SHOWNOTES for Episode 1 with Marta Scott
INTRODUCTION
Marta Ribeiro Scott is a dancer and performer from Rio de Janeiro,Brasil with many background experiences from working as a professional dancer and singer in Europe, Israel, and USA including Las Vegas and New York, to performing on Broadway. Marta has been teaching Latin and Jazz Dances plus Samba for 24 years in the UK.
She was the Lead Choreographer of Brighton School of Samba and has paraded and choreographed dance groups at eight great Notting Hill Carnivals with the London School of Samba.
The Marta Scott Dance Company is 13 years old here in the UK has won many awards. Marta Scott is the runner up in The Lukas Awards 2019 for the “Outstanding Female Dance Performer (Latin)”
“Dance has been the joy of my life for 47 years!
I like to make people smile as it is my fuel to carry on …
You’re never too old to DANCE!”
Join us anytime.
Much dance LOVE
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EPISODE 1: INSPRATIONS WITH MARTA SCOTT
Hello and welcome to Inspirations from Brighton podcast, the podcast about inspiring people from Brighton and Hove and other cities in Sussex. My name is Klara Markovicova and I will be your host and guide in this mindful and inspiring journey of different people’s stories from South coast of England. Are you ready to step onto the path to get inspired by those who have constantly been stepping out of their comfort zone in order to achieve their dreams? Without further ado, it’s time to hear Inspirations from Brighton.
Hello everyone. And welcome back to Inspirations from Brighton episode number one. I’m your host, Klara Markovicova, and joining me today to talk about the adventurous life, being a professional dancer and dance teacher in Brighton is Marta Scott. Marta Ribeiro Scott is a dancer and performer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with many background experience from working as a professional dancer and singer in Europe, Israel, and Brazil, and USA, including Las Vegas and New York to performing on Broadway. Marta has been teaching Latin and jazz dances plus samba for 24 years in the UK. She was the lead choreographer of Brighton School of Samba and has paraded and choreographed dance groups at the school. Eighth grade nothing hill carnivals with the London School of Samba.
The Marta Scott Dance Company is 13 years old here in the UK and has won many awards. Marta Scott is the runner up in the Lucas Awards 2019 for the Outstanding Female Dance Performer in Latin.
Marta says: “Dance has been the joy of my life for 47 years. I like to make people smile as it is my fuel to carry on. You are never too old to dance. Join us anytime and much dance love.”
Let’s dive straight into our conversation with Marta.
Klara: Hello, Marta, and welcome to Inspirations from Brighton podcast. How are you today?
Marta: I’m very well. Thank you. I’m very honoured to be here. Wow. To be interviewed by Klara. Thank you so much.
Klara: So would you like to first introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background? I know lots of people from, especially from Brighton, know you, but maybe there are some listeners who don’t know you yet.
Marta: Okay, so I am actually Marta, Marta Ribeiro Scott, because I’m from Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And I’ve been in this country for, oh my gosh, 28 years now. And yes, really beautiful country, and Brighton especially, I heard, is the best place to be in England. And south of England, by the sea, yes. So I as you know, I have been an entertainer for many, many years and super happy to be here in Brighton as well.
Klara: Oh, that’s great. You mentioned the sea. I know that your life used to be a lot on the sea because you were traveling with cruise ship. Is that right?
Marta: Yeah, very well. Yeah, super trip.
Klara: And I heard that you were also dancing with a very famous Brazilian show. Would you like to tell us about it?
