Ballet w/ Carol Lonnie
(substitute Robenson Mathurin & Jaylen Taylor)
Enjoy learning ballet while developing confidence, mental concentration, physical coordination and grace. This class is for students who are new to ballet, students who want to dance, but never had the opportunity, and those who have danced before and want to begin again.
Jazz Dance w/ Carol Lonnie
(substitute Robenson Mathurin)
This class focuses on body isolations, syncopated rhythms along with high level movements. Jazz dance provides the individual to interpret their own style and express their own individuality. Students learn technical exercises to improve full body fluidity by using locomotive movements and choreographic dance combinations.
Modern Dance w/ Carol Lonnie
(substitute Robenson Mathurin)
This class is a Horton based technique modern dance class. The class focuses on flexibility, strength, coordination and body awareness. Students will learn locomotive movements and choreographic dance combinations. We will also do floor-work for core building, technical exercises to help improve full body fluidity. We will look at the elements of space, time, force and the means for freedom of expression.
A Principal Dancer with the Charles Moore Dance Theatre for more than twenty-five years, Ms. Lonnie also served as an Instructor for the Charles Moore Dance Center for Ethnic Studies and was the Artistic Director/Choreographer for the Charles Moore Youth Ensemble for over nineteen years.
Carol holds an MA from New York University’s School of Education, and a BFA from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. As a Dance Educator, Ms. Lonnie works for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in the following capacities: Director of Dance and Performing Arts Coordinator at Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted and Talented (I.S. 383), as well as Professional Development Facilitator for the DELTA Team which provides –Professional Development to Dance Educators City-Wide and has published Units of Study for the NYCDOE’S Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts/Dance. For the past five years she has been a Coach for the Artful Learning Communities, creating and researching assessment tools for the arts, where she has published several units and tools for dance education. She is a Mentor/Cooperating Teacher for Dance Education students from New York University and Hunter College.
Her extensive performing career includes working with numerous choreographers and dance companies notably: Whilemena Taylor, Walter Nicks, Pepsi Bethel and Alfred Gallman, Local Produce, Dance Africa, the New Music and Dance Ensemble in Pisa, Italy, Latoya Jackson, Battery Dance Company, John Parks Dance Ensemble, The Renaissance Festival, Kids Thirteen and the AUDELCO Awards, Artistic Director and Choreographer of Dreams Dance Ensemble, a Dance Consultant for NYC Housing Performing Arts Project.
Caribbean Heat Cardio w/ Kameica Reid
It's always a party when Kameica, renowned Jamaican born choreographer and former professional dancer of over 25 years take to the floor. They call her KILLA KAM but her powerhouse energy, fire playlist and inspiring warm motivation will get you through any sweat sesh on the dance floor! Caribbean Heat Cardio is a fun, dancehall class open to all levels.
Diva La Femme w/ Kameica Reid
Diva La Femme is a sexy cabaret burlesque adventure. Explore your inner femme fatale in this fierce femology class, as we tap into the divine feminine under shades of jazz and Broadway Drama.
Kameica Reid coined by The Jamaica Gleaner in 2008 as a “young dance veteran”, having worked with artists such as Rev Run from Run DMC, Patra, Toots and the Maytals, Tarrus Riley, Sizzla, Beenie Man, Wayne Wonder, Elephant Man, Baby Sham, Alicia Keys and many more…began her dance training at the age of four. Having been a founding member of two outstanding Jamaican Dance Companies, Reid was trained in various dance styles including Jazz, Dancehall/Reggae Ska, Modern and contemporary, Hip Hop, Afro-Cuban technique, Caribbean Folk and African Dance fusions. Stepping off the stage and from behind the camera into the classroom Reid has been teaching for over 20 years ages 6-60 years and continues to use her art form to uplift, energize, and inspire. From Jamaica to New York, you can catch her at Brooklyn’s premier black female owned community driven studio Fit4Dance. Keeping it spicy with classes like Caribbean Heat Cardio and Diva La Femme!
