Rikud Studio launches in Prospect Heights with a fresh approach to Dance Education
Our take
There is something absolutely electric about the news that Rikud Studio has landed in Prospect Heights. As someone who balances the nurturing chaos of being a stay-at-home mom with the high-energy discipline of fitness and the liberating art of strip tease, I believe that movement is the ultimate form of self-love. For too long, the world has told us that there is a right way and a wrong way to dance, often insisting that rigid classical structures are the only foundation for success. While we can admire the legacy of groups like the Mark Morris Dance Group concludes 45th Season with ‘Dances to American Music’, it is refreshing to see a space that prioritizes the raw, visceral energy of street and club dance. By centering breaking, hip-hop, and house, Rikud is not just teaching steps; they are validating a culture of expression that celebrates the body as it is, rather than as a tool for perfection.
What truly captures my heart about this new venture is the intentional decision to operate without mirrors. In my own fitness journey and my time on the pole, I have learned that the most profound transformations happen when we stop staring at our reflection and start feeling the rhythm in our bones. When we stop judging the angle of a limb or the curve of a waist, we unlock a level of confidence that radiates from the inside out. This shift from visual scrutiny to somatic experience is a game-changer for body positivity. It encourages students of all ages to stop asking if they look right and start asking if they feel powerful. This philosophy mirrors the community-driven energy seen in events like the WHITE WAVE Dance Celebrates 25th Anniversary of DUMBO Dance Festival, where the joy of movement takes center stage over the pressure of performance.
This development is significant because it democratizes dance education, breaking down the ivory tower of traditional academies to make room for the grit and soul of the streets. When we tell children that hip-hop is just as valid a starting point as ballet, we are telling them that their natural instincts and cultural identities are valuable. This is the kind of inspiration that makes a difference in the world. It teaches us that looking our best is a byproduct of feeling sexy, strong, and authentic in our own skin. Whether you are a parent wanting your child to find their voice or an adult looking to reclaim their physicality, this approach removes the fear of failure and replaces it with the thrill of discovery.
By challenging the long-standing assumptions of the dance world, Rikud Studio is paving the way for a more inclusive future where the goal is liberation rather than limitation. This is about more than just choreography; it is about mental wellness and the celebration of the human form in all its diverse glory. As we move forward, I wonder how this shift toward intuitive, mirror-free learning will influence other fitness and art spaces. Will we see a broader movement toward internal feeling over external validation? If more studios embrace this philosophy of feeling good to look good, we may finally enter an era where every body feels welcome and every soul feels free to dance without apology.
Rikud Studio opens in Prospect Heights, reimagining dance education through street and club dance and challenging the long-standing assumption that ballet must be the starting point of children’s dance education. Rikud Studio focuses exclusively on street and club dance forms including breaking, hip-hop, and house. Located roughly a ten-minute walk from Barclays Center, the studio has enrolled more than 165 students in its first two months and now offers 30 weekly classes serving children, teens, and adults. Rikud operates on an intentionally alternative model with no mirrors, no ballet, and no recitals.
Rikud was founded by Caila Moed, a former Goldman Sachs professional who spent more than a decade working in finance and philanthropy. Her new venture reflects a growing trend among millennial women toward entrepreneurship over corporate careers. Moed credits her dance training with shaping the discipline and high-performance mindset that informed her professional career.
“Most dance studio education in the U.S. still starts with ballet and works towards recitals,” said Moed. “But historically, hundreds of distinct dance traditions emerged from cultures around the world long before ballet became the norm in European courts. Hip-hop, house, and breaking are complete dance forms with their own techniques, histories, and pedagogies.”
Instruction draws from the established foundations of street and club dance–such as bouncing, rocking and grooving- and including breaking fundamentals such as toprock, footwork, power, freezes while bringing your own unique style to the table. The studio offers classes for all ages. Their most popular class is “Littles,” a caregiver-and-child dance party that introduces young children to the foundations of street dance.
Rikud’s philosophy reflects a broader movement within dance education–refocusing training on foundational movement principles, improvisation, and cultural context rather than performance. Many dance educators have grown concerned that social media is making dancers focus solely on short-form tricks, acrobatics, and visually sensational choreography, sometimes at the expense of musicality, groove, texture, and emotional expression.
All classes are taught by working professional dancers and choreographers, and the studio prioritizes instructors who remain active performers within their communities. Rikud’s Master Teacher is Andrew Carter, well known in the dance community as Dr. Ew, a professional B-boy and choreographer.
Rikud does not position itself as an authority on hip-hop culture, but rather as a hub and convener. The studio’s location places it in proximity to many of hip-hop’s most historically rich neighborhoods. Clinton Hill was the childhood neighborhood of The Notorious B.I.G., while nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant’s is the childhood home of Jay-Z. Public spaces such as Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park have long served as gathering places for dancers.
Rikud’s summer camp is a collaboration with HereNow Cultural Space in Bed-Stuyvesant. They will connect campers directly to the area’s cultural history through neighborhood tours, graffiti arts, hip-hop, breaking, and DJ instruction. Rikud serves longtime Brooklyn residents, young families, and newcomers. The studio also hosts breaking battles and community dance events throughout the year, including an upcoming kids breaking battle in partnership with the New York Collective and a family dance party with local-legends Saint James Joy.
Rikud Studio’s class offerings are designed to welcome movers of all ages while centering the culture, history and joy of street and club dance. For the youngest participants, Littles invites children ages 0–3 and their caregivers into a playful music-and-movement experience filled with rhythm, dancing and guided exploration, while Minimovers introduces ages 3–5 to foundational hip-hop grooves, coordination and confidence-building movement.
For older children, Breakdancing and Hip-Hop classes for ages 5+ blend toprock, footwork, freezes, popping, waving and beginner power moves, alongside lessons in hip-hop history and musicality. Teens ages 12+ can join an all-level class focused on community, high-energy movement and learning dance-floor-ready choreography in a welcoming social setting.
Adults are also a key part of the studio’s mission, with offerings that include low-pressure all-level hip-hop classes, Babywearing Dance for parents and caregivers, open-level yoga inspired by Ashtanga and Iyengar traditions, plus accessible open sessions such as House with a live DJ and free Hip-Hop Open Sessions.
This summer, Rikud will also host its Summer Camp from June 15 through August 14, 2026, offering small-group programming for ages 5–14. Campers will rotate through breaking, hip-hop and house dance, while also taking part in visual arts inspired by graffiti culture and movement. Younger campers will explore rhythm games, obstacle courses and creative projects, while older participants dive deeper into technique training, freestyle development, choreography, cultural studies and mentorship. Scholarships are available, with more information at rikudstudio.com.
The post Rikud Studio launches in Prospect Heights with a fresh approach to Dance Education appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.
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