Almost 50 years ago, 12-year-old Eddie Torres, son of a Puerto Rican family in Spanish Harlem, NY, got rejected by a girl because he didn't know how to "do Latin". In that embarrasing moment, when the other guy led and spinned the girl of Eddie's adolescent dreams, he decided to learn how to dance.

In those days, and for many years to follow, there were no Latin dance schools or proper classes. The only education available was in clubs. By the time he turned 15, Eddie was a regular. He went out every night, hung out with the dancers, and learnt by watching and imitating the best ones. It wasn't easy, as some dancers didn't allow anyone to look at their feet, for fear of having their moves and steps stolen. Luckily, Eddie had a talent for learning just by watching.

Soon, he started to teach. He didn't have any idea of neither timing or technique nor names of the steps. His main guideline was to break forward on the accent and then to break back on the following one. The accent was the famous "2" in the music. Without realizing it, Eddie was teaching and dancing salsa on 2, or mambo. Some time later, Eddie's friend and mentor, June Lamberta, a ballroom dance teacher, offered to help him with his teaching. She invited him to teach at her ballroom classes on Friday nights. Ballroom adepts were used to a systematized way of teaching, expecting no less from Eddie. This forced him to learn the counts and teaching vocabulary. Cumbersome at first, in the long run it made him a detailed, precise and devoted teacher.

Meanwhile, he continued his crazy going-out lifestyle. Apart from social dancing, he took part in competitions, at one point winning so many that he was asked to judge instead.

One night, Eddie approached Tito Puente to pay him compliments after a concert. The master complimented him back, saying that Eddie had a talent. He advised him to seek his own style, develop ideas and create a show. Eddie pounced on the idea and suggested collaboration right away. He wanted to perform with Tito. From then on, it was his biggest dream, soon to become true.

Several years later, Eddie was a recognized, slick dancer with his unique style. This is when he met Maria, his future wife and partner. Shy at first, Maria quickly became Eddie's brightest student and the best partner he'd ever had. Full of enthusiasm, Eddie choreographed his first two routines, to Tito Puente's Cayuco and Palladium Days, and approached Tito. Without event looking at a demonstration, Tito introduced Eddie to his musical director and featured the couple in his next concert. The performance in New York Coliseum proved to be a huge success. Eddie and Maria continued to perform with Tito at ever concert. Later, they called themselves Tito Puente Dancers, a great honour and a sign of respect.

From the 80s through the 90s and until now, Eddie Torres has been one of the most iconic New York Salsa personas. His students included Frankie Martinez and Juan Matos, to name a few. At every festival, his classes attract hundreds of participants. People come to see the legendary Mambo King", to learn Pachanga" and to get some Nuyorican flavour. He is a charming, detailed, attentive and passionate teacher. When he performs, people leave their seats and approach the stage. Once you meet him, you will start planning your trip to New York.

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Juan "Pachanga" Matos was born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He moved to the United States in April of 1996. Little did he know that within three years he would become one of New York's top male dancers.

Not of legal age yet, Juan started visiting clubs to watch his parents, who were at the time Santo Domingo's top hustle dancers. They were his prime influence and main inspiration in dancing, which slowly became Juan's dream. He was never quite sure which dance form he wanted to pursue until 1997, when he saw mambo. He visited Victor "La Magica" Pacheco's class and was instantly hooked. However, after just 2 months of mambo classes, Juan was forced to take a break due to a back injury. After being noticed at a club when social dancing, with only street knowledge and little technique, Juan was able to learn and perform a whole mambo routine in less than seven days. A lot of hard work and dedication helped Juan to progress to the next level; becoming a performer in a group called, "Magic Combination Dancers."

At the beginning of 2000, Juan was invited to join a dance group, directed by Osmar Perrones, who was one of the instructors last year (Yamulee Dance Company). A couple of months later, Juan was also invited to train with, "Santo Rico Dance Company" (founded by Wilton Beltre and directed by Thomas Guerrero). After a year of training with Santo Rico Dance Company, Juan developed what is now called "Pachanga style." This unique style is why all eyes are fixed on him in New York's mambo scene. Whether it is during a social dance or a dance performance, Juan is considered to be one of the best, hottest and most influential dancers of his generation. He has been a huge inspiration for the majority of the "on2" professionals in the salsa world. Natural talent, pure, smooth, classic, and fast feet best describes this talented young man. Juan has created a name for himself on the international platform as a teacher as well as a performer.

See Juan & Amneris dance:

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Your favourite mambo teachers, Burju and Victor Perez, are returning to Warsaw to astound you with their styling, music interpretation and body movement.

H.Y.M. Dance Company (Hacha Y Machete) was Boston’s first Professional, New York Style "ON 2" Salsa dance company. The group was formed in 2000 by a group of four friends with the intent of enriching and educating New England about the New York Style of dancing salsa/mambo through performances and classes. Since then their vision has expanded further to include: inspiring others, youth in particular, to dance; continuously providing the best quality in training and instruction for all; and of course to continue to interpret music and create choreography in a way that speaks to and moves people. The company has become well known for their innovative and dynamic choreography, highest caliber of dancers, and award winning instruction and performances. Their dedication and passion has earned them spots on some of the world's most prestigious stages and along side the salsa music's greatest bands.

