Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Borbon
Hi Angie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Opening an adult dance and fitness studio has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. As an immigrant who came to America at a young age, my family and I faced the hardships of poverty, struggling with a language barrier, and difficulty finding a constant place to call home. Fortunately, at the age of six, we finally found a place to call home in Greenville, SC.
At the time, while in high school, I knew college wasn’t in my future since I was an undocumented immigrant making me ineligible for state and federal scholarships and grants. I did well in school earning a high GPA, but even then I knew my family wouldn’t be able to fully support me through my education. My high school theatre teacher, Yesenia Rodriguez, believed in me and did not let me give up. She encouraged me to apply to colleges and audition for theatre and dance programs and for that, I am forever thankful for her. That summer I received the legal documents to be able to attend college and receive grants and scholarships. I was enrolled into a university 2 weeks before the fall semester started with most of my tuition covered.
Despite the challenges, I was determined to pursue my passions and earned a bachelor’s degree from Mars Hill University in Theatre with a Dance minor. Upon Graduation, I had secured a position at the University of North Carolina at Asheville as the Head Coach of the Cheer and Dance Teams and the following year as the assistant coach. During my time in Asheville, NC I also was a dance instructor and choreographer at The Asheville Performing Arts Academy working with children ages 4-18. I also was an instructor at multiple dance studios and often rented a studio to teach independent classes. After two years of living in Asheville, I moved back we’re I was raised with a vision.
For years I had dreamed of owning and operating a dance studio, but not just any dance studio. I wanted to create a safe and non-judgmental space for adults to express themselves through dance and that’s how the vision of Viva came to life on March 18th, 2024.
Inspired by my mom’s love for fitness and my passion for dance, we decided to merge our interests and open Viva Dance + Fitness in Greenville. My training in Latin dance styles, combined with my experience in hip hop and heels while training in Los Angeles, ignited the fire within me to pursue this dream. The studio is more than just a place for dance and fitness—it’s a community where adults can rediscover their love for movement and feel confident while doing so. Although we are a fairly new and small studio, it makes me complete to hear our students tell us how much our studio means to them. Regular working class people, nurses, teachers, chefs, firefighters, all have come to our studio to let themselves express and feel through dance. Not everyone has to be an elite dancer to take classes at our studio nor have a passion for dance, but moving your body and connecting with others in our community is therapeutic in its own unique way.
We plan on sharing this magic in Greenville as long as we can have our doors open. We are super grateful for our students who believe in our vision, and we encourage those who may be afraid of trying their first class to come and take it knowing that our studio is a safe place for all. We offer beginner to advanced level classes with classes such as Hip hop, Jazz, Bachata, Salsa, Contemporary, Heels, Dance Fitness, Trampoline Fitness, Step Aerobic Fitness, HIIT Cardio, and more. Our goal is to bring our community together through movement and we hope that we reach enough people to continue to do so far years to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A few challenges we’ve encountered were the risk factors that our studio wouldn’t attract any students. With no prior business training, we were only led by our passions. Thankfully the few that believed in us and the support of the community was all the motivation we needed to push through the tough opening months.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Viva Dance + Fitness?
My background is in Latin dance styles such as bachata, salsa, merengue, samba, and folkloric. As a teenager, Hip hop peaked my interest and I took it upon myself to learn tutorials off of YouTube since we didn’t have funds to sign up for a dance studio that taught hip hop classes. I became more confident in my dance abilities and would post my videos online. To my surprise, I become popular through social media due to my dance abilities despite not having proper dance training. It wasn’t until college that I officially took dance classes such as ballet, hip hop, jazz, and musical theatre. I joined my college dance team and later became captain, During my college years, I participated in a dance challenge from Shakira’s halftime super bowl performance. I was shocked to discover Shakira had reposted my dance video in her Instagram Story. That was an unforgettable highlight since Shakira was and still is an artist and dancer I admire. I gained more popularity in the dance world due to that video which led me to gaining over 190,000 followers on TikTok. Through it all, hip hop hip hop remains my favorite style to dance and teach. I still love Latin dance styles such as reggaeton and bachata and because I feel a strong connection with my hispanic heritage. Recently at the Latino’s of the Upstate Award’s with the “Best Dancer” award. I plan on using my platforms to continue to grow the dance community in Greenville and connect with other individuals who have had a tough upbringing and are only looking for the means to pursue their lifelong dreams.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
As long as we have the support to keep our studio doors open, I see Viva flourishing and becoming a safe haven for adult dancers wanting to return to the studio or adults who didn’t have the funds to take classes as children and realize it’s never too late to start. Ideally we would relocate to a larger space that can have many rooms to have multiple class sessions at a time.
I see Viva as being THE local dance studio people in Greenville go to for a fun dance class, to distress, to make friends, or to just break a sweat and reap the benefits to being physically active. I also see visitors from other cities, states, amd even countries coming to take classes at our premium studio.
Pricing:
- Dance Classes: $15
- Fitness Classes: $10-$12
- Workshops: $20-$40
- Studio Rentals: $60+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vivadancefit.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/viva_dancefitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554124957468
- Other: https://linktr.ee/vivadancefitness