Marta: Yes, so I have, as I mentioned, I have been dancing for many years. I have been dancing for 46 years, actually. And so I started as a jazz dancer in Brazil at the age of 14. And carried on, carried on. And at the age of about 21, I went to an audition of a very famous show called Oba Oba. The Oba Oba show was to bring a big cast of incredible entertainers from Brazil to Italy. The producer is Italian, so he wants to showcase the Brazilian culture. So I went for an audition as a professional dancer. That was my role. And so I left Brazil, I was 21, and straight to, to Rome. And we rehearsed, rehearsed, and the big show started in Rome. But this producer, took us almost everywhere in Europe, we end up in Israel, then we end up in Las Vegas. Las Vegas show was like one year in Las Vegas. Incredible. And he managed to get us from Las Vegas to Broadway, New York, which is unheard of. Usually shows from New York on Broadway goes to Las Vegas. And we managed to do the other way round. And it was the actual first Brazilian show on Broadway. Our famous Carmen Miranda, she did not on Broadway, she was just off Broadway. So we are quite, quite, you know, proud of stepping on Broadway. And then we went to California, we did lots of shows there. I worked for this company called Oba Oba. It’s an expression of joy. For five years and a half, I went back to Brazil, had one year and a half in Rio de Janeiro doing television work, theatre, and then audition again for another company. And that was the cruise lines. That’s when I went to the big cruise, not big cruise, but they were called daily cruises from Miami to the Caribbean and Bahamas. It was another Brazilian company. The producer is actual Brazilian. She lives in Florida at the moment. Still in Florida. I worked with, on this cruise line for about two years, two years and a half.
And I was, Still the dancer, then I became the, the assistant choreographer as well. And also working in with the cruise line staff duties. It’s a lot of work on, on the cruise line. And I’m a singer as well. So at one point she needed someone to cover the singer’s spot when the singer needed a day off. So I was starting just to cover her. as a singer. So slowly, slowly from dancer, I became a singer and then this, this amazing singer left the show. So I became the star of the show and every now and then I could dance still. I was incredible, incredible experience. And then the producer managed to sell the show to Miami, to go off the cruise lines and to actually perform in Miami for at least two years in a beautiful showroom connected to another show in Rio de Janeiro. This Rio de Janeiro show, very famous, called Scala. Scala Rio. Rio, Scala Rio. She managed to do Scala Miami. And so that’s when she said: “Marta, you’re only going to be our star. You don’t have to do the cruise, cruise duties or anything.”
And I was basically on the ship so I was working as the producer because she was not in the cruise line. She was based in Florida. So I was like doing her job a little bit. But when I moved to Miami, I just had to be the star of the show, singing, dancing, having lots of fun.
Klara: Not that bad. But the cruise ship life, it’s quite difficult, isn’t it?
Marta: It can be. Not everybody can actually live on a ship. A cruise life. I had very funny entertainers, you know, they would like, Oh, I feel like I’m in an aquarium. I feel like a fish. I’m in an aquarium, I can’t go anywhere. So yeah.
Basically, you are on a ship in a small cabin. Usually, they are very small cabins. And you just can’t go to the corner and buy some sweets or anything, or go to the cinema, nothing like that. So you’re surrounded by water. So not everybody can actually accept this sort of a life. But, in my case, the ships that I worked, they were called daily ships. So basically we would go Miami to Bahamas, an island in the Caribbean or Bahamas, and you could leave for three, two, three hours, so you could explore the beaches and the place, and then back on the ship and back. They were daily ships. But some ships are four-day cruises, seven-day cruises, so they sometimes they are a lot surrounded by water.
But I enjoyed it because it was actually a paid job, no taxes doing what I love most, being an entertainer, and visiting wonderful places, so I couldn’t complain.
Klara: How many years?
Marta: On the ships, for me, it was two years and a half. Yeah, on the ships. And then we passed to the Miami, based on land, back to land.
Klara: So what brought you to England?
Marta: Aha! They call love ship, love ship for a while. Well, I met this British man called Martin Scott. He was on board as well. I am, I was at that time 28 years old and he was 24 years old. And Martin was always watching our show. You know, he was always there watching. We were like, the cast, ooh, it’s that man, always watching. Because the thing is, Martin was a croupier. He was working in the casino. So, we always knew that, you know, the ones that work less hours on the ships are the croupiers, because the casino cannot open till three miles off the coast. So, we entertainers start working really early.
And but the group is they have to wait you know, a few hours for opening the casino. It was not allowed to open straight away and was the other way around as well. They had to close the casino before we would arrive in the island or back to Miami. So that’s why Martin had the time to watch our show.
We entertainers were the last ones to work. We had to entertain the passengers till the very last second. before he would get, they would get their belongings and leave the ship to the island or back. And yeah, Martin was watching the show all the time and then approached me at breakfast time. The rest is history.