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Nuno Furtado and Vanda Gameiro are originally from Portugal, the country they represent at international salsa congresses and festivals. They are professional salsa dancers and teachers but they have formation in several kinds of dance, such as contemporary, jazz, funk, dance, tango, etc, which they beautifully incorporate in their salsa, creating versatile choreographies, each with a different feeling. They definitely stand out on the international scene. Their work in salsa is based on styling, dynamics, excellent technique and musical interpretation. They have travelled mostly in Europe and Middle East but they have also been to New York and Puerto Rico. In Portugal they have their own school and a group called JDfreestyle.

See them dance:

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Tamambo's dancing originates from the African/American Rn'B/Hip Hop scene of the 80s. By incorporating his own flavour into the Puerto Rican style Salsa, he promotes what is now recognised around the world as "London Style" Salsa. His influences lie in Flamenco and Contemporary dance, in which his interpretation of the dance has taken a theatrical form.

Tamambo was one of the driving forces behind the London salsa scene before exploding onto the world stage. Performing and teaching On1 and On2, he rapidly earned his reputation as one of the very few instructors in the UK to raise and develop the new generation of salsa dancers, instructors and performers in the nation.

As one of Europe's top all-round instructors teaching both On1 and On2 and specialising in teaching complex, yet leadable partnerwork routines for the dance floor, he has fast become a very sought after name in Salsa.

Ania Chagowska has been dancing since she was a 6-year old girl. It all started with ballet classes, then modern jazz and other forms of dancing. She studied at an afternoon ballet school, took part in many different workshops and gained stage experience performing with Folk, Contemporary and classical Ballet choreographies. All that had helped her to adopt salsa steps at a great pace. Trying to use her knowledge and talent, she has managed to create her own original style in salsa becoming one of the leading female dancers in Europe. She successfully mixes femininity and elegance with a funky street flavour and encourages her students to look for their own crazy style mix.

Now, teaching and performing together Tamambo and Ania Chagowska create a duo and are getting rave reviews with their two brand new contemporary influenced choreographies, Violin Solitude and Senales de Humo (2008).

This couple has achieved unity in front of their audience, making every single ingredient excel into an explosive mixture of attitude, power, showmanship, passion, flavour and style.

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Pronounce it with a ' Z ' !!

Matthieu, Juliette and Sebastien, 3 salsa lovers from Paris formed MaJuSee in May 2006. Karima, an excellent addition to the group, completed the team.

Each member has a strong background in dancing and has developed their individual technique and knowledge dancing in various international groups (Caribbean Soul, Uforia, Latin Soul...).

Though mainly choreographed by Matthieu and Juliette, the current routines (Chaplot and Boco boco) performed by the group are an innovative mix of their different styles.

They are one of the favourite instructors of the Warsaw Salsa Festival, it is their 6th time here!

See them dance:

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Think: salsa theatre. Who comes to your mind? Of course, Eric Lalta, the choreographer of such touching and beautiful salsa routines as The Magic Forest (2004), The Masquerade Ball (2005), Chaos (2006), The Last Dance (2007), Ayunama (2008). This year, the director of Salsa Dance Squad will attend the festival as a special guest to give two classes: choreography and switching from on 1 to on 2.

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Afro-Latin dance company founded in September 2005. Paula Loureiro and Ricardo Sousa, its artistic directors, choreographers and dancers, have danced together since 2000.

The company is currently made up of 8 dancers. Due to wide knowledge and diverse training they acquired along the years, their show is a unique mixture of different styles of dance.

In 2007 and 2008, they won the title of the best Portuguese teachers. In 2009, they won in the category of best Portuguese Show at the Top Dance Awards and were nominated for best choreographers at the I Portugal Dance Awards in the world dances category. They are also the official judges of the international kizomba competition "Africadançar".

They have performed and taught at many salsa/kizomba congresses and festivals, public and private events, in countries like Portugal, Spain, Poland, UK, France, Tunisia, Serbia and Puerto Rico.

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Farid started dancing salsa in 2001. He discovered Mambo style in 2002 during the Paris Salsa congress and was impressed by the Vasquez brothers' style. One year later he presented his first show, "the X-Men", during the same congress. The show was a big success. Since then Farid has performed in many countries such as United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Germany, United States (New York and Los Angeles). In year 2003 Farid founded his own school and dance formation - Salsa Conga.

Farid's dance style is a mix of speed, seduction, humour and craziness. Farid is also a musician - he sings and plays the percussion. A natural born performer, Farid loves the crowd and the stage, and his performances are always original and dynamic.

