Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Barrera.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a ballroom dancer by trade. Second generation born into a family of World Champion parents and an uncle that runs a newspaper for our industry and is a very popular official. I was a competing professional in the international standard style of dance. Waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz, and quickstep. Myself and a dance partner would travel the world to train, compete, and perform. For fun, I was always be able to find a local social dance place where I would spend my free nights social dancing. I didn’t always speak the language and dancing made it easy to make new friends. It was mostly salsa and bachata (2011). There was that one time I stumbled upon a Kizomba class in Spain (2013) and attended with a good friend of mine. Literally never thought that dance would come back into my life. I remember the bachata style over in Europe was drastically different from what I grew up with here in Florida. It was fun and unique and allowed me to use my other dance training for body movement and isolations! I share this because it is important to note my previous exposure to the dances that make up most of my days today (2021). In 2014 I moved to NYC to continue my ballroom career. As far as social dancing goes, there was plenty of salsa, hustle, and argentine tango in the city. Unfortunately, the scene for kizomba and bachata was something I never really found (probably for the best at the time). The most I did was teach a local Bachata Class with basic turns and patterns.
Fast forward to 2019, I was training and making great progress with my dance partner. We got a job and a sponsorship at an American dance studio where we both relocated. At this time, I began to feel an intense amount of pain in my body. Swelling, cracking, aches, muscle fatigue that impacted my performance. I went through a period of overtraining to correct the problem and it kept getting worse. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. My partner and I split and I moved back home with my family. I spent some time in personal development and had to deal with my body no longer supporting my dance career. I thought, “What is my self-worth if my body is broken?”. I had to confront my self-image and be intentional as to what comes next. In 2020, the global pandemic began and the world “shut down”. My family and I had no choice but to close our businesses that spring and prepare for the worst. I was suddenly unable to afford or even have access to my medical treatments I’d found and I turned to focusing on my diet and sleep. I was home for a good three months. The lifestyle change and rest helped immensely but I still had major physical responses to the stress. There were riots and protests on TV and I felt cheated and angry that I was not allowed to work.
June of 2020 was the beginning of a new chapter for me. Inside of what I thought was my worst nightmare would soon give way to the best days of my life, a dream come true, and the business I have today. I was determined to be a good citizen and remain in quarantine. After months of turning down invitations to very small dance parties, my mom is the one that suggested it would be a good idea. She was concerned about my emotional and mental well-being. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to dance, stay out late, or eat like everyone else. At the time, I struggled to lift my arms and even walk without a limp. I packed my things and my cooler with my meals and went to Orlando for the weekend. I’m from Sarasota and I drove with a friend just over 2 hours to meet some Bachata dancers at a birthday party. I didn’t know any of the other guests but like I said, it’s easy to make friends when you’re dancing! I was introduced and fell in love with two new dance styles I had never heard of, Bachata Sensual and Urban Kiz. I laughed, made new friends, danced all day, and my cooler and meals became a conversation starter. I felt better than I had since my diagnosis. Little did I know that I would spend the next seven weekends straight in Orlando. My body began to heal and I regained a lot of my mobility! It wasn’t long before I realized this was something I wanted access to in my hometown. In July 2020, I taught my very first Bachata Sensual class with one of my best friends. She helped me design my class and teach the students with me. It began as a very secret endeavor as dancing was very taboo at the time. The students I had were missing the physical activity and social activity just as much as I was. I picked up another group of students in St. Pete in August. We danced in someone’s living room and the park until we could find a studio that would accept a group of dancers. Not only did I find a community that would dance with me, I was also able to work again! By November 2020 Bachata Fuego SRQ came to life. I had made friends that walked me through each step of the journey. Creating a website, logo, and social media accounts. My family was happy to see me really giving my all to this new endeavor and for me, I found a way to dance in a way that worked for my body. Low impact, low stress, and surrounded by wonderful people.