Hip Hop w/ Abeba “Beebs” Baptiste
This is a fiery open level hip-hop class that defies the norm of hip-hop. This class focuses on rhythm, character building, and of-course defining your “sauce”! Get ready for a push that’ll leave you feeling ready to hit the stage.
Dancer, choreographer, educator and creative visionary, Abeba likes to consider herself the Jill of all trades. Well-versed in various dance styles ranging from Hip-Hop to Dancehall, Abeba showcases her vocation for movement through an authentic and inventive lens. Graduating from Hofstra University in 2019, with a B.A. in Dance and Public Relations she has professionally trained and danced in the works of recognized dance professionals including Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Earl Mosley, and Fritzlyn Hector, to name a few. Her television and industrial performance credits include WonderamaTV, Estelle, Fatman Scoop, Eddy Kenzo, Adekunle, Baby Cham, Wayne Wonder, HoodCelebrityy, and more. Abeba recently graduated from graduate school, pursuing a M.A. degree at New York University in Dance Education with a concentration on Dances of the African Diaspora. Abeba continues to strive toward her vision of cultivating her own dance practices through education, collaboration and in fullness, sharing her love for the art of dance.
Haitian Dance w/Peniel Guerrier
Haiti, the second independent republic in the Americas, partakes of three cultural sources: African, American, and European. The dances and culture of Haiti have been extremely important in the development of American dance, thanks to the pioneering work of Katherine Dunham. Peniel Guerrier draws on his extensive knowledge of Haitian folkloric dance to create original combinations within the different traditional Haitian rhythms. His dances enhance the energy and flow of traditional forms with beautiful, vivid body shapes.
Peniel Guerrier has been studying Haitian folkloric dance and music for the past 25 years. He began instruction under one of the most prestigious Haitian folkloric dance teachers, Herve Maxi. He has subsequently performed with the National Dance Theatre of Haiti and Baccoulou Dance Company for eight years, touring worldwide to places such as Venezuela, Paris, Hungary, Japan, Montreal, Germany, and Santo Domingo. While living in Haiti, in addition to performing, Peniel taught at the National Dance Theatre and ENARTS, two of the foremost dance and music centers in Port au Prince.
Peniel moved to New York City in pursuit of his dream of promoting and preserving Haitian folkloric culture. He draws on his extensive knowledge of Haitian folkloric dance and music to engage a diverse range of communities in learning about Haitian folkloric culture. As a dance teacher he is appreciated for his attention to detail, and unwavering confidence in every student. As a performer, he is famous for the energy and originality he injects into traditional dance forms, bringing audiences to their feet at every performance.
Peniel teaches regularly at Fit4Dance, the Djoniba Dance and Drum Center (Peridance), and PMT dance studio. He has been a guest teacher at Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, Greenfield Community College, Amherst College, Wellesley College, and Brown University. He travels regularly throughout the country to give workshops and lectures on Haitian folkloric dance and culture, at venues such as the New Orleans Dance Festival. Peniel and his students also perform throughout the year at venues such as the Alvin Ailey Dance Center and the Brooklyn Museum. Peniel is extremely interested in reaching marginalized communities through Haitian dance, and as such has held successful workshops with people with disabilities, older populations, incarcerated peoples, etc. Peniel has been featured in a variety of media, most recently WPIX 11, the Bomb magazine, New York Seikatsu, Daily News, NYU Washington Square News, Haiti Exchange Newsletter, Variation News (CT) and Alter Press Lincoln Center.
Rabôday Fit w/ Robenson Mathurin
Rabòday Fit fuses intense aerobic exercise with dance training and a fun party vibe! Inspired by Haitian roots music and traditional Haitian drum rhythms, Rabòday, the popular electronic sound emerging as the voice of the Haitian youth, connects Haiti to the wider Afro-Diaspora. Movers will be introduced to Haitian culture in this high-energy class with intense cardio and strength-building movement and short-form choreography. The class is open to all levels!
