Tonatiuh Gómez, Mexican born in Mexico City, used to practice professional sports like, soccer, hockey, Olympic gymnastics, among others, but his true passion is ballet.
He finished his degree in Marketing with the Banking and Commercial School while in the meantime he founded and developed his own company. Businesses like ballet is also his passion.
At 19 years old he suffered a serious ankle injury in a gymnastics workout, which left him out of any physical activity for about two and a half years. After this, he decides to recover 100% and made the decision to dance professionally and internationally ballet. He began to prepare for six months with teacher Sergei Sokolov and Raudel Rascón, to be able to enter in the second year by placement in the career of Classical Dance Special Plan for Males with the Superior School of Music and Dance of Monterrey where he began his professional training with Alejandro Jáuregui and Roberto Machado.
A year later he was accepted at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, one of the most recognized ballet schools in the world where, thanks to the support provided by the school under the direction of Bojan and Stephanie Spassoff, he continued his preparation and development in USA.
He was semifinalist of the Intramuros Contest 2017 and was invited to compete in the Varna International Ballet Competition.
Tonatiuh Gómez has had the opportunity to train, learn and prepare alongside dance stars such as Ángel Corella, Jaime Vargas, Alberto Méndez, José Manuel Carreño, Viengsay Valdés, Isaac and Esteban Hernández, Manuel Vignoulle, Duncan Cooper, Telmo Moreira, Jody Anderson, Beckanne Sisk, Justin Allen, Natalya Lushina, Marcelo Gomes, Tomoha Terada, Sterling Baca, Luciano Perotto, José Hurtado, among others.
Despite having had several obstacles, such as starting at a not ideal age, have only three years training professionally, the body stereotypes that ballet demands, physical, mental and emotional pressure, between others; he has never stopped receiving unconditional support from his family, friends, teachers, schools and the company, to break paradigms and project his career internationally.
One of his dreams and goals is to continue breaking paradigms within this profession, to be able to inspire and support the next generations of dancers. So that they can realize, that, if he has been able to achieve a trajectory of this kind without having all the necessary ideal conditions, there are thousands of dancers who can do it too, who have the ideal conditions and the talent to achieve great things. It’s just a matter of determination, consistency, cunning, discipline and believe that you really can, to begin to see the results with which someone dreams.
Who influenced you most to become the dancer you are today?
Above all my parents and mi sisters, and of course the people inside the dance business that guide me, my teacher Raudel Rascon, Sergei Sokolov, Alejandro Jauregui, Gisela Martínez, Armando Pineda, Daniil Simkin and Ivan Vasiliev.
What was the funniest episode(s) you’ve experienced in your career?
One time, 2 minutes before going onstage, my tight completely broke from the back and I had to get on stage like that; everyone could see my whole Dancebelt.
Who would you most like to share the stage with (living or dead)?
Tamara Rojo and Ivan Vasiliev
What goes through your mind just before you perform?
I get too excited, I seek to raise my energy to the maximum and I visualize myself on stage doing things the way I want them to come out, I imagine a golden light that comes out of me and covers all the spectators and my companions, I’m always trying to cover with great energy to everyone and infect it.
What do you like/admire most about San Diego Ballet?
I admire the warmth and super good humor of all the members. I like that they’re really a group that tries to make a family. They support each other and that is what the leaders of the company look for, to have an excellent environment and that allows you to develop and unwind better. I like that it’s a creative company and values its members very much. Awwww and I love the room floor it’s great to jump and turn hahahahaha