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Rhythm & Motion Dance Workout Instructors
Stephanie Bastos - bio coming soon!
Alena Cawthorne has been teaching R&M since 1998. Her background is in Ballet, Modern, West African dance, Japanese, Hula and Balinese dance. She performed with the Purple Moon Dance Project for five years and is currently presenting her own choreography throughout the Bay Area. After teaching dance to K-12th grade and a 2-year residency at School of the Arts, she finally found her niche teaching the Absolute Beginning Contemporary, Modern Rhythms classes and Fusion Rhythms at ODC Dance Commons. "Come dance with me, take care of your body and soul. In this class we will reach the limits and stretch the boundaires of what you know is possible."
Kendall Charrow began as a student with Rhythm & Motion in 1983, before taking the leap, as an instructor in 1988.”I grew up with Rhythm & Motion”. While growing up in San Francisco Kendall had the wonderful opportunity to study dance under some of the most influential, talented and respected teachers this city has to offer. “I had heard about Rhythm & Motion and decided to take a class. When the music started and warm-ups began, I knew this was something I loved. R&M was the right place for me. I love teaching these classes! I love to inspire and support my student’s in truly experiencing the joy of dance, along with working hard, letting go of inhibitions, learning, and having fun. Now, I get to watch my own daughter grow up here, and express herself through the joy of music and dance.”
Amanda Crawford - bio coming soon!
Maria DeLeo joined the Rhythm & Motion family in 1998 and has taught Fusion Rhythms since 2003. Students give testament that her energy and smile are contagious, that her movement and instruction are easy to follow and that her classes are not to be missed! Indeed, she is dedicated to spreading the joy of dance to each and every student who walks into the studio.
Outside of the dance world, Maria is committed to community service with particular focus on youth justice and empowerment. She is a foster care youth advocate with SFCASA, a volunteer at Larkin Street Youth Services, and a board member of Oakland’s Opera Piccola. Other passions in Maria’s life include her husband, Spain, and good home cooking!
Roger Dillahunty has been dancing for nearly 30 years, 26 of which as an active teacher with Rhythm & Motion. He has danced and taught throughout the world from Europe, Canada and Mexico, to some of the most remote places in the USA including Alaska and Hawaii. Roger is a teaching artist of dance for children and adults alike, with a belief and philosophy that everyone, young and old, has the potential to transform to a higher self. The art of dance is like a key that can open the latches of many doors, leadings us on a path of self-exploration and discovery. "It is my hope," says Roger, "that everyone can realizes their own unique voice, step through that door, and travel on a journey of self empowerment, creativity and imagination.
Dudley Flores has been a Rhythm & Motion instructor since 2000 and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the program. His teaching is informed by his rich training and performance in modern dance, jazz, hip hop, ballet and musical theater. He’s performed in numerous events for stage, television, film and fashion, and currently works with the The Printz Dance Project, RAWdance and Janice Garrett and Dancers. Offstage he explores the world through nature studies, photography, blogging, people watching and reality TV. He believes in creating an environment where dance is a therapeutic release from the day to day. His classes are explosive, high energy, and a place to learn movement and work deep, make mistakes - fearlessly, have fun, let go, and enjoy the process.
Stephanie Forster - bio coming soon!
Jessica Lutes - bio coming soon!
Rami Margron has been teaching Fusion Rhythms since 2003. She received her training in various clubs and studios in the Bay Area, Haiti, Cuba and Indonesia. Her dance background includes swing, salsa, Afro-Haitian, bellydance, modern, circus and many others. She is a former member of Group Petit La Croix, Blanche Brown's Haitian dance company and Project Reconnect, an African Diaspora dance-theater collective. In addition to R&M, she works as an actor, director, choreographer and drama teacher.
A San Francisco native, Eyla Moore has been dancing her entire life, although, her formal training began at the age of six. Since then, Eyla has studied various dance forms including West African, Hip Hop, Belly Dance, Afro-Brazilian and most recently Modern and Afro-Haitian. Currently majoring in Dance at San Francisco State University , Eyla brings her passion and love of dance to her workout classes and hopes to inspire others to explore the powerful spirit of dance. People who want to experience a high energy, funky, yet easy going atmosphere, where all dance levels are encouraged and challenged, should try Eyla’s class.