So, no, no, no, it’s not history, but obviously we, we were going out together. And then later on. After, you know, I went to Miami, as I explained, Martin still carried on working on the ship, so he could see each other. And then I feel, I felt a little bit tired of all the traveling, feeling like a gypsy, my belongings everywhere in Rio, or on the ships and stuff like that, so I just needed a break.
And then the choices were going back to Rio de Janeiro or coming to England, because it’s British. I said, well, this will be a bit difficult to work in Brazil. Financially would be a little bit more difficult at that time. He couldn’t speak Portuguese fluent, fluent. So, and then in Brazil still, unfortunately, we don’t have legal casinos, so we just don’t want to work illegally anyway.
And obviously him being British would be easier for him to come back to. to here and get a job in the casino quite quickly. And then I would find my, my way. So that’s why I’m here. Martin was born around Worthing area, Darrington. And we came to this area first and then he brought me to Brighton to visit.
And I said: “Oh my gosh, this is such a lively city. I want to live here. There are so many young people and artists and all sorts, you know, such a beautiful, open-minded city!” and it just felt like I needed to move to Brighton, and that was 20 years ago. 28 years ago. Yeah, it was 1995 that we came here and got married. Got married in 1995.
Klara: And have you ever thought to come back to Brazil?
Marta: We did, but always finding the same problem of work. Work is quite difficult in my beautiful country. So, and we got used to the lifestyle here as well. Obviously, we have our daughter, she is British, although she’s not here anymore, she’s living a beautiful life in America, near Chicago, and but obviously she’s British, and yeah, it’s a big, big decision to actually live in Brazil, but we never know.
I mean, weather wise it’s fantastic, but work is another, another story.
Klara: You work as a dance teacher here. Did your work then, to be a dancer actually, or your career, did it start with those auditions, or have you been, had you been dancing before?
Marta: It’s a great question. In Brazil, as I said, you know, I was trained as a jazz dancer, ballet, and then obviously Latin, that’s what I teach here mainly. But I only taught a little bit in Brazil. I was about 18 years old because I was studying physical education at P. E. University. And so I needed to practice as well as a teacher. But it’s never been my passion to be a teacher. I always wanted to entertain, I always wanted to be an entertainer. But I started teaching a little bit, so I had a little bit of experience. I could teach in schools, for example, I did teach in schools a little bit, but never been my passion. And then all these auditions came about, so I fell in love with being an entertainer on the most beautiful stages in the world. And when we, when we finally came here to Brighton, and in my mind, because I worked in Las Vegas, Yeah, Las Vegas, the capital of shows, shows everywhere, every corner of Las Vegas, show, show, show, show. And I, I just assumed, okay, so we’re going to go back to Brighton, you’re going to work in a casino, Martin back into a casino, I’m going to be an entertainer, I’m going to entertain, you know, be part of a British show. Yeah, that was back in 1995.
And Martin goes: “No, no, no, no, no. Shows are not allowed in casinos in England.”
I said: “What? Casino shows, they go together.”
It’s not in, not in Britain. It’s not allowed. At that time, you don’t have a license for entertainment. I was so disappointed.
Klara: I can imagine.
Marta: I was so disappointed. I said, oh no, I can’t believe this. So yeah, that was not that type of work that I was going to do. But I was open to anything, you know, because I speak four languages. I said maybe I could work as a receptionist in the casino somewhere. And then he got a job really quickly, the Brighton Grovenor Casinos, and then they could offer.
He says: “We don’t have a position for waitressing, but we have a position for you maybe to be a croupier, to actually be in the school.” I said: “Me? Learning to be a courier, casino, your job, your, your career?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can, you can do that.” And, and at that time, they used to pay for us to work. I mean, to learn, to learn the career. I said, oh, I never had that. I’m going to be paid to learn the career and possibly get a job in here. So, Ooh, I like that. So it was a nine to five kind of training school for six weeks. So I was trained as a crew, be being paid as a crew. Not a lot of money, but I was being paid to, to learn something new when I was 32 years old. I’m gonna learn something new. And I was successful. I was not the best croupier in the world, but I got the experience and the license and the career. They employed me. They employed me. Martin was working in the same casino, so I became a croupier. For about Total, total, about five years I was a croupier. But for two years, full time, and then I went part time because then I, I fell pregnant. And so I went part time to raise our beautiful Luana. Luana Scott. So yeah, so that was my, basically my first job here in, in England.
