Core Dance
Morning Class
After more than a decade without a change Core Dance has increased our class fees this year in order to help cover increasing costs. Thank you so much for your continued support and involvement.
Led by established, progressive dance artists, Morning Class is offered to the community for $15 per class. Registration and payment must be made online before class time. Any questions or concerns, please contact outreach@coredance.org.
Morning Class for Fall 2024 includes:
Mondays: Morning Class with Fly On A Wall (various classes & instructors)
Tuesdays: tune-up with Amelia Reiser
Wednesdays: Capoeira with Professor Dandley
Thursdays and Fridays: Contemporary & Traditional Modern Dance Moves with Kristin O'Neal
Saturday Sessions (monthly): Embodied Research and Creative Practice with Ashlee Ramsey & guests
Special guest instructors are noted within the calendar.
Sign up through the calendar below. Click on the date for the registration link.
NOTICE : Advance registration is required. All attendees must follow the instructions of the class leader with regard to masking. Hand sanitizer is available in the studio and each studio is equipped with a high-powered air cleaner. The HVAC system has also been upgraded to clean and sanitize the air.
Core Dance Morning Class Faculty
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Body Language with Nicholas Goodly
Nicholas Goodly is the author of Black Swim (Copper Canyon, 2022). Nicholas was a finalist for the 2020 Jake Adam York Prize, runner-up for the 2019 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, and recipient of the 2017 Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship, among other awards. Their work has appeared in Poetry Magazine, The New Yorker, Boston Review, BOMB, The Poetry Project, Lambda Literary, Narrative Magazine, and elsewhere.
Class Description: Through improvisational and choreographic prompts, we will be folding movement practices into language practices. The aim is to discover how poetry and prose translates to the vocabulary of contemporary dance, using the physical body as a tool for our writing practices, how to express what’s in the body and put it on the page (and vice versa). We will be bringing text to life in a 3-dimensional space. You will be asked to create small phrases, share a dance floor with your peers, and watch the work of artists on the cutting edge of multidisciplinary performance art. This class requires you to move, to be relaxed in your skin, a willingness to be seen, and to take literal big leaps of faith.
Wear comfortable clothes, no previous dance experience required.
Photo by Christina J. Massad
Photo by Christina J. Massad
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Nathan's Ballet with Nathan Griswold
Nathan Griswold (he/him) hails from the northwest coast of the United States. Immersed in music and performance from a young age, he developed a deep appreciation for the arts. As a teenager, he gravitated towards ballet, completing his formal dance training at the Ben Stevenson Academy in Houston, Texas, in 2002. His professional career includes tenures with prestigious companies such as the Houston Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballett Augsburg, and Nationaltheater Mannheim.
In 2014, Nathan co-founded Fly on a Wall in Atlanta, GA, an arts platform dedicated to supporting team members' work and helping local artists present their creations. Over the past decade, Fly on a Wall has produced numerous original performances, installations, and collaborative projects with various artists and organizations.
Beyond his work with Fly on a Wall, Nathan is an active freelance performer, choreographer, and teacher. His choreographic works have been performed by Ballett Augsburg, Atlanta Ballet, Stadt Theater Ulm, at the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and in the National Theater Festival in Bucharest, Romania. Additionally, he has appeared in several independent films and on the TBS sitcom "The Detour." Nathan teaches dance at a professional level across the nation and currently leads contemporary dance training at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Class Description: A fast-paced ballet class, designed to focus the body using ballet technique.
Levels intermediate and up welcome.
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Horizon Body with Sean Hilton
Sean Nguyen-Hilton (they/them) is a Virgo Sun, Pisces Moon, Leo Ascendant, Leo Venus, Scorpio Mars, Scorpio Jupiter, Libra Mercury, Libra Saturn, Libra Pluto, Sagittarius Uranus, Sagittarius Neptune, and Cancer North Node. Sean danced “professionally” for about two decades, and was a full-time Lecturer of Dance at Kennesaw State University for four and a half years after receiving their MFA in Dance from Hollins University.* Sean is a Licensed Massage Therapist and recently started their practice, HorizonBody Massage, located in Grant Park, Atlanta. Sean is a Co-Founder and Team Member of Fly on a Wall, an artist led platform that presents and supports process and performance. Sean invests in care, awareness, sensation, and love, all of which they practice through the lens of queer stamina, movement, and evolution. seannguyenhilton.com, @seannguyenhilton.
