Instructors

Bio: Anna Beard first started dancing somewhere about age four in her Wonder Woman underoos and that, as they say, was that. She began pursuing dance in earnest at age seven, training intensely in studios located in her native Northern Michigan before earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Michigan in 2003. Along the way she has danced and trained with a number of different groups, including the Kyrgyz National Ballet in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Movement Artists’ Guild and her own creation, AuxWerks. Over her twenty years of teaching, a deep love of technique has allowed her to refine movement and give her students a strong foundation in a way that is both fun and rewarding.
Starting in about 2012, Anna shifted her focus to instructing adults exclusively. As adults, we often talk ourselves out of trying new things because we perceive it as “too hard” or because we’re “too old” or think we’ll be judged too harshly. Wouldn’t it be great if adults had a place to play? Not play in the entertainment sense, but truly explore both ourselves, and an activity, in the most innocent sense of the word. This and the fact adults find swearing much more entertaining has inspired her to dedicate herself to creating accessible dance opportunities for those who think its beyond their reach. This same mentality permeates her approach to HEMA. In 2018, Anna had her first historical swordfighting class at Austin Historical Weapons Guild and now she co-owns Historical Weapons Guild with her husband which has two locations, Austin, Texas and Traverse City, Michigan. Her diverse movement background brings new focus to old movements and she strives tries to teach with a quirky freshness while upholding the integrity of the technique. You can be guaranteed to laugh and have fun whether you’re taking her historical dance class, digging into Meyer’s dussack techinique, or discussing teaching methods.
Anna resides in Traverse City, Michigan where she enjoys sunshine, looking for petosky stones, and everything cherry related.

Description: The connection between ballet and sword fighting is strong considering that even in Renaissance dance manuals, we are instructed on how to dance with a sword at our hip. That relationship only deepens as swordplay moved into more minute motions of the body. While taking a ballet class to improve sword training is a wonderful concept, the idea of stepping into a ballet class as a novice can be, to say the least, intimidating. This class is here to help! Ballet for Swordfighters is the brainchild of Anna Beard who is an avid ballet technique nerd, teaching methods nerd, history nerd and also sword nerd. Let’s just say she’s a nerd. What she wants to share in this unique class is an approach to movement that’s tailored to the needs of the swordfighter. Students will be guided through basic ballet technique (no experience necessary) as well as smatterings of modern dance to bring a higher awareness to weight shifting, body connectivity, and footwork to enhance their sword training. Come with an open mind and leave with an increased French verb vocabulary along with some spiffy new techniques that are sure to impress your friends. And maybe even your enemies.

Minimum Equipment Required: Sword, Mask, Gloves, Gorget

Preferred Equipment: Full steel longsword kit from waist up.