Search Results for: Afro-Cuban

Dave Valentín is considered one of the most important Latin jazz flautists in history, thanks to his technique and rhythm

Valentín: The Master of the Flute in Latin Jazz.

Dave Valentín is considered one of the most important flutists in the history of Latin jazz, thanks to his technique, rhythm, and vast musical knowledge.

Dave Valentín is considered one of the most important Latin jazz flutists in history, thanks to his technique and rhythm

Born in the Bronx, New York, on April 29, 1952, to Puerto Rican parents from Mayagüez, Valentín grew up in a home filled with music. From the sounds of Tito Rodríguez and Tito Puente to Machito, the musical culture that surrounded him as a child was a major influence. Although he loved the bongos and congas, he joined a Latin group as a timbalero during his teenage years. He played in the “cuchifrito” circuit and in working-class dance halls in New York.

Dave Valentín’s life largely reflects the story of the children of Puerto Rican immigrants in New York who forged their own destiny through hard work, dedication, talent, and family support. In fact, the musician, composer, and arranger himself liked to say that “each person creates their own reality.”

A Legacy-Filled Career

GRP Records Pioneer: Valentín was the first artist to sign with the influential GRP record label, which allowed him to consolidate his career and spread jazz fusion and Latin jazz to a wider audience. He recorded 16 albums with the label, including titles like Legends, The Hawk, Land of the Third Eye, Pied Piper, In Love’s Time, Flute Juice, Kalahari, and Red Sun, among others. These works combine the intensity of Latin cadences with influences from pop, R&B, Brazilian music, and smooth jazz. For the musician, being signed by this multinational company represented “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Notable Collaborations: Throughout his career, he worked with major figures in jazz and Latin music such as Tito Puente, Manny Oquendo, Cano Estremera, Eddie Palmieri, Ricardo Marrero, Dave Grusin, and Patti Austin.
Awards and Recognitions:
- He earned a Grammy nomination in 1985.
- He won a Grammy Award in 2003 for his work on the album Caribbean Jazz Project, alongside vibraphonist Dave Samuels.
- He was chosen as the top jazz flutist by readers of Jazziz magazine for seven consecutive years.

Come Fly with Me (2006)

Dave Valentin - Come Fly With Me — Dave Valentin – Come Fly With Me

Dave Valentín always moved in the realm of fusion. His incorporation of smooth jazz elements, Latin influences, and the sensitivity of modern jazz made him a difficult artist to pigeonhole. Come Fly with Me is one of his most notable albums, as it focuses on a direct approach to Latin jazz. The majority of the songs are Afro-Cuban with a New York flair, without including funk or samba rhythms.

Driven by a formidable rhythm section that includes Robert Ameen on drums, Milton Cardona and Richie Flores on percussion, Luques Curtis on bass, and his friend Bill O’Connell on piano, the album overflows with power and elegance. Trombonist and arranger Papo Vázquez also participates on several tracks. The group’s rhythm is profound and the solos are filled with inspiration. Despite some less successful moments, Valentín’s innate sense of taste and melody shines brightly.

Album Credits

Musicians:

Dave Valentín (Flute)
Bill O’Connell (Piano)
Luques Curtis (Acoustic Bass)
Papo Vázquez (Trombone)
Chris Barretto (Tenor Sax #1)
Robert Ameen (Drums)
Milton Cardona (Percussion)
Richie Flores (Percussion)

Tracks:

Come Fly with Me
Twinkle Toes
Enciendido
Mind Games
If You Could See Me Now
Easy Street
Tu Pañuelo
House of the Sun
Song for My Brothers

Sadly, Dave Valentín suffered a stroke in 2012 that forced him to step away from music. He passed away in 2017. Despite his passing, his musical legacy remains a fundamental reference for flutists and lovers of Latin jazz.

Valentín El maestro de la flauta en el jazz latino

By:

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Rafael Vega Curry for the National Foundation for Popular Culture

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: Pamir Guánchez, brilliant Venezuelan singer, flutist, saxophonist and arranger.

Tito Puente Jr.: perpetuating a legacy with its own rhythm

In International Salsa Magazine, we cannot contain our joy for the conversation we had with the son of one of the greatest legends of Latin music, who is now writing his own story of grandeur thanks to the education he has received practically since birth. This is none other than New York producer, composer, and percussionist Tito Puente Jr., who shared about 40 minutes of his time to answer some questions exclusively for Augusto Felibertt and yours truly, Karina Garcia.

