Ariel (she/her)

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Ariel’s dance journey began when she took her first tap class at the age of 5. As she grew so did her love for dance, so she joined her high school dance team and her church’s praise dance team. After graduating, Ariel went straight into becoming the Captain of her church’s dance team, and a full time dance teacher at a studio for children. She also is part of a Bay Area hip hop group based out of Oakland where she serves as the Assistant Choreographer.

Gabriela Garcia (she/her)

Gabriela is a proud East Bay native who has been dancing in one form or another since she was three years old. Whether it’s ballet, salsa, lyrical or jazz, dance has always been a major part of her life. In college, she was a member of the Cal Band and the Cal Dance Team, attending the university at a time when the Bears’ football and basketball teams were among the elite programs in the nation. Her fondest college memories involve the good times spent spreading school spirit at sporting events throughout the conference—and, indeed, across the country in post-season and bowl games. She still cheers on the Cal football team and performs at halftime once a year at alumni events.

Gabriela’s love for movement and dance led her to Hipline in 2012, where she started as a client, later became a member of the crew, and is now thrilled to take on the role of instructor. Hipline has not only deepened her connection to dance but it has also helped her rediscover the power of community. As an instructor, her goal is to guide you through movement that will make you feel stronger, more confident and empowered.

Lisha (she/her)

Lisha Yates is a Virginia native and gymnast-turned-dancer. She has performed and choreographed contemporary, jazz, and hip hop styles over the years for her college dance team and several adult dance companies on the East Coast. After 3.5 years in the Bay Area, she has finally gotten her dance groove back and loves shimmying with the Hipline community!

Stacy (she/her/hers)

Stacy eagerly started dance classes at age 3, falling in love with tap, ballet, jazz and eventually bellydance (thanks Hipline!) She stayed active with tennis, track and dance team in high school, and continued her pursuit of dance and choreography in college, including 2 years as a Tap teaching assistant in the UC Berkeley PE dept. She found Hipline in early 2009 and was inspired by the amazing classes and supportive environment. After a 6 year move to NYC she returned to the Bay Area and into the open shimmy embrace of Hipline in 2016 and never looked back. She's excited to share her love of movement with this community she so dearly loves.

Community Commitments

BODY EMPOWERMENT / We believe bodies of any shape and size deserve to move in an empowered way. We are committed to combating anti-fat bias and toxic beauty standards by leaving diet and negative body talk at the studio door, and reimagining a movement space that uplifts all bodies.

GENDER / We’re committed to not assuming anyone’s gender here at Hipline.
Hipline is a space for women (cis & trans), nonbinary and gender expansive folks. Together we center and continually expand the meaning of feminine movement, and honor the many ways it shows up in our studio.
This is a brave space where we celebrate movement on our own terms—free from limits or expectations around gender. It’s personal, fluid, and communal, so you can show up as yourself and move in a way that feels true to you.

BIPOC / We are committed to providing an unequivocally safe space across all our classes for BIPOC bodies. We respect and value the pluralism of our community and we require that everyone here does the same.

ACCESS / Our space is not completely physically accessible. We are committed to improving our facility access and offering indoor and livestream classes that include members of the community with a visible or non-visible disability, as we believe this is a part of a community’s diversity. Service dogs are allowed.

Jazz-Ylaine (she/her)

Jazz-Ylaine (she/her) is a California native whose dance journey began in the womb and blossomed into a lifelong passion. A second-generation dancer, she fell in love with ballet at age 4 after seeing the Oakland Ballet’s Nutcracker and began formal training at 6 with Ms. Lynette Defazio in Oakland. By age 10, she was living her dream as one of the few brown girls performing in the same Nutcracker she adored, training under Ron Guidi at the Oakland Ballet Academy. She continued her classical ballet studies through high school before expanding her repertoire in college to include salsa, Latin ballroom, Jazz, and West African dance.

