DANCE WITH PRIDE
"BEST OVERALL CONTINGENT" AT THE SF PRIDE PARADE!
We're thrilled to share that the Rhythm & Motion and Dancers' Group's Dance with Pride contingent was voted Best Overall Contingent in the SF Pride Parade - chosen by community vote from among 5 nominees and over 200 contingents that marched on June 28! The award recognizes outstanding visual presentation, emotional content, integration of the theme "Resistance in Action," and the energy, coordination, and joy a contingent brings to Market Street. The announcement was made at SF Pride's annual "Night of Thanks" celebration on Friday, August 14, and we are humbled and honored to receive this recognition.
Thank you to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the SF Pride Parade judges for nominating us for this recognition and thank you to the community of voters who cast their votes in support of Dance with Pride. And to the 195+ dancers and volunteers who helped make this contingent shine...this belongs to all of us! We are proud to have danced in the streets on Pride Sunday, and just as proud to commit to showing up for our LGBTQ+ community and continuing the work and advocacy all year long.
If you want to relive the spirit of the day, check out Dance With Pride 2026 to see the joy, movement, and community that made our contingent stand out.
Save the date: we'll be back on the streets for SF Pride on Sunday, June 27, 2027.
WELCOME, EMILY KLEEMAN!
We're thrilled to announce that Emily Kleeman has joined Rhythm & Motion as our new Business Operations Manager. As part of the R&M office team, she'll be working alongside R&M Director Dudley Flores, Program Associate Maggie Connard, and company owner Thor Anderson.
Emily brings years of experience building products, growing teams, and shaping strategy in the tech world, but dance has always been part of her life. She danced when she was young, stepped away for a long stretch, and found her way back to it through R&M. She’s excited to put her professional skills to use in a community and company that means so much to her.
We're so glad to have her energy, insight, and love of dance on the team! Please give her a warm welcome next time you see her in the studio!
JOIN US AUGUST 29 IN NOE VALLEY
Join instructor Aimee Rose on Saturday, August 29 at 4pm for R&M Fusion in beautiful Noe Valley Town Square.
Want more outdoor dance offerings? Come dance select Wednesdays at 12pm from now to October in the heart of the City at the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens.
Oh, and did we mention these classes are FREE? No pre-registration is required. Just show up!
Save the date for our final class of the season in Noe Valley:
Saturday, September 26 at 4pm with Maggie Connard
SAVE THE DATE - DANCE DAY 2026
YERBA BUENA GARDENS DANCE DAY IN HONOR OF CONSUELO FAUST
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026
Art, culture, a party and a communal celebration, Yerba Buena Gardens Dance Day is a portal to a joyous dance-filled world! Presented in partnership with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, YBG Dance Day transforms the Gardens into an outdoor dance center where participants can sample dance in a variety of forms and flavors with some of the Bay Area’s most talented teachers. Whether you are new to dance or a seasoned professional, Yerba Buena Gardens Dance Day is open to everyone!
This year, Dance Day honors the life and legacy of Rhythm & Motion founder Consuelo Faust (1953-2025). We celebrate the spirit she championed – living the belief that anyone can dance and that dance has the power to bring people together in joy. Following the day of classes, there will be a celebratory music and dance performance that uplifts her vision and the vibrant SF Bay Area dance community she deeply loved and helped to nurture throughout her life.
INSTRUCTOR NEWS
Catch Instructor Sarah Emmons dancing in ODC's State of Play Festival with Dragons Dance/Erin Yen.
Ephie (World Premiere) is a new dance work by Dragons Dance/Erin Yen exploring human interconnectivity and the nervous system’s role in dissociation from the modern world. Created in collaboration with a practicing neurologist and the dancers, Ephie asks, ‘what happens when we turn up sensation and embody the world of our brains?'
Dragons Dance/Erin Yen
Sunday, August 30
4:30pm
ODC Theater
More info
Catch Instructors Leesha Zieber and Maggie Connard dancing with Yayoi Kambara's KAMBARA+ in The Higher Ground Queer Arts Cabaret, a dynamic evening of queer performance celebrating what becomes possible when artists build higher ground together.
Hosted by Black Benatar, the cabaret features artists across dance, drag, music, and vertical performance, moving beyond the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, stage and public space to create connection, wonder, and shared experience.
The Higher Ground Queer Arts Cabaret
Wednesday, September 9
8pm
BANDALOOP STUDIOS, Oakland
More info
Join Toxxxin (Instructor Jess Bozzo) for an epic night featuring Gaga's most iconic stage performances recreated on the Oasis stage! Featuring Jewels Sparkles from RuPaul's Drag Race, and With beats by DJ Mark Kanemura (from "So You Think You Could Dance")
Princess: GAGATHON
Saturday, September 5
9:30 PM-2 AM
Oasis
More info
Check out Instructor Maggie Connard in this year's Panto in the Presidio: Alice in Wonderland. When a forgotten birthday sends Alice tumbling into a topsy-turvy San Francisco Wonderland, she wanders a world where the rules grow curiouser and curiouser. Join Alice as she meets a cast of chaotic characters, matches wits against a mad queen, and proves that growing up doesn’t mean letting go of your imagination.
Join thousands of audience members who have made the magic of Panto in the Presidio their holiday musical theatre tradition.
Alice in Wonderland
Nov 28 - Dec 27, 2026
Presidio Theater
More info