And but at one point Martin was saying: “Marta, why don’t you teach? Why don’t you just teach? Drop the casino and go teach.”
“I don’t like teaching. I don’t like teaching. I like performing.” But slowly, slowly I realized, I won’t be able to perform because there’s not a lot of jobs and I was getting older for the dancing industry. So I decided to try. I decided to try. And I approached one of the gyms that I was actually a member, called Dragons Health Club. And I approached them and I was actually going for a salsa class in there. And the teacher goes: “Oh, you’re a very good dancer.”
And I said: “Well, actually, I’m, maybe, maybe I’d like to teach.”
And she said: ”Oh, you can cover my classes when I need.” And that was Danny, Danny the salsa teacher. So that’s what happened slowly. And then, but I still had to audition and show my skills. And I had to show my diploma in physical education. So eventually they gave me a class. A Friday never forgot. A Friday, twelve o’clock was my only class. And I mixed Latin dance with a bit of jazzy and that’s how I first started and I worked for dragons for two years consecutive just for them. So I was working that Friday And still part time in the casino
Then Martin goes: “Why don’t you quit the casino and just invest on teaching?”
Because then I fell in love. I fell in love of being a teacher. Because I realized that by teaching new people, whoever was coming to my class, whatever ages, abilities, I was still an entertainer of somehow. I was entertaining these people. And for me, I was, every time I would step on that, on that the classrooms, for me, it was my in my mind was a stage. I have to entertain. I have to entertain everybody. So I started enjoying it. The, this aspect of being a dance teacher, instructor, but also an entertainer. So that was, I was pouring my, my emotions and my love for dance and entertaining in just a class, just teaching a class. And it was two years of that and then I finally had the guts to say no to employment and became self-employed and approached other health clubs to teach in other places, so I start building up my timetable, my weekly timetable.
Klara: So is it like 23 years ago?
Marta: 24 years ago I start teaching. I’m that old (laugh).
Klara: So what kind of dance do you specialize in, if the listeners don’t know?
Marta: My type of class, I call it Latin Funky Fitness. Why? Why do I do all this broad? Because some people just find it, you know If I just call it one style, they find they don’t belong. It’s an exercise through dance. And Latin is obviously the most important ingredient. But being a jazz dancer, there’s always a little bit of class, because jazz and ballet gives you the, the class.
But Latin based and the funkiness because I can bring all sorts of music and sounds, more contemporary and current, current songs to, to embrace all tastes and hopefully everybody can enjoy it. In whatever ability they’ve got.
Klara: I can imagine you have a busy schedule.
Marta: (laugh)
Klara: Do you teach every day?
Marta: I basically teach at least Mondays to Fridays, yes. Two or three classes per day in different places, even outdoors. And well, I think you might ask about a little bit more, but I still perform. I managed eventually to still perform, so we do have some gigs, shows, that happens weekends and festivals and things like that.
Klara: And besides that, I will ask you about the show in a little bit. But besides that, do you teach also like private classes or some workshops?
Marta: Yes, yes, I’m always available for private classes. Often happens that someone completely new comes to me and says: “Ooh, I couldn’t follow much. I think I need something; do you have a beginners class?”
And I say: “Well, I actually don’t have a beginner’s class. Everybody just comes in and do what they can.” But I could recommend you a private, or they even, I say, I think I need a private lesson so I can get all the basics so then I can join the group. I say, oh yeah, of course. So it usually happens that they ask me for a private lesson just to, I could explain what salsa, what’s merengue, what’s cha cha cha, what’s samba. Or whatever styles they want. Or the jazz dancers, they want to improve their jazz skills, and they ask for private lessons as well. Sometimes couples, they want to learn the couples, you know, salsa dancing, stuff like that. Or, they want to have a first dance for their wedding to practice something or to choreograph something for their first dance, hen parties. Sometimes they want a dance class for hen parties.
Klara: That’s great, that’s great to know for our listeners.
Marta: It’s really good. Yeah, it’s good extra job. Those would be the extra jobs. Not the, main job.
Klara: You mentioned group as well. Do you have any dance group here in Brighton?
