School Faculty

Anthony Auffret - Athlone, Kilkenny, Sligo

Anthony was born in Brittany, France, where he started dancing at an early age. His first dance steps were taken in Fest Noz (traditional dancing).

By the age of 13 Anthony decided it was time to rebel and learn something "cooler" so he went on to learning Le Rock.

In 1999 Anthony discovered Salsa and got hooked. In 2001 he travelled to Latin America and gained a better understanding of the roots and the culture behind the dance. That same year he started competing with his partner Coral Perez Garcia.

In 2002 they represented Ireland as semi-finalists in the World Salsa Championships in Miami. Anthony created SalsaNation dance company in 2002.

He teaches L.A. style. He beleives that as a Salsa teachers is primary mission is to convey his love of the music and dance. The learning process should always be fun.

web: www.salsanation.net

Suavemente Salsa - Dublin

Having grown up in the midst of traditional Irish music and dance, Kathleen was dancing before she could walk! However, a holiday in the Caribbean brought Kathleen face-to-face with her true passion and salsa became her new found vocation.

With most of Kathleen’s dancing and teaching experience gained in the UK, she is now arguably one of the best salsa instructors in the south of Ireland, she is the only UKA qualified Instructor in the republic of Ireland and she is the major driving force behind her company, Salsa Ireland.

Kathleen also runs Salsa Bonanza every year in Cork which is one of the highlights of Irelands Salsa Calendar.

web: www.salsaireland.com

David has been running successful club nights and events in Belfast for several years. He is well regarded as a teacher and as a DJ he prides himself in keeping the dancefloor full whenever he’s playing.

David was a co-founder of Nu Salsa and is constantly striving to learn more about Salsa as a dance and also about the music. He is a UKA qualified salsa instructor and travels constantly throughout Ireland and the UK to take lessons from the best teachers there are.

web: www.nusalsa.com

Edwin "El Diablo" Avilez, born in Peurto Rico is no stranger to the Irish Salsa Community having been the resident salsa DJ at Strictly Salsa in the Garda Club, Dublin for a considerable time. Now resident in Norway, Edwin has travelled the world for his passion and had DJ’ed at congresses all over the world including of course Salsa School ’06.

We are delighted to have El Diablo back with us again this year and have no doubt that he will once again bring with him a collection of music to satisfy everyone’s taste and keep us all dancing.

According to a number of surveys, Les is "the best DJ on the UK scene". Playing a hot selection of the very latest Salsa tracks plus a few little gems that no one else has, Les is in great demand.

The most senior member of the Latin Collective Team, he has been teaching at venues throughout London and the South East of England and has been invited to Dj at events all over Europe.

David has been running successful club nights and events in Belfast for several years. He is well regarded as a teacher and as a DJ he prides himself in keeping the dancefloor full whenever he’s playing. David mixes a wide variety of music, from Old School Salsa, right through to modern funky tracks.

web: www.nusalsa.com

Marchant was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He has been living in England since 2000. Trained from an early age in Ballroom and Latin American, he is a much sought after performer and teacher both in the UK and internationally. Marchant has acheive success with a number of different dance partners over the years. He was winner of the Best UK Dance Act award at the UK Salsa Congress 2006 with his then partner Miriam Oppel. His ‘Take Five’ show also received high acclaim from the mambo king himself, Eddie Torres. At the UK Congress 2007 he received an award of recognition for his contribution to salsa and for raising the standard of teaching in the UK.

As well as founding the dance company, Marchant also started the Alchemy Dance Academy in 2006 which provides the opportunity for the general salsa public to improve their dancing by way of the Alchemy method of dance training. It is pioneering the Alchemy Way that is now Marchant’s main focus with his partner Davina. The most recent development being the release of their first instructional DVD ’Alchemy Way Partnerwork’.

click for Marchant’s full bio

DAVINA is Marchant’s dance partner for solo couple shows, and is project coordinator for Alchemy. She is the female exponent of the Alchemy Way of dancing mambo & salsa, teaching the style and grace of this method at the Alchemy Dance Academy and as the featured lady on Marchant’s instructional DVD.

From a trained background in Ballet, Tap, Modern and Jazz, Davina is a qualified ISTD teacher of Modern and Tap. She has a degree in Drama & Theatre Studies and a range of fitness teaching qualifications. For 10 years she has taught in a variety of capacities, mainly as freelance teacher/choreographer at dance schools and colleges around London. In 2003 she took up salsa, attending classes with Marchant who soon spotted her potential and undertook her training. It was from this that Alchemy Dance Company was formed, Davina’s jazz dance experience being part of the core technique training for the company. She also co-choreographed, with Marchant, Alchemy’s debut show ’Timbalito’.

web: www.alchemydance.co.uk

Director of The Latin Collective, the Uk’s Premier Latin Dance Promotion company, Joe started dancing salsa in London in 1997.

Initially he learned the different basic techniques of what is now known as Miami/Puerto Rican style salsa (the fore-runner of "London-style"), but, soon after forming The Latin Collective, he met Mr Eddie Torres – The Mambo king himself from whom he learned to dance on2.

His time with this Salsa Master educated him in the importance of timing, technique and tension and strengthened Joe’s resolve to improve teaching practices in the UK. In the last few years, Joe has worked hard with his team to develop both his and their skills as dancers and teachers and the result has been some of the UK’s best dancers and most popular teachers.

As well as festivals in the UK including Pontins, The Salsa Explosion Festival and numerous other weekenders, Joe and his team have travelled abroad extensively and have taught already in Italy, Spain, Sweden, throughout Ireland & Denmark.

