Craig Salstein-NYCB repertory director, longtime ABT soloist, teacher, and Broadway collaborator-shares grounded, generous advice for dancers navigating the hard parts: injury, casting politics, and self-comparison. With trademark humor and clarity, Craig makes a case for “dancing smart”: build technique like scaffolding, obsess over landings and communicate clearly and kindly. He talks about keeping class light without losing discipline, how to turn professional envy into fuel, and why presence beats perfection. We also dig into his work with Justin Peck (from Carousel and West Side Story to Maestro), teaching everyone from company principals to total beginners, and the mindset that sustains a long career-onstage and off. If you need perspective, a plan for rehab, or just permission to breathe and keep going, this one’s a balm.
You’ll learn:
Practical steps for dancing through injury and returning smarter
How to stay focused when you’re not first cast (and why it matters)
Turning comparison into craft, not crisis
Making the studio lighter while keeping standards high
The “iterate” mindset for longevity in dance
Take class with Craig, here: Train with the best
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