November 2021, we celebrated the first anniversary of Bachata Fuego and it was such a surreal experience. This was our first weekender event with workshops, shows, and socials. In the past year, I have taught on my own and in collaboration with other dance artists in multiple cities. Today we have multiple instructors that are a part of the movement. We offer level 1 and 2 bachata and urban kiz, and ladies styling and technique. We love to travel for festivals, out of town socials, and to support local events. I’ve taken on the role of Choreographer as well with the Bachata Fuego Entertainment company. We perform at private and public events! Bachata Fuego hosts social dancing events and Bootcamps for dancers! I’ve recently joined a professional Samba Company and we also perform and private and public events. I so incredibly thankful for every single person I’ve met, every friend I’ve made, every lesson I’ve learned both in dance and personal. I found a community to be a part of just the way I am.
The past few years have been a true testament to the quote “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
In the future, I plan to pass along my story. “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” I want to inspire others to follow their passion and know that our dreams might look different than how we imagined. If we are open to following our path, we will find it on the other side of fear. I want to encourage dancers that feel they don’t have what it takes or injuries or illness that stands in their way. There is a community that is right for you. No one can take your dreams away. It just takes being willing to do what you can, when you can.
To this day, I am a relevant member of the Orlando dance community. Although I live far away, I attend events and teach in the city regularly. The Orlando dancers also make an effort to come to my events 🙂
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I live in an area that is mostly salsa-oriented. There was not a large amount of bachata-focused dancers and very few knew about bachata sensual and fusion. It has been both amazing and challenging as I am serving a client base that did not exist at first. In a way, it is nice to have the opportunity to create a culture that is authentic to my brand. Due to the pandemic, it was difficult to find training for these urban styles locally. I did a lot of online courses at the start and had to really be intentional about attending classes with guest teachers from other places. Even today, traveling abroad is not the most convenient for many reasons. I am thankful that some of the organizations are working to bring style creators from Spain here to the US for us to train with. We are also very lucky to have our own up and coming stars here in the USA that have really put in the effort to travel and offer intensives to the smaller communities.
I come from the ballroom dance world where the industry is set up as a career path. Most ballroom dancers do not need to work multiple other jobs to sustain the dance lifestyle but it seems it is very different in the social dance world. Many professionals in this current scene are working as a side hustle. I’ve had to confront being the organizer of fun social dance events and bringing people together while also providing a valuable product for my clients. I am here to have a good time and also build a thriving business. I want my clients to be able to count on me for the long term and vice versa. I want to create a culture where dancers truly enjoy the learning process and have longevity in their dance experience.
I am a solo female instructor. That means most of my classes, I teach both the lead and follow parts. I am often asked who I teach with and many can not comprehend that I can hold the class on my own. I have also had people assume that I only teach ladies styling. As if my dance knowledge only goes as far as what kind of style I choose on the dance floor.
In ballroom dancing, we are expected to learn both parts for the following purposes: A. If I know my partner’s steps, I can be more precise in my own movement. Both in knowing where my weight is and so as not to disturb my partner’s movement. B. In order to teach these things to my students, I must be educated in the patterns as a whole. C. In the examinations, we are expected to recite the direction, footwork, timing, and body movement for both the lead and the follow.
I do very much enjoy teaching with a partner because it is fun and I always learn something from other instructors. I teach bootcamps with a partner, I have assisted classes, I have had assistants, and I’ve taught workshops. However, I have been extremely intentional about branding myself as a solo female. In this industry, it can be detrimental when there is a partnership breakup for the reasons mentioned above. Even doing a single class with a male instructor, many viewers will assume it is my new dance partner for months after a one-time thing. My goal is to inspire dancers (especially instructors) to learn both parts. For better understanding of our craft and so that we aren’t forced to stay in unhealthy partnerships for the sake of our business.
During the shutdown, it was challenging to find space that would allow “groups” and even more important “dancers”. It was taboo and very “irresponsible” to some. For me, again, it was to care for those of us that deem social activity and physical activity at essential.
To this day, I am still understanding how this industry operates. We are not fully back to “normal” and who knows if we will ever be. I sometimes feel like I am walking in the dark. I have been very lucky to have friends guiding me along the way. It’s both exciting because I can be creative in how I do things, and I am also a bit wary of the unknown!