In 2003, a life-changing night at a Latin nightclub introduced Jazz-Ylaine to Samba, sparking a love affair that has lasted over two decades. She moved to Brazil to deepen her connection to the art form and has since earned multiple Samba and Carnaval royalty titles. As the founder of Samba Journeys, Jazz-Ylaine passionately teaches the roots of Samba to adults and youth alike. Now a proud member of the Hipline Team, she’s excited to share joy as medicine, resistance, connection, and resilience through her Afro Flow class, an elemental journey.

Dalia (she/her/ella)

Dalia grew up in a household where dancing was always a celebration of being alive. Her mamá taught her from a young age that even dancing with your thumbs at good news was a way to gozar! Dalia’s formal relationship with dance began with her love of musical theater at a young age and has since expanded into including modern dance and finding any opportunity to be on a dance floor with her pals. She invites you to bring your silliest, bravest, most dramatic selves to the dance floor!

Dalia creció en un hogar en que bailando siempre era una celebración de estar viva. Su mamá le enseñó que hasta bailando con sus pulgares a buenas noticias es una manera de gozar. La relación formal que Dalia desarrolló con baile empezó con su amor por el teatro musical en su niñez y ha expandido a incluir danza moderna y buscando cualquier oportunidad para bailar con sus amigues. ¡Ella te invita a llevar tu versión más creativo, valiente, y dramática a la pista de baile!

Em (he/she/they)

Em (he/she/they) didn't discover dance until 2016, when she first stepped foot on the Hipline dance floor and found their life forever changed. Dance was a way to fuse Em's lifelong loves of music, creative expression and physicality. Over the past years, Em's been a dancing fiend and a devoted student of movement, taking lessons in Jamaican dancehall, hip hop, bellydance and more to add finesse and artistic dimension on top of his background in kickboxing, martial arts, wrestling and rockclimbing. Em is beyond excited to join the Shimmy Pop team and hopes to share her warmth and passion with dancers of all skill levels.

Gabriela (she/her)

There's too many reasons to love teaching at Hipline, but one of the main draws and deep sense of purpose I have stewarding this space for 16 years is having the space to PLAY! And more specifically the space to play without the "male gaze"- for ourselves and for each other. Leading and taking other Hipline classes is a daily exercise in what makes us feel yummy, joyful, in love with ourselves and with each other. This is not the place to show up for prescribed toxic beauty standards. I've often had to leave the best parts of me behind to literally and figuratively "fit" into spaces- my humor, my comfort for touch like hugging and kissing, which is deeply cultural, other things that are my true form. It's time to remove the veil of numbness and indifference and drop into our power and reorganize so that we can show up in our larger than life form! See you soon!

LOVE CLUB

Hipline is committed to ensuring everyone feels welcome on its premises regardless of economic status. If our class pass pricing is a barrier to joining, please consider applying for our Love Club Membership. Love Club Membership qualifies a Hipliner to purchase classes at the rate of $12 per class for one year.

If you would like to participate in LOVE CLUB, click here.

Evie (she/her)

Evie (she/her) has had a lifelong love of creative movement, including gymnastics, circus aerials, lumberjack sports, Latin partner dance, and martial arts, which led to getting certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she moved to Oakland in 2023 and immediately fell in love with the Hipline community! In Evie’s classes you’ll find eclectic playlists, lots of core work, and an invitation to appreciate what your body can do.

Talia (she/her)

Starting at a young age in the worlds of Ballet and Modern, Talia also found love in Jazz, Hip Hop, Contact/Improv, African, and various latin dance styles. After getting her B.A. in dance, she has been performing, choreographing and teaching for the past 13 years. In addition to Power Pop, Talia teaches various dance classes, Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, PIYO, strength training and is excited to bring her passion for movement, music and health to the Hipline community!

