We're joined by Maria Kowroski, the artistic director of the New Jersey Ballet. Maria, who shares her journey from Michigan to the School of American Ballet and eventually the New York City Ballet, reflects on her unique path to becoming a ballerina, driven by a profound passion for dance. The episode unfolds with an exploration of the New Jersey Ballet's rich history since its founding in 1958 and making its home theater the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.
As Maria takes on the dual role of overseeing both the New Jersey Ballet company and school, the podcast delves into the challenges faced in maintaining interest in ballet post-pandemic. Maria provides valuable insights into the audition process for the company, shedding light on the criteria she considers, including technique, musicality, and a team player attitude. The episode also touches upon the intimate details of Maria's personal journey, the impact of mentors, and pivotal moments in her career.
As the conversation evolves, Mike and Maria explore the transition from dancer to artistic director, discussing the unexpected nature of this shift and the newfound passion that led Maria to her current role. Technical hiccups add a humorous touch to the episode, keeping the conversation engaging and dynamic. The podcast concludes with Maria's vision for the New Jersey Ballet's future, emphasizing the importance of innovative programs, engaging performances, and the unique experience offered by live ballet shows.
Listeners are encouraged to explore the New Jersey Ballet's upcoming programs, with Maria extending an invitation to experience the diversity, affordability, and artistic excellence showcased by the company. Whether you're a seasoned ballet enthusiast or a first-time attendee, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of dance, artistry, and the enduring legacy of the New Jersey Ballet.
njballet.org
GET YOUR JERSEY FEST TICKETS NOW! https://www.seetickets.us/event/jersey-fest/588283
Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
jacksonpines.com
Thank you to our sponsors:
Lasso: lassoinc.com
New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.com
New Jersey Innovation Institute: njii.com
Make Cool Sh*t: makecoolshit.co
UCS Advisors: ucsgreatness.com
Albert & Whitney CPAs: awcpasllc.com
Mayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendar
Contact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com
We're joined by Maria Kowroski, the artistic director of the New Jersey Ballet. Maria, who shares her journey from Michigan to the School of American Ballet and eventually the New York City Ballet, reflects on her unique path to becoming a ballerina, driven by a profound passion for dance. The episode unfolds with an exploration of the New Jersey Ballet's rich history since its founding in 1958 and making its home theater the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.
As Maria takes on the dual role of overseeing both the New Jersey Ballet company and school, the podcast delves into the challenges faced in maintaining interest in ballet post-pandemic. Maria provides valuable insights into the audition process for the company, shedding light on the criteria she considers, including technique, musicality, and a team player attitude. The episode also touches upon the intimate details of Maria's personal journey, the impact of mentors, and pivotal moments in her career.
As the conversation evolves, Mike and Maria explore the transition from dancer to artistic director, discussing the unexpected nature of this shift and the newfound passion that led Maria to her current role. Technical hiccups add a humorous touch to the episode, keeping the conversation engaging and dynamic. The podcast concludes with Maria's vision for the New Jersey Ballet's future, emphasizing the importance of innovative programs, engaging performances, and the unique experience offered by live ballet shows.
Listeners are encouraged to explore the New Jersey Ballet's upcoming programs, with Maria extending an invitation to experience the diversity, affordability, and artistic excellence showcased by the company. Whether you're a seasoned ballet enthusiast or a first-time attendee, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of dance, artistry, and the enduring legacy of the New Jersey Ballet.
njballet.org
GET YOUR JERSEY FEST TICKETS NOW! https://www.seetickets.us/event/jersey-fest/588283
Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
jacksonpines.com
Thank you to our sponsors:
Lasso: lassoinc.com
New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.com
New Jersey Innovation Institute: njii.com
Make Cool Sh*t: makecoolshit.co
UCS Advisors: ucsgreatness.com
Albert & Whitney CPAs: awcpasllc.com
Mayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendar
Contact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com
1:20
all right what's up everybody welcome back to another episode of greetings from the Garden State powered by the New Jersey Lottery I'm your host Mike ham we
1:26
are here with the artistic director of the New Jersey Ballet Maria Kowski welcome to the show thank you for having
1:31
me yeah thank you for having me so this is my first probably time ever being in a dance studio any kind of dance studio
1:40
really yeah wow I mean like I don't think I mean I mean to like body shame
1:45
myself but I don't think I have necessarily like the body of a dancer definitely not a ballerina I don't have
1:51
a ballerina Vibe more of like a bull and a china shop Vibe it's more about having the passion to dance that's what would
1:57
bring you into the studio I guess you don't have that I mean it also depends on maybe like if
2:03
I've had a couple drinks and like the liquid courage starts flowing through like like a wedding I'm a great time not
2:09
a great dancer but I'll be on the Dance Floor all night it's just like a different kind of different kind of
2:14
dance so um let's before we kind of get rolling into kind of your background and how you got here and all the other stuff
2:20
that we're going to talk about today can we just do like a quick 30,000 foot view of what the New Jersey Ballet is if
2:28
that's not like so apparent in the name but just kind of what it is how it operates um and then we'll kind of get
2:33
into your role and how you got here so New Jersey Valley was founded in 1958 By Carolyn Clark who was a dancer at the
2:41
American Ballet Theater and she kind of brought her partner to New Jersey and they just formed this company I mean
2:47
this is 65 years old this place which is kind of crazy this building that we're in right now is new to New Jersey bleet
2:54
but before they were located in Livingston and you know the fact that Carolyn kept this company been going for
3:00
that many years it's a very small company it's not a massive company like some of the bigger ones like American Ballet Theater New York City Ballet um
3:07
so it's it's a small you know unique company but I think it's it prid it
3:14
Prides itself on having you know excellent dancers wonderful rep and really being like one of the you know a
3:21
very high class company where people can come and Escape their life and you know
3:27
see the Beauty and the art and I think you know I hope that we continue to grow you know I've been here since 2021 so um
3:35
I have a lot I'm I'm learning still about the organization and also just trying to create a new you know vision
3:42
and path for the company yeah um this going be the most embarrassing question I ask the whole time but when you talk
3:48
about a dance company and like you talked about you know the New Jersey or uh this New Jersey Ballet but then also
3:54
like New York and all these other places um what does that entail is it just kind
3:59
of like a group a collective essentially of dancers and putting on shows and like all that kind of stuff yes and it's not
4:06
no I I have to say cuz people always say oh you're running the school and I said well no I'm actually running the New
4:12
Jersey Ballet company which is a collect a collection of right now we have 22 dancers and we put on performances
4:19
throughout the year throughout the state of New Jersey so we try to get north and south and east and west of the state
4:25
just to kind of you know hit all the communities um morrist toown is we're based at um May Performing Arts Center
4:30
where their resident ballet company sponsor of ours so shout out empac yeah um and they're they've been wonderful um