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Frank Santos is one of the hottest new talents on the UK and international salsa scene. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Frank grew up in Italy where he started to develop his talent in dance. With a background in hip-hop, merengue and bachata, Frank started to dance salsa in 2001 and went on to study various styles including Puerto Rican, New York, LA and Cuban. He has taught and performed throughout Europe and beyond - in France, Holland, Poland, Latvia, Bratislava, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Israel, Brussel, Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, the U.S.A and Cuba to name but a few.

Frank has made appearances on television and stage throughout the UK and Europe. His television appearances include the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dance Fever' and the 'Trisha' programme. He has performed with the Leon Rose Project, Iris de Brito, Andrea Stewart and Irene Miguel. His achievements include winning the UISP Italian championship for Cuban and New York-style salsa in 2003, taking part in the Havana Club Tour and performing in Iris de Brito's “El Barrio” musical. Most recently Frank's dance group 'A Yemaya' (for which Frank is the director and choreographer) won the 2008 award for the best UK performance.

Alina Moss was born in Russia. At the age of 3 moved to Estonia where started dancing ballet. After only a couple of years despite the young age she was performing in big events. The early success and passion for dance lead her to develop and learn other type of dance such as modern, hip hop and flamenco. At the age of 15 she was being tought by one of he best dancers in Estonia Juri Kuvaitsev who has won a number of championships along Europe in hip hop, ballroom and modern dance categories. Salsa started for her in 2005 and after a short period thanks for her natural talent and the amount of dance in her background she was noticed and invited to perform with professional salsa dancers, such as Miguel Verdecia and Carlos Correa. Alina was also invited to join the Corazon dance group, which in 2005 won the title Best Salsa Group in Estonia. In 2006 Alina started teaching in the biggest salsa school in Estonia Casa de Baile. In 2007 she moved to London, where she collaborated with Moe Flex Dance Company, performing with Moe Flex in UK and Europe. In 2008 Alina won the North-West Bachata Championship with the show choreographed by Frank Santos. Meanwhile, being a part of Frank Santos A Yemaya dance company Alina and the rest of the team achieve to receive the award as best UK performers 2008. Alina is currently working side by side with Frank Santos, choreographing, teaching and performing around UK and Europe. Her knowledge of different dance styles along with influence of her dance partner Frank Santos make Alina one of the most recommended teachers for lady style in salsa and bachata.

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Salsaché was founded in 2003 by a teacher a choreographer, Lieb. J (Cuba). Apart from Lieb, the group's members are Yuniel Gual (Cuba), Francesca Bianco (Turin) and Melissa Padalino (Turin). With their choreographies, mixing New York Style salsa with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Hip Hop, they were an immediate success.

Salsaché are frequently invited to conduct workshops all over Italy, they are also regularly present at major international salsa congresses. They captivate their audiences with their style, energy and charisma, which make each of their performances a unique experience. This year, they're going to present their new show called "Jocker".

See them dance:

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An explosive mix of styles!

The history of the Salsa Libre Dance Company goes back to 2003, when salsa was just beginning to take off in Poland. That is when Ania Chagowska and Marek Domański, now the owners of the Salsa Libre Dance Studio in Warsaw, started dancing and performing together. Soon they were joined by other salsa enthusiasts, and thus, in 2004, the Salsa Libre Dance Company was born.

Currently, the group comprises 11 dancers with diverse dance experience and education, brought together by their passion for dancing and a will to reach new levels of expression in salsa. Each of them is a regular salsa instructor, teaching classes and workshops at the Salsa Libre Dance Studio in Warsaw, and an established figure on the Polish salsa scene.

Ania Chagowska, now an accomplished and acclaimed salsa dancer, remains Salsa Libre's principal dancer and choreographer. Coupled with her extensive dance experience and excellent pedagogical skills, the group's hard work and dedication resulted in the creation of Salsa Libre's unique style. Their New York Style performances incorporate elements from various dance forms, ranging from afro, through jazz, to classical and contemporary dance.

The diversity and talent of Salsa Libre dancers have not gone unnoticed at international salsa festivals both in Poland and abroad. The group are regularly invited to perform at salsa congresses in Hamburg, Berlin, Regensburg, Prague, Stuttgart, Egypt, London, Minsk, and others.

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Arny discovered salsa in Paris in 1999. He took intensive classes with many parisian teachers and in 2000 started teaching Cuban Salsa, Rueda de Casino and LA style salsa. In 2003 he opened Salsamente Dance School in Mainz (Germany), which currently employs 6 full-time dance instructors.

Having performed in a show by Sebastian Massaro (www.salsamba.org) that merged samba and salsa, and in Cuban casino shows, Arny began to create choreographies for his student team. These were presented at a number of international salsa festivals, such as Frankfurt Goes Salsa (Germany) or Tallin Salsa Festival (Estonia).

Arny has developed his own unique and elegant dancing style, based on Crossbody Style and enriched with elements of LA style, Cuban casino, Argentine tango and Brazilian Gafiera. Blended in a nontrivial, yet coherent, fasion, these elements, spiced up with acrobatics, make for an impressive show.

