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Kadu & Larissa
- Latin dancers - Rio Rhythmics - Brazil / Brisbane
 Larissa
Thayane has been dancing since the age of 8, first
jazz & ballet. She performed throughout Brazil at festivals
of contemporary & classical dance. At 17 she was recognized
as a professional classical dancer & moved to Rio de Janeiro
to work with a contemporary dance company which performed
in Brazilian cities & overseas.
While in Rio de Janeiro, Larissa discovered Latin
dance… & Kadu! Kadu & Larissa began
performing together at important events in Rio de Janeiro
& São Paulo. In 2006 they were invited to perform
in Australia & won first place in a Latin dance
competition in Melbourne. In Rio they also won a gold medal
in the Conselho Brasileiro De Dança competition &
placed third in the regional salsa step competition.
Together they have conducted workshops in the Brazilian cities
of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Londrina, Curitiba, Campo
Mourão, Ribeirão Preto & was invited to
participate in Mostra de Dança at Baila Floripa in
Florianópolis. They have also instructed in Australia
in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney & Adelaide & are now
working with Rio Rhythmic in Brisbane.
Kadu Pires started Latin dance
with an older cousin when he was 15. He then studied samba
rock, lambada, samba no pé, hip hop & ballet with
some of the biggest companies in São Paulo. Kadu was
then accepted into the famous Jimmy de Oliveira’s dance
academy & began to perform solo in big venues in São
Paulo, such as Carioca Club, Bar Avenida & Lamba. Kadu
also appeared in some television programs before becoming
a permanent dancer for two years in a program called Mulheres,
dancing with a company called Axel Danças.
After much success in São Paulo, he returned to the
Jimmy de Oliveira academy based in Rio de Janeiro & performed
with famous dancers including Rogério Mendonza (salsa),
Jimmy de Oliveira (samba), Rafael Oliveira & Alex de Carvalho
(lambada) & Henrique Talmah (contemporary).
Kadu has conducted workshops throughout
Brazil in the cites of São Paulo, Londrina, Campo Mourão,
Curitiba, Forianópolis and Ribeirão Preto. He
has also have won dance competitions in Rio de Janeiro, São
Paulo and Australia and in 2005 he was recognized as a professional
dance instructor by Jimmy de Oliveira’s academy. Currently,
Kadu is based in Australia & working with Larissa at Rio
Rhythmics dance academy, Brisbane.
Carlos & Elli - Salsa
Dancers - Latin Steps - Brisbane
 Between
them Carlos Galiano & Elli Torres
have represented Brisbane, Australia as instructors &
performers, locally, nationally & at International Salsa
Congresses.
Among these are Madrid (2004), Los Angeles (2005), Barcelona
(2006), Sydney (2004-2008), New Zealand (2008) and India (2008).
Carlos & Elli will also be representing Australia in the
ESPN World Salsa Championships 2008 in the
Cabaret division.
As instructors, Carlos & Elli enjoy
sharing their dance knowledge & inspiring others with
their passion for dance. With a combined 12 years of dance
instruction, dance performances
& dance competitions, they are a sought
after dance duo, captivating onlookers with their energy &
flair on the dance floor. Salsa is Carlos
& Elli's forte, depicted by a strong masculine style,
coupled with feminine elegance. They have also developed a
unique style of Bachata, based on exposure
to this style while living in Spain & choreographing for
landmark video clips, namely Grupo Aventura's number 1 Bachata
hit single 'Obsession' (Marbella, 2004).
They are currently recognized as leading names in the world
of Bachata, with invitations to teach &
perform at international Bachata festivals,
including the Sydney Bachata Festival (2008)
& Bachatando Festival, Belgium (2009).
Carlos & Elli are founders of Brisbane's premier Salsa
academy, Latin Steps Dance Company. They
also run Bravo Latin Events, Brisbane's hottest Salsa events,
involving local, national & international dancers.
Aloy & Christina
- Cuban Dance teachers - Cuba / Melbourne
 Aloy
Junco Bell is a graduate of the National School of
the Arts in Havana Cuba and was principal dancer/ choreographer
at the prestigious Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. He
has made international acclaim in dance companies such as
Havana Nights, which toured the world and Noche Tropical touring
Japan.
He has more recently taught and danced at the Taiwan Salsa
Festival and the Festival de Danza in Orlando. He is also
a talented percussionist in the intricate Bata drum rhythms
of the Yoruba folklore as well as the more popular Afro-Cuban
Rumba.
