How It All Started
I wasn't always a dance instructor. Back in 2008, I was just someone who wandered into a community event in Rīga Old Town and caught my first glimpse of bachata. Something clicked that night — the rhythm, the connection, the simplicity of it all. I was hooked.
That moment led me to pursue formal training at the Latvian Academy of Culture. I completed my diploma in Dance Pedagogy and spent years dancing recreationally while working other jobs. But around 2013, I realized something: most Latin dance classes in Latvia weren't built for people like me — people returning to movement after 45, or starting completely fresh.
There's a real gap. Adults have life experience, commitment, and honestly a much better appreciation for good teaching than teenagers do. They just need instruction that respects where they're coming from. So in 2015, I established the first beginner-friendly salsa program in Liepāja. It's now serving over 200 people annually.
The Jūrmala Coast Dance Festival in 2019 was another turning point — bringing dancers from across the Baltic region to our beautiful coastal venues. That's when I realized how much demand there was for what we're doing. Now I spend my time designing curricula that work, organizing events that feel special, and helping people discover that age is absolutely not a barrier to learning dance.
