Hi ballet friend,

The votes are in! Virtual ballet will run on Thursdays at 6pm ET this fall — starting this week!

🍂The fall term will run September through November. You can drop in for single classes or sign up for a monthly class pass.

I'd like to tell you about our little group, how the class will run, and why I teach online. I’m structuring the class to be:

Beginner Friendly

This class is geared towards adult learners who are new to ballet or returning to dance after time away. Occasionally, more experienced dancers swing by to tune up their technique. You’ll notice lots of work in parallel (and a little in turnout), emphasis on what you feel in your own body, and exploration of musical and emotional dynamics.

Adaptive

I can't stand for long, so I pre-film demonstrations, then teach live from my wheelchair, with seated adaptations at the ready for anyone who wants to sit – whether due to fatigue, balance challenges, POTS, chronic pain, or working on your feet all day. We’ll explore varied cues and supports to make movement feel good in your body.

Pay-what-you-can

Disability and chronic illness are expensive! So is lack of safe and equitable access to public services. Your presence in our class has value beyond what you can financially contribute.

If you're in a position to contribute to the PWYC program, you can select "sponsor a dancer" on the sign up form and add a little extra to your payment.

Immuno-inclusive

Most folks who've attended or expressed interest in virtual ballet come from COVID conscious communities. 😷 Some of us are clinically vulnerable or immuno-compromised; others just know that this virus comes with risks^{1, 2,} they’d rather avoid.

If that’s not you, you’re still welcome to dance with us — as long as you can respect our lived experience and the purpose of the space.

When public health measures were revoked and clean indoor air^{3, 4} was distributed inequitably⁵, many of us keenly felt the loss of safe access; not only to essential services like healthcare and groceries, but to art, recreation, community... joy. I started teaching online in response to those sometimes less pressing, but still essential, needs.

This loss woke me up to the realities of disabled and immunocompromised folks who’d been pushed aside long before this pandemic; those same people taught me context for my long COVID and gave me language to talk about disabilities that had affected me my whole life.

I keep going: keep dancing, keep teaching, keep celebrating, in the hope that by connecting through art and movement, we can sway the zeitgeist back towards community care. I hope you’ll join us on Thursday — to move your body, be in community, and celebrate the resilience we cultivate together.

Book your class here.

See you there,

Natasha

1. Covid infection ages blood vessels, especially in women https://www.escardio.org/news/press/press-releases/Covid-infection-ages-blood-vessels-especially-in-women/

2. SARS-CoV-2 Leaves a Lasting Mark on the Immune System https://johnsnowproject.org/primers/sars-cov-2-leaves-a-lasting-mark-on-the-immune-system/

3. The next leap forward: Clean air for Canadians https://rsc-src.ca/en/voices/next-leap-forward-clean-air-for-canadians

4. Breathing room: Why parents and experts are calling for a clean-air revolution in schools https://www.tvo.org/article/breathing-room-why-parents-and-experts-are-calling-for-a-clean-air-revolution-in-schools

5. 6 minute video: Improving Indoor Air Quality for our Children OSS response https://youtu.be/y8kW7GKSE2c?