Santina

Educate. Empower. Evolve. Express:

Where Movement Meets Marketing & Meaning

Meet Santina

Hi, I'm Santina!

I build spaces where movement, marketing, and meaning meet.

Nothing I do is traditional or surface-level.

Everything I create is rooted in culture, nervous system awareness, and human kindness.

I believe joy is strategic.
I believe community is powerful.
And I believe your work (and your body) deserve to feel aligned.

Whether we’re building your business or rebuilding your relationship with movement;

we do it with integrity, rhythm,

and real energy.

If you’ve never quite fit the mold… you’re in the right place.

More of my story coming soon!

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Work With Me

Find your way in...

Culture & Vibe Marketing
As a Biz Bestie, I work with studio owners, dance educators, and dance businesses, to represent their culture and vibe, through various marketing methods by collaborating together in a done-for-you service, so that they can stand the fuck out online and become the go-to in their area... without the BS and stress of having to figure it out themselves.

BIZMATE ROSTER is CURRENTLY OPEN

Basic Bitch Boogie App
A movement experience that’s anything but basic. Inside BBB, seated and standing follow-alongs blend dance, stretching, strengthening, mobility, and full-body flow for women and female-identifying people who want movement that works with their bodies, not against them. Trauma-aware, choice-centered, and built for real life, this is where you reconnect, release, and reclaim your body… think feel-good movement that meets you where you are!

LEARN MORE ABOUT BBB AND START YOUR 7 DAY FREE TRIAL

Movement × Marketing × Meaning Hub

A FREE community for dance educators, studio owners, and dance humans who care about culture as much as choreography.

Inside, you’ll find conversations, challenges, trainings, content prompts, and real-talk support around leadership, sustainability, and marketing that actually feels aligned.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Groove Lab Classes - WA Local
A fusion-based street-style movement experience in downtown Tacoma. Drop-in classes for Youth (8-12 yrs), Teens (13 - 17yrs), and Adults (18 +) who want to dance, sweat, groove, and build community, without the recital machine. No contracts. No annual fees. Just movement that hits.

GET CLASS UPDATES + SIGN UP INSIDE BAND APP

Marketing Momentum Call

(60-Min 1:1)

A focused strategy session designed to bring clarity to your brand’s vibe, visibility, and voice. Perfect for studio owners, movement professionals, and creative entrepreneurs who know what they want to say but need help making it land. We’ll tackle one key area of your marketing, refine it together, and map your next steps so you leave with direction, confidence, and momentum.

BOOK YOURS HERE FOR $222

Culture & Strategy Intensive (90-Min 1:1)

A deep-dive strategy session for studio owners and movement brands ready to elevate how they show up and connect. We’ll examine your business through both a creative and strategic lens; refining your offers, messaging, positioning, and marketing flow so everything aligns with your culture and community.

You’ll leave with:
• A clear action plan • A session replay
• Aligned next steps • Renewed confidence in your direction

BOOK YOURS HERE FOR $333

Madre Maui - On Demand

Four 30-minute movement sessions I created in collaboration with Madre Maui.

Dynamic Stretch. Latin Fusion. Hip Hop. Sensual Groove.

Each class is designed to help you reconnect with your body in a way that feels grounded and empowering. Available to rent individually and stream at your own pace.

RENT & MOVE WITH ME

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 11 – with Emma Neilson 💫

In this episode, Emma and I talked about body diversity, acceptance, and the responsibility we carry as educators to create spaces where dancers don’t feel like they have to shrink to belong.

Because saying “all bodies are welcome” is one thing.

Building a culture that actually reflects that? That’s leadership.

This conversation opened the door to:
✨ What body diversity actually looks like inside a studio culture
🌿 How educators can shift language and expectations around bodies
🧠 The impact of comparison, social media, and traditional aesthetics
⚖️ Moving from performance pressure to embodied self-trust
💛 What changes when dancers feel like they don’t have to shrink to belong

This one is for educators and dancers who believe dance spaces should expand people, not confine them.

