Rachel Catalano (she/her) is a Southern California based movement artist and creator whose work aims to immerse her audiences in narrative. She began her formal training in the Midwestern US, before transitioning into her current passion for contemporary movement with an emphasis on floorwork. She has trained under dance icons such as Vancia Flores Messick, Banning Bouldin, Corinne Lanselle, Stephanie Chatton, Sophie Daviet and Julie Magneville among others. Her work has been presented in Kansas City, Nashville, New York, San Diego, and France. 

In 2021, she founded Fresh Congress Dance with the goal of connecting parts of her origins in dance with her current language of movement. With community building at the forefront of their mission, her first two shows have been warmly received by the community. In addition to her work as Fresh Congress' Artistic director, she has recently been in residence with Disco Riot and has set work on Malashock Dance and San Diego Dance Theater. The core of her teaching ethos is that art is the vehicle to the most profound impact you can have on someone’s life: to make them feel understood. She is excited to continue expanding her artistry and connections, and to help grow a style of movement that she loves in the San Diego dance community.