A Personal interview with Jorge Elizondo
by Wandering Salsero
Wanderingsalsero.com
WWHAT IS YOUR CURRENT LIVING SITUATION AS A TRAVELING BACHATERO?
My current living situation is very unique because I
basically live out of my suite case as I travel around the world teaching
people a very unique Latin dance style
which I call ‘Bachata Fusion’. I’m ‘on the road’for about 280 days a year and
I actually do
travel literally ‘all over the world’.
I’ve stayed in some
of the finest hotels in the world but I’ve also shared apartments with friends
and my students in over 20 countries on every major continent except Africa.
The dance that I teach is based on a native dance
from the
I certainly do.
Because my craft is one of
creativity and passion, I love my life and and I do
realize that I’m very blessed to be able to live a dream like this as I spread
the joy of ‘Bachata Fusion’ all over the world.
My official ‘home of residence’ is in
Being home really does take me back to my roots. My
mom and dad are still alive and retired and I’ve currently transformed a
portion of their house into my Business Office, Warehouse and Production House.
I feel lucky to have my family help me in
my passion.
HOW HAS THE
RECESSION AFFECTED YOU PROFESSIONALLY AND THE GROWTH OF BACHATA?
The Recession has actually been good
for my business. The reason for that is that the uncertainly and depression
we’re seeing in certain sectors of our economy and our communities today causes people to appreciate the
value of personal relationships and social bonds.
Since
dancing is one of
the most enjoyable yet least expensive forms of socializing, it tends to be
something that people continue to do when other, more capital intensive forms of socializing
have been be cut out. It’s one of their
diversions that stays in the budget.
I’ve been teaching professionally since 2006 and my
unique brand of Bachata dance workshops continues to grow and expand globally
because I deliver a good product, at
a fair price, and one
that satisfies a burning need of
a hungry market.
In the early stages of developing my product and my
brand, “Bachata Fusion”, I realized that Bachata was a dance and a music form that the
‘market’ (i.e. dancers in general) and the ‘market makers’ (i.e. dance studios,
instructors and DJs) had casually but consistently relegated to the ‘other’
category of “Latin dancing” genre).
I knew sensed that Bachata
wasn’t getting the ‘respect’ and attention that it merited. But I had always
liked Bachata and, as it turned out, this market neglect turned out much in my
favor.
I took the
traditional form of Bachata and re-engineered
it, re-launched it and successfully re-introduced
it in a completely new light to an audience that had previously rejected it.
I developed "Bachata Fusion," a style of dance that combines movements and turn patterns from traditional
Bachata with some of the most exciting elements of Tango, Salsa and ChaCha.
Thus the term, and my brand name……..”Bachata
Fusion”.
Of
course, dance is an evolving art form because dance reflects society and
society is always changing. But the essential philosophy and core
of my new style, 
“Bachata Fusion”, is an
expressive and active style
of dance that recognizes no barriers to
expression and allows dancers to be more creative within an easy to follow
structure that anyone can learn.
The fact that Bachata always had this potential is
evident in the recent dramatic rise in Bachata singers, bands and recording
companies. This traditional music that
was once only sold from ‘under the counter’ in it’s home country, The Dominican
Republic, is now ‘on top of the counter’ and is danced, taught, sold and heard
around the world. Bands such as Aventura
are fusing the old sound
with the new and ‘packing the house’ wherever they go worldwide.
HOW HAS THE RECESSION AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
While on the one hand the
recession has enhanced the appreciation for what I have to offer and has
probably heightened my financial success, it has also had a negative effect on
my health. The reason for that is
because I travel so much that’s it’s been very difficult to watch my diet like
I should.
Picture take
3/15/10
Because I
have access to so much good food, I gained over 90 pounds since I first started
touring in 2006.
I’ve recently started
another campaign to improve my dietary habits and get back into better physical
shape and, although I’ve got a ways to go yet, I am seeing results
already. As one can easily understand,
physical appearance is very important in the dance profession. It’s a very competitive environment where
weight and looks can really help you or hurt you. I think it’s a testament to the quality of
what I do that I’ve been able to survive and prosper in spite of being overweight.
I’m
proud to say that I’ve just recently successfully finished a 3 week Fitness
Boot Camp in my home town. The result of
it was that I lost 20 
pounds and
gained a big boost in overall well being and self image. I can’t wait for the reaction from people
who
know the ‘old’ Jorge Elizondo when I go back on my Bachata Boot Camp World Tour
in May.
The positive side to all
these is that I’m able to offer a living example to all kinds of dancers…..i.e.
to those who are overweight themselves I show that you can be overweight and
still enjoy dancing. To those who are
trying to lose weight I show they can do it.
And perhaps to those dancers who don’t have any weight problems I give a
new appreciation of overweight dancers.
Another positive side of
success in my business, probably as in any business, is what I learn from the
character of other successful people in the business. Success doesn’t happen by accident and I’ve
learned a lot from other successful dancers and dance teachers.
Perhaps the most gratifying
consequence of my success is that I’ve been able to give more to those who I’d
like to be able to help. Everybody can
be ‘touched’ by somebody and I know that I’ve inspired many other dancers with
my own success.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST
IMPRESSIVE PERSONAL, DANCE OR SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT?
