Happy New Year and R&M Class Updates

Rhythm & Motion 2022 Schedule Additions

Happy New Year, dancers!

New class alert! Join us Sunday mornings from 10:15 - 11:30am for in-person R&M Fusion Essentials with Heather Bornfeld. Heather taught a joy-filled class on Sunday, January 2, and is excited to keep the ball rolling! New to the Essentials format? Join us and get an invigorating dance workout while going deeper into the steps and fundamentals of Rhythm & Motion choreography.

We are excited to continue adding new programming while keeping an awareness of the ever-changing landscape of public health and safety. We are also committed to working with our partner studios and staying informed on the latest COVID-related guidance to keep you safe and dancing.

Due to the surge in COVID case rates, for now, we are postponing further additions to our weekly schedule. View our current full schedule of in-person and online classes and stay tuned for more classes being added to the schedule later this month.

photo by Shell Jiang

Free outdoor Rhythm & Motion class cancelled for January. Join us in February!

We've enjoyed dancing with many of you outside in San Francisco's Noe Valley Town Square for the past few months, and are excited to continue the party by offering free monthly weekend outdoor Rhythm & Motion Fusion classes in 2022.

Please note that January's free outdoor Noe Valley class has been cancelled. Our next free outdoor R&M Fusion class will be in February. Date TBA.

AND, stay tuned: In partnership with our friends at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, we will be returning to the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens with more free weekly outdoor classes this spring!

Indoor Masking & Temporary Class Capacity Decrease at ODC

Thank you for your perseverance and dedication as we work hard to keep everyone moving both in the studio and at home. We can't do this without you!

Due to the surge of the Omicron variant in the Bay Area, we are allowing for more physical space between individuals in Rhythm & Motion in-person classes at ODC by temporarily further reducing R&M class capacities. Additionally, in alignment with the latest SFDPH health orders, well-fitted masks are now required in all indoor classes. We hope these practices will allow us all to brave this COVID surge safely while still dancing together. For a full list of ODC's COVID health and safety practices, click HERE.

And remember, if you are unable to join us in-person, select R&M classes are also available ONLINE. Let's stay connected!

Thank you for sticking with us! We can't wait to dance with you more in 2022!

Our Winter Holiday Schedule is here + dance outside!

Winter Holiday Schedule

Want to dance this winter holiday season? From December 24 through January 2, we are offering opportunities to dance and sweat with your extended dance family almost every day. IN-PERSON and ONLINE, we'll be here...26 classes with 11 different teachers. (Yes, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, too.) We look forward to connecting with you!

CLICK HERE: Winter Schedule 2021

This Saturday: Free Outdoor Rhythm & Motion Class

Our last free outdoor Rhythm & Motion class of the year in San Francisco's Noe Valley Town Square is this Saturday, December 18 at 4pm. Bring a friend and dress warmly! Hope to see you there!

Also, we've loved dancing with many of you outdoors in Noe Valley and we are excited to announce that we will continue with free outdoor classes once a month throughout 2022!

More Info

Instructor News

Live performances are back!

Check out Maggie Connard dancing in the hilarious musical romp, The Magic Lamp at the Presidio Theatre, through December 31. Fun for the whole family, The Magic Lamp turns the classic children’s tale of Aladdin on its head with magnificent costumes, musical parodies, dance, magic, and over-the-top silliness.

Special Thanksgiving Weekend Schedule

Without question, the last 21 months have been a rollercoaster ride and many of us have been feeling exhausted after such a wildly uncertain year and a half. Which is why it's been pretty magical to witness the healing power of dance in our classes. Dancing together online and in-person, with dancers from all over the globe, has been a tremendous gift and a reminder of the power and joy we experience through music, dance and community. Thank you to everyone for coming together to "dance it out" and recharge each other's batteries.

We are grateful to each and every one of you!

