Dorothy’s approach to teaching is deeply informed by her twenty-four years of experience as a certified trainer of varied somatic disciplines, including Gyrotonic™, Gyrokinesis™, Pilates, Yoga, and The Feldenkrais Method.
When teaching ballet technique, Dorothy actively works to dismantle the elitism, patriarchy, euro-centrism, and body-type discrimination commonplace in the ballet world. Dorothy teaches a dynamic, athletic class that takes a wholistic view of ballet technique, focusing on rhythm, musicality, and self-expression. The physicality and discipline of ballet is shared in a supportive environment that emphasizes how ballet technique serves the artist’s self-expression. We do not ‘serve’ ballet, ballet serves us. Overbey believes that personal and artistic growth and transformation is best supported by a warm, collaborative, egalitarian atmosphere.
For nine years, Dorothy served on the faculty in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin, where she taught ballet, pointe, partnering, somatics, experiential anatomy, and served as an Artistic Director for department productions. She continues to teach at Austin Community Ballet, an organization she co-founded in 2013.
In a recent article in Alcalde Magazine, the official publication of the Texas Exes, Dorothy discusses the physical and mental benefits of Gyrokinesis™.
Teaching at Austin Community Ballet, www.austincommunityballet.org
Spring 2015 Advanced Ballet Technique - BFA Dance majors, University of Texas at Austin