Carlos Mora
Currently teaches Salsa Rueda all levels in Santa Fe, New Mexico at Pomegranate studio. With eight years of experience, Carlos has taught rueda all over New Mexico, Denver CO, Austin TX, Savannah, GA, Minneapolis MN to name a few. Carlos style focuses on bringing the fun and joy of the dance to the classroom and making rueda accessible to people of all ages. To learn more about Santa Rueda please visit www.SantaRueda.com
Bruno Rivera
Has been teaching Salsa Rueda and Latin Dance for 5 years. He was an original member of “Los Rumberos Dance Team” from New Mexico. After two years of it’s formation, he assumed the direction of the group and led the dance team to several performances in the state of New Mexico, including the one with famous band "Son de Cali" from Colombia. Bruno taught Salsa Rueda classes for 2 years at New Mexico Highlands University, he moved to Minneapolis in 2006 and has been teaching there ever since. He also takes lessons on traditional Afro-Cuban dances by professional dancer and choreographer, Rene Thompson, and since the beginning of 2008 have been performing with a new dance team, “Street to Stage”, at all major venues in Minneapolis. He is constantly learning new dances and in 2009 he went to Cuba for private instruction on Casino, Son and Rumba.
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson has spent over two years in Cuba studying dance
“in the street”, with professional dancers, and as a matriculated student at
the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. In April 2004, he performed Rueda de
Casino on Cuban national television on the show Para Bailar Casino. Along with
his former teaching partner Sarita Streng, Eric is co-producing the documentary
“La Rueda De Guanabacoa”, filmed on location in Havana, about a Cuban rueda de
casino dance group.
Adam Metcalf
Has been teaching Salsa Rueda and latin dance in Las Vegas, New Mexico at Highlands University and Luna Community College for the past four years now. He was the director of the Los Rumberos dance team which finished 6th place in the World Amateur Rueda Championships and he himself placed 8th in the World Amateur Cuban Style Salsa competittion, both in Miami, FL.Adam just started training a new group of local dancers to form the rueda dance group "Timbavega." Adam's goal is to always add fun, athleticism, and flavor to the dance and dancers enjoy his fun calling. This year Adam will be presenting a fun twist on bachata with the rueda de bachata.
Hayley Constable
Hayley has been studying various styles of dance including ballet, modern, jazz since the age of six. She found Salsa, her greatest passion, 6 years ago and has been dancing, teaching, performing and perfecting this incredible form ever since. With her background in the classical styles of dance, Hayley prides herself on her attention to detail, technique, form, and ability to apply it all to Salsa. Hayley has since had instruction from some of the biggest names in Salsa, and hopes to pass on the best and most current styles to others infected by the dancing bug.
Tony Perez
Tony's style is seamless and smooth and his partners will attest, dancing with Tony is like riding a wave. He has been dancing professionally and performing at age 13 in a Salsa Dancing Group, appearing on television and touring in his native Mexico. Tony went on to train and perform at different venue’s with several Flamenco Maestros in New Mexico. Former member of Moving People Dance Theatre since 2001, based in Santa Fe, NM. Teaching and Performing in their Dance Production Louder Than Words, Swingin’ Suites. Also a team member and performer of “Zircus Erotique” Dance and Theater Company. His dance repertoire includes modern, ballet, tap, jazz and Argentine tango. Tony currently teaches the fastest growing Salsa style in the nation and that is: On2 New York Style Mambo, designed to add extra inner rhythm to latin social dancing. Classes are held at Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Studio. He has taught, perform and choreograph groups, privates and workshops at festivals, organizations, institutions, such as Latin Dance Festival in Las Vegas, NM., Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts Albuquerque Journal Theatre, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Santa Fe Social Club, Moving People Dance Centre, Santa Fe Prep, Maple Street Dance Studio, Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque Petroleum Club, Albuquerque Square Dance Center, USA Dance: North-Central New Mexico Chapter 5047, Selah Dance Studios, New Mexico Dance Coalition 22nd Annual Choreographers Showcase. Currently owner of Mambo U, LLC providing salsa and latin dance classes and Artistic Director of “Mambo Fe Dance Company” in Santa Fe, NM. He continues to dance for the sheer joy.
Ryan Mead
is
a co-director and co-founder of Rueda Con
Ritmo, a Cuban-style dance school and performing group based in
the San Francisco Bay Area. With more than four years experience teaching Cuban
and Miami-style salsa, Ryan has given workshops across the country, from
Atlanta to Alaska, and is eagerly anticipating his first international gigs
this year in Mexico and New Zealand. Ryan also has nearly two decades of
experience as a percussionist – he is an alumnus of the New England
Conservatory, and has taken several trips to Cuba to study music (most recently
on a grant from Stanford). Being both dancer and percussionist, Ryan is
uniquely positioned to illuminate that most fundamental, yet seldom discussed,
part of dance – its connection with the music. Most recently he has been
innovating a vocabulary of rhythmic calls and steps to aid dancers in the
understanding and interpretation of Cuban music.
