Rae Studio Presents: Spring Performance Workshop Series

Our spring performance workshop series is back and registrations is NOW OPEN! Many students have found this as a great opportunity to challenge their skill set and reach new heights as performers. Every year, we produce performance showcases featuring a roster of students who want to push their dance journey under the bright lights on the big stage. This performance workshop gives students the chance to work on fine-tuning choreography while enhancing overall performance quality.

This workshop includes 8-weeks of rehearsal. Single ticket drop-ins are allowed for the first three classes for students to test out the class. Classes are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot in advance. Join one of our artists in a training series for the chance to perform for our 3rd showcase on June 4th and our very first time performing at The Great Star Theatre!

Please note, performing at the showcase is not required, but highly encouraged. For those that are unable to attend the showcase, or do not want to perform live, you are still able to sign up for the series. Now, let's begin!

Rehearsal Dates: April 9th - June 3rd (see below for class schedules)

Showcase Date: Sunday, June 4th at the Great Star Theatre

Location for Workshop Classes:

• Rae Studios, 414 Mason St., #705, San Francisco CA, 94102

Workshop Rates:

• $35 Single Session | $225 Full Series + Showcase

• (Sales end 04/23)

Performance Workshop Show Date & Location

• Sunday, June 4th, 2023
• Great Star 636 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Workshop Rates:

• $225 Workshop Series Admission (8 Rehearsals + Showcase + Video)
• $35 Single Session (Drop-in available for first 3 sessions)

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Train with one of your favorite instructors and showcase your journey.

Each workshop series instructor is highly trained and knowledgeable in their practice and will guide you through a series of rehearsals to build a deeper relationship in their movement background. At the end of the series, Rae Studios will host a live showcase featuring all of our performance workshop instructors, students, plus special guest performers.

As a participant, you will receive personalized training, feedback, and resources from our instructors. You'll learn, rehearse, and perform a set personally made for your cohort. You'll also have the chance to show your friends and family all the progress you've made in your workshop series.

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Guidelines and Policies:

• Students are expected to attend all the weekly sessions for their registered workshop series. Students are not required to be at the showcase.
• Attendance policy - Any missed session will be forfeited and credits are not transferable. Missing multiple sessions may result in being removed from the workshop series and/or showcase date.
• Students are expected to provide their own makeup and outfit for the showcase unless indicated otherwise by the instructor or management team.
• Students are encouraged to invite friends and family to see the showcase.

Specials Partners, Vendors, and Amenities:

• The showcase location will be announced closer to the show date.
• Each student participating in a workshop series will receive a special discount code to share with friends to receive 30% off on tickets for the show. Discount code will be available when ticketing launches.
• Participants get to attend the Rae Studios Showcase for free.

The showcase event features other performance workshop series groups and guest artists with a featured host.

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Meet our team of amazing instructors and learn more about their workshop series:

Spotlight Artists: Lexi Nutkiewicz @lexinut7 | Ki To @kito_0709 | Lydia Chon @lydia_chon | Andrea Sendek @andreasendekbellydance | Natalie Sklovskaya @nanasklov | Madelin Braun @madelin___ | JJ Ghera @jjthekillah| Jessica Rae @jraesf | Soho Labeija @secrets2fashion | Kait Skye @k8skye

Lexi Nutkiewicz - Hip Hop [Beginner]

• Rehearsal Day and Times: Mondays, 9pm-10:30pm

• Dates: 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29
• Instructor Bio: 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.

• Workshop Description: In this Beginner Hip-Hop Workshop, students will focus on the foundations of Hip-Hop (The Bounce, Hip-Hop Party Moves, Intro to Breaking/Breakdancing) and learn freestyle skills to help discover their unique style. Throughout this workshop series, students will be expected to gain knowledge about the history and culture of Hip-Hop. Students will also receive the opportunity to choreograph parts of the performance piece, with the help of their instructor.

