In this episode of The Dance Maker Podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott chats and chuckles with choreographer and performer Anthony Alterio. They explore how his choreographic process has evolved, how he expands his students’ views of dancemaking, and the value of artistic wisdom that ripens with age.

The two unpack Anthony’s work, Everything I Never Wore, presented in 2024 at the Small Plates Austin show. This solo, performed by Lainey Harbert, “reimagines queer longing through domestic objects and ’90s nostalgia.” Beth and Anthony take time to recall memories woven into clothing, belongings, and space. Life’s souvenirs become the architecture of our lives, and their spirits are tangled in the atmosphere of this deeply personal piece.

Wrap yourself in your coziest crochet blanket to listen and laugh along.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Anthony Alterio is on faculty at Ohio University. He works in the School of Dance and the School of Theatre as Assistant Professor of Instruction, Musical Theatre and Dance. His research explores how representations of identities in the LGBTQIA+ community in pop culture reflect in academic settings as part of a larger interest in how dancers present themselves. Anthony is a native of Pittsburgh, and he began his professional dance training at The University of Colorado-Boulder, where he received a BA double-majoring in Dance and Psychology and went on to attain an MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, he has won multiple choreography awards including the Maggie Allesee Choreography award and since has been showing work across the US. Alterio is a member of the Boulder Jazz Dance Company, (formerly Interweave Dance Theatre), the resident company of the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop as well as Director of a summer dance intensive geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community called Excessive Realness.

Anthony's website - www.anthonyalterio.com

Pittsburgh Dance Workshop - www.pittsburghdanceworkshop.com

The next Pittsburgh Dance Workshop and Pittsburgh Choreography Festival will be held June 7th-12th, 2027.

Become an audience member at Small Plates in NYC at Judson Church to see Anthony's work on November 13th!

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.

In this episode of The Dance Maker Podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott and dance artist Carlye Eckert lean into their ‘gift for gab’ to talk about life’s transitions and their effects on dance-making. They unpack topics like creative environments that restore artists’ connection to their craft, differences between dance-making in the U.S. vs. Europe, and the underestimated potential of short-form dance works.
The two gently pull apart the details of Carlye’s solo work, El Corazón Se Encuentra, performed at the 2025 Small Plates Austin show. What does it look like to honestly listen to and follow your own heart? What does it feel like to experience loss and growth at the same time? How can one make genuine movement and choreograph from the inside out? The piece’s origins lie in these questions, and its deep connection to the answers lets the audience feel its pulse long after watching.
Carlye Eckert is a dance artist.
Her movement-based work is dedicated to fostering spaces for thriving, accessible, and transformative arts experiences for underserved communities. Using environmental and communal encounters as a dynamic canvas to traverse physical and imaginary landscapes, her multi-media approach extends to other artistic disciplines, including visual art, video, set design, and sound. Carlye curates her practice on a spectrum of public, educational, traditional, and unconventional platforms, providing unique opportunities for audiences to immerse themselves in and connect with the present moment.
A graduate of the Juilliard School (Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, 2009), her work has been presented in Vienna, AUS at MUMOK and ImpulsTanz Festival (2024), in Portland, OR at A-WOL and the West Linn Theater; at Garner Arts Center (West Haverstraw, NY), Chapman Steamer Arts (Newburgh, NY), The Ritz Theater (Newburgh, NY), Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts (New Brunswick, NJ), and in NYC at Judson Memorial Church, Center for Performance Research, Triskelion, CAVE, CUNY, Dance New Amsterdam, West End Theater, Dixon Place, Location One, DUMBO Dance Festival, Green Space, The Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center, and The Juilliard School.
Tune in soon to hear Carlye Eckert hosting interviews for the Dance Maker Podcast!
Carlye's website - https://www.carlyeeckert.com/about
Carlye's insta - https://www.instagram.com/carlyeeckert/
Dance Parade - https://danceparade.org/
Y Museum - https://www.instagram.com/y__museum/
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.

In this episode of The Dance Maker Podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott speaks with choreographer and performer Audrey Baran about collaboration, Filipino culture, and connections between traditional and contemporary dance. They sift through the details of Baran Dance's work 'Bad Kids', performed in 2025 at the annual Small Plates Duck show. This duet, performed with Jherrymiah Go, brings a contemporary lens to the traditional Binasuan dance and comments on the expectations placed on Filipino women and girls. Audrey shares how her practicing relationship to her cultural heritage alongside her collaborative process shaped the piece. Though the work is rooted in deep conversations, bespoke music, spoken word, and rap, the unspoken elements are what leave a ringing in the ears.
Tune in soon to hear Audrey Baran hosting interviews for the Dance Maker Podcast!
Audrey Baran (she/her) is a Filipina-American dance maker, performer, and educator based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins Univ as well as a Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As the founder and artistic director of nonprofit contemporary dance company Baran Dance, she is dedicated to expanding definitions and representation in contemporary dance throughout the Southeast by presenting collaborative, multimedia performances and mentorship programs for emerging and evolving dance artists. Baran is also a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and MUNZ FLOOR® coach and thrives on sharing her research on the intersection of movement and mindfulness among diverse bodies in action.
Baran Dance Website - https://www.baran.dance
Baran Dance Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/barandance/
Sign up for Company Class with Baran Dance - https://app.ubindi.com/Audrey.Baran
Derrick J. Hines music - https://bandcamp.com/derrickjhines
Ruby Ibarra music - https://www.rubyibarra.com/
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Visit https://smallplatesdance.com/ ⁠for open applications, links to purchase tickets, and to donate.
Join our email list at https://smallplatesdance.newsletter to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.