We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mario Olvera. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mario below.

Mario, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

At Mi Chantli we are so proud and honored to provide a creative safe space for everyone. We welcome folx to embrace the vibe of creative collaborative energy that comes from the simple connection and interactions of community. We so deeply appreciate the continued support and involvement and hope to provide more creative outlets in the future! From donation base art nights to free open dance cyphers, hanging in the lobby or even actually taking a dance class, we invite our clients to enjoy and engage with whats going on at mi Chantli. It might take folx out of their comfort zones or even introduce them to a whole new experience. With that, We truly intend to maintain the embodiment of an art & movement sanctuary.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For us owners of mi Chantli, we share a wonderful history. We met through intergenerational sharing of knowledge, creativity and experience rooted in the hip hop culture. I once facilitated and taught a four elements of hip hop program in middle schools around Boulder where I met the other co owners in their prime middle school days. They might have been 11-12yrs old. Myself and other guest teachers taught them the basic elements of hip hop: graffiti, breakin, mc-ing, and dj-ing. The mentorship continued and their emersion to the thriving hip hop breakdance community help them in their journey as adolescence to adulthood. i continued to run into them at break dance battles or poetry readings, excited to hear of their continued success and accomplishments in the break dance/hip hop scene. Im super proud to have witness the transformation from passion to professionalism as I enrolled my own children in their dance classes and workshops.
Due to Unforeseen Circumstances and other effects of a long pandemic, it lead us to join forces and become new owners of a transitioning studio. We came up with an new model of service for community to reintegrate after so much isolation, transition and fear. Combining our cultural backgrounds, passions and expertise we are able to provide a well rounded creative multicultural experience. We are committed to being stewards to a brave creative space that helps so many relatives on their journey to self discovery, exploration and expression. An invitation to community has been made to engage where culture, art and movement medicine are prioritized for the sake of healing and liberation.

Any advice for managing a team?

Great advice for any managing team are weekly meetings with introductory personal check-ins.
Check ins can really help folx get a bit of perspective on where the team is at, including yourself. As for maintaining high morale, well it never hurts to bring food or laughter into the meetings. Hooking folx up with a tasty treat while you brain storm can get creative juicy flowing. Keeping things light always brings back our intention to enjoying what we do, no matter how serious the situation.

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

Consistency has helped build and maintain our reputation. We continue to offer exceptional dance classes from qualified experienced teachers and facilitators. The best teaching qualifications are a must and we depend on that quality to offer our customers the best dance experience. The quality of our offerings and workshops we provide have been our focus when it comes to outreach. we ensure professional quality educational programs in house and in remote locations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mi-chantli.com
• Instagram: @_mi-chantli_
• Facebook: mi-chantli

Image Credits

images by: Mario Jose Olvera &Yolilizatl Olvera