New SLO dance studio aims to be a hub for lessons and social events
Alicia Aragon found her passion, focus and peace of mind through dance — and she wants to share her love for the craft through a new San Luis Obispo studio that aims to bring in dancers of all experience levels.
Aragon plans to open Nexus: Ballroom Dance Community in the new San Luis Obispo Public Market at Bonetti Ranch complex sometime in the early fall once interior renovations are complete. The business will offer private and group lessons, as well as social events, in a 3,000-square-foot space.
Classes and events will be open to those ages 12 and up with a side room for children to play and gather as parents participate in the studio activities.
Once tenant upgrades are completed, the doors will open for dancers looking to learn and practice a wide variety of styles, including ballroom, swing, tango, salsa and country two-step. The venue aims to serve local social groups as well as community members seeking connection, fitness and fun.
“I want this to have that multi-generational component where we can just really connect as a community and make it a place that can actually serve in different ways,” Aragon said. “Dance is moving meditation where you can be fully present and centered.”
Years of dance experience
Aragon has 15 years of experience in partnership dancing and teaching.
She told The Tribune she was born in Denver and grew up in Colorado in a low-income family of Mexican descent of the state of Jalisco. Her grandparents worked in the fields. Her father was a construction worker and musician.
Though music and art were of high importance in her family, her parents couldn’t afford to send her to dance lessons and she didn’t start learning ballroom until age 19, taking classes through the Fred Astaire Dance Studio franchise, with hopes of becoming a professional.
Starting dance later in life made it difficult to compete at the highest levels against those who had been working on technique and specialized movements since they were young children, some from the age of 2, she said.
Instead, she gravitated to a career in professional photography, working at Yahoo in the Bay Area before accepting a job at Cal Poly in instructional support for photo and video. She came to SLO six months before the pandemic hit with her husband and their now 5-year-old twins (a boy and girl).
Throughout her adult life, however, she continued to expand her dance teaching and knowledge, attending festivals and congresses, visiting Cuba to study folklórico and Finland to participate in bachata, a Latin dance, and tango events.
The idea for the SLO Public Market business came as way to pursue her creative passions, and she’ll seek to ensure her studio is a welcoming place to all dancers, acknowledging it can be intimidating for some, beginners especially.
Aragon is winding down her time at Cal Poly to leave the university position and fully concentrate on her new studio, she said.
“I realized during COVID how important human connection is,” Aragon said. “... When it’s taken away, you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I knew I wanted to bring dancing, and I knew I wanted to connect with people no matter what level they’re at.”
Connecting with the SLO County dance community
Aragon already is meeting with local dance instructors and social clubs throughout the county, with plans to collaborate once she opens her doors.
Nexus will be located in the basement of the Market Hall and is slated to open slightly later than many of the rest of the tenants.
“I want Nexus to be a home, a place for people to connect authentically and reap the benefits dance has to offer,” Aragon said. “These include physical and mental health, reconnecting with yourself and others, regaining confidence, and, most importantly, having fun.”
The hours are yet to be determined with private lessons to be scheduled by appointment.
Aragon said she’ll respond to the needs of the community, with focused events that might include a wedding dance, a showcase, a competition, or activities geared to health and fitness.
Located at the corner of Tank Farm Road and South Higuera Street, SLO Public Market is situated on a 4-acre parcel totaling more than 48,000 square feet of commercial space.
Orangetheory Fitness gym already has opened its doors, with food, retail and beverage shops to come.
For a complete list of merchants that have signed on to open at the marketplace, go to slopublicmarket.com/merchants.
This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
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