Posts by Riar Academy of Performing Arts (RAPA)

SENIOR TEACHER Raymond “Ray” Santos has well over 20 years of teaching and choreography experience in both the Bay Area and Southern California. His style is influenced by his experiences with Training Ground, Establish Your Empire, and Chocolate Factory methodologies. His goal as a mentor is to keep dance fun and informative. In his class,…

SENIOR TEACHER Kory ‘Kato’ Watkins is a dance professional with 15 years of experience in teaching and 30 years in choreography and performance. He believes that the best way to promote learning is to motivate his students with well-defined objectives and empowerment. He has taught elementary, junior high, high school, and college-age students. Kory teaches…

SENIOR TEACHER Tawni’s dance training first started in the studio, where she performed with the company teams at Dance Connection Performing Arts Centre in Concord, California. Her early training consisted of ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary technique. She then continued to study modern dance techniques throughout college at Diablo Valley College (DVC) and San…

SENIOR TEACHER Mr. Raj has well over 17 years of experience in the Mumbai Film Industry as an Assistant Choreographer and Background Dancer for motion pictures, reality shows, music tours, and television award shows. He has worked with famous choreographers, including Vaibhavi Merchant, Prabhu Deva, Geeta Kapoor, and many more. He can also be seen…

MANAGING DIRECTOR Meera Sarkar Riar has been dancing, choreographing, and teaching Classical Kathak Dance for over 30 years. She is professionally trained in the Lucknow Gharana, and her unique style is influenced by her teachers, Betty Jones, Megan Black, Sandhya Desai, Kumudini Lakhia, Sharmila Sharma, and Saswati Sen. Classical Kathak dance teaches students the basic…

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Karan Riar hails straight from the Bollywood Film Industry in Mumbai, where for well over a decade, his performance, choreography, and entrepreneurial skills led him to be an integral part of the Film and Performance Industry. Karan’s versatility in Bollywood Dance includes elements of Jazz, Hip Hop, Rock N’ Roll, Afro-Jazz, Salsa, Contemporary,…