BIOGRAPHY
Originally from Pennsylvania, Rachel moved to NYC to train at Broadway Dance Center as an intern in their Scholarship Program, and then continued her training with the Pushing Progress Contemporary Training Program focusing on contemporary movement and anatomy.
During this time Rachel enjoyed numerous performance opportunities with an incredible variety of Choreographer's and artists, some of which include Brice Mousset, Calen J. Kurka, Sidra Bell, Jim Cooney -for the Office Max Elf Yourself Ad Campaign and Glamour Magazine, Cara Goodwin - honoring the Wounded Warrior Project at Symphony Space, Emily Greenwell- at the Paul Taylor Theater, Rhapsody James' Sirens After Dark, and the Capezio Ace Awards, Shelly Hutchinson- for the Young Choreographer's Festival, Derek Mitchell- in the Capezio Ace Awards, Carnival The Choreographer's Ball (L.A), Pushing Progress Showcase Series, and a TV promo for Wendy Williams.
Rachel teaches open contemporary classes at Peridance Center, and as guest faculty at Broadway Dance Center, as well as several studios in and around the tri-state area, and The School at Peridance children’s classes.
Rachel has presented work at Peridance, Galapagos ArtSpace, and at San Jose State in San Jose, CA at the sjDANCEcoChoreo Project, where she was awarded with the Audience Choice recognition for choreography. As well as the Pushing Progress Showcase Series, the Young Choreographer's Festival, In- sight Dance Company's Annual Suite Summer Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park, the Annual DUMBO Dance Festival, the Annual Amalgamate Artists Series, and The Annual Giving Tree benefit concert. Rachel has also presented work at J CHEN PROJECT's 2015 TRANSLATE (The Voices of Dance) at Dixon Place, MOUTHFULL. Presented by OF BONES//HOLLYE BYNUM at CPR, at the USDAN Center for Performing Arts, the Periapsis Open Series at Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, and alongside singer/songwriter Jenna Nicholls as part of GIG, a live musical and dance performance collaboration at University Settlement. In 2016, Rachel co-produced her first evening work at the West End Theater. Rachel was one of three choreographers’ chosen for the 2017 Eryc Taylor New Choreographer Grant, where she was awarded a grant to produce 30 minutes of new work presented at New York Live Arts. Rachel has also produced work for The Thing, a benefit for TedTed Performance Group (Teddy Tedholm), SOME.BODY: A Call To Action benefitting Planned Parenthood and the Yellow Hammer Fund.
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Class is designed to encourage students to embrace the challenges of training. To allow for the development of ones unique artistry and strength as a technically trained, and versatile dancer, story teller, and creator. From start of class to finish, dancers are asked to take risks, explore new ideas within their conversation of movement, and to always continue creating and sharing. Class consists of a 30- 45 minute warm up which includes yoga and Pilates based exercises as well as Gyrokinesis inspired transitions and ideas’, creating a warm up that prepares the dancer for improvisation and phrase work to follow. Phrase work is driven by music from hip-hop to instrumental. It is athletic, intricate, and intrinsic. Because of Rachel’s past experience in theater, hip hop, and jazz, her phrase work varies as far as stylization and vocabulary, Class environment is fun, light hearted, but driven by the desire to understand the body more deeply, and push physical and emotional limits!