Rene Rodriguez is a choreographer, dancer, and costume designer running various ventures in Miami, Florida
A lot of us know Rene Rodriguez as the talented and enigmatic dancer at the iconic and legendary Ball & Chain restaurant on Calle Ocho but Rene Rodriguez is also the founder of Spectacle Entertainment and Miami Movement Company.
We were lucky enough to have a quick chat with Rene about his career and how he got to where he is today.
Who is Rene Rodriguez?
Rene Rodriguez is a Cuban born in Miami, his first language was Spanish, and he has always been proud of his Cuban heritage. During middle school, Rodriguez fell in love with music and played the clarinet, saxophone, and flute. When he went to high school, he joined the marching band and competed nationally in Washington.
Initially, Rodriguez thought he’d become a music teacher because of his love and passion for music. But things took a turn when his girl friends reached the famous “quinceañera”. Soon he began dancing for many “quinces” which is a party known mostly among Cubans that celebrates the coming of age young ladies experience, celebrated specifically at the age of 15. Through these parties he got a choreographer's attention because of his dancing skills. From there, he became the lead boy, performing at atleast 8 to 10 quinces consecutively.
He further shared that since alot of girls couldn’t afford a choreographer, he volunteered to choreograph for many quinceañera friends of his as early as age 15 or 16. Rodriguez's journey began there, and stemmed into him choreographing a routine at Hialeah High in the summer of his junior year.
After that summer, he participated in a musical theatre program, but unfortunately, the musical's choreographer backed out. Rene Rodriguez knew how much he loved dancing, so he volunteered and choreographed his first musical.
Seen through the eyes of the world
To get his professional dance education, he joined Miami-Dade College for their dance program while attending a ballet conservatory in South Miami.
He invited his parents to a student choreography show; his act was the closing act. The concept for the act was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which truly blew his dad away. In fact, it was so good that he presented this same act at the American College Dance Festival in Tennessee at the end of his college career. Rodriguez began dancing in the nightclub industry for clubs such as Mansion, Club Space, Liv, Set, and Ball & Chain. That’s where he learned about nightlife entertainment and the industry, gaining experience.
How was Spectacle Entertainment born?
When asked about Spectacle Entertainment, Rene Rodriguez commented that it’s a large-scale entertainment production company. When Spectacle Entertainment was established, its first event was for the University of Miami’s Cancer Link. The university hosts a fundraiser each year, so he offered dancers, body painters, and makeup artists and designed costumes to support the good cause.
He works with many nightclubs, offering them dancers for entertainment. Moreover, he performs at weddings and music festivals. Rene Rodriguez claims he’s not just limited to these events; he has performed with celebrities such as J Balvin and CardiB in their music video “I Like It.” In addition, he designed costumes for dancers in Camilla Cabello and Pitbull’s “Hey Ma.”
What about the Miami Movement Company?
Rene Rodriguez said that one day, a friend called him about someone who needed salsa dancers for an event. That person turned out to be Zack Bush, co-owner of Ball & Chain. Bush rang Rene Rodriguez up, asking for 8 dancers for the grand opening on the same day.
Rodriguez instantly agreed and went to the opening with a bunch of salsa couples. Later that night, he asked one of the dancers, Lidia, the face of Ball & Chain, if they could dance on the bar. The crowd loved the performance, and that’s one of the things that gave Ball & Chain the authentic and Cuban vibe its known for.
Rodriguez continued bringing couples to salsa but was finally given exclusivity at the Ball & Chain, by being the lead choreographer. Rodriguez adds that he’ll always feel indebted to Ball & Chain, and that it's been a massive part of who he is today, not to mention why he opened the Miami Movement.
Rene’s love of the kids in the community
The Miami Movement Company is a dance studio for everyone but Rodriguez trains children from the age of 5 and onward and teaches dance styles, like ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop and acro 4 days a week, 2 hours a day. In addition, they offer children the opportunity to perform in front of their parents.
Exceptionally talented children are given chances to compete. In fact, last year, a few of his talented students went to Fusion Nationals, Orlando, where they won first place in the group routine. His star dancers include Aurora, Astrid, Amelia, Sasha, Moses, and Delilah. He proudly shares that Sasha won first place in her category; Aurora got the crown and was one of the top scorers, while the rest of Rodriguez’s kids were in the top 5 of their categories.
We asked Rodriguez how he feels being where he is, and he admitted that he’s shocked at all his accomplishments. He further explained that he’s proud of his accomplishments but wants to achieve more. He says that his production value is much more than just dance; it’s about the whole aesthetic. Moreover, his vision was to create an empire based on dance and entertainment. Rodriguez wants to train kids and wants them to reach great heights by starring in movies and on TV and doing amazing things to reach great heights.
In short, Rene Rodriguez is proud of his achievements but not content; he wants it all and plans to soar high.
You can keep up with Rene Rodriguez and his ventures by visiting his website or following him @renerodofficial on Instagram or his company @spectacleentertainment.
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