ABOUT | Ballet After Dark

ABOUT US

Ballet After Dark is a free, trauma-informed, holistic dance therapy curriculum that allows youth and adult women (and those who identify as women) to refocus trauma into triumph using ballet fundamentals, athletic conditioning and empowering mantras. Trauma can affect us physically, change our behaviors, intensify our emotions, and transform our psyches. Often, our reactions to trauma can include denial, anxiety, fear and helplessness. Healing following trauma is often a difficult, life-long journey that can have devastating lasting effects on survivors. This unique, free PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) service aims to bridge the gap between trauma experienced and safe spaces for survivors and other disenfranchised individuals to heal. This work requires trust building within groups of people who work together. The 9 month curriculum introduces participants to various elements of self-care while infusing beginner's ballet and athletic conditioning. Survivors can expect to develop ballet fundamentals such as technique and terminology while being encouraged to heal in an empowering, trauma-informed environment. Quarterly workshops include visits from guest speakers, facilitators and mental health professionals. The program culminates in a showcase performance that highlights ballet technique learned throughout the program.

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.

Founded in 2016 and based in Baltimore City, the program teaches principles of grace and flexibility often infusing traditional ballet fundamentals, cardiovascular exercise, self defense technique, mental health resources, empowering mantras and confidence building tools and meditation to cool down. The mission is to help others heal through various levels of trauma using elements of self care strategies focusing on the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of care. With a tagline of, “Dance Your Way Into Your Healing!", we strive to offer survivors an alternative method of healing following sexual and domestic assault. Catching the eye of international artist and philanthropist, Queen Latifah, and consumer conglomerate Procter & Gamble, the short documentary, Ballet After Dark, was produced and premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. The short film is currently streaming on BET, Showtime and Youtube.

Ballet After Dark is fiscally sponsored by Bmore Empowered, a non profit organization dedicated to to empowering women and girls of color through mindfulness and entrepreneurship. All donations received in support of the Ballet After Dark program can be directed to Bmore Empowered. The mailing address is below:

Bmore Empowered Center

636 N. Gilmor St.

Baltimore, MD 21217

In 2020, Ballet After Dark partnered with La Casa Mandarina AC (LCM), an itinerant and independent non-profit organization, based in Mexico City. La Casa Mandarina AC (LCM), an itinerant and independent non-profit organization, based in Mexico City. Founded in 2000 by Mora Fernández, LCM is devoted to ending sexual violence through ARTivism. We've since successfully implemented the Ballet After Dark holistic dance therapy curriculum in Mexico City and currently serve marginalized communities of women such as Afro-Latina, indigenous and transgendered women.

Tyde-Courtney Edwards

aka

Curvy Ballerina

Founding Director

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. Tyde-Courtney has trained with Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Peabody
Conservatory, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey and other institutions while receiving training from local dance pioneers such as Anton Wilson and Stephanie Powell. She currently resides in Baltimore City.

Want To Donate To Our Free PTSD Dance Therapy Program? Here's How!

Did you know that Ballet After Dark is currently raising funds to support our trauma-informed holistic dance therapy curriculum? Are you interested in supporting survivors looking to heal following trauma? Simply follow the link below!

How does your donation help? Donations go towards:

The sustainability of this free program available to survivors of sexual and domestic assault.
Ballet After Dark uniforms, itineraries and access to the virtual studio and itinerary.
Quarterly self-care workshops.
International residency opportunity with our Mexico City partnership developed with La Casa Mandarina AC
Performance opportunities for survivors/participants

BALLET AFTER DARK IS EVERYWHERE YOU ARE

ON THE GO

Tap In To Your Inner Dopeness From Anywhere

Ladies!!! I'ts finally here! We're bringing this unique healing service directly to you. We're gracefully being selfish with ourselves and we're elegantly glowing up! Join us for this online self-care workshop that encourages safe dialogue about issues plaguing women of color and other disenfranchised individuals. We focus on three elements of self care as we explore various ways to self-inspire and self-admire using ballet as a catalyst of movement.