Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Soto.
Hi Samantha, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started in the world of flamenco dancing at 3 years old. My mother worked in a school and had no one to care for me, so she took me with her. When I arrived, I ran away to the flamenco class, where the teacher was my godmother. She told her I was doing so well that I could get into regular classes. Since then, I have continued dancing in Venezuela at the Las Lizarraga Flamenco Academy, where I performed my first solo at 9. I started as an assistant in the classroom at 14 and was quickly promoted to professor at 15, with the smallest in the school. Since then, I have won as best assistant, teacher, and choreographer around 6 times in several years. Thanks to my beloved academy, I dance around Venezuela in different shows.
In 2008, I participated in the casting of the pre-company and got accepted; in 2010, I competed with 50 dancers to enter the company of Venezuela Viva, a musical that traveled around the world. Thanks to my tireless effort, I was accepted. With It danced on big stages for many years, remaining as a permanent dancer of the Las Lizarraga company, I continued teaching classes to intermediate and advanced groups for many years. Win various awards, accolades, and recognitions. In 2015, I was appointed general coordinator of the Sandiego headquarters, where I served until 2017 when I emigrated to the United States of America. The change was quite big when I emigrated, but thank God for my resume; I taught Flamenco classes quickly in two schools: Dance Through the Age and Dance There. I gave classes for eight months until we moved to South Carolina. When I moved to the Carolinas, there were months of desperation, doubt, and sadness for not knowing when I would dance again. Still, thanks to God and life, a friend that we used to dance with in Venezuela with our Sincopao Flamenco moved to the Carolinas, and we decided to take a risk and try in a way that we didn’t even think about what would happen to us.
It all started by researching what Flamenco or Spanish we had around us, and we found Hugo, the owner of Spanish Bite. I contacted him, and he told us that getting into dancing in Soda City would be difficult; he helped us contact them, and that’s how. We dared to dance flamenco in a state where they didn’t know much about it, and we were super nervous.
The first day we danced in Soda City, it was drizzling and cold at 41 degrees, with some boards on the floor and borrowed mini speakers. Since then, it has been magic for us and endless open doors, all thanks to Soda City and Hugo. We dance at festivals, musicals, schools, universities, stadiums, and our favorite theaters. We started teaching classes and had the opportunity to open two classrooms, one in South Carolina and another in North Carolina; we had around 30 students, and we fulfilled our dream of having our show that was repeated for 2 consecutive years until the pandemic arrived, the worst thing that could have happened to us.
Due to the pandemic, the students were terrified and did not want to attend class; therefore, Paying their monthly payments was difficult, and we had to close both venues. It was a difficult and robust decision because we had put all our financial effort, time, and dedication into the dance halls, and closing them was very hard for us. In the middle of all these changes, motherhood came into my life with two blessings: Anastasia, who was 3 years old, and Sabrina, who was 1 year old. My two daughters have been in the dance world since they were in my belly. I spent both of my pregnancies dancing flamenco, and they are currently two girls who love dancing, music, and the world of art and entertainment. Currently, we continue rehearsing, dancing, and teaching in a smaller version. We already have many events scheduled for 2024 and are happy to continue with our Sincopao Flamenco.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest thing has always been starting from scratch, first when I came from Venezuela, then when we moved to South Carolina, and then beginning after the pandemic, which was the most challenging part.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a flamenco dancer, and my talent and art have led me to know many great dancers, artists, stages, and many magnificent people in love with this art as unique as Flamenco.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Of course, yes, it is a very long list, but first of all, God, my husband and daughters, my parents, my grandmothers, my dance partners, and my Lizarraga Academy because I have all my knowledge thanks to it. I thank my godmother, Mayte Ponte, for always believing in me, my godmother, Daniela Castillo, for teaching me the world of Flamenco, and my aunt Lilian, for opening the door to this great Lizarraga family. Iryna Pinto, my coworker, partner, sister, and friend, thank you for always being there, creating, and believing in me; I know Flamenco has been coming for us for a long time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sincopaoflamenco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincopaoflamenco?igshid=ZGNjOWZkYTE3MQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sincopao.baila.1?mibextid=nwBsNb
Image Credits
Carlos Soto
