Meet Ernesto Galarza of Versa-Style Dance Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ernesto Galarza.

Hi Ernesto, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Pacoima, CA (or as I grew up calling it, the 818), which is in the San Fernando Valley and I am a first-generation Mexican-American here in the United States. Growing up, I was always surrounded with music and dance, but never thought I would be a full-time dancer/artist. I grew listening to music around the house, my parents always playing music when we were in the car, and of course my parents were ALWAYS the first and last to leave the dance floor at a party or family gathering. My parents were the first to teach me how to dance Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, Duranguense, Cumbia, and basically how to dance to music period. The most interesting part about all this is that all though I grew with dance and music, I was always a very shy and quiet kid. My younger sister was usually the first to make friends and socialize and I usually kept to myself, but it all started to change when I started Middle School. I attended Lakeview Charter Academy and when I started, this was the first year this school had opened so it was very small with only about 100 students and five classrooms. Soon after my middle school journey started, I decided to join the After School Program and I wanted to be a part of the Art Club.

On my first day of Art, I was sitting in a classroom with a huge window as a wall and outside that window was the Hip Hop Dance class. Funny enough, I was so intrigued and distracted by what was going on outside and I spent the entire class watching what they were doing. That same night I spoke to my mom and asked her if she can speak to the teacher about letting me join and the next day, we went and spoke to the teacher. Who would have ever thought that the after school Hip Hop teacher was going to be one of the most impactful and life-changing people in my life. Her name was Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez. She of course let me join the class and after that, I never stopped dancing. Soon after she introduced to my big brother, Leigh “Breeze-Lee” Foaad, who also became a very important and impactful person in my life.

Both Jackie and Leigh provided opportunities for me to take classes, get training in multiple street dance styles, perform, travel, and most importantly to be a part of such an amazing community of artists that helped me open up and become the person/artist I am today. I danced all throughout middle school/high school as a part of Jackie and Leigh’s youth group, Versa-Style Next Generation, and when I graduated I attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to study Dance. I graduated with a major in World Arts and Cultures/Dance and a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education. Soon after, I was moved up to Jackie and Leigh’s professional touring company/nonprofit organization Versa-Style Dance Company and have been working and building with them ever since. I am now the manager/director of the youth group Versa-Style Next Generation, a teaching artist, the Social Media and Marketing Manager, and a principal member of Versa-Style Dance Company.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been very blessed with very supportive/loving parents and some amazing mentors/teachers that helped guide me throughout my life, so one could say it was very easy for me to pursue this career as full-time artist. But the actual truth is that it wasn’t. I think the hardest and scariest decision I ever had to make is deciding to become a full-time artist. I attended UCLA with the intention of double majoring in Computer Engineering. I was always a straight A and 4.0 student all throughout middle school and high school, so I felt very confident that I could do it. But soon after, I started to struggle. I was in classes feeling overwhelmed. I began to fall behind and my grades started to drop and for the first time ever, I felt scared. I was scared because my parents worked so hard to start a better life for me here in the states and I didn’t want to let them down as a first-generation Mexican-American. I was scared because I had set my mind in doing this and I thought this is what I was meant and should do. I was scared because I was unsure of the future. I was scared that I was going to fail at life. I was not in a good place and I was unhappy.

For about two almost three years during college, I tried my best to continue with this plan, but after a lot of thought and conversations with my parents, mentors, and teachers I made the hardest decision I ever had to make… I decided to pursue dance as my full-time career. After making this decision, for the first time in a long time I felt happy. Yes I felt scared, different, unsure, but these feelings were different from what they were before. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I was excited thank motivated this time. This decision felt RIGHT. I think the reason I share this as my struggle is because I feel so many people pursue something society thinks is what they are meant to do instead of pursuing what THEY feel they are meant to do. I decided to pursue something that makes me happy. Pursue something that gives me life. Pursue something that gets me excited to wake up for every day. I know everyone’s situation is very different and financial stability is something we all need, but I hope we all some way, some how find a way to pursue something that really fulfills our heart.

We’ve been impressed with Versa-Style Dance Company, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I work for a 501 (c)(3) Non Profit Organization and Professional Hip Hop Theater Dance Company, Versa-Style Dance Company. We are based out of Los Angeles and was founded in 2005 by Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez and Leigh “Breeze-Lee” Foaad. Versa-Style Dance Company serves two purposes:

1. Empower underserved and marginalized groups worldwide through the movement and culture of Hip Hop dance by creating groundbreaking concert dance works that represent messages of diversity, inclusion, and equity both on stage and within our communities. We create highly energetic work that fuses dances that are culturally significant to our community. These forms include Hip-Hop styles such as 90s Hip-Hop, House, Popping, Locking, Whacking and Boogaloo, and Afro- Latin styles such as Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Afro-Cuban to name a few. Hip-Hop breaks color lines by creating a forum where people come together for a common passion rather than grouping themselves by race or socio-economic backgrounds. Versa-Style demonstrates freedom of expression, freedom of individuality, hard work, self-discipline and dedication to the form.

2.Utilize Hip Hop dance to guide passionate, dedicated young individuals from marginalized Los Angeles communities to use the arts as a tool to navigate the varied and infinitely complex personal landscapes they live every day. As Hip Hop ARTivists, we provide enriching opportunities through dance education in the form of school performances, teaching residencies, weekly dance classes and individualized mentorship through a pre-professional Hip Hop dance experience. We empower the next generation with historical knowledge, cultural and societal awareness and provide space to celebrate the strength of the Streetdance community. We are extremely proud of the work we have created and the youth we have been able to uplift in the past 15 years. I was that young teenage boy that saw Versa-Style Dance Company on a theater stage and was completely blown away to see Hip Hop being presented in that way, so to be able to be on the other end of that feels full circle. I continue to work with Versa-Style because I wholeheartedly believe the work we are doing is very important and impactful to our communities and our youth. The work Versa-Style does change my life so I know it has and will continue to change the life of many more.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Hip Hop is always evolving so change is inevitable and I think that’s a very beautiful and powerful part of Hip Hop Culture. So YES, there will be shifts, changes, and different trends that will come up in the next 5-10 years, but all I continue to push and hope for is that the correct history and information continues to get passed down to the next generation. With a very digital world that we live in now, the spread of information is much easier, but I hope in the next 5-10 years the correct information doesn’t get lost. Hip Hop is a lot of the time highly misrepresented, so I only hope that organizations like Versa-Style, The Gr818ers, Culture Shock, and others continue doing their best to continue spreading and passing down the correct information on what Hip Hop really is and where it comes from.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.versastyledance.org
• Instagram: @_preciseee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VersaStyleLA
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VersaStyleLA

Image Credits
George Simian and Beata Bernina