It's spooky season at Rae Studios and we're so excited to be bringing a week of fun, Halloween-themed classes brought to you by some of your favorite instructors! We invite all of you to come out in your best costume attire and enjoy the festivities. Our featured instructors will be teaching songs related to the holiday with fun themes for each of their classes. Check out event details below along with our featured instructors for the week!
Date/Time: Monday, October 23rd - Sunday, October 29th, 2023 | Class Times Vary, see below.
Location: Rae Studios | 414 Mason St., #705, San Francisco, CA
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.Workshop Details:
Featured Instructors:
LEXI NUTKIEWICZ | @lexinut7
JESSICA RAE | @jraesf
KI TO | @kithetiger
NATALIE SKLOVSKAYA | @natsklov
ANNIE LESTER | @anniegmovment
SARA TEMPLETON | @coqui.sf
CORA MAE | @m.etam0rphosis
Date: Monday, October 23rd - Sunday, October 29th, 2023
Time: Class times vary. See below
Tickets:
$23 | Single Class
FREE for Monthly Unlimited Members
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.Meet the Instructors:
Lexi Nutkiewicz
Hip Hop [Beginner]
10/23, 6:30pm-7:40pm
Lexi (she/her) is a New Jersey-born, California-raised dancer and choreographer with over 10 years of teaching and professional dance experience. Lexi’s passion for Hip-Hop began when she took her first Popping class at 7 years old. While she was heavily involved in soccer throughout childhood, she stopped playing at age 15 to focus on dance, choreographing for her dance team, attending master workshops in Los Angeles (Movement Lifestyle and Millenium Dance Complex), and teaching part-time youth and adult classes. She attended the University of Colorado Boulder where she studied Psychology and Dance and became heavily involved with the university’s street dance crew, VeRVE Collisionz. As captain of VeRVE, she helped organize the largest street dance competition in Colorado, acted as the creative director and choreographer, and kept up the team morale. After graduating in 2018, she moved to the Bay Area and joined Str8jacket Dance Company and currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator. With Str8jacket, she’s performed at several community events (Seoul Train, UNNIE, Presidio Picnic, San Mateo County Fair, Concert for Change), dance competitions (World of Dance, Prelude, VeRVE Collisionz), and events (BET Experience, ASAP Natin ‘To Bay Area, Adobe for All Conference, SF International Hip-Hop Dance Fest). She currently trains in Hip-Hop, House, Whacking/Waacking, Locking, and Popping.
She began teaching virtual Hip-Hop classes at Rae Studios during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, she co-founded Rae Studios’ professional development program called More Than Movement, which that aims to provide opportunities for Rae Studios’ instructors and staff to grow their teaching skills, social advocacy, and knowledge of dance history and culture through community building, education, and anti-racism work. She is also represented by Rae Agency and is the co-instructor of Grokker’s Dance Jam program, the platform’s first dance program.
Lexi is grateful for all of the training and performance opportunities, and looks forward to continuing her professional career in dance. Her goal as a teacher is to educate her students about Hip-Hop history and culture and create an inclusive and positive environment for her students to grow as dancers.
You can check out Lexi’s work on her Instagram (@lexinut7) and on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@heyitslexxayy).
Class Description:
Hip-Hop dance consists of Breaking (commercially known as Breakdancing) and Hip-Hop Party Moves (e.g., Bart Simpson, Biz Markie, Roger Rabbit, Running Man) and Hip-Hop is an artistic and cultural movement that started in the 1970s in The Bronx of New York City by Black and Latiné youth who expressed joy through Hip-Hop during a time of oppression. In this class, you will learn the rhythms and movements of Hip-Hop, the five elements of Hip-Hop, grooves, fundamentals, history, musicality, and terminology in its relation to the Hip-Hop dance culture. A beginner-friendly Hip-Hop dance combo and education around Hip-Hop. This course is a prerequisite requirement for many of our intermediate/advanced classes. Prepare to take this class for at least 6-8 weeks before advancing to the next class.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.
Ki To
Jazz Funk [Int/Adv]
10/24, 6:30pm-7:40pm
Song: Enemy by Imagine Dragons
“Come as you are.”
Ki To has traveled and danced for the “King of Viet-Pop” Aka Son Tung, Sands China, Hilton, Genentech, WAYMO and modeled for brands such as BENEFIT Cosmetics, EM Cosmetics, Google etc.
Socials:
YOUTUBE CHANNEL — https://youtube.com/@kito_0709
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/kito_0709/
Class Description:
Jazz Funk dance, a super-set of Jazz and influenced by the Hip Hop dance style. This style of dance is usually fast-paced pointed gestures and quick movements. In this class, you are expected to have basic knowledge of jazz foundations while learning quick pace combos emphasizing on feminism and intricate movements.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.
Jessica Rae
Pop Jam [Intermediate]
10/24, 6:30pm-7:40pm
Song: Enemy by Imagine Dragons
Jessica Rae is a Filipino business owner and educator around movement and entrepreneurship. She is the founder and CEO of Rae Model & Talent Agency LLC and Rae Studios, located in downtown San Francisco, California. Jessica graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Speech and Communications and a lifetime advocate of dance and the arts.
She is an energetic certified Group Fitness and Dance Instructor with a strong background in Cardio Dance, Kickboxing, MMA, and dance choreography. She promotes healthy minds and bodies through music and movement while building a strong community motivating people to move outside their comfort zone. Her certifications include: GF, AFAA, CPA and First Aid, Pound Pro, Cize Live, Barre Certified and has been seen coaching for Gap HQ, Athleta, Lorna Jane, Fitbit, William-Sonoma, Airbnb, Eventbrite, Salesforce, Facebook, Marriott, San Francisco Middle School, Dare to Bare amongst other established corporations.
