Khali's Dance Classes
About
I started dancing at the age of 3. I trained at The Dance Spot in Austin on the competitive dance team, Rise Dance Company. I traveled as a team member to many conventions and competitions. I began my theater career in high school where I developed my voice and acting abilities. I am a proud alumni of the Pre-Professional Musical Theater Company at ZACH Theatre in Austin. I trained in musical performance and dance at ZACH for 2 years in the program and after I graduated from high school was hired as a performer and dance teacher at ZACH Theatre in Austin. To this day, I still teach dance lessons to kindergarten through high school and I am the dance educator for the Pre-Professional Apprentice Company. I have worked as a performer at the ZACH, the Texas Performing Company, Trinity Street Players, and many other theaters in the community. Currently, I am earning my Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas. I will graduate in 2021. I will receive a B.A. in Acting and Sociology with a business minor. Also, I am a Mellon's Foundation Engaged Scholar Initiative fellow where I conduct research in representation and story development in film and television from the 20th century to present day. I am also signed with Collier Talent Agency and I am a working television and film actress.
I enjoy watching people fall in love with dancing! I find that many of my students feel they cannot dance. I am not sure who implanted this myth in their minds, because if you want to master your dance skills (for the stage or at gatherings), desire to increase your flexibility, or simply want to get moving for an hour or so a day then you ARE a DANCER. The structure of my classes and the choreography works to liberate people from their insecurities and bring them back in touch with their bodies. When I teach children and adults alike, I see the excitement in their eyes when a move or a technique starts to make sense to them. For me, that is the most rewarding moment that I have the privilege to be a part of.
Highlights
Photos and videos
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Before jumping into a class, I take time to get to know how my students feel in relationship to their comfortability with moving and their flexibility. Much of mastery of any skill starts in the mind. I try to build a rapport and a solid level of trust between my students and I before we get started. First, we chat and then I start to see how they move with a simple dance combination that I begin to modify based on how they are processing the material.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have trained for 13 years in ballet, street jazz, tap, contemporary, hip hop, modern, lyrical, and musical theatre jazz.
I have been working as a dance educator for 4 years at ZACH Theatre where I passed through their apprentice programs, assisted choreographers for mainstage productions, and choreographed for ZACH camp workshops and series classes.
I have been working as a professional actress since I graduated from high school in 2017 in film and on the stage in numerous plays and musicals.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Group Lessons:
$20 a person/hr
Introductory Private Lesson
$20/hr
Private Lessons:
$35/hr
How did you get started teaching?
In high school, I choreographed the school musicals that my theater program produced. I found my passion for dance and teaching by teaching my peers. I found that the encouragement and level of trust between my peers and myself made our musicals that more special during performances. After I graduated, I was cast in my first production at ZACH Theatre (In the Heights), assisted the choreographer in the production of Singing in the Rain, and the head of the Pre-Professional Company recognzied my skillset and passion and mentored me to work for her dance education team.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with students from all backgrounds. Ages 3 to adults! Students stepped into my classroom that had never dance before and others had been dancing their whole lives; irregardless, they left with feeling empowered and sore.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Find a dance teacher that you feel sees you and works to communicate with you! We are all different. A dance teacher can make or break your spirit. Trust me.