Marta: I did not plan that. Going back to this place that I, first, first place that I ever taught, Dragons Health Club. And then when I decided to quit the casino and I went to teach in different places. Another place that I was based for a long time, many years, Coral Health Club. And I moved there on a Wednesday morning. And once a lady, friends of friends, owner of a dance studio as well, she came to my class and she really enjoyed it. And then she, incredibly amazing woman decided to do an incredible dance event. And she invested her house. Literally, she invested her house to pay for that event at the Brighton Centre, Brighton Centre in Brighton and seafront, super expensive. She, she was really frightened, but she invested. I know her story. She has a lot of money to put that, that show. So she called the Make your move at the Brighton Centre 2010. So, basically 14 years ago. So she opened that show and, and there was like stalls of dance merchandise and workshops happening in that Brighton Centre. Every possible room were happening. Different workshops of local teachers or famous people as well. People that want the Britain’s Got Talent and stuff like that. So she invested a lot of money and she’s got, she had this incredible, massive stage for us to perform.
So she approached me and said: “Marta, would you like to bring a number? Would you like to bring a number of yours to that stage?” And her name is Sarah Fry, I’m so grateful to her. Sarah Fry.
I said: “Sarah, but I don’t have a dance group. All I do is teaching in health clubs, you know, my students. Maybe I could plan something.” That’s how it happened. So I start asking around in all the various places I was teaching at that time in 2010.
And I said: Look, we have the possibility of performing on this incredible stage for Make Your Move event. And who would like to be on board? I can choreograph a piece and we go for them.” In the end, Klara, I had 46, 46 dancers on that stage and I need it because it was massive. And at that time as well I had the two other Brazilians on board, no three. Yeah, three other Brazilians. Two boys, which is Ricardo Axé, he’s my dance partner. Leandro, Leandro’s not here in the country anymore, he’s in New York in another kind of job. And Luzia, Luzia’s still here. So at that time I had three Brazilians with me, and all the various nationalities on that stage. All ages, all ages. I had from 20-year-olds to 70 year olds on that stage. 46 of us. We didn’t have a costume. So I said to them, let’s wear white. Everybody in white. Which they were: “Oh no, white! It’ll make me fat.”
“No, no, no, it looks nice. Everybody in white!” and what was it, gold. Gold accessories. You know, earrings or something on your head. And I had my Brazilian flag around. No, I had my Brazilian flag to fly about. And the boys did this. The two boys had a Brazil t shirt, yellow T-shirt and white trousers. Ah, it’s on YouTube. It’s on YouTube. And I choreographed the, the, sorry, the song called Más Que Nada from the Black Eyed Peas. Samba funk. Yeah, that kind of mixture, sound and funk. Yeah, and that was 14 years ago when she asked me: “What was the name of your company?” I just didn’t know what to say. “Oh, the Marta Scott Dance Company”. Marta Scott Dance Company. And that’s how it has been alive for 14 years. From this job, you start coming invitations for other places to perform, festivals and, different, various gigs and projects.
Klara: Is Marta Scott Dance Company still open for new people to join?
Marta: Oh, it’s always, always. My doors are super open, never shut. All genders, all abilities, all ages, races, shape and form. I even work with disabilities as well. So yeah, literally open to anyone to join us.
Klara: Oh, that’s amazing. I’m sure that there will be some listeners who will join your classes.
Marta: Yeah, come along, come along. We are very, very welcoming, very friendly. We became a very close friendship as well. We build up so many friends along the way. We sometimes know too much about each other, but in a helpful way, of course.
Klara: More than 14 years ago. 14 years, it’s a lot.
Marta: Yeah. 14 years of, 14 years of Marta Scott Dance Company, but 24 years teaching. So before that, we were already, I still have students 24 years with me from the very beginning.
Klara: What I like on your classes. I really like they are, and I think lots of people actually appreciate that, they are full of energy, joy. They are very joyful. You know, you when you dance, when you teach, you express lots of gratitude and people just want to be there to dance with you. And I also, I’m not sure if I read it somewhere or I heard it somewhere, but I heard That someone said that you should be teaching also in NHS and everybody confirmed that. I think that’s brilliant.
And another thing, what I heard is that you’re, you’ve been called “Marta of the lawns”.
Marta: (laugh)
Klara: Where did this come from and why the lawns?
