Salsa Explosion - Salsa Fest UK - December 2008

Enrique Perez (Cuba)
Award-Winner UK Cuban Salsa Promoter 2006 & Salsa UK Lifetime Achievement Award Winner 2007

Enrique Perez is the creative force behind Salsa Explosion. Born and raised in Pinar del Rio and Havana in Cuba, Enrique has been dancing salsa for over 25 years. A highly respected salsa teacher and DJ in Italy and Ibiza Spain, Enrique exploded onto the UK salsa scene from Ibiza 15 years ago with enough Latin spirit to set the south coast on fire.

Enrique quickly established himself as one of the UK's leading Cuban salsa teachers, DJ, promoter and performance artists, winning numerous salsa competitions and performing at some of the country's top salsa dance festivals and events. It's official: Britain is in the grip of dance fever, and salsa classes are in huge demand. Did you know that Bournemouth is now recognized as one of the UK's hottest salsa destinations? Thanks to Enrique and the Salsa Explosion team, the south coast is alight with Cuban passion almost every night of the week. A finalist in the 1999 British Salsa Championship, Enrique was awarded a Diploma from the United Kingdom Alliance for Dance, Drama and Exercise (U.K.A). Enrique is Salsa Explosion's lead salsa instructor and teaches a range of classes for all levels. He is also available for demonstrations, workshops, master classes, corporate functions and private tuition. Also in demand as a Salsa and Latin DJ, Enrique runs a number of weekly salsa club nights and special events in and around Bournemouth, bringing some of the UK's finest live bands, DJs, dancers and salsa enthusiasts to the south coast. So no excuses, any age, gender, couples or singles, just grab your nearest pair of Cuban heels or sexy stilettos (girls that is) and shimmy on down to your nearest class.

Everyone's welcome, from absolute beginners looking for the basic steps, to disco divas in need of some crafty Latin moves. Unleash your Latin spirit! In 2006, Enrique won the UK's most popular Cuban salsa promoter award, as voted for by the British Public.

Janet Fuentes Torres (Cuba)
Award-Winner UK Cuban Female Dance Performer

Born in Havana, Janet Fuentes Torres, is one of the most beautiful dancers in the world. A triple World Open Salsa champion and star of the hit West End show Lady Salsa. She spent her formative years at the Cuban National School of Art and Dance (graduating with honours) and since arriving in the UK, has become an international Salsa star, performing at major Congresses throughout the world. Winner of "The best female Cuban Salsa Performer Award" at The Cuban Dance Awards 2006.

Rafael Del Busto (Cuba)
Award-Winner UK Cuban Male Dance Performer

Rafael, born in Havana, is widely recognised as the UK's very best proponent of authentic Cuban Salsa, Mambo and Rumba dance style. He spent his formative years at the Cuban National School of Art and Dance (graduating with honours) spending a further three years with the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba, before coming to the UK to star in the hit West End show Lady Salsa. Since then he won no less than two World Open Salsa Championship titles. Rafael and Janet, his dance partner, are both beautiful to watch as well as beautiful people and will always bring a unique Cuban touch to any occasion. His passionate style and intricate footwork has seen the uprising of Cuban style in the UK. Winner of "The best male Cuban Salsa Performer Award" at The Cuban Dance Awards 2006.

Moe Flex (UK)
Award-Winner - UK Cuban Salsa Teacher

Crowned the UK's 'Most Popular Cuban Salsa Teacher 2006, Moe Flex is one of the most exciting, inspiring and entertaining characters in the international Latin dance scene today. In feedback from our last Congress, his workshops received an average rating of 'excellent' and our highest overall score ever. The man with the biggest smile in salsa can always be found at the heart of the biggest salsa nights, weekenders and congresses. Moe divides his time between teaching, choreographing and performing salsa, throughout the UK and overseas. Moe also has extensive reggaeton, hip hop, locking, bachata, cha cha cha and On2 skills which he regularly incorporates into his classes and shows. Moe's professionalism, enthusiasm and excellence in such a wide variety of disciplines have established him as one of the best teachers around, encouraging and mentoring everyone from first time beginners to professional dancers in his inimitable "all good" style.

Leandro Charanga (Cuba)

When he arrived in the UK in 2007, Leandro Charanga was immediately crowned 'The Reggaeton King'. 100% Cuban, he is one of the most charismatic performers around today.

Leandro's style is unique and wildly entertaining. His fusion of raw-energy reggaeton from the backstreets of Havana and his classical ballet education could only happen in Cuba. His dance is edgy and athletic, and at the same time full of grace and fun!

A professional dancer and choreographer in Cuba, Leandro studied for 8 years with a leading Havana dance school; renowned for its breadth of teaching and emphasis on the performance arts. He attained teaching qualifications after 2 more years of study and has taught and performed in all the Cuban dance forms; salsa, son, cha cha cha, rumba, afro and, of course, reggaeton. He's worked with leading Cuban & international bands, been principal dancer in Havana's top shows, worked on TV and DVD and been head hunted by leading European dance companies.