4:36
we do our Nutcracker there The Nutcracker is the longest running production um that of Nutcracker yeah
4:43
and so which is great and we you know we keep trying to bring new things and ideas to it and make it a you know a
4:49
better experience for the audience every year because it's it is you know something people really continue to go
4:55
back to absolutely so then when we were talking about like these dance companies and that's I think I think that's a good
5:01
uh you know thing to point out that it's it's like a school in a sense that like you're teaching people how to perform
5:07
within the scope of what you guys are doing but then also at the exact same time you do like dance classes with like
5:13
little kids in here you know uh to kind of like make that separation almost do
5:19
you do that so there is yes so there is a so there's a New Jersey Ballet company and there's the New Jersey Ballet school
5:26
okay so and they start at the age of four the students so just recently I've been asked to be the
5:31
artistic director of both so it's still new to me um but there are classes and
5:37
we share the studio space with the school so the company works from you know let's say 10:00 till 4: and then
5:43
the students come in and then they have classes with our faculty which is pretty
5:49
much separate from the company yeah um we do have some overlap but gotcha okay that's good to know and then when we're
5:55
talking about like size you know you said 22 dancers in the company right now
6:01
is that like on average like about the size of what normal companies are or are there bigger ones smaller ones so you
6:07
know a big range that's a smaller company so like let's say New York City Ballet has I mean when I got into New
6:13
York City Ball there was 120 dancers I don't think they're back up to that Mark yet there's probably about 90 to 100
6:19
dancers um and but that they can range you know Miami City Ballet probably has
6:24
50 dancers and San Francisco Ballet also is like 90 and Maran Ballet Theater probably is close to 90 but there are
6:30
several companies in the United States that have you know a smaller group and it's you know just to have a company in
6:37
a state you know I think what's great about New Jersey valet is that we are New Jersey valet like this you know we
6:42
trying to represent all all cities in the in the state and you know be it's
6:48
not a huge company but I think we have a lot to offer yeah for sure um so I want to learn a little bit about you cuz I
6:54
was doing some background research before we you know got here and started doing this episode uh um and like your
7:02
career as someone who doesn't know a lot about dance or ballet or anything I was like wow there's like she's done all
7:09
these incredible cool things um so like when did the Love of Dance start uh
7:15
you're you're not from Jersey originally right no I'm from Grown upis Michigan okay all right so then what got you into
7:22
to dance originally what kind of brought you out to the east coast um and then we'll kind of get into the Jersey stuff
7:27
a little bit more okay okay so my older sister was taking ballet at
7:33
the local YMCA and so while she was at her ballet classes I kind of would put on her other leotards and run around the
7:40
house and my mom was like do you want to take F you know dance class and at that time it was like dance and tap you know
7:46
it wasn't like officially really structured ballet class and I was like yeah so then I started you know the
7:52
local YMCA and the teachers that they had their names were Helen and Kay they were twin teachers um they saw a little
7:59
bit of talent in me and they said you know there is a school down the street that's you know more focused on ballet
8:05
and so I went to that school for a couple years and then she said there's these two teachers from the Joffrey
8:11
Ballet that are going to start a school um they were principal dancers with the Joffrey Ballet Company another big company that used to be in New York but
8:17
now it's in Chicago um they're going to start the school here and I think Maria should go there so I started there and
8:24
that's if to be in a small town and not have access to a ballet studio is and
8:30
you and have a talent I don't know what I would have done like if I would have had to travel to Detroit or a bigger
8:36
area to get you know coaching and proper training so I was very fortunate that these two dancers started this school
8:44
and they obviously you know invested in my talent they kind of guided me to where I should go during the summer
8:49
courses you know just to kind of get more training because you train like all year at your hometown and then the
8:55
summer you go somewhere else and so one of the schools that I went to was the school of American Ballet which is the
9:00
school for New York City Valley and so I got a I got a full scholarship there and that's you know I continued my training
9:06
there and I really fell in love with that company and that school and that it was a very different style than I was
9:12
used to um which probably as hard for you to understand but like there was the speed was a lot different there was
9:18
different musicality it was um just something that like really like ex you know excited me and I was wanted to stay
9:27
there and train and they asked me to stay for the year and that's kind of how that whole started and then I stayed at
9:32
the school American Ballet for two years um and then I got invited to join New York City Ballet cool
9:39
so when you're going through this kind of like transformation life process of
9:45
kind of pursuing this dream and all that kind of stuff and I was talking to you off Mike about kind of like my baseball background and all that kind of stuff
9:52
and I think when like any person that's an athlete or any person that is doing
9:57
something that they're really passionate about obviously wants to get to like the top right not a lot of people make it to
10:03
the top uh was like the level of support from kind of family friends was that
10:09
there for you because you know obviously there's a lot of you know time and stuff like that that's going towards your
10:16
what's going to wind up being your career but you know again to get to certain levels of any industry is
10:21
sometimes difficult so talk to me about that and kind of uh the the support system around you to kind of make that
10:27
dream become a reality almost well I think it was initially really hard for my parents to let me move to
10:33
New York at 16 years old sure um obviously it's a big city you know if if the school had didn't have a dormatory
10:39
and I wasn't able to finish high school they may not have let me go but I think they knew that I had to do this yeah but
10:46
they supported me 100% all of my dance friends in Michigan were you know rooting me on and cheering me on and I
10:52
felt so much love and I wanted to succeed and I think they they really supported that path for for me um
11:00
getting to New York obviously is a different story you know there's all these students coming from around the
11:05
world and you know trying best of the best best of the best trying to get a job in a company yeah and it felt a
11:12
little it felt very competitive from what I had grown up with and it that was very difficult and there were times where I felt very Alone um but I know
11:21
that the teachers were very supportive of me at the school of American Ballet and uh you know I think I did what I
11:28
needed to I worked hard I stayed focused you know I was happy I had a really
11:33
strong family to support me um and I had a few really close friends in the
11:39
dormatory that were helping me as well um because it's it can be very lonely you know when you're when you're going
11:45
for your dream and not everyone is everyone's going for the same dream and not everybody gets it right in the year
11:50
that I got into New York City Valley there was two of us chosen out of you know how many girls I mean 50 girls
11:56
right you know that's that's very lucky you know so I think that whole
12:03
process was it was hard but I think you learn a lot and would I want to repeat all of that
12:10
again I don't know like of course I would because it was an amazing career and I loved you know the opportunity and
12:15