Special Thanksgiving Weekend Schedule

Rhythm & Motion believes that opportunities to dance should be available 365 days a year (well, when a pandemic doesn’t shut us and our studio partners down.) This Thanksgiving holiday, we have numerous opportunities to dance online and in-person and we are excited to continue this tradition with you. (All classes will be held at the ODC Dance Commons.*)

Thursday, November 25

• 8:30am Rhythm & Motion Fusion: ONLINE and IN-PERSON with Clara Baldwin

• 10:00am Rhythm & Motion Fusion: ONLINE and IN-PERSON with Jillian Wasick

• 11:00am Rhythm & Motion Modern: ONLINE and IN-PERSON with Dudley Flores

Friday, November 26

• 8:30am Rhythm & Motion Fusion: ONLINE and IN-PERSON with Maggie Connard

• 10:00am Rhythm & Motion Fusion: IN-PERSON with Janet Roitz

• 4:30pm Rhythm & Motion Modern: ONLINE & IN-PERSON with Jessica Lutes

Our regular class schedules will resume on Saturday, November 27th. We are working with our studio partners to offer classes over the winter holidays, too. Stay tuned for the complete schedule announcement next month.

*For classes at ODC, registration is required and opens 7-days prior to the class. Walk-ups cannot be accommodated at this time. Find out more about ODC's COVID-19 related policies and procedures.

photo credit: Shell Jiang

Did you know? Dance together!

The ODC Dance Commons offers a $16 household rate for online classes so that you and your household (2+ people) can take class together through one device from the comfort of your home. Want to dance but can’t make it to the studio? Want to introduce family and friends to your dance community online? Join us by using this fantastic option.

Instructor News

Live performances are back!

Check out Maggie Connard dancing in the hilarious musical romp, The Magic Lamp at the Presidio Theatre. Fun for the whole family, The Magic Lamp turns the classic children’s tale of Aladdin on its head with magnificent costumes, musical parodies, dance, magic, and over-the-top silliness.

MORE classes added to our schedule!

NEW classes with Rhythm & Motion:
weekend Fusion and weekday Modern

Great news - we are excited to announce that we will be offering two more Rhythm & Motion classes starting this month!

• Sundays - 8:30am Fusion (In-Person and Online) with Katie Clay at ODC (beginning November 14)
  

• Tuesdays - 12pm Modern (In-Person) with Jessica Lutes at ODC

Also, don't miss your opportunity to take one of our other R&M classes throughout the week. Check out our schedule and dance remotely, in the studio or outdoors with our fabulous teachers!

We can't wait to dance with you!

above right photo credit: Shell Jiang

Free R&M Fusion classes outside: two more classes added in Noe Valley!

We've loved dancing with many of you outdoors in San Francisco's Noe Valley and we are excited to announce the addition of two more classes! Come dance with us outside (for free) on Saturdays, November 13 and December 18 at 4pm at Noe Valley Town Square.

Hope to see you there!

Thank you to YBGFestival

We'd love to extend a tremendous thank you everyone who danced outside in community at the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens since April! We had so much fun with all of you!

Thank you to the amazing Yerba Buena Gardens Festival for partnering with us to present these free dance classes. We look forward to working together again next season!

Thanksgiving schedule

Will you be in San Francisco for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend? We will!
Stay tuned for our holiday in-person and online schedule for the weekend of November 25-28.

Rhythm & Motion outdoor classes are back!

Rhythm & Motion is thrilled to announce the return of outdoor classes, just in time for our "SF summer". Join us for free R&M Fusion outdoor classes in beautiful Noe Valley and vibrant Yerba Buena Gardens.

More Info

AND, don't miss your opportunity to take one of our other ten R&M classes throughout the week. Check out our schedule and dance remotely or in the studio with our fabulous teachers!

Rhythm & Motion class additions and changes

Rhythm & Motion is working with our studio partners toward expanding our R&M class schedule and we are thrilled to add the following classes for your dancing pleasure:

Tuesday 10am Fusion
Welcome Eyla Moore back to ODC! She is teaching 10am in-person Fusion class to brighten your Tuesday mornings.

