Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliot Cartagena.
Hi Elliot, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Elliot Cartagena born in Puerto Rico. Since I was a kid, I love arts and entertainment. I was the one doing dances and productions at school and even on family activities. When I was 13 to 20 years old, I began dancing in a professional level and it was during that time I discovered my passion for beauty pageants and my passion on helping girls achieve their dreams. When I was 20 years old, I created my own Modeling Competition called Puerto Rico South Model, through this competition great models were discovered and they were very successful. This competition was a success till it came to an end 10 years later evolving into a new challenge in my life. I have a bachelor degree in Business Administration so when I graduated, I decided to create my own Performing Arts Academy called Loud Performing Arts because I didn’t find a job so I created myself one, I remembered when I did it, many people told me it wasn’t a good idea but I trusted my gut and heart. I’ve been working on it for almost 9 years and I’ve been discovering lot of talents in dance and modeling helping them grow. It hasn’t been easy, with Hurricane Maria, earthquakes, and other challenges but I’m doing it. At the same time, I have been always really close to beauty pageants. I was a regional director for Miss Universe PR and I have been pageant coach for more than 16 girls including the reigning Miss Teen World PR and the actual first runner-up of Miss Universe PR. As a pageant coach, I work their runway, communication skills, competition strategies among others. I’m also the choreographer for Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico pageant that chooses the queens for Miss Grand International, Miss International, and Miss Supranational. Recently I started expanding my business as pageant coach to the Florida Area training the beautiful Natalia Aldarondo Miss Florida Earth to the Miss Earth USA competition. I’m planning on having more presence in Orlando and have the opportunity to help other beautiful girls in Orlando to become the better version of themselves. In this point I am in life, I don’t want to hold back and I want to go for everything I dreamed.
My life hasn’t been easy, it wasn’t easy growing up, this past. years hasn’t been the greatest with lot of bumps in the road and in top of that I come from a little town in my island and I don’t like to bring lot of attention to myself, I like to let my work talks but, in this industry, sometimes it’s not that simple, but I have been always working to achieve my dreams and goals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a roller-coaster with ups and downs. Starting my business back when I graduated from my bachelor degree, I didn’t have a lot of capital to start my business, so I remember I started with a loan of 5, 000.00 to build a business and it was difficult because all the expenses that involved to create and build a business as mine, but I worked hard for my goal and I went and open Loud Performing Arts. At the beginning It was hard, I didn’t have lot of opportunities because I was the new one, didn’t have lot of experience and I was young so many people told me I was not going to be successful but I focused myself to make it work and prove myself that I was going in the right path.
One of the biggest challenges I had was Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico was devastated, didn’t have power so it was difficult to run a Perfoming Arts Center in my town so at that point I was sure it was the end. But I reinvented myself and move the classes to an open spot near the business, so it was like starting from scratch again because we didn’t have power, didn’t have internet so people didn’t know what we’re doing, s it took two weeks to have at least 10 students. I always say that Maria was a challenge it was difficult but at the same time it was a blessing because it forces me to think outside the box, I moved my business to another space and after that we started to have lot of students coming in, so my business grew after Maria.
After Maria business was growin, I was growing as a model and pageant coach in the industry but suddenly the earthquakes happens in Puerto Rico, so we have to be in pause for some time, so it was difficult because even though we were not working, we had to pay everything to keep the business so it was not easy,
But the biggest challenge I have to face definitely was the COVID pandemic. At first, we were shutdown, then I had to think outside the box so I started online classes that worked for adult students but it was really difficult for kids. At the same time, I was coaching pageant girl online and it was easy for the interview training but really difficult for runway classes because I’m the kind of coach that needs that one on one with my client, and online, we don’t have that. After some time, I decided to go back to my studio doing all de the protocol process and started working again. Again, it was difficult to build again the group of clients because people were still afraid, and honestly so was I, but I needed to work. I remembered during this time I was coaching Miss Bayamon Universe and we didn’t meet until after months of working just online.
I think challenges comes to make you stronger, during these last years I’ve been struggling with issues as anxiety and depression and I mentioned it because people can think because we struggle with that we cannot work or be successful, but I want to set the example that it’s a challenge but if you want and you do the work you would be successful. I’m not saying is easy but nothing in life is easy, so we just have to focused, get the help, and work hard every day. I didn’t let situations or challenges stop me and right now I’m on my way to make more and be more, I’m expanding my business and I’m even nominated as Best Runway Coach in the New York Fashion Awards.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a choreographer, runway coach, communication skills coach, public speaking coach, event producer.
As a choreographer I have worked with Puerto Rico Supermodel, Miss Teen World Puerto Rico, National Basketball League, and recently I worked with Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico as the choreographer for the Live Broadcast of the Final event. I’m also working with Miss Teen Universe PR as their choreographer in their next pageant.
As a runway coach and public speaking coach I have worked with lot of queens as Mayrian Michel Miss Teen World PR 2022, Leonela Gonzalez First Runner Up of Mis Universe PR, Natalia Aldarondo Miss Florida Earth and second runner up in Miss Earth USA, Jeidangely Dueno winner of a Model Competition in Florida among others.
As a dance coach, I’ve been coaching my team in International Championships winning for our studio approx… 50 trophies. Also, I’ve train students to work with some artist in great events.
What sets me apart of others is that I love what I do, and I don’t work for recognition I work because I find peace and satisfaction in what I do. I have been in the industry for more than 20 years and I’m always looking what’s new and how to improve. Other thing that sets me apart is that I treat my clients or students as individuals, I don’t have a generic strategy, I work with the needs and style of each of them, making them unique and enhancing the great things they already have.
I’m proud of everything I do in my work. But my favorite is helping others become a better version of themselves
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t stop fighting, many people are going to tell you to stop, to change your dream, or that you are not good enough. Prove them wrong by always believing in yourself, studying, learning, and always growing. No matter what type of business or work you wanna do in life is your determination that makes you go further and stand out. Another advice that I could give is that you need to be patient, things take time, so don’t get annoyed when things go slow or maybe you don’t get the results you want when you want, keep pushing I can assure you it will happen. I have to say may times at the beginning I wanted to give up but I didn’t and guess what? I made it and I keep pushing because we don’t have limits.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: eleotcartagena
- Facebook: eleotcartagena