*Sean danced with River North Dance Chicago Company performing works by Robert Battle, Lauri Stallings, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Kevin Iaega Jeff, Julia Rhodes and Harrison McEldowney, among others. They danced with the NYC-based Armitage Gone! Dance and toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, and performed at the Joyce theater NYC and Jacob's Pillow. Sean also danced with the Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre, Columbia Classical Ballet, gloATL, and staibdance. Sean has been on faculty at The University of South Carolina, The Northwest Florida Ballet, Ballet Tennessee, The Lou Conte Dance Studio, River North Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education, Kennesaw State University, Hollins University, and ImmerseATL.
Photo by Christina J. Massad
Class Description: Horizon Body is a rhizomatic movement practice that holds space for bodies to experience new versions of themselves.
During the 75 minute practice, you will be invited to embody modes of moving, initiated by prompts from Sean Nguyen-Hilton, that centers the body as a site of possibility. Though the time and space of Horizon Body isn’t fully prescribed, it has the potential to be a healing, connecting, and grounding experience.
All bodies are welcome to join.
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Feel Your Feels with Nicole Johnson
Nicole Johnson, Atlanta native and a founding artist of Fly on a Wall. As a young artist, she trained at The Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education, and joined the Atlanta Ballet in 2006. She has performed works by numerous choreographers, including George Balanchine, Diane Coburn Bruning, Alan Hineline, Stephen Mills, Micheal Pink, Stanton Welch, Lila York, and John McFall. In 2009 she began working with dance maker Lauri Stallings, leading to the formation of gloATL, a platform for contemporary movement language and physical gesture. Nicole has worked intimately with a number of artists across many mediums and this has given her the understanding that all work is truly collaborative at heart. This belief led to the creation of Fly on a Wall. Nicole was an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Emory University and currently teaches dance across Atlanta.
Class Description: A movement practice using the physical body to process, feel and move into our emotional bodies. Participants will be led through a series of prompts and somatic practices, but the movement and experience is completely self-generated.
No dance experience necessary.
Photo by Nicole Johnson
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Creature Creation with Jimmy Joyner
Jimmy Joyner is an Atlanta based performance artist and team member with Fly on a Wall who has worked as a dancer with Nashville Ballet, Ballet Nouveau Colorado, gloATL, Fly on a Wall, and staibDANCE. Jimmy has designed costumes for Ballet Nouveau Colorado, gloATL, staibDANCE, KSU, Terminus Modern Ballet Theater, ImmerseATL, Sean Nguyen-Hilton, and Fly on a Wall. They are a certified yoga instructor and hold an MFA from The University of the Arts. jimmyjoyner.com
Class Description: This is less of a class and more of a facilitated time to ask ourselves “what else?” We will mobilize the body and generate heat so that we may move through new versions of ourselves. Through prompts, games, and maybe even a combo, we can move collectively and have dance do what it needs to do for us.
Creature Creation is an “all levels” offering.
Photo by Christina J. Massad
Photo by Amber Kirchner
Fly on a Wall
Monday Morning Class
Contemporary with Christina J Massad
Christina J Massad, (she/her) an Atlanta native and citizen of Israel, is a freelance dancer, choreographer, photographer, videographer. She graduated from Kennesaw State University in December of 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Media Studies and Entertainment, Magna Cum Laude where she was awarded the Outstanding Senior Scholarship in both of her majors. Since graduating, Christina has had the honor of performing for The Atlanta Opera, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, The Alliance Theater for the Very Young, Fly on a Wall, Omar Roman de Jesus, Dr. Ivan Pulinkala and more. She's performed commercially for the artist Feid at the Copa America Soccer Tournament Opening Ceremony, on set in a music video for Gunna x Iann Dior, and a dance film for Otis Sallid to name a few.
