Writer, dancer, and marketing consultant based in Brooklyn, New York.
Brielle graduated from Brown University in 2012 with a degree in International Relations and a deep passion for travel and latin dance. She’s spent the last few years building the marketing department at Rustic Pathways (named the Best Youth Travel Provider in 2015 & 2017) and competing in latin dance events across the United States and Canada. She is the 2016 Canada Salsa Champion and 2015 World Salsa Champion in the pro-am division. A full list of her competition experience can be found here.
Sunshine, good coffee, and getting on a plane make her happy. She loves staying in bed on Sunday mornings and pretty much anything that sparkles. She believes deeply in human connection, in the power of movement, and in sharing stories candidly.
You can find Brielle’s blog here and her published writing here.
Q&A
How did you start dancing?
I’ve always loved dance and movement! As a kid I remember twirling down grocery store aisles and jamming out in the backseat of my mom’s car. Growing up in Naples, Florida I took ballet and jazz lessons on and off, but never that consistently after elementary school. I started cheering competitively in high school, but when I got to college, there wasn’t a competitive cheer team. On a whim, I auditioned for Attitude Dance Company during the first few weeks of my freshman year at Brown, and somehow made the cut, even though at the time I really wasn’t a strong dancer (and I’m not being humble here!).
Dance became a bigger and bigger part of my life throughout college and I ended up co-directing the company with two of my friends our senior year. I also spent a summer in college studying Spanish in Guatemala, and that’s how I first discovered salsa!
Do you dance and blog full time?
Nope! I’ve worked full time since college in the brand and digital marketing world. I’m currently the Director of Marketing for Rustic Pathways, a student travel company with programs for high school students around the world. I’ve been with Rustic for six years and currently work remotely for the company from Brooklyn, NY. It’s an incredible group of people and I really believe in our immersive travel programs. If you’re interested in participating in a Rustic program, ask me for a special discount!