🎥 Watch the full replay and let it land.

Drop a 💜 if this resonates or share one way you’re creating more body acceptance in your space.

A little Super Bowl game day fun 🤩

I’m back taking in person tap classes and loving it 👇🏻

I’m for sure a beginner, and may not hit every single choreographed step, but I’m here, I’m learning, and I’m doing the thing!

I mean tapping until I was 8 years old doesn’t really count does it 🤷🏻‍♀️ that was 30 years ago!

SEEEEAAAAAHAWKS 🏈 💙💚

Choreography & Taught by: @melanies_musical_feet
Studio: @pnwdfoundation

Big visions matter.
But they don’t exist in a vacuum.

A concept can be beautiful.
A vision can be exciting.
A choreographer’s idea can be clear to them.

And still… not land for the dancers in the room.

Part of our responsibility as educators and choreographers,
isn’t just what we want to make,
it’s who we’re making it with 💥

That means paying attention.
Adjusting in real time.
Letting the dancers in front of us shape the work, not just execute it.

Standards aren’t lowered and visions aren’t shrinked…

Instead they evolve by meeting dancers where they are
so the work can actually live in their bodies.

This conversation came up early in my Behind the Combo Instagram Live Series and it’s one I keep coming back to because good work isn’t just imagined.

It’s received!

🎥 Watch the full replay (Ep 1) and let it land.

Drop a comment if this resonates or share one way you’ve had to adjust a vision, plan, or piece of choreography to better meet the dancers actually in front of you 💜

Here’s what I see over and over again:

It’s not that studio owners don’t have culture.
It’s not that they don’t care.
And it’s definitely not that the work isn’t good.

It’s that what feels alive inside the studio
doesn’t automatically translate through a screen.

You’re living the values every day in how you teach, how you lead, how you hold your dancers.

Parents and potential students are meeting that same culture through a bio, a website page, or a single post.

That gap is a translation issue.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

And the answer usually isn’t posting more or trying harder…

It’s learning how to name what already exists in language people can actually feel and understand!

If this hit, drop a 🖤, I’d love to know what part of your culture feels hardest to put into words.

Then vs Now… 13 yrs married 💞💞💞 15 years together! I love doing life with you!

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 10 – with Natalia Cordero 💫

This conversation was such a powerful reminder that how we teach matters, whether we’re in a studio room or on a screen.

In this episode, I sat down with Natalia Cordero, dance educator and creator of Ballet Flow, to talk about online teaching, embodied training, and what becomes possible when dancers are invited into movement with agency, softness, and intention.

We explored:
✨ How Ballet Flow was shaped through teaching online
🌿 What online spaces can offer dancers that traditional settings sometimes don’t
🧠 How to build safety, trust, and connection without sharing physical space
⚖️ Reframing technique as supportive instead of punishing
💛 What shifts when dancers stop chasing perfection and start moving with curiosity

This one is for educators and dancers who believe training can be strong and gentle, structured and human.

🎥 Watch the full replay and share a takeaway or moment that resonated… let’s keep the conversation going!

PS we had some tech issues in this live and my 11 month old 🐈 Buckley was making his presence known 😂

Back in November, I had the chance to work with the amazing dance human and dance photographer @samantha.weissbach from @enavantphotography

It’s been a LONG time since I did a dance photo shoot, at least 13 years, and I was ready to capture this moment in my dance journey and my movement.

I was sooooo nervous…

The type A Santina came prepared with ALL the poses.

You see, I’ve always leant into the stronger, masculine hip hop, bam here I am type poses. But this time, I wanted to lean into my feminine side more.

It turns out I really didn’t need all the prep because the pics taken amidst moving ACTUALLY captured what I was looking for.

Working with Samantha felt like a warm hug to this part of myself. Her encouragement, acceptance, and reminders felt empowering and beautiful!

