TuTu Thin: A Podcast for Dancers | Be a healthy dancer/athlete in mind, body and spirit.  

Dawn Smith-Theodore, MA, MFT, CEDS
TuTu Thin: A Podcast for Dancers  |  Be a healthy dancer/athlete in mind, body and spirit.  

The TuTu Thin Podcast will explore the complex relationship between dancers, athletes, their body and eating disorders, explaining how eating disorders can too easily develop in this driven, perfectionistic yet vulnerable population. TuTu Thin also explores the relationship between the dancer/athlete and the drive for perfection. How can the dancer/athlete develop healthy eating patterns in a world where there is expectation to have a strong, yet thin body. How can the dance teacher, choreographers, coaches and parents identify who may be struggling with an eating disorder? Coaches and dance teachers can promote healthy body image, but what is their responsibility if a dancer/athlete is exhibiting signs of having an eating disorder? Both prevention and treatment of eating disorders for the dancer/athlete are examined as well as how to return them back to their passion for dance or their sport. There will also be interviews with dancers, athletes, and those who work with them to promote wellness in mind, body and spirit.

  1. MAY 30

    Derryl Yeager, Founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Dance Theatre Shares his Journey through Dance in Stage, Film and TV

    DERRYL YEAGER Founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Dance Theatre As a professional dancer for over two decades, Derryl Yeager has had experience in every style and medium. He received his BFA and MFA degrees at the University of Utah while becoming a principal dancer with Ballet West. He then went on to perform in the Broadway Shows A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, and Cats and has appeared in numerous TV and Film projects that include Staying Alive, She’s Having a Baby, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, A More Perfect Union, Moonlighting, The Tracy Ullman Show, The Young and the Restless, and General Hospital. As a Choreographer and Director he has worked professionally from Ballet to Broadway, Film, Music Videos, and numerous Television Shows. He has taught at two major universities and was Artistic Director of the BYU Theatre Ballet for 2 years. He has choreographed numerous successful ballets for several professional companies and has been the production choreographer for the Utah Shakespeare Festival - winner of the Tony Award for best regional theatre in the year 2000—as well as Director/Choreographer of many Tuacahn productions. As Founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Dance Theatre, he brings all of his talents and experience to bear to create an exciting, innovative, and entertaining company that produces works that range from the timely to the timeless. Training:  BFA (Magna Cum Laude), MFA (Summa Cum Laude)- University of Utah, American Conservatory Theatre - San Francisco, ABC Television Actor’s Workshop & Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop - LA, Voice - Seth Riggs, Ballet West Principal Dancer - 6 yrs, 25 years as professional Singer/Dancer/Actor  Performer:  Film - A More Perfect Union, She’s Having A Baby, Staying Alive, When the Heat Hits the Street, How Rare a Possession, The Lamb of God, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Limit Up  Television - Touched by An Angel, Crossroads, Boys of Twighlight, Fame, Days of Our Lives, Tracy Ullman Show, Coach, Moonlighting, For the Love of My Daughter, The Young and the Restless, The Stand, Hardcastle & McCormick, General Hospital, A Whole Lot Of Fun, Soup to Nuts, The Music of Your Life, Rodney Dangerfield Special, Country Jamboree, Steppin’ Out, Universal Studios Grand Opening Celebration, The Rose Parade Broadway Theatre - A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Cats, Shenendoah, Oklahoma!, Cinderella  Nightclub - Mary Hart, Carol Lawrence, The Horn, Gardenia, Carlos and Charlies, The Saraha, The Mint, The Golden Nugget, The Desert Inn Industrial - LA Gear World Tour with Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dominos Pizza, Ford, Dihatsu, Reebok, Kohler, Fila, Levis, Novell  Commercials - Broadway, Rogaine with Karl Malone Director/Choreographer: Coca-Cola - 2002 Olympics, The Dance, Tahitian Noni Industrial, USANA Convention, Tuacahn Amphitheatre: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2x), Oklahoma!, Hairspray, Little Mermaid Choreographer: Television - The Stand, Young and the Restless, The Bold and The Beautiful, Steppin’ Out, Country Jamboree, Touched by An Angel Film - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, The Great American West, When the Heat Hits the Street  Music Video - Stevie Nicks, Julio Iglesias, Paul Anka, I Don’t Like Peanuts  Ballet - Promenades, Punch & Judy, Enya Variations, Saxon Suite, Flight of Icarus, Fresh Aire, Catfish Row, Windchimes, Jelly Roll Blues, Reebach Revival, Dreamtime USA, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Alice in Wonderland Thank you for listening to The TuTu thin Podcast Please contact us through www.dawntheodore.com www.tututhin.com IG @tutu_thin Facebook @tututhin Twitter @tututhin Thank you to Matt Miller @ Smacky Media Group

    54 min
  2. MAY 16

    In Honor of Mental health Awareness: Owner of Iris Healing and Ambassador for those with Mental Health Disorders discusses her work in Trauma and Mental Health using Brain Spotting, Neuro feedback, TMS and Spirituality in Psychotherapy

    Dr. Elena Kapustina found her true calling and completed her PsyD in Clinical Psychology after earning her MBA and spending years working as the CFO for major corporations. She founded Iris Healing® to holistically work with dual diagnosis patients in order to create a more sustainable recovery. From managing 1,000 employees to creating a top of the line treatment center, Dr. Kapustina harnesses her passion to create positive experiences for others. After completing her Doctorate degree and successfully defending her dissertation “Conceptualizing Spirituality in Psychotherapy,” she opened the doors to Iris Healing® Retreat in Woodland Hills. Subsequently, she opened an outpatient wellness center nearby to provide an amazing continuum of care for those seeking treatment from substance abuse, co-occurring disorders and clients with trauma. Elena is uniquely positioned to support clients and their families through the process of recovery due to her diverse education, combining real world business acumen with a grounded, compassionate and nurturing approach to individual care. Whenever Elena is not with clients or their families, you will see her attending educational events, conferences and just enjoying talking to people and helping as much as she can. She is an eternal student – constantly seeking new paths to personal growth and evolution that she can offer her community and clients. Elena served as the editor for a charitable psychology magazine called Gratitude and continues to volunteer and support several non-profits. She strongly believes in treatment over incarceration and therefore spends substantial time bringing awareness to the legal community while also advocating for her clients. She also has a sense of adventure – having explored over 40 countries – which gives her a open-minded and diverse perspective on her work. In her free time you can find Elena playing on the beach with her daughter and practicing hot yoga. We are sending Love, Light and Peace from Elena to all of you! Since the recent Southern California fires, we have relocated and are currently rebuilding our studio. We appreciate your understanding as we resolve technical issues and finalize our new space. -Dawn Smith-Theodore Thank you for listening to The TuTu thin Podcast Please contact us through www.dawntheodore.com www.tututhin.com IG @tutu_thin Facebook @tututhin Twitter @tututhin Thank you to Matt Miller @ Smacky Media Group

    53 min
  3. MAY 2

    In honor of Mental Health Awareness Week : Juli Shamash from the Drug Awareness Foundation talks about the loss of her son to fentanyl and the work she is doing to help educate others.

    Juli Shamash is a former elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom. After tragically losing her 19-year-old son Tyler from fentanyl poisoning in 2018, she and another grieving mom started Moms Against Drugs, a nonprofit to help other grieving parents. Juli is currently focusing on her family’s new non profit, Drug Awareness Foundation. She is working to promote fentanyl awareness and drug education for grades 7-12. She speaks to students, parents, and professional groups about drug abuse, overdose prevention, and the dangers of fentanyl-poisoned drugs. She also works on distributing fentanyl testing strips and naloxone in her community. Juli is the driving force behind the legislation, SB864, Tyler’s Law, which requires every hospital in California to test for fentanyl whenever they order a standard five-panel urine drug test. On August 22nd, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB864, Tyler’s Law and it went go into effect on January 1, 2023. The law was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate in December of 2023 and Juli is now working on trying to get it out of committee. Since the recent Southern California fires, we have relocated and are currently rebuilding our studio. We appreciate your understanding as we resolve technical issues and finalize our new space. -Dawn Smith-Theodore Thank you for listening to The TuTu thin Podcast Please contact us through www.dawntheodore.com www.tututhin.com IG @tutu_thin Facebook @tututhin Twitter @tututhin Thank you to Matt Miller @ Smacky Media Group

    39 min
  4. APR 4

    A conversation with Nancy Dobbs Owen....Her dance career and the trajectory of the dance industry

    Nancy Dobbs Owen has performed throughout the United States, with both ballet and modern companies and then as a ballerina and a Meg cover in the National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Regional theater includes productions at American Musical Theatre of San Jose, The Magic Theater, 42nd St. Moon, and Berkeley Opera. LA theatre includes Theatre of Note, The Alex Theater, The Hudson Theater, The Santa Monica Playhouse, and Lucy in the Production Company’s critically acclaimed Sweeney Todd. Additional Los Angeles credits include starring in the West Coast premiere of The Bridge Club at Deaf/West Theatre and a ballerina role in Nixon in China with the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall. Film and television work includes Sia’s directorial debut; Music as well as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, American Princess, VEEP, the 2019 Deadwood feature, and Netflix’s Ratched. Choreography credits include Skeleton Stories (Best Choreography Nomination, BroadwayWorld.com), Have You Seen Alice, and Welcome to the White Room (Outstanding Choreography, Small Theater) at Theatre of NOTE, Assassins with Sight Unseen Theatre, M. Butterfly, Sweeney Todd (Seven Ovation nominations), Working (Outstanding Choreography, Small Theater) and Enron (Outstanding Choreography, Small Theater), all at the Production Company, The Snow Queen (Memorable Choreography, Small Theater) at the Fremont Centre Theatre, Where's Charley for 42nd St. Moon, as well as additional choreography for I’d Rather Be Right at the Hudson Theater, Dolls! at the Santa Monica Playhouse and Pacific Opera Project's The Mikado. She served as the resident choreographer for the Marina Del Rey Symphony’s Summer Dance Concert, creating 4 original ballets. Film and video choreography includes the music video for the Band Pie's gorgeous song Yo Se, a flash mob scene for the hot web series Squad 85, My Life on the F List, the feature films Hollywood Fringe and Ghost Light, and Lullaby, a Zombie Musical. Commercial work includes four national spots for Big Lots and a web video for Poise. With Weyward Sisters Productions, she created two dance films; Surrender to the Mystery and Nevada Line. The 2018 dance film Too Many Bodies, has been accepted into over 30 film festivals including SF International Dance Film Festival, the Santa Barbara International Dance Film Festival, and the Sedona International Film Festival. It has won numerous best of awards. Films released in 2022; Floating Falling Flying and Fragmentary Evidence; Detritus were also featured at multiple festivals, winning awards for best choreography, direction, and best dance film. She made her LA directorial debut in August 2012 directing and choreographing SkyPilot Theatre's smash hit War Bride, which received rave reviews, an extension and 7 StageScene LA awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Play. She made her Fringe Festival Directorial debut in 2015 with Skanky Me From Kankakee, which received a producers' encore presentation. 2019’s Rewind, a New 80’s Pop Musical, earned the same honor. She has also worked with Fierce Backbone and Fresh Produc'd on new works. Nancy is a dedicated dance educator, currently an assistan Thank you for listening to The TuTu thin Podcast Please contact us through www.dawntheodore.com www.tututhin.com IG @tutu_thin Facebook @tututhin Twitter @tututhin Thank you to Matt Miller @ Smacky Media Group

    53 min
  5. MAR 21

    Rachel Fine, RD.... Joins TuTu Thin for a Conversation about her Work with Dancers and how to Nourish Their Bodies for Peak Performance

    Rachel Fine is a board-certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with advanced certifications in Eating Disorders (CEDS-C), Sports Nutrition (CSSD), and Intuitive Eating. Rachel founded To The Pointe Nutrition in 2013, and built The Healthy Dancer® curriculum with the mission to provide credible nutrition education to all dancers, including dance parents and dance educators worldwide. The Healthy Dancer® combines Rachel’s expertise in performance nutrition with a non-diet and weight-inclusive approach to food and body image. Rachel specializes in nutrition for dancers, with a focus on eating disorders, disordered eating, orthorexia, and perfectionism. With a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics from New York University, Rachel completed her Dietetic Internship at NYU Langone Medical Center and at The Mount Sinai Hospital. After receiving licensure, Rachel joined the staff at NYU Langone Medical Center as a Clinical Dietitian. Past academic appointments include Clinical Adjunct Instructor of Medical Nutrition Therapy at New York University and Adjunct Professor of Sports Nutrition at Long Island University. Rachel's experience spans further with research at NYU Langone's Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. Rachel is also a monthly columnist for Dance Magazine, Pointe Magazine, and Dance Teacher Magazine. In addition to her private practice, Rachel is the consulting dietitian for Dance Masterclass and Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), as well as the on-site dietitian for The School of American Ballet. Thank you for listening to The TuTu thin Podcast Please contact us through www.dawntheodore.com www.tututhin.com IG @tutu_thin Facebook @tututhin Twitter @tututhin Thank you to Matt Miller @ Smacky Media Group

    45 min

Ratings & Reviews

3
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The TuTu Thin Podcast will explore the complex relationship between dancers, athletes, their body and eating disorders, explaining how eating disorders can too easily develop in this driven, perfectionistic yet vulnerable population. TuTu Thin also explores the relationship between the dancer/athlete and the drive for perfection. How can the dancer/athlete develop healthy eating patterns in a world where there is expectation to have a strong, yet thin body. How can the dance teacher, choreographers, coaches and parents identify who may be struggling with an eating disorder? Coaches and dance teachers can promote healthy body image, but what is their responsibility if a dancer/athlete is exhibiting signs of having an eating disorder? Both prevention and treatment of eating disorders for the dancer/athlete are examined as well as how to return them back to their passion for dance or their sport. There will also be interviews with dancers, athletes, and those who work with them to promote wellness in mind, body and spirit.

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