Soho Labeija - Vogue [Beg/Int]

• Rehearsal Day & Time: Fridays, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/2
• Instructor Bio: Soho (He/Him) was born in Monterey, CA. Growing up a military brat, he moved around a lot which made his mother enroll him into dance classes to help find friends. From there his love of dance grew. Trained in hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, some ballet, house & vogue. He used his versatility in different styles of dance, to book his very first professional gig in NYC during fashion week with designer Balmain. He also danced behind the Backstreet Boys for the intermission/ending performance for that same runway show. Casted on season 3 (2022) of HBO Max hit series Legendary (Competitive Vogue/dance competition) as the house father for “ The Royal House of LaBeija”. Danced in LGBTQ Pride campaign with Facebook/Meta featuring the house of LaBeija. His dance goals and aspirations are to travel the world and inspire those who cannot inspire themselves through movement and feeling.
• Workshop Description: In this Vogue workshop students will learn the fundamentals and all elements that consist of Vogue Fem. Workshop’s will start off with a meditative stretch, followed by technique training of all elements such as duck walk, cat walk, hands, floor, spins & dips. Last portion of the class will be focused on choreography and performance skills.

Ki To - Jazz Funk [Intermediate]

• Rehearsal Days & Times: Tuesdays, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9/ 5/16, 5/23, 5/30

“Come as you are.”

• Instructor Bio: At the age of 18, Bay Area native Ki To (He/Him/They), moved to LA with only two suitcases and a dream. Ki To knew he wanted to be a part of the industry when Ki To was co-leader of the Jazz/Hip-hop dance program and joined clubs like Choreo and KPOP. In Los Angeles, he trained at studios such as Playground LA, EDGE, and was briefly a dance assistant/intern at Ruts Studios (Formerly known as Urban LA.) After building a portfolio in both dance and modeling, Ki To now works full-time as a dancer, dance instructor, and model with his main agency. (RAE) He currently teaches KPOP (Intermediate, both ORIGINALS and covers.) This class focuses on kpop dance and lip syncing/facials. He also teaches Jazz Funk (Int/Adv.) which focuses on movement quality, confidence, and power/stamina. Ki To's goal is to host a safe space to teach people how to crush the stage, and give them the tools to dance with an aura. Ki To has danced for the “King of Viet-Pop” Aka Son Tung in a MV, Hilton, Genentech, WAYMO and modeled for brands such as BENEFIT Cosmetics, EM Cosmetics, Google etc.

• Workshop Description: In this performance workshop, students will learn the power of creating a presence/aura. Students will learn techniques such as isolations, textures and performance skills throughout the workshop series. Workshops will start off with conditioning and grooves, followed by choreography and or blocking. Students will leave this workshop feeling confident to crush any stage and that the confidence would last even after the final performance.

Jessica Rae - Pop Jam [Intermediate]

• Rehearsal Days & Times: Saturdays, 2pm-3:30pm
• Dates: 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3
• Instructor Bio: Jessica Rae is a Filipino business owner and educator around dance, fitness and entrepreneurship. She is the founder and CEO of Rae Model & Talent Agency LLC and Rae Studios, a brick and mortar dance studio and talent agency in downtown San Francisco, California. Jessica is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a BA in Speech and Communications. Her career as a fitness and dance teacher started at an early age with Crunch gym and later furthered her education as a group fitness teacher with her AFAA, First Aid and CPR certification. Her emphasis includes cardio dance, CIZE Live, pound pro, barre, kickboxing and dance choreography. Her preferred dance styles are commercial work inspired by jazz funk, latin dance and hip hop culture. Jessica has been seen teaching weekly and popup classes for companies/brands like Gap/Athleta HQ, Bay Club, Studiomix, Crunch Gym, PAAM Arts Academy, Francisco Middle School, DaretoBare, William Sonoma, Airbnb, Facebook, Lorna Jane, Lucy, Marriott. In addition to her teaching background, Jessica has also been seen dancing for celebrity artists like Lady Gaga, Ludacris, Kid Rock, E-40 and Too Short. Currently Jessica teaches weekly at Rae Studios and Equinox. Check out her weekly classes in: Barre, Cardio Dance, Kickboxing and Commercial Dance Styles. "Take time to make your soul happy”
• Workshop Description: 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 immediately into choreography. Students will be pushed on choreography retention and overall performance quality. Bring knee pads for those who wish to do floor work. Floorwork and standing options are available to create a dynamic performance show

