About Rachel

Rachel Friedman is the proud owner of Motion in Balance Studio, which opened in January 2007.

As owner and Certified GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Trainer, I have been physically active for the last 25 years, practicing yoga, tai chi and pilates, competing in marathons, biathlons, and triathlons, and dancing samba, modern and improvisation. I performed for 2 years with the Wild Grace Arts Dance Theater, currently dance with RADCO, and am currently the dance lead of the Samba Olywa Community Dance Troupe. I have been practicing GYROTONIC® method since 2005 and GYROKINESIS® since 2010. I have had the honor to train with Magali Messac from GYROTONIC® Seattle who has been practicing since its inception in the mid 1980s, and with Emma Kingston of Center GYROTONIC® in Portland.

I also have had the privilege of training with David Rasmussen, Golf Professional, and his wife Jeanne, GYROTONIC® Master Trainer. I am now authorized to apply GYROTONIC® principles to aid golfers with all aspects of their golf swing. In addition, I can help golfers with injury prevention and injury treatment, in conjunction with their health care professionals.

I thoroughly love working with all of my clients. Each and every one is unique. They all allow me to bring my varied skills and passion for movement to their exercise practice.

I have recently become a Certified GYROTONIC® Pre-Trainer. I will be offering Pre-Trainings, the first required class on the path to becoming a Certified GYROTONIC® teacher. I am very excited about the growth of GYROTONIC® teaching in Olympia.

About Roel

Roel Hammerschlag is a dance improviser, choreographer, performer and researcher.  His studies began with Beth Soll in 1986; teachers since then have included Barabara Mahler (contemporary technique), David Dorfman (technique and choreography), Karl Frost (contact improvisation), Hannah Wiley (ballet) and others.  Roel focuses his work in the field of contact improvisation, where the challenges of two or more bodies moving together combine demands for technique, adaptability, sensitivity and storymaking.  He is particularly interested in bringing the vocabulary of contact improvisation to choreographed works.

About Susan

Susan P. Gresia has studied dance and movement for most of her life. In 1992 she received a certification in Laban Movement Studies and began teaching creative movement with children in 1994. In 2008, she became a registered Yoga teacher and currently teaches Gentle Yoga at Jubilee. Susan loves sharing the joy of movement and takes special interest in participants to help each person work within their own limits and celebrate their success. She is a Licensed GYROKINESIS(R) Apprentice.

About sara

sara sparrow came to circus six years ago through a background as a gymnast, an actor and performer in musical theater, and as a classically-trained singer and musician. She has a distinctive, awkward grace that permeates her solo aerial work, and that of her due acrobatics project with Levity. She is entranced by the collaborative effort of performer and audience, and the unparalleled possibility of modern circus. She has performed and created with Levity, Ricochet, the Aerialistas, and the Tallhouse Arts Consortium. Visit her website at: www.misssparrow.com.

About Graeme

Graeme Quinn has been performing in and around the Seattle area forthe past 10 years.  Starting as a fire manipulation artist with a background in martial arts, he eventually moved his focus to the realm of partner acrobatics and foot juggling.  Graeme currently performs with Levity and the Tallhouse Arts Consortium; past collaborationsinclude Art of Such-n-Such, and Primary Element.

About Irene

Irene Abbott Lewis earned a Master of Science Degree in Genetics from Washington State University. She worked for many years at the Boeing Company ending her service there in the Safety and Health Department as a Safety and Ergonomics Specialist. Irene graduated from the 4 year Feldenkrais® practitioner training program in Victoria, BC Canada. She teaches both Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®. For more information, you can contact Irene at: 360-943-1881, or email her at: lenandirene@msn.com. Learn more about Feldenkrais® at: www.altmd.com/Specialists/Irene-Lewis.

About Debbie

Debbie Leung has been teaching movement arts in the Olympia, WA area since 1979. She has also taught various workshops and seminars in California, Oregon, and Washington. She has often been a member of the teaching staff at the annual women’s training weekend organized by the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists (PAWMA).
Debbie Leung started her martial arts practice in 1978 with Shito-ryu karate. In 1981, training began in Northern Shaolin kung-fu in Olympia, WA, where she learned about herself and nature as well as the art. Its traditional foundation carried over to advanced Taiji and qigong training in 1994 with Master Wen Mei Yu, who she continues to see for corrections and training in Liangong, qigong, and Wu Style Taijiquan. Debbie now uses these Chinese movement arts to help people through their health issues, especially as they age.

Website:   http://home.earthlink.net/~chinesearts/
Facebook: Chinese Healing & Movement Arts
Email:       ChineseArts@earthlink.net
Phone:      360-493-1107

About Carlin

Carlin Briner has been collaborating and performing with Olympia’s Tallhouse Arts Consortium for the past three years.  She is excited about the broad world of contemporary circus and she especially enjoys rope, trapeze, handstands.  Over the past few years, she has been lucky enough to perform in towns and cities across the country, but she loves working with her cohorts in Olympia most of all.

About Erica

Erica Keeling has a background in dance, theater and the visual arts. She has been performing solo and duo aerial for three years locally with the Tallhouse Arts Consortium. She has recently focused much of her attention on duo projects with her dance partner Carlin Briner. Together they have had the opportunity to perform in several major cities across the country. She enjoys using movement and character to connect to her audience and convey a wide range of the human experience.

Studio
Amenities

Motion In Balance Studio features the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®, a specially designed piece of equipment that is built around the human body. It is a beautifully handcrafted wooden machine that uses weights, cams and pulleys. The workout is designed to balance the body’s strength and flexibility. The equipment guides your movements with traction and resistance along circular pathways that nurture the natural curves of the body.