everything that I got to do because of it but when I think back I was like wow that was a really hard time yeah it was
12:21
really hard yeah um so I have so many questions off of that answer uh what
12:29
for like when people are listening to this and obviously like if people hear the word like ballerina ballet like that
12:35
kind of stuff there's like an image immediately that pops into your head um and maybe kind of you know from your
12:41
experience both as a dancer and now as an uh the leader the artistic director of the school here or of the B here um
12:49
sorry it's okay it's true both don't edits either um but uh so when as the
12:55
artistic director and kind of going through that whole like life process and all that kind of stuff like what what
13:00
makes a good ballet dancer is that a hard question to answer it is
13:07
because there's no like cut and dry like this is this is it this is not it kind
13:12
of thing I mean like for example we're going through auditions right now um and people are auditioning from the company
13:18
and people are also auditioning for the school for our summer intensive and when you look at dancers you know the ones
13:24
that have it sure you know how they always say like the It Factor but you know the ones that have the technique
13:29
they have beautiful feet you know I think what I'm realizing coming from New York City Ballet musicality was so
13:35
important and when you're doing a balentin ballet who was the founder of New York City Ballet it was like the
13:42
biggest thing and now I'm realizing when I'm hiring dancers that how important that is to me yeah when because
13:49
obviously you know music you're supposed to be able to like almost it was see the music hear the dance and so interesting
13:57
yeah so you want to really like and that's really important to me and I didn't realize that before but I
14:03
think and also personality you know how when you're in a small company and you don't want someone to be a diva you
14:10
don't want someone to not be a team player right and I think that that's very important in a smaller company because in a bigger company they can get
14:16
a little bit lost and you don't have to deal with them but when you're in a smaller company and there's someone that comes in that is a little bit not as
14:23
mixed in with a group it makes it very difficult and there comes like a little black cloud I would ever think of but
14:30
it's like you know very much like the team Factor too you know and being part of it and you know cuz I'm sure there
14:35
there's solo stuff but then there's also group stuff and you know the training and like all that kind of stuff that
14:41
kind of goes into it that's another question that I had as you were kind of uh in the previous answer um kind of in
14:47
your career as a dancer and then progressing through that kind of seeing
14:52
how that how it operates what's expected of You by teachers uh the way it's taught all those kind of things
14:59
has that changed over time or is it pretty much still kind of like the same like this is how you do it there's
15:05
really no kind of evolution almost I mean I really like hitting you with some
15:11
tough ones right I know you are um I I'm sorry usually it's very light and easy
15:17
oh it's okay I mean I don't think it's really changed all that much you know I think the expectation of a dancer is the
15:24
same you have to have a strong work ethic you have to be able to you know it's not a career like a baseball player
15:30
a football player where they're getting millions of dollars right so we're working very hard for very little amount
15:36
of money and and that is across the board whether you're in a big company or small company you're not getting paid like a big you know
15:42
League you know athlete so I think you have to have that passion and I think
15:48
that none of that has changed um I think styles are pretty much the same as well
15:53
you know I think we're all trying to adapt to different varieties of of dancing I know a a lot of people are
15:59
incorporating more contemporary into their ballet companies because I think that's you know when you ask audience questions they want more of that so I
16:06
think there you know and when people submit to the company their auditions they have to put a contemporary piece in
16:12
there so we can see if they can move so it's it's very that part of it probably changed but I think you know bottom line
16:20
the work ethic and just you know really staying true to the art form um I do
16:25
feel like there's less and less people excited about ballet which is a little worrying um and I don't know if that has
16:30
to do with the pandemic and kind of what you know people artists are really struggling and I feel like it was the
16:36
last thing to come back yeah so I think that that is challenging you know so I
16:41
you know trying to make it still a place where you know we want audience to come
16:47
in so they can escape their lives right and and see the beauty and there's there's meaning in dance you know and I
16:52
think sometimes people would rather just look at their phone or you know sometimes you
16:58
know or you know go and watch a a series on TV and I think that trying to keep this art form alive is is challenging
17:05
absolutely um okay I'm going to ease off the gas a little bit these really tough questions um so I want to go back to
17:12
kind of as you're going through your career and uh you go through the American School of Ballet got that right
17:18
School of American Ballet school of American Ballet dyslexia close enough no it's close enough um and then uh you get
17:24
into the New York City Ballet MH it is there a point at any time where you kind
17:32
of have that like like a self-reflective moment where you're just like holy crap like I'm like like a little girl like my
17:38
sister as like a little girl I remember she like wanted to be like a ballerina or whatever and as like it's like who
17:45
does that you know but then like you did it like did you ever have like a moment where you were like almost kind of take
17:50
stock of everything that you had done to that point and then gotten yourself to a point where like wow like I actually
17:56
like made it sort of was do that does that ever happen for you yes um like
18:01
these like pivotal like Pinch Me moments almost that you couldn't even like dream of maybe 10 years prior however a long
18:07
timeline was but uh yeah sorry to interrupt your no I think the crazy thing about that
18:14
question is when I was 10 the Joffrey Ballet came to ground Rapids and performed and I don't know it was that
18:20
moment that I said I want to do this for a living cuz I didn't know at 10 I was like oh you can do this for living get paid and you know and so I kind of just
18:28
I don't even know how to explain it but it was like I felt like someone was pulling me along this path and I was kind of just like on this road and I
18:36
think I didn't really stop once I started training once I got to Sab once I got invited to New York
18:43
City Ballet even though I was doing principal roles and everything you know was going my way and I was getting
18:48
written up in articles and newspapers and you know magazines and interviews and all kind of different things I
18:54
didn't even stop to think like I just was like okay this is happening it wasn't until I probably got injured
19:01
okay where I kind of was like wow and you kind of take a step back and you're like wow look what I've done yeah like
19:09
this whole body of work that that you have kind of that you've laid out already but I'm super hard on myself so
19:14
I think part of me even when I retired I think I was still like did I really make it did I leave a mark do I feel like I
19:22
brought my Artistry to the level that I wanted to um because I think some times
19:29
as dancers this gets in the way and then we don't allow ourselves to be as free as we want on stage or or really like
19:35
let go and I think after I had my son I had like I felt that those years were
19:43
kind of like bonus years and I felt like I danc very differently after that because it was like wow you know I've
19:49
had a career where I was hard on myself the whole time pushing myself hard to myself not sure if I was really
19:54
appreciating each moment and then after I had my son I was like wow these are are you know actually bonus years and I
20:00
