From an acro event, I was perusing through and looking for a different picture when I stumbled across this and wanted to share with everyone, Raf was a good person and I appreciate the time we had to get to know each other. 

We met Rafael back in Urban Evolution, Manassas when we stumbled into one of his classes of Partner Acro. He was amazing and we loved his classes so much. We met again when we moved to Richmond and went to an open gym class doing Acro with friends from Host of Sparrows. 
He was a wonderful human, sweet and fun and very committed to what he was doing. I am very sad he has left us way too early. I wish I would had more time to hang out with him. I am very grateful to have met him. He reminds me how precious our time here really is. Kristina and John

Rafael was a positive and genuinely kind person - I first met him in a parking lot when I was lost trying to find a zouk event and he kindly and joyfully showed me the way. He was enthusiastic and encouraging.  I enjoyed his friendly presence at zouk socials, and his curiosity to learn and improve while dancing. His earnest and warm spirit will live on. Sending lots of love and prayers to his family and loves ones. 

Rafa you were such a kind and generous spirit I met thru acro. You will truly be missed.  My thoughts are with you and your family.  I have fond memories having had  the chance to  practice with you. 

Rafael teaching me more cool techniques. He was always so eager to teach others all that he knew and had learned from others. 

Rafael was always teaching me new things. He was so kind and reliable.  I’ll never forget him. 

Rafael and I were in class together, beginner Zoukers. He was so passionate about dance and the community; it was such an honor to dance with someone who brought such light and expression to our class time and practice. He always made an effort to find me and practice together, both in class and at socials. I’m so grateful for the time and dances we shared together. Rest easy Rafael.

Raf was my Acro partner and friend for several years. He was absolutely dedicated, kind, and one of the most generous people I have ever met. What a sweet soul. He will be greatly missed. Raf had such a huge positive impact on the world and those he loved.

Raf was such a blessing in my life when I needed a friend.  He taught me acro and we performed a beautiful Cardinal duet.  He was living the dream with me.  I hope I get to dance with him in Heaven one day.  All my love to him and his loved ones.  

We were honored to know Rafael for his time on earth. For years he made the commute from NoVa to train with his partners at the gym, and continued coming when we moved to our new location even further away. During this time we became friends and we looked forward to seeing him on Sundays and spending time together catching up from the week and sharing laughter. Always dedicated, always smiling, always giving of himself, his heart, and his huge smile and contagious giggle. Hope there's amazing barbecue and that it's Christmas Eve Open House upstairs every day for you,  Raf. Our condolences to your family. We will miss you greatly, rest in peace. 

Raf was my acro coach and taught me nearly everything I know about basing.  He was always very passionate about his craft and instilled that passion and professionalism into everyone he worked with.  I will miss him and his passion dearly.  

Raf was one of my first friends in the Zouk community. He was so passionate and enthusiastic about dance, and a veritable Zouk Wikipedia. He was always excitedly coming up with new moves, variations, and combinations to try out. Raf was also a kind, compassionate, and generous friend who was always quick to offer encouragement to others. When a DJ in our community had their equipment stolen he donated a large sum of money to support them because that’s just the kind of person he was. At the time of his passing Raf was full of hopes, dreams, and aspirations. He was thrilled to be a part of two dance training teams. He had just participated in his first out-of-town dance congress and was really looking forward to another congress next month where his favorite instructors would be teaching. He had hoped to one day perform again. He had just found a new acro partner to practice with and was looking forward to seeing his favorite Cirque du Soleil show this summer. Raf was a bright light lost too soon. May he rest in peace.

Rafael was my first acro yoga base.  I remember he was friendly, kind, patient, and a great teacher.  I'm so sorry to hear about his passing.  


When I met Raf in 2012 I had no idea the friendship we would have. Raf was ever inspiring and always willing to lend a hand. He was smart, funny, talented and an awesome D and D player and Acro coach. This world is truly at a loss without him and I am so honored for the time we were able to share. 

I met Raf when we were at GW when we spent many a weekend together in the gaming group.   He was a great natured person who will be very much missed.  Condolences to his family. 

I knew Rafael from when we went to George Washington University together. We were part of the gaming club there that did D&D and other games. We also hung out afterwards. I will always remember Raf's dedication to whatever he was doing, be it cooking, fencing, gaming, work, he always gave it his all, and found time to lift you up also if you needed it. I have since learned about his acro and dancing and am unsurprised that he gave fully of himself in those pursuits also. We drifted apart as people do, I found out about his health issues and always thought I would have time to say hello and meetup...and yet that time never came. I know this is a shock to his family, friends and colleague's. Take comfort in having known someone so full of life that it brightens your day also. Condolences to his parents and family.  

I attended a couple of Acro classes with him. He was a great guy. Very kind, patient, and talented. It was inspirational for me to see another big guy that was part of the community and moved so well. He showed me what was possible.  

