Arizona Opera Podcast

There are few experiences that capture the essence of human drama as powerfully as opera and prize fighting. Join host, Joe Specter, as he explores the connection between these two seemingly distant worlds on the next episode of UnMic’d. Joe is joined by one of the most dominant trainers in MMA, Greg Jackson of Jackson Wink MMA, whose gym has prepared some of the world’s greatest professional MMA fighters, such as Jon Jones and Holly Holm; Joe Isenberg, an accomplished fight choreographer who has worked with opera companies including Washington National Opera and The Metropolitan Opera, and has won awards including the 2013 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography, and The Kennedy Center Kenan Fellowship; and George Birkadze, an internationally recognized dancer and choreographer with Boston Ballet who works around the globe, and who is also a martial arts expert with black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kyokushin-kai Karate, and Judo. How do the worlds of opera, dance, and stage combat connect to the