LOCAL Houston | The City Guide MARCH 2016 | Page 46
Get Your Groove on with Dynamo’s Choreographer
choreography
Raquel Torres-Garcia!
By Beth Levine-McCann | Photography by Sofía van der Dys
Every now and then I think, man, I’ve got this multitasking
thing down pat; then I interview someone like Dynamo’s choreographer RAQUEL TORRES-GARCIA and I find
myself in AWE. Raquel blew me away during our phone interview. A mother of three (two of which are twins) in fantastic shape, she is a force to be reckoned with both in and
out of the soccer stadium.
Raquel’s love of dance started at an early age with her high
school dance team in San Antonio. She credits her high school
coach for taking the time to see her potential, pushing her to
strive and ultimately leading Raquel to pursue her own love of
coaching. Raquel continued to hone her craft as a Kilgore
College Rangerette (something she hopes her daughter
Gabriella will follow in her dance steps with), and after 5
years as a San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancer went on to coach
11 (yes, 11) seasons with Spurs Sports and Entertainment
(including the Spurs Silver Dancers, Spurs Junior Jammers,
Sterling Silver, Rampage Ice Girls and the Silver Stars Star
Squad… that’s some serious multitasking!). With the excep-
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tion of a brief respite from the world of choreography into
advertising, Raquel has spent most of her career helping others come into their own and share her love of dance. While
still in San Antonio (and while still working for the Spurs), she
also opened up her own dance studio, teaching everything
from drill team to hip-hop to jazz.
I asked Raquel some of her favorite things about living in
Houston and working with the Dynamo. “The fans are so
involved in soccer – they walk the walk, and it makes everything come alive. The Dynamo Dancers are like a family; they
plan everything together and are true friends, not just co-workers and it’s beautiful to see real friendships forged.”
After the birth of her twins, she took some time off to spend
more time with her family, though true to her multitasking
nature, she still kept working part time, becoming the MidSouth Style Pro for Angela King Designs.
“Houston is almost like a staycation for us. There is so much
to do here! From dining out, to museums, to things for the
kids…it’s all about location for us.”
Raquel’s husband got an offer to move to Houston for work
and they jumped at the chance to return home (she’s a native
Houstonian). Then luckily for Houston, the call came from the
Dynamo. The director at the time was retiring and Raquel’s
name was thrown into the ring as the obvious choice. Soccer
being one of the only sports she didn’t have in her extensive
history, combined with the draw of a shorter season than basketball (giving her the ability to keep a work/home balance),
led to all signs pointing to yes!
The Dynamo recently launched a co-ed entertainment team
called 713 SQUAD, so we will get the chance to see Raquel’s
talents reach even further once the season starts. I for one
can’t wait to see wh