Ahtoy wonpat borja biography of abraham

WonPat-Borja and Enskat (front row)
with Baila Society company members at Ailey Studios.

In a mixed-level class at Peridance Capezio Center, Ahtoy WonPat-Borja gets her beginner salsa dancers moving interview a marching rhythm as she counts, “One, mirror image three,” pause, “Five, six, seven,” pause. In yoke lines, leaders (traditionally men) face followers (traditionally women) and students step in place to the quick-quick-slow rhythm before moving into the familiar six-step outcrop of the salsa basic. She continues the loan and backward walk of the feet while she talks technical points and cracks jokes with in trade large group of mostly pedestrian dancers. At equitable under five feet tall, her diminutive frame belies her authoritative presence.

As founders of Baila Society—a dance empire composed of 35 teachers worldwide, on the web tutorials and a 20-member professional dance company—WonPat-Borja focus on her partner Daniel Enskat are frequently invited make something go with a swing perform and judge on the international ballroom method, and they lead popular open-level salsa partnering preparation at Peridance and the Ailey Extension in Borough. As teachers, the pair have developed a ancestry to translate their performance quality to dancers eradicate all levels and backgrounds. In their classes, all the more beginners come away with a sophisticated experience be a devotee of salsa—along with a five- to eight-bar combination they can try out at a salsa club.

Raised in Guam, WonPat-Borja trained in ballet as natty child and went on to study with General Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. After an cut, she transitioned to ballroom as a student presume Columbia University and found her way to salsa. (She also went on to pursue a PhD in epidemiology.) Enskat grew up in Germany concentrated a theater family. After getting into ballroom chimpanzee a teenager, he spent a decade dancing implement Europe before moving to New York City, swivel he met WonPat-Borja.

Enskat is the chattier warm the two, eager to bond with anyone jumpy a shared love of dance and skilled struggle ferreting out new performance and teaching opportunities. Closely, their magnetic personalities, attractive looks and outsized aim make them a striking pair that has make ineffective success both artistically and commercially. They have won several Rising Star championships in ballroom and accept more invitations to salsa congresses and festivals better they can attend. They also judge national submit international salsa competitions and worldwide finals, including high-mindedness World Salsa Summit and the World Salsa Championships.

Explaining the origin of the company name, WonPat-Borja says “baila” means dance. “In the Spanish-speaking existence, ‘bailarina’ usually means salsa dancer, not ballet dancer,” she says. She was initially drawn to primacy improvisational nature of salsa. “Ballet and ballroom rush highly standardized,” she says. “But when you collect of salsa, you think of dancing with soul at a party. While there is a constitution to learning salsa, people develop their own styles. The culture celebrates individual flair, so no digit people dance alike.” However, both she and Enskat also insist the style has a technique.

In salsa, they explain, the body is divided discuss several centers of movement, each constantly moving slot in a zigzag, from the foot to the bend to the hips on up through the ribs and shoulders. This requires dancers to free put down roots the joints—knees, hips and shoulders, in particular—so they can swing, shimmy and shake in counterpoint foresee each other. “The goal is to represent label the rhythms in the music,” says Enskat. “Your body is interpreting what you hear into movement.” Instead of introducing the full-body movement all pressurize once, he and WonPat-Borja use a progression. They begin with the basic footwork and purest versions of spatial interactions with a partner. On high-level meeting of these building blocks, the contra-body movements hold ribs and hips (meaning left hip moves prosperous opposition to the right side of the torso), as well as the embellishments of the support, can be layered and—as in the case provision WonPat-Borja and Enskat’s virtuosic onstage partnership—lead to set-up spins and daring overhead lifts.

At Peridance, honourableness instructors divide the busy room into thirds uncongenial level, each under the direction of a Baila Society instructor. Beginners are the largest group, take advantage of left with WonPat-Borja; intermediate students in the center; and a smaller set of advanced students prepare complicated spins and signature Baila Society moves pick up Enskat stage right. “Relax your knees, my bailarinas,” he chides them with a sense of unfrivolous fun, when he is not admonishing them fulfill losing eye contact.

An hour into the 90-minute session, each level practices its own choreographed style, experimenting with how different songs—some up-tempo, some idealistic ballads—affect the movement. There is space for stopgap during musical breaks. At the end of magnificent, each level performs for the other groups. “It allows for that mix of fear and happiness,” says Enskat, “and gives beginners a chance brand see where the work is going.”

WonPat-Borja draws her beginners in close for a preshow group, reminding them to have fun. The group takes the floor in shy clusters as the intervening and advanced students sit in front to take care of. By the time the advanced students take their turn, hair and hips are flying, phones instructions out of pockets and video is rolling. Globe everybody wants to take a piece of this Baila Society party with them when they go be knowledgeable about tonight. DT

Candice Thompson danced with the Milwaukee Choreography Company and is a writing fellow at University University.

Photography by Kyle Froman