Check Out Anna Brown’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Brown.

Hi Anna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been dancing since I can remember. I grew up dancing at a small local studio, but quickly started competing across the country in all styles of dance. At the age of 11 I got into ballroom dancing. By age 12 I was competing in it and by 14 I won a World Title. I’m really grateful to the coaches I had as they really helped me to get there. Within the span of 5 years I won the National Title 3 times. By this point I was really grateful for what ballroom competitions had given me, but I was ready to move forward with my dance career. I stopped competing in ballroom a little over a year ago to be able to pursue the commercial dance industry. With a dream of one day being on a show like DWTS or a tour like Burn the Floor. I went to countless auditions before recently dancing in the LA Opera where I performed in the production of West Side Story at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Aside from performing, I have been teaching dance, specifically ballroom for the past five years. I have taught at local studios, schools, cruises, and online to those within and out of the country.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think a big challenge as a dancer and really for any artist, is that sometimes it takes countless auditions to book one job. I have been to many auditions where I didn’t get the job, or I wasn’t the look that they were looking for. I have booked jobs, signed the contract, and they have still cancelled the project all together. I have made it to the end of auditions and still not been hired. I have definitely gone through the ups, downs, hopes, and disappointments. So it takes thick skin, something I am still working on.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As you can probably tell so far, dance is and has been my life. 🙂 While I have always trained, competed in all styles of dance, ballroom dancing is something I am very passionate about and am grateful to have some of the accolades that I have had with it. I think what I am most proud of is my tenacity to keep going. It can feel easy to give up, but I believe 100 no’s are worth that 1 yes. My goal is to be able to look back and say “I did that,” even though I am no where close to that now. Something that sets me apart from others is that I have had the many years of true competitive ballroom experience and now am going into a more commercial field, so I am really trying to take the best of both worlds and put myself out there.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
As an artist there can be setbacks or even occasions when things work in your favor. But I try to never rely on anything other than hard work and persistence. Overall I believe we make our luck and I hope to keep showing up and being the best I can be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabrowndancer/?hl=en

Image Credits
Photo on stool- Lee Gumbs
Leg photo- Lee Gumbs
Ballroom photo in blue dress- Lee Gumbs
Headshot in black with red nails- Paul Smith
Photo in jean jacket- Ben Cope