Salsa is one of the fastest spreading Latin dance forms in India. Everybody has heard about it. Everybody wants to do it! Salsa in Spanish means sauce, a rather spicy sauce. It also hints at a “mixture” of ingredients which had made it spicy. Salsa is more than just a dance form. Some say that it a magic drug which improves the quality of your life. Lets just say that it is subject to interpretation and it is a very accommodating dance form,which generously imbibes into itself, the styling from a lot of dance forms across the world.

Having said that, let me introduce to John Anthony, Founder & CEO and his Latino Rhythms Dance Academy based in Bangalore, India that specializes in Salsa and other dance forms like Jive, Bachata, Rueda de Casino and Cha-Cha. He has made a business establishment out of what he loves the most, dance!

Latino Rhythms Dance Academy was founded in 2005 and has seen close to 1500 students in the past 4 years. John admits that it is no easy task to build a dance school right from the scratch when the odds against them. Now that Latino Rhythms is comfortably established, he has big plans for his dance school and his students. By 2012, he wants to see his students perform at the International Salsa Congress that happen all over the world. He also plans to tie-up with various well established Latin dance school in the US for mutually beneficial exchange programs. Yes! He is very ambitious but already has chartered plans to achieve his goals for the dance school. And most of us know that without passion and ambition, nothing much can be achieved.

This was what John Anthony had to tell  India Startup Diary:

1. How did you get interested in dancing? Did you at that point in time see that you will be having a dance school in the future?

   Ans : I started as just a stress buster, never ever dreamt that I would have a school

2. What is your dance philosophy?

   Ans :When you have feet to walk , you can definitely dance.

3. How did Latino Rhythms come into being and how big is your school right now?

   Ans : The idea sprung when I choreographed a routine for my colleagues in an office party which went on to become a big hit. My confidence grew and I started teaching people who were not my colleagues. From then, there was no stopping.

4. India is still young when it comes to Latin dance forms. Whom did you train under?

   Ans: I started learning Jive under Prithvi and Ree from Rock Around the Clock Dance Academy. I was later drawn to Salsa and was under Richard Tholoor from Lourd Vijay’s Dance Studio. Dancing beyond a point is how you interpret the music and improvise on what you have learnt. I am mostly self taught and I have learnt most of my techniques and styling by watching a lot of dance videos.

5. Who is your target segment?

   Ans :Corporates and students. We are working on a lot of programs for college students, host parties at popular clubs, provide student discounts,conduct workshops and so on.

6. How is it going so far and where do you see yourself and Latino Rhythms in 2 years time? Ans: So far, so good, Latino Rhythms in the next 2 years for sure, will be one of the best dance academies in India. In the future, we would not only concentrate on Latin dance forms but also on other dance forms and fitness activities like Bollywood, Hip Hop , Belly Dancing, Ballet, Yoga, Kick Boxing, Aerobics and so on.

7. What are the challenges that you face currently and how do you plan to overcome them?

   Ans:Its always a challenge to get more youngsters involved in dance , especially Salsa because it takes a little longer to learn and needs a whole lot of patience.

8. Finally, what do you have to tell to a person who wants to dance ?

   Ans : Just dance no matter what, don’t ever be bothered about who is watching you. Just take on the floor and enjoy. Some have a natural rhythm and learn faster and some are little slower in learning but eventually everyone does learn. Dance is not rocket science so learn it. Salsa is not just a dance form , but it also something that can help you with a lot of things like  improving your concentration skills, being confident, basic discipline, widening your thought process and kill the stress..

    

   Contact details:

   email jalatino@gmail.com,

   phone: +91 98454 33370

   website : www.latinorhythms.in

Author’s note : Watch out next week for Part 3 of 4 of this series!