Beth Braun
Beth began dancing at the age of five in New York, where she was born. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance and a Masters of Arts Degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from State of University of New York at Brockport. Beth has performed throughout the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica.
She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Esperanza Dance Project (EDP), a non-profit, community based multi-media performance project whose mission is to spread awareness and educate about childhood sexual abuse and sexual violence.
Beth collaborates with Tucson High School, Southern Arizona Dance Coalition and the Arizona Dance Education Organization on creating the Southern Arizona High School Dance Festival, a weekend of dance classes, workshops and performances presented by professional artists from New York, Arizona and California.
Many of her advanced dance students have traveled yearly since 2010 to perform in halftime shows of major college Bowl Games and Parades, such as the Holiday and Orange Bowls and most recently they performed in the 2014 Indy 500 Festival Parade and Opening Ceremonies.
While some high school dance programs may focus on “competition” dance, Beth feels this approach does create a technically “perfect” young dancer, yet it lacks self-expression, artistry and community. She believes her dance program strives to be the best that each young dancer and choreographer can be while focusing on community, artistry, and self-expression.
