Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Tonos. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Carlos Tonos was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His love for music and dancing started at an early age, participating in school and camp musicals, recitals, plays, talent shows and more.
In his teen years, Carlos joined the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico; where he grew his musical background. At the same time, Carlos joined two musical productions, competed in national level talent shows as well as dance in local and national events.
During his college years, he joined one of the University of Puerto Rico dance teams, where he later became the main choreographer and director. Not long after he started to teach in local dance academies, private events and workshops.
Carlos moved to the Tampa Bay area in 2015. He established Tonos Latin Dance in October 2018 to share his love of music, dancing and teaching.
Tonos Latin Dance was created with the purpose of building a supportive dance community, a place where everyone can come together, learn and grow. We do not only teach dancing, we help our students build confidence, trust and self-esteem while promoting a safe and welcoming environment.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road all the time. It is a competitive environment, and new dance schools keep opening every year in the area. Covid was a big hit for many of us, we had to shut down for the better part of the year. As a small school in a highly competitive market, this delayed our plans to grow and expand and made it difficult find new customers.
Covid have brought a lot of uncertainties to our business. Many students and new customers are afraid of being exposed to the virus, even with safety measures set in place. This led to a significant reduction for our business.
During this time, we have been blessed to be able to grow slowly and find loyal customers and business partners willing to work with us.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our school specializes in teaching how to dance different styles of Salsa and Bachata, whether in a group setting or private lessons. We focus on helping people who want to improve their dance skills by focusing on fundamentals and musicality. Our goal is to help everyone master the steps while developing their unique styles. We are known for our ability of breaking down the steps and teaching them in a simple way that everyone can learn. We help build up morale and confidence.
We are proud to have been able to create a place with a supportive culture that promotes growth. Our students have become a small family. A place where we all get together in and outside of the classroom. We do weekly activities together from dancing to going to the movies, practice, and attend small gatherings. We are proud that we started to build a community who lifts and supports each other.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was an active kid, always in some sort of extracurricular activity, whether it was sports, dancing or acting. I always loved to be active.
I was born in a family who loves music and dance, so I picked up my passion in a very young age. I was always dancing, singing or playing musical instruments during my free times. I was participating in talent shows and plays at a young age. I loved being on stage and took any opportunity I had to be on it. All the way to my young adult life, I was taking music, dance and theater classes. I spend my late teens and early twenties in dance teams, musical productions, and talent shows. It was in my twenties where I discovered my passion for teaching.
Contact Info:
- Email: tonoslatindance@gmail.com
- Website: tonoslatindance.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonoslatindance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TonosLatinDance/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQnyJycG32yyVwhRbL5VSMw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tonos-latin-dance-tampa
Image Credits
Photos by Soul Capture by Chávez Photographer Jorge Chávez Shirts by Creations by Yaritza
