2nd Street Studio of Dance

	Owner/Artistic Director Cindy Thomasson Raffel Cindy started dancing at the age of two at Royal Dance Company in Richmond, Virginia, wanting to follow in her older sister, Lisa's footsteps. She later trained with Martinique School of Dance, Richmond Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, Sun King Dance, and Alonzo King LINES Discovery Project. Her teachers have included Inessa Plekhanova, Aleksey Plekhanov, Galina Vorotynova, Frano Jelinic, Dagmar Kessler, Margaret Devaney, and Danah Bella. She received acceptance into numerous summer dance intensives including Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Austin, and Maryland Ballet Theatre. Cindy attended Radford University on scholarship where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance Education. While there, her choreography was presented at the American College Dance Festival, Big South Research Symposium, her own full length production, and at many choreography showcases. After graduation she moved to Florida to dance professionally. Cindy danced with the Tampa Bay Ballet (now Tampa Ballet Theater) and the Florida Dance Theatre. She has danced soloist and principal roles in productions of "The Nutcracker," "The Sleeping Beauty," "Chopiniana," "La Bayadere," "Alice in Wonderland," and numerous contemporary works. While in Florida, Cindy discovered a love of swing dancing and met her now husband, Tom, at a dance! Cindy and Tom moved to Rochester in 2012, where he works as a professor at Oakland University. Cindy has taught dance for over 10 years in every kind of atmosphere: public schools, competitive dance studios, strictly recreational dance studios, and professional ballet schools. She was an adjunct faculty member at Southeastern University and teacher at Dickinson College. All these experiences have given her a vast knowledge of the dance community. Ever since she was little, choreographing on her friends and performing shows for her parents, Cindy has envisioned owning her own dance studio and performing company. She believes in creating a school that does not focus solely on one group of dancers, but gives equal attention and enthusiasm to all students no matter their age, skill level, body type, or career aspirations. Cindy believes strongly in fostering a postive and happy enviroment where the focus is on the students' love of dance and not on competitiveness and winning. She is thrilled for this dream to come true and be a part of Rochester Community!


	100 East 2^nd Street Rochester, MI 48307 248-266-6026