Tito started his career as a Salsa Dancer by his parent's initiative, both musicians. A top level dancer of many genres such as: Jazz, Merengue, "Bomba y Plena", Rumba, Modern Dance and Tap among others. He has visited more than 100 cities worldwide giving performances and classes, with his wife and dance partner Tamara Livolsi.
Having participated in various television commercials, dance videos and movies such as, "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights", Yellow, El Cantante: Hector Lavoe and American Gangster as dancers, he is no stranger to the stage.
Today, Tito is not only a Salsa Dancer, he also is the Director of the San Juan City Salsa Dance Program and has made the choreographic works for concerts of artists such as: Gilberto Santa Rosa, Víctor Manuelle, El Gran Combo, Michael Stuart, Tito Nieves, Rubén Blades, Richie Rey y Bobby Cruz, Domingo Quiñones, Ismael Miranda, Elvis Crespo, Cheo Feliciano, Modesto Cepeda, Andy Montañez, NG2, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Tommy Olivencia, Julio Voltio and Tego Calderón. He was also the choreographer for the "Bomba" and "Cha-Cha-Cha" routine in Ricky Martin's appearance in Miss Universe 2001 and the Celia Cruz "Azúcar" Special in Miami in 2003.
Even after all this stardom, Tito remains humble, kind and readily shares his knowledge with so many!
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Tito started his career as a Salsa Dancer by his parent's initiative, both musicians. A top level dancer of many genres such as: Jazz, Merengue, "Bomba y Plena", Rumba, Modern Dance and Tap among others. He has visited more than 100 cities worldwide giving performances and classes, with his wife and dance partner Tamara Livolsi.
Having participated in various television commercials, dance videos and movies such as, "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights", Yellow, El Cantante: Hector Lavoe and American Gangster as dancers, he is no stranger to the stage.
Today, Tito is not only a Salsa Dancer, he also is the Director of the San Juan City Salsa Dance Program and has made the choreographic works for concerts of artists such as: Gilberto Santa Rosa, Víctor Manuelle, El Gran Combo, Michael Stuart, Tito Nieves, Rubén Blades, Richie Rey y Bobby Cruz, Domingo Quiñones, Ismael Miranda, Elvis Crespo, Cheo Feliciano, Modesto Cepeda, Andy Montañez, NG2, Luis "Perico" Ortiz, Tommy Olivencia, Julio Voltio and Tego Calderón. He was also the choreographer for the "Bomba" and "Cha-Cha-Cha" routine in Ricky Martin's appearance in Miss Universe 2001 and the Celia Cruz "Azúcar" Special in Miami in 2003.
Even after all this stardom, Tito remains humble, kind and readily shares his knowledge with so many!
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Voiceover 0:06
Welcome to the Choreograph Your Life podcast, where we dig deep into the journey of people's pursuit of their passion for dance. Join us as our host and guests discuss their dance journeys, the business of dance obstacles they face, and even lessons learned along the way. Now, here's your host, Sonia Kyriacou.
Sonia Kyriacou 0:28
Welcome to my podcast "choreograph your life". Today's guest is born in Puerto Rico has been dancing since he could walk and has choreographed and performed with major artists such as Victor Manuel, El Gran Combo, Ricky Martin and even Elvis Crespo. Everyone, please welcome Tito Ortos.
Tito Ortos 0:49
Hello, everybody.
Sonia Kyriacou 0:53
How are you? Thank you for joining us today.
Tito Ortos 0:56
Thank you for having me here. Very nice to see you see you healthy and very happy to have this moment with you.
Sonia Kyriacou 1:04
Thank you so much. It is actually a great honor for both of us to have our health right now with what's going on around the world. But you know, I think there's something to be said about dancers. We're always we have long lives. Yes, we're healthy.
Tito Ortos 1:17
Mm hmm.
Sonia Kyriacou 1:19
Dancing...dancing is good for you! So I want to talk to you a little bit about how you started in your dancing, your history. So your parents are musicians, correct?
