Show & Tell: Meet Dorimar Bonilla of ‘Frankie Moreno Live’
Q: When did you start dancing?
A: In elementary school. It was kind of my dad’s way to (discipline) me: “If I get any complaints from the teacher, then you’re not going to dance school anymore.” … So that was kind of his way of molding me, and he didn’t know he was actually turning me into a professional dancer, which he never wanted me to be (laughs).
Q: But he got used to it?
A: When I was 7 or 8 years old I was already doing TV shows, and he actually was the funniest guy, because he was the dance dad, sitting with all the dance moms, driving me to all the shows.
Q: Then what?
A: When I finished college (with a bachelor’s in theater education), I applied for a dance scholar-ship in New York, so I went to New York myself, and barely speaking English. … I finished my scholarship and then went to Puerto Rico and be-came principal of a school for the performing arts.
Q: How did you end up in Las Vegas?
A: I came to Las Vegas (for) a conference, and some of my friends from New York had migrated here, and I still wanted to perform. … Lucky for me, my first audition I landed a job. It was at the Tropicana, and I also had a gig at the Aladdin. … After that, I did a bunch of other shows.
Q: Now, you’re featured during Frankie’s “Tangerine Honey” number.
A: I love that song! It’s very sultry, a very sexy song, I think, because it talks about a girl – everybody’s looking at her, but she has all the attention on him. It doesn’t matter how many boys want her, she’s all over him. So everybody watches me from the audience, and I’m all over his piano (laughs).
Q: You’re also getting ready to begin your second season as a professional on a Latin version of “Dancing with the Stars” (“Mi Sueno Es Bailar”).
A: We have a bunch of celebrities – in this case, it’s Latin celebrities – and I’m assigned a partner (to) teach different dance styles to.
Q: It must be difficult dancing with celebrities who, maybe, don’t know how to dance very well.
A: Well. Um …
Q: You’re very discreet.
A: (Laughs) But I love to teach, so I take it as a bit of a challenge to teach somebody that has never had any experience.
Q: You certainly keep busy.
A: I like to do things because I know a dancer’s career is not that long, and one day I want to sit on my porch and talk to my grandchildren about all the things I did, and if I don’t try a lot of different things, then I don’t have enough stories to tell.
Dorimar Bonilla“Frankie Moreno Live at Stratosphere”
Hometown: Cayey, Puerto Rico
Age: 33