Christina joined the Fly on a Wall Team in 2017 and has since created Open Bounce, a program supported by Fly on a Wall where she teaches weekly dance classes to children experiencing homelessness in the city of Atlanta. Christina teaches ballet, contemporary and conditioning in the metro Atlanta area. Her choreography has been presented at the Terminus Modern Ballet School's Spring Showcase in 2024, Excuse The Art in 2021, and the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival in 2019. For more, please visit www.christinajmassad.com
Class Description: Christina’s contemporary class explores the different physicalities that the body and mind can offer together. The possibilities of this time together range from guided improvisation, learning choreography, partner work, observing, receiving, and giving. Together we’ll push to discover a new version of ourselves while sweating, having fun and uplifting those surrounding you in the space.
Levels intermediate and up welcome.
Amelia Reiser
tune-up
Atlanta based creator, performer, and movement facilitator Amelia Reiser was raised on the Osage Plains of Central Oklahoma. She attended The University of Georgia, earning a BFA in Dance Performance (2011). Amelia was a founding member of Skwhirlhaus collective in Atlanta, GA (2012-2016) alongside Maryn Whitmore, choreographing, performing and helping curate an annual series of works from emerging and established artists. Her most recent choreographic work includes ditto (2024) a duet in collaboration with Kathleen Wessel, The Games We Play (2023) commissioned by The University of Georgia’s Department of Dance, and thread b a r e (film, 2021) presented at HomeTraining: an experiential gallery show (Atlanta, GA) and Elephant Gallery: Quilty Pleasures (Nashville, TN).
Over many years of performing and creating, Amelia has had the profound opportunity to work with numerous dance-makers and artists including T Lang Dance, Nick Cave, Maryn Whitmore, Erik Thurmond, Christina Noel Reaves, Tara Hemmer, Lesley Wingfield, Emily Christianson, Sara Santamaria, Lucy Smith, and Greg Catellier (Catellier Dance Projects!). Amelia was a collaborative company member, teacher, and performer with staibdance (George Staib) in Atlanta, GA (2013-2023)
In addition to dance making and performing, Amelia creates dance films, is a published writer, and has an active textiles practice. Amelia teaches yoga at local studios, and is a trauma informed yoga and mindfulness teacher working with incarcerated youth through local nonprofit Centering Youth. Amelia is the first Atlanta based instructor of Dance Church®, an fun and inclusive dance party/movement class for all people, founded by choreographer and performer Kate Wallich.
Class Description: tune-up is physical tuning, a group fitness practice for professional movement artists to collectively work towards individual optimal working conditions for strength in performance, safety, and longevity.
This practice is formed of spokes taken from all of the wheels (strength training, physical therapy, cardio, yoga, classical dance forms, rituals…) that we have rode around on for years, and now welded together into another version.
sweat, strengthen, crack open
Professor Dandley
Capoeira
With more than 20 years of experience training and teaching capoeira, Professor Dandley, a member of Capoeira Maculelê and a capoeira world champion has helped to build a strong and energetic community of students that reflects the rich physical, social, mental, and spiritual elements of the art. Professor Dandley has taught capoeira for over 15 years. His approach encourages discipline, focus, and respect in students and immerses them in Brazilian music, language, and culture. His belief in the positive, lasting impact of capoeira on all aspects of a capoeirista's life permeates his classes.
Class Description: These are ongoing classes where anyone can join, no previous experience necessary. It covers all aspects of Capoeira; martial-arts, dance, music, acrobatics, culture, language and more. It focuses on developing the students rhythm, reflexes, balance, coordination and increasing strength and flexibility as they learn. All the necessary skills are taught in class.