really need to think about what I'm doing because this is like an amazing career that I've had and I've getting to
20:06
do even more you know like a few more years and I think it really made me stop and and realize how how valuable it is
20:14
but how like special it is to do a career like this yeah um not take it for granted right almost going to stop and
20:21
sell the smell the roses type of thing cuz like before you know it like all these cool you know I'm sure cool places
20:26
that took you uh cool people you got to meet like all these different things and just you know if you don't take that
20:32
step back almost and kind of like look at it it kind of gets like lost a little bit and then you're like H man I wish I
20:38
kind of enjoyed it a little bit more whatever um going off of that sort of let me check to off fast all right last
20:45
question before we break but oh hello oh my
20:52
gosh all right and we're back wow that's never happened before
20:58
never had before that's awesome uh okay as we'll put that on the blooper reel
21:03
for 2024 um the lights went out if you're just listening you don't know what just happened uh but um we weren't
21:09
moving though I feel like I I guess I need to I'm so expressed with my arms I'm surprised I didn't keep it going
21:14
yeah uh so going off of the answer that you just gave thank you for getting the back on um were there like I I know we
21:21
talked about like family support friend support stuff like that uh from a career standpoint from like a dance standpoint
21:28
were there people like you know maybe it's at the New York City Ballet or certain people that were that that had a
21:34
significant impact on you professionally um because I I when we kick off second segment I have another question out
21:40
going from from a dancer to an artistic director and then kind of making that jump uh but were there people that kind
21:46
of were had like a big impact on you uh in your career specifically I mean I think some of the
21:53
teachers at school American Ballet one in particular Susie polar she was like kind of my number one fan and really
22:00
pushed me and I learned a lot from her as a teacher but also just watched her
22:05
kind of pick out the people with special qualities in class and and every time we
22:10
would have a workshop performance at the end of the year at Sab and even after I left sa going back to
22:17
kind of see the people that she picked out I was like she had a really good eye for kind of seeing special talent um so
22:24
that's always stuck with me um I used to actually train with wiie Bur at um this school in New York called steps on
22:30
Broadway which is like a open to the public open classes but he was a really
22:36
amazing teacher and I learned so much from him and the style like I had mentioned earlier like the speed of a
22:42
Balanchine ballet was really difficult for me I'm very tall I have very big feet long legs um which are great
22:50
qualities but also can make it hard when you're trying to move fast so I would take his class and he really helped me
22:57
understand my body and helped me get better and I think when you're in a big
23:03
company sometimes you don't get that individual attention because you're in a class with like you know 80 dancers how
23:09
is someone going to really just go okay you need to do this so I took his class A lot um because it really I felt like
23:15
that guided me to be a better dancer and then being in the company of course there were dancers that were inspiring
23:22
like Wendy whan and Darcy kler and Kiera Nichols and things that I you know looked up people I looked up to and
23:28
watched their musicality or just the way they evolved as dancers and reinvented themselves all the time but then there
23:34
were coaches you know that worked with Balanchine and you know just to hear how important these ballet were to them
23:41
because some of them were made on them and they were passing them down to me you know all the stories that I heard
23:46
along the way I mean there were so many people that really influenced me to be the artist that I was um or am I don't
23:54
know I guess was cuz I'm dancing you don't lose it I guess um but they I
24:00
think that it was when I think back you know there's a like K balding and she's
24:07
passed away um she was a big influence in in my career at New York City Ballet
24:12
and then another woman who actually still working there right now her name is Lisa Jackson and she was a dancer with New York City Ballet
24:20
but she's a coach now rep Repertory director they call them and um she
24:27
really I don't know she kept saying to me you be you like when I was in rehearsal you be you don't worry about
24:34
trying to be like anyone else don't try she's like you've got a big p on your chest which meant principal dancer she's
24:40
like you make it the way you want to do it don't try to be anyone else and I think there were
24:46
times in my career where I was really compared to Suzanne faroh who was a big ballerina at the time or back in back in
24:52
the day and I was always like I don't I want to be me I want to bring myself to all these roles and I think working with
24:59
Lisa I really felt that she did that with me and and I think that's helping me as a director now because I that's
25:06
what I want for all the dancers that I'm working with now so she she wasn't the
25:12
only one there's another a gentleman Albert Evans who's actually passed away too and he he really it's I think it was
25:19
when someone really took the time to understand me cuz I was very hard on myself and sometimes I wasn't the most
25:25
comfortable person to work with in the room because I was beating myself up the whole time I think when someone really
25:30
took the time to understand me and help me grow as an artist was you
25:35
know those things stay with me and I think those are the things I'm trying to bring to you know this company yeah
25:41
awesome well we're going to take our break this first segment was it rocked it was so good uh so even with the
25:47
lights even with the lights honestly that like really brought it home at the end there not just that answer but just
25:54
like the lights going out in that answer was kind of like ominous almost but uh but no that was so great so we're going
25:59
to take our break uh so this is the green Bard day podcast powered by the New Jersey Lottery I'm your host Mike C
26:04
we're here with artistic director of the New Jersey Ballet Maria Kowski will be right back the male Performing Art Center is
26:10
the heart of arts and entertainment in Morristown New Jersey empac presents over 200 events annually and is home to
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an Innovative Children's Arts education program to see impac's upcoming schedule of world-class concerts standup comedy
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26:28
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from the garden state.com all right we're back for
27:33
Segment two this episode of greenard say powered by the New Jersey Lottery I'm your host Mike cam we're here with Maria Kowski the artistic director of the New
27:39
Jersey Ballet so first segment we learned I hit you with some harder questions than I've asked really anybody
27:46
and ever doing this episode or this show I mean so I apologize I didn't realize like as it was coming out of me but I
27:51
just got like so curious in the moment and I just like I had to know um but uh
27:56
but we also learned a a lot about your your career as a dancer uh and then now shifting it to uh artistic director uh
28:05
take me through how that happened uh was it a difficult thing to make that switch
28:12
um and then we'll kind of take it from there I think when you're a dancer you don't
28:19
really ever think about what's next because you're so in the moment and it's all very consuming you're very self-
28:24
involved and um it's hard to think about what is going to happen next some people
28:29
know that they maybe deferred college and go back to college that was not me
28:35
yeah um I didn't even know if I wanted to teach you know and that was something I kind of discovered during the pandemic
28:41
I was teaching a little bit more and then I was like wow I really like this I can see myself making a difference in
28:46
these students so that was kind of the number one thing and then um I was teaching at the at juliard
28:55
and you know which is an amazing school on shk and that yeah that's good and and I will say
