Leadership

Sac Dance Lab’s culture, quality and collaborative nature is possible because of community-focused leadership. Our team at Sac Dance Lab is made up of local artists with vast experience in the arts, entertainment and technology industries.

Isela Ortiz
Co-Owner, Executive Director

Isela Ortiz is one of two owners of Sac Dance Lab and has over 20 years of choreography and performance experience including various commercial work and five seasons as a Sacramento Kings Dancer. She is currently the Producer of Sactown Stage's shows including Sacramento Cabaret, Sactown LIVE and the Lab's seasonal choreography showcases. She currently directs Burlesque Jazz Company, and the Unity Dancers - an adult dance team focused on community engagement and dance training. In addition to running the studio and teaching dance classes regularly, Isela is the Vice-Chair of the Sacramento Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Commission, appointed by District 6 Council member, Eric Guerra in 2020. She earned a bachelor's in Journalism from Sac State and is a resident choreographer for Sac State Dance Team. Isela's mission is to develop the local creative economy so that dancers and performers alike can sustain as full-time working artists in her hometown of Sacramento. 

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Brandon Ortiz
Chief Operating Officer, Co-Owner

Brandon co-founded Sac Dance Lab with Isela after graduating Sac State with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and starting his digital design and fabrication business, Flash Factory. He has designed and built out all three of Sac Dance Lab's studios, and continues to raise the level of immersion in the space. He is currently developing technology that securely streamlines studio operations using democratic processes and is focused on convenience for the end user - the artists. He strives to make Sac Dance Lab a place where anyone is free to create and is recognized by the community as a platform enabling fair and professional creativity.

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Leanne Ruiz
Performance Company Director

Leanne attended Sacramento State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Dance and was a member of the Sac State Dance Team. She danced professionally for the Sacramento Kings beginning in 2018 and in 2019, Leanne was invited by the NBA to travel to India to perform with the new 916 Crew. Over the past 12 years while working for the United Spirit Association, Leanne has assisted with choreography development for summer camps, has panel judged regional and national cheer competitions, and has Head Instructed multiple cheer camps nationally. She is currently a regular instructor at Sac Dance Lab and teaches hip hop to youth and adults weekly. She recently became the first-ever Co-director of the studio's in-house dance team, Sac Dance Company.

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