In December 2016, Aroha Latin Dance began promoting Latin Night and teaching Latin Dance lessons at Hard Rock Cafe. When I first brought my organization to Hard Rock it was after months of effort to make contact and collaborate. I knew that when the door finally opened the time was right and just as the time was right then, the time is right now for me to make an exit. I can't put my finger on anything particularly concrete but my intuition is telling me that it is time for

What is the place of art as things begin to fall apart? Where do we go for happiness in the midst of the horrifyingly sad events happening around us? These are the questions that have stayed with me as I have planned, organized, trained, taught, and traveled to dance classes and events between Florence and Myrtle Beach. On these drives I have thought and prayed for my sister in Standing Rock, whose family led the movement that became the Water Protectors. To this day she and

I remember a time before the ever present Facebook, Websites, Blogs, and Instagram when I taught classes and students came through word of mouth. If I was lucky I got an article in a newspaper but mostly, it was based on my merits as a teacher not my "look" as a teacher. Now, a person can take pictures and post it with hashtags and make it "look" like it was the best time ever had and it is your loss that you weren't there. With the right angles and the right music, a video c

Awww man! Today was one of those days. You know, the ones that feel like answered prayers days. One of those days that made all the hours of driving, the hours of building, the hours of working on a computer, the hours away from home and family, the cool trips I missed, the setbacks experienced, the fear and doubt I worked through - today made it all worthwhile. It has taken me a year to experience growth in Myrtle Beach. Believe me, I was ready to throw in the towel. I was t

It is a rarity to find a dance instructor who not only knows the dance they teach but can also give you cultural and historical context. All dances came from somewhere and are rooted in an authentic human experience expressed through movement. Kizomba is just that type of dance and Kimberly Nicole is just that type of instructor. The awesome thing is that she doesn't overwhelm you with all of her knowledge but rather gives it to you in small manageable increments. Cuz Kizomba