RFX Collective FAQs
1. What is the RFX Collective?
The Rhythm FX Collective is a community of women empowering women through movement. We foster a safe space for women from all walks of life to learn the fundamentals of how to freestyle dance.
The freestyle dance training we provide incorporates a diverse range of elements, such as play, experimentation, tempo, patterns, performance, levels, posing, character development and more. The RFX Collective Freestyle Class provides tools, techniques, tips and tricks on how to be an effective freestyle dancer - but it’s up to you to do the work!
2. What is Freestyle?
Freestyle dance is defined as a way of dancing in which the dancer improvises his moves on spot, instead of having them planned beforehand. Freestyling can be executed by anyone, anywhere. From a night out dancing with friends, to a gogo dancer on a podium in a nightclub, all the way to a professional choreographer using freestyling as a tool to create moves and patterns to put into a piece of choreography. But to be a really great freestyler, well, that takes hard work, lots of practice, and dedication. Freestyle dance training incorporates a diverse range of elements, such as play, experimentation, tempo, patterns, performance, levels, posing, character development and more. The RFX Collective Freestyle Class provides tools, techniques, tips and tricks on how to be an effective freestyle dancer - but it’s up to you to do the work!
In our opinion, freestyling should make you feel good...we mean, what's better than dancing, creating, and vibing intuitively in the moment? Freestyling shouldn't EVER make you feel like you are a bad dancer. Because we guarantee you, you are extraordinary exactly where you are at in your dance journey. But we also guarantee that you've got room for improvement. Because that's our favorite part about freestyling. There is literally no ceiling to it, just infinite possibilities to what you can create, and no limits to how far you can go when working on your freestyle. You can always learn and practice new moves (and anything is a move), improve your technique and execution of shit you already know, challenge yourself by sessioning to new sounds, try out new styles and genres, embody new characters, etc, Etc, ETC.
So what are you waiting for? Let's get to WORK!
3. How do I register for class?
1) You MUST register for class via our "Zoom Registration Form" in advance of class, no later than two hours ahead of class time - visit the link in our bio to find registrations for upcoming classes! You can find registration forms for our classes here. 2) Classes are Pay-What-You-Can, and you can send payment for individual or multiple classes at a time - just let us know in your registration form, on your e-transfer, OR via DM how many classes you are paying for. 3) Payment is due PRIOR to the start of class - once we receive your registration and payment, you will receive your class link no later than 2 hours before the beginning of your class! 4) No refunds or exchanges on classes. 5)We have several SPONSORED spots available for students each week who financially are unable to pay for class! See our registration link for more info!
4. Why do we wear heels?
The RFX Collective dancers primarily freestyle in heels. Why? For a few reasons!
1) They’re an added challenge! Wearing a heel forces a dancer to explore different lines and shapes and pushes a dancer’s balance to the limits.
2) In the world of professional dance, many female dancers are required to wear a 2 or 3 inch heel! Learning how to freestyle in a heel can be an invaluable asset for future professional dance opportunities.
3) Wearing a heel can emphasize a dancer feeling more feminine, more sexy, or more powerful!
4) The RFX Collective was founded (and is instructed) by a professional GOGO dancer! Gogo dancing is a form of freestyling and many of its principles apply to learning how to freestyle to any genre of music, in any space!
Are heels required to train with us? Not at all! We encourage mixing up shoe styles - and even going barefoot sometimes! But you’ll see a lot of the RFX Collective dancers in our freestyle classes wearing heels.
Looking to buy your own? We source our shoes from all sorts of places, but they key is finding a shoe that supports your ankle and feels comfortable to move in. Places we have purchased shoes in the past include Burju (professional), Aldo, Spring, Wish, etc. We will have a future blog post about what to look for in a dance heel soon!
5. What can I expect from class?
Check your email before class for a Zoom Link and load up your class playlist (you can find it in our bio - all class playlists are via Spotify). YOU will be responsible for playing the class playlist on your own device (speaker, headphones, etc), Your instructor will let you know what song to use when and give you time to get it cued up. There are some things that never change from class to class, and some things that are new each week. The following is a general idea of how classes are laid out: Your instructor will always play 2 or 3 songs at the beginning for you to move to as a warm up - use these songs to move through your shoulders, your neck, your hips, your ankles.THEN, we'll work on a wide range of freestyle elements through various drills and prompts: tempo, isolations, types of movements, character, etc.
At the end, we'll do groups, so you'll get the chance to watch your fellow dancers do their thang! Make sure you turn your camera off when your group is watching!
You might feel challenged or confused by the drills at first, but we promise, it gets easier over time! If you ever start to feel overwhelmed, sit down at your screen and watch your fellow dancers! It's the best way to get your creative juices flowing.Classes are very fast paced - we will be challenging your stamina and cardio. So make sure you have a full water bottle and take breaks whenever you need them! At the end of each drill and at the end of class there will be time for questions and comments!
