Raj

Rajeev has been dancing for 25 years, starting with Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing, where he focused on technique and staying grounded. He competed in Jack and Jills and traveled to events, eventually reaching advanced and all-star levels. Around 2005, a local mixed-music social introduced him to Latin music, and he fell in love with it. The discipline and groundedness from West Coast Swing helped him pick up salsa quickly, and he joined a team and performed. In 2008, he became captivated by bachata and has traveled nationally and internationally to learn multiple styles of dance, bachata in particular. He began teaching it in 2012 while also choreographing for and performing with a team and starting a bachata-focused social. Today he is versed in teaching bachata at all levels and in all its musical styles, including sensual, moderna, traditional, and bachazouk.

In 2014, Rajeev brought the Alma Latina franchise from Mexico to Boston. It began with one team of 8-10 students and grew to five teams and 80 students over seven years, performing locally and at congresses and festivals. Along the way, he also taught others how to teach, mentoring new instructors. Teaching brings him joy and feeds his soul. He believes in putting in the work, learning technique, and focusing on basics, with grounded feet and proper weight transfers, because that foundation makes it possible to play with the music and bring musicality into social dancing.

Rajeev moved to the Bay Area about three and a half years ago and fell in love with the dance scene here. Since starting to teach locally again, he has felt what had been missing. Being back on the dance floor and seeing the joy in people’s eyes brings him great happiness. He is becoming more and more involved in the community and would love to help the scene grow.