About Alex: With his massive natural blonde afro hair once seen Alex ‘el gato’ certainly won’t be forgotten. Alex is a Dominican and International Dance Champion in Salsa and in Dominican Bachata. He is a fully qualified dance instructor with 20 years of experience as a dancer, choreographer and teacher.
His classes are fun but you will learn how to dance! His style of salsa is a true latino mix just like himself. Alex has a broad dance background but his salsa is truly word class. Learning his craft in the various dance schools of Santo Domingo including the famous, Bellas Artes y Curtos and as part of the National Dance Group of Dominican Republic he went on to dance in the Dominican TV Show, “Sabado de Corporan”. He even appeared in a “Sex in the City” episode where he taught SJP some Salsa moves.Working for Dance Base in the 1990s he actually taught Prince Charles a move or two.
However, it was on the streets of the Dominican capital, that he picked up his best salsa moves, competing in the salsa competitions of the colmados in the barrios of Santo Domingo. At the age of 8 he was cleaning shoes on the streets of Dominican capital and on one occasion he found himself cleaning the shoes of Puerto Rican star Tito Rojas, one of the world’s most famous salsa singers. Alex never does a job by half so Rojas came back several times to get “el rubio” to clean his shoes.
Only a few years later he began to train as a dancer and he has never looked back. One of the highlights of his dancing career was when he danced as a backing dancer for Shakira on “Sabado de Corporan”. Alex (being Alex) then worked up the courage to ask her to dance after the TV show.
Alex began dancing Dominican-style salsa on 2 and on the right foot and is famous for his footwork and shines. Having danced across Latin America, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Europe he has now blended many different styles to give you his distinctive brand of free-Latin American salsa.
About Laura: Laura is Alex’s dance partner, trained by him in latin dance styles by since 2006. Her dance background is in jazz, ballet, modern, hip-hop and gymnastics and she is a highly accomplished and fully qualified UKA dance-teacher with over a decade of experience in choreography, teaching and performing. Laura has taught thousands of people across Scotland how to dance starting with her own school dance group in Dunfermline High School at the tender age of 14.
As Alex’s dance partner and assistant teacher over the past four years she has developed her salsa and bachata style. Laura has had the honour of developing her latin dance styles by working as a guest teacher in salsa and Dominican bachata at Santo Domingo’s famous “Salsa en 21 horas” Dance School with Luis Mello and Laysa Fransisco. Laura, like Alex, dances purely for the love of dance.
Laura’s favourite song in class for bachata. If you understand the words you will cry:
Fast Tube by Casper
Recent achievements:
As a partnership since 2007 if you walk you can dance has gone from strength to strength. In 2008 Alex and Laura danced in the “Esta noche hay party” Reggaeton video with Mome the Mo (Dominican Reggaeton singer) filmed on location in Andres, Boca Chica
They organised and ran a charity event for Haiti in 2010 raising £600 for Edinburgh Charity, Mercy Corps They were auctioned and gave dance demonstrations in a charity event for Oxfam (at Nancy’s Bordello, Newcastle) raising over £1000 for Haiti
In 2010 Alex reached the finals of Haddington’s charity “Strictly Come Dancing”in 2010 with his dance partner nurse and mother of three Lynne Darling
They choreographed and starred in the high energy Edinburgh Festival Latin Show of 2010 “Rumba” at Madogs on George Street
Alex also organises hen nights and party nights across Scotland
His dancers performed in the Dalkeith Gala and Bilston Gala in 2010
They have performed and acted as guest teachers/at various salsa events in Dominican Republic, The UK, The USA, Canada, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
They took part in the Televised “Strictly Get Dancing” Event for the BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing” in October 2010
They danced for a “Brugal Pimped My City” promotion/ documentary in Edinburgh in October 2010
Started Edinburgh’s first Dominican-style Latin night -Ratata Ratata at Wash Bar every Sunday on the Mound
Guest dance teacher’s at The Edinburgh Corn Exchange, “Dance Extravaganza” event for Marie Curie in May 2011
Laura Tiguerona along with Alex el Gato, Shauna Sutherland, Alain el Locote, Julia Presly and Michele Conroy raised over £400 for the James Gillespie’s Development Centre in Durban South Africa
Video of Alex teaching Salsa :
Fast Tube by Casper
Some clips of our students dancing for fun:
Fast Tube by Casper
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