Episode Details

In this episode of At the Barre with Madison Ballet, Director of Outreach Chris Fahrenthold sits down with Outreach Programs Coordinator Caitlin Sloan to talk about Madison Ballet’s exciting new chapter and what audiences can expect from the 2026–27 season.

Madison Ballet Special Projects has officially evolved into Madison Ballet Outreach, becoming a division of the company itself. While much of the work remains the same, this new structure allows the team to expand its programming, collaborate with more dancers and faculty, reach more schools and libraries, and create even more opportunities for the Madison community to experience ballet.

Key points in this episode:

• What’s changing, and what isn’t, with the transition from Madison Ballet Special Projects to Madison Ballet Outreach
• How becoming part of the company will allow Outreach to expand its programming
• The role of the trainee program and why trainees are such an important bridge between student life and a professional ballet career
• How Madison Ballet hopes to bring ballet directly into schools, libraries, bookstores, and other community spaces
• Plans for opening-night Q&As, pre-show talks, and opportunities for audiences to learn more about the work they are about to see
• The importance of creating context around ballet and helping audiences understand what they are seeing on stage
• Why bringing more people into the ballet is at the heart of Madison Ballet Outreach’s mission

At its core, this episode is about connection: connecting Madison Ballet with its community, connecting audiences with the artists who make ballet, and creating more opportunities for people to discover (and fall in love with!) the art form.

See JEKYLL & HYDE @ Madison Youth Arts Center October 29 - November 1, 2026

https://www.madisonballet.org/jekyll-hyde-info

Join the conversation!

Madison Ballet Website: madisonballet.org

MB INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/madisonballet

MBO INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/madisonballetoutreach

Questions/comments? Email us at outreach@madisonballet.org

Credits

PODCAST COVER PHOTO: Matthew Ulrich

DANCER: Madison Ballet Company Artist Dana Sheldon

MUSIC: Capet String Quartet - Ravel (Col. D 15057-60) 1928