Omar Lopez

Front Desk Receptionist

 

Omar Phoenix Lopez has been a part of the Dance Institute family for over five years.  He came to DI as the violinist of Austin's hottest performing Latin-jazz and salsa band THE BREW in Summer 2009, but after falling in love with the amazing energy, friendly faces, and beautiful facilities of Dance Institute, Omar joined the team as the original "desketeer", bringing with him a spirited attitude of dedication, positivity, professionalism, and lightheartedness to an already exciting environment that promoted creativity, fitness, and wellness.  

 

Omar's initial two years at Dance Institute allowed him to experience the greatness demonstrated by the competitive teams of Dance Institute Performance Academy.  This inspired him to embark on his own journey into wellness in Spring 2011, during which he began a weight loss and exercise regimen that led him to lose fifty pounds over the course of the following summer.  Omar credits Linda, Lindsay, and the rest of the staff and dancers at DI for giving him the emotional support and the physical push he needed to not only reinvent himself on the outside, but on the inside as well, leading him to add the middle name of "Phoenix" and inspiring him to resume his then-dormant full-time career as a performing singer and electric violinist with renewed ambition and fervor.  However, this took him away from his family at Dance Institute for three years but Omar left knowing he'd have a place he could call home when he returned.

 

From 2011 to 2013, Omar performed all over the world in venues from Beirut, Lebanon to Beijing, China with internationally-known Spanish guitarist BENISE.  He is also well-respected as a dynamic solo performer in his own right, having released three full-length albums and two dance singles on iTunes since 2005. 

 

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, seeing live shows, running and hiking, and spending time with his dog and three cats.  He is a fluent Spanish speaker and dedicates himself to learning many other languages from countries all around the world after his three years of international travel. Omar recently returned to Austin, not as part of the front desk staff at Dance Institute, but also to become owner and founder of Totally Pawz Pet Services, specializing in dog training and behavior rehabilitation and dog walking.

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