ALICIA CUTAIA
Program Director and Ballet Coach
Alicia earned her BFA with honors from Point Park University with a double major in Classical Ballet and Jazz. Her previous training included scholarships at Hubbard Street Dance, North Carolina Dance Theater, and River North Dance Company. She has worked with and performed pieces by many renowned choreographers from all over the world. Ms. Cutaia Spent many years touring internationally with professional dance company’s. This work includes Rehearsal Director, Costume Manager and Dancer with Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Dancer with Hubbard Street Dance and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and Bodyvox. Along her journey, she fell in love with circus performance and became a professional fire dancer and harness aerialist. Ms.Cutaia has performed these skills at many events and shows here in Portland and around the world.
She also enjoys teaching and setting choreography. Her choreography has been showcased at many choreographic festivals such as the Jazz Dance World Congress, the “Maggie Allesee New Choreography Award”, “Michigan Youth Arts Festival”, "Dance Chicago", Harvest Contemporary Dance Festival, Kaleidoscope Dance Festival, Midwest Rad Festival and the “NSAL Mid-Michigan Chapter” and many more.also Her choreography for competition and ballet schools has won many National awards. Some of Ms. Cutaia’s teaching credits include the Lou Conte Dance Studio, Oakland University, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theater of Harlem, Eisenhower Center for Dance, BodyVox Dance Center, Sultanov Russian Ballet Academy, The Portland Ballet, and many others across the country. A number of Ms. Cutaia's students have been accepted on scholarship to many prestigious summer and college dance programs.
In addition to teaching ballet, jazz, contemporary, contemporary ballet, tap, and improv dance, Alicia teaches specialized dance and movement creation classes for aerialists, acrobats, prop manipulators, rhythmic gymnasts, and figure skaters. These classes focus on artistry and clean lines while utilizing exercises to help the student create new movements and methods for their performance. Her teaching credits include, The Circus Project, BodyVox, Portland Skaters Association, Pacific Fire Gathering, and many more. She also teaches private lessons to many dance, flow, and circus artists.
On top Of being Program Director and Ballet Coach for Rose City Rhythmic, Alicia is also the co-director for ARC In Movement LLC, an innovative circus production company that creates one of kind acts and shows combining aerial, dance, and fire.
RUSS STARK
Acrobatics Coach
Russ is an accomplished aerial acrobat, television and film performer, gymnast, acrobatic instructor, and aerial apparatus rigger who received his training from Bitterroot Gymnastics Center, the University of Montana, and Cirque du Soleil. Mr. Stark's live performances and industrials have included Cirque du Soleil (Quidam and Dralion), the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards (with Enrique Iglesias), with Lady Gaga, Cirque Berserk, Ledzaerial, Cirque Mechanics Target, Wal-Mart, Fiat International, Tour of Gymnastic Champions and many more. His TV and film performances have included Water for Elephants, Chronicles of Riddick, and Walt Disney’s Zack and Cody. Russ is trained in teaching artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, acrobatics for dancers, acrobatic partnering, Aerial Harness, Corde Lisse (Aerial Rope), German Wheel, gymnastics, Silks, Spanish Web, and Trampoline Wall. He has traveled nationally conducting workshops, intensives, and master classes. His most recent teaching credits include Tour of Gymnastic Champions, The Circus Project, Pacific Fire Gathering, and BodyVox.As a complement to his professional endeavors, Mr. Stark has traveled throughout South America working on community outreach and development and is also Co-Director of ARC In Movement LLC.
ABBY FRANK
Junior Rhythmic Coach
Abby began gymnastics when she was four years old in the recreational program at Oregon Gymnastics Academy. She transitioned to the rhythmic program after a year and joined the competitive team at age six. She has been a member of the Rose City Rhythmic family ever since. Her accomplishments include qualifying to National Championships nine years in a row and competing throughout the US and Canada. She competed at the National Qualification event at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York. She also trained at the Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education with Japanese National Team coaches. In September of 2018, Abby retired from competitive rhythmic gymnastics due to a back injury. Since then, she has moved on to coaching and is a certified Junior Professional Coach through USA Gymnastics. She has coached athletes at Junior Olympic National Championships.
LIFE OUTSIDE OF GYMNASTICS
Abby is part of the class of 2021 at Southridge High School, and enjoys riding her horse, baking, and reading. She lives in Portland with her sister, parents, and cat.
HYERI
Junior Rhythmic Coach
Hyeri started recreational rhythmic gymnastics in 2009 at age 6. She then joined the competitive team at age 7 at Emerald City Rhythmic, California, where she competed through levels 4-7. In 2014, she competed in the Junior Olympics Championships, Florida, and won a bronze for her hoop event and placed 4th all-around. Later in July of that year, she trained with the Apricot Gymnastics team, Japan. After her training, she competed in the 2014 Smile Cup, Japan, and won bronze for her hoop event. After she moved to Portland in 2015, she continued to compete for another 3 years with the Rose City team. In 2016 she qualified as a Junior Olympic team member as a level 8, and competed in the Junior Olympics Championships, Rhode Island, of that year. In 2017 she, again, qualified as a Junior Olympics team member as a level 9. During that same year, she competed in the 2017 Chicago Cup, and won a bronze for her hoop event. In March of 2018, after her 9th year of being in this sport, she retired as a level 9. She is now currently a junior coach at Rose City.
LIFE OUTSIDE OF GYMNASTICS
Hyeri lives with her sisters, her parents, and two dogs, and is part of the class of 2021 at Sunset High School. She enjoys playing the piano, and is an intern at Hoffman Academy, where she helps teach piano. She loves kids and enjoys spending time with her family and taking walks around her neighborhood.
PAULINA
Choreography and Recreational Gymnastics Coach
Paulina was a competitive karate athlete and studied martial arts as a child. She later discovered her passion for dance and has performed and competed in dance for many years. Paulina discovered aerial in 2006 and has mastered multiple apparatuses (including some unique and invented ones) and has a strong sense for combining intentional movement and dance with high level technical skills. For over 10 years, she has worked as a professional aerialist performing internationally and has been featured on numerous music videos and tv shows including the CW network television show The Big Stage.