Maria - guajira
(Asheville, NC, United States)
Maria currently resides in Atlanta, GA where she and her dance partner David Troesch perform, instruct and compete. She maintains Salseros 828 Latin Dance School in Asheville with both an Asheville and Atlanta division of her all Women's Dulcinea Dance Company. She is a Ballroom Instructor at Daza Dance Ballroom Academy and has taught classes at Georgia Tech University, Emory University, and her own Followers Focus Classes for Salseras at Daza Dance, since moving to Atlanta in January 2011. Maria is the Organizer of the Stiletto Dance Retreat in Asheville focused on Women's Latin Dance training with a Men's Intensive this year and reknown Mixer Dance Party at Camp Merrimac. 2011 will be the 2nd annual Retreat. Maria and David won 5th place in the Philly Salsa Fest, their first competition. Expect to see more of them as they train for future contests.
Maria has been dancing Salsa since 1996. She comes from a family of musicians, and her summers were spent as a youth in the Dominican Republic. She started formal studies with her first trip to Cuba in 1999 to study at the The National School of the Arts (ENA) in Havana. There she focused on the history of Salsa, studying the dances which contributed to the development of modern Salsa and the Rueda de Casino. She returns to Cuba frequently to continue her studies in Afro-Cuban folkloric dance and culture. In 1999, Maria started teaching Salsa in Asheville clubs and studios and formed Asheville's first Salsa Dance troupe, "Estilo Cubano". After 2.5 years of travel, she returned to Asheville in autumn of 2002 and founded Salseros 828 Dance School and Company in the winter of the same year. She continues her studies with world- reknowned instructors every summer. 2009 Maria travelled to Spain and took an intensive Flamenco immersion course.
Maria was voted Asheville's #1 Dance Teacher in the Mountain Xpress 2007 "Best of" Reader's Poll. She has worked with non-profit organizations such as LEAF in Schools and Streets, Arts to People, and Asheville Parks and Recreation teaching the youth Salsa in Asheville. She has taught as an adjunct faculty member of UNCA's Dance department as a Latin Dance Instructor in Spring 2009. She has helped to bring Asheville's growing Salsa community into the national spotlight, with write-ups in the New York Times, Southern Living, and Verve magazine. Maria has taught and performed at Congresses and events all over the country, most recently at the Philly Salsa Fest and the Atlanta Salsa Congress. She offers a unique approach to Afro-Cuban and ladies styling and spinning technique, and is known for her creative approaches to choreography and musicality. She is great at breaking down the material and creating community through dance.
Maria appeared in 'La Epoca', a film about the history of Mambo, by Josue Joseph. Maria was also featured in a documentary by Ursula Gullow in which she was chosen as one of five choreographers for Asheville's 48 hour dance festival in January 2009. Maria teaches L.A.(on 1) Salsa, New York (on 2) Mambo, and her first love, Caribbean style Latin Dance, with an emphasis on Modern Cuban Rueda de Casino. She also leads workshops in Merengue, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Cuban Mambo, Son Cubano, Afro-Cuban folkloric dance, Danzon, Brazilian Samba, Ballroom Dance, and Flamenco-Salsa fusion, and is Zumba certified. Authenticity, creativity, respect for tradition, and creating community are Maria's guiding principles. Maria's aim is to impart the social function and significance of Salsa along with the steps. Realizing there is always more to learn keeps her humble and inspired. She hopes to spread the joy of Salsa, and to make this dance accessible and enduring for all who enjoy it.
