Sarita Lou has a passion for dance and movement! She is a dancer, choreographer, and yoga instructor who has taught in New York City and Internationally. Sarita has worked in film, television, and theater, as both a dancer and choreographer and her latest project is hosting a new web series “For The love Of Dance”! Let’s step into the world of this talented young artist and find out what drives her passion!
Sarita Lou interviews dancer.
"For the Love of Dance"
By Marta Bota
Marta: Where did you grow up?
Sarita: I grew up in San Francisco and went to college at UCLA.
Sarita: I grew up in San Francisco and went to college at UCLA.
Marta: What brought you to New York City?
Sarita: I graduated from UCLA with my dance degree and felt that to really experience myself as a dancer I had to go to New York and see what was happening at the epicenter of dance culture! I'm so glad I did!
Sarita: I graduated from UCLA with my dance degree and felt that to really experience myself as a dancer I had to go to New York and see what was happening at the epicenter of dance culture! I'm so glad I did!
Sarita Lou
Marta: How old were you when you developed a love for the art of dance?
Sarita: I took my first dance class when I was four, but it wasn't until high school that I fell in love with dance. I was lucky enough to attend a school with a major dance program and a very passionate dance teacher, Nikki Fox. She infused many of us with the love of dance and we have reunions to celebrate and watch our old recital videos!
I also need to credit my cousin Najah for taking me to a belly dance class and a hula class in the span of one summer. Those classes opened my eyes to the joy of movement, no matter the style.
Sarita: I took my first dance class when I was four, but it wasn't until high school that I fell in love with dance. I was lucky enough to attend a school with a major dance program and a very passionate dance teacher, Nikki Fox. She infused many of us with the love of dance and we have reunions to celebrate and watch our old recital videos!
I also need to credit my cousin Najah for taking me to a belly dance class and a hula class in the span of one summer. Those classes opened my eyes to the joy of movement, no matter the style.
Marta: What technical training do you have as a professional dancer?
Sarita: I've spent my career learning many different styles of movement so I can be a choreographer on really diverse projects. I study contemporary dance technique most regularly, but I love going to ballet, West African and Afro-Brazilian dance classes. For fun I go salsa, swing or even line dancing with friends - I'm up for anything dance!
Sarita: I've spent my career learning many different styles of movement so I can be a choreographer on really diverse projects. I study contemporary dance technique most regularly, but I love going to ballet, West African and Afro-Brazilian dance classes. For fun I go salsa, swing or even line dancing with friends - I'm up for anything dance!
Break Dancing in progress.
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Marta: What are your favorite styles of dance?
Sarita: My very favorite style of dance is samba reggae, a style that stems for Bahia, Brazil. I have yet to go there, but I know I'll be in heaven when I finally do!
Sarita: My very favorite style of dance is samba reggae, a style that stems for Bahia, Brazil. I have yet to go there, but I know I'll be in heaven when I finally do!
Marta: How do you find your dancers for the web series “For The Love Of Dance”?
Sarita: I usually start by reaching out to my friends in the dance community and getting their input on what they are interested in seeing and who they know. All of the talent we found for Season One were through mutual friends or asking people in that dance community.
Sarita: I usually start by reaching out to my friends in the dance community and getting their input on what they are interested in seeing and who they know. All of the talent we found for Season One were through mutual friends or asking people in that dance community.
Copa: What future projects would you like to be involved with?
Sarita: I would love for For the Love of Dance to go global and to be able to film episodes around the world! Episodes like Flamenco in Spain, Samba in Brazil or Tango in Argentina would be a dream and we are working hard to make that dream come true!
Sarita: I would love for For the Love of Dance to go global and to be able to film episodes around the world! Episodes like Flamenco in Spain, Samba in Brazil or Tango in Argentina would be a dream and we are working hard to make that dream come true!
