Ortos J. Gutiérrez Ortiz , better known as Tito Ortos , was born in Santurce on December 26, 1974. After finishing a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Science from the University of Puerto Rico and studying music, vocals, bass and clarinet, Tito started his career as a Salsa Dancer by his parent's initiative, both musicians. Also he develops as a dancer of other genres such as: Jazz, Merengue, "Bomba y Plena", Rumba, Modern Dance and Tap among others. Since then, he has visited more than 100 cities w...
Feb 27, 2021•48 min•Ep. 30
Today I had the chance to speak with one of the best salsa dancers in the world. Born in Veracruz, Mexico, he is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, has a talent for singing, has contagious energy and a broad knowledge of the history of Mambo / Salsa. Let me just say that if I could choose only one person to represent what Salsa means to me I would pick him every single time… without further due I bring you Rodrigo Cortazar.
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 29
Cadleen Désir est PDG et fondatrice de Déclic, un réseau de professionnels au service des enfants à besoins particuliers du Grand Montréal, et présidente du Groupement des chefs d’entreprises du Québec. Impliquée dans la gouvernance de plusieurs organisations, elle y insuffle sa vision d’un leadership humain et inclusif, nourri par l’intelligence collective, la diversité et la participation des femmes. Elle siège notamment au conseil d’administration de Femmessor, au comité-conseil en développem...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 28
J’ai eu la chance de parler avec une très grande artiste. Je dis très grande sans exagérer, car, vous allez vous en rendre compte durant la conversation, que ça démarche artistique est très claire et surtout puissante. Elle est la lauréate du Grand Prix de la Danse de la Ville de Montréal. Et ici Je cite le jury qui l’a selectionner « Cette artiste aux multiples facettes, communicatrice avisée, activiste et performeuse d’une grande puissance, creuse en elle au-delà de l’évidence avec persévéranc...
Nov 17, 2020•58 min•Ep. 27
If there's one thing positive about this Covid situation is that I got even closer to my son ;)
Nov 11, 2020•7 min•Ep. 27
Elle a étudié en architecture en France puis arrivée à Montréal elle consacre les 20 dernières années à maitriser et surtout enseigner la Salsa... De la Bachata au Fox Trot en passant par le Ballet, le Baladi et le Rock'n'Roll, On dit d'elle qu'elle savait danser avant de savoir marcher.
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 26
Today I got the chance to chat with a very special business woman. She studied dance all her young life in China, came to Montreal Canada completed an MBA and created a multi-studio concept called Espace Des Arts that became a Mecca for many dance styles and dancers. I started this conversation with no expectations and I discovered a smart, thoughtful, extremely motivated and powerful woman. Without further due I bring you Dominique Wang
Oct 28, 2020•53 min•Ep. 25
My name is Ilias and I have owned a Latin dance school in Laval for 16 years now (another one in the West Island and Ile-Perrot ). We manage to operate with restrictions, at 20% of our pre-Covid sales. For the moment, I have no salary and my business is struggling to survive because of the measures put in place. I am now afraid of losing my well-established business for which I have given everything; and I am writing this to express my despair that it is slowly dying. By closing us down you are ...
Oct 20, 2020•24 min
An experienced dancer, tango teacher, performer and dj. We made a deep dive in the Tango world… So much to learn about that world… especially how to ask someone to dance only by using this Tango eye technique: The Cabaceo ;) Please welcome Carol Horowitz.
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 39 min
1. Intense Dance Training in Cuba 2. Striking a balance between communism and capitalism 3. No one from the outside should criticize the ways of a nation 4. Cuba USA rocky relationship 5. Don't come to my house and tell me what to do 6. Her Amazing Cuban Immersion 7. A bit of Cuban Embargo History 8. Covid in Cuba 9. Afro Something
Aug 28, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Some Covid Thoughts
Aug 25, 2020•10 min
1. Comment elle a réglé ses douleurs chroniques 2. Comment apaiser l'autocritique et développer de la bienveillance envers soi 3. La méditation en mouvement 4. Les défis du "marketing" de son approche : La Danse Pleine Conscience 5. L'importance de la respiration en danse
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr 2 min
How he got in the Salsa World Coaching techniques and approach His experience in the Philippines with his husband Dealing with hard family issues
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 29 min
Today I had a chance to talk to one of the best jazz-blues guitarist in Canada. He holds a Jazz Performance degree from McGill University and has accompanied many renown artists. In this podcast You’ll learn about what it takes to be a full time professional musician!
