One Thousand Gurus Podcast
Everyone has a compelling story to tell with insights we can all be inspired by. J.R. Yonocruz is a software project manager, self-improvement blogger, relationship coach, dancer, stand-up comedian, and serial hobbyist with a passion for learning. He interviews unique guests from various fields to distill the strategies, habits, and mindsets we can use in our own lives. Each “guru” has a chance to give the audience a peek into a new world.
One Thousand Gurus Podcast
#4: Yerson Ochoa - How to Be Fluent in Dance, Becoming a Better Teacher, and Dealing with Social Anxiety
Can embracing a childlike sense of fun and exploration truly transform your dance journey? Join us as we explore this and more with Yerson Ochoa, a remarkable Peruvian, multi-style dancer who has become a beloved figure in Southern California's dance community. From navigating cultural barriers to becoming an influential K-pop dance instructor, Yerson's story is one of resilience, passion, and unyielding dedication. We delve into his teaching philosophy, inspired by his mother, and his heartfelt admiration for his parents while touching on his personal battles with social anxiety.
Discover the vibrancy and complexity of dance styles within the K-pop genre through Yerson's experiences, from his initial encounters with K-pop groups like Infinite to his participation in prestigious events like HHI. We highlight the interconnectedness of various dance forms and the value of understanding their historical and technical foundations. By viewing dance as a unified art form, rather than segmented disciplines, Yerson exemplifies how embracing a holistic approach can elevate one's skills and appreciation for dance, encouraging continuous growth without limits.
In addition, we offer insights and practical advice for beginners eager to embark on their K-pop dance journey. Shedding egos, embracing fun, and creating a positive learning environment are key themes. Yerson shares strategies for overcoming social anxiety and managing the pressures of social media, emphasizing self-awareness and the importance of self-respect. We also touch on personal growth and resilience, inspired by Yerson's journey, and his love for dance. Join us for an inspiring conversation that promises to leave you motivated and ready to embrace your own dance journey.
Guest Bio:
Yerson is a Peruvian, multi-style dancer, performer, and one of the most sought-after dance instructors in SoCal. He left home at 19 to pursue his passion for dance, first learning many different styles and eventually becoming a teacher himself. He soon moved to the USA hardly knowing any English (I can attest to this when I first met him, he could barely speak a few basic sentences/phrases) and had to deal with a huge culture shock. Now is well-known on social media for being one of the most energetic and inspiring K-pop dancers in the community. His dad his is idol and his mom is the reason why he loves to teach.
IG: @yerson.8a
TikTok: @yersonochoacandia8
One Thousand Gurus Podcast:
Everyone has a compelling story to tell with insights we can all be inspired by. J.R. Yonocruz is a self-improvement blogger, relationship coach, and serial hobbyist with a passion for learning. He interviews unique guests from various fields to distill the strategies, habits, and mindsets we can use in our own lives. Each “guru” has a chance to give the audience a peek into a new world.
www.onethousandgurus.com
Instagram: @OneThousandGurus
TikTok: @onethousandgurus
YouTube: One Thousand Gurus Podcast
Email: onethousandgurus@gmail.com
Hello everyone and welcome to 1000 Gurus. Today's guest is Yerson Ochoa. Yerson is a Peruvian multi-style dancer performer and one of the most sought-after dance instructors in SoCal. He left home at 19 in order to pursue his passion of dance, first learning many styles and eventually becoming a teacher himself. He soon moved to the US hardly knowing any English, and I can attest to this. When I first met him, he could barely speak a few sentences and phrases and he had to deal with a lot of culture shock.
J.R.:But now he's a well known dancer in SoCal and he's very well known on social media for being one of the most energetic and inspiring k-pop dancers in the community. And he also says that his dad is his idol and his mom is the reason why he loves to teach, because she's a teacher herself. So we cover a lot in this episode, from k-pop to being a teacher, to his, his dance background and what it takes to be a better dancer. But we also touch upon social anxiety and social media. So it was a very good, wide-ranging conversation, and he even almost made me tear up at the end, so but luckily we both kept it together. But, uh, it was a very good conversation, you know, I was happy to have him on the show, so hopefully you guys enjoy without further ado. Um, please enjoy this episode. Hello everyone and welcome to 1000 gurus today.
Yerson:So you're just going to be annoying.
J.R.:We're going to have the first one Today. My guest is my good friend Yerson Ochoa. Oh sorry, sorry. Yeah, thank you Cool cool, cool.
J.R.:Yeah, this will be fun. I just read your bio to the audience, so I'll go into what I know about you and then we can go straight into it. So what I know is that you moved here from Peru several years ago. Go straight into it. So what I know is that you moved here from Peru several years ago. When I met you, you barely spoke any English, but you spoke dance very fluently. We were on choreos together the K-pop dance team at UCLA for a couple years and I followed your dance career as a friend. And then now you're teaching all over. You speak better English and, yeah, and I know that your students really love you as an instructor because of your joy and energy. I've obviously taken several of your classes and you're one of my favorite dancers and inspirations, so I'm lucky to have you on the show. So, yeah, anything else we should know about you, just on the jump.
Yerson:Oh yeah, when we were in choreos. You actually know me. That's something that people should know, but I guess it's because my english I will, I will say my, my english is is it got better, but it's still like having problems with the pronunciation. So if something doesn't make sense, please make.
J.R.:Don't lie to me just tell me you know, yeah, for the audience. If you can't understand, just go back 15 seconds and then read the transcript? Yeah, I'll. Maybe we don't know if the transcript will pick up his english but also some subtitles yes, exactly if I speak spanish for no reason yeah, just we'll go into spanish mode. Aside from that, any other clarifications we should know about you, gerson?
Yerson:um, yeah, I mean. Uh, of course, my, my main thing was being a dancer over here, but I have any kind of jobs before, so I have like a double life for some parts Lately not I'm just right now, I'm just taking my time and dance, teaching and sharing performances, but most of it I'm not that interesting, I guess.
J.R.:Like I just dance.