Tito Ortos 1:32
Well, I start in the music since I was very young because my father like you said, it's a musician. It was a bandleader. Also, my mom is a musician, my grandpa's everybody in my family, some way or another they are they are or study music, or they are just professional musicians. And one moment always my dad, in certain moment, they he put me for the very first time to play some instrument. The first one was like clarinet. And then bass. Bass actually basically was because I want to be part of a rock band in my school. My high school.
Sonia Kyriacou 2:13
That's awesome.
Tito Ortos 2:14
And later on was a guitar that was because I just love love the guitar and I want to learn how to play the guitar. But at one moment, my dad has a band, I was in my last year of high school. He wanted me to be one of the singers of the his band. And he put me to take some classes of singing with Alan de Castro, Domingo Quinones. And he took me to my first teachers of dancing, that the first one was a guy Tito from Puerto Rico, but he just give me one class and then actually I went to my actually a teacher that was Papito Hala Hala. And that was my my, my first teacher. So he just brought me over there because he wanted me to be one of the singers in the front of the band. And we do a lot of things. We did our things with the band, we record some CDs and music. But I will say my, my feet were better than my voice. And then I just did with the with the dancing and when I was over there with my, with my teacher, Papito Hala Hala there was a group that he did was the Hala Hala Dancers. So great team, great dancers that were there in that moment. Felipe Polanco, Tania Santiago, Pilar, Angel and Ingrid . And at the moment, Papito, was putting together a concert for Roberto Roena. And I was just taking my regular classes, and I just was sitting down over there after I took my classes. And they were rehearsing for the concert. So Papito at the moment, Tania was without any, any partner, and that her partner used to be another guy from Puerto Rico, Carmelo, he wasn't able to do the work, and Papito ask me like, Do you dare to try to learn that choreography that routine? And I was like, like five weeks taking classes, I think five or six week taking classes. And I said well I'll try and at the moment, so I what I did, as was already in my university, my first University I finished university. I go, I do like three hours of track and field I was an I was an athlete for the university. And after that, I went to the rehearsals with first my class with Papito and then I stayed with a rehearsal of the Hala Hala dancers. And that just gave me the opportunity I I was able to do it at the moment, at least learn the routine because I wasn't able to just social dance. Actually, that's first show that I did. Yeah, that first show that I did with Roberto Roena, the in the concert The number was at the moment Roberto, so just had a minute, let me say that for a little bit longer, like four eights longer. And everybody started doing freestyle. And the only thing that I did was Check, check, check, because I already knew how to do anything else.
Sonia Kyriacou 5:24
That's awesome. Right there. Okay, so So you were a musician before you were a dancer...
Tito Ortos 5:31
Yes.
Sonia Kyriacou 5:32
And, and so then my first question to you today is, do you think that because you started off as a musician, you come from a long line of musicians, did that make you a better dancer?
Well, I don't know, a make me a better dancer. But at least a better understanding of the music and a much better understanding of the music. At the moment what I learned when I was learning about how to dance, but Papito, Papito had a lot of great things. I think that there was nobody else that have more flavor than Papito Hala Hala. My, my regular basis, my natural basic, the way that I move and the way that I do my basic is all Papito. And, and that's from from him. And, but he didn't have a structure for teaching, like a method of understanding the timing that that basic, he just say, "pa", and that "pa" can be a one or two?
It's like "pa" go start!
Yes, go. And so he didn't have any instruction about that. But that was the way that I learned how to dance. Afterwards, when Anibal, Anibal Vasquez from the Mambo Aces, started seeing all the dancer from Papito style, always giving the message, everybody has to dance with the clave and understanding the beat of the clave. Also, Stacey coming back from New York, bringing back the numbers and the way that Eddie Torres count the music. That was the moment that everybody started understanding where to dance, at least in that moment, in that era, I'm in the group. And everybody we're teaching their routines dancing ON 2, at that moment is where really I understand that my knowledge of the music will be it was useful. Yes. For because, for me, it wasn't I was like, Oh, of course, they what they are telling or what they are saying is this music. So when we're talking about the clave like this, when we were talking about the numbers like this, and for me was like an open book. And I was able to understand whatever method that they was following to understand the music and follow the music, for me was very easy to understand. Not so much easy. I understand for a lot of them that they don't have the background, or understanding the music. But for me, it was an accent at that moment to understand it, understand what I was, what I was doing, and also understanding what is the meaning of those instruments. And the sound in a song of Salsa, of course, was a very helpful at that moment.
