We are thrilled to welcome Briana to our growing dance team as our newest Fuego teacher! Briana brings tremendous energy, a spicy personality, and some serious booty-popping skills to uforia, so be sure to check out her class on Wednesdays at 6:30pm. Keep reading to learn more about her and to check out some of her favorite beats for a preview of what you’ll shake it to in her class. Fun fact: she’s Alisha’s little sister! What a talented family!
What is your dance background?
I pretty much came out of the womb dancing! Both my parents were dancers, and my sister was already in dance classes, so they didn’t waste any time in getting me in class. Dance was a huge part of my life growing up. I trained pre-professionally in ballet and modern for years, traveling to New York and other cities during summers to get looked at by different companies…until I discovered theater! In high school, I fell in love with acting and shifted some of my focus there, but dance is obviously still a huge passion of mine and a part of who I am!
What do you love about uforia and teaching Fuego?
I first discovered uforia through Alisha. She kept raving about the Hip Hop classes she was taking, so I decided to check it out. It sounds cheesy, but I really fell in love with the atmosphere and energy of uforia right away. For me, Hip Hop is my happy place, and it brings a lot of freedom. You just get let go, have fun, and shake off everything negative. I think that’s why I love uforia, it’s a healthy outlet for all the craziness life throws your way…I also love that everyone gets to come fly their sexy flag for at least an hour!
I LOVE Fuego!!! Latin music has always had a special place in my heart. I worked in Nicaragua every summer teaching Theatre for 5 years, so I speak Spanish, and have a strong personal connection to a lot of the songs and artists we use in Fuego. I think Fuego is an amazingly sassy, fun, and joyful twist on the Hip Hop class format.
What are you up to when you aren’t at uforia?
I wear many hats outside uforia. I teach creative writing to elementary students at several schools in the Palo Alto/Menlo Park area through a program called Society of Young Inklings. I also work as a barrista at Philz (come visit me!) and I work as an actress at different theaters locally!
Favorite post-class treats?
I LOVE the natural frozen yogurt with shaved chocolate and strawberries at Fraiche! YUM. If I’m not at Philz or uforia, I’m probably at Fraiche 🙂
What else should we know about you?
I’ve been to China twice and LOVE it – I’m even in the process of learning Chinese. On that note, I love languages in general, and one day would love to speak three languages fluently (I’m two thirds of the way there!)
I am the definition of a super fan when it comes to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (check out my Gryffindor water bottle next time we’re both at uforia…it’s pretty cool!)
Finally, I love Michael Jackson. I listened to my first MJ song at 9 years old, and immediately ordered every single CD and DVD of his songs/music videos I could get my hands on. He continues to be a major inspiration for me!