Aloy is a pioneer of Cuban dance in Australia since he inspired
the birth of Cuban Dance Academy 9 years ago, and is totally
committed to sharing his vast knowledge of Cuban rhythms with
us all!!
 Christina
Monneron started Cuban Dance Academy
in Melbourne in 1999, after learning Cuban rhythms
in Sweden which culminated in an extensive study tour of Cuba
in 1998 specialising in Afro-Cuban rhythms and culture. She
now offers studio-based dance classes as
well as social classes in venues all around Melbourne city
and outer suburbs. Together with her team of passionate teachers,
Christina is spreading the spirit and essence (bomba) of Cuban
dancing throughout Australia!
Oren & Pascal
- Salsa Dance instructors - SalsaVibes, Sydney
 Oren
Shoshan is the Creative Director and Head Instructor
of Salsa Vibes Latin Dance Company. He is
a renowned professional salsa instructor,
performer and choreographer from Toronto, Canada.
With an athletic background that includes 12 years of competitive
soccer and basketball, and a love of dance since childhood,
Oren started dancing Salsa in 1996 at the
age of 21, and within three years became the director of the
Rumba Latina Dance Company, in Greensboro, USA.
In early 2001, Oren earned himself a national reputation in
Canada, winning the professional division of the Berlin Nightclub
Salsa Competition in Toronto, considered
to be the most prestigious salsa competition in the country.
Since arriving in Sydney in mid-2001, Oren has been a much
sought after instructor, choreographer and performer. With
his partner, Pascale Dernocoure, he recently placed second
in the professional division of the 2006 Australian National
Salsa Championships. They then won the Australian qualifiers
for the World Salsa Championships, and in
December went on to become semi-finalists at the 2006 World
Salsa Championships in Las Vegas.
Oren has been invited to teach in numerous cities both in
Australia and overseas and demand for Oren's teaching has
led him to travel all over Australia to Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide,
Melbourne, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Newcastle, and the Central
Coast as well as to many cities within Canada, New Zealand
and the USA. Within Sydney, Oren's impressive reputation as
an instructor, performer and choreographer has seen him participate
in the major events salsa has to offer.
He has taught at the Sydney Salsa Congress
2005, 2006 and 2007, Australian Salsa Championships 2005 and
2006, Sydney Latin Fiesta 2003 and 2004,
Brisbane Latin Festival 2004, as well as the Bacardi Latino
Festival and Darling Harbour Fiesta.
As an instructor Oren is known and respected for his highly
specific and technical instruction. This is reflected in his
distinctive style, which is characterized by complex turn
patterns with smooth, elegant, sexy and funky body movement.
It is also reflected in his students, who are known as smooth
dancers, and are some of the most consistently sought after
dancers on the dance floor.
Pascale Dernocoure is the epitome of a trained
dancer, with over 10 years experience in ballet, jazz, tap
and contemporary dance. Her passion for Latin dance
began 6 years ago, when she started teaching and performing
in both Salsa and Samba. Since then, Pascale has proven herself
to be an outstanding performer, placing second with partner
Oren Shoshan in the 2006 Australian National Salsa Championships,
as well as qualifying for and competing as a semi-finalist
in the 2006 World Salsa Championships in Las Vegas. She has
also performed at the LA Salsa Congress and
in numerous cities across Australia. She has also attended
Salsa congresses around the world to learn from the best of
the best.
Pascale has been a member of several dance companies,
including Latinize (Brisbane), Brazilian Fantasy and LDA (Sydney),
and is currently a Lead Instructor and Principal
Dancer with Club Salsa and Salsa
Vibes in Sydney. She dances on ‘1’ and
on ‘2’, and is known as a smooth follower and
sensual stylist on the dancefloor. She currently teaches group
classes 3 nights per week in Sydney, and has attracted a huge
loyal following of students with her extensive knowledge and
friendly attitude.
