The full-time mom from Sagres who became a successful club DJ in her forties

Taly was born in Mexico to a family who migrated from Mexico to Israel to the USA and back every few years on account of her father´s work (a former DJ and dance teacher who aspired to a career in business). Having to find her place anew with every relocation, she used her talents for music, singing, and dancing as constants, joining glee clubs, community theatres, and musicals to bond with like-minded people. In her late teens, she took her first steps toward a career in the performance arts by taking a lead role in a commercial musical production, and by the age of twenty, she had started touring the world with international dance troupes. Seven years later, on the verge of burnout, Taly took to travel and discovered Portugal and Sagres.

“I toured the world, performing as a dancer in every major city from Buenos Aires to Macau. I performed in thousands of shows for over seven years straight, so I really needed a break. I quit touring and started backpacking along the Atlantic coast of Europe by myself, starting in Scotland all the way south until I arrived in Sagres. And I remember thinking that Sagres is literally the end of the road. Arriving there, I felt like I finished my big trip, and I could put my bag down, like, oh my God, I’m home.”

In Sagres, Taly enrolled in a surf camp, and soon after she married her surf coach, Nelson, eight years her junior. By the time they had their first child Taly´s sister and parents had joined her to live in Sagres. Following her heart, Taly unintentionally reunited her family in a place they would all finally call home. Soon, Taly would become a mother of two and dedicate herself to family life, all the while her creative-musical passions kept burning deep, driving her to find an outlet.

“I started to MC with DJs that played in bars. Just hyping up the people and singing. I also wrote lyrics for local bands, sang for electronic music recordings, and did a lot of cover shows as a singer. I even participated in the TV shows Portugal Got Talent and The Voice. And then, one time when I was performing as an MC, I decided I would learn how to DJ to get the crowd to feel exactly what I wanted them to feel.”

Venturing further

As Taly´s daughters got older, Taly could venture further into her DJ career, but a new challenge appeared in the form of mother´s guilt. “I have two daughters, 11 and 13, and I have this sense of guilt, you know, like when I have to prepare for a show, it´s a lot of musical research and preparation, and I feel guilty that I could be, like, baking banana muffins with my daughters now, but instead I do something else, that on one hand I don’t strictly have to do, but I want to do because it’s my passion and because it makes me feel alive and it’s something that I would like to get better at. I think a lot of mothers feel this struggle.”

“Luckily, I have a supportive environment and can share my family responsibilities with my husband. It is a conversation you must have with your partner, but I think it’s a conversation that is not often had. I think women should recognise their passions and pursue them.”

Motherhood, however, is not the only doubt in Taly´s mind. Age and appearance are also something to grapple with. “I'm thinking, I obviously feel young, but I am 47 years old, am I too old for this? Can I really play until 3 a.m. at a party in the middle of nowhere? What am I doing? But despite my inner doubts, venues keep inviting me to DJ, cause I can make people dance.”

Growing

Taly´s DJ career has been growing steadily since its conception. Playing regularly in various venues in the Algarve, and abroad, she brings joy to partygoers whenever she can. “When I DJ, it comes from a joyful place, a place of having fun. I’m always communicating with the people, you know, because DJing is really a way of taking people on a journey. I love to see the people dancing, singing, and jumping to my music, but eventually, the person having the most fun is me.”

Information about Taly´s performance schedule can be found on her Instagram page: @talyminkovofficial

With a passion for surfing and writing, Yariv Kav moved to Portugal´s wave capital from his native Israel. He was awarded a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manchester back when Oasis was still cool, and a diploma with distinction from the London School of Journalism in Feature and Freelance Writing. Loves travel, languages and human stories.

Yariv Kav