Ballet After Dark Social Media Takeover
Did you catch our social Media Takeover last month with Ballet After Dark?
Q & A with Ballet After Dark
Tell us a little bit about you and your organization:
Tyde-Courtney Edwards is the Founding Director of Ballet After Dark, a classically trained ballerina, art model and survivor of sexual assault. Born and raised in Baltimore City, she is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and has over 20 years of dance training and experience. Trained in various styles of dance including classical and contemporary ballet, pointe, modern, lyrical, jazz, tap and hip-hop, she conceptualized Ballet After Dark after struggling with recovery following her sexual assault.
Our organization’s mission is to foster relationships between survivors, provide support and education, and create spaces where survivors can envision and experience the world we/they deserve. We honor art and expression as invaluable communication tools that make a better world–and value survivors’ stories in all their vast diversity as holding the answers.
What is your artistic process and how has it evolved?
Ballet After Dark has evolved over the years. We went from hosting small, intimate workshops to launching a virtual curriculum. Our workshops and curriculum focus on using ballet as a healing modality when helping survivors reconnect with their bodies following trauma. Gentle movements taken from ballet are implemented allowing survivors/dancers to experience the joy of movement as it relates to healing.
How do you critique yourself? How do you take your ideas and make them better?
I’ve always been my toughest critic. That’s usually the case for most dancers trained in classical ballet. The best way to critique myself is to simply ask for feedback. I’ve conditioned myself not to receive criticism as harmful. Instead, I rely on it as a tool of growth. When in doubt, I’ll ask questions.
Gratefully, my support system has grown to include some truly phenomenal women who have supported the program and any ideas developed. Morgan, Simone and Danah have been blessings that have contributed to our success and I’ve looked to these women for honest feedback about Ballet After Dark strategies. We’re very lucky to have them be a part of the team now.
How do you determine when a work-in-progress is completed?
Personally, I’m never sure if my works in progress ever meet completion lol. I tend to make edits and changes up until the very last moment and I’m truly not satisfied until the project has been executed. I honestly let the reception from the audience confirm whether my projects have reached completion. While working on the Ballet After Dark film, I changed choreography, angles, blocking right up until the day we called a wrap on set. I’m personally in a constant state of evolution and my projects and work ethic reflect that.
What's next for Ballet After Dark?
We have an upcoming virtual recital for the Ballet After Dark holistic dance therapy program. We’re very excited about the very first recital that will showcase ballet technique developed. Our survivors/dancers have worked very hard throughout the curriculum and will be honored in a very beautiful way.
We’re also very excited about our Ballet After Dark- Mexico program. Cynthia Hijar is the program director and has been doing a wonderful job down there. Along with Anahi, they’ve implemented the Ballet After Dark for marginalized women in their community and we’re extremely proud of everyone involved.
