Gotta Dance Atlanta presents a power house Master Class with Angel Armas and Victor Smalley from Dance Mom's Miami Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 10:00-11:30am. The class is $25!
Victor was born and raised in Miami. At the age of 14, inspired by his mother, he began taking dance classes. He started as a Liturgical dancer, and his passion for this genre led him to train in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical and Contemporary dance. In 2005, he performed with the “Friends of Time Dance Company” in Dallas, and this first experience performing in front of an audience of thousands was the springboard for his dance career. Victor is well known for his first big break as a finalist on season six of the hit show “So You Think You Can Dance.” While on the series he had the honor of working with choreographers Mia Michaels, Sonya Tayeh, Tyce DiOrio, Travis Wall, and Stacey Tookey, among others. Victor was extremely inspired by Mia Michaels, whom he claims, “changed his life.” He has become sought after in the dance world for his contemporary choreography and his numbers win consistently at both regional and national dance competitions. Victor’s love for his students leads him to devote the majority of his time to their growth as artists.
Angel was born in Sagua La Grande, Villa Clara, Cuba, and moved to the United States in 1995 when he was eleven. Because he had the chance to leave Cuba as a young child, he says he had the unique opportunity to gain incredible perspective and drive in all aspects of his life. Angel prides himself on “living the American dream.” At the age of twelve, he began taking lessons in Ballroom Dance, which exposed him to the larger world of dance competitions. Inspired by what he saw, he began studying Jazz, Lyrical, and Modern dance. As a young teacher, he was heavily influenced by Martha Graham and quickly became well-known for his innovative style and ability to combine elements from different genres of dance. Angel’s choreography is in high demand by local Miami TV shows, South Florida Magnet Schools, concerts and artists. In 2004, he was named “Top Jazz Choreographer” by the National Dance Alliance and top “Lyrical Choreographer in 2005.” Under his direction, Stars Dance Studio has won many regional and national competitions and his dancers often win multiple titles at competitions throughout the U.S. Victor and Angel both pride themselves on being a part of the “new” generation of dancers and they recently co-founded the nonprofit organization Stars for Artists, with the mission of raising funds for children of all ages to achieve their dance dreams in South Florida.