I think that that's something that is actually a very important point when it comes to dance. Because we've seen a little bit of both we've seen the freestyle dancer that just listens and feels the music and doesn't, cannot really explain what they're doing. They're just doing it. And then you have the people that study it, and really are very precise with their movements, or they know exactly what they're doing. But maybe they're lacking that feel. And that fluidity and that naturalness. Right, so yeah. Do you think it's feasible for a dancer that, you know, maybe has one and not the other? Do you think they can balance that off? Is it? Is it a question of just educating yourself as a dancer taking classes following a music class would? What do you suggest to someone that has amazing feel? They go on the dance floor, they bust a move, but then if you tell them to explain what they did, they can't explain it. How would you suggest that somebody you know crosses that bridge?
Oh, obviously, knowledge for me is the key as most as you can be able to keep learning. I think understanding what you're doing, you will be more able to express yourself to understand what you're doing. And obviously to explain why you're doing and and i think i'm not maybe I'm not at the moment, because I'm going to be 30 years now dancing Salsa, so years by years. I think that all that knowledge and I keep learning every time And give me the opportunity and, and the words and the vocabulary to sometimes really understand what I'm doing to be able to explain it forward. So I always say that as most as you can understand, even if we're going to be the music, or the dance, or whatever is going to be your path to follow. You know, don't stick only to one thing because more knowledge make you a more complete dancer, complete teacher judge everything. In my case, for example, I wasn't I studied music. But the moment that I was learning how to dance, it was a feeling all feeling is it was about feeling I'm following the music. And just Papito was everything about flavor. So for me was very good, because I don't I was not applying any of the, the knowledge or the method, or the music knowledge that I had to understand how to dance. So it was very good for me to understand. Just follow it, to learn how to do it in that feeling way.
Yeah,
that makes a lot of sense, then it's where I make a lot of sense when I mix both knowledge. So I always say if you understand good, the music, but but not all the musicians are very good dancers neither.
That's a good point.
Tito Ortos 11:26
Yes soooo.
Sonia Kyriacou 11:27
Well, what about other way around? What about someone that has the technical knowledge, let's say they studied music, they studied dancing, and you watch them and you clearly see that they're lacking emotion or feeling? Do you think they could learn that?
Yeah, I think I think you can give some, some keys. Some, like exercise or some fundamentals, I can guess, you know, sometimes sometimes, obviously have to be a combination. And like I was saying, you can have a very good musician and understand the music to understand everything, but can not do that movement of that body coordination, to follow an understanding and movement. And vice versa, you can have someone that are that are very good at executing his movement in his body, but maybe cannot understand the technicality of the music. And, and then you can have, I think most of the people can understand both. And, and most of the people if you if you try to learn as much as you can, in terms of music, you can, obviously you can develop. I'm a big sample of that, when I was over there, Papito Papito used to make me do the basics with my hands like this. And I have to do but the class was 300 basics, every class only 300 basics.
I love that that's like a wax on wax off example!
Exactly like that, it was 300 basics, with the hands like this , I can not coordinate my hands with with my feet at that moment.
Oh wow!
Yes, I was, you know, I knew that I have a little bit of talent of dancing, maybe I never developed it, I was in a regular dancer in the school or nothing, I was an athlete. But I knew that I had coordination, because of the movement that I have to do my, my, my sport, or my event was boating required, I have to require alot of coordination, but it's not the same to put it in specific timing and music. And little by little I was developing the moment and still I see myself 30 years ago, then 10 years ago, then 20 years ago. And and I see that little by little I keep polishing or see myself as I said, you know the hand I'm getting a little bit lazy with that hand. Let me try to figure it out and keep pleasing myself you know, and and the videos are there. And and little by little I get you know, you get mature and your knowledge and your dancing and you kept developing so I think that everybody can get there.
