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Meet Our Instructors |
Brian A. Bromka |
Roberto Perez |
Anastasia Sedykh |
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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, and stage
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),
Tito Puente, Jr. and his orchestra (www.facebook.com/TitoPuenteJr/)
and international icon, "Charo" (www.charo.com), five-time
platinum recording artist, Jim Donovan,
founder of "Rusted Root" (www.jimdonovanmusic.com)
and is a featured percussionist on Donovan's CD, "Drum the Ecstatic
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 perform in this genre.
In 2004, 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 Musica", training with Isaias Rojas,
director of the internationally esteemed
Afro-Cuban dance ensemble, Ban Rarra (http://cdbaby.com/cd/banrarra).
He also embarked upon a comprehensive study
of congas and Afro-Cuban percussion with
maestro, Jose Eladio and Jesus Alfanso Mira,
director of the Grammy award winning, "Los Munequitos de Matanzas".
From 2004 forward, Bromka has founded and
directed:
* La Familia de la Salsa School of Latin Dance
* Havana Nights Latin Dance Party
* La Familia de la Salsa Latin Dance Ensemble
* "Espiritu de la Salsa" Rueda de Casino Dance
Ensemble
* La Familia's "Latin All-Stars" Dance
Ensemble
* "La Rumba Cubana" - Afro-Cuban Percussion Ensemble
* "Salsa-Son-Timba" - 12 piece Latin Orchestra
Bromka and his ensembles have performed
in and throughout New York State at major cultural festivals,
universities, corporate events and
fund-raisers and at venues such as the New
York State Fair, CNY Jazz Fest, Syracuse Latin Festival, Syracuse
Stage, Syracuse International Film Festival,
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 has taught in both Manhattan and
Boston, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego,
SUNY Cortland, St Francis University, Lockheed Martin Corp, AXA Corp, CXtec
Corp, and many others. His 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 12 piece Orchestra,
Salsa-Son-Timba (www.youtube.com/watch?v=fATtexxtwlg) 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 students of the Spanish Action League's "La Joven Guardia Teatro y la Danza
Latina" and for disadvantaged youths at the Baobab Children's
Foundation in Ghana, West Africa (www.baobab-children-foundation.de/index_en.html)
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Roberto Perez |
Instructor
Executive Director,
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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Anastasia Sedykh |
Instructor
Anastasia was born in Ukraine and raised on
love for music, rhythm and dance. Since age
of seven, her grandmother brought her to
watch ballet at one of the most well known
theaters in Ukraine developing an eye for
beauty of dance. Anastasia was also taking
classes at a professional music school,
learning piano and domra (Ukrainian folk
string instrument), and playing in school
orchestra. Her parents, both having ballroom
dance knowledge, gave her some of the first
dance lessons.
In United States she found an opportunity to
give way to her passion for dance. She
joined Cazenovia College Dance Club, where
she was studying. For three years she was a
dedicated dancer and an officer of the club,
performing at the end-of-the year shows
featuring hip-hop, jazz, lyrical, and
ballroom styles of dancing. At the same time
she danced in a dance group for the college
theater, performing in plays such as Edward
Scissorhands and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After graduation Anastasia moved to
Syracuse. She learned about La Familia de la
Salsa and joined the classes and attended
dance events. Bringing together love for
music and dance, she fell in love with Latin
dance and heart-taking melodies of Salsa,
Chachacha, Bachata and Merengue. She
strengthened her passion with training from
Brian Bromka and Roberto Perez, as well as
from Ana Llorente, world champion in mambo,
and Victoria Hadar, world renowned
instructor of Cuban style salsa.
Now Anastasia is committed to sharing her
love for Latin music and dance instructing
classes at universities, such as Syracuse
University and SUNY Cortland, and teaching
lessons and performing with La Familia de la
Salsa.
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