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Julián Mejía (Unconfirmed)
Director
SALSAtlanta Dance Company

Julián Mejía, born in Colombia, started to dance salsa at the age of 17. His interest in the music started 3 or 4 years before starting to dance. Julián moved to Miami in 1995 and soon after started learning Casino with Ramani Nicola (Salsa-Casino Dance Studios) and Henry Herrera. During his time in Miami, Julian traveled to La Habana as he was interested in learning more about the culture and the music of the island. There he learned about Afro and Rumba dances. In 1999, Julián moved to Atlanta and under the name of SALSAtlanta, started the only Casino school and performance group in Georgia. More than 6,500 students have passed through his classes in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia. Julián also conducts salsa classes in different clubs in the greater Atlanta area. Julián has contributed to spreading the Casino style in Atlanta and beyond by conducting workshops in different cities around the United States, Canada and South America. He also helps spread the salsa with his website, SalsaCasino.com, SALSAtlanta.com, SalsaSpaces.com and is co-founder of SalsaPower.com and webmaster of LatinCoolNOW.com.

Victoria-Hadar Harel (MSc) Dance Instructor, Choreographer, Performer

Victoria-Hadar began studying dance at the age of 5 with studies in ballet, jazz, Classical Ballroom and Flamenco. She later performed with a Flamenco troupe.
She holds a degree from the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and a Master degree from CUNY. Victoria-Hadar has specialized in latin dance for the past 15 years.

She has participated in international Salsa events and Salsa congresses around the globe and taught international and nationwide workshops in Scandinavia, The Mediterranean, Canada and across the USA, from NY to Alaska.

Currently Victoria is teaching at “You Should Be Dancing” Dance Center in Manhattan, NY, where students love her entertaining and considerate teaching style.

Victoria has performed for the last Six years in National and Local events including the Lincoln Center for the performing arts, Havana Film Festival NY Gala, WB11 Hispanic Parade, Chelsea Piers, the Lower East side Festival, Club Copacabana and Club SOB’s in NYC; in an NBA game and the Hispanic day in Washington DC; the Re-Opening of Philadelphia’s main library in PA, at the “Hoboken Arts and Music festival” in NJ and in the biggest Cuban yearly event of the north Atlantic region – “the Mamoncillo”.

Martin Vicente

Martin Vicente (Composer, Song writer, Lead singer, Percussions) was born in Havana, Cuba, where he began singing and dancing on stage at age 5.

He graduated from Cuba’s prestigious school of Music “Escuela Superior De Artes” where he was evaluated as a professional singer and musician, by Paquito de Rivera and Arturo Sandoval among others. After college he began singing with Salsa groups and rising through the ranks of the Cuban music world including performances at the highly prestigious "Tropicana" club in Havana and other first class clubs and cabarets all over the country.

While performing with his band in Cuba, Martin shared the stage with world famous groups including Los Van Van, Irakere and Orchestra Aragon. Martin has won several contests, most notably "the Havana Singers Contest" and "The Latin Singers’ competition" in Chicago, IL.

David "D.J. Melao" Figueroa

David "D.J. Melao" Figueroa is a timba D.J. from Miami, FL who dedicates his work as a deejay to the promotion of Cuban music throughout the world. Melao is the official deejay of the very popular Cubamemucho Cuban Salsa Congress World Tour. As the deejay for the Cuban Salsa Congress, Melao's work has gained the respect of his colleagues and some of the world's top Cuban artists. Melao has been invited to work in some of the best venues throughout North America and Europe. Melao has gained popularity for his ability to ignite dance floors with the hottest and freshest Cuban timba music wherever he goes. He might also be known for his work in the very popular website Timba.com, where he writes his own blog called "Timba Con Melao" with the latest news in the timba world. Melao is the founder of "La Conexion Timbera D.J.'s", which is a worldwide D.J. union of the top timba D.J.'s. For more on D.J. MELAO please visit www.Myspace.com/DJMELAO , where you can hear his latest music or go to www.Timba.com/artists/melao for the latest Timba news and events.

Felix Bambury Webbe

Felix Bambury Webbe, a native of Guantanamo, Cuba, brings a lifetime of dance experience and a contagious enthusiasm and positive spirit to his high energy classes.

Since 1994, Felix has performed as a professional dancer with several celebrated dance companies including, Espectaculo Ibu Ana, Raices Profunda, and Banrarra. As a member of Banrarra he assisted with several international dance courses organized by Plaza Cuba.

As an instructor Felix has held the position of professor of folkloric dance with the contemporary dance company, Narcisco Medina, in Havana, Cuba.

Since his arrival in June, 2007 Felix has taught and performed in several venues around Alaska.

Ekaterina "Katya" Kuznetsova

Originally from Magadan, Russia, Katya has been dancing since the age of eight. Her dance career started with Tanzgracia Ballroom Dance Company in Magadan, where she studied and competed in International Ballroom dance for eight years.

Since 1996, Katya has been living, studying and teaching in Anchorage, Alaska. Katya has a Master of Arts in Dance and Adult Education and currently enjoys a full time teaching position with the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Theatre and Dance. She has been a guest instructor for the Academie de Danse Anchorage, Maui Community College, Anchorage Classical Ballet, Ballroom Club of Fairbanks, Anchorage Club Soraya, Alaska Dance Theater, and the Anchorage School District.

Katya has also taught at a variety of national dance workshops and festivals, most notably the Northwest Regional American College Dance Festivals (Bellingham, WA, Columbus, OH, and Missoula, MT), Rhythm Explosion Festivals (Bozeman, MT), Northwest Salsa Congress 2006 (Tacoma, WA), and DanceFest 2007 (Juneau, AK). Katya is a founder and artistic director of Ritmovida Dance Partnership (www.ritmovida.com), following a passion and a mission to bring people together through dance.

Sidney Weaverling & Ryan Mead

Sidney Weaverling is one of the founding members of the currently thriving Cuban-style salsa scene in the San Francisco 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.

Expert in both following and leading, she has given salsa and rueda workshops across the United States (including at the Inaugural Rueda Congress of the Americas in Miami), and in Australia, South America, and Europe. 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.

Ryan Mead was studying jazz percussion at the New England Conservatory when he took his first trip to Cuba, and his life was changed forever. He became an avid student of Cuban music and dance, both popular and folkloric, making several more trips to Cuba (most recently on a grant from Stanford). Fluent in Spanish, he has studied Cuban and Miami-style salsa and rueda in Washington DC, Miami, and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ryan has been teaching salsa and rueda classes for more than 3 years, and he is known for his friendly, patient teaching style and energetic, creative calling. While he has internalized an impressive repertory of turn patterns and body movement, his greatest strength as a dancer and instructor is his musicality; most recently he has been innovating a vocabulary of rhythmic calls and steps to aid dancers in the understanding and interpretation of Cuban music.