Rukiya T

Ru is fourth-generation Montclair, raised between Jersey and Queens by a mom who’s a professional dance teacher — which means movement has been her native language for as long as she can remember. A former competitive track athlete who still holds the 400-meter hurdles record at Montclair High School, she’s currently completing her NASM CPT certification. Off the floor, she draws, paints, and quietly maintains a colony of neighborhood cats she trapped, rehabilitated, and now cares for. She has also never had a cavity, a fact she considers entirely relevant and worth mentioning.