Who are Ballet After Dark? AGT contestants help community of violence survivors

Dance group Ballet After Dark made their debut on America's Got Talent (AGT) Season 17. They impressed the judges and the live audience with their dance performance and synchronized swan-like moves. The dance crew also shared their survival journeys and spoke about their decision to start an organization, the story of which moved and inspired viewers.

The AGT contestants are part of the organization 'Ballet After Dark,' which encourages survivors of various forms of violence to heal themselves using interventions and dance therapy, allowing them to "heal their bodies using movement." Their aim is to create a safe space for survivors to heal and grow as an individual.

Judges Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell applauded their enthusiasm and emotional strength.

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AGT dance group Ballet After Dark creates safe space for trauma warriors

Ballet After Dark impressed everyone with their strength and perseverance on this week's episode of America's Got Talent (AGT). The organization began as a series of community-based dance therapy workshops before delving deeper and adopting a trauma-informed curriculum.

Between 2014 and 2018, the organization developed 52 dance-therapy workshops that facilitated "providing somatic intervention" to over 170 women and youth impacted by various forms of violence and trauma in Baltimore City.

In 2019, the AGT group further developed the curriculum for a full-fledged somatic intervention program. The organization piloted with a micro-cohort of 12 survivors. Since then, their dance-therapy program has provided a much-needed healing experience and resources to over 150 youth and women.

As per their Instagram bio, they are a community organization "helping black youth and women reprocess, rebuild and reclaim relationships with their bodies using the power of somatic intervention and dance."

Ballet After Dark participated in a one-time international project in partnership with La Casa Mandarina, which allowed them to provide resources to 22 survivors from marginalized communities, including indigenous, trans, and Afro-Latina individuals.

Some of the dance therapy workshops provided by the AGT group provide include Black Swan 1 & 2, Aqua - Ballet, and the Ballet After Dark ensemble. As part of a community that provides support for black survivors, they also accept donations to heal them with trauma-induced dance support.

The organization has a website called Bonfire where users can sell T-shirts online through a campaign. Viewers can open an online store, sell their merchandise, organize fundraisers, customize their own designs, and shop from the existing marketplace. People can check it out on the link given on their Instagram account.

The AGT group has over 11K followers on Instagram, where they constantly update people about their workshops, dance sessions, survival journeys, and much more.

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Who is the founder of Ballet After Dark?

Ballet After Dark was founded by Tyde-Courtney Edwards, a classically-trained ballerina, art model, and survivor of s**ual assault. She was born and raised in Baltimore City, and is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts. She has over 20 years of experience in dance and ballet.

The founder is trained in various dance forms, including lyrical, jazz, tap, hip-hop, as well as classical and contemporary ballet. She conceptualized Ballet After Dark after she struggled to recover following her experience of s**ual assault.

The organization's documentary of the same name explores the journey of a young woman who found the strength to survive after an attack and created an organization to help abuse survivors heal. It was featured at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, and earned them acclaim and applause.

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Season 17 of America's Got Talent has been extremely popular among viewers and has leveled up its status of being one of the most beloved reality talent competitions on television. Keep watching the show on NBC.