Ayo: The Salsa Dancing Software Engineer

Ayo describes himself as a stereotypical software engineer - an introvert that got into coding at a young age. So at university, he took on salsa as way to get him out of his shell. Through dance, Ayo has been able to be more confident both socially and at work, get leadership experience, learnt how to handle rejecting and been brought him closer to his Yoruba roots while getting some major cardio. It wasn’t easy for him initially. The nerves followed him throughout his salsa journey. From going to his first class, to leading in a pair, to going to socials to becoming a salsa teacher. Yet in each step he talks about how addicting he now finds each part of what makes salsa so good. He uses this to talk about how grateful he is that he took the leap. In this episode, Ayo talks about how interconnected salsa has become in his life. He shares how learning Spanish allowed him to appreciate the songs more and see how Yoruba culture is entwined in South America. Listen to Ayo speak about how he started, the best way to learn in London and why salsa is the great way to be more social and get over imposter syndrome.