Bethany's Workshop

Bethany Sutherland Sakoda is a dance instructor, choreographer, educator, facilitator, and community builder in Santa Barbara, CA. Born and raised in Southern CA, Bethany has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, musical theater, hip-hop, latin ballroom, house, chicago footwork and more. Her desire to give back to her community led her to begin teaching in 2006. She graduated with honors from Westmont College with a BS in Engineering Physics and a minor in Art. She continued her professional studies in dance and youth education through earning certifications in Youth Protection Advocacy in Dance, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and Dance Education Laboratory in Early Childhood Dance Education. She has taught and performed locally for over a decade, receiving 2017 Best of Choreography Award from the SB Independent and 2020 Apogee Award for Excellence in Dance Education. She has led local and national dance non-profit work and continues to invest in her love of learning through training with hip-hop, house, and street dance pioneers and masters such as Donyelle Jones, Kim Holmes, Cebo Terry Carr, Chrybabie Cozie, King Charles, Buddha Stretch, Henry Link, Caleaf, Sekou Heru and more. Bethany has taught at The Dance Network since its opening year in 2014 and led the hip-hop program and youth and adult street dance companies. She advocates for youth-led initiatives and recently co-founded Synrgy Dance Collective. She continues her passions of teaching underserved youth, facilitating social emotional wellness, investing in the street dance community, and advocating for equity in arts education.

Please sign in upon arrival, ready to pay in person or show proof through venmo. Be advised that all classes are filmed and uploaded to our social media sites, YouTube and Instagram.