dance every day
Austin ballet company gets its groove on with beginner-friendly world dance week
Rohit Ramachandran teaches Bollywood dance at Ballet Austin.
If a staycation is what you need, it doesn't have to involve an expensive hotel room. Ballet Austin is offering an opportunity to travel the world in an affordable world dance class series from April 29 to May 5.
Ballet Austin is much more than a ballet company, inviting Austinites of all stripes through its doors throughout the year to learn about many kinds of dance. Next week, the dance studio is rounding up some of its non-ballet offerings for its inaugural World Dance Week, during which classes will only be $10 each.
Everyone is welcome to stop by, regardless of a dancer's skill level — in fact, Ballet Austin specifically designs its classes to appeal to new dancers, yet its expert teachers can also accommodate highly skilled students as well.
Its world dance teachers, separate from its ballet company, teach in their main styles; so rather than learning Bollywood from a ballerina who dabbles, students will meet with Rohit Ramachandran, who graduated from the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts in Bengaluru, India.
"I have taken the West African [class], which is my all-time favorite," says Vicki Parsons, director of Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance and Fitness. Parsons, more in the fitness space, does not consider herself a dancer. "The thing about our classes that's really important for International Dance Week is they're authentic. Jean-Claude [Lessou] ... is from the Ivory Coast. He brings his drummer, so it's like a big drum circle and then teaching, basically, folk dance from the Ivory Coast. And it is so much fun."
Ballet Austin does offer workshops with multi-class choreography, but similar drop-in classes to the ones available next week will continue throughout the year, making this a good entry point even if a dancer is not planning to commit to a regular schedule. Classes available for the $10 special include:
- Themed Cardio Dance (to "classic R&B hits")
- Hawaiian Dance (Hula at several levels)
- West African Dance (All Levels)
- Tap Dance (Open Level)
- Bollywood Cardio Dance Fitness (All Levels)
- Hip Hop (several classes at different levels)
- Contemporary Dance (All levels)
- Ballet (Basic Level)
These classes may also be a good way to meet other dancers. Parsons says the event draws both new dancers and dancers established in other styles who just want to try something new. Although these classes offer tangible new dance skills, they're more about connecting with other people who want to move to music.
"The most important reason that we do this is not just to celebrate dance, but diversity through dance. We do believe that dance is a common language, and it does unite us, and allows us to explore a little bit more about our world," says Parsons. "For us, because we're always looking for ways to celebrate cultural differences, dance is just an easy, [fun] and non-threatening way to do it. Our teachers are so diverse anyway, so it really adds a special flavor to the whole week."
Anyone can sign up for International Dance Week classes at balletaustin.org.
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