Mariana Tobon: A Dancer Who Followed Her Dreams
A 10 year old girl stood in front of her first ever dance class, arms raised, moving with the beat; little Mariana Tobon discovered her purpose in life and never left it behind.
Mariana Tobon’s passion for dance was the beginning of a career that would bring her happiness and success in life. While doing what she loves, she shapes girls and boys all over in medellin, guiding them through the learning process of what they love, dancing.
“I started teaching when I was in 9th grade, all my career as a teacher or entrepreneur started in 9th grade,“ Mariana Tobon, CEO of Be Academy and TCS Alumnus said.
Her life decisions were strongly affected by the school, who supported and encouraged her to follow her dreams. The wide range of electives she could choose from, helped her assure that she was meant to follow an artistic career.
“Instead of having to go to another chemistry class, being able to read Macbeth, A Midnight Summer Night’s Dream, learning a monologue, was more proper to what I wanted to do in life” said Tobon
Her dedication to the arts and commitment to dance helped her start her company at the young age of 15. She found guidance in her teachers who helped her find her way.
“Miss Vicky Gutierrez, my religion teacher, as ‘Mari, why don’t you start teaching dance classes for the teachers’ children who stay after school while their parents work?’, she had a daughter and many afternoons she would have to stay in school, while Vicky finished her job,” said Tobon
Mariana agreed to this idea as a way to entertain kids and share her passion. She taught herself teaching methods so she could encourage these kids to find their passion and to dance.
“Somehow during my recess some younger kids needed a dance teacher too so instead of going to recess I would go to the multipurpose room in the old school and teach them dance” said Tobon
But after some time she thought she needed a break, from teaching and working every single day after school and she stopped teaching for a while.
“When I started 12th grade I had already been giving dance classes all tenth and eleventh grade, I was like ‘No, I need a break, I want to enjoy my senior year, I’m gonna stop working’ six months after that, in January, I was going nuts,” said Tobon
She talked with her students from the school and created the Academia de Baile Mariana Tobon, in her mother’s Garage. With hard work she built a dance academy in it, with fans, mirrors and proper sound equipment.
“I would save all of the money I would make so that every year during the summer I could go to New York for a month to study at Broadway Dance Center, so the five years of university I went for every summer to keep learning and become a better dancer,” said Tobon
After she graduated from university she had 100 students enrolled in her academy, helping her parents to realize dance was what she was made for, even if it was too late for Mariana to become a dancer. To make up for it, her parents sent her one year to study whatever she wanted in the United States.
“I was also able to study filmmaking and I went to another school for another two years to study meisner technique which is an acting technique that’s really good, so three years later I came back to open be academy with acting, dancing and like most singing and performing arts,” said Tobon
When Tobon returned to Medellin, she knew she had to continue to pursue her dream and create an academy where everyone could follow their artistic dreams.
“I realized that I wanted a big school, a big performing arts academy and that Mariana Tobon was not the only one but I wanted to hire more teachers and make it a place where anyone that wanted to become a really good artist could study,” said Tobon
But in the beginning, lows were more prominent than highs. She didn’t make money for the first 2-5 years, struggled to pay the dancers and herself while paying for rent and the creation of her company.
“There were quincenas or paydays where I was like where am I going to get the money from? It’s so hard, not being able to pay myself anything for many many years,” said Tobon
When Mariana came back, she called The Columbus School many times, and was always told she would be contacted later in the future. Finally, in 2015, Freddie Badillo started working as the head of polideportivo, in charge of creating a dance class after school and remembered Mariana. He noticed that no dance class ever worked since she left school so he decided to contact her.
“He told me, ‘Why don’t we organize something with both brands where Be Academy and the school could unite forces and come up with a really nice dance program?’ and I was like ‘Perfect’,” said Tobon
The program started with the same format as Be Academy, and worked from the beginning, the same way she taught in the school those many years ago and it has been successful ever since. Girls that can’t go to El Tesoro or live too far away follow their dream of dancing in our school.
Be Academy is all about being you and following what you wish to do. It is a company that helps dreams come true, just like Mariana Tobon.