Rikud Studio Opens in Prospect Heights Offering Street and Club Dance Classes

Rikud Studio opens in Prospect Heights, reimagining dance education through street and club dance and challenging the long-standing assumption that ballet must be the starting point of children's dance education. Rikud Studio focuses exclusively on street and club dance forms including breaking, hip-hop, and house. Located roughly a ten-minute walk from Barclays Center, the studio has enrolled more than 165 students in its first two months and now offers 30 weekly classes serving children, teens, and adults. Rikud operates on an intentionally alternative model with no mirrors, no ballet, and no recitals.

Rikud was founded by Caila Moed, a former Goldman Sachs professional who spent more than a decade working in finance and philanthropy. Her new venture reflects a growing trend among millennial women toward entrepreneurship over corporate careers. Moed credits her dance training with shaping the discipline and high-performance mindset that informed her professional career.

"Most dance studio education in the U.S. still starts with ballet and works towards recitals," said Moed. "But historically, hundreds of distinct dance traditions emerged from cultures around the world long before ballet became the norm in European courts. Hip-hop, house, and breaking are complete dance forms with their own techniques, histories, and pedagogies."

Instruction draws from the established foundations of street and club dance-such as bouncing, rocking and grooving- and including breaking fundamentals such as toprock, footwork, power, freezes while bringing your own unique style to the table. The studio offers classes for all ages. Their most popular class is "Littles," a caregiver-and-child dance party that introduces young children to the foundations of street dance.

Rikud's philosophy reflects a broader movement within dance education-refocusing training on foundational movement principles, improvisation, and cultural context rather than performance. Many dance educators have grown concerned that social media is making dancers focus solely on short-form tricks, acrobatics, and visually sensational choreography, sometimes at the expense of musicality, groove, texture, and emotional expression.

All classes are taught by working professional dancers and choreographers, and the studio prioritizes instructors who remain active performers within their communities. Rikud's Master Teacher is Andrew Carter, well known in the dance community as Dr. Ew, a professional B-boy and choreographer.

Rikud does not position itself as an authority on hip-hop culture, but rather as a hub and convener. The studio's location places it in proximity to many of hip-hop's most historically rich neighborhoods. Clinton Hill was the childhood neighborhood of The Notorious B.I.G., while nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant's is the childhood home of Jay-Z. Public spaces such as Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park have long served as gathering places for dancers.

Rikud's summer camp is a collaboration with HereNow Cultural Space in Bed-Stuyvesant. They will connect campers directly to the area's cultural history through neighborhood tours, graffiti arts, hip-hop, breaking, and DJ instruction. Rikud serves longtime Brooklyn residents, young families, and newcomers. The studio also hosts breaking battles and community dance events throughout the year, including an upcoming kids breaking battle in partnership with the New York Collective and a family dance party with local-legends Saint James Joy.

Class Descriptions

Littles

0–3 Years Old

A joyful caregiver and child movement class filled with music, dancing, moving, grooving, and giggles. Little ones explore rhythm through claps and stomps and follow playful guided movements that spark curiosity and help them discover what their bodies can do. With a playlist that features Elmo to DMX, the class will get kids confident and excited to be around loud music and social dancing, just like they would from a bar mitzvah or a block party.

$35 for drop-in
$165 for 5-class packages
$325 for 10-week series

*all baby toys are sanitized daily.

Minimovers

A 'hip-hop' movement class for 3–5 Year Olds

A playful hip-hop moving and grooving class designed for early learners. Students explore basic rhythm, simple steps, coordinated arm and foot patterns, beginner floor movements, and fun hip-hop grooves that build balance, confidence, and body control.

$45 for drop-in
$425 for 10-week series

Breakdancing and HipHop

Kids breakdancing and hip-hop ages 5+

Students will learn a fusion of hip-hop and breakdancing, building strength, rhythm, and confidence through real movement foundations. The class blends toprock, footwork, freezes, popping, waving, and beginner power moves, along with musicality and conditioning. History of hiphop and the various styles taught throughout. Students develop discipline, coordination, and endurance as they train across multiple hip-hop styles. Breakdancing is taught by a specialist.

Teens All-Level Hip-Hop

Ages 12+

The ultimate safe-space - come and hang with your friends - learn dances and moves for the dance floor. With a pump-up circle, and history of hiphop sprinkled in, students will learn a fusion of hip-hop styles. The class focuses on community, a good-time and a high-energy dance party.

$45 for drop-in
$500 for 12-week series

Yoga

Open-level Ashtanga and Iyengar-inspired 60-minute yoga classes.

Pay-what-you-wish

Grown Fun

ADULT low-pressure, all-level hip-hop ages 18+

Students will learn a fusion of hip-hop styles in a small-group setting. Whether it's your first class or five-hundredth, come as you are and get your groove on.

$25 for drop-in
Series discount

Rikud Studio is also proud to offer no or low-cost Adult Open Sessions to remove any barrier to entry and serve the broader dance movement community:

House Open Session w/ Live DJ ($5)
Hip-Hop Open Session (free)

Babywearing Dance Class

Wear your little one and take this low-impact class with other parents and caregivers. This class focuses on building a community of peers, getting you back in your body, and bonding with your babe.

$25 for drop-in
Series discount

10% off sibling enrollment for 12-week packages. To learn more and enroll in classes, visit rikudstudio.com/schedule.

Summer Camp | June 15–August 14, 2026

Hours: 8:30AM–3PM | Extended day 3–5PM for additional charge

The Rikud Summer Camp is rooted in street and club dance culture. Each week, campers rotate through breaking, hip hop, and house, alongside visual arts experiences inspired by graffiti and movement.

Campers are grouped by age for developmentally aligned programming:

Ages 5–7: Play-Based Immersion

Younger dancers build foundations through rhythm stations, mini cyphers, movement games, and obstacle courses. Dance labs introduce breaking, hip hop, and house through playful technique and guided exploration. Creative blocks include graffiti art, name design, and street-art inspired projects. Outdoor time features playground visits, sprinklers, and neighborhood mini-walks. Afternoons include choice-based exploration in dance, art, or building activities, ending each day in a closing circle.

Ages 8–14: Cultural Lab + Skill Development

Older campers deepen technique through focused training blocks in breaking, house, and hip hop. They rotate through choreography lab, freestyle development, groove drills, and conditioning. Cultural sessions explore the roots of street and club dance, while art + design labs investigate letter structure, tag evolution, and creative expression. Neighborhood immersions and guest workshops expand their understanding of movement within the community. The day culminates in crew rehearsal, mentorship, and battle strategy.

Movement happens all day - in the studio, outdoors, and through creative practice. Even visual arts components are grounded in rhythm, spatial awareness, and embodied expression.

Rikud maintains an intentionally small camp model with three pods of six campers. Each pod is supported by a dedicated counselor and teen assistant, allowing for close supervision, strong relationships, and a deeply supportive environment.

Regular outdoor excursions include nearby playgrounds and splash pads, with sprinklers and water play for younger campers.

Scholarships are available - for more information, email info@rikudstudio.com.

For more information and to enroll, visit rikudstudio.com/camps.