Host of For the Love of Dance Twitter: @loveofdancev, Instagram: @loveofdancetv. Facebook:For the Love of Dance
For the Love of Dance Episode 1: Salsa with Talia For the Love of Dance, Episode 2: Martha Graham Dancers For the Love of Dance,
Episode 3: Dance Theatre of Harlem
Nick Catania has an educational background in musical theater. His career focus is concentrated on production and he’s involved with the popular VH1 series Love And Hip Hop Atlanta! His most recent endeavor has been producing a really cool new web series called “For The Love Of Dance”. Together with dancer/host Sarita Lou they showcase dancers of every genre in New York City! The combination of Sarita’s passion for dance and movement, with Nick’s production background creates a fun and informative show for dance lovers everywhere!
Marta: Where did you go to college and what area of study did you focus on?
Nick: I went to The University of Buffalo where I received a BFA in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre. A little bit after graduating I realized I would rather be behind the camera and I found Post Production in television and I've never looked back.
Nick: I went to The University of Buffalo where I received a BFA in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre. A little bit after graduating I realized I would rather be behind the camera and I found Post Production in television and I've never looked back.
Marta: Tell me about your experience working on the popular VH1 series Love and Hip Hop Atlanta.
Nick: As of right now I am the Post Supervisor on the show Love and Hip Hop Atlanta for Vh1. It is a reality show that we like to call a docu-drama that follows the lives of up and coming, as well as established, musicians and producers in the city of Atlanta. It's like a real life soap opera. Beautifully produced and really quite an entertaining show. I've been working with the Love and Hip Hop franchise since October of 2014.
Nick: As of right now I am the Post Supervisor on the show Love and Hip Hop Atlanta for Vh1. It is a reality show that we like to call a docu-drama that follows the lives of up and coming, as well as established, musicians and producers in the city of Atlanta. It's like a real life soap opera. Beautifully produced and really quite an entertaining show. I've been working with the Love and Hip Hop franchise since October of 2014.
Marta: What is your involvement with the new web series “ For The Love Of Dance” and what is the concept of the show?
Nick: Right now I am also producing a Web Series called "For the Love of Dance" with Sarita Lou! It is a web series about sharing dance in all it's many forms with the backdrop of New York City in our first season of episodes. In each episode we profile a dancer/choreographer/performer, and in doing so we find out about their joy and passion for dance as well as the struggles it took to get where they have ended up in the dance/performance world. In our first season of episodes we've already profiled a Salsa dancer (Talia Castro-Pozo, a Broadway Star (Saycon Sengbloh) and two Martha Graham Dancers.
Nick: Right now I am also producing a Web Series called "For the Love of Dance" with Sarita Lou! It is a web series about sharing dance in all it's many forms with the backdrop of New York City in our first season of episodes. In each episode we profile a dancer/choreographer/performer, and in doing so we find out about their joy and passion for dance as well as the struggles it took to get where they have ended up in the dance/performance world. In our first season of episodes we've already profiled a Salsa dancer (Talia Castro-Pozo, a Broadway Star (Saycon Sengbloh) and two Martha Graham Dancers.
Marta: How did you meet the host of the show, Sarita Lou, and come up with this concept for a dance show?
Nick: I met Sarita through a friend of a friend. I always thought she was such a magnetic personality with boundless energy and a free spirit that you couldn't help but be attracted to. She is a dance anthropologist, choreographer, yogi, and performer who absolutely loves movement and the art form of dance and she wanted to share her love of dance through her knowledge and experience in the field. This is where the idea of the show sprang from and as soon as she told me about it I was on board.
Nick: I met Sarita through a friend of a friend. I always thought she was such a magnetic personality with boundless energy and a free spirit that you couldn't help but be attracted to. She is a dance anthropologist, choreographer, yogi, and performer who absolutely loves movement and the art form of dance and she wanted to share her love of dance through her knowledge and experience in the field. This is where the idea of the show sprang from and as soon as she told me about it I was on board.
~Copa
(Layout by Rodney Wayne Branche)
