We were lucky to catch up with Dilyara Tucciarone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dilyara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

My journey began two years ago when I moved to Charlotte from Russia. Initially, I struggled to find my path as I lacked the necessary work documents. Despite my varied skills as a fitness trainer, yoga instructor, and marketer, dance had always been a constant passion, though never fully pursued. Arriving in the US, I found solace in dance, which required minimal paperwork. Joining the NC DANCE DISTRICT studio and LDC (local dance company), I honed my skills in classes, receiving recognition from instructors and peers. The support of the Charlotte Dance Community was unparalleled, empowering me to start teaching my own classes and launch a successful high heels program. From a humble beginning of three participants, the program has grown to nearly thirty attendees. Last year, I took a bold step by organizing the Charlotte Heels Weekend, a high heels convention, which garnered significant success and anticipation for its upcoming edition. And of course I attribute my achievements to the kindness and support of the community, especially as a newcomer navigating a foreign land. Their unwavering encouragement has been instrumental in the success of my dance business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been dancing on and off all my life, with my roots in ballroom dancing. At the age of 13, I began learning various styles such as hip hop, dancehall, afrobeats, street jazz, and high heels at Russian dance studios. Unlike here, opportunities for dancers back home were limited, so I never pursued a dance career or envisioned myself as a teacher or professional dancer. However, dance has always been my passion and dream. Now, here in the US, I’m living that dream, doing what I love most and sharing it with others through teaching.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Not everyone understands the mental demands of dancing. Being a dancer requires constant training in studios, memorizing choreography, grasping musicality and timing, and maintaining a focused mindset. For those pursuing dance professionally, it is also important maintaining fitness and strength through diet and gym training.
So sometimes there are moments when things don’t go smoothly, like losing focus during a class or blinking during a choreographed performance. It’s frustrating, and it’s hard not to be critical of oneself in those moments.

However, every dedicated dancer knows that they still possess the ability to dance. Personally, what helps me stay resilient throughout my career is recognizing that there’s always room for improvement, but it doesn’t diminish my skill. I can still dance well, and that’s something no one can take away from me.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

If you want to grow your business, regardless of its type, I firmly believe that as a business owner, you need to actively participate in events where you can promote your business. Essentially, it’s about networking. However, it’s crucial to target specific audiences and attend events where you’re likely to find potential clients.

So and if we talk about me what helped me, definitely me showing up in other dancers classes and building relationships with people. Not that I did it specifically for business, of course most of it happens naturally, but it definitely helped a lot!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dilyaamor_?igsh=MWJ0NmUyazh4eGxiOA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dilyaraamor?si=JgIhjhEVN0I3pVxk