Zoë Marshall-Rashid Zoë Marshall-Rashid is a graduate of Kalamazoo College where she received a BA in Theatre Arts. She has always had an intense interest in music, theatre and dance, but while studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico, Zoë began taking salsa lessons and instantly fell in love with partner dancing- she hasn't stopped since! Zoë attended the Ballroom Dance Teachers College in San Francisco, where she mastered all 17 American Style dances: Rumba, Cha Cha, Bolero, East Coast Swing, Mambo, West Coast Swing, Samba, Merengue, Lindy Hop, Salsa, Argentine Tango, Night Club Two Step, Hustle, Waltz, Fox Trot, American Tango and Viennese Waltz. Working with wedding couples to help them create the perfect first dance is one of Zoe’s special talents. From an elegant waltz, to a sexy rumba or an energetic swing, she will create the best dance for you on your wedding day and show you how to look your best doing it! Zoë has been teaching at the Dance Loft since April 2010 and absolutely loves working with students in that space. She believes The Dance Loft is simply the best studio in the city for private lessons and always looks forward to her teaching sessions there. Zoë is also a competitive ballroom dancer. Her titles include: The 2011 San Francisco Open Rhythm Scholarship Champion, 2011 April Follies Women's Rhythm Champion and 2011 April Follies Women's Smooth Champion. She is a 2011 National Competitor and a National Pro/Am Finalist in Rhythm, Smooth, and Nine Dance. Padma Gordon-Dance Instructor Padma's current work is a conglomeration of the sum total of her life experience which has primarily focused on awakening, dance, teaching, healing and supporting others find their way "home" through sensing into the body. Padma's offering to others has been influenced by the Dance Alive System, founded by Mariane Karou, the 5Rhythms, founded by Gabrielle Roth, Contact Improvisation, Yoga as well as her own passion for movement exploration. Padma's intention is to offer the possibility of healing through movement, awareness and feeling. Padma combines her deep love of movement with the desire for all beings to awaken and be free. Joy Nordenstrom Joy Nordenstrom delights in the ways that romance and loving action improve the quality of life. Through Joy of Romance, Inc.TM, she enjoys providing event planning for parties of two, a gathering place for romantically inclined individuals, educational support, romance coaching, as well as, the exciting accessories that go along with the creation of life’s magic moments.Joy Nordenstrom, CEO of Joy of Romance, Inc., was inspired to incorporate the depth and breadth of her personal and unique career experiences, her extensive studies of interpersonal relationships and the chemistry of love into a company designed to bring more love into the world. With the 50% divorce rate for first marriages, increasing upwards to 75% for second marriages and the overall number of unfulfilling marriages in America, she realized there was an extreme absence of positive role models for couples who want to make their relationship not merely survive but thrive. Her desire to help individuals learn how to create and sustain passionate relationships lead her to launch Joy of Romance, Inc. Joy received an MBA in Entrepreneurship, and a BA in both Communications and Economics, with a minor in psychology. All degrees are from Mills College in Oakland. She is a certified matchmaker from the Matchmaking and Behavioral Science Institute in New York City. Born Joy Marie Time to a minister and a registered nurse, Joy carries on a legacy of caring in both personal character and in her professional passion. Joshua Hoover Joshua Hoover started dancing at the age of 4 in the Lakewood Ballet, WA where he trained for 8 years in ballet and jazz. After finding his passion for dance again as an adult, thanks to the revival of Lindy Hop Swing, Josh has spent the past 13 years social dancing, performing, and teaching dance in the San Francisco Bay Area. Josh has been a core member of Loose Change Dance Company, for five years,with whom he has performed with at Yerba Buena Center for Performing Arts, Cowell Theater, and the Palace of Fine Arts. Josh has taught and performed Lindy Hop and Hip Hop throughout Europe and he has been performing and teaching with Val Cunningham for the past 6 years, who he has since married and with whom he currently co-runs The Dance Loft. Jen Healy, M.S., CMT Jen works on Deep Tissue, Energy Healing, Myofascial, NeuroMuscular, Thai Massage and much more creating a Integrative Intuitive Deep Transformative Experience. Her 20 years of experience with somatics, nutrition, Anusara yoga therapy, dance, and breathwork also inform and inspire her work. She works off of the basic premise that the body knows exactly what it needs to heal itself, thus, a good practitioner will listen closely, pay attention, stay present, and support the body in it’s healing process. We are proud to present an exciting new expression, bringing the world of dance and yoga together with Reson-Dance Yoga. Bringing extensive yoga and dance background from various arenas with the dymanic duo Jen Healy and Val Cunningham— infusing soulful house, trance, techno, breaks, soul, jazz, funk, salsa, latin, hip hop, ballroom, swing, downtempo, ambient, world beat, and many forms of original electronic music. This influence is combined with the foundation of Vinasana, Anusura, Hatha Flow, Astanga, Kundalini, Sivananda, and Fluid (Prana) Yoga. After 14 years of local dance scene community exposure, music festivals and burning man devotees, we are ready to create something new! We are ready to bridge these worlds and create an amazing environment for a full and enlivening experience. With our own personal and authentic expression of movement through inspirational-soulful music, sacred play, fun, and fluid “dance-asana,” we are excited to share these new teachings with you. |