Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Giraldo.
Johnny, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My story begins in Medellin, Colombia where I was born. As a child, I was always drawn towards Salsa music. I wanted to know the name of the song and the artist who sang or played it. I always remember my parents playing music in the house, while doing the daily chores and blasting Salsa music through the speakers. I grew up listening to artist like El Gran Combo, Hector Lavoe, Oscar D’Leon and many more and as a result, developed an interest for collecting music and learning its history. At the age of 11, I moved to the US with my parents and brother to pursue the American Dream, which at the time didn’t really know what that meant, I was only a child who was coming to a new country without knowing that this was where I was going to settle and become the person and artist I am today.
In the year 1995, after 5 years of residing in the US, I joined BAJUCOL, a Colombian folk dance group based here in Boston. I did this as way of staying connected with my Colombian heritage and to live a dream of dancing and performing on a stage. With BAJUCOL, I gained experience in performing, choreographing and teaching. After 8 years of being in the group, I decided to focus on my passion for salsa and established my own dance company “Salsa y Control” with my brother Andres and now wife Felicita Giraldo-Rosado. My brother and I had already been dancing duets since being part of BAJUCOL. After much demand, we started performing all over Boston and New England gaining lots of recognition in Boston’s fast-growing Salsa scene. In 2003, we added partners to our choreographies and expanded the dance company as we continued to obtain success, not only in Boston but also across the US.
During that time, I had already graduated high school and started going to college at Bunker Hill and later transferred to Umass Boston, to pursue a degree in Psychology. The interesting thing is that I was teaching Salsa and performing during this time and continued to do so, even after graduating and getting my B.A in Psychology from Umass Boston. Since graduating in 2003, I haven’t worked in the field of psychology, per say, but I still feel that I apply some psychology in my teaching technique and philosophy. I enjoying teaching people how to dance and I’m always mindful of their learning process and make sure their experience is fun and easy to follow.
This year I’m very proud and happy to be celebrating 20 years teaching Salsa and 15 years of Salsa y Control Dance Company with one goal in mind, “Inspiring Others to Dance” which has been our motto from the beginning!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My passion for salsa is expressed equally though performing, teaching, DJing, producing events or while social dancing. I believe strongly in connecting with the music and with your partner. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I do with the people I love.
Performing on a stage gives me a chance to bring the music to life in a different way. It’s a visual interpretation that allows me to articulate and express music and how I feel, through movement.
In my role as a dance instructor, I have a responsibility to educate people, not only about dance, but about the history and rich culture that makes Salsa music and dance not just music and dance, but a way of life. There’s a great sense of accomplishment when individuals understand the movement and feel that level of ecstasy that’s experienced when doing it to music! It’s magical and alluring. As a DJ, I have the opportunity to expose people to some of the most exciting music that has ever been recorded. Connecting to the music, truly heightens your dancing experience and gives it more meaning, in my opinion. Plato once said, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” I get to do this, through producing my own radio show called Ritmo Salsero, which you can listen on Zumix Radio 94.9fm on Tuesdays from 11am to 12pm and on Saoko Online Radio, Thursdays from 12:30pm to 2pm on www.saoko.com. Additionally, I DJ at one of Boston/Cambridge’s most popular dance spots, Havana Club on Saturdays.
The love that I have for what I do aims at inspiring others to do the same. Follow your dreams, develop your craft and be the best you can be at it, don’t be afraid to fail and stay true to yourself and the art you represent. Doing so has given me the pleasure and privilege to DJ, teach, and perform with Salsa y Control at some of the most prestigious events and congress around the country, in places such as New York, L.A, Miami, Texas, Utah, San Francisco, Washington, and many other major US cities, as well as in Mexico, Curacao, Canada and Colombia.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
As I mentioned before, success is measured by how true and genuine you stay to yourself and your craft. If you’re passionate about what you do, that will come across in the art that you produce and eventually generate a following or customers, if that’s what you’re looking for. But always remember, “Art is something you do for yourself, work is something you do for others.” — Stephen Sondheim.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
If anyone is interested in learning how to dance, you can find me at the Dance Complex and the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge with my group classes. The full schedule of classes can be found on my website www.salsaycontrol.com. I also teach the pre-party lessons at Havana Club on Fridays and Saturdays and you can find more information about Havana Club and the parties at www.havanaclubsalsa.com. If you want to learn more about the music and listen to some of the best Salsa, you can tune in to my radio show on Tuesdays from 11am to 12pm on Zumix Radio 94.9fm or on Thursdays from 12:30pm to 2pm on www.sako.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.salsaycontrol.com
- Phone: 617-312-6464
- Email: johnny@salsaycontrol.com
- Instagram: instragram.com/sycdance
- Facebook: facebook.com/salsaycontroldancecompany
- Twitter: twitter.com/sycdance
Image Credit:
Photo credit: Jeff Robinson, Enrique Yaptenco, Sean Wilson and Carven Boursiquot.
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