Yerson:It's fine. Yeah, I love to dance and I love to share energy with people. So, I've been in all the K-pop teams. Yeah, literally every team. Not all of them, right? There's more than what I thought. Yeah, I'm trying, I tried Most of the people, most of my people, most of our generation of choreos. They disappear from different people, different groups. So, yeah, I just wanted to see them again. I had to dance with them.
Yerson:Oh, so he just misses us basically yeah, bro, friendship is something very important for me, so I like to feel that I have them next to me and I'm always in touch.
J.R.:And yeah, if not, I kind of feel alone, you know like yeah and it sucks so for those not in the K-pop dance cover, community right you guys will notice from season one if you listen to all of the episodes, all of my guests are either dancers, people I've danced with or my dance students, but we're all covering different topics. But, on that note, yerson is by far probably one of my I can say one of my favorite dancers, but but, almost objectively, one of the best dancers I know. And there's a reason why he's on every project team in SoCal it's because everyone's like, yeah, he's good, we need him, we want him. And then Yerson just wants to say yes to everything, so he sometimes can never say yes to everything, because he's just everything.
J.R.:So he's super busy, but it's just a testament to you guys to know that Earson's actually like top tier dancer.
Yerson:Oh, thank you. Yeah, I have this situation like I don't know what's the name exactly in English, but I will try to speak it, to say it Impostor.
J.R.:Impostor syndrome?
J.R.:Yes, so I still don't believe that, but thank you yeah he's like I don't believe it, but I appreciate it, yeah, but I appreciate it, yeah, but I appreciate it. Trust me, you guys will see, if you look at his Instagram, see him dance, you'll be like, yeah, he wasn't lying, he's good, he's good. Anyways, I want to go into our first topic, which is basically like your dance journey. So obviously, a big thing that we're going to talk about is dance. That's one of the biggest things you get into dance. Well, I guess before that, like, what's your general background and then how did you get into dance?
Yerson:oh, this is interesting even for me, because I have no memory about it. Yeah, I was a kid, though my mom showed me a picture when she's a teacher. She's a school teacher, like I don't know how it works here, but I think she she taught like kindergarten, elementary school and high school maybe. So there is photos of me, like with my outfit of folk music, folk dance, with her students. So imagine, like 10, 12 years old and a kid of six years old. So that was me. So I will say that since there, I've been always like close to dance, even like whatever I had to dance, I to dance, even like whatever it could, I had to dance, I would dance. It was more fun than read books. So, uh, from 12 around, I discovered that what it was breakdance I'm not sure it was because of step-up music, step-up movies, yeah, but I started like trying to be a be boy and you know I push all the carpets and all the tables.
Yerson:And we in the corner of the school we like try to do something called breakdance. Yeah, we know culture, know nothing. I'm coming from a small city, so we don't know nothing about dance. We just dancing, moving right. And I remember like, yeah, my teacher was like, if you show me what you do, I let you pass. Like okay, sure, that's super easy, we make a show for the whole class. Yeah, me and my friends of course.
Yerson:So I think I will say from 11 maybe, I've been touching like beat by beat dancing, but I get into a group, uh, my 13 years old, uh, this group it was just more like salsa or like tropical music and moving like that, nothing like underground, like hip hop or locking or popping, like these disciplines, the more emotional. For fun, I take it for a while performing a lot shows everywhere, all kind of floors, and it gives me a lot of like confidence in myself, until I found K-pop. That is when I one of the my friends, my mates from that team, was like hey, I show you this. And he showed me Infinite Paradise and just about, sorry, the dance practice. And the dance practice is just the garage door, the garage, yeah, the room, and they like with sweatpants and, yeah, weird outfits and I'm like, oh, nice, nice dance team Until we have almost the last practice, and he told me, like they actually sing team, until we have almost the last practice and he told me, like they actually sing. So we have to like lip syncing. Wait what? Yeah, this is K-pop. This has a community and it was a small community but super like heightened in my city. That's when I started my journey.
Yerson:Once I get into K-pop, everything opened on my head like this is hip-hop, this is locking, this is walking, and I wanted to learn more until I got leave high school. Right, I finished, I didn't know what to do. I was lying myself like I want to study this, but it was actually what my friends told me to do. And, yeah, opportunities happen. Like, hey, there is a one competition this way in this city, but you have to come and move for a while because we have to train for months. It's actually the HHI, hip Hop International, the prelim, the first, first filter in Peru. So you had to choose the best in Peru, supposedly. And I come in to my dad army guy and I was so scary. He was like I knew it. He was like I knew it. I was like what do you mean? I knew it. This is something funny. I don't know if I can touch it. My dad Gave me the money for paying the.
J.R.:College, something like that.
Yerson:It's something studios that I was doing Studio. Yeah, I was feeling bad in the morning Like I actually don't want to be there, right?
J.R.:But that was on my head.
Yerson:I was scared to tell him Dad, I want to, like, be a dancer, you know. So I went to his work. My dad was in front of all the people and Dad, can we talk? Like, what are you doing here? Can we talk in another place? No, you doing here, I want to talk to you. He was angry bro. He even couldn't look at me. Like we're talking a guy taller than me and double big, that this is the money that you give me in the morning.
Yerson:I want to move to Arequipa, the other city where he's coming from also, and there's opportunity in dance and I want to take it serious. But I'm going to pay my staff. I tell him I'm going to find a job, I will make it through. And my dad was like super angry. I just remember saw his hand because I was looking to the floor and he was like and he said I knew it. I knew it, it's okay. If you have to do it, you have to do it. You have to fall to learn, just do it. Whatever we're going to be at home, I never in life could believe that my dad would say that. So that's where I actually pay attention to dance and get into training and force myself to don't give up because my dad trusts me to do it.
J.R.:So yeah, it's something in your head to tell you you have to keep going, you have to do it.
