Moving with love: Lynnwood’s RTHMZ dances to their own beat

Before Ponorak “Pon” Nuth started dancing, all he knew how to do was a handstand. He was 12 years old when his older sister brought him to a kids’ camp run by Royal Impact, a dance team at Lynnwood High School where she served as captain. On the floor of the school gym, he tried his hand at break-dancing and hip-hop for the first time. “That’s kind of what sparked the love for dance,” Nuth said. “It was different, it was fun. I feel like I was fairly athletic.” Before he knew it, Nuth went into training mode. Dancing on crews in Mukilteo, competing in all-styles dance battles and performing on commercial teams, Nuth has spent the last 15 years learning from leaders in both the choreography and freestyle communities. Nuth, now 27, runs his own crew specializing in choreography training out of Dance Elite Studios in Lynnwood. Pon Nuth, director of RTHMZ, works through a new sequence. (Ryan Berry / The Herald) Purchase Photo The hip-hop based team, RTHMZ, is going back to the basics for its second season, switching their focus from stage performances to training and development. Along with his three co-directors and friends, Nuth is preparing...