Tuesday 5:45pm Fusion Essentials
Looking for a little more breakdown or the opportunity to dance more deeply? Join Ken Scott at ODC for his 5:45pm Fusion Essentials class in-person or online.

Wednesday 8:30am Fusion
Jillian Wasick has been waiting to see all you beautiful dancers in the studio! Her Wednesday 8:30am Fusion class will now be in-person and online at ODC.

Saturday 9am Fusion
If you live or work in the East Bay, Eyla Moore is teaching at Berkeley Ballet Theater every Saturday at 9am.

Saturday 10am Fusion
We're back at LINES! Join R&M instructor Dudley Flores for 10:00am Rhythm & Motion Fusion class in-person on Saturdays at Alonzo King LINES Dance Center in San Francisco.

AND, don't miss your opportunity to take one of our other twelve R&M classes throughout the week. Check out our schedule and dance remotely or in-person with our fabulous teachers! More classes and (teachers) are coming soon. Stay tuned!

Mask Update

Whether you're back in the studio or dancing remotely from home, we are so grateful to be dancing with you! For those of us who will be joining us in the studio, as of August 3rd, in accordance with local DPH county updates and regardless of vaccination status, masks will be required in all indoor classes in San Francisco and the East Bay.

THANK YOU for masking up and for your understanding as we follow local guidelines to help keep each other healthy and dancing.

All of our studio partners are doing incredible work to help keep everyone healthy and safe. For more information, read about the latest safety protocols for ODC, Berkeley Ballet Theater and LINES Dance Center.

Thanks for being a part of Rhythm & Motion. We look forward to dancing with you soon!

dancing outside at Yerba Buena Gardens

Thank you so much for joining Rhythm & Motion and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (YBGF) for free outdoor R&M Fusion classes this summer. Hundreds of dancers have joined us for this summer's thirteen free classes (we still have two more to go!). We are thrilled to learn, dance and connect with you in the sunshine in the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens.

We are so grateful for our partnership with YBGF, who generously sponsored the classes so that they could be free to the public. We would love to have many more classes like this in the future. You can help make future classes a reality in two ways:

1. Support Yerba Buena Garden Festival’s community programming efforts by making a donation.

2. Fill out the YBGF one-minute audience survey.

If you would like to donate to the Rhythm & Motion faculty fund, you can do so here. (Please indicate "for R&M")

Be sure to check out some of the other great events happening through Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Thank you for supporting free arts in San Francisco! Hope to dance with you soon!

Warmly,

See you IN THE STUDIO, online and outdoors!

As more people receive their COVID-19 vaccination (79% of San Franciscans ages 12+ have received their first dose) and restrictions lift in California, we are thrilled to share that our partners at ODC will be reopening with a limited in-person class schedule starting June 18!

We are both enthusiastic and cautious as we begin this reopening process, and we plan to ramp up to a more full schedule in the coming months. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate new health orders, a changing landscape of guidelines and the desire to bring everyone together safely.

Here are a few general points and health and safety measures ODC will be implementing during this initial phase of reopening starting the weekend of June 18-20:

• All faculty and staff that work inside the ODC Dance Commons will be fully vaccinated.

• In this initial phase of reopening, ODC will require that all in-person students show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72-hours of participation.

• Per CDC guidelines, face coverings will not be required for fully vaccinated individuals. Those who are unvaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, will need to wear a face covering. We are all engaging with California's reopening at different paces - everyone/anyone is welcome to wear a face covering if they so choose.

• For the safety and comfort of the instructors and all participants, classes will initially operate with limited capacities and pre-registration will be required. Sign up for all in-person and livestream classes 7 days in advance through the ODC schedule.

For more information about ODC's reopening, registration, health and safety guidelines, and more, visit: ODC's Reopening FAQ

Our partner studios in other Bay Area cities are working hard toward reopening as well. In-person and livestream Rhythm & Motion classes are also scheduled at Berkeley Ballet Theater and Motion Pacific in Santa Cruz. See our full list of Rhythm & Motion classes in all locations here.

