Yoga class
By Lauren Stepp
While many people know the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts as a performance venue, it also offers year-round community movement classes for adults, with rolling, month-to-month enrollment. The next session runs January through March in the Henry LaBrun Studio, with classes ranging from ballet to Broadway dance.
Miranda Watson, who has taught yoga at the Wortham since 2019, says her class “connects the breath with movement to calm and soothe the nervous system.” Taught at an intentional pace, it includes accessible modifications that help beginners feel comfortable while supporting those returning to practice.
Contemporary dance is also part of the offerings, led by Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen of Stewart/Owen Dance. Their teaching blends influences from ballet, modern, jazz, folk, hip-hop, martial arts and yoga, with an emphasis on somatic practices. “We believe everyone can dance regardless of training, experience or physical limitation,” says Stewart.
That welcoming spirit carries into tap. Asheville resident Ellen Costanzo has taken Advanced Beginner Tap weekly since it launched. Now nearing 75, she says, “Tap dancing has more benefits than any other fitness activity that I do. It ticks all the boxes for health and healthy aging.”
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. For class schedules and registration details, visit WorthamArts.org or call 828.257.4530.