Robenson is a New York-based dance artist performing, choreographing, and teaching Haitian Folklore, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Afro-based dance styles. His professional dance career began in 2012 as a principal dancer in the international Compagnie de Danse Jean Rene Delsoin, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through which he has toured in the USA, Trinidad, and Taiwan. In 2017, he created the platform "Robenson Dance & Fitness" to support better health and dance training in Haiti and abroad. he created the course “Rabòday Fit” taught regularly at Fit4Dance studios in Brooklyn. Mathurin has worked with US-based companies including but not limited to Jean Appolon Expressions and Alison Beaty Cook Dance Company. He continues to expand his choreographic portfolio and training through local and international teaching opportunities and residencies including the Mark Morris Teaching Artist Training Program and dance studies at The Taylor School. Robenson is the Founding Artistic Director of NANM, A Robenson Mathurin Dance Company.
CLASH After Dark w/ ILANA “ILLY” Warner
CLASH After Dark is a different type of energy. Smooth, sexy grooves of Afro, Dancehall, and of course some sweet sexy soca! Join us as we turn the lights down low and learn some sexy choreography that’s sure to have you walking out of class feeling more sexy and confident than when you stepped in.
CLASH Choreo w/ ILANA “ILLY” Warner
The core of ILLY’s Dance CLASH, CLASH Choreo is where you get your perfect blend of Soca, Afro and a dash of Dancehall in a single routine. Typically powered by soca but Afro is occasionally thrown into the mix with a clash of Afro street styles and Traditional West African movements. The class is sure to give you a little challenge with a lot of fun!
Whining 101 w/ ILANA “ILLY” Warner
A beginner friendly class that focuses on the waist and hips. We will work on rolling and isolation techniques and at various tempos and levels to get your waistline oiled up and moving more fluidly. Class will begin with a lower back and waist warm up and transition into a breakdown of the drill of the day. The drill will focus on a different element of whining and will eventually build towards a simple whining combination getting you ready for your next fete, party fare we say the carnival road! Class is primarily curated toward Caribbean style whining to Soca music but Afro and Dancehall will be added occasionally.
A lover of music, dance and culture, Ilana ILLY Warner engages in teaching and learning an array of dance styles from traditional West African and Afro Street styles to SOCA and Caribbean Contemporary. As a small island ambassador she consistently represents her Kittitian roots in whatever way possible including in the 2017 New Traditions Festival in the featured “My Caribbean Spirit Project” and 2017 edition of FIYAH Dancehall Theater. In 2019 she performed for Machel Monday with an array of artists including Cima Funk, Ding Dong, Ashanti and Machel Montano. In addition 2019 brought her performing on stage with Mr. Killa and music videos for Voice the Artiste and Lyrikal’s “Rukshun”. She is also a 2015 Certified Group Fitness Instructor with the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).
Majorette w/ Jaylen Taylor
This class combines the energy of high-step marching band style with a fusion of jazz, contemporary, West African, and hip-hop dance. In this class, dancers will embrace traditional HBCU majorette style with a blend of newer techniques including J-setting, lyrical, and bucking. Get ready to twirl, bounce, and strut!
Jaylen Taylor (He/Him/Friend) is from Canton, MS. He is a proud 2023 graduate of New York University Steinhardt’s Dance Education program, with a MA in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Pedagogy. Mr. Taylor is a 2021 graduate of Thee Jackson State University where he received a Bachelors in Journalism and Media Studies with a concentration in Integrated Marketing. During his tenure at JSU he was a member of The JSU Cheer and Tumbling Squad, PRAM, Men of Excellence, Transfer Ambassador, Mr Debonair for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., also served as the president of the Delta Psi Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. and the Secretary for the NPHC. Mr. Taylor has performed in Italy and on world-renowned stages such as Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. At NYU he was a member of NYU’s Cheer Competition Team, a peer representative for SDEA at, and actively represented for the Steinhardt Dance Program.