29:01
like these dancers at that school were phenomenal you know maybe ballet isn't their number one focus and they don't
29:07
want to get to a major company but they're their work ethic and they were so in the room and really respectful of
29:14
everything that I was saying that I really enjoyed that you know just that kind of reciprocal like energy and that
29:23
was kind of like all right so when I knew my career was ending and I said okay let me just see what's if I can
29:31
teach at juliard and then I got offered a a part-time job there because they didn't have anything else and she said
29:36
you know I would love to have you teach parttime and I was like I would love that then I was teaching you know throughout the
29:42
pandemic and I reached out to New Jersey ball school and I said you know I don't know if you need any teachers or if you
29:48
need any coaches you know to kind of fill the other part and she said I I actually reached out to kot NOA who is
29:54
our um associate coordinator our artistic coordinator and marketing she's got we all wear lots of pets yeah right
30:02
I totally feel yeah I get it and she had said she's like well we're actually
30:07
looking for an artistic director and now this is not something that really crossed my mind one because the company
30:13
that I was with I saw my director there every single night all day long and I had a son and I was like I don't I can't
30:20
give up my entire life you know to run a company and I think that really scared me so I never really thought about it
30:27
but then this is a smaller company they don't work as much maybe it's something that might be interested me or interest
30:34
to me and so I um I met with the chairman of the board here I had several
30:40
interviews leading up to it and then they offered me the position and they called it the acting artistic director
30:46
so I had a year to kind of see how it to try it on see how it fit yeah and it was
30:52
um basically I left I retired October 20
30:57
21 and I was I think it was on the 21st actually that's why I was like getting stopped for a second and I yeah and then
31:05
I started this job like two weeks later so I took a little vacation and then went right into this and it was like I
31:10
didn't even have time to kind of process like we spoke about earlier just did you have a moment to stop and think about
31:16
your career and I was like even that like sometimes I'm like wow I did have a career you know did it even happened
31:21
because I jumped right into something new that was like so foreign to me you know you you can see artistic directors
31:28
do but you don't really know what they do yeah what do they do
31:33
well it's a long list well at least for me because it's a smaller company I think when you're in a smaller company
31:39
you have to wear like I said a lot more hats and you're responsible for a lot more more things um but I'm you know I'm
31:45
responsible for choosing the reperat that the dancers performed choosing the dancers um
31:52
overseeing everything you know as far as like the production value music costumes
31:57
um keeping everyone in check um making sure that we're you know marketing properly properly there's like there's a
32:05
million things like I probably go on for another 20 minutes but we won't um yeah but it's it's a it's a massive
32:13
job and I think it was a huge transition for me um and I still you know after the
32:19
first year I was like okay I think I think I am getting the hang of this you know and then and then they dropped the
32:24
acting part and you know I became the artistic director and it it's a huge adjustment I mean
32:32
being a dancer you're responsible just for yourself you know and you're very selfish and you know I can take a nap
32:38
here and I'm going to go get a massage and I'm going to you know because you have to to get on that stage right yeah
32:43
awesome but also you know yeah right of course but at the same time you know this job I'm responsible for everyone
32:50
all the dancers they come to me if they have a problem you know and I like it's I don't think about myself at all and
32:56
and that's a really different thing sure so it's it's amazing to to be able to
33:03
kind of be a part of a company where and this is very much like a family they're like it's a very special group um and to
33:10
kind of nurture it and make it what I want it to be I think if I was in a larger institution I wouldn't be able to
33:16
have that impact as I do here and I think you know they these dancers work
33:21
so hard and you know we're we're building this company again you know it's even though it's been around for 65
33:27
years it's like we're starting at the bottom it's really just trying to grow it and make it put it on the map and and
33:32
make it something that people are proud to be a part of and that people in New Jersey have actually heard of because
33:38
some people have not even heard of this company has been around for 65 years which is crazy crazy so I think that's
33:45
something that you know I'm trying to do and to bring it to you know this Elite group of talent and artists and
33:51
reparatory to this community because I go into New York to see performances and you know you're spending a lot of money
33:57
you're spending you know you you have the parking you get the ticket babysitter you know the dinner it ends
34:04
up being like $500 I'm like well I can bring that same quality here maybe not the same caliber of everything you know
34:11
we don't have live music yet which hopefully we will one day um but bring
34:16
that in so then you know the people from New Jersey who are traveling into New York can say you know what I really love this company here I don't need to go
34:23
across the river to see great ballet know like we have it here in this St so that's kind of been my goal and you know
34:30
and also to bring meaning to people's lives you know bringing it to the dancers and I think it's a it's such a
34:36
special you know thing that balet can transform your life it can make you
34:41
escape it can just it with so much going on in the world you know it's a it's a it's a it's Beauty and and it's being
34:48
able to kind of Escape life for a minute and I and I hope that more people will come out and support us because it is a
34:55
it is a special company and we are doing wonderful things and very diverse as well you know we have a lot of different
35:00
you know countries represented in our company so it's it's pretty it's pretty
35:07
great group of Dan no I love that and you don't have to sell me on keeping people here to do like live performances
35:14
really of any kind because there's so much so many great venues and so many great so much great talent here in the
35:20
state you know uh it'll already be announced but like we're putting on a whole concert in May in Jersey City with
35:26
like five you know local bands and food and breweries and just like all sorts of that's great that's fantastic um but
35:32
yeah so but this isn't about me we'll get back to you uh so um when you're
35:37
talking about uh like the diversity and the representation of the dancers that are here um and then also in the first
35:43
segment I remember I jotted a note my only note that I've actually taken this whole the whole time uh was representing
35:50
different parts of the State uh so you can take me through like you know you have 22 dancers here you do auditions
35:56
you do different things things you have teachers um how do you find people are
36:01
they specifically to Jersey can they come from other places uh talk to me through kind of how that process works
36:07
and how the makeup uh what what the makeup is sort of well I mean because it
36:14
is a smaller company it'd be wonderful to have everybody from the school you know in the company but it it also gives
36:20
I mean we are open to we have auditions people are submitting from Japan people are submitting from Norway I mean fr
36:27
you name it Italy there's tons of dancers submitting to this company which
36:33
is wonderful and I and I love the fact that people have heard about us from way over there you know because that's not
36:38
something probably not not a lot of smaller companies have that you know so
36:44
so I'm very fortunate that they are submitting I think it makes a little harder for us because that's we have to
36:49
