Stretch & Strengthening Archives - Steps on Broadway https://www.stepsnyc.com/discipline/stretch-strengthening/ New York City's Dance Studio Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:30:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.stepsnyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-steps-site-icon-white-75x75.png Stretch & Strengthening Archives - Steps on Broadway https://www.stepsnyc.com/discipline/stretch-strengthening/ 32 32 Hailey Cooke https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/hailey-cooke/ Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:04:55 +0000 https://www.stepsnyc.com/?post_type=faculty&p=55823 Hailey Cooke’s fascination with dance, yoga, and their interconnectedness began at a young age. She was drawn to yoga’s spirituality, physical freedom, and energy, which became a grounding force throughout her life and her dance career. In 2019, Hailey moved from Greenville, SC to New York City to pursue a BFA in Dance and pre-Physical […]

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Hailey Cooke’s fascination with dance, yoga, and their interconnectedness began at a young age. She was drawn to yoga’s spirituality, physical freedom, and energy, which became a grounding force throughout her life and her dance career.

In 2019, Hailey moved from Greenville, SC to New York City to pursue a BFA in Dance and pre-Physical Therapy studies at Marymount Manhattan College. Following her graduation in 2023, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training through Yoga Renew, work-studied with Yogamaya NYC, and became Yoga Alliance certified. Her class has taken root at Steps and all over Manhattan, in both private and group settings.

Her background in choreography informs her ability to craft creative and intentional sequences, while her personal journey—including overcoming bilateral hip surgeries—has honed her attention to alignment and safe movement practices.

Passionate about cultivating spaces for exploration, balance, and growth, Hailey looks forward to sharing the transformative practice of yoga with a broader community.

Class Description
OPEN YOGA FLOW
This class is for movers who enjoy creativity in their yoga practice. Some experience is encouraged, but you don’t need to know all the terms or poses—just have the foundation to explore from. Each class is rooted in a theme, weaving elements of yogic philosophy to deepen your experience beyond your physical body. We’ll build toward a peak pose through thoughtful sequencing, using music, breath, and intention as landmarks to guide your flow.

I look forward to practicing with you!

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Jenna Kulacz https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/jenna-kulacz/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:21:21 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/jenna-kulacz/ Jenna Kulacz, a multi-disciplinary artist originally from Westchester, New York, graduated summa cum laude from Elon University with a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography. She is currently a company member with EMERGE125 under the direction of Tiffany Rea-Fisher. Jenna has also performed with Pilobolus, Gaspard&Dancers, and Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT as a soloist in Arts […]

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Jenna Kulacz, a multi-disciplinary artist originally from Westchester, New York, graduated summa cum laude from Elon University with a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography. She is currently a company member with EMERGE125 under the direction of Tiffany Rea-Fisher. Jenna has also performed with Pilobolus, Gaspard&Dancers, and Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT as a soloist in Arts Across America: A Live Virtual Performance at the John F. Kennedy Center. She has worked with a variety of New York project-based companies in performances including the Harlem Dance Festival, AThomasProject at Bryant Park Summer Performing Arts Series, and with Kristin Sudeikis Dance at Rockefeller Center. She was a featured cameo dancer in Public Works’ The Tempest at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. She is honored to inspire and share her love for dance with the students she teaches at Westchester Dance Academy and Ferrari Dance Center and as an assistant at New York City Dance Alliance.

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Devin Mae Conway https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/devin-mae-conway/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:21:13 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/devin-mae-conway/ Any and all are welcome for Devin’s 60-minute accessible yoga classes. This restorative practice focuses on breathwork, strengthening, and stretching to help you center and reconnect.

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Any and all are welcome for Devin’s 60-minute accessible yoga classes. This restorative practice focuses on breathwork, strengthening, and stretching to help you center and reconnect.

