When the dancers of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater came back to the studio in September 2020 after the Covid-19 shutdown, everyone knew there was a lot of work to be done to get the dancers back into performance shape. In the year leading up to their first in-person season since the start of the pandemic, the dancers engaged in various forms of cross-training curated by artistic staff, the physical therapy department and others in the Ailey community. In the fall of 2021, there was one more big push to get the dancers ready for stage. Listen as Mr. Matthew Rushing, Dr. Sheyi Ojofeitimi, Dr. Marissa Schaeffer, Andrew Schaeffer and Antoine Simmons detail that final push and discuss the logistics, challenges and triumphs of packing cross-training into a busy season.

Host: Marissa Schaeffer Co-Hosts: Ellie Kusner and Marissa Schaeffer Website: www.dancewellpodcast.com Email: [email protected] Introduction Soundscape: Brendan Berry and Dylan EzzieVisual Image: Katie Dean