More than just a studio and a brand, Armentality encapsulates the philosophy and persona of Laura Armenta, a self described “dance maker.” A Mexico City native residing, teaching, dancing and leading in Grand Rapids, Armenta comes alive with artistic and holistic movement and seeks to empower others through various physical disciplines. This spring, Armenta launched a new studio space, Armentality, answering a call for personal and community rejuvenation. We meet to discuss her journey through dance.
Armenta is most recognizable as a raven haired, oh-so-flexible, bellydancing maven moving and shaking across Grand Rapids. Her career began at the age of 12 in Mexico and launched at 15 when she began dancing professionally. The pivotal moment can be traced to a school field trip where Armenta first experienced modern dance. “I saw something that I had no idea what I was watching, it was completely abstract,” she says. That performance instilled an insatiable passion for movement. Later, she earned a degree from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes - Sistema Nacional para la Enseñanza Profesional de la Danza (National Institute of Fine Arts - National Center for Professional Dance Education) in Mexico City.
While she is known locally for her various ethnic styled dancing, Armenta began her career in modern dance and interestingly, ballet. “[Martha] Graham style was my main training for many years and then I got into Horton technique for a while,” she says, referencing two big names in the evolution of modern dance. Armenta studied under Michele Descombey (the French artist and former Artistic Director of the Paris Opera) who was the Artistic Director at the Ballet Teatro del Espacio, where Armenta danced and served as her teacher and mentor. During that time, Descombey “wanted to have an overall training for everybody,” says Armenta. “We did Butoh and a lot of ethnic dances. We got trained in Thai dance and some African. I was influenced by [the wide range of disciplines] and ever since, I have been blending a lot of ethic fusion into my contemporary work. For a while I escaped into bellydancing, but my roots are in modern dance.”
Along with dance, Armenta delved into the world of yoga. “I have done all kinds of experimentation with that,” she says. “When I was in Mexico City, I was mainly focused on Pranayama, the breathing and Iyengar [yoga]. Then I got in Ashtanga, which was giving me the adrenaline shot I needed. From there I switched to Vinyasa. And then I learned I could do whatever I want,” Armenta jokes. “My top favorite is Kundalini yoga…I use elements of Kundalini in my classes. It’s a lot of intense breathing, lots of repetition. You get into the subconscious level versus just the mechanic movement. You go places and it’s just beautiful to experience the deep layers of self.”
In 1993, Armenta launched her first dance project, Ad Libitum Dance Company, in Mexico City with a friend. She traveled throughout the country, dancing and learning while delving into local indigenous culture. When she immigrated to the United States, Armenta spent time in Washington D.C. and New York City, eventually settling in the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas. Initially, Armenta “was dancing and training and being a groupie,” throughout her travels and didn’t begin seriously teaching in The States until 1998, when she moved to Grand Rapids.
Around that time, Armenta began more holistic learning. “Ever since, I have started mixing yoga and martial arts into my dancing and I started to mix and match within my choreography and my teaching work,” she says. Following her move to Grand Rapids, Armenta has “taught everywhere,” like the Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Ada Dance Academy, Civic Theater and at countless yoga and dance studios. And she has taught just about everything dance and fitness related including kickboxing, personal training, ballet fitness, Bhangra, African dance, Jazz and Salsa.
In 2003, Armenta’s Ad Libitum Dance Company became At Neemrah Dance Company and in October of that year, she opened the spacious Armenta Studio on Wealthy Street. “The space on Wealthy [Street] was my first home. It was a fun adventure to have my name on the window,” says Armenta. “But it was good to transition,” she explains, referring her decision to close the studio last year. “On a personal level, I got really obsessed with squeezing myself to the point of where I was not enjoying what I was doing anymore and the business took over the artistic side. I needed a break physically and emotionally."
The closing of Armenta Studio provided a sense of perspective. “Having my own space is empowering, and 11 months of not having my own space was very assuring to understand where I want to go, who I am and what truly feels good to me and to my system,” says Armenta. After teaching at various other dance and yoga locations for nearly a year, the option to open a new space arose and she elected to re-launch her own studio, this time calling it Armentality. “I didn’t think I was going to open another space. In fact, I didn’t think I would be in Michigan at this point in my life. This opportunity happened and it's one of those things that happened for a reason and I don’t know why…I feel very blessed about it.”
Beyond transitioning into the new Armentality studio, Armenta is expanding her training in Ayurvedic and Thai therapy. She is also focusing on new projects, like educating the next generation of dancers, middle school and high school students “so they understand that dance is a part of life and that it’s not just a special thing. I really think everyone should dance and everyone should do yoga,” she says. “Dance for me is not my job, it is something like a fish in the water. If I am not involved in dance, I know I am not going to be alive. It’s the one and only thing that I own and the one and only thing that moves me.”
Armentality Studio is located in downtown Grand Rapids. Visit
www.lauraarmenta.com to see the class schedule, learn about upcoming performances or to book special event entertainment.
Audria Larsen is a freelance writer, entrepreneur and professional entertainer. Her work has appeared in Rapid Growth Media, Revue Magazine and Michigan Blue Magazine. She is the founder of Audacious Hoops, Grand Rapids’ original “hula” hoop company and produces a myriad of art and entertainment ventures.
PHOTOS:
First photo: Laura Armenta in her studio downtown.
Photography by
ADAM BIRD