Ana “Masacote” Tinajero, an international ambassador of Latin dance and music, has more than 20 years of experience as an instructor, dancer, and choreographer. She has loved dancing since childhood, and she began her formal dance training with folkloric dance at age 5 and Salsa at age 15.

Ana was profiled in La Voz del Mambo Magazine as “The Future of Mambo,” in Cuerpo Magazine, and the Dallas Morning Newspaper; she has been a judge and guest of honor at salsa competitions and festivals worldwide. She believes that through dance, we can break down cultural barriers while we learn to better understand [Click photo for full bio]...

Joel Massicot, an international ambassador of Latin dance and music, has more than 30 years of experience as a musician, instructor, dancer, and choreographer. He grew up in a musical family in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and he began his music training with piano lessons at age 8, later mastering the trumpet, saxophone, and drums. He started dance training at 17. Joel was featured in La Voz del Mambo Magazine as “The Future of Mambo”, and in Sabor Magazine; Joel has been a judge and guest of honor at salsa competitions and festivals worldwide. He believes that through dance, we can affect positive change [Click photo for full bio]...

Aaron Damus began his music training at the age of 5 in classical piano. While maintaining this training formally up into his 20’s, he also pursued studies in cello and classical voice beginning in his teenage years. At the University Of Miami School of Music, Aaron pursued a degree in classical vocal performance and sang for 4 seasons with the Florida Grand Opera as a professional chorister. Alongside his musical education, Aaron has also maintained a serious practice of Chinese martial arts having begun his studies at the age of 6. Born and bred in Miami, Aaron was enveloped in Latin-Caribbean culture from day one. His passion for the music eventually brought him to begin formal training in Salsa and Latin dance in 2004, and he joined Masacote Dance Company in 2006. He coached with The Masacote Dance School since its inception in 2009 until 2016. Aaron combines a lifetime of music and movement training and over a decade of teaching experience with his knowledge of salsa to teach his students not only salsa technique, but also how the music drives us to dance.

Angie began her formal dance training in her native Colombia with ballet at age 5, and flamenco at 14. She performed and competed with the Julie de Donado Flamenco Dance and Theater Companies. Angie continued her training with belly dance, modern/contemporary, hip-hop, salsa, samba, ballroom, capoeira and aerial dancing.

She moved to Boston in 2008, where she won various ballroom competitions and received a teacher-training diploma from Extreme Dancesport Academy. Angie began salsa training at the Hacha y Machete Company in 2011 and has been performing professionally and teaching dance since [Click photo for full bio]...

G began formal dance training in fokloric dance, zouk, and compas at the age of 9. He studied in his hometown of Orange City, N.J. and during visits to Haiti. He went on to learn the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira, Latin dances bachata, salsa and merengue, and urban dances hip-hop and break dance, landing him his street name, “G.” An avid supporter of youth dance programming, G teaches for the Learn Through Dance youth program and has taught Latin dance at Hyde Square Task Force. Before joining Masacote, G was a Latin dance instructor for 3.5 years with Salsa Matei Company. He has taught capoeira at [Click photo for full bio]...

Jonathan Burke, born to Jamaican immigrant parents, grew up with a love for hip hop/reggae music and various modalities in the arts. He fell in love with Cuban music and dance in his teenage years and began training intensively with MetaMovements Latin Dance Company. Jonathan progressively developed into an instructor for the school, teaching various Cuban styles and managing performance and weekly classes. He continued his intensive training in Afro-Cuban and Cuban Modern Dance through mentors at the company and Cuban instructors through visits in Cuba and abroad. He began training at the Masacote Dance School and joined the MASA2 Coaching Team in Fall 2016. Masacote’s connection to Cuban culture has resonated deeply within Jonathan. He has focused on the connections between Cuban folkloric music/dance and popular Latin music/dance. As such, Jonathan found himself dancing anything with a clave: Son, Casino, Danzon, Chachachá, Salsa, Mambo, Rumba (Yambu, Guaguanco, Columbia), Yoruba — you name it! If he knows it he wants to share that knowledge, and if he doesn’t then he is trying to learn it. Jonathan joined the Masacote School staff in the Summer of 2017 before relocating to DC to continue his training.

Mori Granot began dancing Israeli folk, jazz, modern and ballet at a very young age in her native Haifa, Israel. She started salsa in 1999 with Cuban and LA Styles and later developed a passion for NY Style On 2 when she arrived to the US in 2006. She began teaching and performing a few years later and founded Rhode Island Latin Dance while also directing the Brown University Salsa Club. Always striving to improve as a dancer, Mori’s professional dance development led her to train with Masacote Dance Company in 2011 at the Masacote Salsa Retreats. She has since continued her studies and research in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and is now the Co-Director and Co-Choreographer of Masacote’s MASA2 Professional-Track Company. Mori believes that life is a never-ending cycle of lessons and that each day should be lived to better one’s self.

Tanya Nicholle Tudor, creator of TNT Body-Mind Fitness, is originally from Barbados & has a masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Tanya’s philosophy is that equilibrium the key to most everything, bearing in mind that balance is relative to each person, and that it is important to understand what “symmetry” means to and for you. Tanya looks forward to working with persons who are looking for those additional tools to help them redefine their health lifestyle. “Get to know yourself better, believe in yourself and then the working out or rather “playing-out” is not all that difficult to follow. I welcome the opportunity to provide you with some basic, easy to follow overall fitness principles customized just for you. Achieve results that bring you joy”. [Click photo to visit Tanya's website]…

Pierre Etienne has a background that includes a B.S. in Exercise Physiology, Four Forces Interpersonal and Group Facilitator training, Shamanic healing, Afro-Haitian dance and Traditional Chinese Medicine. He loves to study the human body and how it heals. He has discovered and studied valuable perspectives and unique approaches and is combining these models to inform and create a bigger scope he names: embodiment. “I am greatly influenced by the many pioneers of embodiment. My ‘Embody to Evolve’ approach and services are my way of moving this school of thought forward, developing it, and showing people just how many ways there are to heal and thrive. Most of all, embodiment is about connectedness, both to ourselves and to each other.”

Charlie is a London (UK) based yoga teacher, teaching in the top yoga studios in London and retreats internationally. She began teaching Yoga and Meditation in 2011 after a decade of self practice. She has a therapeutic, individualized approach to working with her students, teaching a creative, slow hatha & breath-based flow practice, with a focus on alignment and joint health alongside teaching more meditative practices such as yin & restorative yoga.

She is extremely passionate about delivering yoga for all, with an inclusive approach to making yoga accessible for everyBODY. She has received extensive training from some top teachers around the world (Norman Blair, Judith Lasater, Sarah Powers, Rod Stryker, Hareesh Wallis and Bernie Clark) and tries to visit India regularly to enhance her own spiritual practice.