Dance Spotlight – Leah Boresow

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Leah Boresow is featured in this edition of Dance Spotlight!  She is an Atlanta based dance instructor, performer and choreographer whose talents span across many different genres of dance. Leah also sings! She was nominated by Victor Hernandez Jr. Victor said, “Leah is an amazing soul and a multi-talented dancer who definitely deserves to be featured.” Check out fun and interesting facts about Leah including some of her favorite choreographies that she’s created as well as a dance moment that made her feel proud.

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What (or who) originally inspired you to try Latin dancing? OR What are your first memories of latin dancing?

I was first introduced seriously to Latin dance when I joined the ballroom dance club at Indiana University. Of course, we were learning latin Ballroom, but my first experience and exposure to social dancing was when I studied dance abroad in Israel. A few friends from the dance academy who where Israeli told us about a Latin club called Candela. We went to check it out and I was amazed at the fun and sexy nature of dance that was going on in that room! Once I got back to the United States to finish my senior year of college, I started seeking out social Latin dance opportunities, and never went back!

Describe a moment or accomplishment in your dance life that made you feel proud?

One of my prouder moments, when I was really exploring the salsa community in Atlanta, was when I pushed myself to do my first solo salsa performance. This came after one of my former dance partners decided to stop dancing with me, even though we had put so much work into a routine together. Though I was very let down, I decided to carry through with my goals and present myself as a solo performer. I came up with the choreography on my own, and it was the first time that the salsa community saw me in that light. I was super proud!

Social Dance Pet Peeve: (Hygiene, No connection, People who talk a lot while dancing, etc)

I would say one of my pet peeves in the social dance world is when somebody rejects dancing with someone after they have invited them to the floor to do so. I understand that everybody has the right to dance with who they want, but I also think that the purpose of social dancing is to go and dance with different people. Mostly, I really dislike it when someone of a higher level doesn’t want to dance with someone of a lower level. I think that the best dancers are those the dance with people of all levels of experience!

Your dance repertoire is very impressive! Which dance style (or genre) inspires you the most creatively and why?

I love being a versatile dancer. It is so fulfilling to be able to bring together all the genres of dance that I have learned in the past and use them for my present and future! It’s really hard to choose which one inspires the most creativity. I would say it depends on the timing of my life… For example, currently I am feeling very creative in theater jazz and want to choreograph a lot more musical theater. But I’m sure that soon enough I’ll get the itch to do something in the contemporary world, where I feel like there is a lot of freedom. And one of my favorite things to do is combine genres together, like doing contemporary Latin, or a Latin jazz fusion of some sort. The possibilities are endless!

Not only is your dance catalog diverse, but you also provide choreography for all these dance styles. What is your methodology for creating choreography and do you have a favorite among your many choreographies?

Yes, in addition to dancing, teaching, and performing, choreographing is one of my absolute favorite things! I feel like I get to paint canvases all the time. Usually my process starts with listening to the song for the choreography many times. Usually while doing this, I’ll start to get inspired and have ideas that I need to try out. I craft counts and musicality, and write it all down like a mad scientist. From there it’s just trial and error! As far as picking a favorite from the choreographies that I have, I’m really proud of all of them and I feel like they each have something different about them. If I’m choosing my favorite choreography that I have done for myself, I loved my contemporary cha-cha solo, “Sofrito,“ and my contemporary solo “Seenery.” They were both so much fun to perform !When it comes to my favorite choreography that I have done for others, I am super proud about my newest theater jazz piece, “Le Jazz Hot.” It really shows a more sultry side and gets you wanting to be in the theatre!
(You can view all three choreographies that Leah mentioned below.)


*NOTE. You can find a complete list of Leah’s dance styles at LeahBoresow.com.

You wrote on Facebook, “Leah Boresow Dance believes in building your personal relationship with dance in order to find your success.” What do you love most about helping others grow their relationship with dance?

Being both a dance performer and a dance instructor is all about connecting with either your audience, or with your student. It’s such a beautiful challenge to know that personally, dance is so enriching and gives so much joy. It’s then my task to find out how I can deliver that joy to others and communicate it to them so that it makes sense to them. This is what I love the most! I feel that our art form would be nothing without building relationships. That way, we are personally invested with our passion, and at the same time, we put others’ genuine best interests at heart.

What are your current favorite songs to dance to? Top two or three…

My musical taste for dancing is super diverse! As far as current songs specifically for Latin dancing that I like to listen to- I found a hidden gem in an artist named C. Tangana. For all things Latin and contemporary, and salsa to “Lo Mejor de Mi” by Yiyo Sarante. But I love dancing salsa to the old classics, like anything by Marc Anthony.

Favorite dance video you’d like to share?

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