Raquel “Rocky” Horsford hails from the east coast (NJ & NY), and is a dancer/choreographer and alumnus from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Rocky’s choreography and teaching approach is as unique and eclectic as her training and performance resume. Raquel incorporates the fundamental of her dance education with modern contemporary icons such as Horton, Talley Beatty, Eleo Pamere and Alvin Ailey into her choreography and teaching. A professional dancer based in New York and Los Angeles, Raquel’s style is most heavily influenced by jazz, ballet, African dance, Caribbean dance, and Hip Hop. Raquel extensive performance resume includes: the New York and international touring companies of the Off- Broadway sensation STOMP; HBO’s Stomp Out Loud: STOMP (Las Vegas); and Wayne Brady’s Makin' it up” (Las Vegas). Raquel has also appeared alongside Rihanna on the X-Factor, Donna Summers on America’s Got Talent, Beyonce at the MTV Fashion Awards, on the Grammy’s, Billboard, Bet/NAACP Award Shows, Cedric the Entertainer’s HBO Special, Rent , DL Chronicles, Malibu’s Most Wanted and the film Idlewild staring the musical duo OutKast. Most recently she was the personal movement coach/trainer for academy award winning actress Natalie Portman for her movie Vox Lux. Raquel has also worked with the likes of recording artist such as Ginare Womack and Santigold. Raquel has choreographed for ABC’s The Neighbors, WILFRED (FX), Bandwagon – award winning web series. She has also appeared in music videos with recording artist Lenny Kravitz, Mary J Blige, Angie Stone, Shania Twain and Wyclef Jean. In addition to her many TV, stage and industrial performances, Raquel’s credits include numerous national commercials for Target, Nationwide Insurance, Oral B, Michelob, K-Swiss, Dr. Pepper, Burger King, Folgers, to name a few. Her most recent Film credit is landing a role as “Connie” in the new upcoming movie Sylvie’s Love starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha, to be released on Amazon in the fall. It was not long into her career as a teacher and professional dancer that Raquel realized that while the fundamentals of various techniques of dance are important, your art only grows when you expose yourself to other cultures and embrace new platforms of media. Cultural exchange opens your mind to different approaches of expression and allows you to release any limitations. Multi-cultural incorporations ultimately raises your art to new levels. Raquel credits her life experience as the catalyst for her dynamic, privileged career. It has added a depth and character to her dance, expression and teachings. Whiles her respect for methods and technique holds strong, the emotional aspect of dance –the story of feelings that stir the audience/students- that matters to her most.