Yerson:So, yeah, it sucks, it's something in your head to tell you like you have to keep going. You have to keep going. It's hard, but you choose this. Nobody chooses it for you. Five years ago, I moved to USA with the same idea, like same competition. By the way, we won for five years consecutive in Peru, but we never had the money to come here. I never take it serious. I have a life over there. I was like, what if? So, I saved money. I came to USA and fell in love with the people. I would say the reason why I stay here. It was like everybody has a new story and when it's for me, dance, it's more like express yourself. And you can lie with words, you can lie with your face, but when you're dancing, you're moving. I can see through you. It's honest, it's so honest though.
Yerson:It's something that nobody pay attention, that they can lie, and when they're doing a cypher freestyle or performing, it's like damn, that person is more than what he also thinks. Like it's, it's amazing. So, yeah, these experiences made me believe like I can do more here, because I'm feeling one of them. I never feel understood in Peru, but here there is going to be someone who won't understand what I'm saying.
J.R.:Yes, so you were like chasing a dream and then you kind of made that decision. Your parents, you know, allowed you to go and then you kind of like, okay, this is a serious thing. And then, also, being here, you kind of found, like that community and like other people that are similar, yes, and it's cute how to see them.
Yerson:Like they're similar to me, but they totally have a different lifestyle, of course.
J.R.:Yeah, different background, different life. So I want to ask, as a dancer and again it's okay so, more backstory for yours? And it's like a lot of people in our community are mostly cover dancers. They learn dances online and then you know they dance. And I guess for people who have different dance backgrounds like more formal training or have teachers and learn foundational styles you can tell like, okay, this person you know obviously they started with cover dancing. You can tell that's their foundation.
J.R.:But Yerson does a lot of different styles and it shows when he dances Like he's not just a, he just copies the movements, like he actually knows the style, the foundations, foundations, the technique and that's what sets him apart.
J.R.:So how did you so? I know you said you saw Infinite and then you started to get to K-pop and then it opened your your eyes to different styles. Then you started to compete, like in HHI. How did you get into like these other different styles? And then what's your approach to dance? Because I feel like that is something that separates you from other dancers, that I know you have a different approach yeah, this is what it happens, also my city.
Yerson:If you're a locker, you're a locker. If you are a b-boy, you have your group of b-boy if you're a k-popper you're a k-popper, so tax everyone.
Yerson:Like want to be part of something. I love dance, so I see dance as a one thing right, and yeah, when you love something, you wants to know everything about it, all about it. Like doesn't matter what kind of dance, you just want to learn it. That was me and I was always trying to. In my city there is a park and you always going to. In my city there is a park and you're always going to see like K-popers. On one side, in the center was a B-boying because it was a circle and they had the cyphers. Some people dance in Zaya there is something Bolivian and Peruvian culture. It's more like folk and nobody met each other and nobody has the guts to like hey's, do something together. You know it was funny because there were choreographies in K-pop that we need to be buoyant and they are like I don't dance K-pop it's the same, it comes from everything, it's inspired.
J.R.:By everything like, if you look at K-pop as a whole. It's drawn from different genres of music and the dancing is drawn from different genres of music and the dancing is drawn drawn from a lot of different styles of dance, so you can't say that they're separate no, it's like they're based on each other.
Yerson:They they depend. Yeah, exactly, it's pop music. So whatever is like trend, they're gonna add it into pop and into k-pop. So that means that they're gonna need that kind of style dancers. So even the the new, the new k-pop idols, they have to train, like foundation and stuff.
Yerson:So I was always like helping my people, like my students and everything. Like you, you want to learn more about this dance. You should get into a little bit of foundation just to feel better when you're moving. So I'm not saying like just learning a choreography is bad. I totally like I'm happy for those people because they find something that they like to do, so that's good. But if they start complaining about like why I cannot get better, yeah, it's because you're pointing at the wrong place. You're pointing at people who also are training about it Instead of pointing at people who live with it already. Like if you're watching… I don't know. Oh, chunha. Chunha is a good example, though she's a walker. It's about walkers. She does both too, and she did that before being an idol. Is she from America or somewhere else? I don't remember, buddy, I have no knowledge about her. Like all her background. I just love the idea that when she was doing her TV show. She had a program for IOI no 101, right, oh, 101.
J.R.:Oh, so she was on the like a show.
Yerson:Yeah, ioi maybe.
J.R.:That was the group that show Produce 101? Maybe that was the group that show.
Yerson:Produce 101? Yeah, produce 101. Yeah, I think it was Produce 101. Something like that. For the girls Same, neither, but yeah, she was in the finalists, also with Somi and some people more right, but she was a walker. So every time that there were a dance battle, she showed that she's a walker. That's cool and inspired people to learn about walking and inspire people to learn about walking, yeah, and actually there's a lot of walkers that respect her because of that. So me as a K-popper, I want to show how the choreography could be. That doesn't depend how many times I'm going to see the video, so that doesn't help. It's more like I have to get into the song, yeah, into the choreography. What is the style? Who is the choreographer? Choreographer what he wants to say with this choreography, or interpret it as my own and give it a new emotion. So that's what I like. Kpop is so open and I love it like have everything from everywhere. Yeah, yeah, I feel that's my point of view of kpop.
J.R.:Might see it more as a choreography and theatrical motion than actually like dancing, dancing, competition and stuff yeah, what I like about that, what you, what you're just saying, I guess in general, just to sum it up, it's like dance, the way you approach it, it's not so segmented of like just this style, just this style like dance as a whole.
J.R.:You can learn and really understand each style, appreciate it, and if you can do that it'll improve you as a dancer. Right, rather than those people who's like I just want to improve but it's like, well, what are you doing outside of just k-pop dance or choreography? And then even then, when you're watching k-pop choreography, it's not just doing the movements, because there are intention behind the movements, there's technique and foundation and history behind the movements and if you can understand and train and learn those things, that'll make you better dancer, like on a deeper level. And I think it'll translate, because that knowledge adds to when you learn other stuff later on. Because you're not, you don't reach the ceiling of I can't get any better, because when you learn all the foundation, your ceiling gets higher yes, and there is no stop.
Yerson:Yeah, that's something that people are still struggling with, like we're not gonna get better enough. It's because there's no stop. Music dance is like evolutioning all the time. Even right now, somebody's creating a new move or probably a new style, like it was like Life Feed, that it came from nowhere.
