about us
The Studio
Presence Studio is dedicated to the practice of conscious embodiment and personal expression. The studio operates as an elegant space for classes, workshops, performances, celebrations and rental space for public or private events. Dance classes and fitness classes live alongside Open Floor and ecstatic dance events in the diverse schedule (In-line link to calendar page). Located in the heart of Bellingham, Washington, the studio was founded by Jenny Macke, opening its doors in 2008. The studio is now run as a non-profit collective by a group of volunteer stewards and council members.
Beautiful windows face east letting in lots of light, and the 2,000 square-foot sprung maple dance floor is over 100 years old. With a room capacity of over 200 participants, One entire wall is mirrored, with rich velvet drapes that fully hide the mirrors when needed. An old-growth fir bench seat extends around 3/4 of the room. Wall-hung art is abundant throughout the space, providing opportunities for local artists to showcase their work.
Our downtown Bellingham location is central with plenty of on-street parking - free after 5 PM Monday - Saturday and all day Sunday. Stairs-only access unfortunately limits wheel-chair accessibility to this history-laden dance studio that served as a ballet school for over 20 years and a community gathering space before that.
Space Tenders
Community and collaboration are at the heart of Presence Studio. We are grateful for the many people who help keep the studio open and vibrant.
Fresh flowers - brought in seasonally, bring the beauty of the natural world into our dance space.
Lisa Tenney and Semilla Sanchez, ran the Presence Studio Collective for many years donating 100% of their time. Their stewardship was a labor of love for the studio and community.” Especially during the pandemic when many other studios were closing.
Kelsey Maloney, Open Floor teacher, plays music for a warm-up.
Our Teachers
jenny macke
open floor teacher & Massage Therapist
Jenny Macke founded Presence Studio in 2008 as a home for conscious and embodied dance in Bellingham, WA. She is a certified Open Floor teacher, and also serves on OF's Curriculum Circle. Prior teaching experiences and trainings include nine years as a 5Rhythms® teacher, many years as a Nia instructor, a Masters in Leadership Education, and more.
Also a Licensed Massage Therapist and Bodyworker, Jenny believes that the work she does with her hands is meant to help people remember their inherent wholeness, and the deep wholeness at the heart of the earth. (See www.jennymacke.com for more information.)
Jenny teaches the Sunday Morning - Open Floor Community Dance, plus a wide variety of workshops and ongoing groups in Bellingham and throughout the United States. www.JennyMacke.com
kelsey maloney
open floor teacher
Kelsey Maloney is a certified Open Floor International Movement Teacher. She teaches in a style of receptive response to what is emerging in the moment. Through simple offerings, she invites students to deepen their self-learning, expand their capacity for connection, and practice re-humanizing our relationships. She has over 15 years of experience integrating writing, art, and play into personal and professional life. She has volunteered with a bicycle-touring theater (Otesha Project, Australia), worked at environmental education centers and camps in the US and Australia, and self-published a book, Cloak Woman Vs Man, in 2017. She offers Open Floor embodiment labs and classes on Thursday nights. Visit fireandmoss.com to learn more about her current offerings.
Kaleigh Jeffers
Penk-O'Donnell School of Irish Dance
Kaleigh Jeffers is the only certified Irish dance teacher in Whatcom County, from the accredited “An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha” (The Irish Dancing Commission) in Ireland. She was born and raised in Whatcom County, and was a competitive Irish dancer for over 18 yrs, qualifying to dance at the World Championships 11 times. She is now teaching classes in Bellingham in partnership with her teacher, Deirdre O’Donnell, who teaches classes in Vancouver, BC.
Contact: kaleighejeffers@gmail.com
Darrah Blanton
Children’s Creative Movement and Ballet
Darrah Blanton has been teaching children’s dance since 1999. She specializes in ballet, tap, creative movement, parent-toddler, beginning jazz, and musical theater. Each class includes the BrainDance and a different dance concept each week. Her students have ranged in age from 1 to 18. As a child growing up in Bellingham, Washington, Darrah studied with Wendy Setter at the Dance Studio and with Isabel and Teo Morca at the Morca Academy.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington with a double degree in Dance and English. Darrah has performed at the University of Washington, Velocity, Seattle Center, The Chamber Theater, On the Boards, and Freehold Theater. She lives with her husband and their two young sons in Bellingham
Robert B. Bates
Wild Goose Qigong
Robert is a healer and teacher of healing based in Bellingham, Washington. A 1990 graduate of Southern California College of Chiropractic, he has practiced in Washington State since 1992. He has taught many Qigong courses since 1997. He earned his Master of Medical Qigong certificate in 2001 from Jerry Alan Johnson at the International Institute of Medical Qigong. He has been practicing Wild Goose Qigong since 1999 and has taken Wild Goose classes and workshops from noted teachers Michael Tse, Bingkun Hu, and Paul Li. He currently teaches Medical Qigong at the Middle Way Acupuncture Institute. In addition, he teaches workshops in Lymph Drainage Therapy and Fluid Articular Release for the Chikly Health Institute, an international teaching organization based in Arizona.
