Dance Maker host Beth McKee Elliott reflects on closing the 2025 performance season and wrapping up season two of the Dance Maker podcast, announcing a short break before returning in the spring with new artist interviews.

She highlights the success of the year’s performances in Duck, NC and Austin, TX, featuring over 30 works from 20+ artists nationwide.

Looking ahead, she outlines the 2026 Small Plates seasons in Northern Virginia, Duck, and New York City, where the festival returns for its first NYC performance since 2018.

The episode also emphasizes goals for podcast monetization and encourages listeners to subscribe, share, and support Small Plates through donations.

Finally, she offers gratitude to the artists, staff, and community before wishing everyone a peaceful end to 2025.

Visit www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.

Small Plates NOVA applications are being accepted until December 1 at midnight.

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photos: Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Matt Bradfort www.instagram.com/hankntank

Beth McKee Elliott www.instagram.com/embodiedthreads www.instagram.com/smallplatesdance

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

In this episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Carlye Eckert interviews choreographer Meghan Frederick about her work, practice, and artistic evolution. They dive into the creative process behind Frederick’s score-based piece After Yes, discussing the intentional disruption of flow, the impact of motherhood on her art, and the vulnerability and trust involved in live performance. The conversation also explores audience perception, compositional structures, and how abstraction in dance can serve as a mirror for discomfort and self-reflection. This rich dialogue offers both personal insight and broader commentary on the power of contemporary dance.

Visit www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.

IG: @⁠carlyeeckert⁠

IG: @meghanfrederick5

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photos: Jim Coleman (Emily Green) and Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

In this episode of the Dance Maker Podcast, host Michele Painter sits down with choreographer and performer Emily Green to discuss her piece Blue, first created in college and recently revived for the Small Plates Choreography Festival in Newburgh, NY. Emily reflects on her evolution as an artist over the past decade, sharing how her relationship with her body, performance, and audience connection has shifted with time. The conversation explores themes of collaboration, vulnerability, and the fleeting yet powerful nature of live dance. Emily also offers insight into her current projects and her passion for creating work that embraces intimacy, playfulness, and human connection.

IG: @emi_greenn

IG for current collaborative full-length choreographic work:

@macho_huzzah_dance

Visit www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photos: Jim Coleman (Emily Green) and Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

@michele1981plie