Arny is an effective teacher aiming to inspire and instill confidence. He apreciates the individuality of each of his students and has the ability to motivate everyone to develop their skills. He believes dancing should first and foremost be a pleasure, that's why he always tries to make his classes fun and friendly.

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For Miguela Gascueña, a Spanish-born dancer, salsa is pure passion - music, dance, culture, entertainment. He started dancing salsa in 2002, first focusing on Salsa in pairs and later also on Rueda de Casino. He finds Cuban Salsa the most energetic form of this dance. It perfectly matches his passion for Salsa music from Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Until 2008 Miguel worked as a dance instructor for both beginners and advanced dancers in Vienna. With his Rueda de Casino group, "Rueda de Fuego", he participated in dozens of congresses and other events.

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Rafał was born in Gdansk, where he graduated from the Academy of Physical Education and Sport. He started dancing at the age of 11. He keeps looking for new inspiration and developing his skills with some of the world's best dancers at various workshops and congresses both in Poland and abroad. Over the years, he has developed his own unique style and his own method of teaching, which is why his is now considered one of the most respected and experienced instructors on the Polish salsa scene. His workshops are full of positive energy and combine professionalism with humour and panache.

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Radek Wierzbiński is a versatile dancer and teacher, former general manager of International Salsa Festival in Warsaw and the author of one of the first salsa blogs in Poland.

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Agnieszka Wójcikowska is a talented tancer with vast experience not only in salsa but also in other dance forms, including gold standard in Ballroom dancing. She performed with numerous dance teams, including the Salsa Kings and Orville Small's Draken Woede, with whom she travelled the world. Apart from salsa, she's interested in afro, isolations and hip hop (krumping).

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Like every child, in his childhood Michał was interested in everything. When he was 7, his parents took him to ballroom dance classes. That was Bingo! He started training in Jastrzębski Dance Centre guided by Mariola and Zenon Gardyanczyk and took part in various competitions and shows. He also danced performed with Warsaw AWF's (Academy of Physical Education and Sport) Folk Dance Group before graduating from AWF as a Fitness teacher.

In the years 2003-2005 he worked in Crea Dance Centre, a place lead by top dance champions Karolina and Krzystof Wasilewscy, teaching the basics of dance and stage awareness to children. He learnt a lot there, gaining stage and teaching experience.

Michal spends all his free time in dance studios attending workshops, classes and festivals, learning from the best. He loves spontaneous dancing acts when he gathers his friends and they dance having fun and bringing fun to random observers. According to Michał, well rounded education and versatile influences are very important in dance. That's why he mixes and matches many techniques.

At the moment he attends a teaching course in Jazz technique in Masovian Culture Centre lead by Piotr Galiński. Besides that, he teaches fitness, jazz and salsa solo. He performs at concerts, teaches workshops, organises fitness holidays and trains future fitness teachers in the Health Academy. Apart from that, he takes advanced salsa classes in Salsa Libre and takes part in their holiday workshops.

Michal is a certified Zumba instructor and he loves this technique because every class is like a party. You can join Zumba any time, you don't have to know how to dance, just how to move your body according to instructor's guidelines. It is easy and it's for everybody no matter what age!

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Jacenty's motto is "Every day, CREATE your life with passion!"

Jacenty has been dancing salsa since August 2006. After only 6 months of taking classes, he was invited to join "Salsa Show", Salsa Libre's student team lead by Ania Chagowska and Marek Domanski. After 12 months he joined the main Salsa Libre show team, with whom he performs in Poland and abroad.

He started his dancing studies at JFH (Jazz/Funky/Hip hop) classes lead by Błażej Szychowski and Jazz classes taught by Kasia Kizior...

... accompanied by regular visits to R'n'B clubs.

In order to keep on growing as an artist, Jacenty regularly tours different salsa festivals and many workshops in Poland and abroad. Every year, he visits Berlin, Zurich, Prague, Karlsruhe, Fuerth, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, Wieliczka and, last but not least, our own Warsaw Salsa Festival. Whenever possible he masters his technique and skills at the international jazz dance workshops in Kielce and in the "Zawirowania" Dance Theatre in Warsaw.

For Jacenty, dancing is tremendous fun and a means of expression. "Everything that attracts me in dance can be found in Cha Cha Cha, Rumba and Boogaloo. I just love these tunes and I love to interpret this music while dancing."

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Beata Wenda began her dancing educations as an 8-year-old child, when she started learning ballroom dance in Opole and later in "Perfect Dance" Sport Dance Club in Wroclaw.

She saw salsa for the first time at a party in Ireland in July 2006. She immediately decided to learn the secrets of this dance. In a very short time salsa became her great passion. Beata mastered her skills and technique at numerous salsa festivals and workshops.

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Asia currently finishing the second, final, year of the Jazz Teacher course in the Masovian Centre of Culture and Art. She is a dancer in Ania Wielgorska's contemporary dance company "Sway" and salsa group Salsa Libre, lead and choreographed by Ania Chagowska.

