Dear Rhythm & Motion Community,

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Consuelo Faust, the visionary founder of Rhythm & Motion, passed away on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. The cause of death was Parkinson’s Disease, complicated by Multiple Systems Atrophy. To the very end, Consuelo lived with strength and grace. She left this world - taking her final bow - with her husband Thor and daughter Madeleine at her side.

A native of New Orleans, Consuelo came to San Francisco to pursue her study of dance. She immersed herself in a blossoming scene of creative arts in the early seventies, and was a founding member of the Tumbleweed Dance and Music Collective. Together with fellow dancer Cathy Herbert, Consuelo founded Rhythm & Motion in 1979. For the next thirty-five years, she directed the company with two goals in mind: help dancers make a living by teaching dance, and that the joy of dance should be accessible to all. These simple ideas generated a community of teachers, students, and collaborators that has become the extraordinary, grass-roots institution that is Rhythm & Motion today.

Our community, where people come not just to move, but to connect, express themselves, and heal through the art and ritual of dance is the result of the intentional, conscientious, and generous spirit that was at the core of Consuelo's beliefs. Rhythm & Motion has become a space where all are welcome, everyone is invited to thrive, and, through dance, a communal experience provides a place where art, culture, life, and our very beings can be celebrated, honored, and supported. Consuelo was very clear that the program was not only open and safe, but also challenging, with a sense that one could progress in learning the technical aspects of dance - though never at the expense of having fun.

Consuelo's impact on the company, her community, and all who knew her can be measured by the generations of students and teachers who have embraced the positive values and pure joy of dance. Consuelo was our north star, and she will be sorely missed.

Plans to celebrate and commemorate Consuelo’s life and legacy will be communicated at a later time. In the meantime, if you would like to share a message of condolence or a memory of Consuelo, please send it through the Rhythm & Motion office at ODC. Handwritten notes are especially welcomed at this time and will be passed along to her family.

As we grieve this loss, we can also celebrate her life - in words and deeds, in movement, and in the ways we show up for one another.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Dudley
Director, Rhythm & Motion