Rayna Stohl

Rayna Stohl danced with StarDanceSwan, a professional children’s dance company located in Oklahoma, from the ages of 7 to 15. She attended SMU in Dallas on a dance scholarship and moved to San Diego to pursue her Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1998. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is on her way to being credentialed to teach Dance, Physical Education, Health and Psychology.

Rayna was a dancer with XDrop in 2006 and danced for Butterworth Dance Company for over 5 years. She also directed BDC’s youth company, BINARY. Rayna has also performed for Jean Isaacs, and currently performs with Brad Lundberg and Sadie Weinberg. Rayna has been teaching dance at Canyon Crest Academy for the past 3 years and has set numerous works on CCA’s conservatory and envision programs.

Tell us a little about Stella Nova Dance Company. Where did the idea and name come from?
The name came from the notion of a new star being born. Stella Nova means "New Star." The idea grew from Molly Terbovich and I venturing out from BINARY, BDC’s youth company, wanting to have a youth company that exists all on its own.

What are some choreographic traits in your work?
Ha! My kids would say being upside down, tilts and hangs! I would say my biggest trait and perhaps strength, as a new choreographer, is that I try to pull from each of my dancers’ strengths.

What kind of coaching do you give your dancers?
I always give them words of encouragement. Again, I always try to focus on their strengths and assets, try to build them up vs. focusing on their flaws. We are all beautiful and unique in our own ways, and we tend to achieve greater things when we focus on the positives instead of the negatives. Unfortunately, humans are programmed to usually focus on the negatives. It’s a beautiful thing when teenagers are able to come out of their shells and feel proud and confident!

What was the first piece you ever choreographed? How did it go?
Ha! My first piece was in 5th grade, I set a solo on myself to Flashdance, "What a Feeling." I would say it went smashingly well, and I continued to set pieces on myself and other high school students in Edmond, Okla. The beginning of my choreographic career: very fun, hilarious memories.

If you could work with any dancer/choreographer, who would it be and why?
Hmmm, this is a tough one! This is not a typical answer, but I would have to say Prince! He has been my inspiration since I was a little girl, and I consider him to be such a musical genius. He inspires me in many ways. If I was to pick a conventional answer, I would say Martha Graham, even though she scares me! I studied Graham in college at SMU, and I found her technique to be incredibly helpful!