Interview with Vida Latina Dance Gym

Dance in Australia is not as well recognised in other countries like in the United States or the United Kingdom. However there are two people who are helping the world see that Australia has amazing dance abilities and talent. I introduce to you Lenny Baeza and Mio Takagi.

Lenny started dancing at a very young age in Chile and then after many years of training and teaching dance, he came to Australia to change dance history!

Mio left home from Japan to Australia to attend university when she discovered her new passion for dance. Mio has acquired many great talents aside from dancing, such as fashion and graphic design and is the designer of the costumes and website of Vida Latina.

The two came together to choreograph and perform a Salsa routine for the opening of Toucans Nightclub in Milton in 2002. Since then they have both come a long way in bringing the new dance style Acrobatic Salsa to Australian shores. Lenny and Mio remain the only professional salsa dancers in Australia who specialise in performing and teaching Acrobatic Salsa.

Welcome Lenny and Mio to Dance Phenomenon!

2008 was such a big year for Vida Latina with travelling over to 13 cities in Australia, New Zealand and Japan to dance. Not to mention fitting everything else in such as performing, training, teaching and hosting other events. How did you fit all of this into your busy schedule?

We have the habit of scheduling everything that we do, so in preparation of all of our trips we take into account our classes - instructors - students - events at home and overseas. In doing this we know that all the things that need doing will get done.

You both have found your passion in dance at a very young age, are their any other interests (such as hobbies) that you enjoy partaking in?

Mio loves her website and costume making so often when not dancing, training or choreographing she is totally immersed in her other two passions. Myself, I do anything else that needs doing such us repairs or maintaining our studio which apart from the 4 walls, we designed entirely. Mio has a bachelor of design and told me what she wanted to do with the studio and I built it for her. I also love television so every chance I get I sneak in a few minutes of whatever is on at that time.

Mio, costume design and web design is very time consuming, how do you make time to dance and teach?

I actually have to stay up and often don't finish until 3am and from time to time we are both up until 5 or 6 in the morning, so our day starts at 9am and it finished between 3 and 5 in the morning.

Roughly how many hours a day do you both dance?

We both dance twice every day, Saturday we have off and Sunday we dance from 9am to 4 pm.

Congratulations, this year is Vida Latina's 4th Year Anniversary. What are your plans to celebrate?

That is an easy question to answer, normally we would have a large party were we invite all to come and have our Students and Instructor have some fun and perform, they can feel free to do anything they want within reason and we all just dance the night away, also it is always organised on the weekend.

This year we are going to include our wedding reception since we are getting married on Tuesday the 3rd of February and having the reception at the same time as the Anniversary party, we also have International artists performing who are also going to be our Best Man and Maid of Honour at the wedding.

When Vida Latina Dance Gym was opened in 2005, to date you have both achieved great success, what is your secret?

Wow, where do we start Mio and I have a very driven life in all aspects so in doing the preparations for anything that we do, we carefully view the issues that could affect the decision that we are about to take, we ask as many questions as we can about the task at hand because people will ask and we need to make sure that we think like the people that come to learn.

At the time did you imagine you would have this much success?

In all reality YES we had seen how other schools were doing things and we quickly realised that our concept would work, we have a truly unique and truthful system that gives people incredible value for money and a truly amazing unique experience while learning.

What have been some of the challenges that you have come across since opening your business?

Developing a strong structure that would continue to grow, the ability to grow people that have never danced to become professional dancers and performers and showing people that dancing is just another face of life that can bring you happiness and satisfaction because it is all about the individual and not the instructor.

What is a typical day in your work lives?

Up at 9am breakfast, 9.30am 15 kilometres run with 7 stations with 600 exercise repetitions, home by 11-11.30. Shower take Mio to lunch discuss needs for the studio regarding how people are doing or continual development of instructor and two to three times a week we meet with people in our community regarding business development. We visit our regular restaurant La Dolce Vita Restaurant on Park Road and have double coffee gelati and discuss choreography training schedule or just relax. 1 pm at studio revising choreography and training our acrobatic routines until 3 pm. From 3 pm assist our pro team in their training from 3 to 5 pm after that coffee a meal, return to studio look after the front desk while our instructors teach and look after the customers. Studio closes at 9.45pm we often get a large number of students and go to coffee for about 1 to 2 hours and after that home or studio to continue working.

Lenny one aspect of your role is being the event promoter and organiser, what is your favourite and least favourite task in this role and why?

I love the pressure of the task at hand, you have to be so focused to make sure that everything runs on time I hate not being on time or people that are not, it is a real issue with me, when people are paying to see and enjoy something everything should be perfect they are our bosses and deserve to get the best. So operation is something that I truly enjoy.

My least favourite is watching it all come to an end maybe one day we can do an event that never finished…what a dream.

How does Vida Latina differ from the other dance schools operating in Brisbane?

Vida Latina runs one of the state's and the countries most versatility dance studios, we offer a system that is very unique and surpasses that of any studio. It is not on the amount of classes and styles that we teach but it is in the flexibility that customers have in attending as many Salsa and exercise classes in a week once they become a member. We also cultivate performers and entertainers and unlike any other school in the country we have a large dance production called "Latin Fantasy". We do have different membership levels starting in at $215 for 8 weeks, $465 for 26 weeks and $715 for 1 year.

People can come 4 times a week and do up to 6 hours or more per week depending on your level so it is very flexible and affordable.

Health and fitness must be a huge part in your lives, what tips do you have for staying healthy?

Not an easy thing to do, we all have different ideas on how and what we should eat but the fact is that good food, good rest, healthy fun (drink in moderation - yes dancers can drink) and exercising go a long way to a long healthy life.