Marta: Oh yeah. It’s so funny. You know. You never know what can happen to your life in general. We’ve all been super horribly affected by the horrible pandemic. And suddenly everything that I build up, you know, working in health clubs and everything, I’m talking about my experience, but everybody’s lives were disrupted so much. And at that time, it was 2020, I remember the pandemic happened. And obviously all the buildings, all the health clubs that I was teaching, they had to close down. Closed down, closed down, closed down.
I remember entering a home at one point, I said: “Martin,” my husband, “I am officially unemployed. I have no places to teach. I have no places to perform. My income is gone. I have nothing to bring it on.” And I was in tears, as many people were as well, because I felt that I had my, my purpose in this life, I always felt, is to, to bring what I know, my knowledge, and to make people fit mentally and physically through my dance. So this was taken away from me, and I felt like my purpose is gone. I have no purpose in this life. Everything was gone. I was quite desperate as lots of us were in the whole world.
And one student, Michaela, Michaela has been with me for so long as well. She at one point just called me and says: “Marta, would you consider maybe going outside in a park? And you could teach me from very far distance, a jazz,” she wanted to carry on her jazz dance journey. “We can, like, really far away from each other, from the speaker, and my,” she’s got a little boy, so “my, boy can just play in the park there.” I said: Yes, let’s go for it!”
It was a private lesson. And at that time when we could at least teach one, one to one. And she had this idea of teaching outdoors, outside, that never clicked. And I live between the two beautiful Palmeira Square and Brunswick Square. And there are so many parks around. There’s the Hove Lawns right there. So I was like, yeah, let’s do it. And that became something, obviously it was on Facebook and Instagram and things like that. And people were approaching me, oh, I want to do a private lesson with you, da, da, da. So that started the private lessons outdoors. First was the Adelaide Crescent at Palmeira Square, kind of hidden from a lot of people watching. Later on, the residents were complaining a little bit about the sound. Some were really positive, and some were complaining: “Oh, it’s too loud. We have to work from home. So, can you maybe move to the seafront?” I thought, okay, yeah. So, I taught there for a good eight months, I think, at the late Crescent. So, I was pushed out because of the sounds. Because I called my speaker loud Latina. Loud Latina. So we went to the seafront, right there, on Hove Lawns, in front of the Palmeira Square, next to the café, the Lawns Café. And I started teaching there, more and more people.
So visually, my work, It was incredible. Never my, my teaching work was so exposed. I was, God, my, they’re gonna judge me. It’s so exposed. And I made, obviously I made trying to make all the people that were coming to me and dancing with me as relaxed as possible and pretend, just pretend nobody’s watching, because it was not a studio as such. You know, anyone passing by. People on the, you know, living on these beautiful buildings could watch us from above with binoculars and all of a sudden there’s this everybody’s watching. We don’t know who’s watching. But the funny thing was because I was teaching on the actual grass, on the lawns of Hove, that’s when the nickname came about. “Marta of the Lawns.” “Oh, are you the famous Marta of the Lawns?” Yes, that’s true.
Klara: Oh, that’s brilliant. So you still teach outdoors on the lawns?
Marta: Yes. I’m still doing it. Students fell in love with the lawns. Some of them never went back indoors. They still wanted to do outdoors, all weathers. So I am still teaching that three times a week if the weather behaves. Tuesdays and Fridays at 12 and Thursdays by 10.30 by the i360 area. But again, you know, the only, I mean we can’t do all weathers even, you know, we did snow and rain and windy, but rain, heavy rain is, I can’t do it because of the speaker. If I know beforehand it’s going to rain, then I have another studio that can go inside. It’s called Vida Active in Hove. But yeah, the rain would stop my, my speaker and ruin it. So I can’t do it now. We can get wet, but not the speaker. If we get caught there, then I put a cover on it. But I avoid the rain.
Klara: How people and how listeners can join your classes or outdoors or indoors? Do you have any website or social media?
Marta: Yeah, I do have the website. If you just put Marta Scott Dance Company, it gets in there straight away. Instagram is scott.marta. Facebook, Marta Scott. There’s another Marta Scott, but she’s my friend. So but she teaches jive and stuff like that. And yeah what else was I going to say? Yeah, you can just my classes are drop in based, especially the outdoor ones. I mean, almost the majority of them are drop in based. At the moment it’s eight pounds per class. I usually ask for cash, you know. And then I teach in various health clubs. Some of the health clubs, they have their own rates. So, you have to just Do a little research. Yeah, Marta Scott Dance Company is the key of the website. You can find straight away on Google.
