Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Gonzaga.
Alex, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Alexandre Gonzaga Barros. I was born on June 23rd, 1993, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the age of 9, I started dancing and that’s when I was first introduced to arts, health and fitness. At 14, I decided I wanted to make a career of my dancing so I filmed an audition video and sent it to many ballet schools around the globe. I heard from a few places and was even awarded some scholarships but I ultimately chose to attend The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL. I had never been out of Brazil before and I didn’t know any English, so this was a big leap of faith as well as a lot of planning for me and my family. I could not have done it without the relentless support from my family. At The Harid Conservatory, I learned the true definition of hard work for a dancer. For two years, I did nothing but perfect my ballet technique, learn English, learn the American culture, and finish High School.
In 2011, I graduated from Harid and met John McFall (former artistic director of Atlanta Ballet). John truly believed in me and pushed me to do my best every day. During my time with the Atlanta Ballet, I worked with incredible people and learned the importance of taking care of your health as a professional dancer/athlete. After many seasons of dancing injury free, I sprained my ankle in December 2017 and had to stop dancing for two months. (I truly believe I was able to stay injury free for so long because I was always cross-training in my off time.) During my recovery process, my fascination with the human body, proper fitness and health only grew stronger. Emma Faulkner, my physical therapist, (who is amazing by the way) helped me get back to dance by creating a recovery plan and supporting me through it. Up until that point, I had mostly focused on working hard but didn’t think much about working smart… My injury taught me that by creating a plan and sticking to that plan day in and day out, you can achieve any goal you may have effectively and efficiently.
During my recovery I also began studying to become a Personal Trainer. I learned about proper nutrition, energy expenditure, exercise selection, acute variables, phases of training, mobility, strength, power, endurance, proper progression, periodization, and more. It really changed my outlook on a dancer’s life and body. Dancers are extremely high performing athletes and training like such is necessary to stay healthy and strong. So that was a pivoting point in my life and my passion for being a dancer had evolved into a passion for fully understanding the body of a dancer and how to best train it to perform at its best for as long as possible.
In the beginning, I became a Personal Trainer to better understand my body as a dancer and overtime, I decided to share my knowledge with other dancers and created Proteus Fitness. Our mission is to bridge the gap between medical professionals and dancers by providing affordable and accessible cross-training and injury prevention to the dance world.
Physical therapists and other professionals are crucial in a dancer’s life! As it has been brought to my attention in the past, very often by the time a dancer gets to a physical therapist, they are already hurt to the point where they need to stop dancing. By making Personal Training a little more accessible and affordable to dancers, we aim to connect the worlds of dance and sports medicine. We are personal Trainers, not physical therapists. Our job is not to diagnose or treat. Our job is to listen, guide, educate, support, train, and motivate.
This is our first year in business and we could not be more thrilled. We feel proud of our Proteans (a name we fondly call our clients) and all of their hard work. We will continue to do our best to train and guide the dance community as well as further our studies to better serve. I could not have built Proteus Fitness without Sara Miller (one of our trainers and co-owner) and Kelly Prather (our merch and marketing expert and co-owner). Their emotional support through the process has been key!
There are many lessons I’ve learned through my journey so far, from my childhood in Brazil to now being blessed with the reality of owning my own company and providing a service to the world in which I truly believe in! If I could name a few of the most important lessons I’ve learned, they would be:
1- Discipline yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you.
2- Dream big and believe that it is possible.
3- Don’t let other people’s opinion of you become your reality.
4- Learn to love yourself so you can love others.
5- Consistency over intensity.
6- True failure only happens if you give up.
7- What you think about is what you become.
8- BOOKS are your superpower.
9- Do more of what makes you happy.
10- People can inspire you or drain you; choose wisely.
11- If you can’t see the end of the stairway, start climbing it anyway. One step at the time up and forward.
12- Be grateful.
13- Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional being.
I will continue to do my best everyday and obtain as much knowledge as I possibly can. And I will continue to use that knowledge and love to be a positive influence in the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not being able to afford moving to the US was a big roadblock at first. But I do have an uncle in Brazil who was able to fully support me in the US for the two years I was at Harid. He gave me an opportunity to have a better life and for that I am forever grateful.
Not knowing English was also a very big challenge. I remember trying to study over the phone with my dad (who was still in Brazil and did not speak English either). We would try to make sense of what the textbook said together so that I wouldn’t fail High School. I DID fail for the first two quarters of my junior year in High School but after that, I got better and was able to graduate.
Overall I’ve always taken challenges as highways for personal growth.
Please tell us about Proteus Fitness.
We provide Personal Training specifically for Dancers. I am a NASM CPT, CES (Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist).
We provide personal training in person as well as online so we can reach as many dancers as possible. We are even training dancers in other countries! Online training makes it very convenient and affordable for anyone looking for training.
We also provide several pre-made programs for dancers looking for more of a self sustained approach. We have several programs ranging from improving your pointe work and turnout, to improving stamina and jumps. There are many to choose from and we’ve made them super affordable. They range from 2-4 weeks in length and are only $19-$27 each.
We love being a part of a dancer’s support team!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My father – He taught me to dream big and always believed in me.
My mom – She taught me to have undying faith.
My sister – Who always stood by my side and taught me what true comradery is.
John Mcfall – Who gave me my first job and helped me grow into more of who I am.
Kelly Prather (my wife and business partner) – Who stood by me through so much and has always been my biggest cheerleader and who has this incredible ability to make me reasonable again when emotions have gotten the best out of me. I love you!
Sara Miller (our other business partner) – Whose discipline and openness I’ve always admired and her willingness to jump into the unknown world of owning a company with us head first.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.proteusfitness.net/
- Phone: 4707179286
- Email: a.gonzaga@proteus-fitness.net
- Instagram: @alexgonzagab @proteusfitness
Image Credit:
Kelley Channell Studio
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