Jason Schadt Movement Arts -

Giang Rudderham

Jason's ballet classes are the most positive and nurturing learning environment I've ever had. He is so skilled at describing movements in a way that makes sense, even to someone like me who started learning ballet as an adult.

In every class, Jason provides constructive feedback to every student in such a kind and gentle way that I always feel so supported and motivated to learn. He always welcomes questions and does an excellent job explaining concepts and giving advice. His exercises, from floor barre to the barre to center, are well thought out so that they flow seamlessly together and reinforce concepts that are taught in class. I love my fellow classmates as well. They are wonderfully kind, warm, and supportive.

I've been taking classes with Jason consistently 2-3 times a week for the last 2.5 years, and I have really noticed an improvement in my dancing. I appreciate how Jason teaches us to dance with an understanding of the human body's anatomy, so we could learn to work our bodies from the inside out. Taking consistent classes with Jason has made me happier and healthier. When I look back at pictures of myself 3-4 years ago versus now, I'm struck by how much my posture has improved after taking Jason's classes.

When I come to Jason's classes, I feel welcome, supported, and valued. His classes are the type that I hope my best friends and family members could experience. When my children go to school, I hope they will have teachers like Jason. We need more teachers like Jason, not just in ballet, but in every discipline that needs teachers!

Liuska Pesce

Jason is a wonderful teacher and his classes are the highlight of my week. Over the years as an adult student, who never did ballet prior to meeting him, I have never injured myself and I have become stronger, more balanced, more coordinated and flexible. I love his methods and classes. He concentrates in the muscles and the bones and how the right function/movement works to create beautiful ballet. He pays attention to details and always provides useful feedback and praise. Jason really cares about his dancers and is always innovating on how to teach us. He has a talent to explain really well and encourages questions. I have always felt welcomed, happy and among friends in his classes. I highly recommend his Movements Arts Academy.

Kumiko Harata

Jason’s ballet classes are outstanding. His classes taught me how wonderful ballet is.

Jason’s instructions are based on his deep knowledge of ballet anatomy and kinesiology. He taught me how to use my body correctly. As a result, my fitness improved, and I had less of my long-term pain in my joints.

Jason’s instructions are also based on his personality. He is very kind and generous to everyone. He always listens to students carefully and explains patiently until we understand.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jason quickly changed his in-person classes to an online format. He flexibly adapted to the new condition, and constantly improved his teaching methods according to students’ requests. I have been satisfied and enjoying both of his in-person and online classes.

Dina Blanc

What separates this class from other movement classes I have taken is that I have developed a fine-grained and deep sense of how my body works—muscles and subtle alignments I had no clue about before this class. This is due to Jason's incredible finesse as a teacher: he uses his deep knowledge of ballet and kinesiology in a gentle and humorous way.

Even though we are a diverse group, we feel like a community of dance-learners. It's a wonderful part of my week.

Jason's classes have literally transformed my life, allowing me to build on a lifelong interest in dance in a way that is very meaningful.

Mary Louise Blankenburg

I am a trained modern dancer, not a ballerina, but the depth of experience that Jason Schadt brings to his classes draws me into the serious study of ballet. Jason's classes provide access to an encyclopedic knowledge and lineage of excellent ballet pedagogy that is exhilarating and informative beyond the confines of ballet. When I learn how to perform a dance phrase from Jason I am learning, at my level, to move the way professional ballerinas move, from the inside out. This connection to a high level of proficiency through Jason allows me to experience a sense of artistic authenticity and moments of joyful dancing, an essential joy for me, as I gradually acquire basic skills associated with the rarified way of being/dancing that is ballet.
'
Lou Blankenburg

Amy Parker

Jason Schadt is the most skillful, knowledgeable, and compassionate teacher I've ever worked with. He approaches his students with kindness and grace, and I have never, in my many
yoga/movement/dance/meditation classes, worked with an instructor who combines such deep knowledge of anatomy with the ability to translate that knowledge into instructions, gestures, and movements that transform my internal awareness.

In his adult ballet classes, I have felt welcomed and respected. Age, weight, physical limitations--in Jason's class these are not barriers to balletic movement. In my years of dancing with Jason I have both achieved movement I never thought I could do and come to a deeper sense of beauty and confidence that have nothing to do with how I look or how old I am, but with how I experience my own body in motion.

He teaches movement safely, and his work is inclusive. Yet I have also seen "real dancers" perform in his class and find even greater nuance and clarity in their work, too. He meets his dancers where they are. Working with Jason has reconnected me to my love of dance and helped me work through a lot of early ballet trauma.

His teaching and somatic awareness are so nuanced, and so smart, that even though I am working with a limited ability, I feel, after every class, as though I've danced. Before I came to Iowa I studied Soto Zen meditation for 10 years, lived 4 of them in a monastery, but have come nearer, in his class, to the state of mindfulness and no-self than all those years sitting on a cushion staring at a wall were attempting.

Ballet movement adds the element of beauty, as well, so that regardless of what's going on in the mirror, on the inside, there's a sense of grace and discovery. With every class, I feel more aware, more intelligent, more in touch with the world, myself, and with a sense of aliveness. I feel very lucky to work with him. I am grateful to Jason for continuing to teach through the pandemic, and for working with amateurs.

Erin

If you love ballet and are looking for a wonderful class, look no further! Jason has a gift for creating a fun, inspiring, and educational class for all levels of dance students. Pre-pandemic, I used to hop in my car after work and race 90 minutes to Iowa City in order to take a truly excellent ballet class. With online learning, all I have to do now is turn on my laptop and I still get to take an awesome class! I love how Jason is able to see the beauty in each dancer, whether it's your first class, or you've been dancing your whole life. He encourages and sees something in all of his students, and shows you that there's always more to learn!

Emily L

It's rare to find a ballet class for true adult beginners, and it's rarer still to find a supportive and inclusive ballet environment, but Jason's classes provide both. His deep knowledge of body alignment, ballet, and movement in general has led not only to my better understanding ballet, but also to nearly eliminating my chronic back and shoulder pain. And, of course, it's fun!