Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Rojas.
Hi Tina , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My life started in the suburbs of Chicago (1991), with a mother from Kansas City and a father from Costa Rica. I moved to Kansas in my early teens, completed my undergrad at the University of Kansas (2013), and eventually moved to Kansas City at 24 (2016). I started dancing at the young age of three, twirling in circles and picking up choreography in my older sister’s dance class. My mom realized quickly I was the dancer in the family. I found sanctuary in a dance studio. As my parents divorce took place at the age of four, I leaned into dance for stability and control. I loved the feeling of creating and exploring movement in a safe container of 5-6-7-8. I embraced the equations of arm here and leg there, extend your lines and add some personality multiplied with a smile and divided by precision. Over the years dance has become my playground of emotion and strength. It gave me purpose and confidence. It gifted me a community of diversity and culture. It is both my first love and movement therapy. Down the road, I continued my education completing a Masters of Science in Nutrition Research & Education (2016) while dancing my way through rent and car payments. I danced in shows, musicals, cabarets, go-go dancing in bars and expanding into fire and LED flow dancing. I spent many years traveling back-and-forth to Los Angeles and New York City to push and train myself as a dancer. Taking classes at Millenium Dance Complex, The Edge and Playground. I started styling and directing shows, building my portfolio. I wanted to challenge my craft and re-define my creative playground. Constantly juggling two lives, one of dance and one of paying my bills. Doing whatever I could to keep dancing I started a program called HEELS at the Crossroads Hotel. This program continued for about 8 years until it shifted to Hotel Kansas City in 2024. This program still exists to date. I started working with pre-professional athletes as a nutritonist until the pandemic hit, and everything went sideways. As many of us did, I had to get creative to keep making money. I started my own nutrition business in 2019 mentoring and coaching clients through nutrition and movement motivation as we sat in our homes. I also accepted a job as an RBT working with kids on the spectrum at a private school and in-home. I fell in love with this job but it was not sustainable for my career or future. Once the world opened back up, I began working as a Dance Director and Project Manager at Quixotic and continued to work for the company for many years performing, choreographing and building shows from the ground up all over the world with an exceptional team of artists. I had the opportunity to work with companies like Faena Hotel & Theatre, SpaceX, Chiptole, Kaufman, Baha Mar, Sporting KC, The Kansas City Chiefs, etc. Eventually, I needed to dig roots in Kansas City. I started a new role at Hotel Kansas City as the Lifestyle Director. Building programming and expanding the hotel’s culture and brand (2024). I now work full-time in this role directing and carving out space for creation in my little professional pocket of Kansas City. I still teach dance to all ages, teaching Master Classes at UMKC Conservatory and private kids studios all over Kansas City. I continue to meet with my HEELS community every first Monday of the month for my House of Heels workshops where I lead individuals through explorative movement and confidence through sensuality. I am likewise Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Pranayama certified teaching several fitness and yoga classes throughout the week at Eastbrook Studios KC in the Northland. I love the life I have built but it wasn’t always easy. There were a lot of tears, restless nights and challenging moments. I am a Director for a Luxury Hotel Brand by day and your favorite hype teacher by night. I have no children because my work is my passion, it is my child. I birth new creations every day, just in my own way. I am grateful and look forward to what the future holds. I started hosting annual wellness retreats globally as well to dive deeper with my community and push myself as a teacher. My partner, Seth Goldwasser, opened a bar in the Crossroads October 2025 called Jade Jaguar with his business partner Manny Gomez and that has kept me busy as well. We hustle, we thrive, we celebrate, we travel and repeat. If there is one thing I want to do in this life, it is bring empowerment and joy to those that enter my bubble. It is all I hope to do. Movement and dance is a part of being human. In a modern world we tend to forget that.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not haha but that’s OKAY. Smooth seas don’t make good sailors. I repeat this to myself often because it is true. Your 20s are not a test you pass. They are an exploration. You are gathering experiences, making mistakes, changing your mind, learning your values, and discovering your voice. The goal isn’t to have all the answers — it’s to become someone who trusts herself enough to keep asking the right questions. My story is no harder or easier than the rest. There were a lot of twists, turns, missteps, hiccups, painful moments, weak moments, challenging my character moments, etc. I went through career uncertainty, friendship breakups, heartbreaks, religious unraveling, a divorce, body image chaos and self worth mania, dating again, eventually realizing there are good men in the world and accepting love again by 29. Needless to say, I had a lot of face down moments. I wanted to give up or run away a lot. But I stood my ground even if I was crying on the floor, something in me wanted more from this life. I experienced having a sibling with drug addiction for 10+ years which we carry to this day, losing a parent, losing a pup, losing my appetite to try. I challenged myself to build mental and emotional resilience, letting go of perfectionism and accepting the beauty of what is. I defined my everlasting struggle of depression and accept this to be a reality I can maintain. Dance and yoga have this ability to pull me out of my depression and so I practice often. This is my irreplaceable “me time.” I learned to simplify, shed, release and detach. It’s been a beautiful fight. I finally feel like after 10 years I can reap the benefits of my work authentically and happy with the human I am today. Drinking in the view and embracing the full bloom. I can feel the support of my lessons and the armour of my thick skin. As a woman in her 20s I felt a constant energy of becoming. It’s often a time of immense freedom, growth, and possibility — but also uncertainty, pressure, and change. My twenties was the rough draft so my thirties could be a masterpiece of who I am. I stand grateful. Or at least I try to be most days.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My hopes and dreams revolve around helping and inspiring others, being consistently creative and expanding my abilities and comfort zone in all realms of professionalism, performance and production. I hope to push myself both mentally and physically the rest of my life. My goals are ambitious and sometimes make others uncomfortable because I am never not passionate about my work. What seperates me from the rest is my ability to bridge artistry and education. With over 20 years as a professional dancer, extensive training in yoga and breathwork, and a background in holistic health and nutrition science, I understand the body from both an artistic and evidence-based perspective. As a child of two immigrants I have had the privlege of embracing and loving other cultures from my youth.
