Coach Profile: Sara Freitas

The Voice: How long have you been dancing and how did you start?

Sara Freitas: I started dancing when I was two and half years old because my two older sisters took dance class and I wanted to be just like them.  

The Voice: Where did you receive your education in dance?

SF: I started taking dance at Alyce Porter Dancers when I first started. I then changed studios to Carol McCallum Dancers when I was 13 years old. During high school I was on the competition team at my school.  After I graduated from high school I went to Jenen’s School for the Performing Arts before attending and being a dance major at San Jose State University. After graduating from SJSU I moved to San Diego and studied there and LA. I then moved to New York for a year and trained at Broadway Dance Center.

The Voice: What is your favorite dance style?

SF: I can honestly say that I love every style of dance. Each style means so much to me and it is hard to pick just one. Tap is my favorite style to perform, jazz is my favorite to teach, lyrical is my favorite to watch and ballet is my favorite style to take class in.

The Voice: What made you want to begin teaching dance?

SF: I first starting teaching dance when I was 16. At first it was a way to make money in high school but then after I started teaching dance I began to love teaching. It means so much to me to give back to my students what was given to me from my teachers.

The Voice: Do you teach dance anywhere besides Pres?

SF: As of right now, I don’t teach anywhere else. When I first started teaching here I was teaching at SJSU, and at three other dance studios. As the years have gone by I have narrowed it down to just teaching at Pres and I love it! 

The Voice: What is your favorite thing about teaching at Pres?

SF: My favorite thing about teaching at Pres is the support that the dance department receives from the faculty, staff, students and parents. To see the improvement from day to day and then when they finally perform makes me extremely happy.

The Voice: What is your average day at Pres like?

SF: My average day at Pres on an A day is teaching 3rd and 4th period and either teaching the dance team or teaching two afterschool dances class from 3-6. On a B day I teach either dance team or afterschool dance from 3-6. During the musical I am at school sometimes until 9:30.

The Voice: How long does it usually take you to choreograph a routine?

SF: It all really depends on what I am teaching and for what occasion. It usually takes me about three hours to choreograph a dance. When I start to teach it to my students if it is too hard or too easy I will have to make adjustments to it. I have had nightmares about a dance before which made me come in the next day and change the entire thing.

The Voice: How long do you and the dance team prepare for a competition?

SF: The dance team starts learning their routines anywhere from August to October to get ready for the December Cabaret. The girls practice three days a week regularly and Saturdays the month of January. The girls practice 13 hours a week for competitions. After the girls compete at the first competition, we take what the judges comment and make changes. There is always work to be done and the job is never over.