At Gradient Dance Theatre & Community in Birmingham, people of all ages and skill levels experience the joys and challenges of dance training in a warm, supportive environment. The teachers at the studio believe deeply that dance is for all bodies and all ages and that everyone has a unique voice to bring to the floor.
Gradient Dance offers a wide variety of adult classes, including ballet and contemporary, as well as workshops with industry professionals, and “accepts all people no matter their background,” co-founder Taylor Ostronic said. “We offer classes for all types of dancers, and we love the mix of levels.”
The students at Gradient Dance are an eclectic mix of children, beginners, dance professionals and even adults who haven’t danced in years. “We wanted to be a safe place where adult dancers could come back to the dance world and feel loved,” co-founder Joanna Hardy-West told ABC 33/40 News.
In addition to classes, Gradient Dance offers students the chance to get involved in other ways. “We have avenues for dancers to teach, choreograph and perform,” Taylor said.
Taylor and Joanna founded Gradient Dance in 2018, and the studio recently moved to its new home downtown at 518 19th St. N., Room 200, in First Church Birmingham. “It’s a more central location to serve Birmingham,” Taylor said. “It allows us to offer classes at convenient times, like lunchtime or earlier times in the evening, and allows people downtown to enjoy a quick, midday dance workout.”.
The Gradient Dance “vibe is relaxed,” Taylor said. “Joanna and I don’t subscribe to the scary dance teacher trope. We like challenging dancers to be kind to themselves while working on their technique.”
A rotating team of a half-dozen teachers lead in many different styles. “We have continued to grow and bring in different styles of dance so we can grow our community of dancers in Birmingham,” Joanna said.
A Missouri native, Taylor earned a BFA in dance performance and choreography at The University of Missouri–Kansas City and has danced professionally. She became an ABT (American Ballet Theatre)-certified teacher in 2016, completed teacher training with the Royal Ballet School in London in 2023 and continues to train in different genres, including modern, hip hop, tap and ballroom.
Born in Georgia, Joanna majored in dance education at The University of South Carolina and worked as a professional dancer in Chicago and Portland, Oregon. Joanna came to Birmingham to dance for Arova Contemporary Ballet and later created Swallowtail Dance, a precursor to Gradient Dance.
People can gain a lot from dance, which is an art form and an exercise, Taylor said. “Dance is wonderful because it challenges your body and mind. We learn about our strengths and weaknesses through dance, and we challenge ourselves just a touch more and discover what edges we can smooth.”
Taylor and Joanna love what they do. “Between teaching, creating and encouraging others to share their art, we love seeing how the dance community in Birmingham grows,” Taylor said.
