Cultura Latina dance troupe gets ready for recital later this month

LYNN – Yaya DeJesus knew she loved dancing ever since she was a small child in the Dominican Republic.Then, when she came to the United States 12 years ago and enrolled at Lynn English, she decided to enter the talent show.?That was it,” she said. “I got the dancing bug.” She still has it.DeJesus is the founder and artistic director of the Cultura Latina Dance Academy, which is located in the LynnArts Building on Exchange Street. And two weeks from Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Nahant Town Hall, the 30 students – 10 of them boys – of the academy will put on their recital and show what they?ve learned.DeJesus, who is trained in Zumba, modern Latin dance and cardio Latin dance, founded the troupe in 2011.?We were invited to St. Joseph?s to do a couple of dances for the Feast of the Dominican Republic,” she says. “It took three months to teach it, and that?s how it started. I found that I loved it and wanted to keep teaching.”By day, DeJesus is a site manager at Greater Lynn Senior Services. But weekends are an invitation to the dance.?I love what it brings to the kids,” she says. “It teaches them discipline, self-esteem, how to be healthy, how to socialize ?”DeJesus gives an example of one child who came into her studio.?She just sat in a corner at the beginning,” she said, “and a couple of months later, she was really, really expressing herself. It?s magical, when you think about it.”The academy puts on two recitals per year. This one will be at the Nahant Town Hall from 2 to 4 p.m.Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.