Asia has been dancing since her early childhood. When she was 9, she started her adventure with ballroom dance where she achieved her first childhood successes. In the years 2001-2004 she trained modern dance under the infamous Marek Egurrola's supervision. While dancing with groups V3 and V2, she won Polish and European dance championships twice. She also took part in various workshops with world famous jazz teachers (Selatin Kara, Luciano di Natale), musical dance instructors (Lesli Wiesner) and hip-hop stars (Giovanni Minasi, David Azama).

In 2004 she started working with Marta Wiśniewska and then with "Ich Troje" music band. With the group, she toured Poland, Europe, the US and Canada. She performed at many prestigious events such as "Eska Music Awards" and "Top Trendy".

In the years 2005-2007 Asia was a part of a dance team "Quest", with whom she perfomed numerous shows. She spent the following year on an exchange programme in France, where she studied two techniques, salsa and hip-hop. As a special guest she danced in Julian Mahet's programme "Faut s'attendre a tout" promoting the salsa festival "Calle Latina" in Nantes.

Asia is a versatile dancer. Many years of training make it easy for her to learn almost every kind of dance in a flash. Now, she wants to share her experience with others. Her life motto is: "never regret the past because you don't know what the future holds".

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English bio coming soon!

Swoją przygodę z tańcem zaczęła w 2004 roku, zafascynowana muzyczna i taneczna kulturą Kuby trafiła na kurs Casino (tzw. "Salsa Kubańska") w szkole tańca Konrada i Joanny Dąbskich. Pod ich okiem stawiała także swoje pierwsze kroki w stylu Los Angeles, oraz zdobyła postawy tańca towarzyskiego. Chcąc rozwijać swoje umiejętności wielokrotnie brała udział w warsztatach organizowanych w kraju i zagranicą. W 2005 roku za sprawą znakomitych pedagogów tańca jak Alberto Valdes (Cuba), Israel Gutirrez ( Cuba) zetknęła się z tradycyjnymi tańcami afrokubańskimi które stały się jej największa pasją. To właśnie one zaprowadziły ja do Sho gdzie poznała sambę, afro dance i wiele innych tańców związanych z kręgiem kulturowym ABC (Afryka, Cuba, Brazil). Jej ulubionym gatunkiem tanecznym jest zdecydowanie rumba guaguancó, uwielbia bawić się w rytm energicznej timby ale równie dobrze czuje się w stylu nowojorskiego mambo czy też w reggaetonie i dancehallu. Ostatnio jej poszukiwania taneczne objęły swoim zasięgiem również hip-hop i street jazz. Wykształcenie muzyczne daje jej dużą swobodę w interpretowaniu muzyki co w parze ze znajomością różnorakich stylów tanecznych umożliwia jej pełne wyrażanie siebie w tańcu. 2007 roku zaowocowało to III miejscem w kategorii Casino na I międzynarodowym konkursie salsy Primavera Open we Wrocławiu.

Do tej pory miała przyjemność występować z takimi grupami jak Mandinga, Ritmodelia, Calle Sol, Jose Torres y Salsa Topical. Razem z formacją SHO brała udział w większości festivali organizowanych w Polsce takich jak Carnaval De we Wrocławiu, Festival Salsy w Warszawie, Cubamemucho, Baila Maquina w Krakowie, Salsa Festival Wrocławiu. Występowała na deskach Teatru im. J. Osterwy w Lublinie w spektaklu "Opowieści Lasku Wiedeńskiego".

"Moje zajęcia to duża dawka pracy nad ruchem ciała, sporo śmiechu i przede wszystkim dobra zabawa! Zapraszam serdecznie!"

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Riccardo is a musician, sportsman, international dance instructor, choreographer, performer, animator and dj, champion of Italy 2009 in salsa New York style and Los Angeles style. He's from Italy, but now living in Poland where he definitely moved at the beginning of 2009, after having been teaching in both countries at the same time for a year and a half. In 2006 in Italy, he founded the Universo Salsero, a school of all styles of salsa, that is currently the name of his dance team. In Wrocław, the city of Poland where he now lives, he has got his own dance school, Fly Dance Academy, and he organizes the festivals: "Universo Salsero Bachata Weekend" and "Wroclaw Salsa Festival" (the 4th edition will take place on 17-20 Feb 2011).

Very appreciated as teacher because of his high technical preparation in all styles of salsa and his very clear way to explain the important tips, but also for his charisma, sense of humor and energy, he's well known as a dancer and choreographer too, thanks to his shows, always original and in different styles. He has been invited in many international salsa and bachata festivals, to teach and to present his shows: in Italy, Poland, Germany, England, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Malta, Egypt and Belgium. First official teacher of bachata in Poland (since 2004) Riccardo is bringing lots of news in the Polish salsa side, especially concerning the Los Angeles and Cuban style and he's spreading his passion for the dance in Wrocław by his hot salsa and bachata parties that are involving more and more people. With 2 different dance partners, both from Warsaw he's going to present a bachata show and a salsa show in New York style mixed with afro/cha cha cha.