Sidney
Weaverling
is
a co-director and co-founder of Rueda Con
Ritmo, a Cuban-style dance school and performing group based in
the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a longtime contributer to the currently
thriving Cuban-style salsa scene in the SF Bay Area, with more than 10 years of
experience as a teacher, performer, and choreographer. Apart from her
remarkable proficiency with Cuban popular dance, she has extensive knowledge of
Brazilian and African styles. She has given salsa and rueda workshops across
the United States and internationally. She has studied at the Escuela Nacional
de Arte (ENA) in Cuba with the Caribbean Music and Dance program, and hosted
study trips for her students at myriad schools in Miami, notably SalsaLovers
and Salsa Racing. A natural dancer and a thorough teacher, Sidney not only has
a beautiful and fluid style of movement – she has the teaching experience and
attention to detail that enable her to effectively and efficiently transform
and inspire dancers at any level.
Sarita Streng
Sarita Streng lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she teaches salsa at the Harwood Arts Center. Sarita has studied Casino and Rueda de Casino with Eric Johnson of San Diego, CA and in Cuba. Sarita has a M.A. in Dance from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures Program and she directs the Community Dance Program for the National Hispanic Cultural Center. She and Eric Johnson are collaborating on a video about Rueda de Casino in Cuba.
Darrin Visarraga
Darrin's journey into the amazing world of salsa dancing began in April of
2002. After moving to Los Alamos, NM and venturing into his first set of
salsa classes, it was there that he discovered his love/passion for salsa.
Since then, Darrin has been studying and learning salsa from several of the
instructors located in the Northern New Mexico area, as well as, instructors
located outside of the New Mexico area. Currently, Darrin teaches salsa
classes at:
- White Rock Activity Center in White Rock, NM: Mondays (8 - 10:30pm)
- Moving People Dance Studio in Santa Fe, NM: Sundays (3 - 6pm)
- Double Time Dance Studio in Albuquerque, NM: Saturdays (5 - 6pm)
For more information, please feel free to contact me at
ddawgncc@gmail.comor (209) 923 - 3905.
Lazaro Barada
Born in Habana, Cuba, Lazaro started dancing and competing among all the different dancing schools there. He was a member of Casa de Cultura de Plaza and participated in several events organized by the institution. For example, he participated in the theater Antonio Mella, Karls M., amphitheater of Marinao, etc. At the university, Lazaro also was part of a group that danced for the Cuban singer Laronte and had the opportunity to present his dance together with the singer, all over Cuba. After that he started composing music and joined the Cuban composers and authors. Lazaro has been in the USA for over three years and resides now in Albuquerque. Here he continues his own expansion by composing music for the well renowned salsa band soncomoson and also teaching salsa at Selah studio together with Carlota Silva, his dance partner. Recently the two of them performed at the Carnaval event at the National Hispanic Cultural Center together with Pilar Barreto, another well renown teacher and dancer.
David Cohen
Began his flirtation with tango 15 years ago, since studying in Argentina with several of the best instructor in the world. He has been teaching for 7 years. Tango caught his attention because he was willing to try, but captivated him because of its complex dynamics and the range of personal expression conveyed through connection to the music and a partner. Now a dancer of extraordinary accomplishment, David is regarded for his graceful movement and flirtatious interpretations of the music. His elegant fluidity and playful movement on the dance floor is inspirational and beautiful to watch. Those who know David well know him to be a master of creating beauty out of anything; be it a beat-up old home, nasty leftovers, the intricate movements of tango, or a friend with two left feet. His goal as a teacher is to have students who he (and others) truly enjoy dancing with.
Marco Diosdado
He has been dancing salsa rueda for almost seven years, and has been teaching for almost three. Young but experienced, he has accomplished a third and sixth place finish in group competition in the Miami International Salsa Congress. Also, a first place in partner dancing in the 2006 Denver “Carnaval De Rumba.” Along with a flair and excitement for salsa rueda, he is passionate to teach and add to any dance class.
Ramon Calderon
Was born in Guantanamo Cuba, in the city of of Caimanera, two miles from the US Guantanamo Naval base. During his childhood, Ramon learned dance and play music in the ports, where they did Rumba. He then took music and dance in the Cuban Municipal Dance Academy.
While at the university studying for a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, Ramon took Cuban Folklore classes and participated in different cultural festivals. After graduating, he took more directed classes from dance school so he could get a license to become an aficionado dance instructor. Ramon participated in several Cuban national events as a choreographer and artistic director of the “Grupo de Danza de la Universidad de Moa”. There he received an award as the festival best 1987 artistic creation with the piece “Panorama del Folklore Cubano”. In 1989 the group Ramón worked with also received first place in contemporary dance with the piece Evolution. Ramon now resides in Santa Fe, new Mexico where plays with the band Changui Son.