6. What is the etiquette for class?
- Be sure to show up and be ready for class 5 minutes early.
- Be sure to have ZOOM pre-installed and ready to go on your device
- Be sure to have your music ready to go on Spotify, or review the track list ahead of time and cue up the tracks on your streaming music provider.
- If your instructor asks a yes or no question and gives you a thumbs up to you, please give the thumbs up back to them (or thumbs down) so they can be sure you can hear and understand the exercise.
- If you see your instructor waving both hands in front of their face, it’s time to stop your dancing and come back to the screen to receive further instructions
- if you have a question, raise your hand and hold it, and your instructor will unmute your microphone, OR, ask it in the chat window!
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL ZOOM CLASS
1) Treat class like a real live class! There are 100 reasons why you may want to talk yourself out of taking this class, or any class, but think of it as setting aside an hour or so of your night to show up for yourself, your movement, and your training. Trust me when I say that I would love nothing more than to scoop all of my students up and put them into a studio so we could vibe together, but alas, its just not in the cards for us quite yet. So let's be grateful that technology even allows for this!
2) Try very hard to have no expectations of this class, or any class you take. It is so easy for things to go wrong, for instructions not to translate, or for discouragement to sink in - and all of these are usually due to expectations. Come to class with the goal in mind of ""I'm going to sweat and jump around doing something I love for an hour - and that's all""
3) Please set yourself up somewhere in your home with your computer (preferred), tablet or phone, so it can film you with your front camera as you watch the screen. I understand you may not feel comfortable with having your camera on, but trust me when I say that no one is taking class to judge you - we are sharing a digital space in the same way that we share space in the studio. Your movement might very well inspire someone tonight, and may help you release some stuff that you've been holding onto.
7. How should I set up my space?
Dancing virtually while being stuck working with a small space at home has its pros and its cons! For a lot of us, the cons are a combination of not having a ton of space to work with, no mirrors, no privacy, or simply a space that doesn't inspire us. But we feel like any space can become a great dance space - just takes a little ingenuity and a lot of trial and error. Find at least a 3x3ft (or larger) space in your home with preferably hard floors, but carpet works too (just keep the heels off if dancing on carpet!). Try experimenting with different lamps or lighting in your home to set the mood - candles and battery operated twinkle or neon lights can be a game changer! When in doubt, take class outside! If you have patio, balcony, or backyard and your wifi can reach, try moving class into the great outdoors! If you're still feeling stuck - try switching up your outfit, hair, or makeup to whatever makes you feel your best! When thinking about your dance space, keep in mind - what doesn't kill ya, makes you stronger! Dancing in small places can spark new movements and creativity, training while uncomfortable in your environment can push you to be a more resilient dancer, and performing in front of parents or roommates can invoke confidence 😉
8. What style of music do we use?
The RFX Collective uses a wide range of music for our classes and training, with an emphasis on electronic, pop, and hip hop music. Why? Because these genres of music are typically familiar to dancers in our community, and the more familiar sounds are, the easier it can be for the body to explore and create - it takes some of the musicality and pattern prediction out of the equation. Many of the Rhythm FX Collective dancers have expressed an aspiration to dance professionally, either on cruise lines, tours, productions, nightlife, or festivals, so we try to expose our dancers to music that might be used in the commercial dance world. •
HOWEVER, we also like to mix it up and utilize music that you might not have heard before! Contemporary, modern, classical, country, latin, show tunes, Disney - NOTHING is off limits in a RFX Collective Freestyle Class!
9. Who is the instructor?
Larissa Kovalenko, Co-Founder of Rhythm Fx Entertainment Inc and founder of the RFX Collective, grew up with an insatiable passion for freestyle dancing.That passion grew into a career as a professional GoGo dancer, with Larissa performing at and managing dancers at events all over Canada and the world for nearly 15 years. She is currently the casting and creative director for the dancers at Chasing Summer Music Festival and works with a wide variety of clients across Edmonton and Alberta supplying dancers and performers for events and nightlife. Here's more on what she had to stay about freestyling:
"I've been teaching women how to freestyle in heels for over a decade, and I'm thrilled to be able to offer my programming online. Growing up as a competitive dancer, I didn't feel like any of my teachers taught their students HOW to freestyle, but it was always expected 🤦
The few students who could confidently move on their own, or do impressive tricks, were always the ones who were pointed out and applauded, which had my internal mean voice comparing myself hard ✋I never felt SAFE enough to explore my own intuitive movement, nor did I feel like my own movement was good enough 😬 I really had to find my own way.... 💁SO: I started gogo dancing at *cough* 16 *cough* in a nightclub and I was hooked. It was a huge catalyst for me finding a deep passion for freestyle dancing and over time, fired my desire to mentor others, ensuring they feel safe and celebrated all along the way! 🎉 Since then, I've had the opportunity to go go dance all around the world, learn from all sorts of movers and shakers, and use all that knowledge and experience to tap into the movement of dozens of women over the years 🙏"