The Dance Matrix 

Rachel Holland, Dance Studio Owner/Award Winning Choreographer/Creative Director

Ms. Ray-Ray's Dance Bio

Ms. Ray-Ray is an award winning choreographer and has been dancing since she was 8 and started teaching her first studio class at the age of 15.  She has taught at numerous studio across North Texas and has an extensive background in Ballet, Pointe and Modern as well as Jazz and Tap.  Ms. Rachel has immersed herself with the different techniques of Ballet such as Cecchetti, Vaganova, RAD, and neo-classical (Balanchine method) by studying under the tutelage of numerous professionals such as: Anna Marie Ewert-Pittman who has a BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts (her arial modern work Hanging Out Of Town was also featured as one of the most challenging pieces in SMU's 2011 Fall Concert and Ms. Anna Marie was showcased as one of their most distiguished alumni), an MFA in Performing Arts-Dance from University of Wisconson Milwaukee and now resides as a professor at Brookhaven, instructor for the Plano Metropolitan Ballet, instructor for the Plano Dance Theatre, instructor for the Tuzer Ballet and creative director & president of the Ewert Pittman and Company, Debbie Landrum who studied under George Balanchine, former ballet mistress to the Denton Civic Ballet and current instructor for the prestigious Chamberlain Ballet, and Suzan Taylor who trained under Mary Six Rupert of Broadways’ “Steps” and ABT’s principal dancer Robert Underwood.  Ms. Rachel was a principal with the Plano Metropolitan Ballet from 2000-2003 where she enjoyed performing an average of 8-10 shows a year.  During her last year with the company Rachel danced 30-35 hours a week en pointe along with her other classes.  While attending high school she was accepted into the prestigious The Rock School.  Ms. Rachel has performed in numerous ballets as a guest performer such as The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.  Ms. Rachel has auditioned and made numerous dance companies such as The San Francisco Ballet (Ballet Austin II), Ballet Austin and The Paul Taylor Modern Company.  Instead of following the professional dance career route Ms. Rachel decided to further her intellectual education and attended Collin County Community College from 2004-2006 where she attended numerous dance courses and maintained a 4.0 GPA.  She also auditioned for the CCCCD modern company and made it in 2005.  Throughout her tenure at CCCCD she performed multiple solos for her group classes semester finals.  Ms. Rachel's students have gone on to teach at numerous local and national studios, own dance studios, join multiple programs such as the Plano Metropolitan Ballet Company, University of Texas's dance program, Oklahoma University's dance program, Dallas Conservatory of the Arts, Southern Methodist University Meadows School for the Fine Arts, Greenville's Flaming Flashes, Greenville Lions JV and Varsity Cheer Squad, Commerce Tigerettes and other prestigious dance programs.  In 2010 she volunteered to choreograph a contemporary piece for Commerce High School's Tigerette Drill team to compete with.  Her choreography went on to win Sweepstakes.  Ms. Rachel is so excited to take her own dance experience and help others learn to love all styles of dance as much as she does.

After Little Mermaid performance

Flowers

Flaming Feet

Contemporary piece choreographed in 2010-2011 by Rachel (she performed in this as well)

Little Mermaid performance
(Rachel Holland on right)

backstage before Amazing Mazie 
Rachel en pointe to the far left.
warming up onstage

Plano Met pictures

Ms. Ray-Ray teaching her first class
Backstage Alice in Wonderland

Tweetle Dee & Tweetle Dum
After Wizard of Oz performance
Age 10

Age 9