Tito puente jr. smiling — Producer, composer, and timbalero Tito Puente Jr. smiling for the camera

The burden of Tito Puente’s iconic legacy

Having a successful father is a great blessing, but sometimes, it can become a veritable martyrdom for a son who wants to follow his path, as comparisons between them will always be inevitable. Being able to share with Tito Puente Jr., son of the legendary King Of Timbales Tito Puente, gives us the opportunity to get his perspective on this interesting and important subject.

Fortunately, the artist does not see this legacy as a burden, but quite the opposite. Although he admits that his father is one of the greatest masters and ambassadors Latin music and our culture in general have ever had, and that it is not easy to fill his shoes, he proudly bears his father’s surname and promotes his music.

Moreover, he sees the surname “Puente,” as well as the Spanish word implies, as a union among several generations because many young people this day do not know Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and many other exponents of that salsa’s golden era. Tito Jr. wants to be part of that “bridge” between generations so that people of all ages can learn about these prodigies, including, of course, his father.

Childhood with Tito Puente as his father

Regarding his childhood and adolescence, Tito emphasized that he always saw his father play all types of instruments such as timbales, marimba, saxophone, percussion, and many others, which inspired him and made him want to imitate him from the beginning. Today, his career is largely influenced by everything he saw at home, and he plays his father’s arrangements and compositions, which are divided between a total of 186 albums.

Everything learned within his family has taken him so far professionally, to the point that he now has seven Latin Grammys and 14 nominations, all thanks to the legacy he carries.

Tito Puente and Tito Puente Jr. — Tito Puente Jr. and his father Tito Puente on the 1998 Grammy Awards red carpet

The Puente family today

On the more personal side, Tito is the youngest of his brothers, among whom he is the only one who works on music as a profession. To some extent, this has made him take upon his shoulders Tito Puente’s legacy through his own art.

The musician currently resides in southern Florida, specifically in Miami, although he works with orchestras from different cities and countries. He is married and has two children who are Miranda, 18, and Tito Puente Jr. Jr., 17. Miranda studies marine biology at university, while her younger brother is in high school but travels constantly with his father and enjoys composing and playing the guitar.

He also told us a little about his wife, who loves salsa but is not in music. On the other hand, he spoke lovingly of “the boss,” his mother Margarita Puente, who is currently in charge of royalties, record labels, publicity, and the documentary on Tito Puente’s life.

He also has two siblings: Audrey Puente, 55, who is a television meteorologist, and Rony Puente, 77, who is also a musician like his father and younger brother.

Other musical influences besides that of his father

In addition to salsa, mambo, and guaguancó, Tito really enjoys English rock and several bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and others into this style. These tastes of his have led him to the idea of, at some point, blending heavy metal with mambo to see which result he gets.

As well as he can really enjoy the music of Bon Jovi and Ozzy Osbourne, he is also fascinated by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which he finds to be a very interesting mixture of genres that he would like to experiment with someday.

He also said laughing that his father did not share his musical tastes and that the only rock band he liked was Santana, and that was because they did their own version of the hit “Oye Cómo Va” in psychedelic rock and Latin rock.

Tito Puente holding his son — Tito Puente carrying his son Tito Puente Jr.

Current singers

Today, Tito works with various singers, including Aymee Nuviola, Lucrecia, Yolanda Duque, and his great friend, “La Princesa de La Salsa” La India. His father worked with great vocalists such as Tony Vega, Michael Stuart, Oscar D’León, José Alberto “El Canario,” Miguel Ángel Barcasnegras Díaz “Meñique,” and many more.

Tito’s latest album, “The King And I,” also features other big voices such as Domingo Quiñones, Frankie Negrón, José Alberto “El Canario,” Tony Vega, Sheila E., Pete Escovedo, and many other salsa superstars of today and yesterday.

The timbalero has worked with many figures who also worked with his father in the past, so it is clear that they see him and respect him as the continuation of his musical legacy.

Tito’s views on academic training in music

On the important issue of academic training in music, Tito pointed out that there are not enough educational programs aimed at teaching Afro-Cuban music in schools and universities, which in his view needs to change as soon as possible.

In fact, he noted the importance of promoting programs in educational institutions around the world so that their students learn much more than just symphonic music and become more rounded professionals. Although he recognizes the importance of knowing Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, he also believes that aspiring musicians should know about Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, Pupi Campo, and other artists in this style.

