Welcome to SomaStudies
Where Simplicity is key and physical intelligence blossoms.
Catrina Choate-Heretoiu is a somatic practitioner and dance educator who works with recovery and learning through movement. She is the co-founder of Soma Studies & KineOasis which includes online/live somatic classes and is the creator of Ballet For Seniors, Soma Stories and Ballet Journeys.
While young, she trained at the prestigious School of American Ballet and then continued to dance professionally with Miami City Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Miami Contemporary Dance Company. Catrina thrived in her performance career but she also understood movement from a healing perspective and chose to nurture an academic and somatic path.
Catrina has a B.A. Degree in English Literature from Florida International University, an MFA Degree in Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and is certified in The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. She has taught all levels of ballet and Feldenkrais at many conservatories throughout the U.S. and Europe such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Dance Department, Northern California Dance Conservatory, Sacramento Ballet, and Madison Ballet.
Throughout Catrina’s life, movement has been the trusted language of communication and she understands that a somatic conversation through movement can reveal unexpected experiences that can promote learning, growth, relief, and ultimately connection.
Movement is everything and everything is movement.
Catrina Choate-Heretoiu
FOUNDER, SOMASTUDIES & KINEOASIS
Reset and Recover your physical well-being to set yourself up for the best possible outcome.
SomaStudies Programs
Please join us to experience our unique connections!
Ballet for Seniors
Ongoing Classes: Madison, WI
This class safely adapts ballet to each person allowing for a positive experience. It also introduces the artform as a means of meditation through movement. Ballet for Seniors will engage any personal fitness level while also growing a community of fellow dancers. Dance is something special to be shared!
MasterClass for Youth (privates)
Specialized Youth Ballet Private Sessions that offer professional and personalized training.
Somatic Influence: Strength, flexibility, movement awareness, spatial awareness, kinesthetic intelligence, and meditation. This progressive growth and physical learning will help every child from a basic movement perspective of growing body awareness to catapulting the child into professional level movement intelligence.
SomaStudies Workshops
Catrina offers Private Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration sessions.
SomaStudies Online
Somatic exploration can really blossom at home as it can be deeply satisfying to quietly sink into your experience within your personal surroundings. One of the biggest wonders of somatic work is how people can feel such big change from such small, subtle movements.
"Reset and Recover your physical well-being to set yourself up for the best possible outcome."
Get Physically Organized and Clear
Get Physically Organized and Clear
Get Physically Organized and Clear
with
Catrina Choate-Heretoiu
and The Feldenkrais Method®
We work with Balance - Posture - Stability - Mobility - Breathing
for pain relief, recovery from injury or surgery, to improve a physical skill, to feel better in body and in life, to step beyond feeling stuck, to inspire your connection and creativity.
Feldenkais is a neuromuscular method of re-education and addresses the mechanics of movement through attentive, small motions that provide an experience of sensory feedback. The Work is simple and direct. It feeds your system without using force and provides you with postural adjustments that help connect your overall self-use.
"Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself."
Moshe Feldenkrais
Movement is life, life is a process.
The creator of the Method, Moshe Feldenkrais, was a brilliant scientist and the deep intelligence within each lesson’s structure can be experienced over and over again for surprising results that will leave you feeling vital and renewed in such an easy way.
Alignment, Articulation, and the Awareness of both are important aspects of healthy, functional movement.
At Soma Studies, we work with skeletal alignment to allow for a balanced use of muscle effort to take place. However, we also investigate the articulation and interaction of thinking, feeling, sensing, and moving. We observe the intricacies between motivation, intention, and action while we listen to our own reactions and natural responses to the world around us. If we understand what we do and how we do it, then and only then, can we achieve the desired outcome.
With curiosity and exploration, the details of movement and body will unfold into a beautiful flow of Physical Fluency.
SomaStudies Online Programs
Please join us to experience our unique connections!
