Instructors
Vince Johnson: I am founder and director of MoveMakers Philly. I am also head youth karate instructor at Martial Posture studio. At the age of 12, I discovered dance. My first experiences dancing were in social environments with family and friends, dancing to hip hop and R&B. At 14, I had the privilege of meeting professional hip hop dancers based in Philly, many were original members of the iconic company, Rennie Harris: Puremovement. From this point, I belonged to a number of dance crews and eventually became a dancer for Puremovement, which gave me the opportunity to tour internationally, learn about the theater and deepen my knowledge of hip hop movement. After Puremovement, I expanded my study of dance to release technique, contact improvisation and Ballet. Currently, most of my focus as a movement practitioner is devoted to the study of Artistic Gymnastics. I helped to establish the first hip hop program at the Rock School of Dance Education in center city Philadelphia. I have taught dance workshops nationally and abroad to youth and adults. I have 14 years of experience as a martial arts instructor. In competitive martial arts, I have coached more than 5 world champions and dozens of elite competitors.
Mark Wong (known in the Hip Hop dance world as Metal) is proud to be the lead Breaking coach at the MoveMakers Philly. He is also co-founder of Hip Hop Fundamentals, a touring, Philadelphia-based Dance Education company specializing in empowering youth through Breakdancing. He has studied Breaking, the traditional Hip Hop dance, for 15 years, competing with battle crew Repstyles and performing with contemporary company olive Dance Theatre. With Hip Hop Fundamentals, Metal has toured around the United States since 2010, and has been the recipient of multiple grants to implement dance workshops, performances, and artist residencies at schools, studios, and community sites. He was awarded Artist of the Year in 2017 for his educational programming, and he has served as an Arts Integration consultant/lecturer to numerous organizations, including the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and the Hip Hop Literacies Conference. Metal is currently an artist-in-residence at Asian Arts Initiative, and an ensemble member of the Almanac Dance Circus Theater. He has choreographed and performed numerous solo and ensemble works using Breaking as a contemporary medium. Metal passionately seeks out new avenues to utilize dance as both an educational, community building, and artistic tool. See more about Hip Hop Fundamentals at
www.hiphopfundamentals.com
www.hiphopfundamentals.com
Emily Tara Sabalbaro believes that the human body and mind are meant to be stretched to their capacity. She is a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor (RYT 200) in Philadelphia with formal training in mantra-based meditation, pre- and post-natal yoga, and trauma-sensitive instruction. She teaches weekly classes of Hatha, Meditation, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, and Chair Yoga. Emily first stepped onto a yoga mat in 2004. For seven years, yoga stayed with her through college graduation, job layoffs, breakups, travelling, meeting her partner and moving to Philadelphia. Yoga remained a beautiful reminder that there is more to life than what we see. In 2011, she had been attending yoga class twice a day, enamored by the surrender and how little it asked of her. The owner of the studio pulled her aside to ask if she considered teaching. She immediately began training as an apprentice under the studio owner, Valerie Rushmere of Studio 1831, where she taught for 5 years. After 12 years of practicing yoga, Emily left behind the world of marketing office jobs in 2015 and embarked on a full-time yoga career. inspirenjoy.com
Laurel Card moved to Philadelphia in 2002 when asked to be a member of Montazh Performing Arts Company, an all-female hip hop dance company. Laurel also trained at Academy of Social Dance where she went on to teach social and competitive ballroom and Latin dance under Chuck Danza. Laurel has danced in several Pro/Am competitions and Pro shows throughout the United States. Laurel’s specialty is Rhythm and Latin with a twist of Hip Hop. Laurel recently became a certified Health Coach and started her own business, Solo Rhythm™; which focuses on helping people take control of their lives and themselves. Being who they want to be physically, mentally and emotionally through nutrition, fitness and dance. www.solorhythm.com
Alex Brazinski is a Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Instructor and Licensed Acupuncturist. Alex first began taking yoga as a supplement to his college running career to aid in flexibility and injury prevention. It was during those years practicing yoga that he gained a keen interested in Eastern philosophy, movement arts, meditation, and medicine. Alex’s background in kinesiology, anatomy and physiology, and exercise science has shaped the founding principles of his class. Alex's teaching is also influenced by various movement modalities such as contemporary dance, ballet, and tai chi. His classes aim to enhance body awareness, enrich kinesthetic development, and cultivate mental equilibrium. Alex teaches regularly at Yoga Movement Sanctuary and Dhyana Yoga while working as a licensed acupuncturist at Philadelphia Sports Acupuncture. His practice focuses on sports medicine, pain management, and stress reduction. www.phillysportsacupuncture.com
Noah Julian's teaching has its roots in yoga but is not bound by tradition: Sometimes fluid, always informative. Noah looks at the geometric alignment of the body and the possibilities that arise in one’s movement by correcting body mechanics and introducing old and new movement patterns. Noah’s work is informed by intense study of music, meditation, breath work, diet, and numerous movement modalities (including: Yoga-Asana, Acrobatics, Gymnastics, various martial arts, Ballet, and Weight Lifting). Noah has worked closely with yoga teachers of various styles (Katonah, Prana Flow, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Anusara, Ashtanga, Acro-Yoga), spanning well over a decade. Having experienced severe rheumatism and a full recovery from the debilitating disease he also brings first hand knowledge of moving through physical and mental challenges. Noah is the cofounder (with Emile Sorger of Philly's most talked about new studio The Yoga & Movement Sanctuary.
Melanie Cotton is a Philly native choreographer, instructor and performer. She is a staple in the Philadelphia hip hop dance and dance theater community. Her expertise include hip hop and funk styles. In addition to movement instruction she also teaches the historical significance of hip hop culture in relation to dance as well as the vernacular of hip hop movement. Melanie has choreographed and offered her unique movement style to various theater and dance companies like 1812 Productions, Philadelphia Theater Company and Temple University’s Theater Department. She is has a particular interest in working with young women using hip hop dance as a tool for empowerment. Her teaching credits include: teaching artist for The ESF summer program, Girls on the Move art therapy program, Bryn Mawr, hip hop theater workshops with Rennie Harris: Puremovement as well as teaching in studios and facilitating workshops for youth in the Philly/NJ area.