The artist believes that the above mentioned artists and many others related to jazz and salsa are part of a very important era of music in the world, which is why he believes that teachers must take them into account during their classes. For him, it is a mission to promote both his father’s music and that of other exponents of his kind in the academic field.

Tito Jr. and his family — Audrey, Margarita, Tito, and Tito Jr.

Upcoming tours

For our research, we could notice that Tito has several performances and tours scheduled for the rest of the year, more specifically for November. In this regard, he told us that in the first week of September, he went to play his father’s music on his weekly show Mambo Mondays, which is held to delight dancers eager to keep enjoying Tito Puente’s music.

About international tours, he plans to go to Germany in February next year and Spain next summer. He is also close to release a documentary in 2026 and a new album with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, which has 77 musicians and instruments such as violins, violas, harps, bagpipes, flutes, French horns, among others.

Tito Puente Jr. and his son — Tito Puente III and his father Tito Puente Jr.

Final comment

We still cannot believe we had this great conversation with the talented Tito Puente Jr. and it has been a great pleasure to share this time with him. Those who wish to contact him can do so through his social media channels, which are as follows:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TitoPuenteJr/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/titopuentejr/

X: https://twitter.com/titopuentejr

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/titopuentejr

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/2ROkqvVDXj5JgmN6z2uFrM

Tempo Latino

Europe / France / Vic-Fezensac

Tempo Latino: The biggest party for every Latin Music lover in Europe!

In Vic-Fezensac, in the heart of Gers in Gascony, Tempo Latino is the biggest European festival of Latin music and Afro-Cuban, salsa, Latin jazz and hip-hop. This is a reference to music and Latin music. This year they are bigger than ever with the participation of dancers, musicians, orchestras and amazing dj’s around the world.

Tempo Latino presents each year for 4 days and 4 nights, a varied concerts and internship program with artists and professors of international level including from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Africa, US, Europe and Japan.

Thursday, July 27

The party starts on July 27 with the Colombian group Puerto Candelaria. This amazing group was formed in 2000 in Medellín, Colombia, the result of the fateful meeting of six talented musicians, united and guided by talented composer Juancho Valencia to create a totally new and original musical show.

The imaginary land of Puerto Candelaria is a sonorous place and the spiritual home to the members of the group and to all who enjoy taking a musical journey with the sound of the Candelarios. The group’s founders never imagined that a decade later their idea would come to be hailed the most daring, controversial and innovative Colombian musical project of recent times.

Puerto Candelaria bases its sound in popular Colombian rhythms, full of imagination and magical spirit that provoke the senses and awaken heightened emotions in audiences around the world.

Their creation of contradictory rhythms like Cumbia Underground or Jazz “a lo Colombiano” is responsible for creating a special place for their country in the global markets of jazz, experimental, and world music. On Thursday and thanks to the France-Colombia’s year celebration, this day will be a reunion between these two cultures.

Friday, July 28 Calypso Rose

Then, on July 28 you will have the pleasure to see the performance of Calypso Rose. This iconic singer is a calypsonian. She began writing songs at the age of 15, turned professional in 1964 and has written more than 800 songs and recorded more than 20 albums.

Saturday, July 29 Unity. Michael Jackson Latin Tribute

Friday 29 will be time to present the Michael Jackson Latin Tribute with the amazing show of the talent of Tony Succar and Unity. Unity is a testament to the power of music and one man’s indomitable spirit.

The passion project of Peruvian-born, Miami-raised producer/multi-instrumentalist/arranger Tony Succar, Unity features more than 100 musicians, such Latin superstars as Tito Nieves, Jon Secada and Obie Bermúdez, and the mixing magic of Jackson’s legendary engineer Bruce Swedien in the first ever Latin album salute to The King of Pop.

Sunday, July 30 Orkesta Mendoza

And finally, the event will end with the concert of Orkesta Mendoza. Orkesta Mendoza is a Latin music band from Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by singer and guitarist Sergio Mendoza in 2009. Through the use of Latin percussion, accordion, brass, and steel guitars, the band’s style, dubbed “indie mambo”, is a combination of ranchera, cumbia, psychedelic and indie rock.