J.R.:Yeah, life.
Yerson:Feed. It was so popular Because YouTube Like Stuff like that, so it create everyday.
Yerson:Right, so Dance. For me it was what you said it's like. So if I say no to some new kind of movement, am I actually I love to dance, or I just love to do K-pop, or I just love to do locking, yeah, so I don't like to stop myself my creativity and training. For those people who wants to train, it's not just to learn new choreographies, it's getting to it like each style, because that, as you said, made you a better dancer, made you better, like have more foundation, right, but I don't see like a competition like that. I see I just talked with my friend about it. I see, like you like to do something you really like to do, like any sport whatever, and you start seeing like damn, I want to do more, because you know I want to do more. And when it's the more, you start getting bored because it's always the same.
Yerson:And one more challenge you add something new. You add some news, uh, new rules. You add some equipment. You pay for better clothes, better shoes or better, uh stuff. You know to do it better, right to play better. And from right To play better. And from nowhere you start playing in competitions and going to somewhere professional because you like it right. So same for dance. You like this Go deeper and you start going deeper, and that's me right. I like this Damn. I want to do this choreography of rice perfectly. I should go where who is the choreographer? It looks like house, so I should take classes house before my shows. Like I need to remember my groove, or this has like more jazz. I have to go and try jazz, even though it's not my strong part. I want to feel into it before I actually perform. Yeah, so that's why I respect foundation with this dance. But it's for people who want to train, get into the choreography, not just what you watch, not just the idols I don't want to touch anything else.
J.R.:If you really need more advice on that, rewind this part, because that was gold. Let's go into K-pop. Oh, so I know we've talked about K-pop, but you and I have been to K-pop for a while. You said Infinite was the first thing you listened to. Do you know what year that was, or do you know how old you were?
Yerson:Yeah, I'm not sure it was 14 or 13.
J.R.:It sounds about maybe 12 at the earliest 2012?. Because when I was in college, I was watching Infinite too. They were like 2011,. 2013 maybe, but yeah, maybe it was 2013 when you saw it.
Yerson:I remember my team was talking about a lot Infinite and SHINee. Oh yeah, SHINee, yeah. So SHINee was part of my evolution.
J.R.:Yeah, also my era. So I guess we kind of went into like how I influenced you as a dancer because it opened you up to like more dancing and all this other stuff. If people who want to get into more dancing and not just K-pop again rewind this section, but I guess, like, what have you…. Okay, so I guess we can go into dance instruction. So you are a dance teacher I think you're one of the best dance teachers in OC in my opinion. But because you have really good energy and you really want to inspire people but also you live by example of being that good dancer, what advice would you have for beginners Because you teach a lot of beginners, obviously, and then obviously more advanced, but for beginners to get into K-pop dance and and then two, what have you learned as a dance teacher? Because I know you've been teaching for several years now. I'm sure you've like, if you had to redo it all and become a better teacher, like what would you do differently?
Yerson:oh well, for my beginner, people, as always, said it well. They took the decision to be in a class. Be proud of it. It's so hard to find the brave in yourself encouraged to go out from home and decide to be in a public space and learn a choreo, that you know that you're going to suck, so uncomfortable.
J.R.:You're going to suck, for sure.
Yerson:And don't be afraid of that, because there is so much styles that it comes from mistakes. It comes from oh, I cannot move my body like that. I'm trying. Oh, actually that looks better. And boom, it created a new style. I think locking is a good example. It comes from someone. That mistake, he couldn't move. He said, like I actually have two left legs. And then oh, and he started doing the locking right Because he couldn't make a fluid step. So he was more sharp and there's a lock and boom, new style. So all my beginners have to understand that you should take your ego out, because he's not your friend at the moment, and invite your child, because you know when your child, you don't care what is happening around. You just jump into lava and you're fine. Oh, you just burn a little, yeah, but same. Like, go there, go with that child mentality, like let's have fun is everything. What happens is stay in my room, in this room, and that's it. And he's gonna start to see that improve every day.
Yerson:Don't force yourself to do something that you don't want to. But if you decide to be there, it's probably you want it, so don't go against what you want.
J.R.:Right right. You know that saying I love saying this to my students you can't look good and get better at the same time, because people are trying to like oh, I want to look really good, you're not going to look good. Do you want to get better? Though? If you want to get better, then stop trying to think about trying to be good, look good, be the best, like just be a beginner, like be a student, be a little child and just do it and learn and like have fun yeah, I feel like if you had the mentality like I want to look good, uh, you're going to get in the moment like what is good everyone has.
Yerson:Everyone has different perspectives and some people are going to be like, oh, that's too much, oh, that's too less, you should do this, you should do that, and you're going to, like, destroy your perception and start creating a new. Oh, I want this, and tomorrow, I want that. I'm never going to get the perfection, so I would say, like, how do you feel with this? Right, because I feel like to look good, to look cool. You just have to do what you like and get into that emotion, because you're gonna project that and you're gonna make it look good. You know what I'm saying? Like people who wear like weird clothes, they show confidence on themselves, right, and yeah, and that make us to see like, oh, this actually look good clothes.
J.R.:I want to buy that. It's the confidence, right, the confidence you can do weirder stuff, but like you're confident, and then people will think, wait, it looks good, like yeah, obviously nothing changed except my confidence, exactly nothing changed.
Yerson:So dance is so like open, so think about perfection and like look good is really risky. So I will say just go for the moment when you decide to have fun in the class and keep that in mind even when you are an intermediate dancer, because that's the safe way to keep learning, though it doesn't hurt what about, like?
J.R.:what have you learned as a teacher for these past few years? Some of the best lessons or mistakes, or things you would do differently?