Kat (she/they)

Kat (she/they) is from Alabama, and has been in Oakland for 10+ years. She’s trained, taught, and performed dance her whole life, but believes anyone can dance, regardless of ability, size, shape, age, race, or gender. Kat is known for her Body Empowerment work at Hipline, and her fat-positive pop-up, Big Thick Energy. Kat knows dance spaces can be harsh on bodies, and wants to tap into the side of dance that is pleasure and empowerment. Her classes are low impact on joints, but high energy and expression. Kat is a full-time Arts Administrator, a Fat Liberation community organizer, a proud "childless cat lady" and aspiring mermaid. She’s currently completing her Body TrustⓇ professional certification.

Archaa (she/her)

Archaa's earliest memories of doing yoga involve a sheet spread onto her carpeted living room floor and comfy pj's- no yoga mat or yoga pants in sight. Archaa spent 6 years as a classroom teacher and teaching yoga combines 2 of her greatest passions. Yoga - and its associated postures and breath techniques - tie deeply to her cultural roots and help her connect to her spirit.

Sultana (she/her)

Sultana is an Egyptian dance artist who grew up between the Bay Area and Cairo, Egypt. Sultana first learned to bellydance as a kid among her family and friends. Later on in life, Sultana decided to become a professional bellydancer which led her to move to Cairo in 2021 and study with top Egyptian practitioners as well as perform in some of Cairo's most in demand clubs. Sultana returned to the Bay Area in 2024 where she continues to perform and teach locally and across the country. Sultana's goal is to help all bodies discover the joy and comfort of bellydance movement as well as share a part of her culture.

Tiffany (she/her)

Dance is and has always been a great joy in my life. Movement, my instructors and coaches, and fellow dancers have shaped me into the person I am today. From jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, pom/cheerleading, and belly dance - these dance forms have made lasting impressions in my body and mind, building upon each other, making me fall in love again and again. I'm super excited and honored to share my love of dance and strength training with the Hipline community!

Isabelle (they/them)

Isabelle was born and raised in Oakland and a proud first generation immigrant.

Isabelle studied dance at Oakland School for the Arts, started attending classes at Hipline in 2016 and began teaching in 2019. Isabelle is community and collective justice oriented while dedicated to creating a radical space that feels both heart-opening and empowering. Their class is focused on movement as it was originally intended : as medicine, not punishment. There will be ass shaking, laughing, releasing, pushing, breathing and a healthy dose of tantrum throwing. Isabelle invites all of you to the dance floor and firmly believes the feelings that come up when moving in community can help us better understand what we need as a whole - as well as our own personal roles in building towards collective liberation!

Emily (she/her)

Emily fell in love with dance while growing up in her home state of Hawai‘i. After moving to the Bay Area in 2021, her search for a movement community led her to Hipline, and the welcoming community and grounded energy instantly felt like home. Her classes bring together her background in yoga, strength training, and love for a middle school dance floor throwback -- all with the intention of caring for the nervous system and celebrating the joy of movement. In Emily’s classes, you’ll find beat drops, lots of two counts, pulses, and juicy cool downs.

Alicia (she/her)

Alicia Langlais is a Bay Area Dancer, instructor, and dance inspiration coach. Hailing from Bronx, NY, Hip-Hop and Caribbean culture were apart of her household and community which informed her passion for movement and dance, even as she began ballet training at the age of seven. In addition to over 15 years of dance training, teaching, and performing in New York and the Bay Area, Alicia also has a Master's of Education Degree in School Counseling and Master's of Art Degree in Transpersonal Psychology. Her M.A. degree concentration in Creative Expression with studies and research focused on Dance Therapy allows Alicia to meld her dance training, personal experience with dance trauma, and mental wellness backgrounds to help students slay dance related insecurities or trauma, which she calls "Dance Dragons."

