Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Santoyo.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Well, not too many people know this but before all of this I was a “wannabe” break dancer and an ok club dancer when I was in my early 20’s, but you couldn’t get me to dance before that. I mean I didn’t even attend my high school prom from the fear of having to dance (also I really didn’t have the nerve to ask a girl from me being extremely shy). So to say I had dancing in my blood is a big negative. I loved music though, I always loved music of all genres. I remember working at Sams Club in Montclair California in the produce section. One day some of my co-workers decided to invite me to a club called The Mayan in Downtown Los Angeles. I was told there would be Hip Hop and lots of hot chicks, maybe it was the idea of going outside of work with them would be kind of cool ya know? All the guys bonding I guess, needless to say I agreed and they swung by and picked me up. I remember it very clearly, It was a Friday night, I had been off that day so I had all day to try and find a way to cancel, my nerves were definitely getting the best of me. It wasn’t my normal crew and it was clear their intention of going out was to find hot chicks and “Hook up” I was trying my best to fit in. They told me to dress with normal club clothes, so naturally I wore my bell bottom slacks and a disco shirt I had that was pretty popular with my buddies ( I had a very odd fascination of Saturday Night Fever thing going at the time) I still do but back then was a bit odd ya know? My friends pulled up and before I even got in the car Enrique said ” what are you wearing? Your not going like that are you?” Man, my stomach dropped and I had to think of something to say. Very quickly I said ” No I just got home, give me a few mins to change” I’m telling you, I thought, what the hell am I doing? This is not me, I’m not cut out to be cool. I ran back inside and threw on some normal slacks and a polo shirt, jumped in the back and we headed out. The whole time I had this feeling of something so familiar about all of this. It reminded me of the scene in Saturday Night Fever of John Travolta and his friends riding in the car to the club. I think that changed my mood because now I had something to relate to, Ha crazy. Finally getting there and walking out of the parking lot I remember seeing so many people, way bigger than any club I had been to. $20 at the door and huge inside. There were multiple rooms with different kinds of music. We started together, ordered a drink and we started walking around and sure enough Enrique decided we should all separate, I thought hold on, what the heck am I supposed to do now? I was way out of my league and now I was riding solo in one of the Biggest club in L.A. Going in and out of the different rooms I finally had enough of the dark sweaty rooms so I decided to make my way into the main room which was a theater size ballroom with a stage. I tried my best to walk closer to the main floor to see what exactly people were dancing. Not to sound mellow dramatic but that single moment changed me in a way I could not even possibly understand. What I saw was Salsa dancing for the first time, to a live band on stage no less. I saw these guys dancing with these girls in a way I had never seen before, these guys had to be like the best in the world. I stood there watching all these dancers on that floor and decided right there that I would take classes to be able to dance like that. Not knowing that many years later I would be on that same dance floor competing in the Salsa World Championship and ending up on that same stage holding up the trophy. It seems like a movie sometimes.
My journey to get there however took many hours of taking classes, private lessons, joining different dance companies and finally becoming a professional dancer for a living. As a matter of fact that next week I was already taking my first salsa class in Riverside Ca with a friend of mine Gina at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. The girl who was teaching was a half Dominican half Puerto Rican, her name was Jo Quinones. I guess I was a fast learner because I was invited to join the intermediate class as well, Gina wasn’t so lucky because Jo didn’t invite her. Whether she saw something in me or just because I was a tall latin guy, I was taken into the office and introduced to the Manager. Soon after I was on my way to training 5 days a week and learning all school figures as a lead and a follow to graduate and become a teacher. The funny thing is I was being trained in everything BUT Salsa, mostly Fox Trot, Waltz, and other Ballroom dances. At the time I wasn’t too excited about the idea but I do have to admit I had a big crush on Jo and I basically did whatever she told me. The fact was that She took me under her wing, spent all her time with me, and basically paid attention to me, which made me feel special. Very much like Mr. Miyagi in the movie Karate Kid to Daniel”son” ,what she was teaching me was the essentials to leading and following without me knowing it so I give Jo and Arthur Murray lots of credit to starting me off my career in such a way.
My dancing career started to take off along with Jo and other dancers finally landing me in a professional dance company called The Otero Dance Company, and our own called Afeenix Dance Company. Lead director Gloria Otero trained me in many things but most importantly trained me on how to be a director. Many years together, shows in different cities, Tours in Different countries, and even performing for many celebrities, I found myself finally a pretty well rounded professional dancer with a World Championship under my belt. In 2009 I made my way to Austin Tx and it’s currently my home now and run my business Top Shelf Latin Entertainment. I’d say that it’s been a pretty wild ride. I feel pretty lucky actually. For a person who never had any support in my art growing up I sometimes wonder why I stayed with it. I grew up without a mother, so 4 of my aunts took the role of being mothers to me, and a father who was very hard on me all my childhood. That’s another whole story though, we’ll have another sit down about that another time.
