Today we are featuring our friend Dancing Mama- Daniela!
1. What is Dancing Mama and who are the founders?
Dancing Mama is a company created to offer Latin dance fitness classes for moms, families and children. We are the exclusive provider of the Salsa Babies® programs in the Ottawa area, the original Latin dance fitness classes for families, featuring original music by renowned Latin artist, Ricky Franco.
Dancing Mama was founded by Daniela, a passionate mom and latin dancer who wanted to offer moms and families a space to enjoy quality time with their children, while dancing, singing and having fun together. We offer a safe and child friendly environment where moms can feel free to be themselves.
2. What service does Dancing Mama provide?
Dancing Mama offers a wide range of dance fitness classes for the whole family, from the prenatal stages all the way to the pre-teens years. Our classes include:
Salsa Bellies®, a prenatal class for expecting moms that want to include a low-impact, yet lively dance class, into their fitness routine while pregnant. The class includes a warm-up and instruction of basic Latin dance steps followed by floor exercises to help prepare the body, mind, and spirit for labour and delivery.
Once moms have their baby, they can move on to Salsa Babies®, a dance fitness class for moms and babies 6 weeks post-partum and up. This class helps new moms get back in shape by learning popular Latin dances with their little ones snuggled into baby carriers, shaking maraca rattles and bouncing along to the Salsa beat. Dads are welcome to join the class as well.
When the babies have outgrown the carrier, they can start dancing on their own two feet in a Salsa Tots® class. This parent-and-tot class is full of fun, tropical songs and steps for toddlers 1 to 5 years old.
School-aged children get to join a Salsa Kids® class, which gets them playing games, singing songs and dancing along to our unique Salsa Beat. Kids experiment with tempo and rhythm, learn the basic steps to popular Latin dances and have fun using their imagination.
3. What was your motivation for starting this venture?
The main motivation to start my own business was the idea of having a more family friendly job, as opposed to the engineering job I had until that point. I was looking to work on something that could give me more flexible hours and the opportunity to bring my children along with me if I needed to. I was also very attracted to the idea of working with moms and families, specially since I had such a great time getting to know new moms and babies during my maternity leave. And the icing on the cake was, of course, the opportunity to teach dance fitness classes. I have always loved to dance and have been a member of various dance groups in both Venezuela and Canada. I come from Venezuela in Latin America, where children start dancing when they start walking, so dancing to Latin music is something that just comes very natural to me.
4. Where can people find Dancing Mama classes?
At the moment we offer our classes at various locations around the city, including: Kanata, Barrhaven, Westboro, Overbrook and the St. Laurent / Hunt Club area.
You can find more details about venues and locations by visiting our website.
5. What are your most popular classes for the prenatal crowd and/or mamas with newborns and infants?
Our most popular class is Salsa Babies®, a dance fitness class for moms and babies 6 weeks old and up. The class offers a unique way to exercise and have fun at the same time. It allows mothers to bond with their babies while introducing them to rhythm and movement and is a great way to meet other moms.
This fall we are also introducing the Salsa Bellies® class for the first time in Ottawa, with the aim to support moms-to-be to keep active during their pregnancies with a gentle and fun workout that helps create an association between movement, music and a happy Mama. Salsa Bellies® is a great way to stay active and feel sexy throughout pregnancy.
6. What are your most popular classes for toddlers and preschoolers?
The Salsa Tots® is the one class preferred by moms and families for their little toddlers. Parents get active modeling actions for their children and promoting physical activity for the whole family, while children learn dance and movement concepts by singing, playing and using their imagination in an open and safe environment.
Next year we will be introducing the Salsa Kids® class for school-aged children. In this class, knowledge of different cultures and genres of music is explored and an introduction to Spanish vocabulary is encouraged through song, dance and celebration!
7. Where can people find you online? Twitter? Facebook?
Join the joy of dancing by following Dancing Mama:
http://dancingmama.ca
https://www.facebook.com/thedancingmama
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