INSTRUCTORS

Alma Moya ~ Sassy Dance Workout Founder & Instructor

Alma Moya came out of the womb dancing. She sashayed her way through Texas where she grew up and attended the University of Texas in Austin. She discovered the theatre at the age of 14 and was immediately hooked. Upon receiving her degree in Cultural Anthropology she set out to combine her love of performance, movement and dance with her intrigue of all cultures.

It was a magical theatrical dance performance in college that fiercely engrained dance into every crevice of her body. She immersed herself in the study of Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) and Polynesian dance with additional training in Latin dance.

Upon settling in Los Angeles, Alma quickly realized the importance health, attitude and therapeutic movement played in a life filled with hustle & bustle. Due to a health incident in 2005, she took a leave of absence from everything and armed herself in diet and fitness research. Through this life altering experience, Alma began to drastically change the way she viewed food and fitness. The food choices she made became paramount to her health. She studied intently the teachings of many nutrition philosophies including those of Dr. Weston Price, Deepak Chopra and Sally Fallon.

Alma is the founder and head instructor for Sassy Dance Workout and a certified Pilates instructor through the Body Arts and Science International School. In addition, she is also the founding member of The Sassy Dance Company where she is artistic company director as well as principal dancer. Currently she lives all over Morocco teaching fitness.

When not teaching, writing, acting or dancing, she's cooking up various other endeavors. One that sounds mighty good right now: An organic lavender farm in the south of France, where writings flow freely, the barnyard is the local pilates/dance hot spot and a sweet musical man knows how to cook us up something fierce.

"I'm interested in planting seeds that allow fitness and nutrition to sprout naturally and organically from every person's life. I want people to be keenly aware of the synergistic connection between what we eat, how we move and who we are.

In that process, I want people to tap into their power and find their confidence. I want people to know that knowledge is readily accessible for the taking and be comfortable in the savviness that every one of us is capable of making healthy choices daily. Through the power of knowledge, I hope to be the catalyst for people everywhere to discover their own beautiful, healthy, bright way of being." -Alma Moya

What makes me feel sassy

A good poem
My nieces and nephews
A fantastic thrift store find
Dancing of course!

Rebecca Kahlenberg ~ Sassy Dance Workout Instructor

Rebecca Kahlenberg trained in West African (Ewe) dance and drumming for 3
years while performing with CK Ladekpo's West African Ensemble in Richmond,
CA. This gave her a rythmic and musical approach to dance. Introduced to
bellydancing after moving to LA in 2004, she has developed a new awareness
of the core and breath in dance and life through practicing bellydance and
becoming certified in Pilates mat.

What makes me feel sassy

Stand Up Bass Lines (like Charles Mingus)
My Little Cousins
Strappy Black Tank Tops

Kristen Toedtman ~ Sassy Dance Workout Instructor

Kristen grew up on the east coast to a very musical family. Music lessons and ballet classes since before she could string full sentences together, she carried on after high school to get degrees from two of the country's top music conservatories for voice. Not long after getting her master's in vocal performance, she took to the stage alone with a guitar and a vintage electric piano to sing her own songs and covers of songs from different countries: France, Argentina, Brazil.

And then there was dancing. "I'd crank up Off the Wall and Thriller in my little Baltimore apartment and dance with my shadow, and dance and dance! It was then that I realized, just as I AM a singer - with every cell - I am a dancer, too."

She moved to Los Angeles for a three month composition project and by month two knew she'd be staying. Her musical life is active with frequent solo and band performances, and late night salsa dancing. Her self-produced EP "I say Tedman" will be released in winter 2006 for all who want to hear it.

For updates, schedule and recordings, visit www.kristentoedtman.com.

What makes me feel sassy 

choreography (yes!)
singing back up vocals
taking public transportation (really!)