Maria Victoria Andrade sips an eco-friendly smoothie once we stare across our notebook screens at every various other. Her locks are perfectly pulled back into a decreased ponytail and her epidermis is sparkling. A former pro performer exactly who began dancing lessons when she ended up being eight, Andrade now dances for fun in TikTok movies, like the one she recently posted in function of attempting to sell a property more than price tag. The caption checks out: “offering can make me dance!”
Vimeo
.
“They know me as the TikTok agent,” she jokes whenever I ask the lady in the event that skills from the woman former existence as a performer have already been useful in the woman present life as an agent with Douglas Elliman, the leading houses brokerage in New York City. Aside from the occasional TikTok moves, Andrade’s very early dance education assists her these days making use of the speed it can take to demonstrate qualities in an urban area like New York. “My personal sports background gives me personally the strength i must keep up with the rigors of my personal grueling routine,” she states.
Andrade had dreams of seeking a career in dancing stateside when she immigrated to L. A. from the Philippines within her 20s. Though she had toured everywhere Asia undertaking theater and ancient ballet, Andrade found that dance organizations in the us had been so much more strict within their training. Understanding she was required to put the woman professional dance desires on pause, Andrade started work as a medical front desk staff in the workplace of her dad’s primary attention physician.
Usually pivoting to new options, Andrade, whose educational background is in lodge and bistro administration, brought the woman support service skills on the healthcare administration field. Like most objectives she establishes, Andrade excelled in her own career. “we arrived all the way from being a receptionist for just one physician to managing big, multiple-location private healthcare techniques,” Andrade tells GO.
While she was actually discovering everything concerning healthcare government industry, she failed to abandon what she phone calls the first passion for the woman existence: dancing. Very nearly all of a sudden, she discovered a separate way to stay her fantasy in the United States: she turned into a nationally known Lesbian Go-Go performer, touring from coast to coast.
“my pals and that I would check-out organizations and see women executing on stage, and that I had been like, âOk, i will do that!’ It certainly ended up being my love for party that prompted us to do it now,” Andrade says, recounting how she first found by herself on stage at the
Executive Suite
, a gay hookip and Lesbian nightclub in lengthy seashore, California.
“I skipped that existence inside the Philippines of accomplishing programs,” Andrade says, and Go-Go dance offered the lady utilizing the fuel in the stage and a warm and developing fan-base. “It wasn’t any such thing filthy or sexual,” she says. “My friends happened to be usually indeed there to support me personally. It absolutely was plenty fun,” she stocks, considering this lady days dancing at groups.
Vimeo
.
Whenever she would visit ny from Los Angeles to consult with relatives and buddies, she’d choose Go-Go dancing gigs promoted as a “special featured performance.” Andrade danced at
Shescape parties
, in locations like Tavern regarding Green, the Rainbow place, as well as other large location occasion events for queer women. “in the past it actually was this big circuit of events. Everytime I journeyed to nyc, [club marketers would state] âReally, as you are here, maybe you can show up at club on the weekend for a few fast units on-stage,” she states. She turned into understood not only on her classically-trained dance moves, however for the woman manner as well. “I would personally usually think about the greatest outfitsâa little bit provocative but additionally innovative and stylish,” she recounts.
While she climbed in popularity for the nightclub world, Andrade’s job into the health field mounted too, as she went from being a receptionist to operating several health practitioners’ practices.
“As an immigrant, I got the American Dream. I was really powered and accountable, and struggled to go up in the business ladder,” she states. Ultimately her work brought the lady to New York City completely. “My finally corporate task [in the medical area] ended up being working for a really prestigious Fifth Avenue Dermatology training,” she states.
Andrade invested her leisure time touring society, discovering herself constantly a little deflated, having to go back to the boundaries of an office. “I imagined to myself there must be something else i will perform because i dread the conclusion my personal getaways.” True to formâand today in her fiftiesâshe attempt to transform a profession: going back to school to master everything about the digital landscaping also to get the abilities she would must launch a social mass media control agency. “once I exposed my personal personal marketing company, my idea was to have a business that i possibly could operate from all over the world,” Andrade states. With litigant roster of aesthetic enthusiasts just who required an attractive and aspirational social presence, she did that.
As the launch of her social media marketing company permitted Andrade to travel nonstop, it was not lucrative adequate on its own. Understanding she’d must earn significantly more to maintain this lady life style, she decided to add nyc Real Estate Agent to her list of games. She originally planned on making one or two hours discounts each year to augment her income and keep her passport stamped. The good news is, per year in to the field of real estate, she’s found a brand new love: assisting individuals from all parts of society go into their dream domiciles. “i love that each day [as a real estate agent] is different. We have the million-dollar buyers, the half-million-dollar purchasers, the renters who would like to conserve, and those that will place ten grand four weeks on a pied-Ã -terre,” Andrade claims on the selection of customers she works with.
Though Andrade’s dream advanced from specialist dancing to real-estate, Andrade’s career moves have all been intentional to help the woman United states dream. She attributes the woman systematic search for goals to her immigrant roots. ”
As an immigrant, my entire life point of view developing up in a third-world country provided me personally with a sense of âi have to knock this basketball from the playground’ mindset, because I know everything I did not have expanding upwards, I am also grateful we already have the opportunity to transform that.”
It’s no wonder that she is generating a mark into the houses globe just per year into her brand-new profession. For any other women that are thinking about a career shift, Andrade features this information: “You shouldn’t second guess yourself. Plan it out. Discover individuals who are merely talkers. They’ll state âi do want to do that, but’ or âi do want to accomplish that, but⦠.’ There’s always that âbut!’ Personally, it was really worth the threat to make the leap to learn a totally brand-new trade-in my personal fifties, no ifs, ands, or buts. I lay out on a fresh course and determined a manner.”
Andrade’s Go-Go dance performances dwindled down making use of
decrease
of lesbian organizations, but her command of social media marketing provides her a fantastic outlet on her behalf movements as a TikTok agent. “Aside from TikToking? I dance whenever I enjoy, as I’m delighted, after sunshine is out, as I obtain very good news! So when there is no justification to dancing, we dance!”