We recently connected with Eda Kachiri and have shared our conversation below.

Eda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I started really dancing in high school but it was always something I loved. It was after high school that I began training in Latin dance. I’m not sure when I decided to really pursue it as a career, I think it more so just happened. The more I trained and learned – the more I wanted to train and learn. Eventually my life decisions were being made around making sure I had time for dance. About 5 or 6 years ago is when I left my full time job to pursue dance full time – and it has been my life ever since.

Eda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Eda Kachiri and I am a Latin dancer and studio owner. I’ve been teaching Latin dance for almost thirteen years and have owned my studio for about two and a half.

I got into Latin dance because I was in a pageant and the man who choreographed our opening salsa performance asked if I wanted to train and teach and that’s how this journey began.

I am a bachata and salsa dancer for dancers of all ages. I teach and perform around the country with my dance partner Tommy Valerio. We specialize in bachata but I also teach a women’s styling class and I run two youth teams through the studio as well as work with various schools around the city providing Latin dance classes.

As a studio owner I provide a space for people to come learn, grow and find community. We offer various classes like bachata, salsa, heels and Reggaeton classes. We also run performance teams for all ages.

The thing I’m the most proud of is the community environment at the studio. We have an incredibly solid team of instructors who’s first goal is to make the space a safe one for anyone that comes through our doors. Not only are we Latina owned but our entire staff consists of Latinx instructors and I’m incredibly proud of that.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I get asked a lot about my why? Why do I teach?

Dance is such an amazing thing and being able to bring that to people makes me feel truly lucky. You never know why someone has decided to take a class, whether it’s because they want a workout, or maybe they want to gain confidence, or want to have a community, the reasons are endless. And I think it’s a beautiful thing to watch someone learn and grow and as they do so in dance – they do so in their personal lives. I’ve watched people go from feeling like they have noone to feeling like they have a whole family at the studio, I’ve seen people who struggle with confidence find their footing and walk into rooms in a new way – the transformations that occur through dance is truly a beautiful thing.

I truly feel like this is why I teach and this is why dance is so incredibly important.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think society often overlooks the arts as just a simple hobby or past time. When in reality the arts allow people to see the world through a different cleanse and provide so many lessons you can take into any aspect of life.

I also would love to see the arts get more respect as a way of life. Artists often get asked to work for exposure, as if what we do isn’t as serious as other professions and I think that’s something that needs to change.

Contact Info:

• Website: Yiriidance.com
• Instagram: Yiriidance & EdaKachiri
• Facebook: Eda Kachiri

Image Credits
Dahee Han Jenni Minska