Juan & Samantha
- Bachata Instructors - Sydney
 Juan
Ruiz arrived in Australia in 2004 & since then
has been responsible for the Bachata craze in Australia &
New Zealand. When he arrived in Sydney Bachata was not being
played anywhere! Inspired as no one else can be with Bachata,
Juan started running classes & workshops, as well as promoting
Bachata music to various influential DJ's, Nightclubs &
Latin Events. It was from there his fame sas 'El Bachatero'
grew quickly making him the best known Bachata Instructor
in Australia & New Zealand. He has taught hundreds of
workshops throughout Australia and currently runs monthly
boot camps/workshops in some of the most prestigious Latin
dance schools in Sydney. Juan is also one of the organizers
of the successful 'Sydney Bachata Festival' and promoter of
the "Bachateros Online Magazine" website.
Juan's unique Bachata style is a mixed flavour of Zouk, Kizomba,
Tango, Hip Hop, R&B and many others. He has an incredible
talent of fusing the passion these dance styles have &
yet remains true to the Bachata form, maintaining the feeling
& emotional elements that makes Bachata what it is.
Samantha Cilia is one of Sydney's most recognized
upcoming Latin Dancers. Samantha has been dancing since the
age of 5 yrs and has been formally trained in ballet, tap
and jazz. Over the past 2 years she has focused all her energy
on various Latin styles mainly Salsa, Zouk and Bachata. You
will find her and her bubbly personality out nearly every
night of the week dancing up a storm on the Sydney dance floors.
Together, Juan and Samantha have travelled all over Australia
teaching Bachata workshops and classes, as well as performing
at various prestigious events.
Armand & Lyanne
- Kizomba Instructors - Byron / Sydney
 Lyanne
Compton’s life long passion for dance started
in childhood, training in Jazz, Ballet and Contemporary full
time in London from the age of 8. This culminated in her joyful
discovery of Latin and Afro styles – including Salsa,
Cha Cha, Bachata and Kizomba.
She has been sharing her spirited enthusiasm and skill, teaching
for many years in Byron Bay and is well known on the dance
floors of Brisbane, Sydney and London for her sexy, funked
up styling and was a member of the panel of judges at the
Australian Salsa Classic 08.
Lyanne recently travelled to the heart of the Kizomba scene
in Lisbon, Portugal. There she trained with the best in this
genre which is currently exploding in Europe as the hottest,
new dance craze. She is excited to be able to bring this to
her home town at the Byron Latin Fiesta – so Australians
can get as hooked as she is on Kizomba!
Armand de Saint-Salvy is Australia’s
premiere Kizomba expert having studied overseas with kizomba
masters from Angola, Portugal, Cape Verde and the UK. He’s
well versed in the different styles of kizomba, and is also
Australia’s foremost exponent of Semba, the dance form
which fathered Brazillian Samba and kizomba. His style is
authentic and world class. His classes are both fun and technical.
He is also one of Sydney’s most unique salsa dancers,
his funky style and creative musical interpretation drawing
much attention on the dancefloor. He has peformed at the LA
salsa congress and studied salsa in Australia, LA, Puetro
Rico and Cuba.
Tika
- Samba Teacher - Chukale
 Tika
Roberte, a born performer, is a native Fijian who
began her formal dance training at the age of eight at the
French’s Forest Dance Academy in Sydney. Move to Brisbane
and her studies progressed with The Commonwealth Teachers
of Dance Society. Meanwhile Tika also took up Tae kwon Do
and accomplished her black belt, with the intention of combining
dance and martial arts.
At the age of fifteen, Tika became the dance partner with
the pioneer of Brazilian Dance, in Brisbane, Tarcisio Climaco.
This was the start of her career and dedication towards becoming
a great performer. Furthermore, she was fortunate to have
travelled to South America and be exposed to Brazilian culture,
thereby, furthering her studies in particular the Samba dancing
and in different genre of Brazilian Dancing.
In 1994, Tika and Tarcisio founded, Rio Rhythmics, Australia’s
largest Latin Dance Academy, this enhanced Tika’s experience
in teaching and running a dance school. The following year
Tika had the opportunity to be involved in a concert “Shango”
with international guest artists from New York, Epizo Bangarra
and Fantuzzi; performing at the Queensland Performing Arts
Centre in the Concert Hall, This creative and professional
association led Tika’s interest to study African dance
and music. After three years working and teaching at Rio Rhythmics
Tika left and pursued her passion: to perform and travel the
world. During this time Tika began learning percussion, in
particular- the Conga drums.
These experiences have given Tika a huge advantage from other
dancers, as she has gained a greater understanding of rhythms
and technicalities towards drumming, dance and music within
a broader cultural spectrum.
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