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Clau&Luke are a two well-known Polish salsa dancers, who recently decided to dance together. Both are considered to have big influence on Polish salsa scene where they developed their salsa styles adding many elements from other techniques such as: jazz, modern, afro, house, hip-hop, locking, acrobatics. They are also known from their cooperation with Polish editions of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars.

As instructors they are always funny, friendly and patient and have a great ability to explain difficult stuff with abstract and funny ideas.

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Ale Miodowska is a leader and co-founder of SallsHall Ortodox and, at the same time, a dancer and dance instructress. Ale specialises in Yoruba dances, traditional Cuban rumba, salsa and dancehall. As a dancer, she performed with such groups as "José Torres y Salsa Tropical", "Sonido Tres" (Cuba), "Calle Sol" and "Ritmodelia". In years 2002-2004, she was a dancer and instructor in the group "Los Bailadores". Among Ale's teachers are Afro Crudo (afro), Pedro Ros (samba and Afro-Brasilian dances), Orville Small (salsa), Susana Montero (salsa), Jay (hip-hop) and Jorge Camagüey (rumba). During a three-month stay on Cuba, she learnt Afrocuban dances from Rainel Fernández Ballester (rumba, Yoruba - Orisha), Joyce Vasallo Martinez (Yoruba - Orisha) and dancers from groups such as Conjunto Folclórico Nacional de Cuba (Yoruba - Orisha) and Grupo Afrocuba de Matanzas (yoruba - Orisha). Ale's dancing style is characterized by a mixture of elements from afro, rumba and hip-hop. In her dance, she can perfectly match each instrument. The knowledge of many Cuban rhythms allows her to improvise to live music. Ale's dance workshops provide also some information on the Latinoamerican culture.

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Salsa Sabrosa is a name identified in Poland, as well as beyond its borders, with unforgettable colourful fantasy choreographies with a high dance standard that imaginatively combine different dance styles and forms into one magical whole.

Salsa Sabrosa Dance School was founded in Cracow in April 2004. The founder was Małgosia Kulpa, who invited Michał Zakrzewski for cooperation.

Both Małgosia and Michał had been surrounded by different dance styles from an early age, which allowed them to create a school not only characterised by high dance standard but also filled with a lot magic and passion. And they were able to pass this passion to a lot of salsero-generations in Cracow.

Modern dance with elements of hip-hop and funk, which Gosia studied from an early age, and Latin dance, which Michał grew up in, turned out to be a perfect mixture and bore fruit in stunning, multifaceted, surprising choreographies, which sink deep into the memory of the audience.

In December 2004 Salsa Sabrosa was joined by an old friend Grzegorz Przetocki. Grzegorz started his salsa adventure 6 years ago, and already after a couple of months he became a member of one of the first salsa formations in Poland - Salsa Ventura.

In February 2005, having some of the best instructors of Cracow and amazing dancers, Małgosia set up one of the first salsa formations on Poland, Salsa Sabrosa. Since then, the instructors of Salsa Sabrosa, as well as the members of the show-group, have constantly been improving their skills, taking part in and performing at the most prestigious salsa congresses and festivals in Poland and Central Europe:

- Carnaval de Salsa - Wroclaw / Poland
- Salsa Festival - Berlin / Germany
- Salsa Festiwal - Warsaw / Poland
- Salsa Festival - Frankfurt /Germany
- Salsa Festival - Karlsruhe / Germany
- Salsa Festival - Prague/ Czech Republic

See them dance:

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Przemek Wereszczyński (Mek) is a dancer, choreographer, a certified dance instructor and the co-founder of The Salsa Kings dance company, two-time Polish Salsa champions. His recent projects include work as a dancer and assistant choreographer for Jarosław Staniek on Kochaj i Tańcz (a Polish dance film) and as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance Ukraine and So You Think You Can Dance Poland.

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Monika is world Salsa vice-champion, Polish Salsa champion and Polish professional Latin second vice-champion.

She learnt her dancing skills from the most prominent dancers in the world. Thanks to her versatile dance activity, a recently, also to her work at a choreographer and dancer in the first Polish dance movie (TVN's "Love and Dance"), Monika is recognised by thousands of dancers and dance lovers.

She has worked as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance Ukraine and So You Think You Can Dance Poland. She collaborates with theatres as a dancer and as a choreographer, conducts numerous workshops and training sessions and participates in dance festivals in Poland and abroad.

She is the co-founder, choreographer and lead instructor of The Salsa Kings dance company, the current Polish salsa champions, and the owner and director of Dance Avenue - Monika Grzelak dance school in Gdańsk.

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Marta and Michał are dancers and main instructors of the Project Salsa Dance Studio. Their fascination for salsa, hip-hop and jazz dance evolved into an electrifying dance-mix that they self call "Salsa Funky Style". Their style is characterized by great dynamics and expression, as well as the use of a variety of dance forms. Both feel excellent dancing solo as well as in couple. Marta and Michał place great emphasis on improvisation and music interpretation, issues that they teach to their numerous students. They have taken part in several workshops around the world and have performed at international congresses. Marta also leads psychology workshops in dance therapy.

