The Class: I took the hour-long Beyoncé Ballet class at 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday at Arts Mission in OakCliff.
The Appeal: The class mixes classic ballet moves with a Beyoncé soundtrack. I chatted briefly before the class with Anastasia Munoz, Arts Mission Founder, who told me that Beyoncé Ballet was created because of the desire to spice up the soundtrack used when performing traditional ballet moves.
“We tried it and the class just blew up,” she said. “The women who come are just phenomenal and the music is super fun. There’s less pressure to be perfect.”
The Instructor: Austin Lintner, a dancer, taught the class. He’s been dancing his entire life and even teaches children’s dance classes. He was upbeat, energetic, and I love that he thoroughly reviewed every single move we were required to do in the class. Austin also made sure to give us real-life ballerina tips such as making sure we looked straight ahead (and not down at our feet) and which parts of our bodies to focus on while performing the moves.
The Space: The class is located inside Arts Mission – a huge, refurbished church building that houses studios and all the space an artist needs to dance, paint or create.
Who’s There: While the class is for both men and women, it was full of women. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be professional ballerinas, so I didn’t have to feel self-conscious about not pointing my toes for the majority of the moves.
What To Wear: There’s no real uniform requirement for the class and all the women there appeared to be wearing traditional work out tops and pants. No shoes are required – unless you prefer to wear traditional ballet slippers. The dance moves can be completed in socks, which everyone – including myself – seemed to be wearing.
How It Went: I haven’t taken a ballet class since childhood, but I dance to Beyoncé music on a regular basis, so I waltzed into the studio feeling pretty confident that I’d be able to handle it. But, one look at the barre in the middle of the room was enough to make me feel a bit nervous. However, my fears were immediately assuaged after Austin told the class that this was a beginner ballet class, not to worry about having perfect form and to just have fun. We performed each of the dance moves he taught us to Beyoncé music and the class flew by pretty quickly. Some of the moves we performed at the barre included: passé, tendu, plié and degage. For the last half of the class, we did lots of crunches and planks, a few stretches and it was done.
The Aftermath: I loved the class so much that I came back for another session on Friday evening, which featured some of the same ballet moves as the first class I’d taken, plus body rolls and even a bit of twerking.
Loved: The energy of the class was amazing and everyone in both classes that I took that week left the room smiling and laughing afterwards.
Didn’t Love: There really wasn’t anything that I didn’t love about this class.
Difficulty Level: The only difficult part of the class was the final portion that involved lots of crunches and planks. Also, the ballet moves definitely work your core, so be prepared for that when you walk in.
Bottom Line: Overall, I’d have to say that the only real requirement for Beyoncé Ballet is to have a love for dancing. But even if you don’t, you’re still guaranteed to leave the class feeling leaner, stronger and just as awesome as Beyoncé looks.
The Appeal: The class mixes classic ballet moves with a Beyoncé soundtrack. I chatted briefly before the class with Anastasia Munoz, Arts Mission Founder, who told me that Beyoncé Ballet was created because of the desire to spice up the soundtrack used when performing traditional ballet moves.
“We tried it and the class just blew up,” she said. “The women who come are just phenomenal and the music is super fun. There’s less pressure to be perfect.”
The Instructor: Austin Lintner, a dancer, taught the class. He’s been dancing his entire life and even teaches children’s dance classes. He was upbeat, energetic, and I love that he thoroughly reviewed every single move we were required to do in the class. Austin also made sure to give us real-life ballerina tips such as making sure we looked straight ahead (and not down at our feet) and which parts of our bodies to focus on while performing the moves.
The Space: The class is located inside Arts Mission – a huge, refurbished church building that houses studios and all the space an artist needs to dance, paint or create.
Who’s There: While the class is for both men and women, it was full of women. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be professional ballerinas, so I didn’t have to feel self-conscious about not pointing my toes for the majority of the moves.
“The women who come are just phenomenal. There’s less pressure to be perfect.”
Founder Anastasia Munoz
What To Wear: There’s no real uniform requirement for the class and all the women there appeared to be wearing traditional work out tops and pants. No shoes are required – unless you prefer to wear traditional ballet slippers. The dance moves can be completed in socks, which everyone – including myself – seemed to be wearing.
How It Went: I haven’t taken a ballet class since childhood, but I dance to Beyoncé music on a regular basis, so I waltzed into the studio feeling pretty confident that I’d be able to handle it. But, one look at the barre in the middle of the room was enough to make me feel a bit nervous. However, my fears were immediately assuaged after Austin told the class that this was a beginner ballet class, not to worry about having perfect form and to just have fun. We performed each of the dance moves he taught us to Beyoncé music and the class flew by pretty quickly. Some of the moves we performed at the barre included: passé, tendu, plié and degage. For the last half of the class, we did lots of crunches and planks, a few stretches and it was done.
The Aftermath: I loved the class so much that I came back for another session on Friday evening, which featured some of the same ballet moves as the first class I’d taken, plus body rolls and even a bit of twerking.
Loved: The energy of the class was amazing and everyone in both classes that I took that week left the room smiling and laughing afterwards.
Didn’t Love: There really wasn’t anything that I didn’t love about this class.
Difficulty Level: The only difficult part of the class was the final portion that involved lots of crunches and planks. Also, the ballet moves definitely work your core, so be prepared for that when you walk in.
Bottom Line: Overall, I’d have to say that the only real requirement for Beyoncé Ballet is to have a love for dancing. But even if you don’t, you’re still guaranteed to leave the class feeling leaner, stronger and just as awesome as Beyoncé looks.
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