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Hannah Dober https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/hannah-dober/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:21:13 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/hannah-dober/ Hannah is a Brooklyn based trainer and teacher. She teaches multiple modalities at many studios around the city, and brings her passion for the mindful unity of movement and music to each one. She holds a BFA in Theater from NYU/Tisch, and has since performed new works at Dixon Place, Eileen Harkness Dance Center/92th St […]

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Hannah is a Brooklyn based trainer and teacher. She teaches multiple modalities at many studios around the city, and brings her passion for the mindful unity of movement and music to each one. She holds a BFA in Theater from NYU/Tisch, and has since performed new works at Dixon Place, Eileen Harkness Dance Center/92th St Y, and 54 Below. In 2020, she stepped back from the world of performing and discovered a passion for teaching. She completed her 200 Hour teacher training with Yoga Vida in 2020 and her pre/postnatal specialty in 2022, also with Yoga Vida. She completed her AFAA Pilates certification in 2021. She is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and brings a well rounded full body programming perspective to her classes. You can follow her on instagram at @mary_hannah_dober

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Hito Star https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/hito-star/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:20:51 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/hito-star/ Hito Star is a multi talented artist/ teacher (singer-songwriter/dancer/model/actress) based in NYC originally from Shizuoka, Japan. She became an official influencer/ambassador for Carnegie Hall in NYC in 2022. Since Hito came to NYC in 2006, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Barclays Center, Lincoln Center, BAM, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Philadelphia Museum […]

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Hito Star is a multi talented artist/ teacher (singer-songwriter/dancer/model/actress) based in NYC originally from Shizuoka, Japan.

She became an official influencer/ambassador for Carnegie Hall in NYC in 2022.

Since Hito came to NYC in 2006, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Barclays Center, Lincoln Center, BAM, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gotham Hall and La MaMa Theatre, and more. She performed in Fringe NYC, Tribeca Film Festival, Toy of the Year Award, and the DUMBO Dance Festival. She worked with actors and artists from various genres such as Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Elfman, Catherine O’hara, N’dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies) and many more.

In 2017, Hito performed at Barclays Center for New York Premier Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” Live-to-Film concert with Danny Elfman and Catherine O’hara and all the original casts from the movie. She performed as soprano in the orchestra.

After her solo debut as a pop singer in 2020, she has been blessed to release her original singles with Grammy winning Multi-platinum engineers, Mikaelin ‘Blue’ BlueSpruce (Mariah Carey, Solange Knowles, H.E.R. , Lil Wayne, Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello, Nas, Lin Manuel, Tinashe, Kendrick Lamar) , Joe LaPorta (David Bowie, The Weeknd, Big Sean, The Killers, Tiesto, Imagine Dragons, Bon Jovi, 21 Savage, Young Thug, 50 Cent, GZA, Talib Kweli), Dan The Man (Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Big Pun, Maria Carey, French Montana, Young MA, Smoke DZA, Robert Glasper), J Sounds (Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Ty $, Ed Sheeran , Solange, 21 Savage, Lil UZI ) and many more.

Hito writes all of her songs both in English and Japanese from her own life experiences, and her interview is available on iHeart Radio.

Hito has taught dance classes and exercise classes (Afro Brazilian, Samba, Zumba, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Contemporary) to both adults and kids for more than 10 years. She taught dance, art, music, nutrition, and mental health maintenance to typically developing children as well as those with disabilities in New York City for more than 6 years.

She has taught her energetic, sexy open adult Zumba classes at fitness clubs and at Columbia University.

Hito is grateful to be able to perform, teach, inspire and transform others with her talent. She stays active in NYC and believes we can create peace in the world by inspiring and loving ourselves.

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Diarra Cummings https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/diarra-cummings/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:20:38 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/diarra-cummings/ A native of Brooklyn, NY Diarra Cummings received her early education at the Professional Children’s School and The Dance Theatre of Harlem School where she studied on full scholarship. She began teaching the Pilates Method in 2008, following a career as a professional dancer touring the U.S. with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Garth Fagan […]

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A native of Brooklyn, NY Diarra Cummings received her early education at the Professional Children’s School and The Dance Theatre of Harlem School where she studied on full scholarship. She began teaching the Pilates Method in 2008, following a career as a professional dancer touring the U.S. with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Garth Fagan Dance, Alpha Omega Dance Company, and Sidra Bell Dance.