I can’t wait to do this again soon and I can’t wait to share the artistry Samantha captured 💜

The comeback was never the plan… it was the calling!

2016 PART 3 - the year of beach living on Alki, exploring Seattle more, and hanging with friends including (and not in order with pics/vids):

🥰 Getting back to 🇺🇸 after 3 years in 🇦🇺 waiting for my permanent residency application to be approved

🥰 Many gorgeous sunsets, sunrises, and the groundedness of living sooo close to the beach on Alki. I’m talking one street back and man do I miss it!

🥰 Going to sounders games, checking out West Seattle street fair with family, Pride downtown with friends and all the queer folks one could love

🥰 Getting into a car accident, with my dance friend, on our way to downtown Seattle for dance class. We were on the receiving end and this accident gave me a trip to the hospital, severe whiplash, a really bad shoulder injury that I finally (10 years later) feel like I’ve got a grip on, and multiple trips per week to Physical Therapy, Massage, etc to heal

🥰 Random Groupon getaways that took us to a tepee weekend stay on a previously known cult site. If you know anything about me, you know that cults fascinate me, although I didn’t know this was that at the time

🥰 Squeaky and Yum Yum joined our family as foster pets to start with because they’d just lost their mum. Turns out they became our forever pets

🥰 Friend date days/nights enjoying delicious food in places like Chinatown downtown Seattle

🥰 Supporting musician friends and having a ball at their live music events in the bars

2016 PART 2 - the year I started Boom Studios & began immersing myself in the dance space in Seattle including (and not in order with pics/vids):

🥰 Working in a partnership split with Seattle Parks and Rec to offer dance classes to the community through Boom Studios (or at that time Boom Dance Ink Seattle)

🥰 Guest teaching for Au Pair monthly meetings

🥰 Subbing classes for other educators in Seattle

🥰 Holding my first official recital for Boom Studios inside the Community Center hall

I heard we were taking it back 10 years 👆🏻

2016 PART 1 — the year I worked different childcare related jobs including (and not in order with the pics/vids):

🥰 Preschool & Daycare Teacher in an athome daycare in West Seattle

🥰 Director of School Age Child Care in West Seattle schools

🥰 Local Childcare Coordinator (LCC) for Cultural Care Au Pair

It was also the year I started my journey in releasing the beliefs (put on me) around my long hair and ‘women only being beautiful if they had long hair’ ✌🏻

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 9 – with Andrea Ford 💫

This conversation was a reminder that grace isn’t lowering the bar... it’s changing how we hold it.

Andrea and I talked about what it really means to lead with mental health in mind, and how a grace-first approach shows up inside the studio room. Not as an idea but as a daily practice.

We explored:
🌿 What “grace-first” looks like in real time
🧠 How mental health awareness shapes the way we teach, correct, and connect
🤍 What dancers need more of right now; emotionally and mentally
⚖️ How to hold high standards while still leading with compassion
✨ And how showing up on hard days still counts

This episode is for educators who care deeply, lead intentionally, and know that how we treat dancers stays with them long after the music stops.

🎥 Watch the full replay and share what resonated with you especially if you believe grace belongs in the studio just as much as technique.

I share this because we all struggle,
We all have challenges or silent battles we’re working through,
Things that come up or resurface when least expected.

And this one hit for me a sixer!

It took me a good few days to feel back at home in my body…

To process what I was feeling, why I was feeling it, and what the root was.

And in moments like these, I feel so proud of the work I’ve done, the work that supports me in being able to move through things, the work I will continue to do, and the work that I haven’t even tapped into yet.

I AM PROUD OF ME and I’ll shout that from the rooftops for everyone to hear 🫶🏻

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 8 – with Casey Royer 💫

This conversation carried the kind of perspective that only comes from having lived it.

As a past studio owner, Casey shared what studio ownership really teaches you; about leadership, responsibility, boundaries, and the parts of yourself you don’t expect to grow in the process.

