Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Stevenson.
Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I initially wanted to be in gymnastics when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the classes were too expensive for us. Then I got the hip hop bug… but it was the same story.. too expensive. The place we went to see hip hop classes had Salsa dancing.
My mom was a big Salsa fan, so she approached the teacher. The teacher, Alex de Silva who coincidentally was one of the best at the time, offered to teach my sisters and I for free if all three of us started. So that was it… I fell in love with it and never stopped!
Great, 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?
Oh nooooo! It took me a lot of practice to really get it. Then when I was finally starting to feel comfortable with it, my father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away pretty quickly. That devastated me. I was 18. A year after that, I was hit by a drunk driver, and I was in a coma for two weeks. My leg was shattered and is now full of metal. They told me I probably wouldn’t be able to dance like I used to if at all.
Then a few years later, the day of a big competition I was told I had cancer! I danced that night like I had never danced in my life. I felt like it was the last time I was going to be on the dance floor. Later that week I found out it was a wrong diagnosis and that I was actually perfectly healthy. Throughout all that, I had the normal artist issues of financial instabilities and self doubt that plague most of us.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m living my dream. I just opened my dance studio with my husband. I specialize in Salsa and all Latin forms of dance. I’m most proud of the fact that when women go to my class, they leave feeling positive and energized. We are re-branding, and the company doing the site asked me what I thought my purpose was.
It was a simple answer for me… to spread positivity. That’s it. I want to form a community where people can go to feel good through dance and other fitness avenues. I now have mommy and me salsa classes as well as kids teams. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to pass the gift of dance on to the next generation.
I’m also excited to start a new fitness program I have designed that’s all about Latin music, dance, and fitness. That’s starting in March. I think what sets me apart is that I do it for the love of it. I have never been about the money or notoriety. In fact, I never really made much of a living from it until my husband came into the picture.
I remember telling him; “maybe I should go do something else,” he looked at me like I was crazy and said, “ you have done what most people hope to do in their lives which is become the best at something. Why would you quit??” So he helped me change my perspective on it, and that’s when it all changed.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Wow. There’s been a lot of proud moments for me. I have to say that opening my own studio has been the proudest one to date!
Contact Info:
- Website: Stephaniestevenson.com
- Phone: 8184819070
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @salsawithstephanie
Image Credit:
JeanPaul SanPedro
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