Andrea McGinnis :: bio

Andrea McGinnis is a movement educator, certified instructor in the GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® methods, licensed massage therapist, and former professional ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet. With over twenty years of performance and teaching experience, and fifteen years as a bodywork practitioner, she brings to her offerings a lifetime passionately dedicated to the exploration of the somatic and healing arts.

Originally from the Seattle area, Andrea joined the San Francisco Ballet at sixteen, performing in the corps de ballet for four years. During rehabilitation for a dance-related injury, she discovered GYROTONIC®—a practice that not only supported her recovery and enriched her performance but also inspired her to pursue teaching. She became a licensed GYROKINESIS® instructor in 2016 and a GYROTONIC® trainer in 2018.

In addition to her career with the San Francisco Ballet, Andrea has danced with other professional companies, including SoulSkin Dance (San Francisco, CA) and Soul Fire Productions (Hawaii). She has also been featured in live performances and film projects with various musicians, including HÄANA, Peter Kater, Elijah Ray, and others. Andrea continues to perform with Metamorphosis Ballet in the San Francisco Bay Area and creates her own original work.

Andrea has taught at numerous GYROTONIC® studios throughout Northern California, including FitWise Pilates (Mill Valley), PhysioFlo Gyrotonic (Oakland), Urban Body (San Jose), Mindful Movement (Carmel), Continuum Studio (Santa Monica), and The Flow Space (San Anselmo). She has also been a featured GYROKINESIS® guest instructor at the world-renowned retreat center Rancho la Puerta (Mexico).

She holds additional certifications in several specialized GYROTONIC® apparatuses, including the JUMP-STRETCH BOARD®, GYROTONER®, and ARCHWAY®. Andrea is also highly trained in specialized applications of the method, such as “Applications for Dancers” and “Pre & Post Natal Applications.” She has studied with numerous master trainers in this field, including Domini Anne, Adrianna Thompson, Nora Heiber, Debra Rose, Magali Messac, Elizabeth Jackson, and Kathy Van Patten.

Deeply influenced by the somatic practice Continuum Movement, Andrea has studied this work for over fifteen years with its founder, the late Emilie Conrad, as well as master teachers Susan Harper, Mariane Karou, and Cass Phelps.

A Licensed Massage Therapist since 2012, Andrea draws on her extensive knowledge of the body and highly-developed intuitive sense of touch to offer a bodywork experience that is profoundly nourishing and transformative.

Drawing upon a diverse foundation of movement and healing practices, Andrea is known for her creative and innovative approach—combining masterful expertise in movement with a deep technical understanding of the body to support individuals in their unique physical goals and needs.

Andrea presently offers both group classes and personalized sessions, working with those of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She specializes in integrated movement training and injury recovery with dancers, athletes, and performing artists. In addition, she teaches ballet and is currently a guest instructor at Contessi Ballet in Penngrove, California.

Andrea currently lives in Grass Valley, California, where she maintains her private practice working with clients and facilitates local group movement classes. Andrea also teaches in Marin County, CA.