Emma (she/her)

Emma (she/her) started gymnastics at the age of 4 and fell in love with dance (mostly hip hop) and musical theater through the following years. She was in her high school's theater company and was dance team captain, and with the exception of learning TikTok dances during the pandemic, had lost touch with her passion for teaching and performing over the past decade. She credits Hipline for bringing her closer to her love of movement and music, and is absolutely thrilled to be part of this inclusive community. Her favorite things include delicious Asian food, comedy, live music, and exploring a new national park or foreign city. Emma was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada and moved to the Bay Area in 2014 to pursue a career in marketing and events.

Vision. Mission. Values.

PURPOSE To cultivate a joyful, inclusive space where movement, self-expression, and community converge, empowering people to connect deeply with themselves, each other, and the larger human experience through dance and fitness.

MISSION Hipline reimagines dance and fitness by cultivating a brave, body-affirming, and gender-expansive space. Through intentional leadership and dynamic classes, we foster a vibrant community where everyone feels strong, seen, and inspired to embrace the joy of Movement. Est. 2008 | Women of color owned.

VISION Hipline envisions a world where every person, regardless of body type, gender identity, or fitness level, feels at home in their body, free to express themselves fully, and empowered to connect with others. Through the practice of dance, Hipline joins in solidarity with broader movements for human connection, contributing to a shared effort to create a world rooted in inclusivity, compassion, and collective well-being.

Tammy (she/her)

Tammy grew up in Ohio and moved to the Bay Area to explore nutrition, capoeira, and life! Teaching others to get in touch with their bodies: both through movement and nutrition is a passion that continues to grow and expand. She currently runs a private nutrition practice called The Nourished Belly and runs Capoeira Brasil East Bay in Oakland.

Blair (she/her)

Blair (she/her) grew up in Detroit, Michigan where she began her first ballet class at 7 years old through a program at her childhood church. This inspired an upbringing of opportunities in expressive movement leading to minoring in dance in college and studying at The Ailey School in NYC. With training in Modern dance (Graham, Horton), West & Central African, Ballet, Jazz, Improvisation, Methods in Teaching, and Creative Dance – she has continued dancing till today and is thrilled to share her love for freedom in dance with you.

Nadiah (she/her)

Nadiah began training as a gymnast at the young age of 5, which gave her the confidence to try many sports and pursue dance. She has explored jazz, tap, and hip hop, but she found her calling in Salvador Bahia Brazil in 2008 when she tried Capoeira, Afro-Brazilian dance and Samba for the first time. She has been training capoeira for over 9 year has been pursuing her passion for Samba since 2012. Nadia has invested countless hours taking classes both here in the United States and in Brazil and all of that hard work paid off when she competed in 2017 at the USA national Samba King and Queen competition where she came in 3rd place winning the title of Diva Do Samba USA 2017/2018. Along with dancing weekly at Hipline, Nadiah also teaches Samba Classes and is the assistant director of the Bay Area’s very own Samba Sensation, Brazilian Dance Entertainment Group. She had the honor of Parading in Brazil’s Carnaval in 2018 and looks forward to returning every year that she can!

Maddie (she/her)

Maddie (she/her) was born and raised in the Bay Area, but spent most of her adult life in Southern California before moving back to Oakland in 2023. Her homecoming was not just a return to the place she was raised, but also a return to dance. Maddie grew up doing tap and jazz, then fell in love with hip hop in her teens. She was a member of a number of competitive dance companies throughout high school and college until she reached her mid-20s when work and life got in the way. It wasn’t until she returned to Oakland and saw the Hipline sign shining down like a beacon as she exited Trader Joe’s that she realized what a massive hole had been in her life for the past decade without dance. Hipline has reinvigorated her love of dance, provided a beautiful community that she is so grateful to be a part of, and sparked immense amounts of creativity and joy that she is so excited to share with you. Maddie’s class and playlist has a little something for everyone with a vibe that shifts from groovy to sassy to sexy and everywhere in between, but the overarching theme is confidence and feeling good in your own skin—so go ahead and flirt with yourself in the mirror ;-)