We talked about:
✨ What you don’t fully understand about ownership until you’re in it
🌿 How leading a studio shapes you as a human, not just a professional
🧭 The choices she’s most proud of because of their impact on dancers and staff
🔄 The ways ownership changes you... long after you step away
💛 And what she’d want her first-year-owner self to hear now

This episode is honest, grounding, and a quiet reminder that behind every studio is a human doing their best.

🎥 Watch the replay and share what resonated with you, especially if you’ve ever carried the weight of leading a space for others.

Not every dancer is bold.
Not every dancer performs their confidence out loud.
Not every dancer looks like they’re “nailing it” right away.

These dancers are younger.
They’re still learning how their bodies learn.
How focus shows up for them.
How confidence builds (sometimes quietly).
How effort doesn’t always look like smiles and sharp counts.

And guess what???

That’s the process many don’t get a chance to see!

Dance education isn’t just about who looks the most confident in the room.
It’s about creating space for different learning styles, different nervous systems, and different ways of showing growth.

Some dancers lead with power.
Some with precision.
Some with curiosity.
Some with quiet determination.

All of it belongs.

Progress doesn’t always look polished.
Sometimes it looks like trying again.
Sometimes it looks like watching more than doing.
Sometimes it looks like not being “on” yet.

And that’s still learning.
That’s still dancing.
That’s still valid.

In fact, in my dance room spaces, it’s encouraged ✨

🪩 Choreography: 🙋🏻‍♀️
👯‍♀️ Danced by the students @bluedogdance
🎶 Song: “Right Here” by Jess Glynne
🩰 Style: Jazz

Safety doesn’t lower the bar.
It makes learning possible.
It makes learning sustainable.
It makes learning human.

In every space.
In every arena.
In every environment.

This applies to dancers.
To students.
To leaders.
To educators.
To everyone really.

Pressure might create compliance,
but safety creates learning that transfers 💜

When studio owners tell me they wish they could explain their classes and styles clearer…

It’s rarely a teaching or artistry problem.
And it’s almost never a “you need better buzzwords” problem 👎🏻

It’s usually that what feels obvious to you hasn’t been translated for the parent on the other side of the screen.

My BizMate work lives in that gap:
👉🏻 turning lived experience into language
👉🏻 clarifying what you already do well
👉🏻 helping parents get it without overexplaining

Clear messaging doesn’t make your studio less artistic.
It makes your value easier to trust 💥

If you’re tired of explaining the same things over and over and still feeling misunderstood, this is the kind of work I do with my 1:1 done-for-you clients, aka my BizMates!

They told me there’s a “right” way to do things.
The “professional” path.
The “safe” version.
The “dance industry standard.”

But I’ve never been interested in what’s standard.
I’m interested in what’s real.
In work that actually connects people.
In art that makes people feel.

So no, I don’t fit the mold.
And honestly?
That’s exactly the point.

I grew up in a dance culture that was very much rooted in tough love 💪🏻

And honestly?
That experience shaped me.

It built resilience.
It taught me how to push through discomfort.
It showed me how to work, how to persist, how to stay when things got hard.

Without that grit, I wouldn’t be the dancer I am.
I wouldn’t be the educator I am.
And I probably wouldn’t still be in this industry.

But here’s the part I think we don’t talk about enough👇🏻

Growth doesn’t have to come at the cost of safety!

I’ve taken what served me from that upbringing…

And I’ve consciously left behind what didn’t.

Because resilience and care can coexist.
Strength and softness can coexist.
High expectations don’t require fear or shame to be effective.

And now, as a dance educator and leader, my work is about helping the next generation build resilience without losing themselves in the process 🙌🏻

Catch more shared experiences like these in the replay of Behind The Combo, Ep 1, with Ian Howe @ianhowedancer

2025 felt intentional!

This year asked me to show up in a lot of different rooms…

As a strategist, educator, guest instructor, stage manager, collaborator, student, and human.

