Central Indiana Dance Ensemble Founder & Executive Director Suzanne DeLay and Artistic Director Ashley Jacobs Train and Nurture  the Next Generation  of Ballet Artists.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore the stories, artistry, and leadership behind two of Central Indiana’s most influential performing arts forces: Central Indiana Dance Ensemble (CIDE) and the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT).The episode opens with the origins of CIDE and its companion school, the Central Indiana Academy of Dance, founded over 25 years ago by former Sacramento Ballet dancer Suzanne DeLay. What began as a response to a major cultural gap—no youth concert ballet company and no local Nutcracker—quickly grew from fewer than 50 dancers into a thriving nonprofit organization. Today, CIDE supports more than 70 company dancers, over 135 Nutcracker performers, and a professional faculty made up entirely of former ballet dancers, emphasizing serious classical training, ensemble excellence, and artistic integrity.Suzanne and her daughter Ashley Jacobs, now co-leading the organization, reflect on ballet as both art and athletic discipline—one that demands musicality, strength, precision, and emotional truth. They discuss evolving ballet culture, increased diversity and inclusion, breaking gender stereotypes, and how strong foundational training allows dancers to adapt across styles, companies, and careers. The conversation also touches on modern stagecraft, including video projection and choreography in productions like Frozen and contemporary Nutcracker stagings.The episode then shifts to theater, tracing Richard’s remarkable journey at the Indiana Repertory Theatre—from arriving in Indianapolis in 1981 and landing a stage management role on A Christmas Carol, to a decades-lon g career as IRT’s resident dramaturg. Richard shares insights into dramaturgy, directing, arts journalism, and mentorship, reflecting on how encouragement, curiosity, and collaboration shaped his path. He discusses preserving tradition while embracing change, inclusive casting, workplace culture, and why theater remains a vital space for empathy, storytelling, and community connection.Together, these stories reveal a shared truth across dance and theater: great arts organizations are built on vision, discipline, mentorship, and collaboration. Whether nurturing young dancers, preserving theatrical legacy, or adapting art for modern audiences, this episode celebrates the people who keep live performance meaningful—and alive.Support your local arts. Attend performances. Volunteer. Donate. And keep the stories moving.Follow host Tom Alvarez on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.Watch Tom every other Thursday on Lifestyle Live on WISH-TV, and listen every week on the All- Indiana Podcast Network.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.