I stand next to a counter in my basement, trying to take a virtual bar taught by the director of New York ballet Indiana Woodward. But his beautifully fluid arms wear completely distracts me. I decide to take a quick break and I just like to look at it for a few minutes before rewinding and do the folded myself.
This ability to benefit from both high -level dance and put yourself in a class is one of the most fun parts of Grace and formA new ballet and online ballet and fitness platform created by Woodward and Dancer became-trained Saskia Gregson-Williams. Despite their elite pedigrees, these two dancers (who grew up in training together at the Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet in California) launched a platform that strikes a Goldilocks balance of difficult and reception. The videos include everything, from ballet to pilates via yoga – there are even sound bath meditations, if it's your jam – and goes from its beginners to advance. The modifications are almost always offered to keep things accessible to those of us who do not play regularly at Lincoln Center.
Woodward says that since the pandemic success of COVID-19, dancers have more used to entering a bar or crossing session wherever they can find space. But she did not see a lot of high quality online ballet lessons taught by the best professionals. “I said to myself, I want there to be a way to get all the incredible dancers that I like and that I admire teaching online so that everyone can have access to it,” she said. Enter Grace & Form.
Gregson-Williams and Woodward turned the first song of the lessons last fall. Application offers now include a ballet bar and some beginner tutorials taught by the choreographer Lauren Lovette And some pilates videos with Soloist NYCB Sara Adams. These are increased by the previous content of the Gregson-Williams anterior fitness platform, Naturally sassy. Woodward says they will soon publish additional courses taught by Devon tears,, Unity Phelan,, Chun Wai Chanand other dancers.
While I take some of the fitness lessons, I realize how pleasant it is to see exercises demonstrated not only with an appropriate form of training, but also with the feet of the pointed dancers and the strong port of arms. Many more recent training videos present both Gregson-Williams and Woodward, with a teaching and the other taking the course while asking intelligent questions about the form or behaving on “The Burn”, which helps me not to feel if alone on the other side of the screen.
Although the pair hopes to attract gymnasiums from time to time who would like to take a beginner bar (their most popular video), Woodward says that the main target audience is serious ballet dancers and students seeking to complete their training, and former dancers interested in starting again. She hopes not only to benefit from ballet videos taught by world class dancers, but also the possibility of transforming effectively.
“The introduction of pilates and yoga into your practice is so crucial,” she said. “It is one of the biggest aids in my life, personally, for strengthening.”
Woodward adds that she hopes that these videos live online – so you can take them without a mirror or other people nearby – returns to a deeper experience – the body: “I have the impression that it is a great way to go inward and see what you really feel in your body and what makes you feel best.”
