about us
Raul and Michaella Avila, co-owners, dance partners, husband and wife team.
Pictured at left is an older photo of us at our first studio. Raul had some hair!
Instead of the boring, over-inflated resumes that most people list on their 'about us' pages, I decided on a more personal blog-style rundown of who we are...Enjoy!
Our story began on the dance floor. Raul was a salsa instructor for DanceSport in Manhattan when I joined the studio to continue my international latin dance training. Peeking in on a salsa class, I thought all the dancers were looking 'sloppy' compared to the strict ballroom dancers I'd been accustomed to watching. But eventually, the music and dance won me over (and Raul ;-)). I still appreciate the competitive Latin and ballroom dancing, but the connection to the music isn't always there. As a classically trained musician, the music is key to my enjoyment of the dance. There is nothing like the driving rhythms of good classic salsa that get me moving on the dance floor! My personal favorites: Ray Barretto, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Willie Colon, Tito Puente.
I was SO not interested in a salsa dance instructor as a potential mate, but one magical day, I saw my future husband in the local laundromat. It turned out we were neighbors. I always joke around and say that there was this light around him as I watched him pour the liquid detergent into the washer. But there's a certain amount of truth to it. We struck up a friendship as it turned out that we had many other interests in common. Eventually, we began dancing together in earnest, and a very dramatic romantic involvement ensued.
Spring of 2000, Raul was laid off from Merrill Lynch where he had worked in the IT department for over 12 years. I was jobless as I had recently gotten divorced and could no longer work with my ex. (We had a business together.) Raul's sister suggested that we open a salsa dance studio in White Plains. "White Plains? What is up there?", I thought. Definitely no salsa. Another magical moment that will remain in the memory banks forever: our phone conversation when weS decided that we would really do it...as crazy as it seemed, there was a feeling there that we were on to something good. Well, our personal relationship was a bit messy at the time but we knew we could trust each other.
Mid July 2000, we find the perfect location on Main Street, where the new Ritz Carlton hotel is now being built. Thestudio was the perfect size, the main dance floor opened 
to a wall of windows facing Main Street and the beautiful water fountain that is now Renaissance Plaza. I waltzed around like Ginger Rogers when I first entered the space. Within a month and a half, we were open for business! Those first years were difficult. We had no idea how to market this thing. We knew how to dance, we knew how to teach, but how do we let all these people know that we were here? Our first month we had 40 students.
Some highlights from the Dance Mosaic days: Salsa Madness, our monthly social with Henry Knowles. Free Friday night practice parties. Puerto Rico Salsa Congress 2002. Our famous Spooky Salsa Fests. Yoga at Mosaic. Juicing Lecture and Demonstration. 9/11/2002 Memorial Dance for Peace. My baby shower. All the wonderful friendships that were made. Late nights with live drumming, African dancing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, all kinds of stimulating conversations with priests and wardens, mathematicians and musicians. No joke! There are so many great memories, too numerous to list here!
Me and Raul, Puerto Rico World Salsa Congress 2002
Me & Henry Knowles, Salsa Madness Christmas Party 2002
Raul and I performing our "Count Sals-ula" Skit/Dance, 3rd Annual Spooky Salsa Fest 2002, I'm one month prego here!
Tree Pose, Yoga
at Mosaic, 200?
The Saga Continues...The day after I gave birth at home to Heru, our first son together, we received a notice that the building was sold and that we would be studio-less in six months time! We soon made our partnership legal in the eyes of the state of New York, i.e. we got hitched and I actually wore white, hahaha! Ah, the twists and turns of life.
Luckily, I had an acquaintance who had just opened a children's dance studio close by. February of 2004, we continued our classes there, operating as danceSALSA studios. At first, it was a little depressing, downsizing from a 2000 sq ft studio to a table and file cabinet, renting out a couple of rooms. But we chose not to dwell in the circumstances. We were grateful that we at least had this opportunity to continue growing our business. God forbid if we had to get real jobs!
The time spent at City Center Dance was an awesome learning experience. We continued honing our teaching style, we experimented with different classes and workshops and schedules. We brought in assistant instructors. We let go of assistant instructors. I started a Westchester Salsa Meetup Group, which has grown from one member to over 500! We had a brief stint in Yonkers. Zuppa meetups were memorable, bringing in music greats such as Jose Mangual, Jr., Jimmy Delgado, Hilton Ruiz, Herman Oliveras. We kept plugging away doing what we knew best, teaching students how to dance. We learned lessons in professionalism, courtesy and just being understanding of each student's situation.
Free Lesson, Salsa Wednesdays at Zuppa, 2004
Hilton Ruiz, Salsa Wednesdays at Zuppa, 2004
Mike, Nil & Graeme, Workshop at Trolley Barn, Yonkers, 2004
1st Student Performance Class, City Center Dance 2004
Salsa Class, City Center Dance 2006
Our student base just keeps growing. Doors continue to open. I gave birth to our second son, Kai, again at home, completely naturally (no drugs) in the birthing tub as I had done with Heru. We produced a new Timing CD that has started to sell all over the world. We took students all the way to Miami for their first competition. This past summer, we presented our 5th student performance class at the Hispanic Heritage Festival and at Salsa In the City, which turned out to be a phenomenally successful salsa event, drawing 500 people out to downtown White Plains! I recently decided that I would go back for my PhD in Psychology to practice creative arts and movement therapy. As if I'm not busy enough with 4 children under 10! We were doing well at City Center and liked the convenience of renting space. I felt that the business had stabilized enough that I would be able to shift my focus.
Was I wrong! I receive an email from a guy who read an article in White Plains Magazine that featured danceSALSA studios asking if I was interested in a dance studio space in White Plains. "No, not really." But I had to find out where and how much. Without divulging all our financials, let's just say, "He made me an offer I couldn't refuse!" (Imitate the Godfather voice here) So here we are!
Ifa Dancenter will open October 2, 2006. We feel truly blessed and are grateful for all the support we've received over the years from all of our former and current students, and to all the angels and ancestors! So, that is the story so far without ALL the gory details and drama. We have great things in store for the Westchester community and beyond! And I'm sure there will be more gore, more drama, more amazing memories and definitely MAS SALSA!
See y'all on the dance floor! Michaella 'MichaShines' Avila.