Leandro has an enormous heart; his warmth and enthusiasm for dance fills the room. As a teacher and a performer, Leandro is loved on both sides of the Atlantic. He is famous in Cuba, where they call him 'Charanga'. Now resident in the UK, his favourite things include shoe shops, his cat, roller-coasters, Ben & Jerry's and working with the other amazing Cuban artists that Britain is lucky to call their own.

DJ Javier De La Rosa (Cuba)
Award-Winner UK Cuban DJ

Javier, winner of the "Most Popular Cuban Salsa DJ Award 2006" and finalist in the Bacardi DJ Competition 2003, he is one of the most exciting Latin DJ's on the scene. He came to the UK five years ago from Havana, Cuba, where he worked at the Castillito Cultural Centre and was involved in various musical activities. He has been DJing in the UK since his arrival, playing Salsa and Timba Cubana, Reggaeton, latin Hip-Hop and R & B to suit the occasion.. He featured in iD London magazine (October 2005 edition) as one of the UKs leading emerging acts in the urban latin music scene. Currently, you can find him playing at various clubs and events in London and the UK.

Amanda Maitland

Amanda Maitland first experienced Salsa was whilst on holiday in St Lucia and she was inspired by it, learnt to dance it and subsequently teach it. Her background is from teaching. Not only is she UKA qualified as a Salsa Dance Teacher, but also has a Degree in Education. Amanda has taught in some of the best known salsa venues, including Salsa Palladium, La Finca, Ronnie Scott's, Turnmills and of course El Grande in Vauxhall. Whilst Amanda can teach a multitude of styles and levels including 'crossbody' and 'cuban', she is renowned for teaching beginners and improvers because of her infectious sense of humour and the support and enthusiasm for dancers starting out. With Amanda's encouragement she will make sure you have fun right from the start. Whilst not in the UK, Amanda can be found in Havana, Cuba, where she hosts trips for Dance Holidays, whilst absorbing the culture, the music and the Cuban dance and teaching techniques.

Osbanis Tejeda (Cuba)
Rueda De Casino & Cuban Salsa Champion 'Cuba'

Osbanis was born in Havana, Cuba. He comes from a family of natural talent that taught him the best way to learn was by listening and watching. He Graduated a professor of Cuban percussion from the Fernando Guanches Academy, where he later worked with several Cuban musicians and taught percussion to children and adults. He developed dance when he arrived in the UK, where the important thing to him was to feel everything you see, in music and dance. For that reason he says 'dance is to play and music is to live, so live to play'. Performance accomplishments include:

• 2003 - choreographed a show in Edinburgh Festival
• 2003 - UK Cuban Salsa Champion
• Performed and taught in Salsa Congresses all around Europe and Asia
• 2004 - Tropicana Tropics World Rueda Champion
• 2 video clips for Roll Deep
• Channel 4 : UK Music Awards 2004 (Backing dancers for Roll Deep)
• TV commercial for "We Love Salsa" V2TV Fania Compilation CD
• 2005 Havana Club tour: dancer and musician (percussion)
• 'El Barrio' - The real salsa musical: Peformer and Arranger
• Performed with Cuban group Orichas
• Played percussion (timbal) with latin hip hop group Latin Clan

Jorge Camaguey (Cuba)

Jorge Camaguey is unmistakably Cuban and great fun. He has a unique style of Mambo Salsa/jazz/afro-Cuban fusion that has to be seen to be believed. He has many years experience in performance (music/dance videos, dance troupes) and teaching. Some of his Salsa contemporaries have hailed him as the best dancer in Europe.

Jorge was born in Havana, and was engaged in Cuban folklore since childhood. He is the famous international instructor of afro-Cuban dance, choreographer, and dancer. He taught in Germany, France, England and Spain. He lives in Barcelona since 1997 and is the head of "Asisebaila" school. He has worked with such famous people as: David Civera and John Secada, Rusia and Fangia de Mireli. Acted in commercials for "Coca-Cola", "Mango" and "BBVA". His remarkable talent, inexhaustible energy, and also his personal style of work that is based on mixture salsa with hop-hop and Cuban son with rumba make his choreographies unique.

Yanek Revilla (Cuba)

Yanek Revilla was born in Santiago de Cuba where he started his dancing career in the dance company Luces de America in 1998. He also worked as a salsa instructor in the Casa de la Cultura in Santiago de Cuba. In 2002 Revilla started to work as a director, dancer and choreographer in the dance company Casino.Com. The group won many prizes in Cuba and Revilla was invited to dance and teach in Europe. In 2004 Revilla won the world championship of salsa in Italy and the salsa championship of "Bailar Casino" - a Cuban television programme - in the categories of best Cuban casino dancer and best Rueda de casino. The same popular tv programme nominated Revilla's dance group as the best Rueda de Casino performance of Cuba again the following year. After that Revilla has teached and performed in European salsa festivals but lives still in Cuba.

More to be confirmed

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