Contact: rbbatesdc@comcast.net
Matt Van Dyke
Wild Goose Qigong
Matt Van Dyke is an Acupuncturist, Herbalist, and Qi Gong practitioner clinically focused on maximizing quality of life and longevity. Matt is especially interested in helping to train patients and students to tap into their own innate potential and to facilitate new landscapes of healing. Matt is a student of Dr. Zhang Dong Xun OMD, having studied Jingui Golden Shield Qi Gong and Fit 150 Intended Evolution for the past 20 years. He has been teaching Qi Gong since 2007, both private classes, and at Middle Way Acupuncture Institute. Matt has also studied Dayan Wild Goose Qi Gong with Robert Bates religiously for the last 7 years. Together Matt and Robert have delved deep, studying and practicing over 20 forms and meditations of this vast system.
Contact: matt@bellinghamqigong.com
Ruby Koa
My name is Ruby Koa and I’ve been teaching yoga in Bellingham since 2009. Though Kokoro Yoga itself is a one teacher operation, and quite a small one at that, a variety of class styles are offered including various forms of Vinyasa Flow, Gentle Flow, and Kundalini Yoga. As the Japanese word, "kokoro" (it means heart/mind, center/essence) suggests, my intention always is to teach from my heart, with the emphasis of accommodating you wherever you're at. I also aim to cultivate a sense of community and camaraderie in each class, meaning you can look forward to tea (and sometimes snacks) being served after most classes. I also offer regular Women’s Full Moon circles and events to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes such as Kundalini Yoga and Double Gong Relaxations. So whether you're looking to improve your fitness and flexibility, deepen your awareness of breath, body, and spirit, or just a chance to relax and stretch out, at least one of these classes or events has something to offer you!
Adriane Rodrigues
Brazilian Beats
Adriane Rodrigues was born in a musical family in Minas Gerais, Brasil, where she started to dance at a young age. She began to train formally with Conceicao Damasceno at the World Dance Center in Berkeley when she moved to California in 1997. She focused on Brazilian dance, including the different regional varieties of Samba and Afro-Brazilian and Orixa dance movements. But she also explored West African dance, traditional Cuban Rumba and the popular Latin American Salsa. Her natural talent and diligent training led her to become a solo dancer in Ginga Brasil, a dance company directed by Conceicao Damasceno, in a relatively short period.
Notable Ginga Brasil performances include Diaspora Negra (2009) the annual Yemanja Festival (2003-2011), Mistura Brasileira (2001, 2002, 2003) and Cubahia (2009, 2010), all presented in reputable local venues such as The Legion of Honor, Fort Mason, Rio Theater, Stanford University and Laney College. Adriane has also performed with the internationally renowned Olodum and Ile Aiye during their Bay Area tours. She was assigned to choreograph for the group’s annual Carnaval performance in San Francisco (2011).
Being far from her native Brasil and her family, Adriane has found in dance not only the best way to stay connected with her roots and culture, but also a way of life that keeps her in continuous communication with the world around her. She believes that music and rhythm are key tools of every-day self-expression that inform how we walk, talk and breathe.
This deep belief has moved her to teach Brazilian dance to students of all ages. Her grateful students praise her for her centered energy, grace and creativity. While she acknowledges that learning technique is necessary, she encourages each student to develop their own style and form of expression so that they learn to project their personality through dance and to move with natural ease. As she fills the dance floor with her fluid, joyful movements and those of her inspired students, one is reminded of her usual answer when asked how she decided to become a dancer: “Dance fills my spirit and feeds my soul”.
Contact: apple_dri@yahoo.com
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Janine Hazebrouck
Ballroom Dance (monthly dance by invitation only)
(360)739-5074
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Soleil Chappelle
Bellingham Repertory Dance
Bellingham Repertory Dance (BRD) is a professional contemporary dance collective in Bellingham, WA. Established in 2005, Bellingham Repertory Dance is a dancer-run and directed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to bring vibrant, contemporary dance to the community. BRD is an ever-changing collection of versatile individuals from an array of backgrounds working toward new goals and skills every season. BRD encourages dialogue amongst current and new collective members to shape the next stage in the company’s story. The collective creates opportunities for accomplished artists to perform and create works by both established and emerging choreographers. BRD encourages and facilitates collaborative opportunities across disciplines within the Bellingham arts community and offers both community classes and annual youth programs. BRD also facilitates master classes with guest artists, the 7-Day Dance Festival, and occasional rehearsals open for public viewing.
Bellingham Repertory Dance (bhamrep.org)
Contact: Soleil Chappelle at bhamrep@gmail.com (505)577-9089
Community
Thich Nhat Hanh says that "Community is the next Buddha." We believe it takes showing up and being present to be part of a community. That's it. We all have gifts and ways to contribute, and we welcome each individual as they find their place and space in a moving community. We welcome people of all races, religions, orientations, and diverse backgrounds who are interested in being more embodied and present, and who are dedicated to learning how to create more space within themselves for the basic goodness for self and other. We love our home community of Bellingham dancers, and we also enjoy hosting workshops that draw people from all over the country and world.
PRESENCE Non-Profit VISION
VISION
To Inspire Authentic, Mindful, Interconnected, and Loving Community
MISSION
We are committed too:
Inspire creative, revolutionary, embodiment practices
Provide a safe, inclusive, intentional, grounded container, fostering community building and holistic well-being
Offering integrative resources for the mind, body, spirit, and soul
The floor is open.
In gratitude: Presence Studio and the many volunteers who keep the studio open.