While earning her B.A. at Columbia University, Diarra completed her teacher training through The Fitness Guru Teaching Lab Pilates Apparatus Certification (Lawson Harris) and earned additional certifications in pre/post natal Pilates (Brigitte Arle/Rooted Boston), Complete Clubs (Pamela Warshay/Sage Fitness) and Progressing Ballet Technique (Marie Walton-Mahon).

Combining classical and contemporary Pilates exercises – as well as an understanding of the body gained from over 12 years of working with hundreds of clients – Diarra has developed her unique teaching style based on clear queuing, kinesiology, and visualization in a challenging-yet-judgement free zone. Responding to popular demand, she founded Snatched Fitness NYC in 2018 to help connect all people to the strong, supple, and SNATCHED bodies that they deserve.

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Emma Scholz https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/emma-scholz/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:20:22 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/emma-scholz/ Emma Scholz graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in dance from the University of Colorado Boulder. Now, she is a resident of Harlem and has performed with several NYC companies such as the 92Y TYA Series and Clutch Productions staged readings. Emma has been training in Lastic Stretch for the past four years after […]

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Emma Scholz graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in dance from the University of Colorado Boulder. Now, she is a resident of Harlem and has performed with several NYC companies such as the 92Y TYA Series and Clutch Productions staged readings. Emma has been training in Lastic Stretch for the past four years after meeting Donna Flagg during a nine month Independent Study course with Steps on Broadway. Recently, she has been accepted to Columbia University’s Physical Therapy Program. She will start in the fall of 2022 and will integrate Lastics into her studies.

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Christa Thiesing https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/christa-thiesing/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:20:09 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/christa-thiesing/ Christa came to the GYROTONIC® method through dance. She majored in ballet at Indiana University’s School of Music. There, she developed a love of costume and clothing design and moved to NY to attend FIT. After a successful career in fashion and starting a family, Christa rediscovered her love of dance. She began training in […]

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Christa came to the GYROTONIC® method through dance. She majored in ballet at Indiana University’s School of Music. There, she developed a love of costume and clothing design and moved to NY to attend FIT. After a successful career in fashion and starting a family, Christa rediscovered her love of dance.

She began training in the GYROTONIC® method in 2011 to help her with her structural imbalances and to work more efficiently in her dancing. She is certified in Gyrotonic Level 1 & Level 2, Gyrotonic Application for Dancers, Gyrotonic Psoas Principles, and the GYROTONER® Specialized Equipment, and has studied with Master Trainers Juergen Bamberger, Chantal Deeble, Miriam Barbosa, and Erika Hassan. She is currently a GYROKINESIS® Apprentice. Christa also teaches ballet at several studios in NYC.

The Gyrokinesis Program at Steps on Broadway is coordinated by Kinespirit Studios.

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Ianthe Mellors https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/ianthe-mellors/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:19:55 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/ianthe-mellors/ Ianthe began dancing at the young age of three in Bedford, England. She began her dance career with Ballet and Odissi before finding Latin American Ballroom and Contemporary, Capoeira, Stepping, House, and Hip Hop. She graduated from Middlesex University in London with a degree in Dance Studies. As a fitness teacher, her class is currently […]

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Ianthe began dancing at the young age of three in Bedford, England. She began her dance career with Ballet and Odissi before finding Latin American Ballroom and Contemporary, Capoeira, Stepping, House, and Hip Hop. She graduated from Middlesex University in London with a degree in Dance Studies. As a fitness teacher, her class is currently in its ninth year. Ianthe has had the privilege of partnering with and teaching for brands like Nike, Reebok, ASOS, Adidas and Sweaty Betty. Now based in New York, Ianthe is a performer, teacher and creator.

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Lauren Cannon https://www.stepsnyc.com/faculty/lauren-cannon/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:19:55 +0000 https://steps2023.stepsnyc.com/faculty/lauren-cannon/ “Mindfulness based, strength building yoga that compliments all aspects of your dance training. Come for good music, intuitive flows and a supportive and welcoming community.” Full bio coming soon.

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“Mindfulness based, strength building yoga that compliments all aspects of your dance training. Come for good music, intuitive flows and a supportive and welcoming community.”

Full bio coming soon.

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