Natalia Beans, DSHA ‘23, is finishing her senior year with over ten years of dancing under her belt. Skilled in the dance style of Latin Rhythms, which encompasses salsa, ChaCha, and Mambo, as well as Bachata and Afro-Cuban dancing, Natalia began dancing at only seven years old. She accredits the start of her dance career to her mother and step-father, both of whom are long time dancers. Natalia vividly recalls learning the salsa basics with her mother as a child and spending her free time observing her step-dad’s dance practices with his adult salsa team, Salsabrosa. Following in her step-dad and mother’s footsteps, Natalia’s dance career was kickstarted. 

Natalia typically practices ten hours per week, even more when she has an upcoming show or competition. She’s performed all over the Milwaukee area with her dance teammates, from Mexican Fiesta to the Waukesha Library. On most weekends, you can find Natalia and her dance company at dance competitions in Chicago where they dance with fellow dance organizations. Beyond the United States, Natalia has traveled to Columbia, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Canada for competitions. Her next adventure will take place in London where she will perform and take classes with some of Europe’s best latin rhythmic dancers. These once in a lifetime trips are particularly special to Natalia because they are made possible through her constant dedication. Her driven work ethic allows her to travel around the world, meet new people, and take classes from salsa dancing champions. Recently, Natalia’s hard work paid off as she placed in every competition she participated in 2022. 

Despite Natalia’s success, the effort she puts into her dancing does not always come easily. In particular, Natalia notes how rigorous academics, high expectations, and com petition preparation are not easy to navigate. Luckily, Natalia has learned how to balance her school work with her dancing, making sure she communicates with her teachers and completes homework when traveling for competitions, including at the airport or on the road. Moreover, Natalia constantly reminds herself that she has to keep going and keep pushing, saying that “although stressful, having dance in my life makes it worth it.” Valuing the patience, resilience, and perseverance that dance has provided her with, Natalia’s sheer love for her sport outweighs all obstacles that she encounters, including losing. Reflecting on when she competed at her first wordlewide competition in Puerto Rico at eleven years old, Natalia recalls forgetting her dance while on stage: “I felt like the laughing stock of the entire competition, and wanted to quit and never dance again.” However, some helpful life advice from Natalia’s mother came to mind in this moment of doubt. She told Natalia that people have bad experiences all the time, but they don’t let the experience define them. Without this pivotal moment, Natalia says that she would not be where she is today if it weren’t for this experience. 

More than just a pastime for Natalia, dance is a form of self expression and an outlet for emotion. Natalia also finds meaning in dance because the styles of dance she spealizes in hold cultural significance. Through salsa dancing in particualr, Natalia is connected her to her Afro-Latina heritage and feels a sense of belonging that compels her to continue to share her beautiful culture with the rest of the world. Natalia elbaroates more salsa dancing, describing it as “African and Hispanic forms of music and dancing blended together to create a beautiful style of dance.” She also explained that the movement and instruments used in dance often represent something culturally significant, such as a religion: “all of these different cultures and beliefs mixed with the soul of instruments like the guiro and bongos come together to make all of these dances.” 

Natalia plans on continuing her dancing career by joining the salsa club at Marquette University, where she will be attending next fall, where she hopes to continue demonstrating her knowledge and experience with others. Natalia also plans on taking over her mother’s legacy and business, Salsabrositas, after graduating from MU’s pharmacy school. Through the hard work and perseverance she learned through dancing, Natalia is confident that she can achieve this and more!