Get To Know Our Instructors

Alex

Originally from Poland, Alex is a dance student for life. She has committed herself to learning many forms of dancing and movement including salsa, ballet, acrobatics, yoga, Afro-Cuban, body isolation techniques and the history & roots of Latin dance. Alex is varied in her style choreographically and technique definitely matters in all her classes. She encourages her students to develop and refine their personal style. She is passionate about her teaching so come with an open mind and no boundaries.

David

Born and raised in Canada but of Italian decent, David inherits his love of dance from his Italian grandfather. He has been dancing Salsa since late 2002 and also trains in International Latin and Ballet. He has always been driven to dance at a high level and has translated this determination into several competition wins along with earning the right to compete at the "Salsa Seven's" annual World Salsa Championships in Las Vegas.

David is known for his smooth style whether dancing “on 2” or “on 1” but prefers the “New York” style. His philosophy whether social dancing or creating choreography is to pay close attention to what the music is telling the dancer.

Lezlie

Lezlie comes to Mambo Productions from Edmonton where she began formal dance training at the age of 3. Although primarily trained in classical ballet, Lezlie studied musical theatre, contemporary, lyrical, character, jazz, and hip hop over a span of 20 years. With a love for ballet above all else, Lezlie began dancing on pointe at the age of 12 and dedicated herself to the syllabus of Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928).

She also spent several years teaching ballet to children. Her accomplishments include numerous Cecchetti examinations, scholarships from the Alberta Dance Festival, and Senior Dancer of the Year in 2001 at Lecky School of Dancing. Her journey into the world of Salsa began with several years of social dancing before getting into it more seriously in late 2007 and joining the Mambo Productions professional team. She prefers the New York Style because it allows her to incorporate grace & fluidity into her salsa dancing. Lezlie brings high energy to her dance performances and cannot imagine her life without dance.

Melissa

Melissa is very well known on social dance floors across North America. She has taken workshops with such international stars as Frankie Martinez, Griselle Ponce, Ana Masacote, Yesenia Peralta, Oliver and Luda, Leon Rose, Magna Gopal and Karel Flores. Melissa finds her inspiration in the music and enjoys passing her flavour on to her students. She encourages dancers to let musicality and fluidity shine through. Melissa creates and adds her own unique styling to the dance. Her love and commitment for salsa has made her one of Calgary’s top salsa dancers and she will continue to expand her career in teaching & choreography.

Max

Max Posadas, born & raised in Morelia Mexico, grew up infused with love for music and dance. He received his training in Mexico, with a background in Jazz, Ballet, Hip-Hop and Latin dances for 8 years. Max began his performance career presenting many different styles of Latin dance including Tango, Cha Cha, Merengue, Cumbia and Danzon. In 2004 he discovered Salsa and quickly fell in love with its rich history and passionate expression. He has since trained at congresses and privately with renowned Salsa coaches such as Tito & Tamara, Osmar Perrones, Oliver Pineda, Billy Fajardo, Francisco Vazquez, Jhony Vazquez, John Narvaez & Liz Rojas, Jayson Molina, Victor & Gaby and many others. He has also performed, and presented his works across Mexico. He had the chance to represent Mexico in the 3rd World Salsa Championships (“On 1” division) in 2007. He is the co-director of MoreSalsa Dance Company one of the most representative companies of Salsa in Mexico. He is now a lead dancer and instructor for Mambo Productions and is looking forward to bringing his style and enthusiasm for Salsa to the Calgary scene. Please visit our Video Gallery page to see Max performing with MoreSalsa in Mexico.

Theresa

In 2001 Theresa took her first trip overseas to Cuba. She fell in love with the Latin rhythms and movements and the experience changed the course of her life. She was originally trained in Cuban style Salsa, mixing its earthy street style with her background in hip hop. Over a three year period she travelled to Cuba numerous times where she learned more about Afro-Cuban, body movement and isolation. As her love of dance grew, she also trained “on 1” and now New York style which she performs with Mambo Productions. Over her years of dancing Salsa Theresa has also furthered her dance training by studying Jazz, Modern, Afrikan, and Ballroom......she is also known to teach a pretty mean Reggaeton class guaranteed to make your hips shake.

Phillippe

Originally from France and of Portuguese descent, Philippe has background in hip hop and salsa dance. Since discovering Latin dancing 7 years ago, he has used his talent to choreograph and perform at salsa events worldwide. His diverse background makes him a versatile dancer- choreographer.

With his natural skills, Philippe makes salsa look effortless and his style emphasizes intensity, musicality and telling the story through dance. His goal is to bring out the versatility and performance qualities in dancers, helping to prepare them to dance outside of the classroom.

David Z.

David Zepeda was born & raised in Puebla, Mexico, where he grew up infused with love for music and dance. He received most of his training in Mexico, with background in jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary and Latin dances.

After choosing dance as a profession, he committed himself to learning and studying many forms of dance including break dancing, ballet, modern, jazz, Latin rhythms and dances, acrobatics, African and hip hop. He has been a faculty member for Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Dance Masters and got a lead role in Barcelo Resort working with known choreographer Yamilka Rodriguez. His unique approach takes movement out of the box and pushes past a conventional dance vocabulary. As a choreographer he has put his style into musicals, and full length shows at resorts & casinos in his native Mexico.

Five years ago David discovered salsa, and quickly fell in love with its rich history and passionate expression. He has since trained privately with renowned salsa coaches such as Francisco Vazquez, John Narvaez and Liz Rojas, Jayson Molina, Super Mario, Joby Brava and Victor & Gaby. He has also competed, performed, and presented his works across Mexico and Canada. He is now a lead dancer for Mambo Productions and has served as creative consultant for numerous projects including the Jazz & Mambo Gala, Fiestaval, and Yoruba Andabo among others.