Archive: Workshops, Intensives, Master Classes, and Open Houses

Being Good to Yourself: Moving Towards Wholeness and Pleasure
Caring for your neck, shoulders, eyes, and breath in an 8-week Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement Series with Sarah Baumert. Livestream classes will be taught over Zoom.

September 20-November 15
Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Sundays at 4:00pm

In this year’s fall Feldenkrais series, we will explore lessons that promote self-connection and pleasure, finding equanimity in movement, and adapting to change with resilience. In a world where technology has become ever more prevalent, it can be easy to feel disconnected from our bodies, our emotions, and the people around us. But through the gentle, exploratory movements of the Feldenkrais Method, we can find a sense of joy and connection that is uniquely human.

“Joy is exactly what’s happening, minus our opinion of it.” -Charlotte Joko Beck

Movement: This series will include 16 livestream classes. Each lesson is taught twice, once on Sunday and once on Wednesday.

Educational talks: Pre-lesson anatomy lessons and the philosophical framework for ATM.

Connection: Access to recorded Q&A to listen to questions, connect with the other students, and discuss the method and tools we are learning about. Includes optional 10-minute consultation with Sarah, online forum to connect and ask questions if you are doing the recordings, and email support.

Ways to keep practicing: Stream recordings indefinitely and have the option to download recordings.

My new 6-Week Beginners Flamenco Dance Program starts on September 20, 2023.

This is designed for absolute beginners or people who have not danced for a period of time. I will teach you fundamental flamenco dance skills as well as the rhythm and the music. You will be able to dance a simple choreography with a live musician flawlessly in 6 weeks!

Wednesdays, September 20-October 25
7:15-8:10pm
$120

Balanced Body® Reformer Fundamentals for Rehabilitation Professionals

September 22 and 29
Two Fridays, 12:00-4:00pm
Fee: $275
Instructor: Ann-Marie Chesterfield, DPT

This course is designed specifically for rehab professionals seeking to expand their use of therapeutic movement as a treatment modality. This course will introduce you to the Reformer as a tool for effective neuromotor training. Learn how to use the Reformer’s spring resistance in a variety of functional positions, including supine, seated, all-fours, and standing, to resolve movement impairments and restore overall function. Each of the exercises presented includes patient setup and useful regressions and progressions for common injuries. The course includes a case study and applications specific to the rehabilitation setting.

Join us for a Beetlejuice masterclass with Morgan Harrison, who is currently the swing/assistant dance captain on the first national tour of Beetlejuice! Morgan’s Broadway credits include Mean Girls and Beetlejuice, and you can catch her tap dancing on the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has done multiple tours, cruise ships, regional contracts, and workshops, and she is so excited to get to bring what she has learned to you all! Let’s twirl!

Pre-registration is required. To view the class schedule and register for class, click here. Please sign our liability waiver before attending class (found on our website).

Friday, September 22 from 9:30-11:00am
Price: $30

All welcome! Our welcoming environment stands up to our values of inclusivity and accessibility. Work-study and BIPOC scholarships available.

Our space is located in the Can Can Wonderland building in St. Paul. Parking is free in front of the building (the Blue lot is closest to our space), in the lots across the street, and in the underground parking garage (follow the Can Can Wonderland arrow).

An 8-week series with Sarah Baumert. This will be a time to create space and feel what it is like living in this body.

September 25-November 13
Mondays, 6:00-7:15pm CST
Live classes will be taught on Zoom.

When we have the courage to release places that feel physically stuck, mentally tight, or emotionally restricted, we can uncover a new internal landscape of this body we are living in. We will explore ways to move in harmony with our unique needs and how we feel each day, to encourage the body to soften and connect with the feelings of space and freedom.

Each class will infuse a more traditional yoga asana practice with the Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement method. Sarah’s teaching for each class changes based on the seasons and the students in the room. These classes are an interdisciplinary excursion of yoga, Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement, joint-specific training, self-massage, breathing exercises, movement puzzles, and a compassionate mindset to help you feel a greater sense of ease and comfort in yourself. You will train your sensitivity in such a way that you find yourself feeling more alive, vibrant, and spacious.

Each class will be recorded and the videos will be available for those attending the series. Space is limited, sign up early to hold your spot! There will be time for questions and community discussion following each lesson.

Scholarships are available for this series. Please contact Sarah directly at sarah@body-matter.com for scholarship inquiries. No questions asked.

Learn ballet at any age! This 8-week Ballet Fundamentals Session will teach adult students the basic steps of ballet, how combinations in class are built and the history and roots of ballet terminology. No ballet or dance experience necessary!

Fall Session: September 28-November 16
Thursdays, 6:15-7:30pm

This JSB Dance Intensive is intended for adult dancers with some dance training beyond fundamentals. The over-arching goal of this Intensive is for participants to deepen their understanding of ballet and related movement modalities; engage in a creative physical pursuit in a friendly environment; and commit to wellness and regenerate their energy.

Train with movement experts who value personal growth and agency. Our instructors love sharing the joy of dance with
participants of all ages and abilities!

October 17-21, 2023
Tuesday-Thursday evenings
Friday-Saturday daytime
With optional Friday and Saturday evening activities!

Multiple enrollment options:

• Entire Intensive, Tuesday through Saturday
• Partial Evening Option, Tuesday through Thursday
• Partial Daytime Option, Friday and Saturday

The Minnesota International Dance Festival (MNIDF) brings together international dance instructors, choreographers, community members, and emerging Twin Cities artists for a week of community exchange through workshops and performances. This year’s featured country is Mexico. The festival will include 3 week-long workshops, a choreographer panel conversation, and three performances.

Workshops October 17-20, 2023:
Class A | 10:00-11:30am – Alexis Zanety, Circular Drawing Movement
Class B | 11:30am-1:00pm – Ballet Folklorico
Class C | 1:30-3:00pm – José A. Luis, Dance Composition

Informal Showcase Performance at the Southern Theater on October 21 at 1:30pm.

James Sewell leads Coordi™ classes every Tuesday morning in September. Combine playful brain teasers and mindful motion in this movement-based class open to all abilities — no dance experience necessary. It’s a workout for brain, body, and spirit!

Tuesdays in September
10:00-11:00am

What is Coordi™? It’s a movement study based on multiple kinetic patterns happening at once. Physical brain teasers combine with ballet for unexpected pathways and alignments that challenge both your mind and body! Learn more about Coordi™ here.