{"id":4374,"date":"2013-03-14T12:57:55","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T12:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dancemogul.com\/news\/?p=4374"},"modified":"2020-03-28T21:08:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-29T01:08:02","slug":"anna-sarao-masters-degree-in-marriage-and-family-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/anna-sarao-masters-degree-in-marriage-and-family-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna Sarao | Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dance Mogul Magazine<\/em><\/strong> presents another shining female example of arts and education. Anna started her career in dance with a nonprofit organization called Culture Shock Dance Troupe in San Diego.\u00a0\u00a0She was a dancer for 8 years and became the Artistic Director from 2000 to 2003. She also served as an adviser for Funkanometry SF in 2004 and Artistic Director for Culture Shock LA in 2009.\u00a0\u00a0Anna created BODY ROCK DANCE COMPETITION, now in its 14th year, which is an annual international dance competition.\u00a0\u00a0With the success of Body Rock, she started a youth competition division called Body Rock Junior in 2012.\u00a0\u00a0Anna previously served as the president of HHDA (Hip Hop Dance Association) and she is currently an alumni dancer for the SuperGalactic Beat Manipulators.\u00a0\u00a0She now works closely with SD Ballet and choreographs hip hop sections for the shows “Firebird” and “Alice in Wonderland”.\u00a0\u00a0She also is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Bethel Seminary.<\/p>\n

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Dance Mogul:<\/strong> At what age did you develop a passion for the arts?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: I developed a passion for dancing at age 6. \u00a0I used to watch a lot of Soul Train and What’s Happening on television. \u00a0It got me into rap\/hip hop and copying whatever I watched. \u00a0By the time I was in junior high, I was making up my own dances and sharing moves with friends.<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> Were your parents supportive of you?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: No, my parents were never supportive. \u00a0They insisted that the type of dancing\u00a0I was doing was “black dancing” and I would get into trouble for learning it because\u00a0I was not black. \u00a0They were really traditional too so they discouraged me mostly because it was not a career. \u00a0My parents saw dancing as a waste of time because it didn’t lead to a college degree or a paycheck.<\/p>\n

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Dance Mogul:<\/strong> How did you get started with Culture Shock?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: I was attending Mesa Community College when I walked by a “hip hop” class taught by Angie Bunch. \u00a0I ended up signing up for her class every semester and she asked me to come audition for her company called “Culture Shock”. \u00a0It took me 3 auditions but I trained hard until I made the company.<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> Tell us how you started the Body Rock Dance Competition?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: I became artistic director for Culture Shock in 2000. \u00a0There were several things that led me to start a dance competition. \u00a0First, we were losing our studio and we had to come up with a way to fundraise the rent. \u00a0Second, a friend of mine from Kaba Modern had suggested the idea to me. \u00a0We had such a huge network of dance homies from all over and also understood the production aspect from a dancer point of view, it made sense to produce it. \u00a0And finally, a friend of mine had recently passed away from cancer. \u00a0This impacted me greatly because, although I was introverted, I wanted to pursue all the things he never got to do. \u00a0With all of these intentions, I asked 4 girlfriends to help me put on a show – then called Bustagroove. \u00a0We changed the name to Body Rock 5 years later because a few of my original partners left. \u00a0Now, two of us continue the event under the name “Consensus Entertainment”. \u00a0It is a privilege and honor to still be able to put on this show.<\/p>\n

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Dance Mogul:<\/strong> Tell us about your time with the\u00a0SuperGalactic Beat Manipulators.
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: SGBM was a group that a good friend of mine, Kevin Brewer (Jabbawockeez), had started. \u00a0He asked me and a few friends to get down with him. \u00a0At the time, Kevin was experimenting with his choreography and I basically wanted to learn to freestyle. \u00a0I was hoping Kevin’s superpowers would rub off on me! \u00a0It was dope learning from him because it made me see that I had stopped growing. \u00a0My movement and even method of training had been mostly through taking classes and learning moves from a choreographer. \u00a0Kevin opened up my mind to think of dancing and even musicality differently. \u00a0He hears so many beats and the way he teaches is not structured. \u00a0I had to re-learn how to dance. \u00a0I realized that I did not connect to music or my own self-expression unless someone else had shown me moves. \u00a0While I had an awesome time performing and learning with SGBM, it made me hungry to try other types of dance and also go to “sessions” – instead of just class. \u00a0I am very thankful for that time on SGBM. \u00a0It was nice to start over after CSSD.<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> How do you balance pursuing higher education with your dance duties?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: I honestly have to pray to God on this one. \u00a0I make plans to do this or that, but I’m only human so sometimes I might forget. \u00a0My main strategy is to look at my syllabus and get assignments done early. \u00a0A lot of times, I will sacrifice hang out time with the homies to catch up on reading or do some studying too. And I’m also learning to use ANY extra time I have to double-check my tasks and make sure I have things taken care of.<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> What advice would you have for the young up and coming dancers?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: I would tell them to have a goal ready and do their research. \u00a0A lot of time can be wasted when you tell yourself that “it’s just for fun” or think “I\u2019m only twenty”. \u00a0Find out what kind of career paths there are for dancing and see if you would want to commit to them. Ask other dancers who are in the scene\/industry what their life is like, ask how they got their start and if they hold other jobs other than dance. Think about having a support system (people who can encourage you) when things are challenging. Pray for direction because there are many talented dancers out there, but very few who are ready when the opportunity comes.<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> What are your plans for the youth in the future?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>:\u00a0I plan to become an Art Therapist (after I graduate from my MFT program). \u00a0I plan to\u00a0put on a theatre\/dance production of stories I have collected through the years. \u00a0I hope\u00a0to be able to integrate my passion for dance and my calling to counsel others\/facilitate healing. \u00a0Hopefully, I will have my own private practice or studio where I can do both!<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> Do you feel Dance Mogul Magazine is needed so that the voices of the next generation of dancers will be heard?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>: Yes! \u00a0I think Dance Mogul is doing a great job of advocating for young dancers and artists. \u00a0Young people need all the help they can get. \u00a0It is an honor to be a part of this Magazine!<\/p>\n

Dance Mogul:<\/strong> Is there anyone you want to thank for helping you on your journey?
\nAnna Sarao<\/b>:\u00a0I would like to thank Jesus Christ, my parents, the Abuyo family, Angie Bunch and the Culture Shock Family, Arnel Calvario, Kevin & Cher Brewer, Gary Kendall and Christopher Braswell for all their love and support.<\/p>\n[vc_row][vc_column]