“To be a working dancer, you have to bring that little something extra to the table and being a member of the R&B Professional Company (of The Dancer’s Bridge) helped me to do just that! I was exposed to various choreographers and different styles during my tenure in the company. I became more versatile - which is essential for any performer. I have never been labeled as just a “jazz dancer” or “hip hop dancer” and that’s due in large part to the diverse training I received at the Bridge. The environment is so nurturing and positive. It gave me the confidence to do whatever I wanted with my dancing. I couldn’t help but grow. I was able to go from performing with the L.A. Laker Girls to touring with hip-hop artists such as Diddy to dancing on Broadway in the Lion King. Being a member of the R&B Company was the perfect bridge for taking my dancing out of the studio and into the professional world.”
-Dameka Hayes, former R & B Scholarship Recipient

Goals/Mission:
The mission of The Dancer’s Bridge and the R & B Dance Company, established in 1991, is to provide a bridge between the amateur and professional world of dance. Executive/Artistic Directors Darryl Retter and Linda Bernabei-Retter have provided a “safe haven” for dancers at their studio, Retter’s Academy of Dance, in Los Angeles. For the past 17 years, the R & B Scholarship/ Work Study Program has provided education and opportunity for numerous dancers in their first year in Los Angeles. Former R & B alumni have danced in, appeared on, worked with, and/or choreographed for the following: Broadway’s Lion King, MTV Music Awards, Beyonce, P. Diddy, Pink, Disney’s That’s So Raven, Disney’s Cory In The House, Hannah Montana, the European tour of Hairspray, and much more. Many past members are now teaching on the major dance conventions, giving back to the dance community they so love.