
CORE Contemporary and Aerial Dance




Bala Sarasvati
Bala Sarasvati, MFA, MA, CMA, BFA, B.S. serves as University of Georgia Jane Willson Professor in the Arts, and is an artistic director, choreographer, contemporary dance teacher, Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) and Certified Yoga Trapeze Instructor. She has taught and/or presented choreography throughout the U.S and China, and internationally in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, England, France and Taiwan: and guest faculty for Univerisdad Nacional Graduate Dance Program, Heredia, Costa Rica (2007-2022). She holds a M.F.A. and M.A. from The Ohio State University and has served as faculty member for the Jose Limon School and Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, NYC. Her choreography was selected for Seattle Bumbershoot Arts Festivals, Piccolo Spoleto Festivals, LIMS MOSAIC, National Dance Therapy Association, National Dance Association, National American College Dance Festival, National Society for Literature and Science and several World Dance Alliance Americas Conference and Festival Assemblies. As Founding Artistic Director of CORE Contemporary and Aerial Dance (formerly) CORE Concert Dance Company, she has created numerous multimedia and interdisciplinary shows, integrating aerial dance, film and video mapping and engaged in numerous collaborative ventures. In 2021, Bala produced, filmed, directed a green screen film T’Apped, in collaboration with the Compañía Nacional de Danza Costa Rica (CND) and is currently working on her second contemporary and aerial dance project in collaboration with Mario Vircha, artistic dirctor of the CND company. Bala currently serves on Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies board and has served on the advisory boards for UGA Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE) and and the US-China Cultural and Education Foundation. Bala's integrated aerial dance training and creative production at UGA Dance was featured in DANCE TEACHER magazine (2017). YouTube: Baladance Channel Instagram: coreaerialdance
Dance Technique Approach
Movement fundamentals to promote muscular balance, range of motion, strength, mobility and ease. Approaches, methods, physical practice enhance movement efficiency, mobility, momentum and dynamic alignment. Movement practice consists of "extreme" shape shifting, level change variations, inversions & off vertical transitions with gradated rotation and other applied 3-dimensional ROM processes.
Yoga Trapeze Approach
Applications include 1) YOGABODY Naturals Yoga Trapeze pedagogy 2) enhancing aerial dance 3) increasing flexibility and strength in dance performance