Rachel Payne
Salt and Light Dance Studio was established in 2016 by Rachel Fuchs-Payne who wanted to create a faith based dance school in Duluth. She has taught many different dance styles, has worked with students with physical and cognitive disabilities, is passionate about teaching dance to people living with Parkinson's disease, and feels that dance is for everyone.
Rachel has 17 years of classical ballet training and 3 years of professional dance experience. She has been teaching for a combined total of 8 years for students in the area, previously at The Minnesota Ballet and currently at Salt and Light Dance Studio.
I teach most classes this Fall but I am excited to introduce some new teachers this Fall as well!
Brianna Hall
Brianna began dancing at the age of 4 and hasn’t stopped. She holds a B.A. in Dance from St. Olaf College where she studied dance technique, performance, theory, and choreography. In her six years of teaching dance, she instructed and created work for dancers ages 3 to 65. She generated jazz, tap, and modern dance curriculums for Reif Dance and taught ballet with Broche Ballet in Denver, CO. Dance theater choreography credits include Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book for Reif Dance, Cabaret and The Toxic Avenger for the Underground Theater, The Wizard of Oz for the Duluth Children’s and Family Theater. She enjoys performing and creating with the Duluth dance community through the Duluth Playhouse and Dances on the Lakewalk. Brianna’s dance journey brings her joy and humility, which she hopes to share with students.
Classes I teach this Fall: Monday Evening Ballet 1, Monday Beginner Jazz, Thursday Ballet 1, and Teen/Adult Musical Theater
Jenny Chladek
Jenny grew up near Eau Claire, Wisconsin and has been dancing all her life. She studied ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop at En Avant School of Dance for 12 years. She did competition dance for 4 years on her high school dance team, and led and choreographed for the team as the captain her senior year. She continued dance with Attitudes Dance at the U of M Duluth and transitioned on to take classes with the Minnesota Ballet. She has also performed and choreographed with Dances on the Lakewalk for 3 summers. She is excited to have the opportunity to teach and explore dance at Salt and Light Dance Studio!
Classes I teach this Fall: Wednesday Lyrical, Teen/Adult Jazz, Teen/Adult Modern
Sophie Frederick
Sophie has been a dancer for eight years and has been with Salt and Light Dance Studio since its founding. She is excited to share her love of dance and passion for the arts with your students and is looking forward to offering a positive and accepting place for dancers of all backgrounds. Sophie has also danced at the Minnesota Ballet and The University of Minnesota Duluth and has taken part in performances such as The Nutcracker and DanceWorks. She has been teaching at Salt and Light since January of 2021 and has co-taught classes of different styles since 2017.
Classes I teach this Fall: Tuesday Beginner Ballet, Beginner Hip Hop, K-pop, Intermediate Hip Hop, Pointe 2, Weekend Toddler Ballet, and Weekend 4-7 year old Ballet