Yerson:Okay, I never knew how much I know about teaching until one of my friends come from Peru. He's here, he's here again and he stopped by one of my two classes, maybe, and he stopped. He stopped by one of my two classes maybe, and after, when I dropped him out, he was like bro, I really admire what you, how you teach, like why I I just had fun, right, because I what he's talking about, and he started to point it out. The way that you can see everyone and you take care of the person who is actually having a lot of problems. You focus on people to cheer them up, instead of like be perfect and keep that energy all the way up, even when the people is really quiet. Like how you calm down your movements To make more understandable for everybody, because that means a lot. Like you put your ego out and you focus on their, their mentality, if they are doing right or not and that's something that people doesn't do and like, wow, that's a nice perception. I even didn't notice it.
Yerson:I do it just normally, because naturally because I wish when I was learning dance, I can, I could have a teacher like that, just like that, yeah. So I feel like how I wish I could be traded when I start dancing. I just project it now. So, instead of like be part of the problem, I just want to be like, okay, if this site doesn't work, I just project it now. So, instead of like be part of the problem, I just want to be like okay, if this side doesn't work for you guys. I remember that I have a weird perception of dancing, so I need a special treatment to learn something. I will do that for my students too. I want to explain it one way and how to change everything and give another explanation. I will do it until there I can see in their eyes like oh. That feeling like oh made me feel so more released like okay, keep moving.
J.R.:Yeah.
Yerson:Yeah. So and I feel like the best advice that I had take different classes, different teachers, different culture like everyone has different method and add the good things to yourself. Learn from those teachers, because how we teach, people learn and they're going to stuck within the head and instead of thinking like I'm going to keep it on myself and this is how I teach and I want to share with nobody it's more. Share it because they someday going to be like that and it's going to be a culture and all the teachers going to be like that. So that's the best thing that I've ever had.
J.R.:The reason why I love teachers in every industry or field, right, especially like you know, we are dense teachers is that's how you change a culture.
J.R.:Generation is you add into one person, into 10 people, 12 people at a time. You, you're building the type of people you want to see in the future, right, the way you teach, the way you give to other people and to your point being that teacher that you would have wanted to have. I think that's what separates you and a lot of good teachers or mentors or those those figures that we look up to is they tried to be that person that they wish that they had growing up. And I think, if you can serve that, instead of your own ego and like, oh, I want to look good and my classes are hard and the kids should just keep up and that's how I know they're worth my time, it's like, no, be the person that you would want it to be as a beginner. And if you add that value to your students, then, um, you, your students, will enjoy your class and really look up to you as a person, rather than just, oh, that guy is just good, but he's also kind of a jerk.
Yerson:You know, yeah, and even that, like, don't make it as your priority. Don't think like they have to admire me, because that's also against you in the future. But more than just think about like how would like to teacher teach me how to move, it's more like think about the future, though, because they're going to learn something, but not just dance. They're also going to start creating a new lifestyle, and it depends on the teacher to show him like sometimes it hurts, sometimes it's kind of depressing to don't grow up. So, yeah, but be safe, you know, go this way because it's safe, and him going to teach his friends that Same thing. You create a new generation with new, safe people for dancing right. So that's my goal actually. Yeah, that's my goal as a teacher. I love that.
J.R.:I think that's what I usually like when I think of teaching. For me it's like 80%, 20% dancing, 80% coaching, 80% like mentoring, guidance of like how your brain works. Because I teach students, I'm like, look, you're a beginner, you're not going to dance like me or a K-pop idol in like two days, right. But what I can teach you is I can help you learn the right mindsets, the right way to approach dance, the way to be a beginner and how to love dance, so that you can start teaching yourself and then motivate yourself to go to more classes, because you're not going to become a great dancer just from me. But if I can teach you to open your mind a little bit, you can find your own path yourself, and then you'll grow the right way.
Yerson:Yeah, I did some mistakes when I was teaching at the beginning. So I get for people who's teaching already don't be afraid to try new things. If you feel like, oh, I did bad this day, don't hurt yourself too much. You have next week, do better. Just like. Don't even think about it, like, yeah, people are going to forget too. That's why sometimes you actually have to repeat the same method. You had the best class ever. Don't be afraid to repeat it next day until they get stuck in their brain. Right, try with another language. I mean no language, another way to say it. Right, yeah, um, yeah, like it's teaching.
Yerson:Kpop, though especially, is one choreo every way, every week. So there's no way that they're gonna get better with it. Like, you don't know, going over, right. So my class is more than just, uh, teaching a choreography and coaching, how you say. At the moment I can see them outside of the studio practicing again. I can see them meeting with someone of new friends in the studio to practice in the street, practice and source in the mirror. Most of the students is practicing there, and he actually made me feel very like yeah, that's my kids you know what I'm saying?
J.R.:like they're growing up, they're learning by themselves.
Yerson:Yeah, yeah, I don't want to say it, though it's. I feel like a jerk too, but yeah, it's so good it feels so good.
J.R.:No, it's true, it's true. I think teaching is one of the most rewarding things you can do, because it's it's not just the you know, monetary, whatever rewards, but when you see your students get better, when you see them loving dance and when you see them enjoying it and then they grow, there's no better feeling than that not at all.
Yerson:no, there is. It's amazing, it's the best or whatever. It's more than the money, more than the fame that you can get, more than the reputation that you can get. Is the message like I had a lot of message, I even cannot count it they telling me like, thank you so much, I had a bad experience and I really want to train better and I've been taking more classes somewhere else and I was afraid to tell you and I was like, hey, I'm happy that you're taking more.
Yerson:Yeah, for real. He, one of my classes, he take a class in movement lifestyle. He was like I subscribe classes, he, he take a class in movement lifestyle. He was like I subscribed to another studio because they were doing a program. After you thought I was so encouraged to go over the same choreo like for a month, and I, until I get it, I wanted to do it. Right, like I really inspire me that thing. I even don't know what to say thank you, but it means a lot for me. Or some people like I got so emotional on your class, the things that you say. You compare the life. I also compare life with dance, so it actually released my tension and I think I can make it. And she's not talking about dance, she's talking about her life. It's amazing, though Dance, dance. Sorry, but dance and life is connected it is so much.
