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Meet the amazing “Mamacitas” behind the Salsa Babies name! |
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Jennifer Torres |
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Amy Crespi Amy is the licensed owner for Salsa Babies in York Region. Her professional experience as an elementary school teacher, her energy as a former aerobics instructor, her passion for drama and dance and her devotion to her two daughters are all exemplified in her high- energy, motivating and fun- loving classes. This is a class that you and your child/ren will not want to miss! |
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Jessica Baudin-Griffin Jessica has been passionately involved in the arts since a young age. After the birth of her beautiful daughter Bria, Jessica could not bring herself to return to the hectic life of an inner city schoolteacher. Salsa Babies has given Jessica the opportunity of continuing her passion for dance and teaching, expanding her business J’Adore Dance, and dedicating herself to her most important job- being a mom! Through her business, J’Adore Dance and Salsa Babies, Jessica hopes to foster a love for dance in all people. Her goal is to teach others that dance is not an art exclusive to professionals but is a way of expressing ourselves, feeding our bodies and souls, and a way of living that gives us the freedom of movement. |
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Deondra Benitez Deondra first experienced Salsa Babies as a participant with her beautiful daughter, Naomi. Dancing to the Latin rhythms session after session must have done something to awaken Deondra’s Cuban roots! A proud mom with experience in public speaking and a passion for dance, Deondra was a natural for the job, and is delighted to now be working as an instructor and administrative assistant in the Toronto region. |
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Teri Cohen
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Cori Daniels Cori began studying ballet at the age of three and has also extensively studied tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, and ballroom dance. She holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Georgia as well as teaching certificates in both Dance and Early Childhood Education. Cori has taught dance in the Augusta area for the past 9 years as both a faculty member at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School and an instructor at Augusta West Dance Studio. Currently a proud stay-at-home mom to sons Carter and Nolan, Cori is excited to see her passion for dance fuse with her love of being a mom through the Salsa Babies program. |
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Maria Dorado Maria is a proud mother of a beautiful little girl named Isabela. Maria feels fortunate enough to be able to incorporate her career as a teacher and love of Latin dancing by becoming a Licensed Owner and Dance Instructor of Salsa Babies for the Toronto West district. Being a part of the world of Salsa Babies has not only allowed her the opportunity to meet fabulous new mothers and their babies but the privilege to spend her days dancing and laughing alongside her precious daughter! |
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Julia Gedeon Julia has a variety of dance in her background including Ballet, Jazz, Hip |
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Rachael Giraldo It is 20 years of dance experience and 10 years of fitness instruction and personal training that Rachael brings to Salsa Babies. As a mother of two, Rachael remembers wanting to enjoy every moment of her baby’s first days while having fun and remaining in a social environment. Also, providing an avenue to expose her children to a social setting was and continues to be very important to her. It is this perception, and her passion for dance and fitness, that she hope to bring to you during your first few months with your baby and beyond. Rachael looks forward to continuously providing one of the most outstanding and fun-filled programs available for moms and their little ones. Let’s dance! |
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Melinda Guy Melinda had been involved in music and dancing from a very young age. She pursued a career in Music completing a degree in Music Therapy and has over ten years experience in this profession. She also brings over fifteen years of dance experience including jazz, tap, hip-hop and currently Flamenco, and is excited to bring these two passions together with her newfound love of motherhood. In Salsa Babies, Melinda has found her opportunity to explore the worlds of music and dance with her newest love, her daughter Jaia. She is enthusiastic about sharing this experience with others across Saskatchewan and is proud to be associated with such a dynamic organization that has been so supportive all the way from Ontario! |
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Danielle Honsberger Inspired by motherhood, Danielle opened A Growing Experience Pre/Postnatal Wellness Centre (AGE) in her community shortly after her first daughter Abby was born. AGE brings many amazing programs and services to new and expecting parents in Durham and Salsa Babies is just one program that tops the list. Combining her fitness and dance background she is now loving dancing with her second daughter Kate and developing Salsa Babies in the Durham Region. Danielle feels that Salsa Babies is a great way to teach her girls that exercise is fun and that women can creatively incorporate business into to their family life too! |
