Wortham Center Offers Year-Round Community Movement Classes

The performing arts venue in Asheville, NC provides a variety of movement classes for adults with rolling enrollment.

Feb. 2, 2026 at 1:07pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville, North Carolina offers a range of community movement classes for adults throughout the year, including yoga, contemporary dance, and tap dancing. The classes are open to all skill levels and emphasize accessibility, with instructors providing modifications to support beginners and those returning to practice.

Why it matters

The Wortham Center's commitment to providing affordable, inclusive movement classes aligns with a growing trend of performing arts venues expanding their offerings beyond just stage productions. This helps make movement and dance education more accessible to the local community.

The details

The Wortham Center's next session of movement classes runs from January through March in the Henry LaBrun Studio. Offerings include yoga taught by Miranda Watson, contemporary dance led by Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen of Stewart/Owen Dance, and tap dancing instructed by Asheville resident Ellen Costanzo. The classes blend various influences and emphasize somatic practices, with the goal of making dance accessible to all regardless of prior experience.

  • The next session of Wortham Center movement classes runs from January through March 2026.
  • Miranda Watson has taught yoga at the Wortham since 2019.

The players

Miranda Watson

A yoga instructor who has taught classes at the Wortham Center since 2019.

Gavin Stewart

Co-founder of Stewart/Owen Dance, which leads contemporary dance classes at the Wortham Center.

Vanessa Owen

Co-founder of Stewart/Owen Dance, which leads contemporary dance classes at the Wortham Center.

Ellen Costanzo

An Asheville resident who has taken the Wortham Center's Advanced Beginner Tap class weekly since it launched.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We believe everyone can dance regardless of training, experience or physical limitation.”

— Gavin Stewart, Co-founder, Stewart/Owen Dance

“Tap dancing has more benefits than any other fitness activity that I do. It ticks all the boxes for health and healthy aging.”

— Ellen Costanzo

The takeaway

The Wortham Center's diverse movement class offerings demonstrate how performing arts venues can serve as hubs for accessible, community-focused wellness programming that goes beyond traditional stage productions.