J.R.:It's not separate, it's connected. Yeah, okay, uh, do you want to switch topics? Sure, all right, we'll talk on social anxiety. We'll see how this goes. We can always move it around and stuff. Um. So I know you mentioned like social anxiety is something that you struggle with and I think a lot of us have the same right. So I want, hopefully we can take away something from this and people can learn and, you know, hopefully get inspired or whatnot. I guess like… so I guess, in general, how would you… I don't know if this is the right question, but how would you describe your social anxiety or where do you think it comes from?
Yerson:Yeah, I've been thinking a lot. I'm a weird thinker and like I can't sleep at night because of that. I'm not a professional in social anxiety. I had episodes of it. I never get into like psychology or psychologist.
J.R.:Yeah, psychology.
Yerson:Because I'm scared.
J.R.:Like a therapist. Therapist or something.
Yerson:Yeah, to qualify. What am I Right Because it comes just moments Right, but I got episodes that it was really hard for me to qualify. What am I right? Because it comes just moments right, but I got episodes that it was really hard for me. It feels literally like everyone is watching at you, though I know everyone is their own business. I've been trying to force myself to like, hey, they are doing their stuff. If they look angry, it's not because of you. They're having their problems. But I still my head, though. I don't want to understand myself, I don't want to like believe on that. And my head still like but what if it's you, bro? What if they hate you? What did you do? Last night? I was on bed, I did nothing, but that's maybe because that I did nothing for them. And I still getting questions until the point like I'm the fault, I'm the person who is making the worst thing ever.
Yerson:And, yeah, you hurt yourself a lot for small things. And this anxiety make you make it bigger and bigger and bigger, and lately you're carrying a snowball, a lot of tension, a lot of negativity, and start to be heavy. Your back feels, my back feels so tight I can barely walk sometimes. There was one episode when my blood pressure was so high so I felt my blood going to my hands and start being itchy and scratch myself. But, yeah, bro, I had to go out from the place because there were a lot of crowd people and start breathing coming down.
Yerson:I didn't even want to talk to my girlfriend or someone because I didn't want to like distort the mentality of problems I. I didn't want to like distort their mentality or problems. I even didn't want to share it because I was feeling worse if I share it to somebody and they're feeling that I don't want to like kill the party right. And all the pressure gave me more and more and more. And, yeah, what I did that night was like actually talking with myself and woman with so much air and breathe and breathe, and breathe and breathe and repeat on my head.
Yerson:You're right, you did, you did right. There's nothing that you cannot fix. You've been through a lot of stuff and you're still awake. You're still here and, yeah, you, you've been worse and and survived. There's nothing can stop you. You're strong. I repeat myself like one, two, ten times until I can calm down and breathe and come back.
Yerson:I feel like it comes from so much social pressure lately. Now, everybody exposes their own own life. Everybody is under a camera, everybody's being judged. Every day. You post a photo, and you and your head are like is this photo all right? Is this photo looks good? Is this photo like showing what I want to say, like who cares? Right, you shouldn't care, but we do, and everybody has the weapon to attack somebody, to say your opinion. Even nobody cares, but you can say it, and even that you want to ignore it. It's there, though.
Yerson:So I feel like people, because they open themselves too much to people who don't know them, and being judged by them. Those make them question themselves a lot. What am I doing? Because they open themselves too much to people who don't know them, and being judged by them does make them question themselves a lot. What am I doing? Where am I going Is this right, is this not? Is this good, is this bad?
Yerson:And there is so much pressure on people, and especially for new kids, because, yeah, in this generation they have a phone before I don't know a battle, baseball or a ball, a football, something like that you know, and that's scary. That's scary. It makes them so vulnerable to people. You open your child to millions, billions of hunters waiting for throw some hate and they question themselves I'm the person who may deserve this? And there's, I feel like inside it is, at least for me, it was like that.
Yerson:I opened myself to so much friends, to so much people that I thought that they were my friends. I opened myself with the hands, with being uh, nice, I would say, and I don't know why, but they believe that they know about me, maybe, or I'm their friend, that they can say whatever about me. I was just being nice, right, and Something happened. I did something wrong, maybe, maybe not, and they don't even doubt about it. Just hear something. And oh yeah, here's him, it's him, don't look at him, get out. Or, worse of that, they, because they want to feed on some group of friends. They don't want to talk to me because that group of friends doesn't talk, or this one in the group of friends and they're like don't, that group of friends doesn't talk. Or this one in the group of friends is like… Don't talk to him, don't talk to him, the fuck. That hurts me, but… yeah, it's… it's too much. It gives so much… Weight on your shoulders And… yeah, I feel like it's just social media though.
J.R.:Yeah Well… Not just that, not just that, but I think I agree Social media is a big thing. I go back and forth every day between like.
J.R.:I don't want to be on social media anymore because I know it doesn't make me feel good, even what I post, but also what I see. I just want to see what my friends are doing and checking in their lives, but everything else on social media is meant to make you feel bad so that you can post more, because people like the algorithms and the social media problems. They want your attention, so therefore they want you to put out clickbait good things that people want to look at but it's not a healthy dynamic. So I go back and forth between that all the time too, and then, like you said, the whole social dynamic with groups and everything. I think that's you know, that's also a normal thing.
J.R.:I think we all think about that too, at least most people who care about what other people think. I think it's natural to do that, but then it's just… Sometimes you don't know who you can trust, and then they show their colors and then they throw you under the bus. They don't try to understand or talk to you or figure out what's going on, they're just… Nope, let's just cut off this person. Talk to them.
Yerson:Yeah, it's kind of toxic. I guess that is the easiest solution. Yeah, but no for the person, no for the other person. Like yeah, it's, it's unfair, it feels unfair. It really feels like what we? What kind of people I'm around. But there's good things about it though. There's really good things Like social, open the door for people to meet more people, right, so you get into different groups and you get accepted supposedly, but some moments are fake. Then, when these bad things happen, they show their face that they are Like the real them. There's when you can choose. They deserve my time. Do they actually should care what they think about me? You know what I'm saying?