Jessica currently teaches weekly classes at Equinox and Rae Studios.
Class Description:
Pop Jam originates from dance-pop, a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable. Pop Jam is influenced by various dance styles including, Jazz Funk, Hip-Hop, and Latin dance. Students are expected to have basic fundamentals of these dance genres. This class moves at a true intermediate pace starting with a full body warm-up, and isolations into choreography. Bring knee pads for those who wish to do floor work. Floorwork and standing options are available.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.
Natalie Sklovskaya
Heels [Beg/Int]
10/25, 6:30pm-7:40pm
Wardrobe: Black & Red Dance Attire
Natalie was born and raised in San Francisco and began her dance journey at age 4 attending Genesis Ballroom Dance Studio. She continued ballroom dancing until age 12 where she switched to Jazz and Hip Hop dance styles. While attending UC Davis, she was a member of Agape Dance Team, where she choreographed performances, helped lead practices, and taught dance workshops. Upon graduating, Natalie was a member of Str8jacket dance team. She is passionate about creating a welcoming dance environment for all students, regardless of their experience level and focuses on emphasizing technique and performance in her classes.
Class Description:
The history of dancing in heels goes back to the early 20th century, However, the teaching of the art of Heels was popularized around the globe in the early 21st century by artists such as Aisha Francis, Danielle Polanco, and Yannis Marshall. Heels is a choreographed dance class for beginner/intermediate students utilizing any type of high-heeled shoes, not necessarily character heels. This class combines styles of dance from jazz, street jazz, hip hop or commercial dance. In this class, you will begin with a warm up focusing on strengthening the ankles, glutes, hips and core finished with a short technique portion. This class heavily focuses on learning technique and choreography.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.
Sara Templeton
Reggaeton [Beg/Int]
10/27, 6:30pm-7:40pm
Wardrobe: Devilish Swag (All red attire)
Sara is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer born and raised in San Francisco. She started her professional hip-hop career at sixteen, dancing with Culture Shock S.F. and L.A. and guest performing with independent artists throughout the Bay Area. While earning her dance degree at Loyola Marymount University, Sara expanded her training to include ballet, modern / contemporary, and dunham technique, and also began a focused re-engagement with salsa and other Latin dances connected to her Puerto Rican heritage. It was during this time that Sara truly honed in on her passion for choreography and teaching, and the ways in which the intelligence of different dance techniques could cross pollinate for the benefit of the artist. Sara has performed alongside notable hip-hop artists Allan Frias and Jesse Lee Santos, and has done commercial work with musical groups Blue Boy and Spanish Fly. Locally Sara has performed and presented work at Dance Mission Theater and ODC, and is blest to have trained with exceptional artists across disciplines including Janice Garrett (modern), Robin Dekkers (ballet), Brandi Chun (jazz funk), Pat Cruz (hip-hop) and others. Most recently, Sara choreographed the Center Repertory Company’s sold out Spring 2023 musical production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights and continues to teach a variety of dance forms around the Bay Area.
Sara strongly believes in the joy of dance, and is dedicated to fostering a safe and playful space where students can work on sound dance technique while feeling motivated to grow. When Sara is not in the studio teaching or choreographing, she is experimenting with dance for film, and running her online dance merchandise store ObjectsForArts. Besides dance, Sara is an ardent, 20-year practitioner of Iyengar yoga, and a strong believer in massages and chocolate.
Class Description:
Reggaeton is a hybrid dance form built from salsa, dancehall, and hip-hop influences. It reflects the musical and cultural journey of Jamaican migrants across the Caribbean (especially Puerto Rico, which is credited with creating 'mainstream' reggaeton) towards Latin American and the United States. Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as bomba and plena, as well as that of hip hop. Reggaeton focuses on strong and sensual hip movements (commonly known as dancing 'perreo') and often incorporates Hip-Hop grooves and Latin dance technique. In this class, students will learn choreography to gain an understanding of the genre and its associated terminology. See instructor IG to view choreography style.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.
Cora Mae
Musical Theatre [All Levels]
10/29, 12:30pm-1:40pm
Cora Mae (They, She) is a professional dancer and teacher in the Bay Area. They were born in Boston and moved to the Bay Area when they turned 3. They began ballet at the age of 4, however they ended up quitting due to a mean teacher, as a result they strive to bring positivity to the classroom. They came back to dance after watching an Alvin Ailey performance in the Third grade. The dancers' innate technique as they performed beautiful emotive dances inspired Cora to come back to the dance studio. Cora began training in Jazz and lyrical at the age of 8, and found their way back to ballet and contemporary at Lines Ballet School. They use technique as a basis to hone in on artistry and expression, creating holistic pieces that push dancers to find meaning in their movement. Cora prioritizes building confidence in their classes, believing it is integral to growing as a dancer. Cora has studied with Complexions Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Joffrey Ballet Academy, Interlochen, Rebellious Creatives, BalletRed, AMDA, Vanderzwaan All-Stars Competition Team, and Black Box Studio, performing at multiple high end galas, fundraisers, weddings, as well as a Warriors game. They teach all ages, and all levels creating a supportive community where artistry can bloom. Cora is so happy to be a part of the Rae community and currently teaches Musical Theatre on Sundays from 3 - 4:10, Cora also teaches ballet and lyrical though not on a consistent schedule. Follow Cora on instagram, @m.etam0rphosis for updates on classes!
Class Description:
Musical Theater Dance class is Fosse based with a twist. Students will be exposed to various styles of movements rooted in the diverse history of Broadway Musicals. Dancers will develop rhythm and their overall performance through dance combinations. The class includes a fast-paced warm-up focused on core strength, technique, and stretching.
Tickets: Register on your MindBody App.Featured Spotlight Classes
Spooky Special 3-Class Package Available | Purchase Here
