Teachers

Vuelta Dance is a collective of experienced salsa performers and teachers based in Dunedin and Christchurch, known not only for our collection of shiny competition trophies but more importantly, for how much we love to share our passion for dance.

We are lucky to have a teaching team of four powerful women with totally different body types, dance backgrounds, and strengths, so our students get a real mixture of styles. We teach shines and partnered salsa in a variety of styles.

We love taking a fresh, fun approach to salsa: encouraging dancers to style in a way that suits their specific body shape and the way they like to move; to encourage confidence and self-expression on the dance floor. Our aim is that you leave our workshops with a smile on your face, and some new ways of moving that make you feel great

Emily started dancing at a very young age, training and competing in Ballet and Jazz for many years. She started dancing Salsa and Bachata about 13 years ago, and over time trained in a wide variety of other styles including zouk and kizomba. For 8 years, Emily taught many of these styles at her dance school, Salsa Club Dunedin. She also ran a dance school for children. 

Augusto is from Brazil, has been social dancing for 12 years, and has been teaching a wide range of dance styles for 6 years now. He has attended congresses and festivals all over Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia. He now lives in Dunedin where he owns and runs his own dance school, Dança Latina Dunedin. 

Emily and Augusto have been dance partners for more than 4 years and their favorite dance styles are Zouk and Kizomba. They have taught both these styles all around New Zealand and in Australia. They also have competed together in many styles and have had great success.

Sebastian originally from Chile is the director of ALD based in Auckland He has been dancing for over 15 years, teaching, performing and competing across the world. He has won 1st place NZ, Australia and Chilean professional Bachata and Salsa Championship, 2nd place at the World Latin Dance Cup in Miami, and many more. Alongside this he has been performing and teaching at many prestigious Latin festivals around the world which include: Top Bachata in Barcelona, Bachata Masters in France, Salsa Spring in Greece, Salsa Bangkok Fiesta in Thailand, World Bachata Festival in Malaysia , the Singapore Latin Extravagance and Melbourne Latin festival.

Sebastian will be teaching with Danielle Kyd- South African born has been dancing for almost 5 years and has competed in New Zealand Latin dance championships for 2 years, taking 2nd place in 2022 Pro-Am Latin couples. And 1st place in 2023 Amateur Latin couples. As well as many other festival performances in Auckland. Danielle started learning Bachata 5 years ago as a student in Sebastian’s classes and now assists as his dance partner with regular weekly classes.

Shannon and Trajano developed a passion for Zouk whilst on their travels and have become aficionados ever since. They are both keen to develop and add in influences from their varied dance background which allows them to bring a unique flavour to their NZ Zouk.

Trajano, the latin half to this duo, has strong training in Brazilian Capoeira, Martial Arts, Linear Salsa and acting. He has been influenced greatly by his training in Cuban and Linear Salsa and his passion for Street Latin and Hip Hop – which allows him to bring strength and emotion to his Zouk.

Shannon, brings the kiwi flava to the partnership and has a strong background in American Jazz, Cuban and Linear Salsa and also feels her dance is influenced by her passion for Hip Hop and street latin dance.

They are always eager to share new knowledge with you all.

Mo, also known as KizMo, leads a dual life as a Dr (academic) by day and a dancer by night. Her footsteps into the world of Kizomba and dances within this genre started in London back in 2005. Kizomba was in its infancy in Europe at that time and served as a gathering ‘kizombada’ (party/ fun) for her friends of Angolan and Cape Verdean decent. There was no fancy footwork, it was about good company, good music, and good dancing. Once she stepped into the rhythm of Kizomba, there was no turning back.

Fast-forwarding to 2015, after relocating to Auckland a few years earlier, Mo ventured into teaching Kizomba. She embarked on this journey by hosting weekly classes and social nights, sharing her love for the dance form. Since 2017, her commitment to her craft has been unwavering as she pursued several Kizomba and Semba teacher training courses, upskilling, evolving and always learning.

Mo is a versatile dancer proficient in both leading and following roles. Her partnership with Sandris in 2023 marked a new chapter, allowing her to focus on teaching followers, a role she relishes. However easily steps into the leading role.

Since 2022, she has led New Zealand’s all-female group in the Ginga flashmob organized by the World Kizomba Project. Excitingly, there are plans for a new Ginga project later this year. She has collaborated with dance artists locally and internationally.