Building trust.
Holding space.
Choosing work rooted in care, clarity, and connection.

I’m proud of what was built; not just in numbers, but in conversations, relationships, and moments of connection that don’t always make it onto a resume.

Grateful for every role.
Every dancer.
Every studio, classroom, and collaboration.
Every lesson that shaped how I lead, teach, and move forward 💜

Here’s to more meaningful work, deeper alignment, and continuing to show up with intention, in all the ways that matter!

A little fun from one of my fav holiday movies 😂😂

Merry Christmas from the Rigano-Lesch’s 🎄💜🎄

If you’ve been following our journey, you know our last update was this:

We were told my permanent residency decision could take up to four years 😳

So I adjusted.
I settled into the reality of not knowing.
I learned how to live, work, create, and breathe inside the waiting, without putting my life on pause.

Which was not at all how I handled the application the first time, 10 years ago 🤦🏻‍♀️

And then… unexpectedly… we got the decision.
Approved.
Card is being produced.
Not in my hands yet… but fuck yes.

Of course I’m relieved. Of course I’m celebrating 🙌🏻
But what I’m holding onto most is what the in-between taught me.

That you can be grounded without certainty.
That you can keep building without guarantees.
That you don’t have to rush your life just because an outcome feels out of reach.

Turns out, learning how to live in the waiting was the real work!

Can we all agree that dance educators aren’t just teaching steps ⁉️

You’re building culture.
You’re shaping humans.
You’re regulating rooms, navigating parents, mentoring staff, creating art, and somehow still being told to “just show up online consistently.”

If marketing has ever felt heavy, overwhelming, or like one more thing on an already full plate, it’s because you’re doing the work of an entire team & often alone.

Here’s the part that doesn’t get said enough:

Marketing was never meant to be performative for people doing deeply human work 💡

It was never meant to sound like a script, chase trends that don’t fit, or ask you to become someone else online!

Connective marketing should feel like an extension of your studio room.
Your values.
Your voice.
The way you actually teach and connect; not something you have to force on top of it all.

So I’m curious…
What part of marketing feels forced for you right now?

This is the heart of Behind the Combo!

We’re not just teaching kids how to dance.
We’re shaping how they move through the world 💥

In Episode 1, this conversation opened the door to everything this series stands for…

Culture, care, leadership, and the responsibility we carry as dance educators👇🏻

If you teach, lead, mentor, or hold space for young movers, this one is worth your time.

🎥 Watch the full replay (Ep 1) and let it land.

Drop a 💜 if this resonates or share one way dance has shaped who you are, not just how you move!

I’m 100% that dancer who freezes the second someone says the word freestyle 🥶

And I think it’s tied to fear.

Fear of being judged.
Fear that my movement isn’t good enough, pretty enough, strong enough.
Fear of being vulnerable in a dance world that’s been both one of the most beautiful and one of the most traumatic spaces of my life.

And honestly… I’m done carrying that ✌🏻

I want to explore a different process!

One that’s hard AF.
One that pushes me way outside my comfort zone.
One that invites growth in my artistry and helps me reconnect to safety in my body and in my movement.

So here’s my first go 👆🏻

There’s a long way to go, but we’re here.
We’re doing it 💜

Comments like this hit me right in the heart 💜

I’m so grateful to create for, and with, dance humans who are doing meaningful work in their corners of the industry.

Thanks for being here, for sharing your energy, and for making this little corner of the internet feel like 🏡

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 7 – with Meredith Sibley 💫

This conversation was such an important reminder that strength is part of artistry and that how we train dancers matters just as much as what we teach them.

In this episode, we talked about:

🧠 How Meredith found her way into cross-training for dancers and the gaps she saw in traditional dance training
💪 The biggest misconceptions dancers have about strength and conditioning
🌿 How to create training spaces that feel empowering instead of intimidating
✨ What shifts when dancers begin to trust their strength as part of their technique
🔄 How to help dancers listen to their bodies in a culture that often pushes “more, harder, faster”

This one is for educators and dancers who want longevity, confidence, and sustainability, not burnout.

