Interview with Venla Rainio
Interview with Venla Rainio, Service and Administration Manager at Helsingin aikuisopisto.. Venla enjoys reggaetón and tells us more about his hobby.
Who are you and where do you come from?
I am Venla Rainio, 32 years old, from Helsinki. I currently work at the Helsinki Adult Education Center office as a service and administration manager. I graduated from the University of Helsinki in 2013 with a Master of Philosophy degree, majoring in theoretical philosophy.
What are your hobbies?
I do a variety of different sports, always varying according to my interests, work situation and free time. Currently I dance reggaetón, salsa and Argentine tango and train in aerial acrobatics at Circus Helsinki. In addition to dancing, I read, cycle, jog, watch movies, visit museums, study languages and enjoy different types of tea.
What got you interested in reggaetón?
I first heard about reggaetón while I was in Cuba in 2005, but I didn't start dancing until much later. Before starting reggaetón, I danced dancehall reggae, African dance, jazz and salsa, so I was already interested in Afro-influenced Latin dances. While studying at university, I danced reggaetón occasionally and started classes at the Helsinki Adult Education Center in the fall of 2014. In early 2016, we founded the Pakarakat dance group with active and motivated course students, with whom we have performed at various events, such as the Arabia street festival and Show Of The Year.
What's the best thing about reggaetón?
I chose the sport because of its flexible movement language and playful attitude. I have always preferred dancing sports where good grounding, use of the core and relaxation are essential. I also like reggaetón music (although not completely without reservations), although I usually don't listen to it much at home. Of course, I also wanted to improve the mobility and coordination of different parts of the body, but to do it in a fun way and without a lot of pressure. The best thing is when you start to memorize choreographies and can focus on the feeling of dancing itself.
Who is reggaeton suitable for?
"Reggaetón is a kind of genre in itself, in that I think it suits any body type, unlike, for example, classical ballet, at least if you really want to do it well. You can always fix technical deficiencies with attitude. Of course, a sense of rhythm and a mobile core and hips are useful, but reggaetón is not very disciplined as a genre. The most important thing is the right, unapologetic attitude and pride in your own body - no matter how flawed you think it is."
What is the most challenging thing about the sport?
The genre, of course, requires a tolerance for reggaetón music. The hardest thing for me in the genre is dealing with the machismo and sexism of the reggaetón scene and lyrics, and at worst even homophobia (fortunately, in reggaetón it is not as common as in Jamaican dancehall). It is not without problems to enjoy a dance when its lyrics and video imagery are mainly chauvinistic, but despite this, I have managed to develop a surprisingly good relationship with the dance. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, listen to the songs selectively and focus on the rhythm instead of the lyrics. Above all, the genre requires humor and the ability to not take yourself too seriously. A sense of irony can also be a plus.
Who would you recommend reggaetón to?
Like any dance, reggaeton expands awareness and knowledge of one's own body. It also has a strong element of the idea of accepting one's own body and enjoying one's physicality. I would recommend it, regardless of age and gender, to anyone who is interested in the genre and who wants to learn how to shake properly. I would like to see more diversity in the international reggaeton scene, and it would be nice, for example, to see more women as actors and not always in the same role as model-bodied background babes in music videos. In Finland, it would be great if men were also more enthusiastic about dancing reggaeton.
Text: Kristiina, Helsinki Adult Education Institute