WEBVTT - Damian Woetzel Lightning Round

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, everybody, it's worse. Thanks for joining us for another

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<v Speaker 1>bonus episode of Table for two. First off, Happy New Year.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm excited for all the interviews we have coming up

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty twenty five. We're starting off the year with

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<v Speaker 1>a lunch. I recently had a New York City with

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<v Speaker 1>the principal ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet

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<v Speaker 1>from nineteen eighty five to two thousand and six, and

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<v Speaker 1>now the President of Juilliard, Damian Wetzel. I'm looking forward

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<v Speaker 1>to sharing the full interview with you next week, but

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<v Speaker 1>for now, I hope you enjoyed this quick and fun

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<v Speaker 1>lightning round.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, so let's star a little quick speed, all right.

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<v Speaker 2>Favorite ballet either one you dancing or just one that

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<v Speaker 2>you just love.

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<v Speaker 3>Man, it's such a tough one because I liked dancing

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<v Speaker 3>so much. I loved what I was dancing all the time.

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<v Speaker 3>But I will say that my favorite in the end,

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<v Speaker 3>I think it probably was The Prodigal Sun, which is

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<v Speaker 3>what I retired with. And it's a It's an epic

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<v Speaker 3>narrative of strength laid low and sort of a sense

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<v Speaker 3>of redemption and journey with extraordinary.

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<v Speaker 2>Are your ballets all your ballets. People can go see

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<v Speaker 2>if they go to the archives.

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<v Speaker 3>You can go to the public library or now you know,

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<v Speaker 3>I'm you know a little bit from the black and

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<v Speaker 3>white era basically, but there's but there's plenty of stuff online.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, our dance belts comfortable. They should be.

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<v Speaker 2>Favorite New York thing to do.

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<v Speaker 4>Oh wow.

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<v Speaker 3>In so many ways, like you know, life is in

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<v Speaker 3>the in between moments, you know. So there's walking our

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<v Speaker 3>dogs in Riverside Park sometimes feels like literally like this

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<v Speaker 3>is where.

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<v Speaker 4>This is where I belong.

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<v Speaker 3>This is the sense of it. I look out at

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<v Speaker 3>the river and there's that. At the same time, I

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<v Speaker 3>will say, you know, of the moments that really stand

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<v Speaker 3>out to me, they are outside. I will say, I

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<v Speaker 3>like being outside of New York. I find there something

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<v Speaker 3>in nature or a version thereof. We did an outdoor

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<v Speaker 3>performance on Lincoln Center this this September, just kind of

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<v Speaker 3>all play. Brought some musicians and some singers together and

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<v Speaker 3>we did the last movement of Philip blast Is such

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<v Speaker 3>a Graha, which is basically a prayer for peace. And

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<v Speaker 3>we were surrounded by trees and everybody, you know, people

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<v Speaker 3>were walking by with their dogs and it was like,

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<v Speaker 3>this is New York.

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<v Speaker 4>This is Mines, Yeah, bringing it all together. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>I remember spending time in Sheep's Meadow in between classes,

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<v Speaker 3>and when I wasn't in the library, I'd go to

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<v Speaker 3>Sheep's Meadow and hang out. And I remember listening to

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<v Speaker 3>Roxy music more than this. I'm just looking around at

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<v Speaker 3>the skyline.

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<v Speaker 4>From the moment.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean that album in and of itself. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>best advice you've received.

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<v Speaker 3>I'll tell you what came to mind, and I'm not

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<v Speaker 3>sure it's the best, but it's certainly good.

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<v Speaker 4>Theater advice.

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<v Speaker 3>Jerry Robbins would say to people taking on Prodigal Son,

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<v Speaker 3>which he danced famously, if.

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<v Speaker 4>You cry, they won't interesting.

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<v Speaker 3>And there was some in that that's like an take

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<v Speaker 3>yourself so seriously, like be mindful of I can't. It's

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<v Speaker 3>it's a contextual note something in that. So I think

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<v Speaker 3>about that, and there's so many more, but you know

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<v Speaker 3>it's about to me. The best advice is probably get

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<v Speaker 3>out of your own head.

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<v Speaker 4>Get out to your other people. Yeah, listen to other people.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, heaven the first thing that comes to mind when

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<v Speaker 2>you think of your wife.

