About the Studio
The Studio
YDF Center is a yoga, dance and fitness studio in Tariffville, CT. Our focus is finding deeper joy, connection and community through movement. We offer classes in various styles of Yoga, Pilates, Belly Dance, Ballet Barre, Zumba, Hula Hoop and more!
Andrea McKay, Studio Owner and Teacher
Andrea is a dancer, teacher, lawyer and mom of 5. After more than a decade studying ballet, jazz, contemporary and tap dance, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she worked as a dance teacher and professional dancer in the award winning international dance company, the Sahlala Dancers. In 2008, she moved to Connecticut to pursue her college education and raise a family. Over the last five years, she's been teaching the art of belly dance and hula hoop dancing to children and adults of all ages. She is thrilled to be sharing the joy of movement with the community.
Our Teachers
Laura Namnoun, Pilates Teacher
Laura Namnoun has been a Pilates Instructor since 2008. She has her BS in Dance and Masters in Education in Exercise Science from Springfield College. Laura teaches a classical format for her Mat Pilates classes and is well versed in working with all ages and fitness levels. She lives in East Granby with her husband and two children.
Rachel Hetzer, Yoga Teacher
Rachel Hetzer completed her yoga teacher training with Sacred Rivers Yoga (East Hartford, CT) in 2010 with a focus on therapeutic practice. It is her firm belief that all can benefit from an appropriate daily yoga practice. Many yoga poses and movements can be modified to meet individual needs, and everyone can benefit from deep breathing and meditative practice.
Over the years, her style has evolved and grown to include the influences of many styles of practice, especially Viniyoga, Iyengar yoga and Vinyasa flow. She also teaches specialized classes for Equestrians, Kids Yoga, Prenatal yoga, Yoga for Back Care and Chair Yoga.
For almost 20 years, Rachel has called Suffield, CT her hometown where she raised her two beautiful children. She is very rooted in her community through her work with the local school system and her love for local farms and businesses. She is a lover of the outdoors and nature, and she brings that love to her outdoor classes with a reverence towards the natural beauty of our surroundings.
Laura Fetzer, Yoga Teacher
Laura Fetzer is an experienced yoga teacher with over 400 hours of formal yoga teacher training and over 20 years of teaching experience. Yoga has been an essential part of her life, helping her to navigate through some major challenges and experiences on her journey.
Laura's formal training began with YogaFit early on and then moved on to the West Hartford Yoga Power Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training. Laura then opened her own studio in 2010, where she hosted and completed the Granby Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training with Ed Dailey and Laura Tyree, both students of Iyengar teacher, Rodney Yee. Laura continued her journey by training with Sarah Powers, Josh Summers and Heather Tidens for her Yin Yoga and Meditation Certification; and with John Odlum of Wisdom of the Earth for her Aromatherapy Certification. Laura is also a Level II Reiki Practitioner.
Laura grew up in Granby, Connecticut and has lived in the area all of her life. She is dedicated to sharing her love of yoga with everyone!
Taylor Kelly, Zumba Instructor
Taylor Kelly took her first Zumba® class 15 years ago, and by the 3rd song in, she felt her whole world open up! It was the first time in her life she felt a strong calling to learn something and share that with others.
She became licensed in Zumba® Basic 1&2 in 2008. In 2009 , she took her training with the creator of Zumba® himself, Beto Perez. She's licensed in Zumba® Zumba® Toning Zumba® Gold Zumba® Kids Zumba® Step Zumba® Gold Toning Aqua Zumba® and Strong by Zumba® .
She's excited to ignite your inner spark, and let you find your joy through music and movement!
Jennifer LaRue, Yoga Teacher
Jennifer LaRue has been teaching yoga for more than 10 years, many of them at Granby Yoga and at the Farmington Valley YMCA and, during the pandemic, on Facebook Live. A freelance writer and editor living in Hartford, she appreciates the calm and focus that yoga brings to her life and loves to share that peace and contentment with others.
Jennifer encourages people of all ages, shapes, sizes, skill levels, and stations in life to experience the joys that even the simplest yoga practice can bring. Her classes focus on gratitude and on sharing yogic energy generously.
Delilah Raqs, BellyDance Teacher
Delilah Raqs started belly dancing over twenty years ago for exercise and quickly connected to this art form that celebrates personal expression and creativity. She recently relocated to Connecticut from St. Louis, MO, where she studied with a number of nationally-known dancers and performed extensively with several troupes and as a solo artist. Delilah has most recently been teaching and performing in the Hartford metro area.
Kate McMahon, NIA and Pilates Instructor
Kate is excited to bring NIA and Pilates to YDF center! Kate started taking NIA and Pilates classes more than 20 years ago. What began as a health initiative became a life long passion to integrate body alignment based exercise into her daily life.
Kate loves the way dance based movements make her body and mind function better while moving through life with more joy! Dance was the inspiration behind Kate getting her BS in biology and Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. Kate found that while practicing in the OT field, the common goal was to help individuals move with more defined function and ease based on their own unique abilities. Kate hopes to bring these same principals to her classes.
Kate has been certified to teach Pilates since 2001, recertifying to include Barre in 2014. Kate made getting certified to teach NIA a goal in 2022 and was thrilled to achieve this earlier in the year.
Kate lives with her husband, two very active boys ages 6 and 10, two wild pups and one very chill cat!
Kate feels so fortunate to be able to teach in such an inclusive and inspiring studio and is looking forward to moving with more of you in 2023 and beyond!
David Borrino, Yoga Teacher
David Borrino, RYT, has been practicing yoga since about 1988. His first three years of practice were guided by a teacher trained by B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta Iyengar. David completed his yoga teacher training at Samadhi Yoga Studio, in Manchester, in 2012.
David likes teaching a well rounded hatha yoga class. Variations are offered and encouraged so each yogi may have the experience she wants. David likes incorporating participants’ requests into the practice.