My vision and inspiration is now focused on Growing the Latin community and Preserving the Latin Culture by working with local artists and venues to hold live music and dancing at night clubs, bars, and even outdoor festivals focused on Salsa. Currently I’m running the biggest Salsa night with live music in Austin. “Baker Street Live Salsa Night” is held on the first friday of every month and offers some of the best salsa bands in Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding cities. On May 18th Sunday 2025 I’ll be hosting a much anticipated salsa night at the famous Mavericks Dance Hall in Buda. I’ll continue to Provide and Preserve the Latin Culture in Austin, I chose my motto as ” Reaching Communities Through Salsa”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s had it’s up’s and downs for sure. Like any other profession though, when your responsible for other people it sometimes takes a while to get the hang of things. When I first got to Austin from California it took some time for people in the salsa scene to accept me I think, I would wear my black suits when I would go out dancing, it’s funny because people would always ask me how can I stand wearing a suit all the time when I dance and teach. I would reply “It’s just normal for me, that’s how we dress in the L.A scene. I still wear suits till this very day too, so at the very least I’ve been consistent. Thankfully Austin has always been very supportive of me. I believe that you should always be honest, sincere and consistent if you want to build something, whether that be a business, relationships, or personal growth.
Growing up I always had a fear of speaking in public, and as a mostly Spanish speaker I spent most of my education in ESL learning. It was very hard to enjoy school when you get pulled away from your friends and had to learn with people you don’t know, it really gave me anxiety at school. I was surrounded with people who didn’t want to be at school and trouble makers, so I was constantly bullied at school. I would literally look up to the white kids and how smart they were, That’s all I wanted. To belong and to be happy like them. Actually as a result of all those years in ESL learning though I was able to speak and write fluently in both English and Spanish. Through training and practice, once becoming a professional dancer I learned how to speak in public in both languages to further help my career in Teaching students, training dancers and hosting public events to this day. As an Introvert and an extremely shy person I still sometimes wonder how this was all possible to be in a position of such a public figure in the community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My professional title is Promoter for Latin Entertainment/Professional Dancer/Coach. My specialty for the last five years has become more of a promoter of live music here in Austin. I’m known for a Professional Dancer, and a host to live music at venues. I’ve spent many years and countless hours as a teacher giving private lessons for people who want to learn to dance as beginners, and seasoned dancers working on their technique. I also run a Dance Company called “Top Shelf Dancers”, most of my Dancers were former students that approached me for private training and musicians who also want to learn how to dance. As the director of my dance company, I have choreographed a lot shows with these dancers and have had some really unforgettable moments on stage with them who have really become my family. I cant tell you how proud I am when I see former students of mine that have moved on to great achievements in dancing and performing. As a teacher, it gives you a sense of pride that all of that came from your teaching. There are many things in my career I am proud of, a few of them that really stand out is becoming a World Salsa Champion in 2007, Performing in Ordos China for a crowd of over 10,000 people on live TV, and of course the “fan” in me, performing live for Patrick Swayze in Malibu and Eva Longoria in Las Vegas. I think what sets me apart from others is that I specifically work with live music at my events and venues. To me there’s nothing like a room full of bodies dancing to the flow of that live music coming from the stage, people conversating at the bar with drinks in their hands, embracing one another because they get to see each other again. I mean how beautiful is it to see people dressed up and going out for dinner and dancing, It’s not just a night of dancing, It’s an experience to have for one night. I get to provide people with that.. and guess what? I’m right in the middle of all of that, being the person who can deliver that to a community is my absolute biggest achievement.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I believe being in the right place at the right time has truly been a staple of my career. Some might call that luck, but In this business you have to learn patience, consistency, and most of all building good relationships. I’m also a big believer in positive and negative energy, more so now than ever in my life. As an Empath I feel energy all the time, good and bad, there’s no avoiding it actually so I’ve learned to be as “aware” as I can be in my surroundings. I guess you can say I’m extremely present wherever I am. If something happens to me, whether good or bad, It’s always for a reason.. There’s a reason I’m here, doing what I love, with the people around me who love me and respect me, That’s the luck right ya know? There’s a saying I heard once, “I make my own luck”… I’d like to think that’s me.
Pricing:
- Private Dance Coaching $120 per hr
- Top Shelf Latin Entertainment to host their event with Live Music, Dance lessons, and social Dancing $2500 minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.josesantoyosalsa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topshelflatinentertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jose.santoyo.794
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jose_s_corleone
Image Credits
Big and Little Productions
Jerry D Photography