Sergio Mendoza – vocals, piano, guitar
James Peters – drums
Joe Novelli – lap steel guitar
Marco Rosano – saxophone, clarinet, accordion, keyboard
Salvador Duran – vocals, cajón, maracas
Sean Rogers – double bass

With all the concerts, dance and parties, you can’t miss the summer event that brings all the Latin talent to Europe.

Tickets: Pre-sale prices

One night 30€ – 36€
4 days pass: 100 – 120
Free entrance for kids under 12 years old

Transportation and accommodation

Transport: http://tempo-latino.com/CommentVenirTempo

Accommodation: http://tempo-latino.com/Hebergement

Our favorite Dj’s: DJ Mabe / Jacoviche / Emile Omar / Jomax …

Tempo Latino - Information — Tempo Latino – Information

For further information and tickets:

http://tempo-latino.com/accueil
Tourism office in Vic Fanzensac : 05.62.06.34.90
Telephone: 05.62.06.40.40.

And all the social networks

Facebook: @tempolatino
Twitter : @tempo_latino
Instagram: @tempolatino
Youtube: tempolatinofestival

Venezuela violinist and former musician in El Sistema Ali Bello has many interesting things to say

Venezuelan musician Alí Bello has become one of the best Latin music violinists in New York, so we could not miss the opportunity to talk to him and learn as much as we could about his fascinating story. The young man has given his best to become a true icon of Latin Jazz in his current city of residence, so do not miss this great conversation.

Ali playing the violin — Venezuelan musician Ali Bello playing the violin live

Alí’s beginnings in the world of music thanks to El Sistema

From a young age, Alí became interested in music, which led him to join the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela, where he studied classical music as an extracurricular activity. This in order for Alí and his classmates to be busy in any activity until their parents came to pick them up after work.

This was when an orchestra or school of music was formed clase to his father’s work, so Bello was enrolled in these classes from 2 to 5 p.m. after school. So it went for him since he was in kindergarten, and he learned to play the xylophone and the recorder. When the boy was seven years old, the school orchestra located in La Rinconada, Caracas, was officially created, but due to how small Ali was, the only instrument the school could assign him according to his size was the violin, which he keeps playing diligently to this day.

After many years of being part of the National Youth Orchestra, he got ahead with his musical career and decided to go to the United States to continue his university studies and train as a professional musician.

Other instruments besides the violin

In addition to the violin, Alí also plays a lot of percussion, since he considers it very important. He thinks every folk and Latin musician must handle percussion as efficient as possible and each of its rhythms in order to internalize the style they want to play on any instrument.

“Percussion and singing have always fascinated me, so I try to devote myself to both even a little bit, but it is undeniable that the violin has always been my main instrument. I’ve tried to focus all styles and everything I work on towards the violin to turn it into the main element,” the musician added on this subject.

Ali and Gustavo — Ali Bello, his son and maestro Gustavo Dudamel

How the opportunity to study in the United States came about

Initially, Alí was supported by his violin teacher Margaret Pardee, who taught at the Juilliard School and went to Venezuela to give master classes. It was Pardee who encouraged Alí to continue his education in New York, which he finally achieved thanks to the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho scholarship fund and the Simón Bolívar Musical Foundation.

This is how the Venezuelan artist obtained his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and PHD.

At college, he met Johnny Almendra, thanks to whom he discovered genres other than classical music, in which he was not only the performer of melodies but could also create his own music. He then discovered styles of Venezuelan and Latin music that inspired him to explore more varied rhythms different from what he had known before.

He played regularly with Johnny Almendra and his modern charanga group Los Jovenes del Barrio for a time and subsequently played for La Típica Novel and other orchestras. As Alí gained experience in the world of charanga and Latin music in general, he started having opportunities to learn and explore other genres such as Brazilian music, Afro-Cuban music, Latin jazz, and many more.

Collaborations with major artists in the industry

All this hard-won ground gave Alí the opportunity and the honor to collaborate with great artists in the industry such as Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Johnny Pacheco, Rudy Calzado, Pedro Cortés, José Fajardo senior, Pupi Legarreta, and many more. All these figures helped him not only to have a better understanding of the Afro-Cuban style and tradition, but also of the influence of New York on music.

Ali and Pupy — Maestro Pupy Legarreta and Ali Bello

Thanks to this knowledge base, he had the courage to release a record album, La Charanga Syndicate, in which, as the name suggests, he uses charanga and all the influences coming from the musicians he has known and continues to know. For this reason, he feels he now has something to say and bring to the style.

