Konstantin Pinaev

Konstantin's journey through the world of dance began at the age of four when his parents enrolled him in a dance academy in Russia. For a decade, he trained in classical and folk dance, honing his skills and nurturing his passion.

In 2003, Konstantin made a pivotal move to Sweden, where he continued his dance education in Stockholm, embarking on a three-year program. Here, he expanded his repertoire by training in diverse styles, such as jazz, modern, and ballet, among others. Although he initially delved into the world of Latin dance through tango in 2005, it was in the subsequent years that he discovered his passion for salsa and mambo.

For over a decade, he has been an essential collaborator with Arcadia. Together, they have traversed the globe, teaching, performing, and inspiring students in various corners of the world. Their dynamic partnership has not only left an indelible mark on the international dance scene but has also ignited the mambo and salsa community in Scandinavia. Through their captivating performances and exceptional teaching, they've shared the rhythm, culture, and joy of Latin dance with countless enthusiasts.

Arcadia Astorga

Arcadia is born in Chile, where her journey through the world of dance began at the age of seven. Her path to dance excellence was marked by determination and continuous learning. At the age of 15, she embarked on a three-year dance education program that exposed her to a diverse range of styles. This comprehensive training included jazz, funk, modern, ballet and more. Simultaneously, Arcadia was an active participant in various Afro-Caribbean dance groups, further broadening her horizons in the world of dance. She made appearances on Swedish television shows and music videos, captivating audiences.

Arcadia's passion for dance extended to teaching, and she became an instructor at prominent institutions in Sweden. Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of dancers was evident in her ability to guide her students toward growth and self-discovery. Teaming up with Konstantin, she embarked on a journey to share their passion for Latin dance globally, with a unique blend of body movement and a fusion of Afro-Caribbean styles with mambo and salsa. Arcadia's legacy as a mambo & salsa ambassador continues to inspire dancers and enthusiasts around the world.

Jennifer Fojaco

Jennifer Fojaco was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. Since the age of eleven she started her career as a professional dancer in the school of Arts Benny More, in Cienfuegos. In 2003 she graduated as a professional dancer in Musical Shows National Art School (ENA) in Havana. After some years working in different dance groups in Havana, she moved to Spain and joined the company of Adrian and Anita in Barcelona. Here she obtained the third place in the Championship of Spain by groups. After moving to Salamanca she teamed up with the company Fusion Latina. This group has twice won the title Bachata Team Master of Spain and runners-up in the world bachata group championship.

In addition to the performing, Jennifer is running the biggest dance school in Salamanca, together with her partner Javier. There she is theaching classes such as salsa, bachata, ballet, jazz and modern dance. When taking her classes you will notice the quality in here teaching and the way she manage to transmit this to here students.

Sheida Shahroozi

Sheida was born in Lombardia on May 10, 1998 and at the age of ten she began her competitive career in Latin American dances. The great results obtained in competitions allowed her to reach the highest class in this discipline in a very short time.
At thirteen she fell in love with Caribbean dance and began her career in this sector in which she achieved success in Italy and abroad. In 2017 he began the journey with his partner Tony El Haber and since 2021 they have been part of the very prestigious Berardi Dance Academy of the brothers Jasmina and Antonio Berardi. Sheida and Tony have had numerous successes such as the gold medal at the first edition of the Fernando Sosa Cup (2018), the victory for two consecutive editions of the couples category of the Valetodo competition (2019 and 2022), the gold medals at the salsa, merengue and salsa shine. In 2024 they won the La Negra World Championship Salsa Couple and the individual
Today they continue their bright competitive career and perform at national and international events.

Tony El Haber

Tony was born in Massa in Upper Tuscany on May 18, 1998, and began his career in the world of dance at the age of 8. From 2017 to today he embarked on the path with Sheida Shahroozi, and immediately began to gather successes both in Italy in FIDS, and abroad in the IDO field, winning countless times the title of European and world champion in the disciplines of Salsa Shine Duo, Solo and Caribbean Show.

