Midsummer Night Swing - Interview with Alex DaSilva and Monica Flores, winners of the Smooth Moves dance contest

Robert Abrams
July 23, 2003

Robert Abrams: How did you start dancing?

Alex DaSilva: When I was 15 years old I went to a movie called "Salsa". I went to Salsa clubs and got addicted to dancing. It was very romantic. I am from Brazil. Three months later I got a job because I looked the part. Monica started dancing Salsa six months ago. She had been dancing Ballet and Jazz. She got addicted to Salsa. I asked her to be my partner. We are now traveling all over the world. Two months ago we won the Salsa Congress.

Monica Flores and Alex DaSilva
Photo courtesy of Lisa Allen

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RA: What or who inspires you about dance?

AD: People say I look like a Latin Fred Astaire, but I like Gene Kelly. All dance movies inspire me.

Monica Flores: We love dancing to the music of Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.

RA: What did you do to prepare for this competition?

AD: We didn't know we were going up against Swing dancers. We expected them to do Salsa, so we put together our best Salsa routine. We knew we had a chance. Everything we do is different. It is different in LA and different here.

RA: What makes you passionate about dance?

AD: Dancing is my life now. I wake up, I dance. During the day, I dance. At night, I dance. Dance is on my mind all of the time.

RA: Where do you hope to take you dancing next?

AD: We are always learning, training.

MF: Being open minded to learn from others is important. We travel a lot. We like to learn from other people when we travel.

See a report and photos from the Smooth Moves finals.

For more information on Alex DaSilva, go to his website at www.AlexDaSilva.com or email him at ADaSilva@hotmail.com.