I stood at the basement counter and tried to learn the virtual barre taught by New York City Ballet principal Indiana Woodward. But her gorgeous flowing bra completely distracted me. I decided to take a short break and enjoy watching her for a few minutes before rewinding and doing the exercises myself.
This ability to enjoy top-notch dance and take classes at the same time is one of the most fun parts of Grace & Form, a new online ballet and fitness platform created by Woodward and dancer-turned-instructor Saskia Gregson-Williams. Despite their elite origins, the two dancers (who grew up training together at the Yuri Grigoriev Ballet School in California) have launched a platform that strikes a Goldilocks balance between challenge and welcome. The videos include everything from ballet to Pilates to yoga (there’s even sound bath meditation if you’re into that), and range from beginner-friendly to advanced. There are almost always modifications made to make things more accessible to those of us who don’t regularly perform at Lincoln Center.
Woodward said since the COVID-19 pandemic began, dancers have become more accustomed to participating in barre or cross-training whenever they have space. But she didn’t see many high-quality online ballet classes taught by top professionals. “I was like, I wish there was a way to teach all the amazing dancers that I love and admire online so that everyone could have access to it,” she said. Enter Grace and Form.
Gregson-Williams and Woodward held the first classes last fall. Content now available on the app includes ballet barre and some beginner tutorials taught by choreographer Lauren Lovette, as well as some Pilates videos taught by NYCB soloist Sara Adams. The content is also enhanced by previous content from Gregson-Williams’ early fitness platform Naturally Sassy. Woodward said they will soon be launching additional classes taught by Devon Teuscher, Unity Phelan, Chun Wai Chan and other dancers.
When I attended some fitness classes, I realized how wonderful it was to see the exercises demonstrated not only through proper exercise form, but also through pointy dancers’ feet and strong bras. Many of the new workout videos feature Gregson-Williams and Woodward, one teaching and the other giving a class, while asking smart questions about form or commiserating about “the burn,” which helped me in Don’t feel so alone on the other side of the screen.
While the duo hopes to appeal to everyday gym-goers who might want to learn beginner barre from time to time (their most popular video), Woodward says the primary target audience is serious ballet dancers and students looking to supplement their training , as well as former ballet dancers and students. She hopes they will not only take advantage of ballet videos taught by world-class dancers, but also have the opportunity to engage in effective cross-training.
“It’s important to introduce Pilates and yoga into your practice,” she says. “Personally, it’s been one of the biggest reinforcements I’ve received in my life.”
Woodward added that she hopes streaming the videos online – so you can film them without mirrors or other people nearby – turns them into a deeper physical and mental experience: “I feel like it’s a A great way to look within.
