One of the world’s most recognized and decorated salsa artists, the Mambo Diva opens up on life as a dancer, mother, and humanitarian, the importance of staying humble, and how dancing can help you become the best version of yourself.
Griselle Ponce is elegantly dressed in black, her waist-length hair neatly tied back. Sitting on a bench in the dance studio just before her “Mambo Diva Tuesdays” class, we had met at the 2016 New York International Salsa Congress where I’d taken part in her “Diva Challenge” – nine hours of choreography training, culminating in a performance on stage. A charismatic, encouraging, and dedicated professional, whose personality shines through her unique dance style, I was curious to learn more about one of the world’s most important Latin dancers.
Besides these attributes, she is also a humanitarian. Today, she is 100% focused in Puerto Rico relief efforts to help first feed the hungry, restore the Island and their homes after the devastating Hurricane Maria. She is an activist and member of Tainas Unidas an organization made up of women, including herself, that came together to add relief to those affected by natural disasters.
As a professional dancer, most think that having a child might be crippling or they might have to put a stop to their career. However, for me, that was the total opposite. Throughout my pregnancy, I was blessed to be able to continue teaching and performing. Every day the thought of my son and his future gave me more reason to continue and work harder. He is my Big Why. In life, you need a reason bigger than yourself to keep you motivated. For as long as I can I will not stop. I must continue this journey I started so many years ago when he was not even a thought. Having a great support system, of course, is key. Now my goals are about leaving a legacy, making my son proud. If dance is something he wants to do, I will support it 100%.
Well, I didn’t discover dance then it has been part of my culture ever since I was a little girl. But when I came to the United States is when I started taking lessons. Everything before was at home: mom’s teaching, family parties, and that’s where I learned how to dance. Most people say that us Puerto Ricans – which is not true because not everyone dances – have it in the blood. I guess for me it’s from my culture that I learned to dance, and when I came here I started learning structure through actual classes.
It just found me. I didn’t look for it and I wasn’t looking for a dance class. In fact, I wanted to be a movie star. I worked on TV and did beauty pageants. I wanted to do everything else other than dance. Dance was always a passion but not what I wanted to do professionally.
One day I was very curious because I saw a guy from afar doing spins. I walked into the room and said, “What are you doing?” and he said, “Well I’m teaching a salsa class.” That guy is Ismael Otero, who happens to be my first instructor. That’s how I found dance. The beautiful part of this story is that he asked me if I knew how to dance and I said yes and he was like, “Yeah ok, everyone says yes they know how to dance.” And I could, I followed him very well. I had no notion of what’s “on 1” or what’s “on 2”. I just followed him.
I didn’t get a chance to continue classes with him because it was far from where my mom worked and I couldn’t get to him easily. But one day destiny brought us back together when a friend of mine, who is now a famous singer called Frankie Negron, called me to be a backup dancer. They had also called Ismael Otero to be a choreographer for the dancers, and that’s how we met again. The passion to continue learning was born.
From the moment we started rehearsing for this performance I couldn’t stop wanting to learn more. I became totally addicted. It would be 2 am and I would still be rehearsing even though the next morning I had to go to school. My mum supported me. She said: “As well as long as you do well in school.” And I continued. I was just hungry, hungry for more. The more I learned, the more I wanted to dance and that’s when the passion came. When the opportunity to continue dancing with Frankie didn’t happen – because the record label only wanted Frankie Negron, not the dancers – I continued my journey with Ismael and that’s when Caribbean Soul was born.
The way I learned with Ismael was very hard; it wasn’t the easy way. It’s the way that he teaches. For example, I would ask him, “So how am I doing?” and he would say, “How does it feel?” I thank him for that type of training because he made me look into me, to start working on myself, not working on following someone. I didn’t have any female to follow! I was the only female to follow so he made me work it out myself.
Absolutely, which is why my little motto is: “Bring out your inner diva”. Diva because I’ve been called the Mambo Diva, but it’s just “bring out who you are” or “bring out the best in you”. And so the way I discovered this was when I would do things and people would say: “How did you do that?” and I would say, “Do what? What are you talking about?” Because I did a move, and it was so natural to me that I couldn’t even figure it out what I did. That made me want to look into myself, look at my videos and look at myself dancing in the mirror. And that made me the dancer that I am today.
Griselle Ponce showcasing her solo to El Manicero by Lucrecia in 2015
The sacrifices that we make in dance people don’t see because they only see the beauty in it. The challenge when I started was, as everyone knows, that dance has always been a man’s world, a man’s business. The female was the extra – always. The truth is it was the man and “partner”. It’s not like that anymore, but that’s how it used to be like. And so when I started, I started respecting myself by asking to be recognized not as a partner, but as the main dancer, always represented as my own name. It was very hard to be a soloist. I was one of the first – in fact, I think that I was the first female soloist in this man’s world – to travel alone, not with a partner, and to be hired alone. And so I went through all the punches that you can think of right? It’s always been a struggle to lead a group of people especially when men are involved, especially because men are always like: “Well I have to learn from a man.” But that’s not true! That was the mentality – that if it’s a female teacher then it’s a female class. I do have men come to my classes and I’ve trained many men in the dance world that are very great dancers in fact.
