About Me
Image description: Claire stands at a ballet barre with their back to the camera and one arm raised above their head in a ballet pose. Their T-shirt reads "Smells like genderqueer spirit".
My name is Claire (they/them) and I am the founder of balletRADICAL.
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I started dance classes as an adult and quickly became fascinated by ballet. However, starting older meant that I found it difficult to find beginner classes that taught ballet technique in an accessible and structured way. For my own training I joined children’s programs and then auditioned and was accepted into full time vocational courses (Certificate IV in Dance and the Diploma in Dance). I trained full time in contemporary and classical ballet for two and a half years before leaving as I found the attitudes prevalent in the classical ballet world to be dangerous; for example ideas around body image, approaches taken by teachers and what was deemed worthy of recognition in a dancer.
I am passionate about teaching and have been involved in education across many areas for the past ten years both privately and in not for profit organisations. My focus in teaching this class is on correct alignment and understanding of technique as it relates to each unique individual. I also hope to encourage a love and understanding of the art form without enforcing the usual gendered roles prevalent in the dance vocabulary, or the harmful ideas about body image often perpetuated in the dance world.