EPISODE · May 14, 2025 · 1H 29M
A Ballerina’s Second Act, and the truths you didn’t know about ballet. feat. Ludmila
from 摩登女兒國 Ladies Odyssey · host 安柏Amber
Before hanging up her pointe shoes, Ludmila danced alongside Tan Yuanyuan—a true legend. As a Chinese person, I’ll admit I probably know very little about ballet, but ask anyone on the street and they’ll tell you: Tan Yuanyuan is our national treasure. Lud was part of the same company as Tan in San Francisco and Hong Kong, and they even toured together in Shanghai.At the end of our interview, I was surprised to learn that former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi—yes, the one famously tearing up Trump’s speech on live TV—once hosted Ludmila in her office during a San Francisco Ballet tour stop in Washington, D.C. wow! How amazing, inspiring ladies!This conversation was recorded for my podcast LADIES ODYSSEY, where we focus on “ladies only, life overseas.” In this episode, Ludmila shares her transformation from a professional ballerina to embracing early retirement in Barcelona—a life that, let’s be honest, many of us dream of.One of the joys of talking with Lud is her unexpected and vivid metaphors. For example, when describing the significance of the body to a ballet dancer, I once heard a male dancer say, “Our body is our tool.” But Lud put it differently: “Our body is our instrument, our canvas. You have to care for it.”When we discussed the challenge of maintaining inner stability while living across different cities and countries, she described the ballet company—its rehearsals and performances—as her “anchor,” the steady force that kept her grounded.And I absolutely adore her smile—radiant as the sun, vast as the sky. She has no fear of aging, no anxiety about appearances. She reminded me of an actress who once told a magazine editor, after they’d airbrushed away her wrinkles: “Please put them back. I worked so hard, for so many years, to earn them.”Even before this episode was fully edited, the ballet-focused series Étoile had already premiered. I couldn’t resist scheduling another recording session with Ludmila—once I’ve finished watching the series, we’ll have so much more to discuss. Much like Black Swan, the show features many of Ludmila’s former colleagues and friends. There’s even a Chinese ballerina, Wan Ting, whom Ludmila calls “the next Tan Yuanyuan-level star.” Absolutely spellbinding.
What this episode covers
Before hanging up her pointe shoes, Ludmila danced alongside Tan Yuanyuan—a true legend. As a Chinese person, I’ll admit I probably know very little about ballet, but ask anyone on the street and they’ll tell you: Tan Yuanyuan is our national treasure. Lud was part of the same company as Tan in San Francisco and Hong Kong, and they even toured together in Shanghai.At the end of our interview, I was surprised to learn that former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi—yes, the one famously tearing up Trump’s speech on live TV—once hosted Ludmila in her office during a San Francisco Ballet tour stop in Washington, D.C. wow! How amazing, inspiring ladies!This conversation was recorded for my podcast LADIES ODYSSEY, where we focus on “ladies only, life overseas.” In this episode, Ludmila shares her transformation from a professional ballerina to embracing early retirement in Barcelona—a life that, let’s be honest, many of us dream of.One of the joys of talking with Lud is her unexpected and vivid metaphors. For example, when describing the significance of the body to a ballet dancer, I once heard a male dancer say, “Our body is our tool.” But Lud put it differently: “Our body is our instrument, our canvas. You have to care for it.”When we discussed the challenge of maintaining inner stability while living across different cities and countries, she described the ballet company—its rehearsals and performances—as her “anchor,” the steady force that kept her grounded.And I absolutely adore her smile—radiant as the sun, vast as the sky. She has no fear of aging, no anxiety about appearances. She reminded me of an actress who once told a magazine editor, after they’d airbrushed away her wrinkles: “Please put them back. I worked so hard, for so many years, to earn them.”Even before this episode was fully edited, the ballet-focused series Étoile had already premiered. I couldn’t resist scheduling another recording session with Ludmila—once I’ve finished watching the series, we’ll have so much more to discuss. Much like Black Swan, the show features many of Ludmila’s former colleagues and friends. There’s even a Chinese ballerina, Wan Ting, whom Ludmila calls “the next Tan Yuanyuan-level star.” Absolutely spellbinding.
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A Ballerina’s Second Act, and the truths you didn’t know about ballet. feat. Ludmila
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