Terpsichore

About Terpsichore

Named after the Greek goddess of dance and chorus and also an allusion to historian Sally Banes’ seminal book on postmodern dance “Terpsichore in Sneakers,” Terpsichore is a podcast celebrating dancers, choreographers, and bodies in motion. Curated and hosted by dance critic and writer Emily May, Terpsichore interviews leading voices from the dance industry about their lives, careers, and the artists that have inspired them.

Publisher

Emily May

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Nov 2020

Latest episode

11 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

36 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Aug 2025

   Episode 36: Choreographer Léa Tirabasso on why questions are more important than answers

   Léa Tirabasso is a choreographer and performer whose work is rooted in physicality, instinct, and a deep curiosity about what it means to be human. She was born in eastern France, and before training at London Contemporary Dance School, studied Modern Literature and History of Art in Lyon. It was here that she first became interested in the Fluxus movement and the idea of dissolving boundaries between art and life — something that continues to resonate through her work today. As a performer, Léa danced with companies and choreographers across the UK, Luxembourg, Germany, and Chile — including Clod Ensemble, José Vidal, Seke Chimuntengwende, and Johannes Wieland. She was also a member of the TanzEnsemble at the Staatstheater Kassel between 2011 and 2013. Since 2012, Léa has been creating her own choreographic work, which often explores humour, dysfunction, brutality, exhaustion, and the body as a site of instinct. Her practice is deeply research-driven. For example, for her work ‘The Ephemeral Life of an Octopus’, she collaborated with oncologists, gynaecologists, and geneticists, exploring the mystery of cells and the relationship between mind and body. She’s also worked closely with a philosophy lecturer from University College London, contributed to open conversations at the Wellcome Collection, and regularly speaks with medical students about her creative process. Léa’s latest piece, ‘In the Bushes’, celebrates the incomprehensible and magnificent contradictions of life whilst mocking the idea of human exceptionalism. Quirky, exuberant and witty, it questions our humanity with ferocious joy. Premiered in Marseille last year, it’s about to be performed as part of the Luxembourg selection at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 13th - 25th August. Ahead of this run, I couldn’t wait to talk to Léa about how her early studies in literature and art continue to shape her work, how philosophy and science have become collaborators in her creative process, and why playfulness, absurdity, and instinct matter now more than ever.

2. 

   23 Jul 2025

   Episode 35: Visual artist Megan Rooney on the dance between paint and movement

   Based in London, visual artist Megan Rooney grew up between South Africa, Brazil, and Canada. She completed her BA at the University of Toronto before earning an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, London, in 2011. Working across painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and language, the body has long played a central role in her practice. Megan describes her painting process as deeply physical—using her own body to engage with the canvas in shifting ways. Whether swaying gently or rushing forward, her bodily stance and mood directly shape the gestures that unfold in her work. Performance is often an integral part of Megan’s exhibitions. She regularly collaborates with choreographer Temitope Ajose, with whom she shares a long-standing creative partnership. For her recent solo exhibition ‘Yellow Yellow Blue’ at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in London, Ajose and dancer Leah Marjovec performed a duet titled ‘Spin Down Sky II’, accompanied by live saxophone from multidisciplinary artist tyroneisaacstuart. This performance—first developed through earlier works at Kettle’s Yard in 2024—continued the poetic narrative of the night butterfly and the bolas spider, symbolic characters that have become recurring figures in Rooney’s evolving universe. Listen to our full conversation with Megan and, if you’re based in London, make sure to head over to Thaddaeus Ropac to see the final performance of ‘Spin Down Sky II’ at 7pm on 27th July.

3. 

   7 May 2025

   Episode 34: Ballet Zurich director Cathy Marston choreographs new perspectives on old narratives

   Formerly the director of Bern Ballet from 2007 to 2013, Cathy Marston is currently the Director of Ballet Zürich in Switzerland, as well as an internationally renowned choreographer of contemporary ballet. Originally trained at the Royal Ballet School, she’s known for her inventive approach to storytelling—translating seminal works from the English literary canon onto stage and into movement to offer new perspectives on familiar narratives. For example, her Mrs Robinson (2023) was an adaptation of Charles Webb’s The Graduate for San Francisco Ballet, and Snowblind (2018), created for the same company, was inspired by Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome. Other literary adaptations include D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Similarly, her biographically inspired ballets bring historical women to the fore: while The Cellist, created for The Royal Ballet in 2020, tells the story of celebrated cellist Jacqueline du Pré; Victoria made for Northern Ballet in 2019, explores the life and legacy of renowned British monarch Queen Victoria. Originally choreographed on Northern Ballet in 2016, Cathy’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre has been regularly restaged since its creation. It’s currently on tour around the UK, with upcoming dates at Sadler’s Wells (13th-17th May 2025) and Norwich Theatre Royal (20th-24th May 2025). In light of the revival, Terpsichore spoke to Cathy about her choreographic voice, collaborative methods, and the stories that continue to inspire her to reimagine narrative through movement.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

12 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

15

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77