We recommend this class for anyone wanting to start in the art of Capoeira. Class prepares each student at their own pace to join into our beginner Capoeira lessons in which they will start getting a better understanding of the art. You will work on basic steps of Capoeira; Ginga, Esquivas, Attack / Defence / Counter-attacks, dance elements, musical skills, and basic acrobatics. Should you wish to go further than just basics, you should then join our Beginner class to start progressing through the different levels of Capoeira. Capoeira is a great form of fitness and exercise that works not only your whole body, but also your mind.
Kristin O'Neal
Contemporary & Traditional Modern Dance Moves
Kristin is a Dance Lecturer at Emory University (Atlanta) and teaches contemporary modern technique at Core Dance (Decatur, GA) for intermediate to professional dancers. Kristin is an avid practitioner of Contact Improvisation and organizes CI workshops, classes and jams for the Atlanta Community. Kristin also assists in the operations of National Water Dance under the direction of Dale Andree (Miami, FL)—a movement choir that activates artists and their communities to spread water awareness across the nation. Kristin creates and performs solo dances based on the lives of her Grandmothers and Great Aunts, and also co-teaches Contact Improvisation at Emory University with her husband, Greg Catellier, with whom she also collaborates in curious dance-making.
Photo by Christina J. Massad
Class Description: Considering the weight of our bones to activate deep core muscles, we will invite ease and efficiency into our movement phrasing while conditioning thoughtfully and readying the body for the myriad physical relationships that contemporary modern dance asks of us. We will sense all surfaces of our bodies in contact with the floor, noticing anchor points of stability to find freedom of movement in our joints and in space with others, while sliding, swinging, suspending, falling, pouring, gliding and all the things that inspire us along the way. This class is geared for the intermediate to professional mover. Kneepads and long pants recommended.
Ashlee Jo Ramsey-Borunov
Saturday Sessions: Embodied Research and Creative Practice
Grounded in the perspective that dance-making lives in the primal, physical, emotional and spiritual consciousness of all humans, Ms. Ramsey-Borunov’s artistic focus centers on collaboration, community participation and making dance available as a creative practice for all people. Ms. Ramsey-Borunov has shown work, performed or taught in North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Arizona, Austria, the U.K. and India. Her experience as an educator includes teaching dance and yoga courses at Elon University, Wake Forest University, Winthrop University, and Salem College, and she holds a teacher certification with DanceAbility International.
Ms. Ramsey-Borunov has been published in the international academic periodical, Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices (2011) and has presented work or research at the NDEO National Conference, The Fifth Annual Somatic Dance Conference and Performance Festival, and Elon University’s Intersect Diversity and Leadership Conference. Currently working in Atlanta, GA, Ms. Ramsey-Borunov performs and serves as rehearsal director with Full Radius Dance, a physically integrated professional dance company; Beacon Dance, a performing arts collective focusing on issues of social justice, equality and activism; and as a teacher with CORE Dance’s Dynamic X-Change program that connects under-resourced communities with movement and art as mediums for creative expression.
Class Description: In this monthly workshop we will: Use a variety of sensory, perceptual and creative mediums to generate movement and expand movement vocabulary; dig into reflexive awareness and interpretive processes to translate inner knowing and motives into embodied expression; engage in somatic inquiry to deepen experiential movement potential; use solo and group games to craft movement sequences and small compositions while playing with methods for choreographic design; participate in various feedback and communication methods to witness and discuss work.
Guest Faculty
Guest Faculty for Fall 2024 Season Coming Soon!
Directions: Our back entrance is accessible by way of North McDonough Street, at the intersection of Trinity Avenue and the Decatur Square. Look for the entrance past Waffle House.
Parking: The Core Dance Parking lot is a public, paid lot. If you are visiting the Core Dance Studios, there are instructions in the studio for a stipend toward that payment. A portion of your Parking Fee is donated to Core Dance. Core Dance does not have any control over the lot or parking fee enforcement.
MARTA’s Decatur Station will plop you down right next to us in the Decatur Square. Visit itsmarta.com for details on Decatur Station and for train and bus schedules.