Emily Upcraft was born and raised in Southern California. She began dancing at the age
of 13, with a focus on hip hop and jazz. Once she was 15, Emily decided to incorporate lyrical,
ballet and contemporary into her training. By the time she graduated from high school, she was
very serious about her dance training and wanted to make a career out of it. Emily attended Mt.
San Antonio College for 3 years and was a part of their rigorous dance repertory program.
During her time at Mt. SAC, she performed in 5 dance concerts, choreographed 3 pieces,
submitted her own work to festivals, and helped to coordinate events and scheduling within the
department. Emily then graduated from Mt. SAC in 2018 with her AA in Kinesiology and
transferred to California State University Fullerton, where she will be obtaining her BA in Dance
at the end of Fall 2020. While at CSUF, Emily has had the opportunity to work with and perform
pieces by many esteemed choreographers, along with professional company directors and
dancers from all over the world. Some of these include Doug Varone, Colin Connor, David
Hochoy, Brynn Cohen, Bradley Beakes, Debra Noble, Muriel Joyce, and Dale Merrill. She plans
to continue on her path with dance after graduation, whether that be in the form of performing,
choreographing, teaching or arts administration. Along with her own personal education, Emily
has been teaching dance for 6 years for children ages 2 and up, as well as adults. She is
passionate about sharing the art of dance, as well as the discipline, creativity, confidence and joy
that it can bring into people’s lives. She also loves being a part of a student’s journey and see’s it
as her way of giving back and inspiring young dancers, just as her own teachers have done in her
life.