get the visas for them and that it makes it you know but if the talent is there you know we definitely put the effort
36:54
into that but right now now I mean we we have actually two dancers who were
37:00
brought up from the school um as little kids that are in the company right now and they're the only two um and we have
37:06
you know dancers from the Philippines and Japan and trying to think where out
37:15
um Argentina like it's it's kind of a really big Collective amount of sure
37:21
really interesting and and it's wonderful because they they all have a different what's
37:27
hard is that they all have a different style so I have a certain way of teaching and I think they're all still trying to adapt to what I'm trying to
37:34
get them to do yeah but I think it's exciting for them because it's a challenge and it's exciting for me as a teacher to kind of try to get that out
37:40
of them and watch them improve and evolve as dancers um so but yeah it's
37:46
it's really open to anyone you know like anyone can submit you know we get the submissions online I look at them you
37:52
know if I like them then we invite them in to take class and then you know we kind of go from there and you know
37:57
because it a smaller company I can't offer like 10 contracts a year you know sometimes there's only one you know and
38:02
the male dancers there's always more contracts to offer because there's less of them and they all can get jobs
38:08
anywhere so they it's a it's more of a challenge to keep them than it is the females yeah and this got to be
38:14
interesting too like because we talked about also about being a smaller company you know uh being part of like that
38:20
family almost D Dynamic and then being able to pull people from basically all corners of the Earth and get them to
38:27
Floren Park New Jersey and then get them all kind of rowing the boat in the same direction so to speak I think that's
38:32
like a real Testament to kind of how this whole thing works you know and um I think kind of goes back to you so
38:39
congrats on that um so and then also I think it's it it would be important too
38:44
to talk about cuz you we I met uh like this whole thing we Cotto was the one that kind of got this set up for us um
38:51
and obviously she was instrumental in getting you here but uh the other like the teacher the other people that work
38:57
here and kind of how they create that help create that structure that when you
39:02
do have dancers come in here uh it's almost like that's even like more important to a degree than the actual
39:09
like performers because they need a like instruction or you know uh um an
39:14
amplification of what your vision is through them to the actual performers you know if you're not teaching like
39:20
every single class or whatever right um so take me through like that and kind of how you try to put together almost like
39:26
a so to speak I mean what's what's interesting is that
39:32
you know because I've come in um there was a lot already already established so
39:38
I have brought in some people from here and there just to kind of as far as the ballets that I bring in for the
39:44
Repertory for the dancers to perform it's important to me to have people that either have danced those ballets or
39:50
understand the unique um qualities that these ballet are and so there are some
39:56
there was a dancer that I brought in from she was with Miami City Ballet and she kind of helped coach and she was
40:02
amazing and then she actually end got got a job on Broadway but I actually got another dancer from Miami City Ballet
40:08
and then another guy from Miami City Ballet who I find that it's important to have
40:14
people that understand where I came from yeah um I don't think there's anything
40:19
wrong with the people that are already here because everyone has something to offer right um and I think the people
40:25
that I have met along my way in my career have been very generous and helping me and coming out to the studio
40:32
you know some really big names have come out here Christopher wion who is a good friend of mine but massive choreographer
40:38
um you know he choreograph um Michael Jackson on Broadway like he's he's really MJ I should say MJ musical um
40:46
he's been like amazing in supporting me and you know giving us ballets just donating ballets to us to allow us to do
40:53
them and actually came to the studio and work with the dancers and the dancers are just just like blown away that they
40:58
had that opportunity that's cool and my director um of New York City Ballet Peter Martins also came out to the
41:03
studio and um he hadn't been in a studio in in many years and he it was great just to have him in a studio and he
41:10
thanked me for giving him that opportunity and the dancers were also still I mean he he was a legend you know
41:16
back in the day this massive dancer at New York City Ballet and directed New York City Valley for so many years so it
41:22
was great to have him out here and and Lauren Love's going to be out here doing a new ballet and she's also was a principal dancer with New York City
41:28
Ballet so I do also try to bring in people because we are a small company I
41:34
want them to still you know feel inspired I you know sometimes you hope that you're enough to inspire them but I
41:39
think it does wake people up when you bring you know people from outside that have that you know great energy and and
41:46
amazing things to say you know I I sit in the room and we had Robbie Fairchild out here who was also principal D for the New York City Valley and I was just
41:52
like wow he's an amazing coach like he had and and he went on Broad to go on to
41:57
do Broadway after dancing and that just the way he thought about roles after that because you learn more when you
42:04
know as you get older and I feel like I know more now than I did as a dancer and if I could go back and dance I'd be a
42:10
better dancer right and so to hear him kind of coaching and that's kind of what I try to do as well coach them in a way
42:16
where you know the knowledge that we've gained overall in these years you know to help them be better artists and I know they've all appreciated it so much
42:22
and sometimes their mouths are on the ground that they just can't believe that people come in you know um I know Ed
42:29
Edward Watson who was a he's a principal was a principal danc for the Royal Ballet was in town setting something in
42:34
New York and I had them come out and coach and they were all just like so it was it's amazing just to have
42:41
those people you know in my life and and able and willing to help me and and kind of create what I want here so yeah
42:48
absolutely and I think that that's all really cool and just have like like you said like access to them relationships with them um and I think also kind of
42:55
just like Testament to you also because if you know they didn't like you they'd be like yeah okay we'll be right there
43:02
um but uh so I thought it was interesting in the I think it was the first segment or when we were before we
43:09
started recording uh about no it was in the first segment when you said that you don't like you almost hesitated calling
43:15
yourself an artist now but I think it's like a really interesting thing because it's like you still are because the art
43:23
is just like being uh um funnel in a different direction you know I think
43:28
like that's a really interesting thing too because now it's the vision almost
43:34
becomes like the scope is wider you know and while maybe you're not the one that's actually like I don't know what
43:40
the moves are I'm not even going to try it um but uh doing you know something like this but but telling like you know
43:46
guiding people and kind of putting these now larger Bigger Productions together um I think like that's like a really
43:55
different way to almost look at it uh was that like you know you had the acting kind of tag at the beginning um
44:03
and then over time did you kind of like what your vision of the uh the stuff
44:09
that the ballet is producing um well I'm trying to ask here like
44:16
there's something the ball is producing how are you putting your stamp on it to make it different than maybe what it's
44:21
been um and like bringing your own expertise to it and thought process and
44:27
thoughtfulness and like all these different things uh like how do you try to like shift it to make it almost yours
