JC Laraya is a mother of a teenage boy and works for a tech company in Silicon Valley. Although she doesn’t have a formal dance background or training, she began attending dance classes in 2017 at the age of 35. Initially, her motivation was to use dance as a workout to achieve her fitness goals, which she reached by 2019. In 2020, JC started teaching dance fitness, and her classes have since gained popularity, often selling out and attracting a large number of students. Recently, she had the opportunity to perform as a backup dancer for an international artist and singer at an event in San Francisco on August 11, 2024. JC Laraya is a mother of a teenage boy and works for a tech company in Silicon Valley. Although she doesn’t have a formal dance background or training, she began attending dance classes in 2017 at the age of 35. Initially, her motivation was to use dance as a workout to achieve her fitness goals, which she reached by 2019. In 2020, JC started teaching dance fitness, and her classes have since gained popularity, often selling out and attracting a large number of students. Recently, she had the opportunity to perform as a backup dancer for an international artist and singer at an event in San Francisco on August 11, 2024. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx