Hacomar Arrocha's journey into the world of dance began 16 years ago. "I started dancing at home, because of the Fama a Bailar program, the first one there was, the one that gave me the passion," explained the director of the Xtreme Up Dance Studio school in Arrecife in an interview with La Voz.
When he started dancing in 2008, in Lanzarote "everything was concentrated in the same pack, there was nowhere to really choose or where to look for your different personalities." The styles that were offered were divided into dance or modern dances, but there was no specialization.
Then, in 2011 he formed a dance group with five friends in Arrecife. During that time, he concentrated students who were passionate about this artistic discipline and who became part of a family.
In his early years, in exchange for being allowed a room to rehearse in the summer, he performed at different events on the island. Then, he attended competitions outside of Lanzarote and finally ended up moving to Tenerife for a season to train privately in different schools on the island such as MMDanza, the Teatro Victoria or Yufunk School.
However, it was not until six years ago, in 2018, that he was able to carry out his dream of having his own dance school.
Before being able to make a living from this, Arrocha encountered many difficulties in getting opportunities as an urban dance teacher. "I had many doors closed on me because that's the way it is, because in the end, since I didn't have a name or simply urban was something newer on the island, because outside it wasn't, and they were more liberal styles, that entry was more difficult," he explains.
The artist explains that his project "was growing little by little" and giving classes in other schools where his student body was increasing. "Going abroad and bringing those techniques more like the current ones, made people open their minds a little and we began to train more consciously in urban dance," adds Arrocha
Now the support of his students is evident, with 150 people enrolled in twelve dance groups in the past year. The dancer runs the school together with dancer Jennifer Ángel and with the support of urban teacher Natalia González and teacher Reinier Afonso, of ballet and lyrical jazz.
Arrocha is committed to taking his students from Xtreme Up Dance Studio outside the island to compete in different competitions. This year, for example, they competed in Barcelona, Benavente (Zamora), Gran Canaria or Tenerife. "I really like to take them to perform, prepare special choreographies for events, competitions. As a teacher, we were the first group to leave the island," he says.
For Arrocha, dance is a space where young people can leave home, spend time together with other people, form a team, meet new people and even a possibility of a profession for the future. "There are many of them, who started small with me, now they are dedicating themselves to dance outside of here," he recalls.
However, he recognizes that making a living from dance "is hard, because in the end dance is not something stable for anyone. For me, for example, as a teacher, you have to have a lot of head, keep updating the new trends, of dance, of music, of style." In his struggle to stay up to date, the conejero continues to train, goes to summer courses and tries to continue improving his technique.
In addition, he insists that to create it is necessary to be nourished by what other artists do and improve. "The great dancers create good pieces because they see other shows. I have really created cool things or the ones I like the most because I see other things or they inspire me," he explains.
In dance, like any other sport, it is not only worth knowing how to dance, but it requires a "technical base" and that the body accepts the movements. The difficulties in seeing dance as a sports activity and not as an extracurricular activity are still latent.
For example, Arrocha explains that during the year it is common for parents with children who do not have good school performance to threaten to take them out of dance. For him everything is compatible. In his school, boys and girls from three and a half years old join with people over 70 years old. "I have people who are in university, who are working and come in the summer and continue dancing, or vice versa, they are working and come if they are outside," he explains.
In addition to a space for socialization, Arrocha explains that dance is a space for introspection and personal growth. "I have seen over the years how they improve in every way, also at the level of shyness. Many people come with the issue of fears, but they end up leaving, because dancing is a super big form of expression and you do things that you don't normally do in your day to day life."
He also highlights the importance of not sexualizing a minor when dancing and, at the same time, insists that "everything has its age. It cannot be that at five years old you dance songs or make movements that are associated with an older age," he reflects.
Finally, now that acceptance of urban dances is growing, Arrocha highlights the importance of valuing this sport and artistic discipline, as well as all the sacrifice it entails. "People who may already be old enough to go out with their friends and come whole Saturdays and Sundays to rehearse," he indicates.
"I've been dancing all my life and today that I already have a school and I spend hours to be able to dance a three-minute performance, I see myself four or five days in the morning in a theater from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in the end it is still seen as a hobby," concludes Arrocha.
