Today we’d like to introduce you to Buffy D’Amico.
Hi Buffy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a child, I was a competitive Irish Dancer before Riverdance made it cool. I realized my love for dance at a very early age and I got quite good at it. I have many medals and trophies to show for it. In High School, I switched dance styles to drill team at Westerville South and Mayfield High Schools. It was a way to participate in school activities by doing something that I loved. As an adult, I started jazz, tap and ballet classes. These were a great deal of fun but not as aerobic as I would have liked at the time. I started taking a dance fitness class called Bokwa and was obsessed with it. I got certified as a Bowka instructor which started my teaching career, not to mention I lost a bunch of weight. In addition to obtaining a Group Fitness Instructor Certification from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), I went on to certify in programs such as Punch & Strike, Zumba, Silver Sneakers and WERQ to name a few. Through each of these programs, I learned what I liked and what I thought didn’t work well for people trying to learn. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you can effectively teach it. My extreme extrovert personality really helps me connect with my participants and break down moves in a way that people can understand and retain what they learned. My Ballroom and Latin dancing started after becoming empty nested. I went to a Salsa class with a girlfriend and honestly didn’t like it at first. I was used to choreographed moves, meaning I always knew what was coming next. In partner dancing, as a follow, you don’t get that. Partner dancing is an impromptu conversation of movement set to music. I can’t anticipate the next move. It has to be lead. Despite not caring for partner dancing at first, my friend kept taking me to classes and socials. The more I was exposed to it, the more I grew to love it and eventually started teaching it. My friend likes to jokingly tell people that she is the reason I teach Ballroom and Latin Dancing today. She laughs when she says it but it’s not a joke because it’s true. I am completely engrossed with partner dancing now.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started teaching just prior to the country shutting down due to COVID 19. There isn’t a 6 foot distance between people in Ballroom or Latin dancing. COVID killed the momentum that I had at the time.
Now that we are past the pandemic, my biggest challenge is getting new people to take a class. Most people say that they would love to learn how to dance but don’t think they would be very good at it. If I only had a nickel for every time someone told me that they have “2 Left Feet”, I would be very rich. People are afraid that they won’t be as good as Dancing with the Stars. They also think that everyone will judge them like on the show too. I always respond to these comments by saying our classes are not a competition so no one will judge you. Everyone is on their own journey. Some people pick it up quickly while others take a little longer. Where ever you are in your journey is wonderful. All that matters is that you are making an effort. Your skills will improve as you continue to learn and practice. No one masters any dance in a single class but you can get better every week. Eventually, it will start to seem easy. All my students started knowing nothing so they can empathize with new people. They understand how hard it is to leave the psychological safety of your living room couch and come to a class. The biggest hurdle is showing up to the first class. It’s all downhill from there.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Talkin’ Body Dance and Fitness is a woman owned business that teaches Ballroom, Latin and Group Fitness dance classes to adults primarily in Westerville, OH. The dances we teach are able to be done anywhere there is music playing. While we love doing dances that travel around a big ballroom floor, it is limiting to need such a large open space. We teach dances like Salsa, Swing, Cha Cha and Line Dance that can be done to any style of music at any bar or event venue no matter how big or small the dance floor may be. We also teach our classes to a mix of music from the 70’s and 80’s to today’s popular hits. Partner dancing isn’t limited to your grandparent’s music. For example, we dance to music by Meghan Trainor, Bruno Mars, Camilla Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter.
What sets Talkin’ Body Dance and Fitness apart from our competitors is our community and our pricing. Our goal is to build a community for people to feel safe, connected and included while doing an activity that is good for them physically and mentally. Our students become friends with us and each other. We do social activities and a quarterly charity event with our students to give back to our community at large. Our competitors may have some element of this but they can’t beat our pricing. Our group classes and private lessons are a fraction of our competitors. This is intentional. We want our classes to be affordable so everyone can join our community, do something that is good for them and not worry about finances.
What I am personally most proud of is beginner dancers who really struggled when they first started that are now holding their own on the dance floor. It fills my heart with joy seeing the success stories that didn’t find it easy in the beginning. They are having fun and I had a small part in making that happen. That makes me smile.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising that people may not know about me and my company is that I choreographed and my students danced in a national commercial for the State of Ohio titled “Top Reasons Future You Wants to Move to Ohio”. The lead characters in the commercial are paid actors but the background dancers in the salsa club scene are Talkin’ Body students. I did the choreography for the actors and the dancers. I can be seen as a guest at the wedding. This commercial ran nationally starting in 2024 and has been renewed to air into 2026. You can watch the commercial on YouTube or catch it on television.
Pricing:
- Line Dance Fitness – $5/class
- Ballroom and Latin Group Classes – $10/class
- Private Lessons – $40/couple or individual
Contact Info:
- Website: https://talkinbody.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkinbodydance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkinBodyDance
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81569884
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkinBodyDance
- Other: https://talkinbody.eventbrite.com