Their path in IDO is interspersed with conferences in the world and other competitions; in 2018 they won the first edition of the Fernando Sosa Cup, and in 2019 and 2022 they won for two consecutive times (interspersed with the Covid break) the Valetodo Couple category. Also in 2022 they won first the title of Italian vice-champions FIDS and vice-champions CIDS, and then the gold medals at the IDO World Championships, titled world champions of Salsa, Merengue, and Salsa Shine Solo, both male and female. Since 2021 they have been part of the prestigious Berardi Dance Academy of the brothers Antonio and Jasmina Berardi, and with them, and with partner Sheida, continue the bright competitive, and congress path at the national and international levels.

Javier Jiménez

Javier Jimenez was born in Havana, Cuba. He started his dance career at the age of twelve at the art school in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba. In 2003 he graduated as a professional dancer of contemporary dance and folklore at The National Art School (ENA) in Havana. Once finished his studies he joined the dance group Yoldance, this company made several tours in Germany with the musical Viva Cuba! After some years dancing in Cuba he packed his luggage and moved to Salamanca, Spain. Here he is working as an instructor of Latin dances. Javier is also choreographer and a dancer in the famous dance group Fusion Latina. This group has twice won the Spanish Bachata Master Team and runners-up in the World Bachata Masters Teams. Javier is well known to bring joy and energy into his classes, but at the same time making it easy for the student to understand the techniques and moves.

Fabian Vallejos

Fabian was born in Argentina and grow up in Bolivia and from 2002 he lives in Sweden. He is the director and creator of Dance Vida company. He has been dancing professional since 2004 and his first passion was Salsa. Fabian started his carrier winning the Scandinavian Salsa Championship, the Swedish Championship, third place in the European salsa championship and competed also in the World Salsa Championship in Orlando USA he finished 11 of 56 couples. He started dancing Bachata since 2010 and competed in the Bachata World Championship in 2012, and now he is opening his love to other dance styles like Kizomba, Tango and WCS. He is traveling most weekends of the year for the biggest dance events in the world, to teach, perform and be a jury in dance competitions.

Jazzy Ruiz

Jazzy started his dance career at the age of 5 at his parents’ dance school in Antigua, Guatemala. He received a broad dance education in jazz, contemporary dance, ballet, break dance, hip hop, Latin jazz, flamenco and other Latin dances such as salsa, mambo, Afro-Cuban and show dance.

Inspired by his artistic heritage, he began his work as an instructor at the age of 15 at his family’s dance school, and also at cultural centers and events. After leaving Guatemala, Jazzy continued his education at Den Norske Ballethøyskolen and graduated with a Bachelor degree in Performing Arts and Pedagogy. During his studies he went to Cuba where he studied ballet, contemporary and Afro Cuban dances at Ballet Nacional de Cuba of Alicia Alonso.

He started his international career as a professional dancer and instructor in 2001, when he was touring Europe, among other places,as a representative for Norway. He started his own dance school in 2002, Salsakompaniet, that is now the biggest Latin dance school in Norway. Jazzy has participated in various TV shows like «So you think you can dance ?» and as a choreographer in «Skal vi danse?» on TV2.

Alexis Ruiz

Alexis is a world-renowned mambo dancer, musician, and educator with over 30 years of experience. Originally from Guatemala, he grew up surrounded by Latin music and dance, teaching from the age of 12.

Now based in Norway, Alexis is the co-founder of A-custica Dance Academy, the country's only school specializing in Mambo and Tap, where he is the head of the Mambo department. He is also the founder of Allure Dance Company, Norway’s first mambo dance company, which has toured across Europe, showcasing his signature choreographic style that blends tradition, storytelling, and intricate rhythms.

Alexis is internationally known for his unique approach to musicality in dance, offering in-depth lectures and masterclasses that explore the roots of salsa and mambo, the connection between movement and sound, and the rhythmic structures that shape the dance. His methodology has influenced dancers worldwide, and his Mambo Masterclass concept continues to set new standards for musical interpretation.

Through A-custica and his Nordic Mambo Project, Alexis is shaping the future of mambo in the Nordic region, inspiring dancers to connect with the music on a deeper level. Don't miss the chance to learn from him at the Nordic Salsa Congress!.