The hardest part is the hours of training and travel. For example, I travel so much that I have to leave my family behind on the special days and the special birthdays. What can I say? Coming home just one or two days, and the only thing you can do is probably rest and pack for the next trip. The sacrifice of leaving my family is the hardest part, and also the hardship on the body, and as a soloist, traveling alone. But the reward! The reward is coming, teaching and having someone say thank you, or I’ve had so many people say that I’ve changed their life. I had a young lady in the Dominican Republic come to me one year, and she was crying. She said: “You know, you saved my life.” I said: “How did I save your life?” She said: “I was so inspired by you, that I lost 80 pounds, I no longer have diabetes, and I’m healthy and it was just because I was inspired by your class, by your dancing.” It’s things like that when you think to yourself: It’s all worth it. And that’s just one of the many rewards. When I get to coach those that are instructors, professionals, I am a student myself. When I say that I am a student it’s because I love to learn.
Anyone can learn, it has nothing to do with culture. I’ve already proven that because I’ve traveled the world and seen people in every place you can imagine with amazing talent. Amazing, I mean they’ve probably had to work very hard but that’s what it takes to be good at anything: to work hard. So I think the key to success is consistency. In my case, it’s staying very humble and being willing to continue to learn, to be open to constructive criticism, to be open to people’s opinions and comments about what you’re doing because that will definitely help you grow.
Freedom. Freedom is the best word I can use to describe what I feel. When I dance I’m free – no worries, no aches, nothing goes to my mind other than feeling free. This is also why I dance very freely. I don’t stick to being technical and “It has to be this way,” because that limits me from doing what I’m feeling. But I tell you; dance is also the healthiest form of art. It keeps you healthy because when you are happy, you’re healthy! Dancing helps you physically as well. I took a break from dance for two years and gained 20 pounds. When I got back to dance, within 5-6 months I was back in shape, only from dance.
Like I said to all you ladies during the workshop: At the end of the day, just enjoy yourself. For me, it’s not about having a perfect choreography. If you’re focused on a perfect choreography, you don’t enjoy the journey. You have to enjoy the journey and enjoy the process, to be present to people clapping, to people smiling. If you mess up just say: “Oops! I messed up but I’m here!” I was able to do this challenge and I was able to go through it. That in itself, is an achievement – to be able to learn a choreography in such little time, and then get on stage with people who’ve performed before – and you had never performed before. It’s just amazing. For example in our bootcamp, one lady said: “I was able to fulfill my dream – it was one of the things on my bucket list. My first time on stage and I’m 49 years old.” And for me, that was worth all the sacrifice – all the long hours, my feet aching, the running around, being stressed – when somebody says, “Thank you.” For me, that is what’s important: the enjoyment, the having fun, and the feeling free.
Who knows what this will open up for her? Who knows what this will open up for you? The challenge and being able to say – well I did that [performing on stage] and maybe I can do something else. I’m very open to people being themselves, and I say in my classes: “I’m not here for you to copy me. I’m not here for you to clone me.” Some girls say: “But we’re here because we want to look like you!” No, you need to bring out the best in you. We’re different people! Some people learn because they want to release stress. Some people learn because they want to become professional. Some people learn because they need to lose weight or they just need to get out of their house because they need to do something new. You know, everyone’s purpose is different. And so if I’m technically very strict – which I appreciate from some instructors as well – then it loses each person’s unique purpose. And so for me in dance – to develop yourself – you have to go somewhere where they allow you to be “you” and not somewhere where they tell you: “Well the head has to be this way.”
With Griselle during her Diva Challenge Workshop at the 2016 NYISC
At this stage, I feel like there’s a variety still. Those who want to keep the true traditional ways and those who follow phases. It’s like fashion, what’s in style now, and that’s great because there’s fusion in fashion, and fashion changes all the time, but fashion always comes back. So for me, New York will follow a phase of what’s popular, but it will always come back to its roots.
When it comes to New York, what amazes me is the amount of talent and the amount of freedom. When I go to other countries, I see that there are limitations like: “If you go to that school well you can’t come to that school.” I’ve seen that! Or: “If you’re in this group then you can’t train elsewhere.” There’s not that much variety. Here in New York, you have a class every day, or three classes a day from different instructors, from some of the best instructors in the world. When you’re stuck to just one thing, one pattern, you’re also enclosing your capacity to learn. In New York, you have so much to choose from, that I think you just continue to grow.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the worst natural disaster the island has seen in almost a century, many have been left with nothing. Please think about making a donation to Tainas Unidas Inc, a group of women in New Jersey who are working tirelessly with partners on the ground.
You can donate here: Tainasunidas.org/donate
Behind every dance, there is a story. This book will take you dancing from New York to Buenos Aires, immersing you in the local culture, history, and happiness with every dance step. Aliénor Salmon is represented by Gregory Messina of the Linwood Messina Literary Agency.
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