Joe returns to teach for us this year by popular demand and we are delighted to have him back!

Click here to request a private lesson

web: www.latincollectiveuk.com

Inaki Fernandez - UK

Inaki was born in the North of Spain but grew up in Madrid. He moved to London in 2004, bringing with him several talents, including experience in Argentinean tango, Salsa and of course Bachata.

Soon after arriving in London, Inaki performed with the ’Diablo Dance Co.’ in energetic routines combining Hip Hop, Jazz and Salsa. From here he moved towards dancing ’on 2’.

Since joining the ’Leon Rose Project’ in 2005, Inaki has been performing with the group at congresses worldwide, including Holland, France, Spain, Ireland, Brussels, Sweden, Latvia, UK, Texas, Switzerland, Geneva, Surinam, Germany, Miami, Italy and many more.

Inaki teaches Salsa, Bachata and Kisomba at a number of venues including the ’Latin Dance Academy’. The LDA founded by world renowned teachers, Susana Montero and Super Mario, focuses predominantly on technique.

Although Inaki has extensive experience of teaching Salsa and Tango, he is widely known for his popular Bachata workshops and has even teamed up to perform and teach with Susana Montero. His unique style of footwork and body movement combined with energy and intensity have earned him the title, ’King of Bachata’! His enthusiasm for Bachata has encouraged and developed a strong community of Bachata fans on the London salsa scene.

web: www.bachata.uk.com

Y.E. Mambo - Spain

Profile coming soon.

web: www.yemambo.com

Niki Britton - UK

Niki has been dancing for over 10 years, first as a latin and ballroom dancer before finding her way into salsa in 2000. Her methodical nature and amazing ability to pick up new skills has seen her progress rapidly. After just one year, she was performing at many of Londons top salsa club nights and joined Joseph’s Latin Collective team.

Niki has worked with Iris de Brito, Laith Sami and Candice Leong, Duende and more recently joined the Leon Rose Project.

In 2003, she entered the British Salsa competition with then partner Mauro Casali and came a close second to Laith and Candice. In 2004 she qualified to teach salsa with the United Kingdom Alliance.

Niki continues to develop her skills and learning new dance styles as she believes that within dance you never stop learning be it from your students or other teachers. After completing a contemporary dance cert in 2005 she stresses the importance of teaching to dance from your core and with your whole body, not just what you should do with your feet and arms.

Niki succeeds in being a very friendly, patient and skilled teacher and has made it her aim to teach correct technique but keep the element of fun within her classes and her dancing.

Niki also returns to teach for us this year by popular demand and again we are delighted to have her back!

web: www.latincollectiveuk.com

Fritha Fallon - UK

British dancer, choreographer and teacher Fritha Fallon is based in Surrey, England.

Fritha focuses on making Salsa accessible and appealing to wider audiences. Her style embodies authenticity of Afro-caribbean body movement with an edge of elegant refinement. Many people find her choreography easy to relate to and her dancing something to aspire to.

As a teacher, Fritha communicates the importance of correct posture, alignment and technique. She also emphasises musical interpretation and personal expression. She has helped her students to gain confidence, to get more enjoyment from their social dancing and has even coached several adult students, who participate in Salsa purely as a hobby, to the point of performing in front of friendly audiences.

She helps people to achieve things that they never thought were possible, and most likely, had no previous inclination towards. She encourages people to try new ways of moving, to exceed their boundaries and helps them to feel and look more sexy.

Fritha ran a posture and body isolations class last year which was by far the busiest class of the whole weekend which went down a storm. Again we are delighted to welcome her back this year.

web: www.salsadiva.co.uk

Simon & Raquel - UK

Raquel Gimeno, born in Barcelona, started dancing at the age of 5. Having danced ballet for 10 years and flamenco for 8 years, Raquel went on to experience the passion and connection of a couple dancing in a club in Havana Cuba, and this lead to her passion for salsa. She started “Crossbody” style salsa in Barcelona with the BCN Dancers and went further taking up there Latin dances and rhythms such as Cha-Cha, Rumba and Bachata. Eventually salsa, in all its forms, had become a way of life for her which is still true today. Following her move to the UK, Raquel was invited to join the Manhattan Mambo Dance Group in 2003 and performed with them till 2007. Raquel has furthered her experience of the true magic of Mambo through visits to New York and has studied in Manhattan and the Bronx with many of the leading names including Nelson Flores, Eddie Torres, Frankie Martinez and Duplessey Walker.

Simon Rowley, born in Melbourne, South Eastern Australia was exposed to dance through his passion for Percussion, Street Dance & Hip Hop. Moving to Ireland in 2000, he was exposed to a group of Latinos dancing and consequently spent the next 4 years learning Afro-Cuban Body movement and Salsa. He went on to study Cuban Men’s styling & Body movement through exposure to Cuban Salsa, La Rueda & Bachata. During that time Simon was asked to join the dance group E4:24 with whom he performed around Dublin at social events & Promotions. Simon moved to the UK in 2004 where his passion for New York Style developed. There he spent 2 years under one the UK’s leading Salsa teachers Marchant Birch and in 2006 joined the Manhattan Mambo Dance Company with whom he performed around London & the United Kingdom with his partner Raquel Gimeno. Simon has travelled extensively to congresses over the years to study under some of Europe & the US’s top teachers including Edie & Al Espinosa, Tropical Gem, Nelson Flores and Juan Matos.