Another important thing for his career was his participation in Jay-Z’s concert to celebrate the anniversary of the release of his first album. The rapper wanted to mark the occasion by playing with a symphony orchestra, so hired many musicians of all kinds to make a great show at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Fortunately for Ali, he was well-known in the music scene at the time, so he was contacted to participate in the event.

In that sense, the violinist is very happy to be in New York, as the world’s greatest artists always take this city into account for their concerts, which gives musicians like him the opportunity to have access to these great figures in the industry.

Ali as an arranger

In addition to being a percussionist and violinist, Ali has also ventured into musical arrangements quite successfully thanks to all the academic training he had received up until then. However, as he became a more experienced professional, he began to notice that his own ideas and thoughts came to life in his work. So, having the theory in his head, he could take those ideas he had had and develop them within the rhythmic and stylistic elements which are willing to use on each occasion.

In addition to that, the artist also works on production and mixing a bit to achieve the necessary sound. He even has his own studio where he plays for his own productions and other artists’ records as a freelancer.

Ali and Juan — Ali Bello and Juan Carlos Formell from Los Van Van in Poland

Bachata Festival 2017 in San Francisco, California

North America / USA / California

The Ultimate Bachata, Salsa, Kizomba and Zouk Experience… A Dance Convention for Beginners, Intermediate & for all levels of dancing! The 9th Annual SF International Bachata Festival

Date: JULY 21st – 24th, 2017
Bachata | Kizomba | Zouk | Salsa (4-Party Rooms)
3 days and 3 nights of dancing
Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 10am until 6am!

Photos from the 2017 Bachata Festival in San Francisco

Transform your dance skills in one weekend with these world renowned dance instructors plus a dance experience of a lifetime!

Live Band
Dance Workshops from 10am to 5pm
Performances Every Night Ÿ Social Dancing until 6am
Jack and Jill Contest prize Giveaways

SFIBF, (San Francisco International Bachata Festival) is the largest and hottest Bachata festival in the world, located in one of the greatest city in the world – San Francisco. Created by Rodney Rodchata Aquino, along with its sister event Reno Bachata Festival, they are the first Bachata festivals in the USA. It celebrates the music and dance of Bachata, preserving its roots and accepting its evolution, as well as Salsa, Zouk and Kizomba.

Festival Line-Up

More than 20 instructors, DJs and Live Band for this year’s festival!

Adam Taub (Colorado)/ Bachata:

Adam Taub is one of the few ones who have seriously studied authentic bachata (the way Dominicans dance). SFIBF is extremely proud to present him with his special music, history and dance workshops at the San Francisco International Bachata Festival – July 21-23, 2017.

Adam Taub is a documentary film director from Colorado whose films include La Quinceañera, Don Angelo, and El Duque de la Bachata. His film La Quinceañera won the 2007 award for Best Documentary at the Angelus Student Film Festival in Hollywood, California and Best Documentary at the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

Alberto & Nola (Australia) / Bachata:

Nola Komis is the Founder, Director and Principal Instructor of A Touch of Salsa Latin Dance Studios in Sydney, Australia. A Touch of Salsa runs classes in Salsa, Bachata, Zouk and Kizomba. They also offer competition courses, workshops, performance courses and more and will this year will be celebrating 11 years.

Nola Komis and Alberto Torres-Perez have been teaching together for the past five years and they are both passionate and love sharing their passion for dance. Nola and Alberto have both travelled to Athens, Geneva, New Zealand, Hawaii and all over Australia where they have taught workshops at Festivals/Congresses to packed participants and have received many great reviews for their classes.

Nola and Alberto are looking forward to being part of the San Francisco Bachata Festival in July 2017.

Emelie Andagan (Sacramento) / Salsa:

The Yemaya Salsa Dance Company was founded by Emelie Andagan & Heather Wong-Xoquic in October, 2000. Emelie learned to dance salsa after only a few years due to her extensive dance background of over 20 years and many years of experience as a ballet and jazz student, and later a teacher at the Ballet Theatre of Dover Dance Conservatory.

The troupe started as a small group of only four couples that rehearsed twice a week in various garages and practically anywhere with a smooth surface. She owns and manages Yemaya Dance Studio in Sacramento, and is the main director of Yemaya dance Company.

