Rocio Russo was born in New York City and grew up in the Dominican Republic. She studied classic ballet for seven years at the Academia de Ballet Germania Pellerano. At the age of 15 years old, she started studying the art of Flamenco dancing at the Patio Andaluz in Santo Domingo. There, she was the lead in their production of Romeo and Juliette in 2000 where she combined her classic training with her flamenco skills. In 2005 she received her BA in Advertising at the Universidad Iberoamericana de Santo Domingo. She relocated to San Francisco, California that Fall and received her MFA in Photography at the Academy of Art University in 2008. Rocio is happy to be joining SFYBA as the Office Manager.