I met Rafael while I was at the height of my insecurity in learning to dance zouk. More than just a welcoming, clear lead, he was an oasis for me at zouk events. Dancing with him, I felt accepted, and I felt like I could become enough.

Once I told him how much I appreciated him and why, he put in even more time and care. He would come to the roof lounge where I was living to practice zouk with me. He treated me as though it was his privilege to put in all that time and effort, even though I was the one benefitting. 

Watching him recover from a difficult setback... without giving up on dancing, without blunting the cost of the patience and the emotional realities of the disappointment, and doing so during the awful isolation of the pandemic... that was painful, but also showed a degree of character we don't see in most.

I hope, somehow, there is dancing after death. Thank you for building me up as much as you did, my friend. 

Rafael was a kind hearted and intelligent acrobat who was super strong and had the friendliest smile. We remember him fondly attending the dutch acro festival in nyc and "acrobats gone wild" from 2014-2015 and he also attended "supernova" our advanced standing acrobatics intensive in December 2017 with Charlotte and Nicholas at Cosmic Fit Club. I always looked forward to catching up with him, hearing about his work in tech but also his love for the sport of acro.  I admired his work ethnic and his gentle way of supporting and encouraging everyone around him to be their best.  You will be dearly missed and always remembered! Rest in peace my friend. 

Rafael was our District Zouk dance student for years. Hes so dedicated. He’s dedicated to his friends; spending time with them and creating fun experiences. He’s dedicated to his hobbies like acro yoga and doing lifts/ stunts. He’s dedicated to dancing and he took every single class he could. He always came early and left late. He always wanted to be a part of what was going on. We loved his attentiveness to learning and growth and new experiences and striking up conversations. He’s that guy that seemed a little quiet but at the same time he wasn’t shy and was so bold to strike up any conversation and brighten anyones day. As an introvert, I definitely admired that about him and was amazed at his talent for talking to anyone about anything. He’s so real and honest, so if he’s having a bad day or feeling down, he won’t fake it. He will tell you the honest story of how he’s feeling but at the same time he doesn’t want you to worry and he cares so much about uplifting others. I got so used to his presence in classes that I’d always expect him there and I would notice when he wasn’t. Sometimes he would even drive an hour to come to class and then watch or have to sit out after only ten minutes because of his health. And I always thought, “Wow this man is so dang dedicated to his craft and to being around others he admires and to learning and to putting himself out there.” He’s truly an amazing man. He touched all of our hearts at our dance school and we all love and admire him greatly. With Rafael’s dedication to movement and the arts, I can imagine the back flips, the pirouettes, and smooth dance moves he’s doing now without any physical limitations holding him back. He’s in the record book as most dedicated student at District Zouk and I have no doubt he will continue to watch us, laugh, dance & smile alongside us. And he will have converted all of heaven to zoukies, with the universe’s biggest dance party awaiting us.

I will remember Rafael for his perseverance and strength in every form. He never quit anything that posed a challenge to him. I will always admire him for that. I am so honored to have met him through the acroyoga community and to have welcomed him into the dance community. I will miss seeing him out at Zouk events and miss being able to practice acro with him. Rest easy my friend. 

Rafael was one of my best dance students and never failed to brighten everyone’s days with his sunny attitude and smiles! He was so vibrant and excited about learning zouk and swept everyone up along with him. He even created a study group with the other students to share ideas and practice… Always ready to offer help, comfort, encouragement, and validation to anyone who needed it… always lifting others up in a way only he could. I and so many of his teachers and teammates will miss him dearly - my deepest condolences to his family at this time ❤️

We had the privilege of working with Rafael for over a year now at Kohl's and truly enjoyed him as a person.  He was good-hearted, cared about what he did, and was always learning.  He helped build and transition some of our most important services that drive our business forward.  We knew of his passion for dance outside of work as a means of relaxation and enjoyed talking gaming as well from time to time.  Sadly, the team just learned of his passing this morning after numerous attempts to contact him this past week.  We hadn't heard from him since his planned OOO day on Wednesday, 5/4, but as Amar Nath's message mentions, if someone from the family would be willing to contact us, we would sincerely appreciate it.  Our deepest condolences to Rafael's family.  We will miss him as a team member and part of the Kohl's family for sure.

Rafael has been such a great colleague, friend and awesome personality! He would always find him pretty positive about everything!
He took a day off last week on WED and we haven't been able to connect with him since then, we have been worried, so shocked and sad to know this today morning.  He would be in our prayers, may his soul rest in peace!

I would appericiate if someone can share any contact# of his family, amar.nath@kohls.com, +1-224-619-7430

Some of the best friends I have are the ones who I play board games with, and who introduced me to new games. Raf was a wonderful person to spend time with and I will cherish the memories of stradegizing together and all the laughter and good times that went with those sessions.  My condolences to all the family and friends mourning his loss. 

OBITUARY

Rafael "Lino" San Luis Raval

September 23, 1973 – May 5, 2022

Murphy Funeral Homes

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