Anwareness Through Movement
Lessons are uniquely designed to provide muscular release, skeletal alignment, and improved quality of movement.
The gentle approach allows people from all walks of life to participate and the meditative environment stimulates learning so body awareness and self-awareness can prosper.
Awaken to the inspired interaction of thought, feeling, sensation, and action.
There are over 1,000 different Awareness Through Movement Lessons and I’ve chosen 8 essential lessons from which to start a fantastic movement exploration! Reset and Recover with these lessons that work with all the basic movement principles such as extension, flexion, rotation, and breathing. Improve how you feel within yourself and trust that feeling better is within everyone’s range of possibility.
Somatic exploration can really blossom at home as it can be deeply satisfying to quietly sink into your experience within your personal surroundings.
One of the biggest wonders of somatic work is how people can feel such big change from such small, subtle movements.
ONLINE PORTAL
SomaStudies & KineOasis
KineOasis is an exploratory and creative merger of husband and wife team Catrina Choate-Heretoiu and Bogdan Heretoiu - movement educators dedicated to the exploration of Human Expression through Movement.
We offer PRIVATE & GROUP TRAINING in BALLET, MARTIAL ARTS STUDIES, and FELDENKRAIS. Our Classes & Programs are available for ALL ages - from Kids to Seniors - and we offer PARENTING Workshops on Movement Applications for Child Development, Personal Connection, and Personal Wellness.
Inside KineOasis
AN INTERVIEW WITH CATRINA CHOATE-HERETOIU
"I work with people individually and get to know their aches, pains, injuries, physical insecurities, and then I offer ways to approach ballet so they are comfortable so that learning can happen and enjoyment can flourish. Online instruction is very helpful and useful to assist the strengthening process and physical engagement. Everything I do in class can also be done online at home."
FAQ
Please use our website Contact Widget to send Catrina a message ↓
Catrina Choate-Heretoiu is a somatic practitioner and dance educator who works with recovery and learning through movement. She is the co-founder of Soma Studies & KineOasis which includes online/live somatic classes and is the creator of Ballet For Seniors, Soma Stories and Ballet Journeys.
While young, she trained at the prestigious School of American Ballet and then continued to dance professionally with Miami City Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Miami Contemporary Dance Company. Catrina thrived in her performance career but she also understood movement from a healing perspective and chose to nurture an academic and somatic path.
Catrina has a B.A. Degree in English Literature from Florida International University, an MFA Degree in Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and is certified in The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. She has taught all levels of ballet and Feldenkrais at many conservatories throughout the U.S. and Europe such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Dance Department, Northern California Dance Conservatory, Sacramento Ballet, and .
Throughout Catrina’s life, movement has been the trusted language of communication and she understands that a somatic conversation through movement can reveal unexpected experiences that can promote learning, growth, relief, and ultimately connection.
Movement is everything and everything is movement.
Yes, Private Classes with Catrina are available by appointment.
Group and Private classes are offered throughout the Madison and surrounding areas. Online options are available worldwide (EN).
No. Actually our Senior Ballet classes are also open to all adults. These classes safely adapt ballet to each person allowing for a positive experience. We introduce the artform as a means of meditation through movement. Ballet for Seniors will engage any personal fitness level while also growing a community of fellow dancers. Dance is something special to be shared!
"Explore the Subtle World of You!"
� Do you have a question? Write to us at support@kineoasis.com
ⓘ For all of our classes and products we use Secure payment options powered by Stripe
© 2026 Catrina Choate-Heretoiu / KineOasis, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
"Explore the Subtle World of You!"
MADISON, WI
ONLINE & IN-PERSON, MADISON, WI
VIRTUAL LIVESTREAMING
E-LEARNING
� Do you have a question? Write to us at support@kineoasis.com
ⓘ For all of our classes and products we use Secure payment options powered by Stripe
© 2026 Catrina Choate-Heretoiu / KineOasis, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.