Natalia Gonzalez

Director of Entertainment Teams, Miami Heat

Now in her 18th season with the Miami Heat, Coral Gables native Natalia Gonzalez has steadily moved up the ranks of one of the NBA’s premier dance teams. She now oversees several organizations within the Heat’s entertainment department, including the Heat Dancers, the Hoop Troop (the Heat’s spirit squad), the Golden Oldies (the dance team for ages 60-plus), as well as the Heat Hype Band. She auditioned to become a Heat Dancer four times before finally making the team. Gonzalez credits her parents, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba and Colombia, for instilling in her the value of perseverance. “When I was grow- ing up, the Heat Dancers were such a coveted team. If you were in the dance world, that was like the ‘it’ job, and that was kind of the era that I grew up in,” Gonzalez said. “I never saw myself leaving Miami unless I had that job first. And I finally made the team, and then I never wanted to leave after that.” Gonzalez also co-owns a dance company called “American Dance Alliance” that has worked with artists like Pitbull and Wisin.

Accomplishments

A major source of pride for Gonzalez is a program she developed, unique among the 29 NBA dance teams: a professional development program that the Heat offers its dancers. This program assists them in furthering their professional, post-dance careers through different classes and seminars. Each dancer also has the chance to apply for a grant, which rewards one winner with $10,000 that can be used to pay for college or start a business.

What She Says

“I think the biggest thing is to lead with your heart and your intuition and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Gonzalez says when asked what advice she would give to young dancers. “If there’s something that you really want to do, find a way to get it. You’re going to get so many roadblocks, but those are just ways to teach you and progress you into whatever it is that you want to do in your life.”