Episode 139: The Future of Ballet Education with Austin Crumley

On this week's episode, I'm joined by ballet educator, mentor and founder of Ballet Reeducation - Austin Crumley. We discuss his journey from professional dancer to professional educator, his unique approach to teaching ballet for the 21st century, and how we can use what research and dance science tells us to inform and progress ballet education.About Austin:Austin Crumley is a ballet educator, pedagogy researcher, and the founder of Ballet Reeducation (BRe) — a professional development platform built at the intersection of pedagogy, psychology, and dance science. His work centers on one persistent tension in the field: the gap between what tradition tells us to teach and what research informs us to teach. BRe exists to close it.Austin holds a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy from The University of Oklahoma, home to one of the top dance programs in the country, where he trained under Mary Margaret Holt, Clara Cravey Stanley, Ilya Kozadayev, and Jeremy Lindberg. He went on to earn his M.Ed from Hope International University, bringing the rigor of formal education theory into a field that has long relied on oral tradition and intuition alone.Before transitioning into education full-time, Austin danced professionally with the Sacramento Ballet, performing leading and ensemble roles in works by George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Ma Cong, Jock Soto, and Darrell Moultrie. That experience as a working dancer informs everything about how he teaches. He understands what it actually costs to execute the things we ask dancers to do.Through Ballet Reeducation, Austin has worked directly with over 100 dance teachers through the Summer Training Lab (his signature annual program) alongside individual consultations and workshops. His approach is grounded in nervous-system science, neurodivergent-inclusive practice, and a commitment to teaching ballet as a physical discipline that deserves the same evidence-based rigor as any other. He is currently developing consulting partnerships with leading performing arts institutions and continues to shape what modernized ballet pedagogy can look like in real classrooms.Austin also teaches Biology and AP Biology at the California School of the Arts–San Gabriel Valley, where the overlap between biological science and movement education is less irony and more daily practice.”Connect with Austin:Website: Ballet ReeducationInstagram: @TheBalletEducatorLearn more about Erika Mayall:Follow me on Instagram: @dancephysioerikaLearn more about me on my website: https://www.allegroperformance.comSign up for my newsletter: Click hereSend me an email: [email protected] the show