Dance Studio Life: Augusta Moore's Bohemian Ballet

“You want to use those butt muscles for good and not evil,” Augusta Moore cheerfully calls out at the start of Saturday morning ballet class in the bright, spacious studio on the second floor of ODC’s Shotwell Street building in San Francisco.

Everyone is lying prone, legs floating in the air behind them, while Moore strolls amid the bodies like a benign drill sergeant. None of this would be unusual in modern dance class, but this is intermediate ballet. Director of ODC’s ballet program since the prominent San Francisco arts organization and dance company opened ODC Dance Commons in 2005, Moore is a beloved teacher to many ballet students. But rather than always starting class with a conventional set of pliés or tendus, Moore often has students take a few minutes at the beginning of barre to identify and activate particular muscle groups. It is this kinesthetically aware approach—along with Moore’s tirelessly encouraging outlook, rigorous classicism, and irreverent personality—that draws a devoted following to her classes.

Read More: Bohemian Ballet at Dance Studio Life