J.R.:like they don't even pay my bills, make sense yeah, like they don't their opinions, don't pay my bills, why should I care about that?
Yerson:yeah, there were one person that actually heard how she said it to me and I still have her really top. She's a good dancer and everything. I really respect her Good performer though, but the way that she talked to me was very disappointing for me and she didn't know me. In a way, we never talked. We talked sometimes and, yeah, we had a good conversation, like funny conversation, we, we laugh together, but we never getting to like meet each other. Um, when she's telling me this stuff, it hurts me. I was like, ah, I'm the worst person ever and even didn't know what happened. But, yeah, what? And after I noticed it, I don't know her.
Yerson:I just let it go. You know like I will see them. I'm probably going to see them again. And that person, of course, ignored me and tried to like show it. I don't know why, but okay, I don't care. Now you know, like no respect to me. I healed myself. Okay, let it go, just let it go. It got better. Nothing changed in my life With or without her. Nothing changed in my life, my opinions. For me, as a dancer, I feel like the art and the artist is completely different. Whatever that she performs, I'm always going to support. I'm going to see it because I love to see it. Her person is all for me because I love to see it. Care person is all for me, like because I don't need it. And I, what did she show? She just showed me like it's so fragile friendship.
Yerson:I don't need fragile friendship. Yeah, so that's that's it. Though it's like people come, people come, so you shouldn't care. You shouldn't care that much about what they think about you. Yeah right, people comes and you're just gonna feel it and just keep it there yeah, um.
J.R.:So I guess last thing on this topic is like I mean, you touched upon like how to deal with it. It's kind of like try to detach, let let it go, try to find the right people and whatnot, and you know their opinions. Don't pay your bills, um, either. What should people know about people who don't have social anxiety? What should they know about people who don't have social anxiety? What should they know about people who do? Or what are some best ways to deal with social anxiety?
Yerson:Oh… it's so hard to speak as how someone wants Me when I've been there, even don't know how to help myself. There were one person she was telling me tell me, please, tell me how to help you when you have these situations, tell me. And there's when I noticed it. I even don't know in my head. I didn't tell her that, like I don't know, I need to know better.
Yerson:Like social people, anxiety, people uh, talk to yourself a lot. Uh, identify where. How do you want to be trade, how do you want to feel? People around you don't be shy to ask too much, because people who loves you, they're gonna actually do it for you. And I noticed that people who really like uh, love me. They were there and they were trying so many things.
Yerson:But because I'm in this situation, my head is not working, my head is just attacking people next to me. And for people who doesn't have this anxiety, be patient. Be patient and please Put a shield in front of you and take this attacking, but remember that it's not a person, it's not them. In that moment, they are not being them. There is going to be A moment after when he is going to be like I'm sorry, and you will understand how it is. There's no, there's no more solution than just actual uh, feelings, throw feelings like once I felt I felt people cares me, I felt like I still having someone next to me so I don't feel alone anymore and that thing is it's really important.
Yerson:it's really important to have some backup right, I lost 100 friends, but I have to that were always for me and reach out to them every day or talk to them some once in a in a month, release all my tension and still doing that, uh, so that's my solution. I, of course people, but talk, talk. Don't be afraid to talk, don't be afraid to show your mistakes. Share your problems with people, especially with these people who want to listen, and even that they don't do anything, people with anxiety are going to feel better. They're going to feel like okay, probably you know the answer. You just don't want to believe it, you just want to see it. But when you talk about it, you overthink again and you go over the solution, and the solution passed by 100 times. So there is going to be 101 when you're going to grab it and decide to do it, and those people who love you are going to support you.
J.R.:It to do it, and those people who love you when I support you. It's amazing, it's really good. Thank you for sharing. I think it's good things. Keep in mind, just have armor, listen, be there for them, support them. Don't take it personally, but that's what you can do if you know someone social anxiety and if you have social anxiety, um, find people you can trust and just talk about it. I think that's like what you're saying. It's one of the best things you can do, initially at least, right.
Yerson:For…. I just touched on that anxiety thing. If you feel that someone is wrong, that someone is doing bad, text them. If you think that person is your friend, text them. You don't know how many people you can save Now. Social media is a bad thing, but also open…. Give you tools to reach out to people who need it. So don't be afraid to ask somebody or your friends hey, how are you doing? Because it heals. I wish I have the old. I had so many friends, um, just two or three text me how you been.
J.R.:It doesn't take much effort to just reach out. You know, worst case scenario they're like I'm good, like all right. But it could actually make a big difference it makes a big difference cool, all right, ready to switch it up yeah cool. So rapid fire questions. This is the billboard question, so if you could have a sign for millions of people to see, what would it say?
Yerson:don't forget about your soul.
J.R.:Do some art I love that, coming from a true artist. Yeah, do you have a favorite failure or something challenging that you learned the most from?
Yerson:I did a lot of mistakes though, but I will say um, it's because it's a lot. There were a moment when I say something about somebody that I don't know her, but I just said it because some of my friends was getting close with her and I don't know what is going on in my head that I just say it and he talked to her and she made a whole deal with it. But of course it was something bad and I'm like I hate myself because I'm still having nightmares Like I hurt somebody. So bad Because of what you said, because of what I said.
Yerson:I regret, I regret I learned a lot. I've been stupid for so long so I couldn't say bye to my parents correctly. That's something that actually is on my top. A hug is very important for me. That's why, when I see someone that I really like, I hug them Because I want to. I don't know, I don't know, maybe I'm never going to see them anymore, but they're going to remember the last time they see me I hug them, because I couldn't hug my parents. I just say hi, bye, after one block away. Bye, dad, I come in next three months. It's been five years.
J.R.:Oh my god, say bye to people you love. Give them a hug. I love that. Well, we might have talked about this, but biggest regret, or if you could redo something from any time period, what would you redo? The hug, definitely the hug. If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be now? Or the best piece of advice you've ever heard? I?