🎥 Watch the replay and drop a takeaway or reflection in the comments.

These conversations move the industry forward when we have them together.

We'll be on break until the second week of January (2026). Stay tuned for another incredible education stepping Behind the Combo!

Hot take:
Themes don’t sell summer.
Experiences do!

Parents want to know
what the week feels like,
why their kiddo will love it,
and what makes YOUR studio the place to be.

Get the experience right,
and you could call it “Camp Banana”
and still fill every spot 🍌✨

✨ Holiday Deals 2025 are officially HERE ✨

And yes… I announced them in heart-shaped glasses and a rainbow skirt because if we’re building big visions in 2026, we’re doing it with JOY!

This year’s deals are designed to give you:
⭐ support you can actually use
⭐ clarity without the burnout
⭐ and options that meet you exactly where you’re at

Whether you want:
→ a 1:1 consult to zoom out, zoom in, and get direction that finally feels aligned
→ done-for-you hours to hand things off and breathe again
→ or to join BBB and get movement that hypes, heals, and hands your power back…

…I’ve got you covered (and bonused or discounted 😎).

Everything is available now through January 31st, 2026.

Tap the link in my bio, grab the deal that feels right for you, and let’s build something beautiful together 💜

I’ve spent so much of my life being proud of what I’ve built… but lately, I’m really proud of who I’m becoming.

Not the milestones.
Not the accolades.
Not the things people can screenshot or measure.

But the quieter things:
The way I choose softness and strength.
The way I trust my own timing.
The way I walk into studio rooms, creative rooms, and leadership rooms, with more alignment than urgency.

This version of me feels more grounded, more honest, and more me than any version I’ve ever been!

If you’re in a season where you’re growing internally more than externally…
I see you.
It counts.
It matters.

Share one thing you’re proud of in who you’re becoming 💜

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 6 – with Audra Queen 💫

In this episode, we opened up a conversation that many educators might see themselves in; teaching through the lens of neurodivergence, late diagnosis, and the unique way our brains shape the spaces we create.

We talked about…

🧠 How discovering she was neurodivergent later in life reshaped her identity as an educator
🔄 How ADHD influences the way she structures class, holds space, and leads with intuition
🧩 How she supports dancers with all different learning styles and processing needs
👀 The moments where her lived experience helps her understand dancers on a deeper level
✨ The strengths that come with a neurodivergent mind and how they show up in her teaching
💛 And the intention behind creating a space where every brain and body feels welcome

This episode is warm, validating, and such a powerful reminder that our difference is not a barrier. In fact, it's a lens that shapes the culture we build!

🎥 Catch the full replay and share your thoughts or takeaways in the comments. These conversations continue to grow because of your input.

Stay tuned… next week another incredible educator steps Behind the Combo.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re running five businesses inside one studio… girl same 🙋🏻‍♀️

Dance leaders build culture, shape humans, manage crises, hold space, create art, and somehow still have to show up online like everything is effortless!

And I want to shift a belief I see in the dance world all the time 👇🏻

You’re not “bad” at marketing.
You’re 1000% doing the work of an entire team.

If that hits… you’re exactly who I’m building for.
Welcome to the space where your leadership, your vision, and your bandwidth actually matter.

👉🏻 Come join my FREE Skool community for dance leaders; a space to create, grow, and breathe again, with clarity and culture at the center.

Comment ME if you want me DM you the link to join!

I had a feeling these Behind the Combo chats would land… but not this hard 🤯💜

There’s a part of us,

the human part, the creative part, the dance-core part,

that starts to go still the moment we stop learning, exploring, or growing.

And that kind of stillness?
Feels stuck.
Like something inside has been paused for too long.

Because we’re meant for movement.
Not only in our bodies, but in our ideas, our curiosity, our evolution.
In the tiny shifts that remind us we’re still becoming.

