodes

Kayleen Babel

The more I dance, the more curious I've become about the traditions, techniques, and teachings behind the art. Join me, Kayleen, on my mission to make the dance world a happier, healthier, and more inclusive space. This podcast explores a range of subjects relevant to dance as well as personal stories about my own dance journey.

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Ally is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer. She grew up dancing, and her most recent dance experience includes two seasons with the Washington Commanders.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How to eat to fuel performance as a dancer.
  • Common mistakes dancers make nutrition.Ideas for pre-class meals to optimize your energy levels.
  • The role of sleep, caffeine, and mindset on your experience as a dancer.
  • Ally's pro team audition experience and what most pro teams look for in auditions.

  • CONNECT WITH ALLY:

    • @eating.with.al
    • https://www.eatingwithal.com/
    • CONNECT WITH ME:

    • @dance.with.kayleen

    • www.kayleenbabel.com

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In this episode I share:

  • why it's important to listen to your own body
  • why dance educators/coaches/trainers need to be more mindful of their feedback and how it's communicated
  • a little bit about my pro cheer audition experience :)

Follow me @dance.with.kayleen and @the.curiousdancerpodcast on IG! 

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We're back for Season 2 of the podcast, kicking it off with the lovely Auti! We talked about her path in the dance world, teaching dance, building her YouTube channel, and creating her dance training app. 

Follow Auti's social media pages:

https://www.instagram.com/autikamal/ 

https://www.instagram.com/tiandmestudio/ 

Subscribe to Auti on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/timetv5678 

Learn more about Auti's app (use code PIROUETTE20 for 20% off a monthly subscription!):

https://www.tiandme.com/ 

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In this episode I talk to Gina McFadden about life after a professional career, being a dance educator, and how to take care of your whole self as a dancer.

Check out Gina's work on https://www.dancer-360.com/ and on Instagram @gina_mcfadden_ 

Follow me on Instagram @dance.with.kayleen and @the.curiousdancer 

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Sheina Raskin is a social media manager and content creator who helps creatives do more of what they love by building their personal brands.

In this episode, we discussed:

  • What really matters when building your online presence
  • How to improve your relationship with social media
  • Why you don't need thousands of followers to use social media for your goals

Join Sheina's Personal Power Masterclass on Sunday, October 10, 2021 - https://sheina.kartra.com/page/partymasterclass 

Follow Sheina on Instagram - @sheinaraskin


This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Goldie shares her experiences as a professional ballet dancer, mental health struggles, and tips for aspiring professional dancers.

Follow Goldie on Instagram @goldiejane_ and @lazyballerinaclub - https://www.instagram.com/lazyballerinaclub/ 

Subscribe to Goldie on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPmnhH5iie9dq5QhLBiyTzw?app=desktop

Follow me @dance.with.kayleen and @the.curiousdancer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the.curiousdancer/


This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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Rachel Redding is a dancer, teacher, and student. In this episode, we discussed what it's like to dance in college and Rachel's journey as a dancer.

Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachredding. Visit her website: https://rachel-redding.com/

Follow The Curious Dancer Podcast on Instagram @the.curiousdancer

Follow Kayleen on Instagram @kayleenbabel and @dance.with.kayleen


This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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A short chat on motivation.

Follow @the.curiousdancer on IG. 

Follow me on IG @kayleenbabel

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This week I'm chatting with Rachel Josefina about ditching the hustle mentality, learning to rest, and doing what's best for you.

Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachel.josefina

Listen to Rachel's podcast, Mindset in the Making

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Gaylyn Lareese is a dancer, content creator, and CEO/Founder of Motion Prep™. In this episode we discussed:

  • What it's like to be a dance major
  • How to navigate different career options as a dancer
  • How to thrive as a dancer when you feel out of place

You can find Gaylyn on Instagram @gayln.lareese

Check out Gaylyn's YouTube channel

Visit Gaylyn's website:  https://www.motionprepdance.com/services

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In an industry that perpetuates the idea that there is an "ideal body," dancers often struggle to find body acceptance and self-love. Taylor Behringer and I chatted about finding peace with our bodies as dancers and why it's so important to love yourself. 

About Taylor:

Taylor Behringer is a life-long dancer, mom, dance educator, and healer in the dance space. Taylor guides dancers back to loving and trusting their bodies after a lifetime of working in an industry that has taught them to do the opposite. Taylor is also a certified PAUSE Breathwork Facilitator & graduated Food & Body Coach, using somatic work within the body to help dancers transform and sustain a healthy relationship with their bodies and selves.

Check out Taylor's website: https://www.taylorbehringer.com/ 

Follow Taylor on Instagram @taylor_behringer: https://www.instagram.com/taylor_behringer/

Join Taylor's Breathwork Workshop on 05/29/2021: https://www.taylorbehringer.com/workshops 

Follow @the.curiousdancer on Instagram! 

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Hey hey! This is a quick episode on the importance of being content in the current moment. 

