Thank you Rae Studios for another memorable 2023. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2024!
An offering as we enter 2024: "The more energy you give something, the more it expands"
Happy Holidays & Happy New Year's from us at Rae Studio
Introducing our Winter/Spring 2024 schedule starting January 1st featuring two locations, Rae Studios + UN Plaza, over 50+ classes and 35+ instructors offering classes daily! We're very excited to be bringing you a fresh schedule full of opportunity to train and grow in your respective dance journeys. Rae Studios is proud to offer a home to dancers of all levels and now all economic backgrounds. With the addition of free classes at UN Plaza, we're excited to make dance and fitness accessible to the bay area and our community.
A big Thank you to our past instructors who will no longer be teaching at Rae Studios. We at Rae Studios always value our instructors and honor their growth as they continue to transition in life. For veteran and new teachers starting January 1st 2024, we are excited to start another season celebrating and highlighting your craft. Let's continue to support our local teachers this year by showing up ready to create new and memorable experiences. Just a reminder, every little action goes a long way. Bring a friend to class, write a testimonial, share your experience on your social channel or just tell an instructor about your gratitude. Most importantly, enjoy yourself. Rae Studios is here to build, educate and create.
Now, let's welcome to our Winter/Spring 2024 Instructor Roster! ❤
In-Studio Class Schedule | Effective Jan. 1st - Mar. 31
UN Plaza Class Schedule | Effective Jan. 1st - Mar. 31st
🎉 INTRODUCING OUR NEW INSTRUCTORS STARTING JANUARY 2024🎉
Xanthia Ewijk
Afro Dance [Beg/Int]
Fridays, 6:30pm
Saturdays, 11:00am
Xanthia, born in Paramaribo, Suriname, raised in the bay is excited to bring Afro Dance to RAE Studios. She has danced with multiple bay area groups and enjoys freestyle expression. Mixing House dance, Kuduru, HipHop, Capoeira Angola and Afro Haitian this class will get you ready for the weekend! Xanthia is currently teaching Afro Dance to Kindergartners and loves to see all ages express and flourish. She believes there are no limits to dance, limits only exist in the mind. Come join Xanthia to discover, explore and learn about the diaspora of Afro dance. Everyone is welcome!
Joanne Sato (she/her)
H.I.I.T. [All Levels] (at UN Plaza)
Saturdays, 11:00am
Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, Joanne has called the San Francisco Bay Area home for over 20 years. Joanne has been teaching Group Exercise and Dance Classes for over 10 years. After receiving her B.S. Degrees in Kinesiology (Human Movement Studies) & Business Management from San Francisco State University, she has continued her career as a Fitness Professional while also pursuing Personal Training, Group Exercise Instruction and Staff Management. It is the perfect blend of her degrees while also keeping her love of dance and fitness alive.
A lover of all movement, Joanne started dancing at a young age and even started choreographing her own routines at the age of nine. Joanne had a very active childhood and also participated in activities such as: swimming, karate, track and field, musicals, and her favorite, dance, where she learned a little bit of everything: jazz, hip hop, ballet, latin dance, hula, Tahitian, and modern dance to name a few.
She has danced in the San Francisco Carnaval Parade with Latin Dance Grooves and danced in the San Francisco Pride Parade with the World Carnavalescos. She has taught dance choreography classes for DanceVibes Styles and taught fitness classes for YouTube, PrimeTime Fitness, Glen Park Neighborhood, the City of Colma and Burlingame Recreation and more. She currently teaches for Club Genentech Fitness Center and Banyan Tree Women’s Collective (501c3 non-profit). Her current certifications include: ACE Group Fitness Instructor, ACE Personal Trainer, Zumba, U-Jam Fitness, Bolly-X, POP Pilates, PIIT28, and YogaFit Level 1,2,3, Mommy & Baby, Prenatal, while also teaching other classes such as dance choreography, barbell, kickboxing, cycling, yoga, barre, HIIT, Boot Camp, agility and more.
A mom of two girls, she wants her girls and everyone to know that they should feel confident in their bodies and to let go of any inhibitions when it comes to dancing or fitness.
“I fall. I get up. Meanwhile…I keep dancing.”
Florence Wang (she/her) Contemporary [Int/Adv] Saturdays, 12:15pm @_florencewang
Florence Wang (she/her) was raised in Columbia, SC, and has been dancing for the past 19 years. Although her primary focus is contemporary and contemporary improvisation, she has trained in a myriad of styles and dance techniques. She started her training in classical ballet at the age of 3 at the UofSC Ballet Conservatory, and then later auditioned and joined the Columbia City Jazz Conservatory (CCJC) company where she trained in ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, and jazz, and competed in prestigious conventions–including but not limited to–Nuvo, Jump, 24/7, and Adrenaline. She went on to attend Duke University where she joined Defining Movement Dance group (Duke’s premier multicultural dance group) and Devils en Pointe (Duke’s premier ballet company). In Spring 2020, she helped co-found Duke’s first and only contemporary and improvisation dance group, Embodiment Contemporary Dance. While serving as president and co-founder, she helped choreograph, lead weekly classes, and teach collaborative workshops for four years. She was also an active member in the Duke Dance department and had her works presented in multiple university dance shows and graduated with a minor in dance. She is super excited to share her love for dance and explore contemporary dance movement in her class!
Maria Zotov (she/her)
Power Yoga [Beg]
Fridays, 12:00pm (UN Plaza)
Saturdays, 10:00am
Maria (Masha) is an experienced yoga teacher recently relocated to CA.
Completing 3 yoga teacher trainings, two of them traditional style yoga in Rishikesh and Gokarn, India, she left her Civil Engineering career to become a full time Hatha and Vinyasa yoga teacher.
Her movement journey began at age 6 in Ukraine with rhythmic gymnastics. At 9 she moved to Israel and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv rhythmic gymnastics team and represented Israel in international contests.
At 12 she switched to Jazz dance. She started running competitively during her Police Service and later on represented her college as a sprinter ( freshman) and long-distance cross country competitive runner (sophomore) since 2008 winning first places at 5km and 10km races. In 2016 she represented The Ministry of Agriculture of Israel in running competitions as a Director of Drainage Engineering and Soil Conservation Department.
Her current hobbies besides yoga are partner acrobatics, contact improvisation dance and chess.
With 6 years of experience teaching and 17 years of practice she’s currently leading group and corporate classes at Tribe Fitness, Yoga and Coaching, SF and other locations as well as privates and teaching in wellness retreats in the Bay area and abroad.
Maria is mindful about efficient and safe alignment for injury prevention, helping to lose joint stiffness using traditional Hatha yoga techniques.
She’s enthusiastic about Power Yoga for a balanced, strong and flexible body and uses breathing techniques to boost energy levels, improve focus and concentration, and anxiety reduction.
In the past 17 years attended yearly retreats and weeks-long advanced workshops around the world, with leading teachers such as Kino Macgregor, Talia Sutra and others.
Simran Nayyar (she/her)
Desi Hip Hop [Int]
Sundays, 12:30pm
A Socal native, Simran has been dancing and choreographing for as long as she can remember. Her experience is strongly rooted in both Bollywood and Hiphop including her time on UCSD's competing Hiphop team. She loves to spread her love for dance and meet other dancers who are passionate about the community. Her work fuses her two core styles together creating a space where everyone can find their groove!
ACCESS ALL CLASSES ON OUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE | LEARN MORE HERE
In-Studio Classes at Rae Studios
Outdoor Classes at UN Plaza Fitness Court
