Sneha Vakkala: Turning a Passion for Latin Dance into a Thriving Community

Founder & Director, SalsAsia | Chennai

For Sneha Vakkala, entrepreneurship was not a carefully planned destination. It was the natural evolution of a passion she had nurtured for years. Today, as the Founder & Director of SalsAsia, a Latin dance school and community based in Chennai, she is building a space where dance, learning and community come together.

Before stepping into entrepreneurship, Sneha spent nearly seven years in corporate real estate, working in sales and business development with organisations including Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE and Smartworks. While her professional career followed a corporate path, dance remained a constant and deeply personal part of her life.

With nearly a decade of experience teaching and performing Latin dance, Sneha gradually began to envision something beyond her own performances and classes. She wanted to create a platform where people could not only learn dance but also find a community, develop confidence and discover opportunities to grow.

From Passion to Purpose

In April 2025, Sneha founded SalsAsia with a clear vision: to create more than a conventional dance school. Her goal was to build an inclusive Latin dance community offering high-quality training while helping individuals evolve as social dancers, performers and eventually instructors.

Since its inception, SalsAsia has expanded its offerings across Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba, with structured programs designed for different levels of learners. Performance teams, workshops, artist collaborations and specialised training programs have further strengthened the community.

The journey has also opened doors to collaborations with reputed institutions, including IIT Madras and the Officers Training Academy, reflecting the growing reach and relevance of SalsAsia's work.

The Entrepreneur Behind the Dance

Building a business around something she loves has also given Sneha a valuable lesson: passion and entrepreneurship are not the same thing.

As a founder, she has had to wear many hats, including teacher, salesperson, marketer, community builder and business owner. Every role has demanded a different mindset, and her corporate experience has proved instrumental in navigating those challenges.

Her years in sales taught her resilience and the importance of building relationships. Business development helped her identify opportunities and understand how to turn them into meaningful outcomes. Entrepreneurship, meanwhile, has taught her to remain adaptable and continuously evolve.

For Sneha, the formula is simple but powerful:

“Passion can start a business, but consistency, systems and resilience are what build one.”

Building a Community, Not Just a Brand

At the heart of SalsAsia is a belief that dance can create more than performers. It can create connections.

Sneha's vision is to make Latin dance accessible, welcoming and meaningful to people at different stages of their journey. By combining structured training with community experiences, SalsAsia aims to create an environment where individuals can learn, perform, socialise and eventually take on leadership roles themselves.

This community-focused approach is central to the identity Sneha is building for the brand.

Looking Beyond Chennai

Sneha's ambitions extend well beyond the city where SalsAsia began. Her long-term vision is to transform SalsAsia into a recognised Latin dance brand across multiple cities while preserving the sense of belonging that has shaped its foundation.

The road from corporate real estate to entrepreneurship may have been unconventional, but Sneha's journey demonstrates how professional experience and personal passion can come together to create something distinctive.

SalsAsia is not simply Sneha's business venture. It is an expression of her belief that passion, when supported by discipline and resilience, can become a platform that brings people together and creates lasting impact.

Website: www.salsasia.co