When asked about what Kizomba means to her, “It’s more than just a dance; it’s a connection to rhythm, culture, and the beauty of human interaction, allowing me to communicate, express, and connect with others in a way that’s both personal and universal.” Her guiding philosophy? Trust the process, enjoy and let’s have fun along the way.

Mo’s passion extends to African styles of dancing, which enrich expression, boost confidence, and enhance body awareness. She is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and passion with you at Bay Salsa Festival!

Originally from Puerto Montt, Chile, where she founded Puerto Montt Salsa dance school, but has called New Zealand home since 2014. Javiera landed in Auckland and discovered Viva Dance. There, she was recruited to build a Cuban Salsa performance team. Then, she’s been going full throttle, running regular Cuban Salsa classes at Viva Dance and hitting up big dance events like the Aotearoa Cuban Festival, Bay Salsa, and New Zealand Salsa Congress. Her classes are infused with her special brand of contagious fun, keeping students of all levels hooked and having a blast.

Emma and Peter are a well established teaching duo from Zouk Art, Auckland, and they are excited to be coming to join you all!

Emma started Salsa and Zouk over ten years ago, later adopted Samba de Gafieira into her life, and has loved dance ever since. She grew as a Zouk dancer performing in team choreographies, then developed her teaching skills at Zouk Art – celebrating a decade with ZoukArt in 2021. Emma further developed her performance skills with her dance partner Peter, wowing audiences with their connection, and debuted her first ladies team in 2022. She has a background in music, having played piano all her life, and now uses that expertise in her local DJing and helping students understand musicality.

Peter has an extensive background in various forms of martial arts; including Muay Thai Kickboxing, MMA, Brazilian Capoeira (which is a form of fight training and dance combined) and also has experience teaching kickboxing classes. Beyond this, he has been dancing Zouk for over 8 years with Zouk Art (and later Samba de Gafieira) and developing his dance teaching alongside Emma as well as his performance skills – in teams and in duets.

Gwen (France) and Arkadi (Israel) are a duo well-known in New Zealand for their dedication to dance, their lighthearted demeanour, and their humorous approach.

Brazilian Zouk Instructors at ZoukArt (Auckland) and eternal students, they have been training hard both as dancers and as teachers since partnering up 3+ years ago. This effort has been rewarded with high placements in recent Jack & Jill competitions in NZ as well as Australia.

With some years of Brazilian Zouk training under their sleeves, as well as a background in other styles; Arkadi (Salsa, Ballroom, Latin Ballroom), Gwen (Kizomba, Salsa, Bachata, Gymnastics), they are very excited to further develop the Zouk Community with their experience, knowledge and dedication to Brazilian Zouk.

Luciano was born in Brazil and as a result he has listened to Latin music since he was a Child. Music and dance has always been a part of his life and culture. After leaving Brazil more than 20 years ago he has been involved with dance in United Kingdom, Brazil and more than 15 years in New Zealand.

Luciano is passionate about many styles of Latin dance, to name a few: Kizomba, Salsa, Bachata, Zouk, Forro & Samba de Gafieira

Luciano been concentrating on Kizomba for the last 9 Years and is passionate about passing on a good grounding and fundamentals to his students.

Annie has been dancing for the last 20 years, including teaching and performing. She was also part of the London dance scene for 3 years in the early 2010’s.  She was introduced to Kizomba in Aussie in 2009, and Kizomba has been her passion for the last 6 years. Annie also dances bachata, and zouk.

She loves the music and the partner connection in Kizomba. Kizomba inspires creativity through musicality.

Anni and Luciano have been teaching Kizomba  for North Shore Latin Dance, in Auckland, for the past 5 years, and teaching Fusion Kizomba for the past 6 years. Their focus is giving students a good grounding in the fundamentals of Kizomba. Fusion Kizomba is sensual, romantic, but also fun with hints of Angolan dance and culture within it. 

Steven has been immersed in dance, street performances, and percussion since the age of 13. Over the years, he has showcased at business openings, weddings, and culture festivals. His international experience, particularly from living and working on cruise ships in the Caribbean, deepened his love for Dominican Bachata. Now, Steven teaches and shares this dance style with a focus on musicality, social connection, and genuine enjoyment. Jessie brings a diverse range of knowledge and professional experience to her teaching including many styles of dance and performance theatre as well as therapeutic approaches to movement. Jessie connects with traditional Dominican bachata style because it motivates her to continue expanding her expression of musicality and allows the Follower a lot of agency within the dance! In contrast to a lot of concert dance, Dominican bachata truly values the felt personal experience over outer appearance.