Rachel is from Schenectady, NY and started dancing at the age of 3. She trained in many styles of dance including tap, jazz, and hip hop, but primarily focused on lyrical contemporary, ballet, and acro. By the time she was 12 Rachel began assistant teaching under the careful training and close mentorship of her home studio’s owner, Kathy Holtz. At age 14 Rachel began teaching ballet, tap, and acro/tumbling for preschoolers. Throughout high school, her passion for dance grew immensely as she began dancing and choreographing competitively, winning various awards at competitions across the capital region. Rachel’s love for teaching also reached new heights at this time while she continued to learn and grow in her ability to teach dance to a wider range of ages and skill level. After she graduated high school, dance and teaching opportunities continued to follow Rachel into her first 2 years of college at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Pottersville, NY. Here she was able to lead dance classes for her classmates, and for the children of the staff on campus. After graduating last summer, Rachel and her fiancé David moved to the Batavia area to complete a two year internship with First Baptist Church of Elba, directing and serving in their youth and children’s ministry programs while obtaining a bachelors degree in Biblical counseling online. Rachel is so thrilled to join the team and to continue sharing her love for dance with others!