Soca Fusion® started off as ‘Modern Fusion’ in 2014, through a dance program named BalletRox. While there, some of Ms Ella’s students expressed to her that Modern Fusion was the first dance class they had, that centered Soca music, which happened to be a major part of their family cultures. It was then that Ms Ella recognized a need for representation of Soca within the Boston and Cambridge areas, especially for youth who are unable to afford public Soca dance classes, which were still lacking in this area.
After years of traveling to Trinidad and Tobago to fulfill her passions through training with dance companies, and performing for Soca Artists, in 2017, Ms Ella realized it was time to create a public, open-level class for the various communities she was a part of back home. Soca Fusion® started its journey in 2017 at 4Star Dance Studio in Boston, Massachusetts with intentional low class rates so anyone, regardless of age and socio-economic status, could attend and have fun. In 2018, Soca Fusion® migrated to Green St Dance Studios to cater to the increase in participants, while still having occasional pop ups at 4Star Dance Studio to stay connected to the communities involved in the start up of Soca Fusion®. In 2019, Soca Fusion® became an LLC and brought on three team members, Nelcy, Ana and Therlande to help see it thrive and flourish. As time progressed, it was clear Soca Fusion® needed and wanted to bring in more people to see all parts of this business be successful. We specifically sought out trained dancers who have a love for Soca and passion for investing in our own communities. In 2020, we began training dancers, including two enthusiastic and driven teenagers, to become SF instructors. Soca Fusion® also became officially trademarked! It has been a journey and we are forever grateful for everyone who has taken part.
Soca Fusion® started for youth. It started with local black community support and love. It has grown overtime through the consistent and hard work of phenomenal black women and women of color. Soca Fusion® will continue to spread joy and love through its classes, apparel, partnerships and more! We can’t wait to see what the future has in store, and to see the community grow!
*RECENT UPDATE*
Since 2020, thanks to our granters, funders, and supporters, Soca Fusion has expanded from having one public adult class to hosting various offerings, that reach ages 3 and up, throughout the calendar year. We have also grown to have an executive assistant: Ana Bueso, social media manager and digital designer: Nohely Vargas, an on-site coordinator: Makeva Council, 7 instructors, and over 10 dance company members! It has been an exciting journey to see what can happen when women of color work together to make dreams and goals come into fruition for the communities they grew up in.