How The Salsa Guy acts as a cultural bridge to connect the community through dance
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- 8News is honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, and in doing so is highlighting a Latin dance expert in the community known as The Salsa Guy.
Angel Alberto Rodríguez Serrano has been teaching, entertaining and connecting the Richmond community through dance for years.
"In addition to salsa, I try to teach most of the Latin dances like bachata, cumbia -- which are dances from the Caribbean," he explained.
Serrano grew up in New York and Puerto Rico, and was inspired to start teaching after moving back to the United States.
"When I left the island, I looked back and I said, 'Man, all the stuff that I missed out,'" Serrano said. "So, then I started really getting involved into salsa dancing and everything that had to do with folk."
Several times a week, you can find him teaching couples, corporate teams and beginners.
"I teach to everyone. If they have two left feet, that's my specialty. I can fix that," he said.
He said his mission is to teach others about his culture, and make sure everyone feels comfortable on the dance floor.
"What I do is kind of like a bridge," he said. "It allows people to, that maybe never traveled before, to be able to see a little bit of somebody, of a country and give everybody understanding that, we know, we're not all Mexicans. The diversity within our own countries is just tremendous," Serrano said.
Serrano is also the director of Tradición Dance Company, a Latin American Folkloric Dance Company. The talented team travels across the country to entertain at festivals, parades, and cultural events throughout the year.
"For me, the best thing is to be able to give people the ability to be able to want to dance. Even if they do one or two moves, to be able to just have fun because at the end of the day, when you're out there socializing, you need to have that self-confidence to be able to dance," Serrano said.
More information about classes can be found at the Salsa Guy Richmond website.
