Latin Passion SVG hosts special class to mark first anniversary
A local latin dance group has celebrated its first anniversary with a special class held on Wednesday, September 10, at the Lionâs Den Kingstown.
Latin Passion SVG, which was founded in September 2013, caters to beginners, intermediates and experienced {{more}}dancers â tutoring them in Salsa, Cha Cha, Bachata and Kizomba dancing.
Founders Kimya Glasgow and Anton Jardine expressed their delight at having reached this milestone, and were very pleased that the turnout at the special anniversary event surpassed their expectations.
âWe were quite surprised!â said Glasgow, who is also a local clothing and accessories designer.
Glasgow said that although the groupâs journey thus far has had a few bumps along the way, it has mostly been a rewarding experience.
Having started with just 10 students, Latin Passion SVG now has approximately 40 registered students.
Glasgow said that she is very proud of the progress that the group has made, especially the beginner students. She noted that a visit from a St Lucian Latin dance group earlier this year provided a much needed boost to Latin Passion SVGâs members.
âThe excitement that they [St Lucian dance group] brought, and when you see the level that theyâre at… it was inspiring… it was a beautiful experience,â she enthused.
Jardine said that he hopes to take the group forward by partnering with tourism authorities to make latin dancing a part of what St Vincent and the Grenadines offers to its visitors.
âWe want to sell it as a tourism product,â he explained. âWe are hoping to collaborate with the different ministries on that.â
Jardine also mentioned that he and Glasgow want to market Latin dancing as an alternative way of keeping fit and healthy.
He pointed out that latin dancing is a low impact form of exercise that doesnât wreak as much havoc on the body as running or gym workouts do.
Glasgow added: âYou really donât feel like youâre working out, because there is so much fun to it… youâre doing a lot of cardiovascular.â
One challenge that the group is hoping to overcome is the lack of male participants â most of Latin Passion SVGâs more experienced dancers are female.
âYou canât do Latin dancing without a strong male partner,â said Glasgow.
âPeople have a lot of preconceived notions about what Latin dancing is like â that prevents them from… trying or even seeing what itâs like. Once people get past a particular age, we tend to not want to try new things… weâve lost that child-like fun… it doesnât allow us to jump in and try something new.â
Both Jardine and Glasgow are encouraging the public to attend beginner classes, which take place at the Lionâs Den on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. onward.(JSV)