Anyone who has run a business knows how much work goes into it, especially at the start. I am still learning to live with my autoimmune condition and I find myself burning the candle at both ends sometimes. It is something I don’t know how to explain to people. I’ll go around the clock and attend all the events for two weeks straight and then need three weeks to recover. And some days, I am so tired that I don’t greet everyone in the room. Sometimes I get complaints about this and I’m still learning how to deal with that. At the end of the day, I am human. I have learned to give myself grace and do what I can when I can. If there’s anything I want to give from that, it’s that in this community, I want people to know they can come as they are. We don’t have to be a particular way all of the time. Come out when you’re sad, tired, stressed, happy, celebrating, bored, or excited! It all works here.
Growing pains. As my dancers grow and improve, I’ve had to take on new instructors and find new class times to add in multiple dance levels! I have learned there is only one of me and for the sake of our dancers, I’ve requested backup! It’s amazing to see people come together to grow this community. I am thankful to our instructors.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a ballroom dancer by trade. I grew up in a dancing family. I dance 29 different partner dances. I grew up training in solo dances like ballet, modern, hip hop, jazz, and contemporary, and the most minor experience in tap. I am trained in pedagogy (teaching children), choreography, private lessons, and adult group classes. I like to think I am a very well-rounded performer. I also have training in musical theater: singing (if I have to), blocking, stage presence, acting, professionalism and theater etiquette. My professional career in ballroom was as a competitor in international standard: waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz. I traveled the world to train and compete and lived in Italy, Poland, Daytona Beach, and New York City for dance. Along the way, I learned fluent Italian, improved my Spanish and the smallest bit of Polish. This means I can teach dancing in a few different languages. After all of my training, I’d say I specialize in partner dancing. The techniques of leading and following.
In this industry, I am known for dancing “everything”. I was once called a chameleon because I always match the style and energy of the people I am dancing with so well it is noticeable. I am also known for being a huge supporter of dance events near and far with my group. I am pretty much branded with my city of Sarasota and some also think I live in Orlando.
I am most proud of my ability to inspire others to dance and to treat each other like family. I have a way of getting people to go out of their comfort zone to try new things! I think outside the box and am not looking to fit the status quo.
What sets me apart is that I am a solo female instructor. I teach alone and I make the decisions for my business. I have branded myself as a professional on my own. I teach both parts. I focus on the comfort of the lead and the responsiveness and style of the follow. How to look sexy and feminine without being tasteless or raunchy.
My events cater to the urban styles. Where I live this idea is unpopular and has lost me the existing clientele that is mainly salsa dancers. I have created a new community and offer something different. We are so loud that other events are now catering to the styles WE like. It’s awesome and magical and scary and exciting every day.
I am also very available to my students. We travel together and I am happiest when we go to events together as a group. It is the best feeling when we go out of town and we have a pride about ourselves and our mission. We are all very aware of what we are creating and the students love to share with others. I love that.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Identify YOUR vision and find YOUR people. You can’t please everyone and you are the only one that does what you do the way that you do it. The current market exists for the current products that are already out there. Trying to compete with more of the same isn’t why you’re starting your own thing. Stick to your gut until you can see your vision in front of you. Others will follow. If you’re hesitant, so will your team. Only offer information you’re willing to hear opinions and advice about. If not, keep it to yourself and your staff. There are so many opinions to be had and it is based on the past experience of others. They are not any more valid than your opinions. Make a choice and deal with the consequence for better or for worse. Your vision and your mission are what matters. Success comes with perseverance and consistency not approval from others.
Pricing:
- Products range $12-$350
Contact Info:
- Email: natasha@bachatafuego.com
- Website: www.bachatafuego.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bachatafuegosrq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bachatafuegosrq/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRpPFsZhq2zm_3e7ZOpyI3Q
- Other: https://linktr.ee/bachatafuego
Image Credits
Craig Fl Dance Orlando Nova Star Media Atlanta Moving Grace Media Sarasota
