Art Restart Podcast: Ja' Malik
Ja’ Malik is just wrapping up his fourth year as the artistic director of Madison Ballet in Madison, WI, but his path to leadership has been shaped by decades inside the field. A former professional dancer with a 25-year performing career, Malik danced with companies including Cleveland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, BalletX and Ballet Hispánico, performing a wide range of classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertory. In this episode of the Art Restart podcast, he talks leadership, contemporary programming and how tMadison Ballet is growing audiences while others struggle.
The Art Restart podcast is hosted by Pier Carlo Talenti and is produced by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
Contact: Kenan Institute for the Arts
Feb. 23, 2026