As a teacher, I create experiences that are accessible, empowering, and deeply human. As a dancer, I lead with expression and storytelling. As a creative, I see opportunites to transform ordinary moments into memorable experiences. And as an artist, I believe movement is more than exercise — it’s a language that helps people reconnet with themselves.
My work exists at the intersection of performance, wellness, education, and community. Whether I am leading a class, curating an event, or stepping onto a stage, my goal is the same: inspire people to feel more present, more capable, and more alive in their own bodies.
This culmination of my passions is my biggest success, to me. I don’t need any rewards or announcements to feel whole. My joy is in the woman that comes to my dance class, looking at the floor and deflated from X, Y and Z. By the end of the class her chin is high and she’s ready to open up. She is ready to reclaim her life and self. Now that’s my joy and my proudest moments. I’m fortunate enough to say I’ve taught over 1000 students to date and had the opportunity to witness those moments time and time again. They never fail me, they are a reminder of the spark in my eye as a young dancer. That warm internal embrace of “I can do this, I want this, I love myself.” We deserve to feel this way. It’s really about being present. I say this at the end of a lot of my classes, “In a world that constantly takes so much of your energy, how can you claim some of that back in this moment.”
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I owe a lot of credit to three bundles of people: my family, friends, and life partner. (1) My family, specifically my mother, step father and big brother. They have cheered me on my entire life. They rooted for me in my darkest hour. Losing my step father took a big hit to my mental health because he taught me to love myself and my unqiueness. He was a writer and he saw the artist in me. He gave me value and purpose, said the hard words that nobody else would say to me. “Little by little.” Eugenio, we will forever miss you. Thank you for being and continuing to be a light in my life. We were so lucky to have you. My big brother has likewise been my biggest advocate. He always says to me “you are so smart and strong.” He inspired me as a young child as he performed in plays and adored creative writing. And of course my mother. She never missed a performance, she is always there to pick up the phone and she always leads me when I am lost. My mom is the most selfless human I know. She gives without expecting anything in return, loves unconditionally, and consistently puts the needs of others before her own. Her strength isn’t loud — it’s found in the countless sacrifices, acts of kindness, and unwavering support she gives every day. She is a gift to this world and I am so very proud to call her mom. (2) My friends are the best and the strongest women I know. Natalie, Steph and Em – you three are my tripod of support and have become my chosen family, confidantes, mirrors, and allies. I am grateful to have you all in my life constantly laughing (and sometimes crying) our way through the hardships together and pushing one another to be the humans we want to be. I love you babes. (3) And lastly, my life partner Seth. This is where all the puzzle pieces started to make sense. Everything I had been through and experienced, prepared me for the moment I met Seth. We have grown together as humans and professionals for the last 7 years of our life. He sees all shades of Tina and he is my person, I wouldn’t be where I am without him. We joke a lot but he is the water to my fire, he keeps me grounded and I keep him moving. We shared an incredible creature and rescued pup named Rocko who passed March 2026. Rocko, you were my rock on some of the hardest nights. You boys always knew when I needed a paw or hug. Letting me know everything would be okay, just breathe and be still. You were Seth’s buddy until we became a family for 6 years. Rocko lived an amazing life and passed peacefully at 13 and a half.
Thank you Seth for bringing this sense of lightness to my life. You are an absolute breath of fresh air. You are wise beyond your years and incredibly patient. You are calm in the moments it’s most needed and you stay strong in the moments I am weak. I love you and am so happy to share this journey with you. My favorite travel buddy, date and closest ally.
Pricing:
- $25 House of Heels Dance Workshops
- $20 Yoga & Fitness Classes at Eastbrook Studios KC
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinajanerojas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinajanerojas/
