Rachel " Joyful Girl" Pearl

Joy of Motion Dance Center is a non profit dance organization in DC and MD. I have an amazing history with them, starting way before I got the priviledge to work for them.

It all started while I was a senior in high school. My drama teacher saw a gregarious, annoyingly driven 17 year-old in her class every day and wanted to inspire me. She invited me to come with her to a concert at a little black box theatre in Friendship Heights. I was going to school in Columbia, MD and the great schlep into the district was exciting and little intimidating. Probably just the lesson my drama teacher wanted to impress upon me.

The show was Jam Crew, the resident hip-hop company of JOMDC, and the black box was The Jack Guidone Theater at JOMDC Friendship Heights. The show was over sold and I sat on the floor. Shock and aw soon followed. Aysha Upchurch, Vanessa Williams, it was a major turning point for me. I loved dance and theatre and the Jack captured it all. Soon after that show I began the trek to the Silver Spring metro all the way from Columbia, and spent 45 minutes on the red line to pop up at Friendship Heights for Vanessa's beginning and advanced Monday night hip hop class. I had to arrive early or the class would be full. It was incredibly intoxicating and inspiring.

By the time I was a sophomore in college I had taken all I learned from Vanessa and Aysha and began teaching at small studios near my college in Maryland. I was hooked. After college, I moved to California and continued to teach dance while pursuing a graduate degree in filmmaking. Then I moved to Prague to study and travel, to South Africa to work and then to Southwest Florida to teach dance and theatre. Thankfully, the 2009 Barak Obama inauguration brought me back to DC as a freelancer for NBC News Channel.

By that time, JOMDC had opened at Atlas and I was a bike ride away from classes. You could say that all my experiences, both personally and professional have led me to my current position as JOMDC Production Manager. I am a JOMDC super fan and I hope you will support us on November 9 for Give 2 The Max day.

JUST $10.00!!!

The more that gives the better! Have all your friends give $10.00 and contribute to our mission that Dance is For Everyone.

It would really mean a lot to me.

Thanks!