Sara Mary Grace McGuire was born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Akron, OH where she began dancing at age three. She received her training from the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance and studied a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, and modern. During her time with CVYB, Sara had the opportunity to perform George Balanchine’s Scherzo à la Russe, and original ballets from Lazlo Berdo, Tom Gold, and Frances Patrelle. She supplemented her training by attending summer dance programs at BalletMet and Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive.

Later, during the time she was earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design and Dance Performance from The University of Akron, she joined the Akron Ballroom Dance Team and began competing in all of the International Ballroom dance styles. From there, she was introduced to salsa and bachata in Cleveland, OH. After graduating magna cum laude, she relocated to Chicago, IL and continued to immerse herself in Latin dancing and joined the Latin Street Dance Company where she began performing and competing at an amateur level. The memory of witnessing the professional female solo category at the World Salsa Summit was engrained into Sara’s heart and still to this day serves as a source of inspiration for her.

Upon moving to New York City, Sara was privately coached under Anya Katsevman, Franklin Liranzo, Destiny Garcia, and Shani Talmor to expand her development as a solo performer and competitor. At both the 2022 and 2023 World Salsa Summit/Global Salsa Summit, Sara placed 1st in the Rising Star Female Solo Salsa Showcase category, and 2nd place in the 2022 World Salsa Summit Professional Ladies Shines category under Shani Talmor’s in their professional team, Querencia NYC.

After years of working in the corporate world of interior design during the day and exploring the life of a professional dancer in the evening and weekends, Sara took the leap and began auditioning for musical theater opportunities. With the help of her mentors, coaches, family, and friends, Sara booked her first musical and joined the 2nd National Broadway Tour of “On Your Feet!” where she served as one of the Dance Captains.

Sara currently resides in New York City and is continuing to pursue her musical theatre goals. “Born for excellence” is a mantra Sara has held close to her heart since her early days as a ballerina, and it still remains a pillar of truth in her approach to this spectacularly exciting journey.

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