UHD Junior to Dance in Japan’s Salsa Competition Saturday
Members of reKreation Dance
When Salsa aficionados gather in Tokyo for the Japan Salsa Congress on Saturday, Oct. 31, Vanessa Pinon, a junior majoring in general business at the University of Houston-Downtown will be there to compete with her dance team, reKreation Dance.
Pinon, 21, and Lauro Lopez, 22, direct the team with dancers who range in age from nine to 22. They dance team brought audiences to their feet last year at the Texas Salsa Congress and impressed one audience member in particular, instructor/choreographer Edwin Rivera.
Rivera embraced the team’s talent and arranged an invitation to the international competition in Japan. If Pinon’s team does extremely well, it could qualify for the December ESPN World Salsa Championships in Orlando.
“What impresses me about reKreation Dance is their ability to function as a youth group,” said Rivera. “The dancers and their families make huge sacrifices to be this good, and yet keep up academically. That’s something we all agree on: that going to college is a central part of their success. If they can represent Texas at the ESPN World championship in Orlando in December, they will put Texas on the map. 2010 is going to be an amazing year for them.”
Pinon says that Rivera has made a difference for the dance team. “He started in the business side of salsa dancing when he was 17 and wanted to help us avoid some of the difficulties he encountered,” Pinion said. “He has opened many doors for us. Now all we have to do is dance and put on a good show.”
Rivera danced on the big screen in the movie “El Cantante,” starring actors Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony. He now manages the business side of the youth dance group leaving Pinon and Lopez free to direct the team.
Success in Japan and at the ESPN contest could help the fledgling group earn sponsorships and funding. Pinon loves to dance, but she does not let dance interfere with her education at UHD.
The dance troupe practices Friday through Sunday in a rented studio in northwest Houston. Competitions generally take place on weekends. Pinon takes her books on the road, using every spare minute to study, and she applies the business principles she is learning to the dance team’s operation, especially principles in organizational management.
Pinon knows first-hand about the value of education. At 14, she moved from her grandmother’s house to live with her mother and late stepfather, Frances and Roberto Velasquez. It was a difficult transition, so her mother pushed her to pursue dance. Her parents supported her passion for dancing, but also stressed that education came first. Pinon became motivated at school in order to keep dancing.
In 2008, Pinon’s stepfather helped convince her to start reKreation Dance. She cherishes and remembers his encouraging words because he died unexpectedly the same year. She also credits another supporter Ruby Rivera (no relation to Edwin), a Texas Salsa Congress organizer, for introducing her to influential instructors and taking the team to new heights.
The University of Houston-Downtown celebrates student success, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, integrity and service. As one of the four distinct and separate components of the University of Houston System, UHD offers educational opportunities and access to students from a variety of backgrounds including many first generation college students, students who work full or part time, students who may have family obligations and students who transfer from community colleges and other higher education institutions.
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