Live outside of the Bay Area? Want to dance from home? Not ready to dance indoors yet?

We've got your back! The current schedule of Rhythm & Motion classes at ODC will be a hybrid format with a combination of in-person AND livestream students. More in-person and hybrid classes will be added in the coming months. For those of you who enjoy dancing in the sunshine and fresh air, we will continue to offer outdoor classes in Potrero Hill through the end of June and at Yerba Buena Gardens through the end of July.

We look forward to dancing with you in-person, online or outdoors soon!
Thank you for being a part of Rhythm & Motion - we are so grateful for you!

new outdoor and in-studio classes plus a change in mask requirements

Outdoor Rhythm & Motion:
Fusion classes at Potrero Hill Rec Center

Rhythm & Motion invites you to join us for socially distanced dance classes Monday evenings from 5:30 - 6:30pm at Potrero Hill Rec Center's outdoor basketball courts in SF's Potrero Hill neighborhood. 

Can't join us Monday evenings? Come dance downtown on Tuesdays! We will continue to offer free outdoor classes in partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on Tuesdays from 11 - 12pm for the month of May.

Click below for more information on all outdoor class offerings and to read the exciting updated guidelines for outdoor activity.

More Information

Addition to Livestream Schedule

Rhythm & Motion is offering another chance to sweat and smile on Saturday mornings. Join instructor Clara Baldwin for 8:30am Rhythm & Motion Fusion class on Saturdays via ODC.

Welcome back, Clara!

Don't miss your opportunity to take one of our other 8 livestream R&M class throughout the week. Check out our schedule and dance remotely with Jillian, Emma, Rena, Maggie, Jessica, Rebecca, Ken and Dudley!

Stay Tuned

At the ODC Dance Commons in San Francisco, teams are refining and testing
on site schedules and processes to ensure the safety of students, faculty
and staff. Updates on in-person class offerings will be shared HERE.

We'll share updates from all of our studio partners in a future newsletter.

Thanks for being a part of Rhythm & Motion. We look forward to dancing with you soon!

Free outdoor classes at Yerba Buena Gardens

In our commitment to making dance accessible to the community, Rhythm & Motion and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival invite you to join us for socially distanced, free R&M Fusion classes at the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens, in the heart of downtown San Francisco. We are excited to bring people together and to work with YBG Festival to energize the Gardens with the joy of music and dance.

Classes will be Tuesdays from 11am - 12:00pm, from April 20 through May 26, with the possibility of continuing through the summer. 

More Information

Monday and Wednesday afternoon outdoor classes at Jackson Park are on hold while we seek out a new SF Recreation and Park permit and location. We will make an announcement if, when and where we are able to continue those classes.

Stay tuned for information about upcoming outdoor classes, as well as a very limited reopening of indoor classes in San Francisco sometime in May.

Website Update

Our website, Rhythmandmotion.com, and emails are back up and running! We apologize for any inconvenience the outage may have caused and we thank you for bearing with us while the issue was resolved.

As always, thank you for dancing with us. We can't wait to see you online or in-person!

No R&M outdoor classes next week and website update

Dear Dancers,

We have loved connecting with you in our outdoor and livestream classes, via social media and through our Youtube videos. We look forward to the time when we can connect in person, and we will keep you up-to-date on any announcements regarding in-person classes and increased livestream programming. The light at the end of the tunnel is near and we will continue to dance alongside you to the other side!

In the meantime, we want to give you a few updates regarding the programming we are currently offering.

Our permit for the next round of outdoor offerings in San Francisco has not yet been received, so there will be no outdoor classes the week of April 12. Outdoor classes will continue soon and stay tuned for more information about what that schedule will look like in the upcoming weeks.

Unfortunately, our website, rhythmandmotion.com, is still down. The process is taking longer than expected and we apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. While we get things up and running again, we'd like to remind you of the following resources for you to stay connected with us and keep dancing:

To register for your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) R&M livestream classes:
Please connect directly with our studio partners hosting our livestream classes via Zoom: ODC, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Motion Pacific, and Green Mountain Community Fitness. You can also sign up for classes via the MindBody app.