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<v Speaker 3>First ring left New York State Theater Silhouette, watching a

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<v Speaker 3>dance nineteen eighty.

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<v Speaker 2>Four, falling in Love Baby. Of the first three position

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<v Speaker 2>one learns first, second or third? Which did you feel

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<v Speaker 2>more comfortable during.

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<v Speaker 4>That second second?

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, because I was very turned out from the hips,

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<v Speaker 3>not so much from the feet.

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<v Speaker 4>Okay, so I had to.

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<v Speaker 3>Fake it a little bit in fifth right, perfectly turned

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<v Speaker 3>in second seconds here, Yeah, this is the first second second.

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<v Speaker 4>We don't really do third more. We're doing it with

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<v Speaker 4>our hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Just and see did you ever just say fuck it

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<v Speaker 2>like a just say?

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<v Speaker 1>It?

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<v Speaker 4>Doesn't sound like you did, because it sounds like no,

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<v Speaker 4>I'm not much of a fucking person.

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<v Speaker 3>I tend to work the problem to death, just like

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<v Speaker 3>you know, I often think that that's the you know.

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<v Speaker 3>I tend to like, if there's a problem, I like

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<v Speaker 3>look at it, and I'm like, how can I fix,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, make adjustments. And lately I've actually been thinking

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<v Speaker 3>a lot about I need to evolve from that to

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<v Speaker 3>some degree, to change the problem, to make to contextualize

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<v Speaker 3>that too, and not just fix it because it's like

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<v Speaker 3>a little bit like oh, we're on stage or something's

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<v Speaker 3>going on, going to fix this right instead of like

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<v Speaker 3>looking at the meta of it.

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<v Speaker 4>Sometimes because I think that's where the big thing is.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, it's like, oh, there's actually the larger problem.

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<v Speaker 4>So I'm more and more attuned.

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<v Speaker 2>To that biggest pet Peeve And it could be like

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<v Speaker 2>for me when I think of pet Peeve's pet Peeve,

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<v Speaker 2>like co existing in New York City pet Peeve. Now

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<v Speaker 2>when I go to like I go to shows people

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<v Speaker 2>an audience, what they do, how they act, what they

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<v Speaker 2>eat at the car, you know, anything that what's a

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<v Speaker 2>Damien pie?

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<v Speaker 3>You know? I walk fast, like so when I'm alone,

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<v Speaker 3>it's different than I'm walking you know, with Heather.

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<v Speaker 4>With people. But if I'm alone, I just I just

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<v Speaker 4>know I need to move.

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<v Speaker 2>I always say you could tell them when someone's from

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<v Speaker 2>New York and not on how they walk.

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<v Speaker 3>And you're like, okay, yeah, growing up in Boston and

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<v Speaker 3>it's really cold, you know, you just walk fast, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>just like and I love.

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<v Speaker 4>To walk, so you know me too. My one of

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<v Speaker 4>my goals this.

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<v Speaker 2>Year is to walk from one tip to the other.

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<v Speaker 4>Chip up, Wow, you're gonna do it. Did you read

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<v Speaker 4>al Pacino's biography? No, I haven't got it.

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<v Speaker 3>He talks about like major walks. It's a new mettle.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know him, but I want him to come

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<v Speaker 3>to Juilliard. Yeah, mister, if you're listening, come and talk.

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<v Speaker 2>To us, all right, Damien, thank you so much for

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<v Speaker 2>joining me today.

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<v Speaker 4>This is a true, true pleasure, really fun.

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<v Speaker 2>M Thank you for pulling up for share.

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<v Speaker 5>I love our lunches and never forget the romance of

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<v Speaker 5>a meal. If you enjoy the show, please tell a

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<v Speaker 5>for two with Bruce Bosi is produced by iHeart Radio

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<v Speaker 5>seven three seven Park and Airmail. Our executive producers are

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<v Speaker 5>Bruce Bosi and Nathan King. Our supervising producer is Dylan Fagan.

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<v Speaker 5>Our editors are Vincent to Johnny and Cas B Bias.

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<v Speaker 5>Table for two is researched and written by Jack Sullivan.

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<v Speaker 5>social media manager is Gracie Wiener. Special thanks to Amy Sugarman,

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<v Speaker 5>Uni Scherer, Kevin Yuvane, Bobby Bauer, Alison Kanter Graber.

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