Jessi Rae is originally from Arizona and lived on the east coast in Philly for some years. Dancing from a young age she grew up in the studio. From dancing and teaching at Jeanne’s School of Dance, Dance Element, her high school senior dance company & musical theatre choreography, and Arizona State University. At ASU, she focused her studies on Dance Ethnochoreography which is the study of dance in different cultures and global studies then finding a new passion in human rights advocacy & non-profits. One of her proudest achievements was an international program she created in Dublin, Ireland where she taught dance to a group of asylum seeking children focusing on building confidence & community. Presenting her work & research in the community to the Minister of Integration resulted in a large educational grant funded for the kids. Locally she worked and volunteered in the non-profit space with the (IRC) International Rescue Committee aiding with refugee resettlement and the corporate program at United Way.

The more recent corporate side of her career has aided in developing the tech side of visual arts. Known for her captivating branding, presentations, & marketing materials as a project manager, she now gets to apply those same skills at Rogue! Creating the new Rogue website rebrand and helping with socials has been so fun & a breath of fresh air!

Shifting from her corporate era, Jessi Rae is now back in the arts with a strong passion for mental health advocacy & art therapy. As a CTPSD and SA Survivor she has found a way forward in life through art. After taking a watercolor community class 2 years ago something just clicked and a whole new world opened through art in a new way. Using painting as a creative outlet, through one painting or sketch at a time, she has started building a new path in life that brings her right back to dance.

Combining her obsession with Edgar Degas and all things dance she took a class with Rogue in their revival season with “Animal Farm” for fun. Then she started sketching the dancers during rehearsal and a muse was born. With her worlds finally colliding in a positive way, she is excited to take the stage this season now through her paintings! Having the time of her life every week, you will find her with a camera in her hand doing dance photography or sketching the dancers studying movement & form. She excitedly donates art to help fundraise for Rogue and hosts “Dance & Draw” inviting other artists into the dance studio. Newly appointed “Dramaturg”, Jessi Rae lives and breathes bringing the DRAMA hunnies!

For “Hotel Macbeth” she is beyond excited, thankful, and honestly can’t believe a dream is coming true! Her art is going to be on the stage this season. Wild! A full circle moment with the 3 biggest pieces she’s ever done. She hopes you enjoy her art and the performance of whole show! Everyone has put their hearts and souls into this show and its been such a fun ride. The talent, passion, and hard work that Mia & Jacody & the dancers have put in this season is astounding! Rogue isn’t just a dance company, its a home <3

@jessiraestudios // jessiraestudios.com