I have this image in my head now of you doing a basic step with your arms out in front of you. If Tito could if Tito started like that, then we all have a chance that's that's the message of that one
thing is that at that moment, it was like the class was like this was 300 basic. You have to count it. One, two, and Papito was over there or in the in the in the kitchen. I can hear you and I was 25 to 30 and one day but but the thing is that I understand that the business or the classes, you can not do that anymore because the dance have grown so much. And you know, if you go to a class, and the teacher asks you to do 300 basics, they're gonna say, come on. But the real the reality is that for me works a lot, because I think that it was a great fundamental.
I think the fundamentals are, are absolutely necessary. And if anything, given our let's say, current attention span, which is is not very long for most dancers, we would probably benefit from doing the same thing. 300 times. So I don't know, I would take it back old school, I would definitely try that technique one class and see, see how many people stay... see what happens at that point. So Tito you have seen so much in your dance career, you've been to so many cities, you've watched so many competitions, you've I mean, you've done it all right? So at this point in time, what inspires you? What keeps you motivated?
Well, depending depending on the stage, in my, my career, I have different inspirations. First of all, was the I was in love, or I am in love, what I was what I'm doing. Every day, I'm grateful to God to thank you for having me the opportunity to do this, that I love so much that I that I care and they just gave me the opportunity to do it and and I really, I never knew that I'm gonna finish completely doing this full time. My my studies in the universities in biology, that's why I studied in the university. And at the moment that all this work start coming out and, and little by little was, it was more feeling or my dates and my days in the calendar. So that's the moment that I decide well, so God base if this is what you want me to do, I'm gonna do it full time. And my first inspiration was try to be as best as I can try to learn from everybody try to learn the history behind what I was doing. And every time I was getting inspired by someone from my my teachers, but at the same time, some of the colleagues on my side. And, and a lot of a lot of inspiration about the past. And not only about the the Salsa, but also about other stories of other disciplines, or the genres or music of dancing, that also, I just love the story. And because I love so much the dancing, and they suppose I love that, that I never knew that I have it, and then I fall in love with the dancing. Then I started just digging and digging and digging about old dance scenes. And little by little, so I have different stages to how to, to get inspired. Obviously, at the moment that I started doing my solo career, we first of all, I got like, first, my first partner by when I was doing the solo was Rebecca from New York, then I did a competition we Gisela. And then we Vanessa, and and after Vanessa, there was that was with Tamara and all of them were different experience and the moment that I started doing it with Tamara at the beginning, in the moment for it took a while to understand each other or what would be the chemistry or the product that is going to bring Tito and Tamara but that that moment to find out what we were going to do. It was another inspiration moment because we were trying to how do we complete each other Tamara with all history and all her knowledge that she had with the dancing and that may with the my background in Salsa. And we always try that the way that we always try to put together the our routines. So let's say okay, let's find something very elegant from us that maybe people would love to up from us, or let's go something very street, and we'd have a lot of flavor. And let's try to go back in the 50s but now let's bring something very new and romantic. So each time we have different inspirations to keep growing in the dancing and and obviously you want to become the better dancer that you can be but also in one moment is the for you because in my case, I was an athlete and I always train myself. Because I try to be as most a better as I can. And later on, in this stage, I think my inspiration is obviously my my kid... Triam our son is the main inspiration because that means if papi and mommy are doing this for trying to give him at the life that we can give it to him. So we're gonna try to do our best and our best gonna be try to maintain ourselves as physical as best as we can try to keep in shape with the dancing, try to keep not and and, and all that is having in mind that I have to do this, because I love what I'm doing. I'll do it with my wife, but I do it for my kid. And so I think right now that's the main inspiration that I have. So they're in different stage, and are having different inspirations.
