AUDITION ALERT!

Miss Rachel is a former principal dancer of Inland Dance Theater, and has performed with American Ballet Theatre. Starting out at Inland Dance Academy, Rachel has trained under Evette DeMarco Swinson, and with David Allen, Michel Gervais, Roberto Almaguer, Charles Maple, John Todd, Tanya Durbin, and Jennifer Blake, in several styles of dance, including classical ballet, contemporary dance, jazz, hip hop, musical theater and tap. Rachel was accepted to several professional ballet schools, significantly with American Ballet Theatre in New York City and the San Francisco Ballet School, where she trained with Lola DeAvila, Jorge Esquivel, Pascal Leroy, Wendy Van Dyke, John Meehan, Clinton Luckett, Cynthia Harvey, Leslie Browne and Ethan Brown. She also trained at Steps on Broadway in New York City.

In the summer of 2013, Reverence Performing Arts Academy was opened, producing the Nutcracker every Christmas, and an annual summer ballet, as well as stage musicals. RPAA has featured the ballets Cinderella, Firebird, Swan Lake, Alice in Wonderland, Through the looking Glass, Coppelia, Don Quixote, the Sleeping Beauty, and the musicals, Grease, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, The Greatest Showman, which Rachel has mounted as well for various schools.

Rachel has been recognized consistently for her choreography and her students' outstanding technique with several awards including 1st place overall achievements, awards for Top Teacher, Top Choreographer. As an administrator of RPAA, she is proud to receive Top Int Studio, a Studio Spirit award, and a Studio of Excellence award.

Miss Evette began her ballet training in Riverside with Mary Lynn Waterman and Clinton Rothwell of the National Ballet of Canada. She was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship from the School of American Ballet at the age of 12 and studied with the Harkness House for Ballet Arts with David Howard in New York at the age of 15. After returning from New York, she joined the Los Angeles Ballet at the age of 15 under the direction of John Clifford, former Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet, where she danced professionally from 1974 until 1985. She was also a Principal Dancer with Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, South Coast Ballet, and California Riverside Ballet under the direction of David Allen. She has performed as a guest artist with many Southern California companies, in movies and on TV, and has shared the stage with such celebrated artists as Merrill Ashley, Gelsey Kirkland, Alicia Alonzo, Darci Kistler, Peter Martins, Jorge Esquival, Damian Woetzel and John Clifford, and danced professionally for over 20 years. Miss Evette has also choreographed for many years and she won first overall and platinum for ballet pieces at Star Systems in 2016. She has had several original works and award-winning pieces of choreography. Her work has achieved 1st place, 2nd place and top 12 at YAGP over many years including many of her students making it to the New York City finals where they performed several times. She loves teaching and is excited for the upcoming dance year at RPAA!

Eli Jacinto’s career in dance, performance and fashion is remarkable, and not only because it spans decades. He started with experimental dance with Rosalia Merino-Santos at the Far Eastern University, folk dance under national artist Madam Lucretia Urtula, jazz and ballet under Ms. Julie Borromeo, Mr. Tony Llacer, Ms. Anita Kane, Ms. Totoy de Oteyza, and Mr. William Morgan, in the Philippines, including studies in the American School of Dance in Los Angeles, and the David Howard Dance center and Luigi Dance Center in New York. He was a highly sought-after dancer and choreographer, not only for the stage but for fashion shows, international beauty pageants, and corporate launch events. Eli Jacinto is a celebrated choreographer, touted as “inventive,” and an “adept craftsman,” by dance critics. In 1981, he established TEAM Dance Studio, his own school for ballet, modern/contemporary, and jazz. Although he started with foreign syllabi, he eventually started to develop his own technique syllabus for Filipino bodies. He has also been in demand for coaching and stretching classes for dance students training for competition in dance, dance sports (ballroom dancing), and other dance-related sports such as skating and gymnastics. Mr. Eli is always honored and enthusiastic to teach the students RPAA when he visits.

Miss Erika is an award winning competition team coach and choreographer for RDA and is happy to be focusing on technique and improvement with her dancers!

 

Miss Erika is from Menifee, California where she grew up dancing among the most competitive studios and schools in Southern California. She has trained in different styles of dance including: jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, tap, ballet, hip hop, and musical theater. While being a member of Elizabeth Ferri's dance company she traveled and performed at several events including the half-time show for the LA Clippers at the Staples Center. She is currently completing a double major in political science and dance at California State University Fullerton and is on their 16 time division 1 national championship dance team! Erika is on staff with the United Spirit Association where she travels all over the west coast teaching at high schools and middle schools. She has represented the USA in events like performing at the rose bowl during a UCLA event. She loves sharing her passion of dance with her students and pushing them in all of her classes.

Miss Jackie started dancing at the age of four in Moreno Valley, CA. She trained in all dance styles and was a part of the competition team for thirteen years and is now instructing and choreographing award winning routines around the Inland Empire. She is currently studying at Riverside City College and is a competitive dancer on Riverside City College’s dance team. She has also done recent work in a movie. She was cast as a cheerleader and got to work alongside many well know actors including Ben Affleck.

 

Miss Jackie is happy to be a big part of the RPAA staff bringing artistic quality and innovative teaching techniques to all of her students.

