Ariel has been movin’ and groovin’ since she was young, starting with gymnastics at five years old and then falling in love with dance after her first Hip Hop class at the age of 12.
Ariel danced throughout high school and went on to study dance at the University of Oregon and Santa Monica College before receiving her bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts and Social Justice with a concentration in dance from the University of San Francisco.
After a few years of teaching pre-k gymnastics and dance, Ariel pursued her master’s degree in education at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she studied Community Arts through a dance and movement lens. Her thesis work, Dance Passport, dissected the arts (specifically performing arts) in public education and offered an alternative teaching method that utilized greater community resources to facilitate meaningful connections to dance, art, identity, and culture.
Since receiving her master’s degree, Ariel has worked as a teaching artist, teaching Hip Hop dance and creative movement to elementary school students. Health and wellness have also taken center stage in Ariel’s career. Ariel is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has been able to share her energy and enthusiasm for movement and health with her clients. With her experience in fitness, dance, and education, Ariel strives to develop programs and teach classes that strengthen the body, mind, and soul.