Valeo Founders | Asiya Khasnutdinova
Founder and Owner
Part I. My Dream & Dedication
I grew up in Arkhangelsk Russia, in the Arctic Circle where summers
are colder than Atlanta winters. I was an incredibly active child and my
parents quickly realized that my high level energy needed to be paired
with a hobby. Since the only options available were figure skating and
hockey, I quickly ended up on ice. I have to say that I’m a true athlete
and with all my hard work and dedication, I quickly became good at
it and started opening shows for some of the best figure skaters in
the world. Unfortunately, four years and two lost teeth later
(baby teeth), my Dad put his foot down and suggested that I try
something a bit less risky involving less tumbles, injuries and lost
teeth. My Mom took me to a small dance studio and that’s how my
dance journey began.
I fell in love with dance immediately, especially Latin. It’s fun, spicy
and extremely exciting which instantly takes you miles away from the
snow and cold climate of my home town. At that point I knew that
dance was my passion and that’s what I wanted to do for the rest
of my life.
I competed professionally for 15 years in Russia, former Soviet
Union countries, Europe and the U.S. I became 5 Times Northwest
Russia Latin and Ballroom Dance Champion, Semi-Finalist in
Russian Open Latin Dance Championship and placed highly in
every competition including top 20 girls on the Fox hit TV show and
cultural phenomenon ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ I also
performed in many professional shows and programs. Some
noteworthy events include performing in front of the Royal Russian
Tsar Family and Miss Russia Contest.
While dancing has always been my life, I took school extremely
seriously when I moved from Russia to the US at the age of 16 as part
of the “Future Leaders Exchange Program.” I received my Bachelors
degree in Finance and worked in the leading financial firms in the
world including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. Later I
received my MBA in Finance where I realized that my dream of
opening a dance and health club for kids and adults wasn’t just a
dream but it could become a reality.
Continue To Part II >>