Klara: Yes, I will put the links.
Marta: Oh, you can put the link underneath.
Klara: Yes, the links into the show notes so everyone can see them.
Marta: Yeah, welcome.
Klara: And before we finish, I wanted to ask you about the shows. Are there any shows and festivals we can see you this year?
Marta: Oh, this year. Yeah, usually, and I haven’t been contacted yet because it’s quite early in the year we have the spring festival, usually happens at St. Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove, we don’t know the dates and schedules yet, sometimes we do Fringe, Fringe festivals, demos, Saturdays. And the biggest, biggest of all is Pride. Pride Parade, we’ve been involved since 2015. And we’re gonna work on it to be in there as well. There are two very famous ones that I love being involved. It’s called Take Part. Take Part is in June. They have already a date. I can’t remember anymore at the moment. It might be the 19th. It’s a Saturday in June. It’s called Take Part. It’s very important because it’s, what it says, all groups of Brighton, Hove, they take part. And there’s a big stage there. And connected to that beautiful one is December as well, the, the Christmas one, at the Brighton Centre, at the Syndicate Wings.
That one, I always want to be, be part of it. It’s called Dance Active. It’s a very famous one that we love being involved. In between, there’s always, festivals that we’ve done before and they contact me again. Duck, the Duck Fair is usually the end of August. Patcham. They contact me slowly and then we put in the calendar. If you go on the website, there’s an events calendar there so you can follow us.
Klara: Oh, that’s great. And before I let you go, I always ask my guests for five questions just for our listeners to get to know you a little bit better.
Marta: Okay.
Klara: The first one, do you have any pets?
Marta: Pets. Yes. I do have two cats. Two black cats. They actually, not mine. They were our daughter’s cats. But you know, she left us, so they are with us. It’s called Suti and Black Jack.
Klara: Do you read books?
Marta: Only Klara’s book. She’s a great writer.
Klara: Well, thank you so much.
Marta: Oh, there’s another lady called Behira. Behira. She’s my student. I, I read her book as well.
Klara: Do you have any favourite book?
Marta: Oh yes. I have my favourite book ever and still is the Little Prince. Oh, I love that book. There are so many beautiful messages. Yeah. Le Petit Prince in French. That’s beautiful.
Klara: You are very busy with your schedule and you’re dancing always. What do you do to relax and unwind?
Marta: Oh, yes, that’s a great question. When my week finishes and I don’t have any gigs in the weekend, I absolutely adore going to the cinema. I’m a huge cinema lover, and musicals. I love musicals as well. So basically I want to be on the other side. I just want to sit down, entertain me, because I’ve been entertaining everybody for, you know, hours and hours and weeks and weeks. So this is my rewinding. Relax. Watch people.
Klara: And what’s your favourite season of the year?
Marta: Oh, season, I would say, wow, spring, summer, ooh, hard to choose. My, my birthday is in spring, which is quite soon in March, March 21st. So that’s, that transition of spring and summer is the best.
Klara: And the last question, is there anything you would like to say to our listeners?
Marta: All right. Yes, I just read it today. Today someone tagged me on Facebook. How important is to keep moving? Keep moving, whatever you love most, walking, running, dancing, cycling, swimming, etc. But what I was tagged on, it was Fred Astaire, you know, the famous tap dancer. He was saying how it was proven scientifically out of all the exercises that it can do. What is the best? Dance. Dance is the top one against dementia, Alzheimer’s. So has proven scientifically lots of researches, which avoid, you know, getting these horrible ones. Because we work so much our brain and body and the connection of everything. So obviously I’m biased because I’m a dance teacher but keep moving. Don’t stop moving. Everything seizes up if you stop, if you stop moving. But dancing, I recommend dance.
Klara: I absolutely agree with that. Marta, thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to talk to you today.
Marta: It’s dance love, isn’t it? Dance love.
Klara: Thank you so much.
Marta: Obrigada, de nada.
THE END OF THE EPISODE
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