To dance on demand:
Our Rhythm & Motion YouTube classes, lovingly recorded by our instructors in their homes, is available for when you need a quick dance snack or a full hour (or more) sweat fest.

Finally, while our rhythmandmotion.com emails are down, contact our "office" via direct message on either Instagram of Facebook. (While you're there, "like us" and browse around at any photos or videos you may have missed.) If you prefer email, you can reach out to Program Associate, Maggie.Connard@gmail.com, until our site is up and running.

We hope to have this issue resolved very soon and will get the word out when that happens. THANK YOU for your understanding and we are so grateful for your support!

Stay safe and all the best,
The R&M team

Rhythm & Motion website is down

Dear Dancers,

If you've tried to access our website or tried to contact one of our staff over the last two days with no success, you are not alone. Rhythmandmotion.com is down and we have been working with our hosting sites to resolve the issue. The process is taking longer than expected and we apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. While we get things up and running again, we'd like to provide the following resources for you to stay connected with us and keep dancing:

To register for your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) R&M livestream classes:
Please connect directly with our studio partners hosting our livestream classes via Zoom: ODC, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Motion Pacific, and Green Mountain Community Fitness. You can also sign up for classes via the MindBody app.

To register for our Rhythm & Motion outdoor classes:
Registration for the Monday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 7 San Francisco outdoor Rhythm & Motion classes will go live on Eventbrite on Friday, April 2 at 6pm PST.

(Please note: the Eventbrite link will be broken until registration opens on Friday at 6pm.)

To dance on demand:
Our Rhythm & Motion YouTube classes, lovingly recorded by our instructors in their homes, is available for when you need a quick dance snack or a full hour (or more) sweat fest.

Finally, while our rhythmandmotion.com emails are down, contact our "office" via direct message on either Instagram of Facebook. (While you're there, browse around at any photos or videos you may have missed.)

We hope to have this issue resolved very soon and will get the word out when that happens. THANK YOU for your understanding and we are so grateful for your support!

Stay safe and all the best,
The R&M team

Outdoor Rhythm & Motion Classes

Outdoor spring classes

Rhythm & Motion invites you to join us for socially distanced dance classes outside in the beautiful Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Classes will be held for five weeks, March 10 - April 7 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 - 5:30pm. Registration for the each upcoming week's classes will open at 6pm on Fridays.

Space is limited. Per San Francisco's orders, 25 people can participate. We are excited to safely bring people together to celebrate the joy of dancing in community!

More information

Questions? Email us. Hope to dance with you soon!

Read the rest of the March 4, 2021 newsletter here.

Holiday schedule, special offers and more

We are offering opportunities to dance and sweat with your dance family every day of the winter break, including our first at-home Extended Fusion team-taught class.

See our winter holiday schedule below, and email us if you have any questions. Visit our online classes page to view our regular schedule of livestream classes and access our free online videos. We look forward to connecting with you!

CLICK HERE for Winter Schedule 2020

Read the rest of the December 21, 2020 newsletter here.

Dance outside with us - sign ups open Wednesday, Nov. 11!

Last Rhythm & Motion outdoor class of the month!

Rhythm & Motion invites you to join us for a socially distanced dance class outside in the beautiful Potrero Hill neighborhood, this Monday, November 16 at 4:30pm.
We are excited to safely bring people together to celebrate the joy of dancing in community.

Registration is required and will open Wednesday November 11 at 5pm.

Please note: the link below will say the event is "not available."
Don't fret! The event WILL be available and the link will go live at 11/11/20 at 5pm.

Register for class

Per San Francisco orders, 25 people can participate (including the teachers). Classes are one hour long and will be team-taught by two R&M teachers. Weather, permits and SF health and safety orders permitting, look out for more outdoor R&M classes in the future. Stay tuned! More questions? Email us. Hope to dance with you soon!

Read the rest of the November 10, 2020 newsletter here.