Since birth, Rachel Simonne Balfour has been infatuated with Music, Dance, and Theatre. It was the air that she breathed, the ground that she walked on, the lens through which she understood and expressed the meaning of life. Simply put, the performing arts are her heartbeat. Ultimately, it led to the formation of Rachel Simonne Institute of Performing Arts (RSIPA), also known as “The Institute”.

Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Rachel Simonne Balfour is a choreographer, director, dancer, actress, performing arts educator, administrator, certified life coach, licensed yoga instructor, and creative visionary. Over the course of Simonne Balfour’s life, she has studied a variety of genres in performing arts including: Modern (specifically Horton, Dunham, &Graham), Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Liturgical, West African, House, Burlesque, Jazz, Tap, Yoga, Majorette, Acting Improvisation, Musical Theatre, Meisner Technique, and Broadway singing. She studied these genres throughout the United States and during her time as an undergraduate liberal arts student in Homewood, AL. Rachel Simonne Balfour’s training grounds includes the New York Broadway Dance Center, International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) conferences, EVIDENCE dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

Rachel Simonne Balfour has worked with many theatre and dance companies. She served as resident choreographer for the Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Company (BBRTC); winning Best Local Choreographer with Broadway World in 2019 for her work in the musical “Choir Boy”. The multi-faceted creative also served as a company dancer for Quantum Leaps Dance Company, and Nathifa Dance Company where she held an Administrative Managerial role. Rachel Simonne Balfour has featured as an actress in many independent films and music videos, while developing talent in youth with Birmingham City Schools as Artistic Director and Teacher of Fine Arts.

It is with this background that The Institute was born. Through programming, education, diverse training, collaboration, and performance; The Institute will guide and fine tune performers of all ages into self-discovery, versatility, and artistic excellence.