North America / USA / New Jersey’s
Marcus Nieves, owner and Instructor of the dance studio
Marcus Nieves started dancing in 1998 while out clubbing in one of New Jersey’s hot spots at the time, “Foxes”. He was intrigued by the various turn patterns and energy that the local dancers displayed on the dancer floor. That sparked his interest in Salsa and he began taking dance lessons with Kenny Lopez. In 1999 Marcus was approached by Luis Zegarra to take part in his dance company “Fuerza Latina.”
There he gained most of his experience as a salsero, performing in many events around the tri-state area, which provided him the exposure he needed to be recognized in the dance scene. In 2000, Marcus began dancing under Nelson Flores and his dance team “Descarga Latina” which opened the opportunity for him to take part in the off-Broadway show “Latin Madness”.
In late 2002 Marcus worked as one of the “Copa Boys” for the world famous “Copacabana” and in 2003 he fulfilled his dancing goal of the “Eddie Torres Dance Company” for which he dance and toured around the world. He then joined several of his old dance partners from the ET dancers in a collaboration team called “Latin Soul Dancers” which he performed with all of 2007. Today he is also the dance instructor at his own MDN Latin Dance Studio in New Jersey
Diana Osorio Instructor
Diana started her life on stage at the young age of 9, as a saxophonist and vocalist, performing at local events. A graduate of the first performing art school in the nation, Art High School in New Jersey, Diana is known for her versatility in the Art.
At the age of 13 she began competing in the Emmy Awar winning show, NJN Hispanic Youth showcase, as a vocalist. Not long after her crave for competition began, a family member introduced Diana to MDN Latin Studio in 2005 at the age of 15. She began to learn Salsa On2 for the first time, and made dance one for her new talents, and made dance one of her new talents, and strengths. After 4 years of competing, in 2009, she finally gained victory in the Teen Dance category as a soloist in her last year eligible to compete.
In 2005 her vocals were put to the test, she sang with living legend, and prodigy, Paquito D’ Rivera. February of 2007, Diana was given the opportunity to show her ability to be on camera and interviewed Grammy award winner Victor Manuelle, Don Omar, Eddie Palmieri, and TV News host from elemundo, at Victor’s first concert at Madison Square Garden, El Conciero de Amor.
She was only 15 years old. At the age 16, she was asked to be the lead roll in an NJN (New Jersey) Network) documentary special, THE GOLDEN AGE OF DANCE, playing the roll of the late Mambo Queen, Mille Donay. Through this documentary she was able to give tribute to those of the past, and find her style as one of the class and elegant ladies of today.
In 2007 Diana became an advocate for against Teen Drinking and Driving, and one of the opening acts for “El Gran Combo at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
In 2008 through 2009, Diana worked for the Newark Boys and Girls Club of America, instructing their First Salsa Dance Class for the kids, making the front page of the Star Ledger with her students.
In the summer of 2009, she performed at the New York International Salsa Congress, dancing on stage for the first as Marcus Nieves’s partner with the New York/ Italy dance team, Latin soul Dancers (LSD) directed by World Renowned Instructor and Former Eddie Torres Dancer, Adolfo Indacochea. In March of 2010 Marcus Nieves and Diana continued their journey together as partners at the first New Jersey International Salsa Congress.
In the summer of 2010, Marcus and Diana returned to the NYISC only to compete. With an unfortunate loss, they worked harder and won first place in November of 2010 In NYC’s Club Cache during the qualification round for the World Latin Dance Cup On2 division.
Class Schedule (Marcus’s Dance Studio)
- Monday: Intermediate 7 pm – 8:30 pm, Advanced Beginner Level 1 8:30 pm – 10 pm.
- Tuesday: Beginner 7 pm – 8:30 pm, Avanced Level 1 8:30 – 10 pm.
- Wednesday: Intermediate 7 pm – 8:30 pm
- Thursday: Advanced Beginner Level 1 7 pm – 8:30 pm, Advanced Beginner Level 2 8:30 pm – 10 pm
- Saturday: Intermediate 12 pm – 1:30 pm, Advanced Beginner Level 2 1:30 – 3 pm, Advanced Beginner Level 1 3 pm – 4:30 pm, Beginners 4:30 pm – 6 pm.
If you want to know about the types of services and pricing visit http://www.marcusnieves.com and register