44:32
so to speak I mean I think it's difficult to to make something completely yours
44:40
because it's a lot of things have already been done before right so so I'm because New
44:46
Jersey Ballet was a certain way for many many years and they did they did several ballets I'm trying to introduce more
44:54
current ballets to the dancers and bring in choreographers and artists that you know they feel inspired by and that are
45:02
relevant today to bring audience members in right um it would be easy to just
45:08
create new ballets on dancers um but in my experience as a dancer
45:15
sometimes those ballets aren't always great and then you've paid a lot of money to get a choreographer in and so
45:22
I'm trying to oh here we go again all right we're
45:28
back oh my gosh I can't believe that happened and I am using my arms so I
45:33
actually been trying at least a little bit more to use some arms and stuff but all right you got to be moving in here I
45:40
think that's like that's a good training technique I guess like if you're not moving like let's go you know that's true that's true they've been standing
45:46
around at the bar too long let's get them moving yeah um but I think you know I always I'm trying my best to to put my
45:54
stamp on things I've seen a lot of ballets I know what I like um I try to
45:59
create unique programs that will excite the New Jersey audience I
46:05
think I'm not taking a lot of risks quite yet because I'm still new so I'm trying to bring in pieces that maybe
46:10
people have heard of to kind of build an audience and then get them to really get excited about the company and then I'm
46:16
probably going to take a few you know some more risks um because it's hard you know when you're starting something I
46:22
don't want to say over because obviously it's existed for 65 years but you you know we're it's
46:28
a Renaissance you know it's like we're it's really like trying to how do we
46:33
begin again how do we make this company how do we put it on the map how do we bring in good dancers how do we how do
46:39
we just bring everything to another level right and so that's what I'm trying to do and and what's been nice is
46:45
I've had some some people that I respect a lot tell me you know you do have really good taste um which is nice to
46:52
hear um although I question everything that I do because I don't I'm like maybe I shouldn't have
46:58
done that maybe that was too much but I think you know I'm learning as I go I'm not even as a dancer like I didn't stop
47:05
learning even now I take ballet class every once in a while and I'm still like thinking and trying to improve and I
47:10
think in this position that I have now I'm always going to be pushing and learning and making mistakes and trying
47:16
to learn from them and I can only do so much and I you know I hope that we'll
47:21
keep going in the same direction and not get you know stuck right um but we'll you know we'll see yeah no I
47:28
think it's it's cool too because in the I remember the first segment also uh the person who told you just be you sort of
47:34
thing uh that it's like to a degree that's exactly what has to happen here too because you know 65 years is an
47:42
awesome run but you can't do the same thing that they've been doing for 65 years like now it's a time to put your
47:48
own stamp on it and make it your own and kind of like help continue that Evolution over time and I know it's like
47:56
not an easy job and obviously it's almost kind of not like learning on the job but evolving evolving on the job
48:03
we'll say uh as an artistic director like what's your favorite part about it
48:10
cuz obviously like dancing was like the thing and then being like now not having
48:15
the thing is there like a thing that you're like this is what I love about being an artistic director of the New
48:20
Jersey Ballet I mean I love being in the studio with the dancers I mean that's
48:26
always probably the most the funnest part funnest most fun I'm not even good
48:32
English right whatever the lights have gone off F yeah this has been a wild episode I like was not ready for it but
48:39
this has been awesome so much fun um I just I love giving all that I've learned
48:45
throughout my career to these dancers I watch I love watching them grow in a part and and kind of just guide them to
48:52
you know push themselves further I think that was something that that meant a lot to me as a dancer so to be able to do
48:58
that for them is really you know rewarding I do get a big Adrenaline Rush
49:04
when I'm sitting out front getting ready for a performance because you know you can't really compare to that adrenaline
49:11
that you got as a dancer like on stage or off stage you know you you wouldn't be able to go to sleep till like 2: in
49:16
the morning sometimes after performance because you just be like this and I will say as an artistic director sitting out
49:22
front I still get that like you know the nerves one because you want everything to go with you know you're responsible for every single thing if the lights the
49:29
music whatever it's all I started with lights it is a theme I will say that's
49:37
happened in during some of our performances but that's okay we were you know just pulling everything together
49:43
yeah yeah um but I I kind of lost my train of thought now ah sorry that's my
49:49
bad no it's not it's cuz we were talking about everything is kind of your uh responsibility and you still get that uh
49:55
that Rush at the beginning and the other nice thing I like about being an artistic director is kind of being able
50:00
to create a program and and be able to look at the dancers and say what would
50:05
be great for them what can I bring in what ballet can I bring in what choreographer can I bring in that's going to push these dancers to another
50:11
level and excite them to stay another year but also just to give them more you
50:17
know Tools in their and their belt just so they really become the artists that they want to become you know I don't
50:22
want anyone to be here just dancing I want them to really develop as an artist and push themselves and their boundaries
50:29
yeah um so as we get kind of close to the end of this one of the things that I've kind of been asking our last few
50:37
guests uh this is like a little bit different because people can actually go and watch and you know partake in what
50:44
you have to offer uh some I guess not always you know so like the average new
50:50
jerseyan that maybe has never been to a ballet before like why should they go uh
50:55
uh what could they expect those kind of you know uh you know going to a live
51:00
performance of like a rock show different you know uh but also like you know any kind of performance in my
51:07
opinion is worth it to go see because it's visual art and Performing Arts like all that kind of stuff but maybe from
51:13
your perspective kind of he has a almost like an audience member which I know is sometimes maybe hard to kind of separate
51:20
and be just like a bystander and not like almost kind of put yourself in
51:25
whatever role you're seeing happen on stage or offstage or whatever um take me through that and like what people would
51:31
expect to when they come to a New Jersey Ballet performance what are they what should they
51:37
expect well I think there's a when you're forming programs throughout a year you have to really
51:44
think about how how are you going to get people into to watch you know the Nutcracker is one that everyone goes to
51:49
you know so sometimes most people say it's the first ballet they've ever seen right it's familyfriendly so they can
51:55
bring you know their kids and you know we try to make it really exciting with you know pyrro and you know different
52:01
things to keep people engaged um we always try to do another full length in
52:06
the spring this year we're doing sleep and beauty and that obviously is a classic tale and it's going to you know
52:13
another family friendly now for me um I love those ballets but what's more
52:19
important to me and I think to the dancers are the Repertory evenings and those are the ones where people don't tend to come to as much because they
52:26
don't they don't know what these ballets are what am I going to see and these
52:31
ballets it's a carefully crafted evening where you try to kind of do something
52:37