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Dancer, instructor and choreographer, appreciated both home and internationally, co-creator of salsa society and two of the biggest dance schools in Lodz, Poland. He has taught and performed for years on salsa congresses and festivals home and abroad.

His style is characterized by great dynamics and expression, with an emphasis on improvisation and interpretation of music during the dance. An electrifying mix of salsa and hip-hop with inspiration from jazz, Salsa Funky Style, is his trademark, and his specialty is Salsa/hip-hop. His classes are like his style, a mixture of expression and technical tricks on high level, with a blend of humor. His dance patterns are applicable to both solo dancing and in couples. He is a versatile teacher, appealing both to advanced and beginner students. A huge number of students have been infected by his passion for salsa and teaching dance is what he loves.

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Michalina and Kamil are professional dancers with 13-year experience. They have been dancing together for 4 years. They specialize in preparing performances and shows. They are pioneers in Zouk in Poland, and in Bachata and Merengue in Kielce, where they now teach those dances in the Studio Dance Factory. They teach the best Polish dance couples and formation while at the same time traveling around the world representing Poland at Salsa, Bachata, Zouk and Merengue championships. They are current IDO World Champions in Zouk. Now they want to share their experience and knowledge with Bachata and Zouk lovers. As instructors they are known for their sense of humor and professionalism.

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Fota Step is one of the newest dance projects in Koszalin, Poland. It was founded by Krzysztof Himkowski and Oliwia Olech-Himkowska, a.k.a. Fibe & Oliwka.

Among their many achievements since 2006 is the organization of "Taniec KONTRA Taniec", one of the largest indepentent dance festivals in Poland, numerous dance workshops and Salsa Event Koszalin.

In February, Fota Step Crew performed together with Zosia Karbowiak during the Polish national selection to the Eurovision Song Contest. They also appeared in Zosia's video for To Co Czuję, with a choreography by Fibe.

Fibe is a certified dance instructor. The title was conferred to him by the Ministry of Culture - National Culture Center - in June 2004 after completing a two-year instructor qualifying course in Warsaw. Apart from dancing, he also deals with rap music. His records are available on his official profile at www.fibe.muzzo.pl.

Oliwka is a student of Physical Education at Szczecin University.

They have performed together at Crystal Salsa Party (Wieliczka, Poland), Bachaturo (Warsaw, Poland), Salsa Spring Break (Warsaw Poland) and at Warsaw Salsa Festival. They love Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata and Hip Hop. Currently, they are working on a new project, "Salsa In The Open Air", scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2011.

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Montuno Aye is a Warsaw-based salsa school founded by Ola Leszczewicz and Kasia Lorkowska, uniting some of the Polish salsa instructors. It is also the only professional Kizomba dance school in Poland. It is known for the unique style, feeling, professional teaching and love towards everything which is Nuyorican and Angolan. They specialise in Salsa New York Style and its 'relatives' like pachanga, cha cha cha, boogaloo and, of course, in Kizomba, brought by them to Polish dancefloors. This is the techinique they will teach at this year's Warsaw Salsa Festival!

Montuno Aye will be represented by Gosia Poreba and Marek Rewicki. Gosia is interested in music from her childhood. Apart from being a splendid salsa teacher, she is one of the top notch kizomba instructors in Poland. She has been involved in kizomba since the very first workshops organised by Montuno Aye in 2008. Not only has she taught a wide crowd of students but also performed and choreographed a number of kizomba shows. Due to her pedagogic experience as an English teacher, she is great at sharing knowledge and explaining even the most difficult dance combos in an easy and 'user friendly' way.

Marek has been dancing since the second grade. After a long ballroom dance career, he came to Montuno to study salsa and kizomba. He became one of the first male kizomba teachers and performers. He is known for his practical approach and very explicit leading full of kizomba tasty little tricks and complicated patterns. Girls, learn from him but also dance with him at the party!

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SalsHall Ortodox to formacja taneczna, która kładzie nacisk na zachowanie oryginalnej formy przedstawianych stylów. Jej założycielką jest Ale Miodowska, która szkoliła się u najlepszych nauczycieli na całym świecie. Prezentowane przez formację między innymi rytualne tańce afrokubańskie są ilustracją bóstw kubańskich (Eleggua, Yemaya, Ochun i innych). Ich niezwykle oryginalne pokazy nie mają w Polsce konkurencji -tylko SHO posiada odpowiednie przygotowanie do przedstawiania tych tańców, oraz oryginalne, sprowadzane z Kuby stroje.

Na festiwalu grupa zaprezentuje tradycyjny pokaz kubańskiego bóstwa o nazwie Oyá. Oyá jest władczynią wiatru. Mieszka na cmentarzu, ale nie jest boginią zmarłych (zmarłym patronuje przede wszystkim Odua). Jej atrybutem jest ciemny koński ogon- tzw. Iruke, a symbolizującymi ją kolorami jest zestawienie pięciu barw. Podczas tańca przedstawia się jej wojowniczy charakter ostrymi ruchami, groźną mimiką i krzykiem.