That's a wonderful story. I do remember that time when you connected with Tamara. And you guys started your career as a duo as a couple in Salsa. And I remember watching you guys evolve and go from style to style almost seamlessly. You know, from an audience point of view, when we're watching you guys, and you're going to a funky let's say Cha Cha routine. And then we watch you do almost like a Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers Look, it's like as if you guys are actors in a theater and you're able to interpret different styles, but not just individually. But as a couple as well you complement each other so well. And we truly do see the story unfold when we watch your shows. So this is like an amazing thing to have as a dancer, you know, not just the skill and the capacity to interpret music, but also to tell a story, you know, to present a piece that goes beyond just well, here's a piece of music and we're just dancing, you actually can tell what the story is. And, and this is like a beautiful gift. So you know, love you guys for that. I know that you inspire many, many dancers, you know, through all your creativity. And actually speaking of Triam, that was one of my questions today is when when you became parents, you know, how did having a child affect your career?
Well first of all, it was a, it was a, we're gonna be able to keep doing this after the child was born. When was the right moment to do it? And that was a question that always was with us when we were thinking about having to kid, a child. And actually, I can say that talking one day with Luis Vasquez from Los Angeles, in a, in an event in Roma in Rome. We were talking about this, and he was telling me, you know what? It never is going to be the right time. But you're gonna understand that when you do it, you're gonna be more hungry to work and try to do your best for try to be the best for your kid. And, actually, that have been what it became my main goal in in these days.
That's a great piece of advice he gave you!
No, at that moment, and I said Tamara, you know why we keep looking when it's going to be the right moment. And if we're gonna think like that never is going to be because we are going to keep working. So at the moment we were scared if it's gonna slow us down, or if we will be able to do it. And thank God I didn't know at the beginning obviously we have some some struggles because it wasn't the same thing. We have to make some changes. And at the moment, I tried to cover some gigs that we have with another with another partner that was Vanessa back again, but that lasts like five weeks after Tamara gave birth and I said Tamara are you ready? You have to come back.
Okay, enough is enough. Now you only have five weeks off girl.
Tito Ortos 24:24
Always complains about that
Sonia Kyriacou 24:28
Always complain about that. But really, for me, I would say you know, my when we start with Tamara, or when I start with Tamara dancing, I start with her as a relationship personal relationship before the dancing and she was so much working with Luis Fonzi, David...all the career with Pop artists and the moment that she came he was like, Okay, I need because Vanessa wasn't able to keep dancing because she got pregnant. And okay, I need to find another partner, can you please cover me, cover Vanessa or my other partner. In the meantime with that I find another partner. And up to this date to this day, I still trying to look for another partner!
That's over now! No, we won't accept it! It's TNT for a reason.
Tito Ortos 25:20
So for me, it's been a blessing to that we had, but we have to go to different process. And that moment of the baby, you know, was a moment that I don't want to change the product of what we were doing. So I want to keep doing it with my Tamara with my wife. And at the end, we are I have to say and always Tamara always make a big point of this is that we have been able to keep doing it. Thanks about the system that we have around us with our family, Tamaras mom is a major player, yes. Because she everytime that we go, she stay with Triam, also my parents are major in this, this combination, or how we do it, the structure, or how we doing the system they have.
Sonia Kyriacou 26:16
My grandparents, of course, and also, the Triam is a very nice kid, it's a it's a low maintenance kid, he is very good in school, he is very responsible with the school with a sports with the basketball. And in that case, we have been blessed having that system around us that allow us to keep doing this. And, and that we have a son that is very low maintenance to, you know, in that case that he can go study by himself. And, and we just come or we can talk to him. And you know, it's been a blessing. But the sad part of this is that it's hard for us and for for him on this also understand that papi and mommy know, most of the weekends over there with him in Puerto Rico. And that's a that's a thing that when we start, I know, for example, now there have been all these weeks, and it's gonna be longer, that we're gonna keep doing this and in about all the bad things. That's one good thing that I can say that I have been here with my son and, and having all this that I think we never in his life in history. We never been able to do this with him, like stayed day by day with him all this week together. So I know when we finish, hopefully, that we've overcome all this situation and we start working again, it's going to be hard to let go of this connection that we have now. And you know, it's still is still every time that we go out or we like for example, we program ourselves. Okay, let's do three weeks and then we stay two in Puerto Rico for let's say two to five, then go back to Puerto Rico. Okay, let's take this one Triam with us because he can go because they have a free day Monday. And we always are programming ourselves like that. And always, always is, uh, you know, that little thing that that hit your heart every time that we left him in the in the airport, and when we reach over there, but he understand now much better.
