It’s a peaceful Thursday morning on the floor above the El Camino Bookstore, with sunny skies and a clear view of the Santa Monica Mountains.

All is quiet and empty–except for a faint boom of hip-hop music, the squeaks of shoes on the concrete and a dance instructor snapping his fingers as he calls out 5, 6, 7, 8.

The 19-year-old dance teacher grooves to hip-hop music above the Bookstore as El Camino students Katie Ko, Anylah Ortega and Deion Olunkwa follow his movements carefully, trying to keep up and not miss a step.

“You’re almost there,” he tells them, watching as they mirror his choreography.

This is a normal routine for self-taught dancer and instructor Rayshawn Reed who teaches hip-hop not only to his peers but also to elementary, middle and high school students at San Pedro City Ballet.

Outside of the studio, Reed is an El Camino business major, aspiring entrepreneur, and founding member of his dance club, Rising Stars.

Dancing has always been a part of Reed’s life, ever since he was six years old.

“I dance while I walk, I dance in the shower, I dance laying down in my bed,” he said. “It never really stops.”

He would practice hip-hop moves with his three brothers at home, watching people on TV and then coming up with his choreography.

“I can’t listen to music without composing something,” he said.

Reed began competing through his dance team at Fleming Middle School, where they met three times a week. He introduced his choreography to the team, helped them improve and started competing with them.

His first performance was at 11 years old, at a SHARP dance competition. SHARP is a dance company that hosts annual dance, cheer and hip-hop competitions throughout the U.S.

That same year, an agency found him at his after-school program, a Boys and Girls Club, where he would perform in talent shows and win every time. They sponsored him, having noticed the fact that he’d never lost and looked good on stage.

After that, the competitions just kept coming.

Reed said he would win first place for solo, trio, and large group awards every time until 8th grade–when he got second place for the first time.

“Up until then I was undefeated,” he said.

The agency also taught him ways to improve his dancing and freestyle.

“I used that, changed that and I became better,” he said.

Reed explored another area of dance at 13 years old when he joined a musical theater studio called Puttin On’ Productions in Manhattan Beach.

That’s where he met his close friend and fellow El Camino student, Giovanna Panzarella.

Panzarella, a 19-year-old theater major, met Reed at his first musical, “Oliver!,” where they performed together.

She said he helped the cast by making suggestions and giving tips for choreography. He also got to do “cool tricks,” including backflips, on stage.

“He had such a creative mind that everyone wanted his input during the production,” she said.

Reed stayed with the company, performing in an ensemble for several musicals until he turned 16 and began working there, teaching kids musical theater during the summer.

“He’s definitely a great teacher, with kids and adults,” Panzarella said.

She said she looks forward to joining the Rising Stars club and encourages students to join.

“You have an amazing teacher right in front of you who has years of experience for no cost at all,” she said.

As Reed is self-taught, his first dance class was in high school, when he joined advanced dance freshman year.

At Harts Academy of Narbonne High, he learned about other dance styles including jazz and ballet, realizing ballet could be for boys and that it was just another style of dance.

“I know a lot of boys don’t like ballet…but I’m a living proof that it’s regular,” he said.

Right after high school, Reed began working at San Pedro City Ballet, where he teaches hip hop at various elementary, middle and high schools in the South Bay for 10 to 12-week sessions.

Reed said he enjoys teaching and that the kids see him as a big brother.

“I know whether or not I get into being a performer or I get into something else, I still want to teach,” he said.

Reed will also be teaching hip-hop lessons at his dance club, Rising Stars, which will start next spring and will meet on a weekly basis. He also plans to invite other professional dancers as guest teachers.

Reed said the club is meant to reintroduce hip-hop culture to the public, as many people assume that hip-hop is difficult to learn. The club is open to anyone who wants to dance.

“Anyone can do hip-hop really, as long as you try or you put in some effort,” he said. “In hip-hop…you could be sharp, you could be free, you could be loose… whatever you feel like the song is saying to you then…that’s really what you are,” he said.

Reed said his family has been supportive since the beginning, challenging him and encouraging him to dance.

His grandfather was a big inspiration.

He always took him to practice, never missed a show and bragged about his grandson to anyone who would listen.

Now that he has passed away, Reed said, it’s more of a push for him to continue dancing and pursuing his dreams.

The first show he did without his grandfather was “The Nutcracker” at the San Pedro City Ballet–one of his biggest shows thus far.

“The push was like he can’t watch me right now, but if I do make it and I do this and I do that, he’ll see it,” Reed said.

Reed chose to study business at El Camino to pursue his dream of starting his dance studio. He plans to obtain an associate degree and then transfer to a Historically Black College/University (HBCU).

He recently led dance lessons at the one-year anniversary event of the Social Justice Center, where Wiley Wilson, who is like a brother to Reed, also works.

Wilson, a student services specialist for the Social Justice Center, first met Reed when he was working at the Boys and Girls Club of L.A. Harbor. Wilson was responsible for supervising Reed, who was in middle school at the time, during the after-school program.

Wilson said he noticed Reed’s passion for dance, as he danced hip hop frequently at the club and taught other kids how to dance as well.

He described Reed as a hard-headed but also logical, empathetic and understanding youth.

“I think he’s changed a lot… he’s far more willing to take advice compared to back then,” he said.

Wilson said there were conflicts between Reed, his brother, and other members at the club, due to other youth instigating fights and the Reed brothers defending themselves.

They would often get suspended from the club.

Wilson made a deal with their grandfather to only have the boys come to the club if Wilson was there, as he had a close relationship with them and was the only staff who could stop and de-escalate the fights.

“When I was working with them, they were not getting suspended at all,” he said.

After Wilson stopped working at the Boys and Girls Club, he didn’t see Reed for five to six years. Until one day, they both happened to be on the same bus.

When Wilson found out that Reed was going to El Camino, he “made sure he connected to every resource he could possibly need.”

Wilson assisted Reed with registering for classes, connecting with a counselor and starting the process for his club, knowing that his long-term goal was to start his own dance studio.

As a first-year student, Reed is already involved on campus with the Social Justice Center, Black Student Union and Umoja, a program dedicated to improving students’ academic success.

“With the way his ambition is and his drive, I know he will get to that goal,” Wilson said.