Meet Mars Castillo | Shuffle Dance Instructor & Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mars Castillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mars, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am originally born and raised in Miami, Florida specifically a sub-city called Hialeah (aka little Cuba) haha. I am 1st generation Cuban American. My parents won what is called the “lottery” in Cuba in order to leave and travel to the US in search for a better life. My upbringing is different than most. I didn’t have a normal life like most Americans. Being the 1st generation immigrant and first born daughter from my mom’s side, I had a lot of pressure growing up to be successful – to be grateful to have an opportunity to live in the United States and not in a dictatorship like my parents did in Cuba. I was raised by my grandma with 7 other cousins under 1 roof while my parents worked as hard as they could to give me a better life.

Aside from being first gen, my dad’s side of the family was heavy into the Jehovah’s Witness religious cult. Being brought up in this lifestyle really suppressed my feelings of wanting to pursue dance and anything outside of the religion. My parents divorced when I was 7, but I was in the cult until about 16 years old. Despite my father’s wishes, I was in dance and cheerleading for almost all my life since the age of 4. Eventually as I got older and grew a conscious, I felt like I was living a double life wanting to be a part of the outside world. I kept asking a lot of questions about this faith until I finally had enough, and reached a breaking point.

Having deep roots in my Cuban culture, and watching my mom provide for me has given me a lot of inspiration, grit, and spice to my life to pursue what I love. It’s given me the courage to stay persistent, work hard, speak up for myself, and never give up on my dream. It’s molded me into who I am today to be a successful dancer, and shuffle instructor and performer.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I wasn’t always so successful in this career. I was told “no” so many times at auditions because I looked too “young” or not “sexy” enough to be a part of a backup dance group or a team (like NFL, MLB, NBA, etc). At which that point I gave up dancing as a whole when I was 21.

Fast forward 4 years later to 2020 when the pandemic hit. My body was craving movement, and I had such a small space. I was always a dancer and into EDM music. When I learned about shuffling it was as if a whole new world opened up for me. My boyfriend at the time thought it was cringe that I wanted to learn how to dance that style, but I still tried my best.
Little did I know that this would catapult me into what I do today. This dance style brought so much life back into me.

Now 5 years later, I teach shuffle classes in Denver through Denver Shufflers and at hOM Bass. I teach workshops around the U.S. like festivals and in other cities. I perform for major festivals like Ultra Miami, Seismic Dance Event, and Dreamstate SoCal all while alongside my inspirations from day 1. I get to work with brands like iHeartRaves, The Festival Babes, and RaveWonderland. I get to work with djs and record labels to produce videos for them.

I would have none of this if I would have just given up all together!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t drink alcohol anymore, but there are a few hidden gems in the city that I love to go to.

There’s this cute little cafe called “Secret Garden bar & Cafe” by that I love to grab coffee at. Then a walk around Cheesman park right after is always such a beautiful walk in the morning with mountain views.

Then we’d probably hit golden for some tubing, then hit the golden mill for some good eats and live music!

After we’d go to Vinyl for their Day Trip rooftop vibes for summer tunes and dancing, and then end the night having dinner at El Five.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom – For giving me life and support

My friends – Who support me since day 1

My dance crew – FYF

hOM Bass – For giving me a space to teach

Denver Shufflers – For giving me community

Kelley Gray – Owner of Seismic Dance Event (Austin, Texas) for always seeing me and my potential to perform!

Inspirations I look up to – Ciara Castro, Kento Moriguchi, Karla Illescas

Instagram: @EarthtoMars__