Wednesday

Salsa with The Latin Collective Team

7pm-7.30pm: Free absolute Beginners class
7.30pm-8.30pm: Absolute Beginners / Beginners / Improvers / Intermediates / Advanced
8.30pm-9.30pm: Absolute Beginners / Beginners / Improvers / Intermediates / Advanced

Lesson cost: £5 for 1hour / £8 for 2 classes

Club admission: £4 after 9pm

		Joseph Davids Director of The Latin Collective. Joe started dancing salsa in London in1997. 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, The Leeds Salsa Festival & The London LatinFests, Joe and his team have travelled abroad extensively and have taught already in Italy, Spain, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland & Denmark. In addition to a number of documentaries and features articles Joe has worked on Dance X, The Esther Rantzen Show, GMTV, Sky News & Puerto Rican TV News Channel as well as being a regular pundit on London Live Radio.


		Niki Britton Niki Britton has been dancing for nearly ten years, first as a Latin & Ballroom dancer before finding her way into Salsa. She started learning in her friendly, local club in the East End of London in 2000 and this is where she met Joseph at one of his guest advanced classes (and has been working with him ever since). Her methodical nature and amazing ability to pick up new skills has seen her progress rapidly and after just one year dancing she was performing on stage at many of London's top salsa clubnights. Over the last 3 years, she has worked with The Latin Soul Sisters, Iris De Britto and Laith Sami & Candice Leong as well as The Leon Rose Project. Niki's skills in teaching Spin Technique & Ladies Styling are in great demand. More recently, she met up with Mauro Casali with whom she entered the 2003 British Salsa Championship - placing second behind Laith & Candice..

		Aiste Kalabuhova Aiste is from Siauliai, Lithuania. Aiste started dancing at the age of 5, she was a member of "Zelmeneliai", one of the best groups in the country. Aiste attened 5 years dance studies in Klaipeda University (Lithuania), where she studied the national dances of Lithuania and ballet, jazz, contemporary, latin, ballroom, drama, stage make-up and other different subjects. In 2002 Aiste came to London. Aiste completed a one year IDTA Freestyle Dance course and was also teaching dance at secondary schools while studying. While studying on this course, this is where a friend introduced her to Salsa. Aiste has learnt from internationally known teachers like Susana Montero, Joseph Davids and Andrea Stewart. Aiste was a member of Seraphim and is currently dancing in Duende Dance Company where she is one of the top dances and travels with Duende to perform at congresses across Europe. In 2004 Aiste won amateur 3rd prize the in Tropicana World Dance Championships at Aiste currently teaches for the Joe David's Latin Collective Team and also for The Duende Dance Co.

		Mauro Casali Mauro began his dance career in 2001 at the Fiesta Havana Club in Central London learning from Julian "The Duke" of the Salsoteca Dance School. After one year Salsoteca's owner, Elder Sanchez, offered to train Mauro to work as a teacher in his team and, soon afterwards, Mauro began teaching beginners level classes. Through his work with Salsoteca, Mauro started to work with the Piccadilly Mambo dance troupe run by Iris De Britto. There he met and started partnering Niki Britton of the Latin Collective team, a dance partnership which saw them narrowly miss out on first place at the British Salsa Championships in 2003. During this time, he was invited to work with The Latin Collective as an associate teacher as well as part of the SOS (Salsa on Sundays) team, run by two of the UK's top instructors Tamambo and Leon Rose. As a result, Mauro has taught in most of the best London salsa clubs and studios such as Bar Salsa, Bar Havana, Bar Rumba, La Finca, Salsa Palladium and Pineapple Studios and has gained an enviable reputation. Over the last 4 years, Mauro's hard work as well in learning and developing new skills have led to a number of invites to international salsa congresses across the World. He has a reputation as the life and soul of the party. Mauro is famed for his exciting dance style and the brooding and passionate style of his choreographies with his current partner Eva Hurychova have gained him a loyal following. Other past credits include: 2002 - was part of a video on MTV Asia along with Laith Sami (British Champion 2003) 2003 - won second place in the British Salsa Competition (Cross Body Lead Style). Today Mauro teaches and performs with Aiste Kalabuchova


		Olga Ribaka Olga is the newest full-time member of the Team, and although she only joined us in January 2007, she has already become and invaluable part of the team and one of its most popular staff members. After starting her salsa career at her local studio in Riga (Latvia), Olga worked closely with Raimonds Balins – the premier male teacher in the Baltic states Olga comes to us with a wealth of dance teaching qualifications in other disciplines including Ballet and Contemporary Dance as well as Aerobics.

Mauro Casali

Member Area