“My favorite professional moment in the last year at The Bar is essentially every day.”
As the owner and an instructor at The Bar Tahoe, Robyn Rasmussen has worked on building a positive and accepting environment where all can feel welcome and get excited about their health. Between teaching morning and afternoon classes at The Bar, she brings a similar approach to the students at South Tahoe High School where she is the counselor and works to aid students in a variety of needs. Every March, Robyn also volunteers as a professional dancer for the Tahoe Art Project’s Dancing with the Tahoe Stars where she took home the prize in 2018!
Congratulations to this week’s 40 under 40 honoree, Robyn Rasmussen!
Can you tell us a little about your responsibilities and accomplishments in your current position?
My responsibilities often vary from day to day at the high school based on the day and the time of year. At any given moment though, you can find me scheduling students’ classes; meeting with students regarding grades, social skills, mental health, future plans; preparing students for college (applications, personal statements, SAT/ACT, trade schools, LTCC, Letters of Recommendation, etc.); conducting conflict resolution; meeting with parents, teachers, administration for all sorts of reasons; and so much more!
As for The Bar, the studio runs 24 classes a week on average, and we have multiple fitness class types and several instructors. I have a fantastic office manager, Andrea Snyder, who keeps the studio running throughout the day when I’m at school, but you can find me at The Bar before school and after school on a daily basis teaching barre, TRX and kickboxing classes.
I also teach dance for Miss Marcia, which is so fun for me because I get to see many of my high schoolers in a different environment and I’m able to connect with them on a different level.
What has been your favorite professional moment in the last year?
Graduation, of course! It’s always so exciting to see all of the students I’ve had in my English class or who I’ve been working with in the counseling department make it to such an important milestone in their lives. They are so proud of themselves, and I’m so proud of them.
My favorite professional moment in the last year at The Bar is essentially every day. You could say it’s my “happy” place. I am proud of the positive and accepting environment that’s been cultivated at the studio, I love all of the friendships that I have made or that others have made through being members, and I am so elated when I see people pushing themselves and doing more than they thought they could both mentally and physically.
At Miss Marcia’s I just recently was waiting after class for one of my student’s to get picked up, and since it was just the two of us, I was able to tell her how much she’s improved in her dance technique, and she told me I made her night. In turn, that made my night.
Do you have a professional/life mantra that you live by?
I’ve never formally thought about this, but I would have to say that I pretty much live my life by “Just do it”- things have to get taken care of on a daily basis, whether they are good or bad, so I get my to-do list together and I “just do it”. This goes for things that might make me nervous or comfortable as well, but when it’s all said and done, I like feeling that I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish at the end of each day.
Who is your role model?
My role models are my parents. They work hard, and provided me with fantastic examples of work ethic, morality (“It’s nice to be nice”), opportunities to explore my likes and dislikes/strengths and weaknesses/mistakes and successes. I’m not sure how they did it, but I’m hopeful that I will follow in their footsteps.
Why choose Tahoe to make your home and career?
I was born and raised here. Almost my entire family is here. And who wouldn’t want to live here?!? I did take a 14 year hiatus. I moved to the Bay Area for 10 years and then I was in Manhattan for four. I always knew I’d be back though.
Are you active in any volunteer roles or community groups?
I’ve been volunteering with TAP’s Dancing with the Tahoe Stars for the past 5 years as a “professional” and have had the opportunity to teach some of our “star” community members how to dance. I was even partnered with Bob Grant one year, my fourth grade teacher, and we won!
What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Read, climb and bike with my husband, walk “The Grade” with my mom, hike, waterski- aside from reading (which I love- hence that whole English teacher thing), all Tahoe activities.
Where are your favorite South Shore stomping grounds?
I am a total fan of all of the locally owned businesses up here. I know I don’t have much time between the high school and my studio to be out and about all over town, but when I do have the time, you can bet I’m going to someone local: AleworX, The Hangar, Sprouts, Artemis- to name a few.