Lynnaea Galindo, a sophomore at Greeley Central High School, was feeling ill, looking pale and passing out at random times for nearly two years before doctors could diagnose her.
In 2022, Galindo was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. The condition causes the heart to beat faster than normal when a person stands up from sitting or lying down.
While searching for a diagnosis, the condition kept Galindo from one of her greatest passions in life: dancing.
Even when she learned what was wrong with her, she worried about how her illness could affect her future, especially dancing.
POTS, according to the Mayo Clinic website, causes chronic fatigue, dizziness, headaches, nausea and abdominal pain.
“When I finally got a diagnosis, I was kind of happy because I was out of dance (for a time) and I didn’t know why,” she said. “My mind went straight to, ‘How is this going to affect my life in dance and the future?’ I was scared and sad a little bit.”
According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 1 million to 3 million people in the United States have been affected by POTS since 2019. Women 12-50 years old have been affected the most. The Mayo Clinic and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics report there is no cure for POTS.
On Saturday, however, Galindo was able to join her peers doing what she loves as the Colorado Dance Collective hosted its annual Hip Hop Madness event at the Millennium Event Center, 815 10th St., in downtown Greeley.
The music was at full blast as a second beginners class stepped to the beat of a song that was a mixture of old and new school hip-hop. The dancers — mostly preteens and teens — were dancing in Air Force 1s, Adidas Sambas and Jordan 1s as they smiled and let the music run through their bodies.
M’lyn Miller, a co-director of hip-hop for the dance collective, said Hip Hop Madness is meant to bring the community together through dance. The collective hosted beginner, intermediate and advanced hip-hop classes throughout the afternoon. At 5:30 p.m., the showcase hit the floor.
The showcase featured nine performances from dancers and dance groups from the dance collective, Greeley groups, the University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State University.
“I love seeing different types of people come together,” said co-director of hip-hop Sofia Mejia.
Galindo has attended Hip Hop Madness since she was 10 years old. This year, she was going to participate in the advanced class after a few years of sticking to the beginner and intermediate classes. She returned to dancing last year after her health hiatus.
In February, Galindo auditioned for the newly established Greeley-Evans School District 6 gifted and talented dance program.
Wendy Sosa, executive director of the dance collective, was on the board for the dance program. Soon after Galindo’s audition, Sosa asked the gifted and talented director to reach out to Galindo’s family so they could speak with Sosa and others with the dance collective.
Those conversations with Sosa swiftly led to Galindo receiving a dance collective scholarship that allows her to take classes with the nonprofit until she graduates high school. Galindo is in beginner’s ballet, swing dance and jazz classes. She has aspirations of dancing in college as well as teaching a few classes at the dance collective one day.
Galindo has found a balance of enjoying dance while ensuring she manages her illness. She keeps hydrated and snacks on saltine chips or takes a salt pill while dancing.
“I’ve had to learn to tell myself, ‘You need to take a break and not feel bad,’ ” she said. “If not, it’ll end badly. I’ll be on the floor, passed out. I won’t be groovin’ anymore.”
Grooving to the beat is what Saturday’s madness is all about. Hip-hop dancing, as the co-directors said, allows dancers to express themselves in a multitude of ways. The dance collective harbors all types of dance for everyone to experience and enjoy.
“For me, I would say that the CDC (Colorado Dance Collective) has been one of the biggest blessings for me,” said hip hop co-director Shanise Garcia. “When I was younger, I wasn’t able to take any (dance) classes. The older I got, I wasn’t able to find a dance company that I wanted to dance with. …
“So I think it’s a true blessing to be able to dance and be with such great people, meet new people. I think it’s amazing to be part of it.”
To learn more about the dance collective, go to coloradodancecollective.com.
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