Spotlight on...
Kelly Rodriguez
By Tammye Nash
Photos by Giovanna Molina
Kelly Rodriguez started her dance life with ballet classes at a very young age. She stayed with ballet — with a little hip-hop,
salsa and modern dance thrown in — until she was about 11 years old.
“At one point, I took a break from dancing to try modeling,” Kelly recalled. “But it really wasn’t for me; I missed
dancing terribly. I ended up telling my mom I wanted to try something new, and looking in the yellow pages, I found
a big ad for [Virginia’s C.O.M.E Dance
& Arts]. I was hooked from day one!”
She added, “I started with Virginia when I was
13, and I haven’t stopped since. I will be 29 on
July 21.”
Kelly started out as a student, and has
since risen through the ranks as a performer
and a teacher.
“I started working as a belly dancer in
Virginia’s performing company, Wa Nour Al
Ayun. Then I began to get booked for group
and individual gigs, and then added on some
restaurant performances,” Kelly explained.
Her teaching career got started when she
would sub for Virginia when Virginia was on
tour. It’s a job she still does today, she noted.
It was her experience as a stand-in teacher
for Virginia that “helped me discover my love
for teaching,” Kelly said. “I started looking for
dance studios that were interested in offering
belly dance classes, and before I knew it, I was
teaching at a different studio every day.”
Kelly said she especially loves working with
children. “They’re just open to anything and
always have fun.” And with that came private
coaching for dancers that wanted to compete, as
well as groups.
“I have a troupe of young girls called Belly
by Kellys Gems, consisting of girls ages 6-19,”
she continued. “They train with me on a weekly
basis, and they perform all over South Florida
and at as many local events as possible.”
July 2017
The Belly Dance Chronicles
33