BJ Goliday
By Gloria Oster
Gloria Oster is retired from the School of Education at King University. She is the co-chair of the A! Magazine for the Arts committee.
BJ Goliday, native of Bristol, Virginia, and salsa dancer and teacher extraordinaire, has steadily built a career that reflects his passion for dance and music. From an early age, dancing captivated his imagination. He says, “It was as if dancing chose me. I was a shy child, and dance gave me a means of expression and an identity. Dance taught me to be disciplined and seemed to come naturally to me.”
Early influences were Michael Jackson, James Brown, M.C. Hammer and Prince. These artists’ stage presence, original dance steps, high energy and crowd engagement were a road map to Goliday’s own practice of his art. Prince, in particular, was a role model because of his original songwriting, singing, dancing and ability to play multiple instruments.
Golidayhas mastered the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and timbales. His favorite instruments to play are the guitar, drums and bass. His interest in music has resulted in the production of two albums. The first, produced in 2015, is “Just Slap the Bass.” Golidaysays that this project “gave me the opportunity to find myself as an artist.” The second, produced in 2021, “Let’s Funk It Up” pushed Golidayto experiment with new sounds like rhythm and blues. The funk factor blends elements of blues and soul and has a strong rhythm. Ultimately, Goliday’s original music lends itself to joyful dancing. The albums are available on Pandora, Spotify and YouTube.
Salsa and other Latin dance forms are Goliday’s specialty. He studied with Maria Voisin who founded Salseros 828 in Asheville, North Carolina in 2008. After 11 years in Asheville, she moved to Atlanta to direct the Stiletto Dance Company. Goliday considers Voisin to be his mentor.
After training with Voisin, Golidayparticipated in numerous competitions and exhibitions. He has taught dance classes at East Tennessee State University, Emory & Henry, Northeast State and the former Virginia Intermont for credit as well as for extracurricular activities and has assisted dance teams with their routines. For nine years, he has participated in ETSU’s Corazon Latin Festival that occurs in April.
Other notable notches on his resume include performing on Aventura Salsa Cruises and dancing with world famous dancers at the San Antonio Salsa Congress.
Golidaychoreographed a dance scene for the video that accompanied “Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited,” produced in 2015.
Locally, Golidayis a presence in teaching dance. Opportunities for those wishing to learn salsa, line dancing, or to dance for fun and exercise are numerous. He offers instruction every second and fourth Tuesday at Wheeler’s Bagel Shop, Kingsport, Tennessee, at 7 a.m. He teaches Salsa at Holloway Dance Studio, Kingsport, Tennessee, every Friday at 7:30 p.m. He hosts line dancing once a month on Saturdayat Tennessee Hills Distillery, Jonesborough, Tennessee,beginning in November. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he teaches Dance Fitness at Slater Senior Center, Bristol, Tennessee, at 9 a.m. For updates on lessons, visit the Facebook pages for State Street Salsa and Latin Dance Events by BJ.
Goliday’s current project is organizing and producing a Salsa Black Tie Extravaganza Oct. 19 at Meadowview Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. This is the fourth year he has parlayed his connection to world class dancers into an opportunity for the region to experience professional salsa, Latin and tango dancers, several of whom are world champions. Goliday is performing as well. This event offers dinner, exhibitions, opportunities for dancing and workshops on Oct. 20. For more information contact GolidayatGoliday12@yahoo.com.
Golidaysums up his devotion to dancing and teaching by stating, “Dance is always pushing me to evolve and grow. There are new moves and styles that challenge me to push my body to new limits.”