Mr. Taylor believes that “There is no passion to be found playing small , in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
-Nelson Mandela
Kongobeats w/ Eto’o Tsana
Central African fitness and dance class. Congolese is a core centered, hip rhythmic, and high energy class that focuses on exploring movement styles from the HEART of Africa; The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo.
Eto’o Tsana is a Harlem native and Afro-Puerto Rican choreographer, dancer, singer, and dance educator. Ms. Tsana has traveled extensively throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, France, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo collaborating, teaching, and performing professionally with renowned Kongolese artists.
Ms. Tsana is the Artistic Director of Mabina Danseuses Dance Company founded in 2011. The company focuses on the principles of cultural performance, humanitarianism, and anthropology from a Kongolese dance and cultural perspective. The company is a direct reflection of Ms. Tsana’s deep rooted studies, travel experiences, diverse dance training, and multicultural origins. The company’s work aims to challenge the complexities of ‘Our Being’ as displaced children of the Motherland. Ms. Tsana’s knowledge of individual and collective histories, her own self-exploration, and the intellectual and cultural exchanges she’s experienced make her the International Ambassadrice of traditional and urban Kongolese Dance.
Take Jamm Tuesdays w/ Darren Bankss
Participate in this judgment-free and open-level choreography dance class taught by Darren Eveillard, aka Darren Bankss. This class aims to educate and celebrate Caribbean culture and dance with its weekly lessons. You will be executing a series of stretches, across-the-floor movements, waistline mechanics and open- level choreography!
Darren Eveillard also known as Darren Bankss is a rising dancer known for his versatile movements within the African-Caribbean diaspora. Born and raised in Brooklyn, with family descent in Haiti, Darren pursues his love for all genres of music through dance. Darren currently teaches adult choreography workshop. Darren dances for two professional companies in NYC, Kofago Dance Ensemble & CarNYval Dancers. Darren is most known for his time spent as an instructor for Soca N’ Sweat. Darren has recently performed at Alvin Ailey’s World Dance showcase as well as International African Arts Festival. Darren has received his Master’s Degree in General Business as well a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Management.
Just Dance w/ Anika “Nika” Newball
Come dance, sweat, vibe, and have fun with Nika as we explore the diverse styles of dance to some of your favorite hits. Every week we go deeper into each genre through floor exercises, energetic routines, and more. Similar to the popular Just Dance game, Nika curates an atmosphere to get the body moving, enjoy yourself, and learn new moves in a judgment free zone. The level ranges from easy, intermediate, to advanced choreography. Classes are open to all levels.
Anika has always had a passion for dance since a very young age. Anika Newball was raised in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn NY where she began her dance career. At the age of 6 , she was enrolled in Dance Connection, which taught her fundamental techniques within Jazz, Ballet, and Tap. She continued her dance career throughout middle school, where she was taught by Fit4Dance's very own Ms. Carol Lonnie. Her foundation of dance opened doors to explore other dance styles ranging from Soca, Afro, Hip-Hop, Heels, all the way to Contemporary.
Anika loves all arts of dance and pushes herself to try any and every style. Her passion is also a way of bringing people together, having fun, and self-expression. With each experience, she is on a new journey to teach and share her affection for dance. When instructing, she hopes everyone is able to feel and receive the joy dance brings her through every class.
Full Out w/ Abigail Perry
This unique open level series allows the dance in you to shine. Don’t worry about remembering or needing to practice. We will progressively learn the same choreography for 5 weeks. Week 6 our music video will be recorded and production party after.
Abigail is a fitness professional and dancer with over a decade of experience. She has years of dance training and has performed at various venues with multiple companies through the years. With the desire to combine her love of dance and fitness, she has taught dance inspired fitness classes to communities of all ages and fitness levels. Wanting to provide more individualized coaching, Abigail sought out to become a personal trainer. As an AFAA certified group fitness instructor, NASM certified personal trainer and other specialized certifications, she continues to provide safe, fun and effective workouts.