Ari Loan: Andorran dancer building a career in Madrid

Ari Loan says she knew she wanted to pursue dance professionally after attending classes as a child and discovering how much she loved it. The 26-year-old Andorran is part of a generation of dancers who move between music videos, concerts and constant auditions.

She has worked on projects with artists such as Anitta, Danny Ocean and Recycled J, and recalls performing at the WiZink Center with Miriam Rodríguez as one of her most powerful moments. Based in Madrid for four years, Loan balances castings and ongoing training with a teaching role at Dance esCool, where she connects dance to education.

Her journey began with years of training at Líquid Dansa in Andorra, a space she describes as “my second home.” Dance was always present in her life but not always with the same intensity. While studying for a degree in early childhood and primary education in Barcelona she pushed dance to the background to focus on her studies. In her fourth year she realised she missed it and resumed the activity she had practised all her life. “What really makes me happy is being on stage,” she says.

A decisive turning point came when she was selected from a casting in Madrid for professional training. “I left because I thought it was the perfect moment to fulfil my dreams as a dancer,” she explains. The path, she admits, has not been easy. Dance demands a self-assurance that is built slowly: “It has been hard to trust myself, even if it doesn’t seem so. In this world you have to be confident.”

Professional experiences have helped her grow in confidence and understand the industry. Life in Madrid is stimulating but also challenging; she misses the family environment of Andorra and describes being away as a sacrifice. Still, she has met people who encourage her and she remains open to new stages — London and the United States are among the options she mentions for expanding her horizons.

Her current goal is to make a living from dance. “When I started my dream was to do musicals and music videos. I still like that, but now I understand that what I seek is to be able to live from it.”