Marcia Pinheiro, the founder and director of Latin Dance Australia, started teaching Latin Dance in Sydney when she first arrived in Australia from Brazil in 1998. Six years ago, she had no job and just a handful of English phrases. A multi-talented individual, Marcia is a performer, choreographer, teacher, promoter, businesswoman, marketing administrator, manager, talent scout, MC, and all-round best friend to many. An entrepreneur and owner of the biggest Latin Dance School in Sydney, alongside her business partner Jamie Jesus, and the creator of many of the new initiatives introduced to expand Sydney's Latin culture. An innovative person by nature, Marcia has set the standard followed by many others in Sydney's Latin Scene. Originally, an average of 15 to 30 students attend the class each week. Excellent growth in student numbers resulted in the formation of Latin Dance Australia. Since then and currently, Latin Dance Australia hosts classes in 5 venues across Sydney and averages 600 students per week.
Sydney sunset from the Balmain wharf. Sydney Austr...
Latin dance
Latin dancing (intermediate) at the 2006 MIT Ballr...Latin dance Australia is now one of Australia's largest Dance schools and promoters of Latin and Brazilian culture.
Like most newcomers, life was no bed of roses when Marcia arrived from Brazil in 1998. Marcia tried many times to get a job, but her poor English got in the way. However the enterprising Ms Pinheiro is not the sort of person to accept defeat. While employers may have hesitated at her poor English, not so Sydney clubbers. When Marcia went to clubs people would constantly be asking for her to teach them salsa, she collected phone numbers and the business grew from there. Simple this might sound, but it did involve a lot of hard work, energy, and imagination on the part of her and her partner Jamie. Another vital element thrown into the mix was timing. "Australians are really...