Follow me on Instagram @the.curiousdancer and @kayleenbabel

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I spoke with Jana and Abby, creators of the YouTube channel and online community, Ballerinas By Night. They shared their tips for dancing as an adult, how to deal with comparison, the lessons they've learned as adult ballet dancers, and more!

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballerinasbynight/ 

Subscribe to their YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/youtendu/featured

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballerinasbynight

Check out their website: http://ballerinasbynight.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

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My advice for you if you struggle with comparing yourself to other dancers. 

Follow @thecuriousdancer on Instagram - www.thecuriousdancer.com

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Today I'm talking about 4 mindset shifts you can make to become a better dancer. 

Follow me on Instagram @thecuriousdancer and @kayleenbabel :-) 

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Khristal Harbert is Spirit Coordinator for the University of Houston Spirit Teams. She is also head coach of the UH Cougar Dolls Dance Team (and was my coach when I was on the team!). We talked about what it's like to dance for a college team, why team culture matters, and how to balance multiple responsibilities. 

You can find Khristal on Instagram @coachkhristal.

Follow me on Instagram at @thecuriousdancer and @kayleenbabel for additional content!

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Hi! Today I'm talking about why it's important to slow down as a dancer and stop searching for quick fixes and fast results.

Follow me on Instagram @the.curiousdancer and @kayleenbabel.

Thanks for listening. <3 

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A short chat about the benefits (and not-so-great parts) of taking a break from dance.

Follow me on Instagram at @thecuriousdancer and @kayleenbabel for additional content! 

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Today I'm talking all things flexibility, turnout, injury prevention, and strength with Allie Christensen! 

You can learn more about Allie at www.alignfitnessbyallie.com

Check out her Dancer Strong Program at https://alignfitnessbyallie.activehosted.com/f/16

Follow Allie on Instagram - @alignfitnessbyallie

Subscribe to Allie on YouTube - Align Fitness By Allie

Follow me on Instagram at @thecuriousdancer and @kayleenbabel for additional content! 

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In this episode, I share some strategies I use to take care of my mental health as a dancer—because being a healthy dancer is about taking care of both your physical AND mental health.

If you like it, please leave a review! It means a lot and really helps out.

Follow @the.curiousdancer on Instagram for behind the scenes, additional content, and inspiration.

Follow my personal account on Instagram @kayleenbabel to see what I’m up to these days!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more conversations, dance classes, and technique tips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYCKf5W-1DsXR5GUAn2IxUg 

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One thing I get asked a lot is, "Am I too old to start dancing?" Of course, in my eyes, the answer is always no. This episode with Jojo Newman will hopefully help to prove that point and inspire you to start (or continue) dancing no matter how old you are.

Jojo is the founder of Adult Ballet Collective, and she provides online ballet coaching & community for adult dancers. She started ballet at 23 years old and has since been sharing her knowledge and experiences with people around the globe who want to achieve their ballet goals.

You can find her on Instagram @jojo.ballerina and @adultballetcollective

Visit her website at adultballet.co 

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and follow @the.curiousdancer on Instagram! 

www.thecuriousdancer.com 

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Today we're talking about the questions you should ask yourself before deciding you need to lose weight. TW: weight loss, body image

Follow me on Instagram: @the.curiousdancer and @kayleenbabel

Visit my website: www.thecuriousdancer.com

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Jason Harrison is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He also is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS).

In this episode, I spoke with Jason about why strength training is important for dancers, how to get started with strength & conditioning, the importance of rest & recovery, and whether lifting weights will make you bulky.

Jason's research and training interests include developing systematic approaches for enhancing dancer performance and injury prevention strategies rooted in strength and conditioning best practices.

Check out Jason's website here - www.presenttensefitness.com

Follow him on Instagram @presenttensefitness

Thanks for listening. Follow @the.curiousdancer on Instagram and submit questions/topic suggestions via DM/comments! :-) 

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Welcome to the first episode of the show! Today I'm chatting about some of the major mistakes I made growing up as a dancer. This will hopefully be helpful for those of you younger dancers who can learn from my mistakes. If you like it, please leave a review :-) It means a lot and really helps out. Here's a link to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more conversations, dance classes, and technique tips

Follow @the.curiousdancer on Instagram for behind the scenes, additional content, and inspiration

Follow my personal account on Instagram @kayleenbabel to see what I'm up to these days

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I've been dancing pretty much my entire life, but I still find myself confused, concerned, and curious about so much that goes on in the dance world. ⁠I started this show because I was fed up with the lack of resources for dancers and widespread misinformation regarding topics including fitness, mental health, nutrition, diversity, inclusion, and personal development.⁠

I'm on a mission to provide high-quality information for all of you—no matter how old you are, what you look like, or how long you've been dancing.⁠

I want to make the dance world a happier, healthier, and more inclusive space for everyone.⁠

Subscribe for new episodes each week!

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