Full Name Angela Acosta

Nicknames Angie, Ang, The Queen

Age 32

I am Analytical, Meticulous, Open Minded, Happy

Question Where do you currently live?
Answer Gastonia, NC

Question Where were you born?
Answer New Brunswick, NJ

Question Are there any other cities you have strong ties to?
Answer Was raised in Gastonia, NC; Lived in Raleigh, NC during 4 years of college at NCSU; Lived in Murcia, Spain for a year of study abroad; Lived in Iowa City, IA during 2 years of grad school at the University of Iowa; Lived in Brooklyn, NY for 3 months during an internship; Lived in Charlotte, NC for 3 years after I was first married.

Question What is your date of birth?
Answer December 18, 1978

Question How old were you when you started dancing?
Answer I remember some wedding that my parents took me to when I was like 7 or 8 and I amazed everyone there with my nonstop dancing throughout the whole night.  That was the first dance experience I really remember.

Question Do you have any formal training?
Answer Not really.  I cheered in middle school and high school. I’ve taken lessons here and there in different styles of dance including Latin dance, but mainly I am very observant and I have the ability to watch the way someone else moves and imitate it, and that is how I have learned so many different styles of dance.  I think I know just enough to be dangerous, but I am always seeking to learn more and become a better dancer.

Question Who is someone that inspires you?
Answer My husband Daniel.  He is the one that actually taught me how to dance Salsa, Merengue & Bachata.  He is always there for me as my husband, as a father to our beautiful daughter and as a business partner, helping me to be a better person and to make good business decisions.

Question What has been your most memorable QCDO experience?
Answer There are so many fabulous QCDO moments that stand out in my memory, but one of the top ranking ones is when we had the Jingle Bell Jam last Christmas and all the instructors were on stage. We also had a full house of participants that day too, and I was just overwhelmed with amazement of how many people have come together and how many lives have been influenced in a positive way because of dance fitness with QCDO.

Question What style of dance do you love the most?
Answer Whenever I hear Reggaeton, I get completely lost in the music and just want to dance.  So, I would say that Reggaeton is my favorite style to dance.

Question Where did you go to school?
Answer I graduated from NC State in 2000 with a B.A. in Communication Disorders and from the University of Iowa in 2005 with a M.A. in Speech Language Pathology

Question What other talents/hobbies do you have?
Answer I am completely fluent in Spanish thanks to living abroad in Spain and then meeting my Ecuadorian husband shortly thereafter. I have a weird affinity for databases and spreadsheets.  I love to watch SYTYCD, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Drop Dead Diva, Grey’s Anatomy and New Christine.  I love Harry Potter and I just recently became a huge fan of the Twilight Saga.

Question What other types of exercise & activities do you enjoy besides dance-fitness?
Answer Yoga is my favorite exercise activity if not dancing.

Question What or who inspired you to become an instructor?
Answer When I went to college I tried out for cheerleading, but I didn’t have the gymnastic skills to do cheerleading at the college level. I was at a loss for what to do with myself because I was so used to being active and dancing, then I discovered Step Aerobics. My first instructor Karen was awesome.  I loved her class because she was fun and easy to follow, but yet she always challenged us with more complex moves. I realized that being an instructor would be the perfect fit for me.

Question What have you learned by being the leader of the QCDO team?
Answer I’ve learned that working as a team is both very productive and very challenging. We have so many things to share with each other and learn from each other, and it is so important to respect what each person brings to the table.  Each person, including me, has to abandon their ego and really listen to what each team member is saying.  When that happens, the ideas and the creativity and the true happiness of dancing prevail.

Question What are your favorite dance moments from movies, TV, and/or stage?
Answer The “Cry to Me” scene in Dirty Dancing, the Alex & Twitch Hip Hop routine from Season 7 of SYTYCD, the Addiction routine from Season 5 of SYTYCD

Question If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?
Answer Playa del Carmen and stay at The Royal

Question What is your all-time food weakness?
Answer Fried calamari, Everything bagels, Dark chocolate, Fried plantains, Ecuadorian Ceviche, McDonald’s Fries

Question If you could take dance lessons in any style, what style would you choose?
Answer Salsa (Street style), Hip Hop, Samba (Carnaval style), Belly Dance, Bollywood

Question How did you become known as the “Queen City Dancing Queen”?
Answer Back in the day when I had my MySpace page, I had to come up with a screen name for myself.  I always considered myself a “Dancing Queen” in my own mind and since I was in the “Queen City” I decided to put the two together to come up with Queen City Dancing Queen. The name just sort of stuck as I kept growing my classes and the company, and while many now know me as “the queen”, I know very well that there is a “Dancing Queen” or “Sir DanceALot” in each of you.

Question What does being an instructor mean to you?
Answer Being able to see the inner and outward transformation of each person is my favorite part of being an instructor.  I love to see the confidence come alive in each person.  I love that people can be healthier and feel so much better about themselves through this experience.  I love that people of all ages, shapes and sizes can experience the pure joy of dancing in a comfortable setting even if they never danced before.

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