Lydia Chon - Jazz Funk [Int/Adv]

• Rehearsal Days and Times: Wednesdays, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31
• Instructor Bio: Lydia is a 24 year old New Orleans native who has lived in the Bay Area for over two years. She has danced for over 11 years and is trained in jazz, ballet, contemporary, and hip hop where she danced competitively on a dance team. She was also part of the All-Star Dance Team where she performed in international countries. With her love for K-Pop, she currently teaches Beginner/Intermediate K-Pop classes where she can teach you your favorite K-Pop choreo. Currently, she is represented by Rae Dance Agency.
• Workshop Description: In this jazz funk workshop, students will start each workshop with a warm-up and a jazz technique review consisting of turns, kicks, and jumps. Majority of the workshop will be dedicated to learning choreography, cleaning, and blocking.

Andrea Sendek - Belly Dance

• Rehearsal Days & Time: Sundays, 11am-12:30pm
• Dates: 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
• Instructor Bio: With a rich background in the performing arts, Andrea Sendek brings a lifetime of passionate involvement in acting, music, and dance to her role as Teacher, Performer, Choreographer, and Director. Andrea integrates philosophies into her work learned from training and performing, for over 2 decades, belly dance and other dance genres. Andrea began learning belly dance with Mesmera in Los Angeles from 1996-2004. In 2004 she relocated to the Bay Area and began her studies at The Salimpour School of Dance where for 10 years she trained under and assisted both Jamilla & Suhaila Salimpour. Since 2015 Andrea has been learning Arabic drumming and music with Susu Pampanin and Amina Goodyear. In June of 2021, Andrea began studying extensively with Egyptian master Tommy King. She Has taken countless workshops from Egyptian teachers throughout the years some of which include, Dandesh, Yossry El Hefni, Karim Nagi, Tito, Adia Nour, and Mohammed Shahin. Andrea received certificates for completing Shara Saeeda’s Journey Through Egypt courses 1 & 2, her Suhaila Level 4 Advanced Performer Certificate, and her Jamilla Level 3 Certificate. As a performer, Andrea has an extensive and rich performance background. Some notable performance venues are The Palace of Fine Arts, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Brava Theatre, and The Shelton Theatre. She has performed and taught across the United States and internationally; some highlights of her itinerary include appearances in Japan, Hong
• Workshop Description: Welcome to this exciting series where you'll learn and perform a show stopping Raqs Sharqi (Belly Dance) choreography to a Mejance. A Mejance is an Egyptian piece of music composed specifically for the opening number of a full length Raqs Sharqi show. It's the entrance music for the dancer and it takes advantage of the full Egyptian orchestra. Get ready to grab a chiffon veil and glam it up on the big stage, Egyptian style! Students can expect to learn Raqs Sharqi technique, style, staging, cultural context and the history of the Mejance from a teacher who has taught and performed in Egypt.

JJ Ghera - Heels [Intermediate]

• Rehearsal Day & Time: Monday, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29
• Instructor Bio: JJ Ghera is a non-binary native Bay Area dancer/performer and choreographer. They have trained all over the world from Los Angeles to New York to London, most notably at places such as Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio, Millennium Dance Complex, Studio 68, Pineapple Dance Studio, and most recently The Yanis Marshall Heels Intensive and Broadway Dance Center’s Training Program. Their training consists of various dance styles such as Hip-Hop, Jazz, Street Jazz, Contemporary, and Heels. JJ’s professional dance career has led him to work with Little Mix, Rebecca Ferguson, Aaron Carter, Xavier Toscano, Adobe, Google and many more. You can also find JJ performing in Drag at local venues in the Bay Area as Evvy Dense.
• Workshop Description: In this Heels Workshop students will work on the foundations, and learn the technique, and the art of dancing in heels. Over 8 weeks we will cover different categories such as walking and strutting, turns, floor work, hair-o-graphy, and free styling. Students will get to apply these skills as they learn a choreographed routine. The purpose of this workshop is to help give students the tools and confidence they need to be successful on the dance floor.

Madelin Braun - Contemporary Jazz[Intermediate]

• Rehearsal Day & Time: Tuesday, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/18, 4/20, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9/ 5/16, 5/23, 5/30
• Instructor Bio: Madelin Braun has been dancing since early childhood, training in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, and a variety of other techniques. She began teaching at her home studio in the Central Valley of California at 15. In addition to her teaching, she participated rigorously in the studio’s Competition Teams by traveling, performing, and competing all over California. In 2012, she relocated to San Francisco to attend San Francisco State University, earning a minor in Dance. While attending SF State, she dove deeper into her dance training, participated in several Student Choreography Showcases, served as a member of the University Dance Theater Company 2014-2015 and as Student Dance Alliance VP 2014-2015. She has been teaching Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, and Jazz Funk at a variety of studios and summer camps around the Bay Area since 2013 and received a Choreography award at a local competition Dupree Dance in 2017. During the pandemic Madelin has been an integral part of choreographing and directing performance showcases and studio management. Madelin continues to train and teach dance throughout the Bay Area with the philosophy that learning is lifelong and everyone can dance. Her classes are structured through strength training, sharing of knowledge in technique and understanding your own body to let it guide your learning.
• Workshop Description: In this Contemporary Jazz workshop students will begin each class with a warm up focusing on strength and flexibility. Then, with center and across the floor work to learn and practice techniques from ballet, modern, and jazz. Finally, learning and collaborating on choreography for the final show.

Kait Skye - Hip Hop [Int/Adv]

• Rehearsal Day & Time: Wednesday, 9pm-10:30pm
• Dates: 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24, 5/31
• Instructor Bio: Kait Skye is a Chicago-area native performer, educator, and choreographer currently living in San Francisco. Dance has always been a part of her life; she began dancing before kindergarten and her passion for dance only grew larger over the years. She continued broadening her training across all genres through college including hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, pointe, partnering, and more. She has a long list of training and teaching experiences including Hip Hop ConnXion HQ of which she was a company member for 11 years as well as teaching and directing at Synergy Dance Academy/M3 Dance (formerly Chicago Ballet Conservatory) for the past 6 years prior to moving to San Francisco. Kait’s biggest passion within dance is teaching - she loves passing on her knowledge to other artists and helping them become the best versions of themselves, both personally and professionally.
• Workshop Description: In this Int/Adv Hip Hop workshop, students will progress through technical, performance, and choreography based training exercises. The first half of this series will focus on fundamentals and technique with the second half preparing choreography for performance and creativity exercises to improve dancers’ confidence, memory, and mental flexibility.

Natalie Sklovskaya: Heels (Beginner / Intermediate)

• Rehearsal Day & Time: Saturdays 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
• Dates: 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 , 5/27, 6/3
• Natalies Bio: 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.
• Workshop Description: In this heels workshop students will work on building their confidence in heels both on and off the dance floor. We will begin each workshop with a warmup and then focus on choreography. This workshop will have a strong emphasis on technique as well as improving the dancers’ performance skills.
  

Check out our past Performance Showcase 2022 at the Origin Nightclub.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Rae Studios, 414 Mason Street Suite 705, San Francisco, United States