For Mapy Pernett, the opportunity to share her love for dance has been more than a spark of passion, but a blessing.  In addition to finishing up her senior year as a Biology major, the California State University, Stanislaus student will be instructing Latin Ballroom dance beginning in March— a pleasure which she says she owes as much to her culture as her life experience.
“I’m from Queens, New York, but raised mostly in Southern California,” Pernett said. “My mother is Dominican and my father is Colombian, so I grew up listening to Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and Cumbia.”
With a love for Latin music, Pernett began as a Zumba instructor before transitioning from the exercise format to one she fell in love with— a dance that relied on feeling.  Pernett developed a Latin Ballroom class which she initially led in the campus Rec Center in fall of 2014. It was a 12 week session with six classes in bachata and six in salsa.
In addition to her in-the-studio experience, the Latin music lover has choreographed and  performed in the Turlock Christmas Parade in 2010 and 2011, and was the creator of a flash mob for ASI and USU. Surrounding herself with dance through a variety of outlets for the past four years, Pernett admits there was an emotional motif and very physical push that made her arrive at the world of dance.
“During my Junior year of high school, I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder,” she said. “Some neurologists believed I had Multiple Sclerosis due to my conditions of numbness and lack of mobility.”  Despite deprivation of movement, her eventual progression to normal health made her regain physical ability and brought her a sense of clarity about what it means to exist.
“With the support from my parents, I sought out natural medicines,” she said. “I began to appreciate my life and the ability to move. This experience inspired me to pursue dance and allowed me to express myself through movement.”
Relief from her condition drove the beginnings of a dancing career and, two years later, the birth of an instructor. “I thought to myself, ‘you only have one body, so use it’.”
Now completing her last year at CSU Stanislaus, Pernett encourages anyone interested to follow her lead across the dance floor.  Beginning Mar. 2 the Latin fusion classes will take place in the StanRec group X room from 6 to 6:50 p.m. Students pay 30 dollars which includes one session every Monday night until March 30, a series of classes that Mapy says will improve balance, coordination and understanding of rhythmic differences. Those looking to practice moves with a non-student can do so for a cost of 60 dollars.
What distinguishes Pernett from any other instructor?  Her goal.
“I want students to fall in love with dance,” Pernett said, “not just treat it as a ‘1-2-3, 5-6-7’ step, but more of a movement they can feel in their body.”
With an understandable appreciation for movement, Mapy is optimistic for newcomers, skeptics and the experienced alike.
“Please come share the love of dance with me! Anyone can dance, all it takes is practice, dedication, and a mix of passion.”