Sonrisa Dance Podcast

Bringing back the podcast by sitting down to speak with Shiloh Cardenas about starting her new monthly Bachata/Kiz social in SoCal called The Rendezvous Social and the unseen work around managing a social. We also touched on other issues such as being a female host in a male dominated space and how to have a more mindful/safer social dance community. Be sure to follow Shiloh and Rendezvous on Instagram to stay updated on her monthly social.

I was so incredibly proud to have Saroya and Jené join me to have an important conversation about the racial bias that exists in our community. This has been a learning/eye-opening experience to many who have not experienced this in their dancing journey. They shared their experience with racial bias, what they were able to share through their live interview, and what we can do to fix this in our community.

I got to have an important discussion with fellow dancer, Karina Rodriguez, on taking care of one's body. Of course going to a medical professional is important, there are definitely things we can do to keep our bodies from breaking down so quickly. We often neglect our bodies, especially us dancers, and don't do things to treat them until problems become more serious. Karina is working to help people have a healthier relationship with their bodies.

I got to continue the conversation on dating in dance scene with my friends Brandon and Eileen. After adding more to that conversation, we discussed our thoughts on returning to dancing post-quarantine. What we want to see at venues to make us feel safe to return.

I have to thank my good friend Brandon Ortega for agreeing to start this conversation with me. Dating is always difficult and our dance community can bring up it own unique set of circumstances. This is definite just the start of the conversation. We would like to know your personal experience in dating in and out of our dance community. How can things improve?

I had an awesome time interviewing the wonderfully talented and friendly Co-Director of WE Dance Academy: William Carpenter. We discussed about how it's important for students to learn as many dance styles as they can if they want the most growth in their favorite style and how their teachers should take advantage of that extra knowledge they gain. We also had fun discussing how he and his partner Eden structured their student's progression around the elements from Avatar The Last Airbender.

I had the wonderful privilege to interview one of the biggest local bachata DJ and promoter: Demetrio Rosario AKA DjSooNaasty. We discussed how he helped the explosive growth of bachata in LA, his growth into becoming the main promoter at Steven's Steakhouse, growing his successful social media platforms, and how he's anticipating his return post-quarantine. You find more about him and sign up for his online bachata course at bachatadanceacademy.com

I got a chance to interview my fellow dancing friend, Cedric Papa. He's a kind guy who is has thoughtful perspectives on dance and life. He also has a unique view at how we teach and learn in dance as he teaches in schools. He's also a co-host on the Creative Emotions Podcast; where they explore the emotions we feel from day to day.

It was a pleasure to have a wonderful discussion with the director of RF Dance Company, Mike Zuniga. It was recorded live so sorry about to louder audio. I'll be sure to adjust for that in the next episode. We talked about his role in being a director and the thought process of running such a large team. We also explored his role in being an influencer to many dancers, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. You can find more about him and his company at rfdance.com

I finally managed to get a livestream going for the podcast. I'm trying to be creative on how to keep the episodes coming while we're all stuck at home. I was also experimenting to see if we can get some feedback from the community live during recordings. I hope to have more livestreams in the future as long as it is ok with the guest.