Happygrrl of the Month

DivaGirl Fitness

Laura Furtado

Diva is the female version of a hustla, of a hustla of a hustla. Those are the lyrics to Beyoncé’s hit single, Diva, but it’s also the perfect description of Laura Furtado. She is a driven, self-proclaimed workaholic who accomplishes everything that she sets her sites on.

I’ve been obsessed with Laura for at least 3 years now. I’ve heard about her legendary sensual dance classes (they were previously known as Laura Furtado's Sensual Dance For Women, and now go by the super cute name, DivaGirl Fitness) but I have yet to take one. Yes, despite being fully aware of the classes for quite some time, I embarrassingly haven’t had the privilege of taking any of them. I know.... shame on me and my lazy ass!

I realize that I should be more active and work out, but I’ve never had any interest in going to the gym. When I first heard about Laura’s sensual dance classes, I knew that it was something that I would enjoy. It’s not like a typical workout routine; women can get fit and feel healthy by dancing and having a good time. The fact that her classes incorporate a sexy vibe was also quite appealing to me. I’ll admit that I am freakishly fascinated with pole dancing and Strip to Fit classes, however, my timidity got the better of me. I felt a little nervous and insecure twirling up and down on a pole and pretending to strip for all to see. However, I have promised myself that I will conquer that fear soon and partake in one of her classes!

Over the past few years I’ve received Laura’s e-mails and newsletters and I’ve witnessed her become more and more successful. She started off only offering classes in Brampton, and she has now branched out by offering classes all across the GTA. There are even classes in Montreal!

Not only has she been successful with her dance classes, she has singlehandedly become a powerful brand. She has evolved into a multi-faceted empire, simply called DivaGirl Inc., which includes DivaGirl Fitness, DivaGirl Entertainment and the newest division, DivaGirl Beauty.

After receiving her latest e-mail, I decided that it was time to contact her. I had to meet her. I heard about her for so long I felt it was time to share her story.

I met her at 9:00AM on a Saturday morning for coffee. We spoke about her passion for dance (pssst...she’s been dancing since she was 6 years old!), the fact that she’s too busy to sleep, and that she has plans on writing a book. Check out what else I learned about her...

What inspired you to pursue dance as a career?

I kinda fell into it. I used to teach private hip hop classes and I started taking sexy dance classes with Sophie Luxton in Toronto. I eventually became a member of a sexy exotic troupe. I thought, “This is wicked!” So I found out more about the [sexy dance] trend happening in L.A. and then the person that I was teaching hip hop classes asked me, “Why don’t you start your own classes?”

Why haven’t you opened your own dance studio?

I didn’t want to be stuck in one location. I wanted to create a movement. In order to create a movement, you can’t sit still.

I thought to create a community where we are all freelance instructors. That is why DivaGirl has the potential to grow anywhere.

DivaGirl Fitness encompasses the DivaGirl licensee program in which we get other instructors on board to run their own DivaGirl classes in various cities. It’s my certification program. I certify instructors with sexy dance fitness classes.

How did you come up with the name?

I wanted something catchy that was going to be marketable. I’m very big on marketing and business and I know that if I wanted to have longevity, I had to make it fun.

I used the word “Diva” because it’s all about feeling confident, strong and taking charge of your own life—which is pretty much what our classes are based on. The word “Girl” plays off the playfulness of women.

Why did you change the name?

With Sensual Dance people got the wrong idea. They thought that the classes were more exotic, like stripping—which we teach (Strip to Fit), but we also offer other types of dance.

If I stuck with Laura Furtado Sensual Dance For Women, I would have been limited to the path of just dancing, which is great, but I think the drawback of dancers is if you just dance, you have limited opportunities. If you try to reposition it to encompass other areas of development, you will grow so much.

What dance styles do you offer?

Sexy Pole, Sexy Jazz Dancing, Show Girl, Strip to Fit (the most popular!), Belly dance, Broadway jazz, Caribbean Soul/Reggaeton, Dance grooves, Dancehall reggae, Girl-a-licious, Hip hop belly dance, Kama, Samba, Zumba, among others.

Have you considered offering classes in other locations?

My goal is to be in every major Canadian city.

What response have you gotten from your students?

They are extremely loyal. Some people have been with me since day one. Some clients say that I’m fun, and easy going. But I’m also a hard teacher in the sense that I really push people. I’m very energetic and full of life. I like seeing others get into it.

I get calls from women saying that they want to dance sexy. They want to dance sexy for their husband. I think it’s becoming more acceptable now.

What do you think about the shows—So You Think You Can Dance Canada, America’s Best Dance Crew etc?

It’s awesome. It’s about time that dance has been put in the limelight. There is so much talent that’s out there.

Can men attend?

No, we are a community of women who encourages women to get fit, have fun and feel sexy!

And with that last question the battery in my tape recorder died. Laura and I continued to chat like BFFs for half an hour more and I promised to take one of her dance classes. Wish me luck!

-Michelle