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November 10, 2022 6:00–7:30 pm
The Ark Dance Studio on East Campus
Dance & Movement

Soul Sweat + Stretch

Taught by Alyah Baker

About the Workshop

Soul Sweat + Stretch will feature fun, easy to learn moves to get your body moving and heart rate up, set to a playlist of classic RnB and Soul music.  We’ll conclude with 15 minutes of gentle stretches to help ease stress and release tension.

A variety of modifications will be offered to adapt class combinations for a wide range of abilities. Movers of all levels, backgrounds, and identities are welcome and encouraged to join. Participants should wear comfortable clothes, bare feet, socks or flat dance shoes.

DISCLAIMER: This program involves physical exertion and movement through and across space, so before beginning ensure you have adequate clear, safe space free of obstacles to move and are wearing appropriate footwear for the floor surface. If more than one person will be participating, ensure adequate space to avoid contact with other participants. It is your responsibility to use personal judgment concerning the degree of your participation in the activities, and to determine that you are in proper physical condition to participate in such activities.

About the Instructor

As a dancer, entrepreneur, and community activator, Alyah Baker leads a multifaceted life that exists at the intersection of art, activism, and social justice. In 2003 she received a B.A. in sociology with a dance minor from Duke University. After graduation, she relocated to the Bay Area where she performed with Oakland Ballet, Dance Through Time, and ABD Productions, among others. Additionally, she has worked as a freelance performer and teacher, taking her educational series Ballet for Black and Brown Bodies to studios throughout Northern California.

Alyah graduated as part of the inaugural Duke MFA in dance cohort. While at Duke she developed alternative pedagogical approaches to ballet technique that honored the embodied knowledge of “othered bodies,” specifically those of BIPOC, queer, and gender-fluid folks. Her research explores paths to move the form away from the social constructs of race, gender, and sexual orientation.

About the Location

This workshop will meet in the Ark Dance Studio on East Campus: get directions.

Address: 14 Epworth Dorm Lane, Durham, NC 27708

Can I take a bus there?

Yes! The Ark Dance Studio is located on East Campus, off of bus route C1.

About Duke Arts Create

Duke Arts Create is a series of free, hands-on arts workshops designed to help all Duke students, including graduate and professional students (including Duke Health), as well as Duke faculty and staff develop a variety of creative skills in the visual arts, dance and movement, creative writing and more. Workshops are open to all skill levels and backgrounds. Most workshops are held in the Duke Arts Annex, the Rubenstein Arts Center or the Duke Arts Office 2101 and are typically held weeknights from 6-8 p.m.

Registration for the following week’s workshops go live on Friday mornings at 9 a.m. – sign up in advance to guarantee your spot. Didn’t get a spot? No problem! We always reserve space for walk-ins. Email DukeCreate@duke.edu if you have any questions. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here, which includes the full list of classes offered during the following month.

Duke Arts Create is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts (Duke Arts).