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Janet Lessard There are many passions a woman can have in her life, but none as great as being a mother. My first passion as a child and into my teenage years was dance. I felt such excitement and vitality while performing different types of dance. My second passion came as a surprise. I never expected to love teaching young children as much as I do. But it was my third passion that stole my heart completely…becoming a mother to a beautiful baby girl last June. Salsa Babies has given me the opportunity to combine all three of my passions: dancing, teaching and spending time with my daughter, Mila. There is nothing more satisfying than watching other mothers partake in the same joy I am experiencing with their little ones. I hope you will join me in exploring the joy of motherhood through the art of Latin dancing. |
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Jennifer Lozano-Luna Jennifer Lozano-Luna is the founder and Director of Play2gether, a children-centered organization based in New York. Jennifer has served as a dynamic leader and recognized expert in the social and emotional development of the special needs child for over ten years. Her passion for building teamwork and empowering individuals so that they may be better equipped to help themselves inspired her to create Play2gether. Similarly, the sight of moms and babies united in her favorite form of dance, the Salsa, moved Jennifer to add Salsa Babies to the various classes already offered through Play2gether. |
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Amy McComb Amy’s first experience with Salsa Babies was with then 10-week-old son Andersen; and it was love at first ‘Salsa’! She immediately knew that this would be her opportunity to incorporate her desire to spend as much time as possible with Andersen with her passion of being fit and active. This is by far more exciting then the fate awaiting the end of maternity leave, taxation and administration! With much enthusiasm from an amazingly supportive husband, Amy is looking for ‘Salsa Moms’ to participate in classes throughout Dufferin County, Grey County and Midland. An entrepreneur at heart, Amy will not only be promoting Salsa Babies through her own company – One Busy Baby.com, but will be selling ‘active living’ baby gear that she herself has used and believes in – making life with baby easier! |
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Margarita Okumura |
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Susana Ramsey Susana was born in Chile and immigrated to Canada in 1974. She was raised in a bilingual home; and hence remained fluent in Spanish. Her love for fitness and dance, particularly Latin dance, began over 20 years ago as a teen. In her professional career, she has worked as a biochemical engineer, a software consultant and project manager. Her degrees include B.Sc. in Biochemistry, B.A. Sc. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA. Susana moved to Durham, North Carolina in 2001 to wed her husband, Scott. Currently a stay-at-home mom of 2 girls, Susana is expecting her newest Salsa Baby around Christmas 2006. Like most of us, Susana felt the need to get out and interact with grown ups again. Given her love for fitness, dance and children, she purchased a license for Salsa Babies in May 2006. Her first 6-week session got its own write up (http://www.newsobserver.com/978/story/454120.html) in The Durham News and Observer, a local area newspaper. By November 2006, she plans to add Salsa Tots to her repertoire. |
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Michelle Hernandez Michelle originally hails from Kitchener Waterloo, but gained a real passion |
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Tamara Stokoe-Saïd Like every mom, Tamara plays many roles in her life - Registered Massage Therapist, music theatre performer, a Salsa Babies instructor and as a mom herself. She has over 15 years experience in music theatre performance and Latin/Ballroom dancing and she enjoys being able to share her love of dance with other busy moms and their precious little ones. |
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Erin Tate Erin has been dancing since she could walk, but fell in love with Salsa dancing in the nightclubs of Toronto. Erin is a certified ballet, tap and jazz dance teacher from the British Association of Teacher’s of Dance. Erin has a beautiful daughter Madelyn, and a husband with two left feet! Before Madelyn and Salsa Babies, Erin was an Event Manager and now resides in Acton with her family. |
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Lara Leontowich |
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Maeve Cohen |
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Michelle Collins Michelle has loved dance and babies from a young age. She has always wanted to have children and took every opportunity to be around children throughout her life and then she had her own. She started dance at age 10 with ballet, and throughout her adolescence added other forms to her experience. At 19 she started Arythincs Dance Studio and after the first year started teaching preschool ballet classes. The next 4 years she grew with the studio from taking ballet, jazz, tap and modern classes to teaching students ranging from 3-17. In 2004 the studio closed down and a few months after she was pleased to learn she would be expecting her first baby. 2 years later, and 2 kids under 2 she is so excited to bring Salsa Babies to Calgary and continue her passion with dance and introduce her children to the art of dance. She is looking forward to teaching new moms how to enjoy dance with their children and still feel like a woman of their own. |
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Jennifer Matthews Let me just start off by saying that Salsa Babies is not just a workout and a great place to meet new moms, IT IS AN ADDICTION!! I started off as a mom just like you, self-conscious, but looking for a good workout and a new experience with my little girl. I was then approached by Mamacita extrordinaire Rachael Giraldo about training to become an instructor. This is where the addiction really took hold. I love everything Salsa Babies stood for. It is a great company with awsome support, and you get to feel really good about yourself for a while. When I moved out of the city and therefore had to leave my instructor position, I literally had a near-breakdown. I was crying, thinking that I could not let this be my last experience with Salsa Babies. Which brings me to today... I can't wait for you to experience Salsa Babies like I did. You can't help but love the class and feel great about yourself, with the "anyone can do it" attitude of Salsa Babies. Can't wait to shake it with you!!!!! |