The goodbyes are difficult...
Yeah, how you doing? how everything goes? I haven't seen that costume? Can I see it? Can you have someone recording so I can see what you're doing. So little by little we, you know, we understand the system everybody and but it's I can reveal a lot about our support that we have with our family.
I think that's a challenge for a lot of artists, especially dancers because you know, a musician or you know, a painter can still continue to perform, so to speak until almost birthing time if it's you know, we're speaking of obviously the female. But for dancers, it's literally your your body is being inhabited. And then after you give birth, there's the recovery time so I believe dancers have it the toughest when it comes to starting a family and then to maintain it is a whole other story especially for you and Tamara have because you're so in demand that it's not a once in a while travel. It literally is what you do for a living weekend after weekend. But I have to say, having met Triam and knowing him for such a long time. I believe your lifestyle and the fact that you guys brought him with you. And, you know, left him with family and you know, you balanced out the time that you could bring him or had to leave him or, you know, either or, I believe that probably contributed to his maturity and his understanding of life and, you know, developing his bond with his grandparents while you were gone. And then when you were back, the appreciation level must be much higher, because now he's like, Oh, Mom and Dad are here, right? I get to really spend quality time with them. So I think that in the grand scheme of things, people have different careers, different schedules, and we tend to look at, you know, we tend to look at something we don't have in the sense that, you know, we think, Oh, well, nine to five, you know, they come home, they have dinner with their kids, they all go to bed at the same time. You know, they have the weekends to themselves. But you know, you just never know in life, right? Maybe the artists lifestyle is the better one because you're only gone three, four days, and then you're you're home and you're really focused on your child the other days. So yeah, I think that the struggles of a parent, a parent/artists are real!
Tito Ortos 31:05
At least we trying as much as we can. And it's hard sometimes it's very hard. But when we avoid him, we try to give him as much quality that we can we try to go to the practice. That's why sometimes people when we come back, they ask us are can we do some private? Or can we do some online teaching? And, and we try sometimes to do it, but then we say, you know what, no, this is the moment that I need to spend with my kid. And I say no, you know, I when I when we go we do our work.
Sonia Kyriacou 31:06
You are fully there! Yeah, when you guys travel, you're not just there to do one show and, and one workshop you actually you know, are really taking advantage of the trip by teaching privates by doing all kinds of other things while you're there. I want to ask you, what are your future projects? What are your new projects? Is there something on the burner that we want to know about? Tell us a little more
Well, this last year, I was able to do some other works again with the artists that for a while, we always keep that this connection and because that's the business is not the same for them neither you know, so they have to make some adjustment back in the days we used to travel with the whole company a lot of concerts and you know, the careers developed different way. And now we do like more specific thing with the artists with El Gran Combo I have been able to keep working with them to do all the routines in the for the singers and and we Gilberto certain things sporadically, like when we have big concerts with things and this last year I've been able to do a lot of projects with Victor also we I did the Boogaloo Supreme video we did a very good special and Christmas that I have the opportunity to be able to more be more creative in terms of production of camera wise and and shots and and all that stuff that that I love to keep working in that I got some other projects coming soon. Without that thing about...
Are they secret? Are you not going to tell us Come on give up?
Because it's from the artist so I have to wait for them!
All right, all right. So we have to follow you on Instagram and Facebook to see it when it's ready. So you love to work with the live music with the musicians in live music as well as the recorded videos. I think that's great because you know that is something that is evergreen like you can have work with artists forever since there's always going to be the next star and you know if El Gran Combo says all you have to get Tito and Tamara and that's generally how it works like when you do great work you get referred and you keep going and keep going keep going and you know any any style we'll do like you can anything Latin based I'm assuming you guys can choreograph or participate in right like even if it's Reggeaton? Have you ever done that?