Dance is excellent for fitness, what is your favourite exercise that keeps you in shape?

Nothing comes without hard work, depending on what you want to achieve you should shape your day so as to include some fitness, I go for a 12 to 15 k walk every day and do up to 600 repetitions of different exercises. But the most enjoyable part of my fitness is when Mio and I rehearse our Acrobatics for our dance pieces.

Tip for inspiring dancers?

Lenny's answer: You have to believe in yourself others can only encourage you but no one has to believe in you therefore you have to make it all happen, when someone teaches you they are not making you into a dancer they are just showing you how and are you mirror so they can see and ask or tell you to fix different aspects of your dancing but at the end of the day you are the one making the changes.

Some people are true naturals and become fantastic dancers but every one can learn to enjoy dancing just remember that the first time you walk into a studio and you know nothing you walk out knowing something, that means that know you can walk back in and learn something new so don't give up on yourself at the end of the day only you can tell yourself what you can and can not do.

Mio's answer: I like Lenny, believe that we need to first have the need or desire to learn and then we need to be encouraged but only we can make it happen so if you don't get what you want the first time try and try again until you get.

Please explain to our viewers that are not familiar with the dance style zouk, how is this style different from Latin or Salsa dancing?

It is very different, even though it is a couple style, it is very sensual and playful. If there was ever a dance that demanded that the man exercises gentleness and accuracy with timing and movement then this is one of those dances.

Very contemporary in essence and so modern in style, almost balletic, the connection between two people become incredibly strong and the lady can just allow that lead and the music to take her to a world unlike she has ever know. But be aware that not everyone is gentle in the way that they execute their moves or lead and if I may advise the ladies, please make sure to let the male dancer know if he is being too strong or rough.

It is better to miss out on dancing with one or two male dancers then to miss out on dancing for 6 months due to injury.

I have touched lightly on your dance backgrounds what would you say your biggest achievement has been?

Lenny's answer: Without a doubt I would say (meeting Mio) that my biggest fulfilment has been getting both Mio and I and Vida Latina Dance Gym to a position where Queensland Latin Industry can not ignore the growth that we have achieved and we are proud of it, clients testimonials say it all.

Mio's answer: Coming from a very set society where you almost always carry out the wishes of your parents, I would say that my greatest achievement to date would have to have been learning how to find myself and being able to make the decisions in my life that will give me the life I want and Lenny has played a big part by the way he encouraged me to do things for me and not others, other wise I can't help others.

What do you love most about dancing? (i.e. teaching/performing)

Lenny's answer: It is endless, Dancing socially allows me to express my fun side and to show people that dancing is truly a lot of fun - Teaching helps me to remind myself of the most important things that we all need encouragement, support and kindness - Choreography is a totally different world there is so much to create and each song demands a different expression, feel, sensation and character play. So in saying all of this it is hard to just love a single aspect since all of these things are what dancing is all about the "LOVE OF IT"

Mio's answer: I think that expressing myself through dance allows me to feel special we all need to remind ourselves that we have to love ourselves so that we can love others and music helps me to do that, it also allows me to show a hidden side of myself and that is the stage person so confident and full of life…this character really helps me in real life to be myself more every day.

Vida Latina's dancer's can be hired to perform at events, what are some of the events in the past where a dancer has been hired to perform at an event?

Public Performances:

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

 

Management and organisation of Latin Dance Events

2008

2007

2006

1994 – 2005

Television

 

What do you find the hardest aspect for beginners, learning to dance?

The greater percentage of beginners struggle with believing in themselves and their ability to achieve so we always appeal to the fact that when they walk in the door and they know nothing about Latin (Salsa - Zouk) dancing, just before they walk out the door we ask them as a group to assess their position at the end of the class and we have a one hundred percent positive result after that it is easy for them to continue.

Who was your role model when growing up and why?

Lenny's answer: Fred Astairs and Ginger Rogers wow what a couple and what a powerful pair of individuals, their abilities to glide on the dance floor was just superb and it always stuck in my mind that when they danced there was never a single time that they danced disconnected at all, they were definitely the most powerful image of dancers I have ever seen.

Mio's answer: I grew up in a very traditional environment but the teaching that we have tell us the we have to be competitive even with our selves so I would have to say that my role models were my teachers and family.

What would you like to see more of in Australia in regards to dance? (i.e. recognition of dance skills, more nation-wide dance events held etc)

Recognition of dance skill would be a great way to start; we have a lot of instructors and dancers that may not be at a level that would put them in a category of either an instructor or a performer. Also the fact that unless you are able to know multiple styles you are not regarded as a dancer but you might be extraordinary on a particular style.

So yes recognition of Dance Skill and not quantity of styles would be great to create more of an industry that focuses on growth.

I am a huge romantic and was wondering if you have you ever seen two people meet at one of your classes and are now married?

This is an easy question I believe that in the last 4 years we have had about 5 couples married and about 15 or so couples who are living together as de-facto. So yeah pretty good numbers I would say.

Plans for 2009?

Plans are always big just like our dreams but there will be more travelling and more students, new enterprise on the Sunshine coast, another tour of Japan and hopefully a tour of Europe, you can not stop dreaming otherwise you stop growing and if you stop growing you stop feeling and if you stop feeling you will most definitely stop doing. "That would be sad"

Vida Latina Dance Gym, Mio and I would like to thank Dance Phenomenon for the opportunity to share what we feel about what we love the most "Teaching - Dancing and Performing"

Thank you very much for taking the time in answering our questions at Dance Phenomenon.

© Dance Phenomenon 2009