It started in high
school when I graduated at the age of 17 and became a senior at the UT Pan
American by the age of 18. I graduated
at the age of 21 with over 210 credit hours and a GPA of 3.56.
I’ve already mentioned my
previous personal campaign to lose weight.
During that time I went from a size 58 down to size 34. I’ll be there again real soon.
"Check out the Before
and After Images!"
Professionally I believe my
greatest achievement has been taking a dance, Bachata, that was almost unknown
outside it’s native country of the Dominican Republic, to being not just a
major niche in the Latin dance market one which actually reached out and absorbed
many of the best influences and nuances from other dances of supposedly greater
pedigree…..like tango, salsa, Cuban style casino rueda and cha-cha. In poker they call that ‘raising the stakes’.
In 2006 I self produced and
released Dance Bachata Volume 1, the first time ever step-by-step, well
structured digital instructional product for the masses. Although I’ve released several more
instructional DVDs since then, even that early volume included elements of what
I later began to call “Bachata Fusion”.
That early volume sold very
well because people saw something fresh in it.
Something above and beyond the simple side to side, 4 step movement that
had always been taught. In fact, in
those early days, people thought I was crazy because I would sometimes even do
workshops for free, giving my sponsors ‘the door’ while I tool the DVD
sales.
Back in those early days, I
was an ‘unknown’ in this business and almost nobody thought I would succeed or
that dancers would react positively to my methods. For that reason, I often was amused at their
surprise when I made as much or more from DVD sales as they did on ‘the door’.
I released “Learning to Dance Bachata Vol. 1” in 2006, and that was the first time the music of
Bachata had a well structured method that made it fast and easy for the masses to
learn how to dance it.
Even in those early days I
instinctively began to fuse movements
from traditional Bachata,
Salsa, cha-cha and
Tango. These additional elements made the
dance more expressive, sensuous and enjoyable both for the dancer and the
spectator.
Needless to say, the Bachata
purists were somewhat disdainful of my new Bachata Fusion ideas at that time. But the end result has been that the
traditional style of Bachata, known as “Bachata Dominicana” has itself become a
sub-genre of it’s own today.
Prior to my concept of
Bachata Fusion, a large portion of the Latin dance community, dominated of
course by the ‘salsa community’, thought that Bachata was a boring dance barely
worthy of attention or capable of any serious artistic expression. Because I knew otherwise and made it my
mission to elevate “Bachata Fusion” to the status of a world class dance, I’ve
been able over the last 4 years to travel to and teach in over 400 cities in
approximately 20 countries on 5 of the major continents of the world.
Over the last 4 years I have produced an
expansive product line of
over 27 instructional DVD’s in
Bachata, Bachata Tango, Salsa, Cha Cha, Cumbia and Argentine Tango. Not to brag…it’s just a fact. Only one other professional dance instructor
has produced a similar number of instructional products.
My DVDs have sold in over 50
countries around the world. In fact the
very first time I visited
WHAT IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR LIFE?
Most important relationship is the relationship I have with my students. I appreciate the success they have given me
and their continuing confidence in me and my products is a constant source of
motivation and inspiration.
When I see how they respond
to my workshops and I see and hear stories of their success on the dance floor
it is most gratifying. It’s a
compensation that goes well beyond just money to know that I’ve enriched their
lives with a skill that they’ll retain and use long after I’ve spent any money
that earned from the sale of the tangible product itself.
To know that I have a ‘home’
amongst this like minded group of people who treasure the joy of dancing is
truly inspiring and rewarding. As long
as there are students who want to learn what I can
teach them, I will continue to do it.
TELL US SOMETHING
EMBARRASSING ABOUT YOURSELF:
Although
I’m able to consciously ignore the fact of my weight gain during my travelling
life style I’ll admit
that I am embarrassed by my weight and physical appearance. Even on my current promotional material and
present Facebook page, I’m using pictures from back in my ‘thin days’.
Everyplace I go, if somebody
doesn’t actually know who I am, I frequently detect skepticism that I’m really
a successful dance instructor.
I was performing in Azucar
Night Club in
f course…..in
......................................................................Well, right when I went down
for the ‘dip’, my pants ripped right up the backside.!
As the cool breeze started to penetrate my bright blue
underwear I
realized that ‘the show must go on’. I
had a lot at stake here because I had told the club owner, who I also had never
previously met, that I was the ‘latest and greatest’ Bachata sensation from the
The lady didn’t know my
pants had ripped but I
could feel the cold air from the room chill my lower legs. I continued dancing with the lady as if nothing was wrong and I finished
the song with a bow.
During the dance I managed
to keep my backside toward the ‘rear’ (no pun intended) and I thought that
perhaps the audience didn’t catch my accident.
But when I ended the dance with a dramatic bow (and, I might add……generous
applause) as I walked off the floor with my partner, I noticed that there was a
mirror in back of the stage. And I later
realized that, very possibly, the audience was well aware of what had happened.
I have never felt so embarrassed in
my life, but I was proud to have continued dancing as if nothing had happened.
But the point is…. That’s
the day that I really realized how much I needed to lose the extra
weight. I realized that I needed to do it
not only to fit into
an industry that looks at beauty and fitness as a standard but also to prevent embarrassing
incidents such as I experienced there at Azucar Night Club in Bueno Aires.