May 28, 2020•1 hr 26 min
In this podcast I go down memory lane with an accomplished musician and teacher. My next guest and I have something in common: We both love playing guitar and we both spent time working in Taiwan. He recently came back from Taiwan so I was eager to talk to him about his journey abroad. Here are some subjects discussed: Challenges of Working Abroad A Canadian's perspective on learning Chinese Pollution in Taiwan Reverse culture shock is real Being a musician in a foreign country Living with S.A.R...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 30 min
A lovely conversation with Belinda Roche. High school teacher, amazing salsa dancer and very very good friend. Dealing with Isolation Sending Our Kids to School During Covid Salsa Dancing Post Covid-19 Stigma of Masks Salsa dancing do's and don'ts
May 06, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Initiated to the universe of dance at age 4, Sonia graduated in Classical Dance at the Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1989. She is also certified in superior studies in the management of cultural projects, with a specialization in inner city youth outreach and intervention, obtained in Lyon (France) in 1994. We discussed her Grands Ballets Canadiens Training, What kind of person becomes a pro dancer, the challenges of teaching online, the Impact of Covid-19 on the dance world, the problems of dance...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 36 min
In the Salsa world, where i come from, we get to met really amazing people… this is where Adam Duff comes in. Adam is a concept artist, graphic designer veteran salsa dancers and all around amazing guy. He worked as art director for Electronic Arts and Disney. We talked about... how he became a professional artist, why he started a Youtube channel, tips and tricks to be successful on that video platform, doing a Vlog with his daughter, the impact of Covid-19 on the arts and much more.
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Martin Pham Dinh is a physician with 20 years of practice in emergency medicine who now focuses on clinical communications and the science of wellness and longevity. He also a fitness freak, passionate home cook and lover of life. We discussed his important role in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 13
A conversation with my good friend and dance school owner Christine Harrison in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. Here's some topics discussed. 1. The impact of the virus on dance schools 2. The usage of Zoom for virtual classes and meetings 3. Business strategies during lock down 4. The post Corona virus prognosis
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 12
Welcome to the Baila Room Podcast…Before we begin, I want to state in which condition we’re doing this podcast: We are in Quebec, Canada, on the second week of the Covid19 outbreak and its lock down. Here’s an important Caveat before we start. We are no experts on Covid-19 or any related matter. So anything we say about the virus situation during our podcast is from a businessmen standpoint. It’s a serious matter and change and rapidly changing. Needless to say you should always differ to expert...
Mar 26, 2020•45 min•Ep. 11
A great conversation with an amazing dancer and friend: Ronald Mompoint. We talked about our shared passion of dance. We went back to the late 80s high school life. We talked about the current state of affairs of social media and politics and finally, he shared with me the traumatic story that happened to his father in our medical system.
Feb 28, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 10
A great conversation with an amazing dancer, performer, choreographer and friend: Audrey Gaussiran.Here are the main topics discussed: 1. Things they don’t show on TV from the So you Think you can Dance show 2. Drama in the dance world 3. Traveling and working as a dancer around the world 4. Dealing with hard criticism in the arts world 5. Managing a dance career : Learning to say NO 6. Juggling the artist mom roles 7. How to be an out of the box artist 8. Gender roles in the Salsa world 9. How ...
Feb 04, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 9
I sat down with my good friend Wendy to talk about some interesting topics. Here are some of them: 1. The Salsa dancing scene in Montreal 2. The Zumba business model 3. How Social media is changing us 4. Her bouts with Anxiety ...much more
Jan 15, 2020•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 8
An awesome discussion with Salsa colleague about the evolution of Salsa Congresses. New tech and business ideas to expand the dance offering and reach. The Virtual Salsa congress concept. The scary outcome possibilities of artificial intelligence, Tesla talk and much more...
Dec 18, 2019•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 7
I sit down with Luciano Ucci, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with over 15 years of training under his belt. Passionate and dedicated to the sport and known for his technical knowledge, Professor Luciano quickly established himself as a top trainer and corner men of several public figures in the world of professional mixed martial arts. Over the years, his passion influenced many other students of his who now lead their own schools under the prestigious banner Team ONE jujitsu Canada. Here are ...
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 6
They reveal what it takes to be a performer in the Salsa/Bachata world. How they prepare for competition. What is their creation process like. They go into the business side of being a performer/teacher and much much more..
Nov 05, 2019•53 min•Ep. 5
In this podcast Ilias Benz speaks with Walter Rivera about his life as a dancer, performer, singer and choreographer. Here are some topics discussed. The business of being in a boys band. The history of Salsa. Life in New York.
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Ilias Benz talks to Christine Harrison owner of H4L dance school about the business side of the dance world and her evolution in it. Here are some topics discussed: How she started her dance school... the good and not so good moments What are some common myths about the dance profession or field that need to be debunked Things to look for when a parent chooses a dance school for their child The contribution of all the dance TV shows And much more......
Oct 09, 2019•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
I discovered Salsa when a friend of mine brought me to a club. I was very anxious but right away, I fell in love with the music, the rhythms and this dance. Following that evening, I started taking salsa lessons. It was a revelation for me. The love that I felt and still feel for this Latin dance made me stand out. Quickly, I joined a dance troupe in Montreal and started to teach. At a steady pace, I refined my teaching and dancing techniques. After a couple of years, I graduated in Psycho-educa...
Sep 11, 2019•47 min•Ep. 2