Here’s your reminder:
You don’t need a huge breakthrough.
You don’t need a new era or a reinvention.
You need one step that wakes something up again;
one thought, one spark, one moment that opens the door to “more.”

If this speaks to you, hold onto it.
Come back to it when you feel stuck.
Movement isn’t always big or loud.
Sometimes it starts quietly, right where you are 💛✨

If I’m keeping it 100…
summer planning shouldn’t feel like survival mode.

Walking Buckley today (his backpack era continues 🐈🎒), I kept thinking about how many studio owners are already overwhelmed before they even start planning summer.

So tell me…
What part of summer programming stresses you out the most?

Scheduling?
Pricing?
Marketing?
Knowing what parents want?
Or literally… all of it? 👀

I genuinely want to know. Share in the comments so we can chat!

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 5 – with Kristen Grace 💫

In this episode, we explored the intention and intuition behind building a studio room where dancers feel safe, seen, and supported, not just skilled.

We talked about…
🌿 The rituals that set the tone before class even begins
👀 How to make every dancer feel valued in a full room
🔄 The beliefs we’ve had to unlearn to teach with more humanity
🧭 The values that guide our classroom culture
💛 And the moments this season where our dancers became our teachers

This one is honest, grounding, and such a beautiful reminder that the culture we create matters just as much as the choreography we teach.

🎥 Watch the replay and share a reflection, takeaway, or aha moment in the comments. We love hearing how these conversations land for you.

Stay tuned… next week another incredible educator steps Behind the Combo ✨

The moment Wannabe starts… my millennial soul rises from the ashes and enters her full main character arc💥💁🏻‍♀️

Suddenly I’m back in the 90s:
✨ Making up routines with my friends or by myself
✨ Lip syncing like the fate of the world depended on it
✨ Switching which Spice Girl I was depending on the DAY

This reel?
Just celebrating the kid who turned every mirror into a stage💋🎤

Drop your Spice Girl alter ego below ⬇️

Same summer, new studio… and this one did not come to play💥

I had the absolute best time teaching at @bluedogdance for their in-house summer intensive, truly one of my favorite concepts ever.

Bringing choreographers and educators in so dancers can train, learn, and be pushed the way they would at a convention…

but inside a space that already feels like home?

Genius.

And these dancers?
Personality for days.
Sass in all the right places.
Energy that filled the whole room and then some.
They met the jazz routine with so much fire, but what I loved most was hearing them use their own voices to help describe the expression, intention, and movement dynamics I was looking for inside the routine.

Autonomy. Agency. Artistry.
That’s the good stuff ✨

🎶 Song: “Right Here” by Jess Glynne
💃🏻 Choreography: 🙋🏻‍♀️
⭐ Danced by the students at Blue Dog Dance
🪩 Dance Style: Jazz

Thank you, Blue Dog Dance, for having me and for creating a space where dancers get to learn, experiment, and show up fully. I’d come back anytime. 💛

The dance world will hand you a mold before you even know who you are.
Clean this way.
Teach that way.
Say yes to everything.
Audition for spaces that never appreciated your body type or your image.
Follow the path.
Blend in.
Be palatable.

But the teachers, leaders, and creatives who actually change this industry?

They’re the ones who break the mold on purpose.
The ones who choose presence over performance.
Culture over perfection.
Voice over approval.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to fit someone else’s version of “right,”
this is your reminder:
you’re allowed to outgrow the mold.
You’re allowed to choose a path that feels like you.
You’re allowed to build something bigger, softer, louder, deeper…

Whatever you need it to be 💜

💫 BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 4 – with Adri Polyak 💫

In this conversation, we looked beyond the steps and into the space we hold; the safety, energy, and authenticity that define what happens inside the studio room.

💭 What does safety look like; emotionally and physically?
⚡️ What energy do you intentionally bring into your space?
🌿 How do you encourage effort over perfection?
💛 What does it mean to model humanness as an educator?
✨ And the moment this season that reminded Adri exactly why they do this work.

