Dancing, a degree, and Daily Mel: The Life of a Toros Girl

We chat with Melanie Montalvo about what life is like for a 20-year-old dancer in the USL.

If you’ve enjoyed an RGVFC match at H-E-B Park, you’ve had the pleasure of coming across the talented, beautiful, and friendly RGV Toros Girls. What is it like being a dancer for a USL team? I was able to catch up with Melanie Montalvo to discuss dancing, her degree, and her vlog, Daily Mel.

Melanie grew up in Edinburg, Texas, right in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley. Despite dancing a little bit as a kid, she didn’t take it seriously until she was 14 years old and danced in high school. “As high school was ending, I knew that I wanted to keep dancing,” Melanie says. “I was planning on just taking classes here and there, but right around that time, I was told about auditions and thought it would be super fun to be on the team, so I auditioned.” She has been dancing for the Toros since 2016.

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Along with her talented teammates, Mel looks forward to every  Toros’ match day at H-E-B Park. She explains, “My favorite thing about match day is when we get to meet all the amazing fans that come support the team. I also really enjoy the energy in the stadium when the team scores!” The Toros Girls also have the opportunity to work out at the club’s complex a couple of times a week, which is an appreciated benefit. She shares a close bond with a lot of the girls on the squad and considers all of them friends.

Dancing and cheering for the Toros isn’t the only thing going on in Mel’s life. The 20-year-old is getting close to a bachelor’s degree from UTRGV in Psychology, while also working a part-time job at a high school. Also, she created and stars in her very own video blog, Daily Mel. The videos are funny, day-to-day shenanigans, often with her best friend, Xanthe. “I had been talking about it for a while and then finally I started recording videos in July 2017. But, they were so bad that I never actually posted my first real vlog,” she says. “It wasn’t until September that I recorded one that wasn’t super bad and I uploaded it. I also didn’t want to post any until I had a cool intro thing, so I asked one of my friends in graphic design to make me one.”

RGVFC returns home on 8/18 when they host OKC Energy FC. Make sure to go check out the match at H-E-B Park and take a picture with Mel and the rest of the Toros Girls!