CONSUELO FAUST /  FOUNDER 
Consuelo Faust is the founder and, for many years, director of Rhythm and Motion. A native of New Orleans, she credits her love of music and movement to the ambient sights and sounds of her childhood: from her mother's love of classical music to the funky strains of her older brother's 50’s rock and roll; from street musicians in the French Quarter to the all-encompassing excitement of Mardi Gras parades. She studied ballet as a child, but her introduction to modern dance at a summer workshop on the East Coast sealed her fate as a life-long dancer. At the age of 19 she made her way to San Francisco, where she studied with such local luminaries as Ed Mock, Margaret Jenkins, Helen Dannenberg, and Mangrove, a men's collective that introduced her to contact improvisation. Together with Theresa Dickenson and a pioneering group of dancers and musicians, Consuelo was a founding member of Tumbleweed, a performing dance collective. Tumbleweed's choreography was an innovative integration of contact improvisation, gymnastics, and modern dance. Part of their mission was reclaiming public spaces for dance, and they revelled in non-conventional venues: city streets, crowded nightspots, and community centers. Consuelo then went on to found her own dance company, which challenged her to experiment with and refine her own choreography. In 1979, inspired by the collaborative experience of her training, a rich mix of styles and techniques, and the need to help dancers survive with paid work as teachers, Consuelo founded Rhythm and Motion. The mother of two daughters, and the daughter of a political activist, Faust has been an advocate for women's rights and, by extension, the rights of all people to enjoy fundamental freedoms -- including the right to dance!

DUDLEY FLORES / DIRECTOR
With a lot of passion, and a lot less experience, Dudley Flores started his career in dance when Peter Rothblatt trained him to be a Rhythm & Motion instructor in 2000. After studying biology in college and a brief stint as a passenger service agent with American Airlines at SFO, he became a freelance “commercial” dancer and performed in large-scale corporate and fashion events, for television, commercials, print ads, and independent and feature films. Later, his focus turned toward contemporary dance where he performed nationally and internationally with prominent San Francisco choreographers and companies, including: Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton, Robert Moses’ KIN, ODC/Dance, Stacey Printz, KT Nelson, Nol Simonse, Paco Gomes, and Project B. In addition to Rhythm & Motion, Dudley is also on the production team with the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, sits on the Isadora Duncan Dance Award (“the Izzies”) committee, a collaborator with Latin Dance Grooves for San Francisco Carnaval and volunteers with various other dance organizations in the SF Bay Area.

“When the idea for Rhythm & Motion came about, I really wanted to find a way to bring the joy of dance to people from all walks of life and build and enhance community through dance.” 
–Consuelo Faust,  Founder

Read about our dance instructors here.

RENA MARIE GUIDRY / NEW INSTRUCTOR TRAINER
Rena Marie has been an actor, dancer, and choreographer for over 30 years, in both Los Angeles and the Bay Area. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, salsa, liturgical, and samba. She has done commercials, films, has performed in self-produced dance theater productions, and been a guest performer for several Latin dance companies. Rena Marie has led high-energy, packed classes with Rhythm & Motion since 2011, and teaches Hip Hop Jazz technique classes. She also brings her love of dance to people outside of the studio, leading retreats both locally and globally. Rena Marie is a trained Drama Therapist, with a Masters degree in counseling psychology and she has mindfulness leadership training. Rena Marie believes the arts are inherently therapeutic and can be used to bring about healing and wellness.