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Christina Cannella Born and raised in London Ontario, Christina took her first ballet class at the young age of three, and knew it would be something that would be part of her life for many years. Her training in Ballet soon expanded to modern, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and swing. As a young dancer she danced with “Children’s Dance Project”, a local modern-based children’s dance company. This gave her the opportunity to work with world-renowned dancers and choreographers such as Margie Gillis, Robert Wood, and Janice Pomer. She has also participated in workshops with the legendary Darren Hensen and Street Grooves. Her teaching career began 7 years ago in London and has taken her throughout Ontario as a guest teacher and choreographer. You can find her as a regular teacher at studios in London, Woodstock, and Waterloo, Ontario. She has choreographed fashion shows for The University of Western Ontario as well as fundraisers for Juvenile Diabetes. She also works with local Highschool dance programs and companies as a teacher and choreographer. Christina loves nothing more than to pass on her knowledge, love and passion of dance, and is thrilled to be taking on Salsa Babies in partnership with her mom, Connie. |
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Connie Sander Connie’s fondest childhood memories are of dancing the samba, waltz and tango with her Dad. She has been running a successful home daycare for twenty years and has been a great source of support to new moms. She knows the most common challenge they face is finding the time to take care of themselves without feeling guilty. Connie first learned of Salsa Babies from one of her ‘moms’ who wished there had been this sort of activity offered to her during her maternity leave. Connie and Christina’s love of dance and their respect for the mother-child relationship is reflected in their desire to provide the mothers in the London and Woodstock areas with the opportunity to dance their way back into shape and create lifelong memories. |
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Esther América Caron Dance has always been the passion and the life of Esther. At the age of 4 she was initiated to classical ballet then Spanish dance at the age of 6. She received complete dance training at L’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec. During her training years, Esther was the recipient of many awards, honours and distinctions. Once her formal dance training was completed, she was employed as a professional dancer by the world renowned dance company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens with which she undertook many tours around the world. Since 2004, Esther has lived in the Ottawa region and has dedicated herself to the teaching of classical and Spanish dance for The School of Dance. This summer she is giving birth to her first child, a little girl. Esther saw in this joyful event a great opportunity to introduce Salsa Babies to the Ottawa-Gatineau region this fall. In this manner she is able to continue sharing her love for dance, including Latin dance, with other mothers and dance with her new little partner… La danse a toujours été la passion et la vie d'Esther. Dès l'âge de 4 ans elle est initiée au ballet classique, puis à 6 ans à la danse espagnole. Esther a reçu une solide et complète formation en danse à L'École Supérieure de danse du Québec. Elle est récipiendaire et titulaire de plusieurs prix, honneurs et distinctions. Sa formation en danse complété, elle est engagée comme danseuse professionnelle dans la compagnie de renommée mondiale Les Grands Ballets Canadiens avec laquelle elle entreprendra plusieurs tournées à travers le monde. Depuis 2004, Esther s’est installée dans la région d’Ottawa et se consacre à l’enseignement de la danse classique et espagnole à The School of dance. Cet été elle donne naissance à son premier enfant, une petite fille. Esther a vu dans ce joyeux événement une magnifique opportunité pour introduire Salsa Babies dans la région d’Ottawa – Gatineau cet automne. Elle peut ainsi continuer à partager son amour de la danse, dont la danse latine, avec d’autres mères et danser avec sa nouvelle petite partenaire… |
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Fiona Rickards-Mounie
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Lesley Barovick Lesley is the director and founder of Groove Performing Arts, a family-friendly music and arts studio offering eclectic, enriching programs and events for kids and their grown-ups in Westchester County, New York. Groove's award-winning kids' music program, Music for Aardvarks, had its Westchester debut in January, 2004. Consistently sold out classes and swift, positive word of mouth proved that the community was eager to welcome a decidedly different type of family arts programming. After moving her popular classes into a storefront in the heart of Larchmont in April 2005, Lesley set out to establish a creative incubator where kids and their families could get into the groove! Salsa Babies and Salsa Tots fit perfectly into the mix! Lesley has a Bachelor of Musical Arts in voice performance from the University of Michigan and a Master of Fine Arts in arts management from Brooklyn College. Between 1986 - 2004, Lesley worked as a professional fundraiser for the arts in NYC. She served as Director of Development for Jazz at Lincoln Center (under Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis), Playwrights Horizons, and the Celebrate Brooklyn arts festival. Lesley and her husband live in Larchmont, NY and are the proud parents of two musical kids.
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