Yerson:would say the best. I don't regret anything when I was a child because all the decisions were my own self, probably when I was more young like listen to yourself, um, the passion that you have. It has more than just passion, it's something super overpower. Use that. Don't, keep it like as a hobby, you don't. You know that. It's a lie. And the best advice is uh, listen everybody. If it's like old, bad person, good people, or you learn something bad, or you learn something good. But you learn, you learn yeah.
J.R.:Yeah.
Yerson:Or just don't repeat it or keep doing that. It's simple.
J.R.:And that's what this show is for guys. For my audience, it's to learn from everyone. That's why it's called 1000 Gurus. Of the 1,000 gurus, any habits or routines that you have that help you get your results, that you have now, like any practices or routines, strategies that you do.
Yerson:Trust yourself when it's about opportunities. I repeat myself a lot You're strong, you're strong enough, you're strong enough, you're strong enough. The life hits a lot. It hits hard and my best routine ever is try to work in my self-esteem and work in my encouragement. That's the best routine I have ever. I'm not a routine person either way, but that's what I always try to do.
J.R.:I like it so like self-affirmation. Who would you call successful and how do you define success? Any person comes to mind.
Yerson:I would say successful for me means like you enjoy your life, you enjoy being alive. You enjoy being alive and you've been doing what you always wanted to do and you are no uh, even though you can struggle with money, whatever, I don't care, but if that person has that biggest smile that I did, I enjoy my life. That person is successful. It's really successful.
J.R.:I like it okay, if time and money weren't an obstacle, what would you be doing right now?
Yerson:the same, I guess I think I know the answer to this, the way that I change it and yeah, I had the money and I had the money before.
J.R.:Yeah, yeah, still the same. The next question is probably the same thing, but I'll ask it how do you spend most of your time?
Yerson:no, no wonder. Okay, I have like my gamer, gamer side, yeah, yeah. So I like to be in my game situation, but I also dancing every day, and so I will be between gaming and dancing. Yeah, I wish, I wish. I lately I cannot even, but I barely touch my computer. I pay so much for nothing.
J.R.:I need to come back to my computer. Yeah, get your money's worth. I'm the same. I could play video games for days, but I don't play it because I have stuff to do.
Yerson:Yeah, it's disgusting Out of life.
J.R.:Yeah, last rapid fire. Do you have any favorite books, movies, videos, articles that you share or recommend, basically resources that you send to people to make you know, inspire them, make them better, whatever, it's gonna be funny and I remember my uh, my girlfriend's father.
Yerson:He also asked me about it and I I they were talking about like Oppenheimer movies and really like deep and serious. I was like I like spirit wait, spirit, yeah the horse is that a movie? Is that a movie spirit? What's it about? It's a, it's a horse who yeah, he, the movie star. Like he got born, like he, he appeared in the life, he loved his family. He just lived in the forest and for some reason they got caught. Sorry, they got robbed. Or how do you say Like taken or abducted or something.
Yerson:Yeah, there were some cowboys and they grabbed him. Yeah, yeah, because he wanted to save his family, so he pushed the family out.
J.R.:Oh, it's animated, it's animated. Oh, okay, I think I remember. Yeah, I didn't watch it, but I think I've seen a trailer.
Yerson:Yeah, and he was like I'm going to come back. He didn't say it, but you can perceive it. They don't talk. They don't talk in the whole movie. You just hear his background voice, right wrong voice, right his thoughts and, yeah, it's amazing how he's fighting for his life, even that he was like not eating for three days or something like that. I feel so related with that, like he worked so hard to be like not dominated for nobody and he ended up being like that. He, he has his rules in himself. Strong I'm, I'm going to come back, nobody's going to dominate me and I'm going to be free, boom. I think freedom is the best thing. That's why I have a big tattoo on my fucking back, because it reminds me that the freedom comes from myself, and that's what I learned from that movie.
J.R.:I love it. Okay, I'll put it on my list. It sounds like a good movie.
Yerson:I can see why you resonate with it.
J.R.:I feel like I would too. Okay, cool, let's go into the ending. So… I always like to end with gratitude, something I learned from my mom. So… Yerson, what are you… what are you most grateful for, or what are you grateful for?
Yerson:I'm really grateful for my parents. My dad showed me like… Doesn't matter how you can go through it, doesn't matter what kind of job, doesn't matter what you can do, you can do it. And my dad is the best person ever in, like being working something all the time. And the teacher side is my mom. My mom was a teacher and I remember people comes to her and say like, thank you so much, elsa, that's her name Because you. I didn't go this. Elsa, that's her name Because you, I didn't go this way, and I really appreciate it. People start crying in front of her Like we're talking adults, because my mom is already old. Thank you so much, miss Elsa. And like what? I was a kid and I'm like, oh yeah, he's one of my students. They know once, three, four, five times when I'm with her and I know usually we heard, imagine I can see how, just knowing you, you are like a combination of your parents.
J.R.:Um final ask from the audience do you have anything else you want to ask from the audience or any takeaways you want them to get from this conversation?
Yerson:um, I wish like they can say, or they can tell me when it was the last time that they made happy their inner child when they decide to do something, not because you have something after, just because, oh, my child is wanting.
J.R.:Yeah, your child wants to do the thing.
Yerson:Yeah, a trip dance class, whatever right when you satisfy your inner child.
J.R.:Nice, I love that Cool. Well, thank you. Where can we find you? Social media handles Websites, email or whatever. I'll put links, but where can we find you If people want to reach out to you?
Yerson:I just have Instagram right now. I'm trying to put my work in YouTube, but it's just too much to do and I don't want to put whatever I have TikTok um, and I don't want to put whatever I have tick tock, I don't use it, but I have tick tock, but most of it instagram, instagram, yeah, so they can reach out to you at your sin8 yeah, 8a, ochoa, yeah, so clever, cool, all right.
J.R.:Well, that pretty much wraps it up. So thank you again, yerson, for being my guest. I really appreciate it. Um, and for everyone else, thank you guys for tuning in, reminder to be kinder to other people, and especially yourself, and also that there's always something you can learn from someone else. You just have to listen, listen, yeah. So thank you guys for tuning in and we'll see you in the next one.
