Bio

Anna was born in Rye, NY but raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up in Palo Alto she began studying music and dance at age 4.  As well as playing violin, she became very involved in musical theater.  This helped encourage her dancing, she learned jazz, tap, and got exposure to swing dancing.  On her own, she also sought out dances from around the world.  She performed samba in the San Francisco Carnival Parade at age 12 and taught and performed Irish Ceili dancing through high school and college.

Anna double majored in English and Music at Yale University – intending to become an orchestral and choral conductor. However, she fell in love with dance, and performed and taught with the Yale Ballroom Dance Team and with Stanford’s Decadance.

Anna greatly enjoys her dancing, performing, and teaching. She has been blessed with several very supportive dance studios that have helped her become certified with the DVIDA national dance organization at the bronze and silver levels. As well, she has many wonderful private students who have traveled with her, performing and competing, all over the world.

Anna was a guest instructor at Yale University and Stanford University, and even traveled to teach as far away as Sydney, Australia! She won numerous top teacher awards at her studio, Starlite Dance Club, and at various national dance competitions. Anna and her partner Gavin have performed in such places as Puerto Rico and Las Vegas, and they continue to compete in American Smooth and Rhythm at national dance competitions.

One of Anna’s favorite parts of dancing is choreography.  She has won awards for her choreography with student troupes and professional routines (top Starlite solo awards 2003, 2004).  She continues to be invited to choreography for local dance troupes in partner dance styles and world dance styles.

Anna takes her dance education very seriously and continues to train with the best in her field.  She has studied International Standard with Victor Fung and Glenn Weiss.  Gavin and Anna have worked extensively with Tsha-Marie Jacobsen and Steve Vasco on their American Rhythm dancing.  They have received American Smooth coaching from Olga Foraponova and David Weise.  Anna has also studied International Latin training from Melissa Dexter and Louis Van Amstel.

When Anna was devoting much of her time to fitness and group exercise classes, she trained in Zumba levels 1 and 2 and Zumba toning. She continues to study dance, taking ballet at Western Ballet and studying dances from all over the world.  As well as teaching hip hop, latin jazz, and Bollywood, she has pioneered a new class called “Around the World” that incorporates her unique background in so many different dance styles.

As the dance program manager at Google, Anna is enjoying using many of her different skills sets to create a new program.  She enjoys getting to work creatively as the sole person in charge of marketing, branding, HR, personnel and program management, and metrics.  As well, her work at Google allows her to create new classes, such as the hugely popular “How to Dance at a Club or Party: An Analytical Approach” that includes powerpoint slides and a flowchart.  Only at Google!

Anna lives in Mountain View with her husband, Heraldo Botelho.  When she isn’t teaching she enjoys traveling to visit friends, enjoying Heraldo’s cooking, taking walks, and drinking tea.