Bios
Instructors:
Naomi | Christine | Jacques | Calvin
Robin | John | Monique | Greg & Quinta
Entertainers:
DJ's | Bands | Organizers | Other
Dancers in Videos:
Calvin | Letha | Kerila | Cristi
(Are you a teacher who should be on this list? Please e-mail us!)
Naomi Alexander - Rocket City
Dance teacher at Rocket City Dance Club
Detailed bio coming...
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Christine Brizendine - Rocket City
Dance teacher at Rocket City Dance Club
Christine started dancing ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of 8. By the age of 14, she moved to Hackensack, NJ and started training in International Latin. A year later, she started to compete in the bronze level then soon after progressed into the silver level. In the bronze level she placed 1st in both competitions, then in silver she placed 1st and 2nd in all dances. At the age of 20 she moved to Huntsville, AL and took up only ballet for two years. Then at the age of 22 she came to Rocket City Dance Club and started taking group classes; soon after was asked to become an instructor. Here, she receives monthly training from champion dancers in Latin and Smooth such as Olga Kormanovskaya, Andrew Zemlanko, Steve Dougherty, and Eulia Baranovsky. Christine participates in the Annual Huntsville Invitational put on by RCDC. She also was asked to be a part of Huntsville Dancing With the Stars, and dances in the winter and spring showcases done for charity.
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Jacques Eckles - Salsa Inferno
Detailed bio coming...
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Calvin Elkins - SalsaHuntsville / Salsa Inferno
SalsaHuntsville.com Webmaster
Experience: 6+ yrs dancing, 1+ yr teaching
Calvin first discovered salsa as a junior at The Ohio State University in the fall of 2001. He received his very first salsa lessons from Carlos Rubio (Columbus, OH). Carlos' lessons are famous for his "Combo of the Day," where Calvin learned many moves (and names), including the Venus Tunnel and Salty Pretzel. He then began to take part in group lessons under the direction of Dana & Stacy Coil at Invitation to Dance Studio (Hilliard, OH). Dana and Stacy taught Calvin the fundamentals and worked up to more complex moves, finishing with Casino Rueda (where moves like Adios con la Hermana and Setenta Complicado come from.) While their student, Calvin was a part of a 1st Place Group Latin team at the 2005 Ohio Star Ball. Calvin refined his dance skills to the tunes of salsa/jazz band Yumbambé (Columbus, OH) every week, until he left for Huntsville in fall of 2005.
Upon arriving in Huntsville, Calvin created the BailaHuntsville.com website and sought out ways to spread salsa around the city. His first Huntsville stage performance was during NEEMA's Spring 2006 Recital. The first class he taught was a 4-week salsa class with the UAH Dance Club in fall 2006. The very first Sunday lesson was in February of 2007. Salsa on the Hill began in September of 2007. Now through SalsaHuntsville, Calvin is still doing what he can to bring a little ritmo to the Tennessee Valley.
Move & Combo videos: Default (he's in all except where another dancer is noted)
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Robin Miller - Salsa Inferno
Detailed bio coming...
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John "Salsero Blanko" Morey
Salsa Specialist
Experience: 8+ yrs dancing, 7+ yrs teaching
CLICK HERE for John's KCDC Schedule
John, a SALSA SPECIALIST, started taking lessons in Dallas TX in March of 2000. Since then he has attended many salsa congresses. He has taken numerous lessons from salsa professionals like Super Mario from London, Edie "the salsa freak", Luis Vasquez of Los Angeles (founder of LA ON1 style), and many more. He has performed at the Atlanta Salsa Congress and the West Coast Salsa Congress in L.A. (the largest salsa congress). He was accepted to perform at the NY Salsa Congress. He has been teaching since 2001. He has taught all over the country and travels for salsa. His specialty is "leading and following" techniques. His style of teaching is loose and a lot of fun. He dances both ON1 & ON2. He was the first to teach a Beginner Salsa Bootcamp in Huntsville.
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Monique Ryan - Dance Theatre of Huntsville
Owner of and teacher at Dance Theatre of Huntsville.
Detailed bio coming soon...
Greg & Quinta Stargell - Salsa Inferno
chillincb@yahoo.com | Quinta_Nicole@yahoo.com
Detailed bio coming...
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DJ's
DJ Ed
256.651.9626
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Bands
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Organizers
Doug & Diana Faust - Kinesthetic Cue Latin Party
Doug and Diana came to salsa from a ballroom background. They have taken lessons at Kinesthetic Cue Dance Club since 1999. They discovered salsa around 2002 at Alabama Hispanic Association events and from Latin Rhythms appearances. They have had a love for it ever since -- the music, the dance, and the people who dance it. They started hosting a monthly Latin dance at Kinesthetic Cue Dance Club in February 2006, to introduce Huntsville to Latin dancing and to provide a place for people to dance salsa. It is still ongoing and is the longest-run monthly salsa dance in Huntsville, held the last Saturday of every month. They have taken salsa lessons when and where available, most consistently from Calvin since March 2007.
Norma Reeves - Latin Dance Club
Yvonne - SaborLatino
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Other
WJAB
Marcus Sims | Global Grooves | 7pm Mondays
Erica Foxx | Latin Jazz House | 10am Fridays
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Letha
Hometown - Detroit, MI
First Lesson: February 2007
Loletha is a native of Detroit, MI and a graduate of the University of Michigan. She took her very first salsa lesson in February of 2007 and hasn't looked back. In just about a year, she has proven herself a teriffic dancer and a boon to the Huntsville salsa community. She has appeared in virtually every move posted on the moves list.
Move & Combo videos: Default (she's in all except where another dancer is noted)
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Kerila
Hometown - Levittown, Puerto Rico
First Lesson: N/A (Active dancer for 6+ years)
Kerila is a natural born dancer and, since 2005, had been Calvin's unofficial dance partner. Despite never getting the opportunity to record those dances together, they have developed a rapport on the dance floor. Unfortunately for Huntsville, she has moved to San Antonio, TX. We wish her the best and she will be sorely missed!
Move videos: Quick Venus Tunnel, Pattycake, Venus Tunnel, Mars Tunnel, Double Basic Underarm Turn v1
Combo videos: Setenta Special
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Cristi
Hometown - Orange County, CA
First Lesson: November 2007
Although a newbie to West Coast salsa, Cristi is a dancer of Cuban Salsa due to her heritage, and caught on quickly. She is a graduate of Oakwood University and is moving on to graduate school. We are glad to be graced by her presence, however short the time may have been.
Move videos: Tornado, Basic Twist, Basic Dip
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