Luis Aguilar (San Francisco) / Salsa:

Luis Aguilar debuted in 2000 with the Salsa Mania Dance Company in San Francisco. Since then, he performed with such giants in the Latin music industry as El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, the Tito Puente Orquestra, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Jose “El Canario” Alberto, Oscar de Leon, Eddie Palmieri, the Spanish Harlem Orquestra and Sonora Carruseles. In addition to his impressive performance credits, Luis has taken 1st place in many Latin dance competitions and Congresses such as The San Francisco International Salsa Congress and the Bay Area Salsa Dance Competition.

Since joining forces in 2007, Luis and Anya have become the ON 2 WORLD SALSA CHAMPIONS for the second year in a row, along with having become two time undefeated San Francisco Congress Salsa champions in ’09 and ’10, undefeated two time New York Congress champions in ’09, ’10, Puerto Rico Hustle and Salsa champions ’09, and are currently the North American Salsa Champions and two time winners of the NY/NJ salsa open. With their combined backgrounds, Luis and Anya make a dynamic duo that brings a fresh new element to the salsa dance floor.

Benga Da Beatz (Ohio) / Kizomba:

Benga is a Nigeria born international dancing sensation, with backgrounds in several African dances, ballroom dances, American dances, and latin dances. From Waltz to Tango, Makoussa to Kizomba, hip hop to west coast swing, and Irish dance to Bollywood. Benga has intensive dancing experiences all across the globe.

An Afro Beats and Afro-cuban solo performer, and a latin dance instructor well known to many now as the Da Beatz. With 26 years of African Dancing and 6 years of professional latin dancing, Benga is teaching and promoting at every Latin events possible with his own vibrant style of Fun Swagness.

Cymeone Mopao (France) / Kizomba:

Cymeone Mopao is a well-known kizomba instructor based in Paris. He is one of the first instructors to have taught kizomba in France beginning in 2009. Born into a family of musicians, he was accustomed to lots of music and quickly adapted to the dance lifestyle. As he immersed himself into dance, he became proficient in African style dances such as ndombolo and coupé décalé.

When he was 18, he joined a group of dancers called “les coeurs brisés “. From there he became interested in other Afro style dances like Zouk, Kompa and Kizomba. He gave his first Kizomba class in 2009 and became one of the most wanted instructors in international festivals. In 2010, he was the first French instructor to teach Kizomba in the United States (New York).

Bruno & Olga (Los Angeles) / Zouk:

Bruno and Olga started dancing together in November 2015 and have since taught and performed at numerous events around the country from local workshops to large international congresses.}

In 2016 they took second place in the semi-pro division of the Zouk US Open with their now well-known choreography piece “Worth It” and shortly after got featured in the “Fences” movie, that’s currently in production stage. Olga has a rich dance background in classical ballet, modern, contemporary and commercial jazz, as well as hip hop and heels choreographies. She is also an All-Star west coast swing dancer. Bruno is trained in hip hop, salsa, kizomba, tarraxinha, semba, and of course brazilian zouk.

He has been on the social dance scene of his hometown Braga, Portugal since he was 14 years old. Since his move to the US he’s been mainly focusing on zouk and kizomba, training and teaching around the country with his partner, performing in ISDC dance company for a while, and currently codirecting the Zouk team at Ivo Vieira’s Dance company and learning from the best dance professionals in the world.

Sandro (Brazil) / Zouk:

Sandro Soncini is a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor from Florianopolis, Brazil. He has studied and trained in dance for over 10 years. Sandro is experienced in many partner dance styles, and has intensively studied the concepts of body movement driven by his training in tango.

In 2010 Sandro moved to Argentina to continue to develop his dance skills and education at DNI tango school. Sandro has participated in various congresses and competitions, including BAILA FLORIPA DUO, where in 2012 together with his partner he placed 3rd.

Sandro has taught in zouk throughout Canada, United States and Brazil. Currently Sandro is living in Vancouver, Canada with a focus on promoting zouk in the Pacific North West.

Bachata Festival 2017, Tickets / Passes:

Tickets: Full Passes $200.00 Unlimited. (EXP July 15th)
Tickets at Doors: $250 Buy Your Passes in mybachatafestival.com

Location: The SF Marriott Hotel 1800 Old Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame, CA 94010 Discounted Nightly rate of $141 a night (you must use the site – www.sfibf.com) Free Shuttle 24 hours a day.