Rebecca Porteous finds joy and peace through dance. She has been teaching Rhythm & Motion since 1995. "Rhythm & Motion makes you feel so free." Rebecca is the proud mother of two sweet, energetic sons. She started dancing, as so many, with ballet as a child. She has studied, jazz, african based dances, tap, flamenco, contact and modern dance over the years. Life is never still. Partner dance has been her love for the past 12 years starting with swing and lindy, salsa and two step. She found her true love in Argentine Tango in 1997. She has since danced and studied Tango with the most fabulous dancers all over the world. The plans are to keep up this affair
Janet Roitz has been a teacher at R&M since 1991. She studied ballet at the
Zena Romette school in New York City to which she credits (almost)
everything she knows. In addition to Fusion Rhythms, she has also
taught Musical Theatre Performance workshops. Janet is an actor and a
singer and the mother of two great boys. She also loves to swim and is
a long time student of Yoga.
Peter Rothblatt has been teaching for Rhythm & motion since he moved to San Francisco in 1987. Still loving it after all these years. He’s been dancing, performing and teaching since 1981 and loves sharing his passion for dance and the “how to” of dance with his students. As a musician and lover of music, he loves dancing to al of the musical styles that makes Fusion Rhythms the class that it is. In his class, you’ll dance deeply, laugh a bit and connect to the wisdom of the human body.
Nancy Rubin - bio coming soon!
Amara Tabor Smith has been teaching R&M dance workout since the mid 1980s. She is the artistic director of the Oakland based dance company, Deep Waters Dance Theater. Dance is her passion, religion and true love! She is an aquarian whose favorite color is blue. Be warned that she will encourage your wildest self to be unleashed during her class. Be booty positive! Holla!
Having come from a strong ballet background, Ken Scott has had the opportunity to study with the San Francisco Ballet School as well as the Pacific Dance Academy in Los Angeles. Since then he has performed for various companies, events, and shows in the bay area ranging from modern and contemporary dance to broadway, jazz, and hip hop. Ken has taught for Rhythm and Motion since 2003, and his approach to class is centered around the idea of not taking oneself too serious. He believes an overly-analytical approach to dance is like an overly-creative approach to algebra... It just doesn’t work.
Danica Sena has been dancing as long as she has been walking and this passion has taken her through many different styles including Classical, Jazz, Afro-Haitian, Modern, Latin, Hip-Hop, Balkan and Spanish/Flamenco. She is also artistic director of Andanza Spanish Arts and Opera-To-Go and has over 15 years international professional experience both as a performer and teacher. Along with fun and ecclectic musical choices Ms. Sena focuses on injury prevention and basic kinesthetic awareness in her classes. When not dancing you can find her at “YouTube Addicts Anonymous” and in the kitchen honing her culinary skills.
Ryan Smith started teaching at Rhythm and Motion in 2007 after becoming an addicted student of the dance workout program. His early history with dance involved sequins, MC Hammer style pants, and early 90s hip hop. After classes in jazz, modern, and the rare foray into ballet, he has settled into a career as a contemporary dancer and choreographer. Currently he performs with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and co-directs RAWdance, a young Bay Area company known for its athletic formalist style. In daily life, and especially in class, he encourages sweating, singing and all sorts of silliness.
Elizabeth Soberanes started dancing at R&M in 1985 and began teaching Fusion Rhythms Workout in 2001. She holds a BA in Dance Ethnology and has studied Dunham Technique, Afro-Haitian, Brazilian, Cuban, Modern, Hip Hop and Jazz Dance. She has worked as an arts educator, administrator and producer for prominent organizations such as Performing Arts Workshop, World Arts West, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnaval San Francisco. Elizabeth has performed with several local ethnic dance companies, and was crowned Queen of Carnaval SF in 2001. She has traveled to Brazil and Cuba to study dance and participate in their Carnaval celebrations. She believes that dance is a healing force for physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and hopes to inspire students to lose themselves in the joy of dance.
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