for everyone you know you have one that's high energy you have one that might be very emotional you have one
52:43
that's just beauty or you may have a very classical one this program that we're doing in March at Mayo Performing
52:49
Arts Center another shout out um it is
52:55
really touching on so many things like we start with KERO brobo which was a
53:01
classic ballet created by George Bal one of the first ballets he made on New York City Ballet it is it's Beauty it's
53:07
technically very demanding for all the dancers the cord to ballet doesn't go don't go off stage for 19 minutes the
53:13
Puda I mean it's just for me as a dancer when I danced it it was like one of those like completely satisfying ballets
53:21
you came off stage you felt like you did a threea ballet even though you were on stage for 20 minutes just kind of got everything you get you get to have fun
53:28
but it's also a little bit emotional in the Pota there like you can really make something out of it the next valy we do
53:33
on the program is called after the rain by Christopher Welden in this one literally people are always crying by
53:38
the end of this ballet it's like it's just the music's beautiful it's it's arvo part and it it's just like one of
53:45
those pieces that will move someone yeah then we do donot padoo which is exciting
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and like flashy and there's you know lots of turns and big jumps and you know something that like is more of like a
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you know if you're going to see tricks and things like that this is something you would want to go see and then we
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close the program with Not Our Fate which is it's just a great ball the music's great it's choreographed by
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Lauren love it um who's going to be doing a new ballet for us this season as well at NJ PAC and um it's a it the ends
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the whole evening on a high note so you feel like you've gotten a little bit of everything even though you're not
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watching a story you know you're emotions have gone on a on a ride even though you're not just kind of um
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sitting there watching The Sleeping Beauty of The Nutcracker yeah and of course I want everyone to come to everything but these performances are so
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special for the dancers because it really does challenge them as artists and they get to learn a new style of
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dancing maybe they're using their body in a different way maybe people who don't like the stories will feel like
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feel excited by these performances and we've gotten wonderful feedback from the performances that we've done in the last
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two years since I've been here these reparatory evenings and I just hope that people kind of take that chance on us
55:02
because it is I think they'll come back and most people said they're coming back and they're going to bring their friends and I think that that's what our goal is
55:09
you know is just how do we get them in there you know because it's not the Nutcracker or the Sleeping Beauty and I think that that is a challenge but yeah
55:17
great well they should go see them and so like on average this be like my last kind of technical question before we get
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to the end here uh average like per year how many shows are is the New Jersey
55:29
Ballet putting on well this past year we had actually 13 sold out performances of Nutcracker
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so that was just Nutcracker alone and then we did four earlier than that three four I would say I mean we do at least
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like I think 32 performances a year and they're spread out you know at different times of the year that are convenient
55:49
for your schedule you know um we did November then we do we're doing one in March then we do one in April we do one
55:54
in May and you know like I said there's something for everyone I think it's just
55:59
it's and our tickets are not like New York prices you know it's not you're going to pay $200 for a ticket you know
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they're under $100 and you know it's a wonderful evening and morrist town is so great there's so many great restaurants
56:11
there you know you have dinner you come to the valet and I try not to make the programs very long either because nobody
56:16
wants to sit there for 3 hours you know and this particular program in March has one intermission you know so it's like they're in and out and they can say oh I
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went to the ballet and you know got to experience something great and um and
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then the performance at NJ PAC that we're doing in May this is a really unique program for us Lauren love is
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creating a new ballet we're doing another ballet that was created for the company my first season and that was you
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know received really well by another principal dancer from um New York City
56:48
Ballet he was the one who created Harrison ball and it was it's a beautiful piece and so we're doing that and then we're also doing a piece by
56:54
Justin peek who is you know a huge choreographer as well and I think it's a unique program to us and I think that's
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also another really exciting way to kind of get to know New Jersey valet and what we're you know where we're trying to go
57:07
sure awesome well uh for people that want to go find the schedule get tickets
57:13
all that kind of stuff or maybe tickets will be like on the actual venue sites but uh where like where should they go
57:18
to learn more uh check out the schedule like where do you want people to go to learn more about you guys they can check
57:24
it out NJ b.org great uh so Maria this has been one of my favorite episodes
57:30
I've done in a while honestly I'm not just saying that because we're sitting here went out uh I mean it was funny but
57:35
just like I I just appreciate kind of uh like I said to you before the the types of episodes that we're recording this
57:41
week are all three are so different um like I may have gone to like one
57:48
valet like in my entire life which will change I promise but um I just you know
57:54
I wanted a hard try to like round out different parts of cultural stuff in Jersey um and then doing this and
58:00
sitting with you and kind of just like learning not just about New Jersey B life but really like your career and all
58:06
my stupid questions at the beginning like so I really appreciate you doing this with us and giving us your time and
58:11
because I know you had a lot going on but uh I really appreciate you having me here well thank you for I it was it was
58:17
a lot of fun and I'm happy that you you know came and looked for us because this
58:22
is something you know we are in New Jersey I think it's important for all of New Jersey to kind of explore what the
58:29
state has toer and I'm happy that you included Us in that thank you absolutely no I I appreciate it I just Clos my book
58:36
so I have to open it again but uh so thank you to everybody oh my no way no
58:43
way all right so uh for everyone listening I'll make sure I put NJ ballet.org in the show notes people just
58:50
go click go to the website check out the schedule uh go support local art Essen
58:55
like that's really what we're talking about here so it's really important um go out to a show I want to go to the one in March so we should talk about that um
59:02
and uh so this NJ B will be in the show notes like I said this has been the greenest with G State podcast powered by
59:09
the New Jersey Lottery uh we were here today with the New Jersey Ballet artistic director Maria Maria Kowski
59:16
thank you for listening and we will catch you next
59:23
time myab do you are
59:29
right oh tell me before you go all way
59:34
do you want
59:53
ride