Ariana Alexa

The Blue Eyed Salsera

My name is Ariana Alexa and I'm known in the Salsa Community as The Blue Eyed Salsera or Blue. 

I will be 15 years old this Thursday and have been dancing since I was 4. 

I specialize in Salsa On2, New York Style Salsa. My mom actually danced salsa as a child and taught salsa to an after school program until she was 6 months pregnant with me. 

I guess you can say I was born dancing! 

My biggest accomplishment was actually this year. I was only 14 years old and left my team in The Bronx to explore the Salsa Cabaret competition side. 

I also auditioned for the top female dancer in the world, the Mambo Diva Griselle Ponce and landed a spot on her Semi Pro Team in addition to being the understudy to her Professional team. 

My most memorable moments aside from traveling to different states and Salsa Congresses and exploring new cities and different dance workshops would definitely have to be dancing in the up and coming film Shine. 

I was asked to be an extra in the dance class scene. The lights, cameras.. just the whole experience is one I will never forget. 

My biggest challenge would have to be the commute and being able to manage my schedule. 

I am a sophomore in high school and also a Varsity Cheerleader. 

Because Salsa is not as common as more traditional dance styles like Ballet or Jazz, I commute almost 2 hours each way to get to my dance rehersals.

 Because of this, I am only able to train with the Professional team in the summer because I would get home from rehearsals after midnight. 

My advice to other dancers is enjoy every second, never be afraid to try new things or go to the auditions and most importantly never be afraid to showcase who you really are.

 Salsa dancing is not very common where I live, so although I loved dancing salsa, I often hid that part of my life when I was younger because I felt like no one could relate or consider me "a real dancer". 

Now I'm like, you know what? I really love what I do and all of the opportunities I've been given because of dance. 

I am, The Blue Eyed Salsera, and I am a dancer. 

For More from Ariana

Instagram: @the_blue_eyed_salsera

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