Soma Studies

A Lifetime of Exploration

Explore the Subtle World of You ♡

"SomaStudies is the Online Portal of KineOasis, dedicated to the empowerment and creative freedom of our students through the exploration and intelligent study of movement in a relaxed and non-toxic learning environment. We use Movement as a means to naturally empower ourselves and our students, to intervene with development as needed, and to enhance everyone's quality of life. We focus on fine-tuning individual skills through nurturing each student's journey of learning and personal growth."

About Soma Studies

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SomaStudies @ KineOasis was founded by Catrina Choate-Heretoiu and Bogdan Heretoiu. Catrina Choate-Heretoiu is a somatic practitioner and dance educator who works with recovery and learning through movement.


Throughout Catrina’s life, movement has been the trusted language of communication and upon departing from a professional ballet career, Catrina’s path folded and unfolded in ways that merged dance, somatics, and intellectual inquiries. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature, an MFA Degree in Dance, and is certified in the Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education.


Catrina understands and upholds that a somatic conversation through movement can reveal unexpected experiences that can promote learning, growth, relief, and ultimately connection.


Bogdan Heretoiu is a Filmmaker and a lifelong Martial Arts Practitioner and Instructor. He approaches Movement as an intrinsic part of Being Human.


Before being Movement Educators we are Parents and Artists. We place overwhelming emphasis on empowering our students to develop and express their own inner power and voice through the boundless qualities of Movement. Our classes are infused with nurturing support, kind challenges, and natural - functional - student-centered training as opposed to rigid cloning and often archaic teaching methodologies. We uphold high ethical, moral, and technical standards - and we do so in the spirit of mentorship and honest open communication.


You can learn more about Catrina & Bo here.

What Our Members Have to Say:

“"The students at NCDC were lucky to have the opportunity to train with Ms Catrina in ballet. Her somatic knowledge, kindness and process allowed them to progress technically in a supportive and nurturing environment. Through her work, the students gained a deeper understanding on how to increase their alignment, flexibility and overall strength safely."” ― Jen Bradford,  Founder / Executive  Director of Northern California Dance Conservatory
“"Catrina shares her special brand of wisdom through these relatable stories, and she poses relevant questions to spark the imagination of anyone who hopes to learn more about connection, intuition, and recovery. I love her calm voice and I can even hear the ease in her body as she talks, which is a testament to her years of somatic discovery.

I feel more alive in my own body's intuitive capabilities after listening to her."” ― Buffy Barfoot ~ Yoga Instructor
“Catrina's Awareness Through Movement classes offer pathways to increased body knowledge and a harmonious and peaceful mind-body connection.” ― Cynthia Drayer School Director, The School of Sacramento Ballet
“Catrina touches on every nuance of what it means to be a dancer, internally and in the deepest sense. The joys of eternally searching for the unattainable ideal of perfection, the battles with the self-image, the discouragement and loss of confidence that occurs when one is injured, and the often deeply spiritual experience of being onstage ; all are covered here as Catrina relates her deeply personal experiences of her own professional ballet career in a way that will surely go to the heart of every dancer. 

Catrina Choate's calm, soothing voice carries within it a quiet strength that asks questions and gently encourages the listening dancer to tune in, slow down, and listen to the wisdom of one's own body. The Feldenkrais lessons offered here are well chosen and present the participant with the opportunity to go even deeper into the realm of the senses in order to experience the fascinating process of what to means to learn, to play, to fail, and to begin again, in the delightful dance of becoming one's best partner and ultimately, one's own teacher. 

As a former dancer who often fought unmercilessly to turn her body into what brilliant and sometime maniacal choreographers wanted of me, I found myself wishing that I had had such a valuable resource as SomaStudies available to me during my own performing career.” ― Alice Brydges ~  Founding Member of Alonzo King's Lines Ballet San Francisco, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Tai Chi Instructor
“I danced professionally for 21 years, and I credit the Feldenkrais work with the fact that I remained injury free for nearly my entire career. The physical impact I experienced was clearly evident in the increased sensitivity to and understanding of the physical nuances of my personal body mechanics, but it also deepened my understanding of movement and its origins.

With this understanding, I felt as if I was able to approach roles from different perspectives, responding to choreography and music from a more honest, personal place.

The awareness brought to me through Awareness Through Movement as well as Functional Integration sessions gave me the opportunity to fully inhabit my performances, allowing me to be truly present whether in rehearsal or onstage, and in the years since I have retired from performing, the gift of being present in my own life has remained with me.” ― Deanna Seay ~ Faculty Member at the School of the Richmond Ballet; Former principal dancer of Miami City Ballet
Explore the Subtle World of You ♡