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Salsalovers is unique show group from Latvia. Each of their shows is more than just a dance. It is an interesting theatrical performance with exciting story, specially selected music and unforgettable costumes. There are 20 dancers in the group and each of them is a talented person with individual style and technique. That makes Salsalovers such a bright and unforgettable dance team in the Baltics.

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The group was formed by Natalija Agarkova in summer 2009, but debuted as "I-Fly Dance Group" at Berlin Salsa Congress in September 2010. In their shows the group aspires after clear technique of NY Mambo, funky look of Latin Jazz, as well as unique music interpretation.

United by love for Latin music and culture the dancers are working hard to reach their goals and have lots of fun doing it.

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Show team lead by Gianni Latorre.

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Artist description coming soon.

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Sebastian Stolarski, an experienced dancer and an even more experienced teacher, is the cofounder of the first Salsa school in Szczecin. He sees dance as a form of communication, a pleasurable pastime and a passion that makes life more exciting. His motto is "Just dance!".

Ewa, Sebastian's partner on the dancefloor and in real life, caught the Salsa bug in 2005 and hasn't looked back since. She is open to various dance forms. She shares her passion for Afro-Cuban dance and music with everyone she meets.

Ewa and Sebastian are both actively involved in the promotion of Salsa in Szczecin, co-organizing dance events and workshops. They draw their inspiration from the best and keep developing their skills. They have been invited to teach and perform at salsa festivals both in Poland and abroad. Their latest project is Kimama Dance Studio, the first and only school to provide New York style salsa classes in Szczecin.

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Latin Groove salsa school dancers specialize in spontaneous improvisation and choreographies. They create shows for single pairs and for groups as well. They are inspired by different dances such as Modern, Broadway Dance, Jazz and Afro. Mixing all these dance skills brings them an original style which is based on the technique of New York mambo.

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English bio coming soon!

Reprezentanci czystego NY Style na polskiej scenie salsowej. Zakochani w Nowym Jorku i nowojorskiej salsie od pierwszego tańca. Dwukrotnie wspólnie zwyciężyli w konkursie Primavera Salsa Open jako najlepsza para w Mambo i zagrali w pierwszym polskim musicalu o salsie. Kasia jest dyplomowanym instruktorem tańca, absolwentką Broadway Dance Center w NYC, uczennicą Eddiego Torresa, technikiem Active Isolated Felxibility, choreografem i współzałożycielem warszawskiej szkoły Salsy i Kizomby Montuno Aye. Oskar instruktor i choregraf Montuno Aye, jako młody chłopak z wielkim zapałem grał na perkusji przez 7 lat, a potem zamienił pasję do muzyki na pasję do tańca. Jako instruktor współpracuje również ze szkołą Salsa Libre. Razem współtworzą projekt formacji Alma Negra, która zaznacza swoją obecność na europejskich festiwalach. Jako duet są mieszanką wybuchową : energia, pasja, miłość do salsy i doskonałe przygotowanie -pedagogiczne, techniczne, muzyczne - oraz odpowiednia dawka humoru. Korzystając ze swoich doświadczeń i inspiracji muzyką latynoską tworzą niezpomniane choreografie taneczne. Więcej info o nich na stronie www.montuno.com.pl.

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Que Pasa was founded in 2009 at the initiative of 5 friends, teachers and dancers from two Poznań-based dance studios: "Time 2 Dance" and "Art of Move". Due to their vast knowledge of many techniques such as Jazz, Ballroom, Cuban Salsa, Crossbody Salsa and Rueda de Casino, they were able to put up a salsa show with elements of Ballroom and Contemporary. In spite of being a fairly young dance company, Que Pasa established itself on the market by winning the first place in National Salsa Choreography Championship at Wrocław Salsa Festival, the second place in the Salsa Dance Groups category at Primavera Salsa Open and performing on the stage of Apollo Theatre in Poznań and salsa festivals in Warsaw and Wieliczka.

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Reggaeton Ladies Crew, the show team of Latino Vibe dance school is made of beautiful, talented and slightly crazy women who love dancing and Latin music, especially reggeaton, cubaton and all contemporary Cuban music with a dash of afro, latino and reggae. They believe that this dance style brings a big doze of positive energy unlike any other. Full of femininity and grace, the physically and technically demanding shows of Reggeaton Ladies Crew are an unforgettable experience to all audiences, being appreciated by women and outright adored by men.

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The history of the Tropicana tance team finds it roots 4 years ago, when Ania and Ernest decided to do something outstanding. Despite being so young, they've created many performances, events and shows. Tropicana consists of a group of students, some of whom are experienced dancers, while others are fresh talents who are only now discovering their love to perform. They specialise in Latin American dances but you can also see them doing other techniques, which they try to mix and match. All of this results in a unique mixture of styles, ideas, techniques and music. Their strongest side is youth, team-playing and love for dance.

Tropicana will début at this year's Warsaw Salsa Festival with their naughty, energetic and sexy reggeaton show.

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