About Helen Rea
Helen Rea began dancing soon after birth, thanks to her modern-dancing mother. She performed for 8 years with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and co-directed Duets, etc., a modern dance repertory company. She began studying Alexander Technique in order to find better ways to move and stay comfortable—and avoid pain, fatigue, and injury.
She found the work so helpful that she completed a teacher certification program in 1983 and began her private practice. Toward the end of her Alexander Technique training, she was introduced to the ideas of Craniosacral Therapy. She trained at the Upledger Institute in 1983 and 1984 and incorporated this work into her practice. She completed a 2-year training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) in 2001 and afterward was a teaching assistant in another 3-year BCST program. She organized and attended an Advanced Craniosacral Therapy training program with Mike Boxhall. Helen served on the Board of Directors of the Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America from 2003 to 2006.
Although Helen gave up performing in 1987, she never stopped teaching dance. In over 40 years as a dance educator, she has developed her own unique style of teaching that incorporates her interest in body therapies and movement education, as well as her broad background in dance.
In 2019 Helen opened Studio A in the AURAS Building in downtown Silver Spring, fulfilling her dream of having a personal space to pursue her interests. High ceilings, artful lighting, and maple floors complement an array of Gyrotonic® equipment including two towers, a Jumping Stretch Board, and a Gyrotoner. Pre-Covid, Helen taught dance classes at CityDance at Strathmore Arts Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and Gyrokenesis and dance classes at Maryland Youth Ballet. She is happy to be continuing her Movement Improvement in Studio A.
