ABOUT US

MEET THE FOUNDER:

FUN FACTS ABOUT MOCHA MCKENZIE:

  • MOCHA HAS BEEN TEACHING FOR 18 YEARS

  • SHE Graduated UCLA with her Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts & Visual Arts & Performing Arts Education

  • WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE MASTERS PROGRAM AT AT UCLA, BUT DECided TO DANCE PROFESSIONALLY behind a latin artist on tOUR IN ASIA

  • SHE CHOReographed for major artists such as Becky G., Anne-Marie, June Freedom, & more.

  • MOCHA Opened up her own dance studio after teaching across her hometown (VENTURA county) for over a decade.

  • SHE HAS TAUGHT IN CITIES: MAUI, HAWAII, MIAMI, FLORIDA, OKC, OKLAHOMA, SALT LAKE CITY UTAH, NEVADA, BAY AREA, LOS ANGELES, SANTA BARBARA, ALL THROUGHOUT VENTURA COUNTY, & MORE

  • Outside of dance, she GOT HER NICKNAME “MOCHA” WORKING AS A BARISTA AND IN CUSTOMER SERVICE & hospitality FOR OVER A DECADE

    FULL BIO READ MORE:

    Born & raised in Ventura County, "Mocha" McKenzie fell in love with dance as a little girl, watching one of her biggest inspirations, Beyoncé, performing live ON her TV screen. SHE WOULD dancE on top of the tables following along to the choreography OF HER FAVORITE ARTISTS’ MUSIC VIDEOS & PERFORMANCES, UNTIL SHE GREW UP TO CREATE HER VERY OWN VISUALS. Mocha started DANCING AROUND THE AGE OF 12 AND STARTED teaching dance when she was just 16 years old & knew right away she in her element. Her classes grew as she began to travel throughout Southern California to teach inside K-12 schools, after school programs, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, non-profit organizations, dance studios & more. She grew up choreographing for annual recitals for her local high school & dance studios, quincés, surprise wedding dances, & many more professional works. She has now been teaching dance for over 16 years & has mentored individuals of all ages and all levels from toddlers as young as 3 years old to adults over 65. Her dance background styles range from: Hip Hop, Heels, Jazz Funk, & more.

    Education:

    Mocha graduated UCLA with her BA in Performing Arts Education where she taught across the LA Unified School District inside K-12 grade classrooms integrating dance into the students' curriculum. the schools she taught in during her understudies were underprivileged with little to no recourses ESPECIALLY in the arts. her classroom would light up soon as they saw her walk through the doors. She used unique hands-on teaching approaches while working one on one and in group settings with students across multiple classrooms. Mocha inspires her students by enriching their learning experiences that brought a new excitement into the curriculum. her Classrooms chartered to as many as 70 students in a class. Aside from her academic studies, Mocha also danced on UCLA's competitive Hip Hop Dance Team, that trained weekly where she competed & placed at Nationals. after mocha graduate ucla with her ba, she was accepted into the masters program, but decided to take on a professional touring job dancing throughout asia behind an international latin artist.

    Industry:

    Mocha resides in Los Angeles where she dances & trains professionally. She has been living her dream dancing & choreographing in music videos, commercials, TV shows, live performances, coaching music artists, creative directing videos & live performances. Some of her exciting industry accomplishments include choreographing for Becky G, traveling and dancing on tour in Asia behind a Latin artist, performing on the Oprah Winfrey Television Show, dancing in a Disney commercial, stage coaching talented singing music artists, creative directing multiple stage performances, video shoots, & much more.

    Mocha continues to inspire hundreds & thousands of dancers in her community & grow her platform through dance spreading positivity & being a light. She is blessed to wake up everyday doing what she loves. She is so excited of what Strut Don't Stress has become. Mocha is truly grateful for SDS to finally have their own dance home in the town she grew up in and LOVES so much. It has become her biggest passion project since she first started teaching in 2006. Thank you to the 805 dance community for being the starting home base for Strut Don't Stress to now spread globally. We are grateful or all of your love & support.