Our Founder

The Open Floor Collective was inspired by Sarah's lifelong relationship with dance. Growing up in the Philippines, dance was not just an activity — it was an anchoring force that provided structure, discipline, and joy. From her first Tahitian dance lesson at age five to years of ballet, jazz, and hip hop, movement became a steady source of confidence and purpose. Dance has remained a constant thread throughout her life. She performed in the Wharton Follies while earning her MBA, competed in Latin ballroom while raising two children and building a career at Disney, joined a salsa and bachata team in Southern California, and now dances West Coast Swing in Salt Lake City.

As she lived and worked across communities in the United States, Sarah saw firsthand how uneven access to quality dance education can be — and how fragile the studio ecosystem has become. The Open Floor Collective was created to expand access to exceptional dance training while strengthening the teachers, studios, and communities that make that training possible.