This one’s for every teacher creating rooms that feel brave, where dancers learn to lead, belong, and breathe.

🎥 Catch the full replay and drop a takeaway or reflection in the comments; let’s keep the culture conversation going.

Stay tuned for the next dance educator jumping on to chat!

✨ Sneak Peek from My Mini Dance Shoot ✨
Just a little taste of the magic from the other day… and trust me, there’s so much more coming!

It felt SO good to step in front of the camera again, something I haven’t truly done in a long time.

I got to play, to move, and to reconnect with a part of myself that doesn’t need music to come alive. There’s something powerful about letting your body lead without a soundtrack telling it what to do.

Huge love to @samantha.weissbach for capturing the vibe so effortlessly to @enavantphotography @dancewear.center for the partnership and support behind the scenes 🤍

The full gallery? She’s coming. And she’s giving dance, artistry, and a whole lot of joy. Stay tuned 💥

I’ll always be a dance music girly!
Some songs come on and my body just goes,
“Oh… we’re PERFORMING” 😂

So tell me…
🎶 Dance music:

If there’s one thing I’ll always stand for as an educator, it’s this:

Dance is so much more than shaping a leg, hitting a count, or nailing a picture-perfect moment.
It’s presence.
It’s connection.
It’s embodiment.
It’s the courage to feel your movement instead of performing it for approval or someone else.

When I step into a studio or dance space, whether I’m guest teaching, setting choreography, or guiding dancers through something new, my mission is simple:

Help dancers come home to themselves.
Help them drop into their bodies, instead of trying to impress with them.
Help them find their groove, their voice, their magic… not someone else’s version of “perfect.”

That’s the part of dance I’m glamorizing.
That’s the part I’ll always amplify.
That’s the part that changes dancers, not just technically, but internally.

🎶 If you want to bring this kind of energy to your dancers, I’m currently booking for:
• Guest Teaching & Workshops
• Guest Choreography
• Performance (Stage Presence) Coaching
• Choreography Clean Up
• Stage Management

✨ Want me in your studio next?
Send me a DM and let’s make it happen. 💜

Happy World Ballet Day 🤍✨

Sharing little Santina today…

The barre-loving, bun-headed kid who had no idea how much this art form would shape her life.

Ballet wasn’t my first language, but it was the technique that built me.

It taught me control, placement, musicality, and how to milk movement in a way that still shows up in everything I create today.

It pushed me, grounded me, and became part of the foundation I stand on now as a dancer, educator, and human in the movement world.

I may not live inside the ballet world day-to-day anymore, but I still find so much beauty in it; the discipline, the lines, the artistry, and the way even the smallest detail can say so much.

So here’s to honoring the pieces of ballet that built me! The joy, the structure, the stage moments, the teachers who showed up for me, and the way it opened the door to a lifetime of movement.

Little me would be thrilled to know I’m still dancing, just in my own way now 💗🩰✨

Happy World Ballet Day to all the dancers, teachers, and dreamers who carry a piece of ballet with them, no matter where they end up.

✨ BEHIND THE COMBO | EP 3 – with Samantha Weissbach ✨

In this episode, we talked about the kind of leadership that can’t be choreographed…

The trust, empathy, and energy that shape how we show up for our dancers.

💭 How do you build trust from day one?
🌿 How has your own training influenced the culture you’re building now?
💛 What does “leading with empathy” look or feel like to you?
🤝 How do you connect with a student who’s struggling?
✨ And the one word Samantha hopes her dancers always remember when they think of her class.

This conversation is all heart and a reminder that the best choreography happens in the culture we create.

🎥 Catch the full replay and drop your biggest takeaway or reflection in the comments! We love hearing how these convos land for you.

Stay tuned… next week, another incredible educator steps Behind the Combo. 💃

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Connect with Me on Instagram

@santina_rigano_lesch