Once a sleepy railroad town, the New Roanoke is hip, happening and surprisingly citified – home to a mix of creatives and entrepreneurs from all over the world … or right down the road. In each installment of our blog series, you’ll meet a new face who’ll share their spin on the Star City – their favorite places to eat, drink, mix, mingle or get inspired.
In this installment, meet Edgar Ornelas – real-estate agent by day, Salsa Noke instructor by night.
As the founder and “Chief Dancing Officer” of Guia Salsa ‘Noke – a dance community that celebrated ten years last month – Edgar Ornelas has a knack for getting people out of their comfort zones and onto the dance floor, rubbing elbows (literally) with folks they might not otherwise meet.
“I love seeing some of our Central American folks on the dance floor with these affluent native Roanokers. I don’t see those two in the same event or location anywhere else. I take a moment every now and then and say, wow – that’s really super cool,” says Edgar.
Raised in Mexico City, Edgar says his love of dance and music blossomed early. “My mom was separated, so she would drag me onto the dance floor. All her brothers played an instrument, too. They had a band, and they would practice at my grandmother’s house in Mexico every Saturday morning. They would cram in there and just jam… you’d hear it throughout the house.”
But when his family moved to Roanoke to found a series of restaurants, it took Edgar time to form new community. “Initially I was more of an introvert. I had my insecurities due to the language, I guess.” He began forming connections, though, both in business and on the dance floor. His homegrown salsa community, Salsa ‘Noke, first began meeting every other week at Blue 5 downtown. The company birthed from that group, Guia Dance, now holds mixers, lessons and charity meetups in different locations – from the Peruvian Inka Grill downtown to Beliveau Farm Winery in Blacksburg – bringing fresh foot-traffic to area businesses.
Here’s what this cultural connector says about his favorite spots in the Star City:
Do you have a favorite place to eat?
EO: On Thursdays I eat tacos at Taco Riendo – it’s a tradition. We like their tongue tacos; I really like them a little bit on the burnt and crispy side. Sopes are good, too… My littlest girl is a year and seven months, and we started going before she was born. They saw her in the belly, they saw her as a baby, and now they see her as a little girl growing up.
Where do you go to fuel up for work?
EO: I go to Little Green Hive in Grandin, and I get the dark roast.
Where do you go to feel inspired?
EO: I love going to [dance] congresses … to places like Atlanta or DC, just being exposed to and inspired by other people’s dancing. When you’re there you feel more comfortable to experiment, express yourself and learn. And then I come back from those events and I feel inspired for a week… But locally, if I’m able to I just go out on the Greenway and bike. Since I live in Grandin I start there and see how far I can go.
Where do you go to make connections?
EO: Dance is my social outlet. When I started the [Salsa ‘Noke] community I feel like the timing was really, really good. I was single. I’d been networking because I was in real estate. I had different groups of friends that weren’t intertwined. So when I started the community I mentioned it to as many people as I knew and it was easy to create community between them. Now I meet people who come to Roanoke for business, people moving in… [it’s] always lots of fun.
Can you think of a best-kept secret in Roanoke … a spot locals may not have tried yet?
EO: Don Camaron on Brambleton Avenue … amazing seafood!
Are there any other creatives or entrepreneurs in the community who push you to be and do more?
EO: Pedro [Szalay, artistic director] at Southwest Virginia Ballet. I feel like he has more of a dance background and teaching and technical background than I do, yet he’s very humble about it. He also just does a lot of things that others in the community don’t do … He works with the schools, he works with the symphony, the city, parades. He’s out there. He supports the local Hispanic businesses, too. It’s good to surround yourself with like-minded people – people who are self-employed, workaholics. You’re hoping their hustle will wear off on you.
Want to try out some salsa, cumbia or ballroom dancing with Edgar? You can find more information on Salsa Noke here.
Stay tuned for our next installment of Roanoke According to…!
About the Writer:
Ashley Wilson Fellers is a writer, educator, self-taught painter and contemplative photographer in Roanoke, Virginia. When she isn’t teaching writing at Virginia Western, she snaps photos of sidewalk cracks, rescues wet leaves from windshield wipers and leaves poems hidden under park benches. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Tech.
