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Meet Our Instructors |
Brian A. Bromka |
Roberto Perez |
Chelsea Wanner |
| (...click on an Instructor to view more information about them!) |
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Brian Bromka |
Master Instructor
Brian Bromka is founder, artistic director,
master instructor, and choreographer of "La
Familia de la Salsa", one of the largest Latin
dance organizations in New York State. His
career in the performing arts has spanned four
decades and includes radio, television, stage
and film as well as multitude of performances
in dance, voice and percussion. He has shared
the stage with such luminaries as German-born
ballerina and movie star, Vera Zorina (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Zorina);
living Salsa legend Larry Harlow, "El Judio
Maravilloso" (www.larryharlow.com)
and international icon, "Charo" (www.charo.com).
Currently, Bromka plays with five-time
platinum recording artist, Jim Donovan,
founder of "Rusted Root" (www.jimdonovanmusic.com)
and is a featured percussionist on Donovan's
newly released CD, "Drum the Exstatic
Internatonal - Live" (http://jimdonovanmusic.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2835249)
Bromka's dance career began at age ten under
the tutelage of Walt Medices. In 1990 Bromka
partnered with Donna O'Neil and toured Upstate
NY performing routines in Mambo, Cha-cha-cha,
Samba, Waltz, Foxtrot and Swing. From 1996 to
2000 he trained with world champion dancers in
the original Savoy Ballroom style of Swing
known as "Lindy Hop" and went on
to teach, choreograph and performe in this genre.
In 2000, Bromka became enamored with the
clave, the simple percussion instrument
whose syncopated and rhythmic beat is the
rudiment of all Afro-Cuban music. Possessed
by an intense curiosity about the African
influence in Latin music and dance, he
traveled to Ghana, West Africa with master
percussionist and dancer, Etse Nyadedzor,
where he embraced the African culture and its
music. Later that year, under an OFAC
research license, Bromka traveled to Havana,
Cuba and studied at the famed "Esquela
Nacional de Música", training with Isaias Rojas,
director of the internationally esteemed
Afro-Cuban dance ensemble, Ban Rarra (http://cdbaby.com/cd/banrarra).
He aslso embarked upon a comprehensive study
of congas and Afro-Cuban percussion with
maestro, Jose Eladio and Jesus Alfónso Miró,
director of the Grammy award winning, "Los Muñequitos de Matanzas".
From 2004 forward, Bromka has founded and
directed:
* La Familia de la Salsa School of Latin Dance
* La Familia de la Salsa Latin Dance Ensemble
* La Familia's "Latin All-Stars" Dance Ensemble
* "Espiritu de la Salsa" Rueda de Casino Dance
Ensemble
* "La Rumba Cubana" - Afro-Cuban band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnIdz2jMGM0).
* "Salsa-Son-Timba" - 12 piece Latin Orchestra
Bromka and his ensembles have performed
throughout New York State at major cultural festivals,
universities, corporate events and
fund-raisers and at venues such as Syracuse
Stage, Syracuse International Film Festival,
the New York State Fair, and Six Flags at
Darien Lake. Most recently he opened for Charo at the Turning Stone Casino Resort and
for international Salsa mega-star, Tito Nieves,
at the Rochester Puerto Rican Festival.
Bromka's dance, choreography and teaching are
infused with passion, improvisation,
creativity and a healthy dose of humor, all of
which express his fervor for Latin music and
dance and for its people and culture. He
travels regularly to Cuba for research,
returning to Syracuse to share new insights
about the universal language of music and
dance by way of instructing 100-150 students
weekly, hosting "Havana Nights Dance Party"
(the largest weekly Latin dance in the history
of Upstate NY), and performing Afro-Cuban
music and dance with his band at locales
throughout New York State. He is currently
writing a book titled, "Unlocking the Secrets
of Afro-Cuban Percussion - a Beginners Guide"
and spearheads fundraisers for disadvantaged
youths of the Spanish Action League's "La
Joven Guardia Teatro y la Danza Latina" and
for orphans at the Baobab Children's
Foundation in Ghana, West Africa (www.baobab-children-foundation.de)
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Roberto Perez |
Instructor
Co-founder, Performer, Instructor, Choreographer, and DJ of Havana Nights Latin Dance (see "Where to Dance"
& "DJ Services", at left).
Roberto was born and raised in the heart of one of the most musical city in the world, La Habana
de Cuba, where the dances Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Son, Danzon and Guaguanco were first introduced along with
"Casino" - the traditional way of dancing to the music known worlwide as "Salsa."
From an early age Roberto was introduced to Cuban rhythms and movement by his mother and step-sister, who was a professional dancer at the Academia de Danza in the famous Tropicana Cabaret in Havana.
During the mid-nineties, while living in South America, he stared dancing in shows and cabarets, including one of the most famous
Salsa festivals in the world,
"Festival de Cali", Colombia.
Upon his arrival Syracuse, he immediately started spreading his
love for Salsa, and other Latin American dances and music, throughout Central New York as a member of the Latin
Club at Syracuse University and as host of the Latino radio show "Nosotros".
Roberto now teaches classes which
weave Cardio Salsa, SalsAerobics, and traditional Cuban movement into a dynamic
and exciting class full of exotic musical flavors. The routines feature aerobic
interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and
sculpt the body utilizing easy to follow dance steps (see "Dance Classes" at left).
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Chelsea
Wanner |
Instructor
Chelsea attended California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA and became an active member of the Cal Poly Salsa Club in 2004. She served as Performance Coordinator for the club from 2005-2006, choreographing routines, training dancers in footwork, styling and performance presentation, and coordinating venues for performances and demonstrations. She taught weekly classes for the club for 3 years, teaching beginning to advanced salsa steps and styling, and basic steps of cha cha, merengue, and bachata. In 2006, she studied under the tutelage of world class salsa instructors John Navarez and Liz Rojas of SalsaMania Dance Company in San Francisco. Later in 2006 she traveled to Mexico and performed at the 2006 International Salsa Congress in
D.F. (Mexico City) with partner Roderid Reyes. Since then she has dedicated her time to teaching, performing, and giving Latin dance demonstrations in California and New York. She offers many levels of dance training including salsa partner work, ladies styling, spinning technique, footwork and shines, lead and follow technique, and performance presentation. She loves teaching, loves the music, and most of all loves dancing ~ translating Latin rhythms into movement of body and soul.
Contact Chelsea at: chelsearose99@yahoo.com
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