Miss Patience studied Ballet and Tap under the loving tutelage of Dorothy Matsie Wade in North Hollywood, CA from the age of 4 until she was 19. During that time she attended a Performing Arts School for 3 years, and studied Jazz and Modern Dance under the fabulous Mrs. Baker. She finally took ballet at Los Angeles Community College for 1 year. She stopped dancing due to a foot injury while at her retail job. Now in her 40's, she ironically, decided it was time to get back to her basics, and started taking ballet & jazz classes with RDA in March 2016, because of another foot injury (plantar fasciitis). She started teaching ballet later that same year. She is the mother to 2 children, one of our students, Emma Armienta, who is thriving in her 8th year her at RPAA, and a son, Wyatt, who loves to ride his dirt bike out in Barstow with his dad. Patience is great with helping RPAA’s little dancers discover the beauty and love for dance and believes it is going to be another terrific dance year!

Emma started at RPAA on their opening day back in July 2013. She has trained and is still currently training under RPAA Artistic Director, Rachel Jacinto & RPAA’s Master Teacher Evette Swinson, among many other professional instructors.

 

A lover of Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary since she was 8 years old, she worked hard and earned her pointe shoes in 2016. Emma has competed at various classical and contemporary competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix and California Dance Classics. Emma has several years of performance experience in RPAA‘s productions of the Nutcracker ballet, performing leading roles such as Clara, the Snow Queen, Waltz soloist and the Arabian soloist. Emma has also performed in RPAA‘s productions of Swan Lake and Alice in Wonderland’s Through the Looking Glass, and many more each year taking on challenging roles en pointe.

 

After years of being a trained student teacher, she was promoted to an RPAA teacher. She is looking forward to sharing her love of dance with our youngest dancers in her classes!

 

Miss Yazmin started dancing at age 4 and has had a love for dance her whole life. She was a part of the dance and cheer teams for 5 years. She was also involved in gymnastics for a few years. Yazmin joined RPAA, and trained extensively here for the past 4 years. She has studied various dance genres including ballet, contemporary, tumbling, hip hop, tap and jazz. Yazmin has won several prestigious awards at various competitions classical and commercial competitions, consistently placing in the Top 10 in several of these competitions. In Yazmin's 3rd year competing with us she moved up to our highest level of competition teams after just one year of competing.

 

She has performed many soloist roles with RPAA, including Kitri's friend and Dryad soloist in Don Quixote, swan corps de ballet and Spanish soloist in Swan Lake, and soloist roles as soldier doll, Snowflakes, Waltz and Arabian Coffee, The Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker. Such a joy to be with, Yazmin is a well-experienced teacher with RPAA, and works very well with the students and the other dancers.

Miss DeAnza has over ten years experience as a voice student, with advanced skills in both Classical and Musical Theater. She was featured in the ensemble in Heathers: The Musical, a student production of the University of Redlands, where she is also a member of one of the chamber choirs of the Redlands School of Music. Additionally, Miss DeAnza was involved in the production by collaborating with her fellow students in developing staging, choreography, vocals and character. She is not a newbie to the production side of theatre, as she had been responsible for leading the soprano section of the King High School Choir, when she had been their member from 2013-2017, and was putting together their Show Choir competition sets, as well as an active vocalist of the Grove Community Church Worship Team through Junior and High School.

 

She also has had experience teaching song and dance to children during the King Choir Youth Camps of 2015 to 2017, and cheers and dance routines to the King Cheer Youth Camps of 2013 to 2017. Miss DeAnza was also one of the performance directors, the Music director and Lead Vocal coach for our summer 2019 Musical, The Greatest Showman & 2020's Grease. DeAnza is RPAA’s Musical Theater Director & Vocal Coach. She is looking forward to working with the dancers, singers and actors at RPAA and preparing them for our next big Musical!

Miss Honey is fierce and full of flavor. Her love of dance began at the age of 3 when she began emulating the iconic moves of Janet Jackson. She has studied at a multitude of dance studios all over Southern California, including BRE Studios from 1992 - 1995. After that, she attended Cal Arts, which led to working with the Pussycat Dolls. She also fought for a spot on “So You Think You Can Dance” and made it to Top 25.

 

Over the years, she has competed and performed at many dance competitions and events, including IGA and also Millennium in Los Angeles.

 

Her talent, skill, vibrant personality and tenacious drive have afforded her lots of critical and personal success as a dancer and teacher. She is enthusiastic and strives to encourage her pupils to follow their passion and never give up on their dreams.

 

Welcome, Miss Honey, to the RPAA family!

Miss Claudette has been teaching and coaching cheer and dance for many years and began in high school, where she was a cheerleader, song leader, cheer coach, and choreographer. In college she was a Highlander girl and went on to cheer professionally for the United Spirit Association for several years. Claudette has judged many competitions and auditions and is well known in the competitive pep community in Southern California. Among the many students she has coached, many have gone on to cheer and dance competitively, including joining Mt. Sacs championship Jazz and Hip Hop teams, dancing on the 16 time UDA National Championship Titan Dance Team at Cal State University, Fullerton, coaching and choreographing for the Titan Dance Team, scoring Top Senior Soloist at Show Stoppers Dance Nationals, joining the LA Clippers Spirit Dance Team, and so much more!

 

She has always had a passion for helping each and every individual on her teams and in her classes reach their greatest potential as dancers and she is excited to return to teaching pom technique pom team at RPAA!