About I don't I don't work that much in that world Tamara did a lot of work in that way with Wisin y Yandel with Daddy Yankee. I did some stuff with Calderon we now that one with Wisin but Tamara have been able to do more work with with the reggaeton or the pop artists. I've been always more the and latin part even though that I have been w working with Olga Tanon with Jaire with that time with Ricky but it was still in the latin umbrella umbrella. So for this year that have been able to do it. And still, I keep learning because the new year, the new projects always give me the opportunity to go and do my research and find information and be able and to do that work that they asking. And I just love this last work that I've been doing and, and hopefully I will keep doing it in this next year with the prayer that they asked me to do to be more creative in terms of production of cameras and videos. And, and also I'm planning I have been a I've been saying this for a while already. But I think now that I've been stopping of that dancing, I start writing again. And I think I want to finish the book that I want to do about the history of the dance and the music.
Oh love that! I would like a first copy!
So I'm looking forward to to finish that that's a project or prayer I have been working with since 2004, or that thing about investigation. And I always started saying like, No, no, I have to have I'm not ready yet. Because I still find the new information and the information.
Well, it's a baby, it's like a new baby.
A lot of people say they say Tito, that's why there are volumes. So you do one and then you do Volume Two, and then you keep recovering information. And I say you know what, I started that I I at least come out with my first edition of that. And that's a project that I'm looking forward to.
So to the long list of things, hold on, I have it here the long list of things that you do, we're going to add author, okay? So musician, performer, coach, choreographer, teacher, judge, father, husband, and now we're going to add author. That's amazing Tito. So one last question for you this this evening. What do you want to say to aspiring dancers, dancers that want to make a career in Latin dance? What do you want to say to them?
Well, the first thing is that, like I was out, I was telling you earlier, don't don't stop learning, I think the the key to keep going from one stage to another one and maintain from one generation to another one is stay stay in what is happening. And and it's very important, you never gonna lose your essence. So why are you doing or why you what, what defines you as a dancer and as a person. But But always let yourself be influenced by new tendencies. And, and take advantage of the new knowledge that is going to help you to grow and overcome stages in life. Obviously, thinking always about why you are able to do in backstage of the dancing, or you are so for me, it's very important to always not stop learning, always have a positive mind to whatever you want to decide to do. There's no no's always brought the yes first and then up to the moment that you that you've reached your limit. So you can say, Okay, I did my best to get over here. So always have a positive mind in life. Enjoy that journey. And the process, never never lose your your identity, who you are, and stay humble and you're in that process.
Wow, this is such great advice. Tito, thank you so, so much. I really enjoyed this interview with you today. And you know, I really want to wish you all the best in your future projects. I look forward to seeing that next theater piece from TNT, whatever, it will be on a stage somewhere on this planet. So on that note, thank you so much for sharing your your time with us today. And I wish you all the best best when it comes to your new projects.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to all that, I was um, I also am doing a little thing with the radio station over here in Puerto Rico. So looking forward to keep doing that and I just they just called me this week to inquire we can take it back again. And that's some projects that are very interesting for me. I want to say thank you so much, Sonia, for for having me with here with you. First of all, always, thank you for always coming with us. You know that I always tell you that it's a big pleasure and honor to be part of Montreal Salsa Convention of the events that you develop and work with, with Moris. And for those of process always honor to be part of that event for your treatment, for all the organization with everything that you do for this community, and this dance and this music. I'm very grateful to be able to be part of it. And thank you so much to have an opportunity to be there with you. And this opportunity to share with you some some stories. Um, I'm hoping that everybody still stay healthy. Sorry, with my English sometimes get a little bit messy, but
No your English is very good looking!
but I'm very, very, I hope that everybody stay safe, that we can overcome this, and be back on what we like to do, not only about the dancing, but stay and be able to live and live freely and be healthy. So thank you, thank you so much to have an opportunity to be here with you.
My pleasure. Thank you so much to Tito Ortos from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. And if you want to follow up on their projects and see a little bit of what I'm talking about, find them on Facebook and Instagram TNT or Tito Ortos or Tamara Livolsi and we look forward to speaking to you again in the future. Thank you so much.
Bye Bye.
Voiceover 41:45
Thanks for listening. Find Sonia on Instagram at SONIAKYRI and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter at Sonia Kyriacou. Check back weekly for new episodes. Until the next time, keep dancing.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai