Ballet, Leadership, and Mistakes Under Pressure — Jared Redick

OOPS! Due to an editing mistake, I had to reupload the file. Again. My guest for Episode #312 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jared Redick, a third-generation ballet dancer, choreographer, and award-winning educator.

Episode page with links and more

Jared is a full professor and Assistant Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed with renowned companies including the Boston Ballet and Miami City Ballet, and now shapes the next generation of dancers through his leadership, coaching, and innovation in arts education.

In our conversation, Jared shares his favorite mistake—one that unfolded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while producing a filmed version of The Nutcracker. A critical planning misstep nearly derailed the production when sets weren’t ready for a pivotal weekend of shooting. Facing immense time pressure and logistical complexity, Jared and his team were able to regroup, adapt the schedule, and ultimately find a better way forward. The experience became a lesson in flexibility, communication, and leading with calm under pressure.

Jared also reflects on his transition from performer to educator, how he defines effective leadership, and what it means to embrace vulnerability in pursuit of growth. We explore how his equity-focused curriculum changes are reshaping the world of ballet and how earning an MBA is helping him integrate business thinking into the arts. Throughout the episode, Jared’s humility, clarity, and passion for mentorship shine through.

Questions and Topics:

• What’s your favorite mistake, and what happened during the COVID-era Nutcracker production?
• How did you lead your team through the anxiety of that situation and find a solution?
• Was the missed set deadline more of a communication issue or a planning breakdown?
• Were there lasting lessons from that project that apply to future productions?
• Was anyone blamed or punished for the mistake—or was it handled differently?
• What role does leadership play in preventing or responding to these types of issues?
• What stage of the pandemic were you in when filming The Nutcracker? Were dancers masked?
• Can you tell us more about your personal path into dance and your early training?
• How does the transition from high school conservatory to professional ballet typically work?
• How did you navigate your own transition from performing to teaching and leadership?
• As a performer, how did you deal with the possibility—or reality—of making mistakes on stage?
• How do performers balance self-assessment with celebrating what went well?
• Did you regularly receive feedback or review recordings of your performances?
• How has your leadership style evolved as an assistant dean and teacher?
• What are “equity-focused curriculum updates,” and how are they changing ballet education?
• What are some challenges in making ballet more inclusive and accessible?
• How does bias in dance differ from other performing arts like music?
• What has been most eye-opening in your MBA program coming from an arts background?
• How do business tools like project management software support the arts?
• What does “embracing vulnerability” mean to you, and how does it relate to learning from mistakes?