Our Guest Instructors (live music and DJ's below)
World Salsa Champion Jhon Narvaez
SalsaMania
Jhon Freddy Narvaez representing Colombia & the San Francisco Bay Area: This amazing dancer/instructor/world champion has garnered too many titles to list. Suffice it to say that he has helped mold champions of the past, present & future with one of the proven best instructional methods & curriculums the Salsa dance world has yet seen. John was a contestant on the national TV show “America’s Got Talent“ in 2014, along with his partner Andrew, and the duo made it through the auditions and Judgement Week to qualify for the quarterfinals.
John Narvaez has accumulated a total of 145 World Class Championship medals through his choreographies. 54 Gold, Silver 54, Bronze 37.
For more information www.salsamaniaproductions.com
Erika Lachenmeier
Principal Dancer for SalsaMania
Erika started ballet as a toddler and has been dancing ever since. She grew up performing and teaching in a wide variety of genres, most notably ballet, jazz, contemporary and musical theater.
When Erika ventured into a Salsa club for the first time in 2010, she completely fell in love with the music and the dance. She has been training, performing and competing with the renowned Salsamania Dance Company for the last 8 years. Erika won 6 medals at the World Latin Dance Cup before going pro in 2017. Since then, she has won first place at the Bay Area Salsa and Bachata Championships, was a finalist at the World Latin Dance Cup in the professional couples category, and won a world title in Ladies Salsa Same Gender division.
Erika loves teaching sharing her passion for dance with students. She is available to teach workshops and privates in salsa, ballet, jazz, active flexibility, and lifts and tricks.
John Narvaez has accumulated a total of 145 World Class Championship medals through his choreographies. 54 Gold, Silver 54, Bronze 37.
For more information www.salsamaniaproductions.com
Erika Lachenmeier
Principal Dancer for SalsaMania
Erika started ballet as a toddler and has been dancing ever since. She grew up performing and teaching in a wide variety of genres, most notably ballet, jazz, contemporary and musical theater.
When Erika ventured into a Salsa club for the first time in 2010, she completely fell in love with the music and the dance. She has been training, performing and competing with the renowned Salsamania Dance Company for the last 8 years. Erika won 6 medals at the World Latin Dance Cup before going pro in 2017. Since then, she has won first place at the Bay Area Salsa and Bachata Championships, was a finalist at the World Latin Dance Cup in the professional couples category, and won a world title in Ladies Salsa Same Gender division.
Erika loves teaching sharing her passion for dance with students. She is available to teach workshops and privates in salsa, ballet, jazz, active flexibility, and lifts and tricks.
Liz Rojas of SalsaMania
Born and raised in Colombia, Liz is known for her unique extensive styling repertoire and is one of the top female instructors and artists in the world salsa community.
“Salsa fills your soul with a fire that lets you express yourself on the dance floor with free style and vigor. I love to pass along the knowledge and passion that I have for this wonderful art.”
Salsamania Productionsis directed by John & Liz, world salsa champions and acclaimed dance instructors. They are known for their hypnotic performances marked by high levels of grace, speed, and technical difficulty. They are equally acknowledged for their ability to provide fresh, accessible and entertaining salsa dance instruction for the social dance environment.
Since 2009, they have organized the San Francisco Salsa Festival, a weekend of world-class performances, dancing, and workshops with top salsa instructors, the Bay Area’s best DJs, and top live bands held annual every spring.
They are also the founders and directors of the Salsamania Dance Company. Formed in 2000, their dance company consists of several performance teams, including professional, semi-pro, amateur, ladies footwork, and training levels
Royland Lobato
Royland has been teaching throughout the Bay Area since 2005.
Originally from Guantanamo, Cuba, Royland is a founding member of the Havana-based dance company, 7 Potencias, an Afro-Cuban Folkloric dance and music ensemble.
7 Potencias, one of the most creative and acclaimed Cuban folkloric ensembles, both in Cuba and internationally.A professional dancer with an expertise in Afro-Cuban folkloric and Cuban popular dance, Royland has also participated as a principal dancer as well as instructor, and invited guest in performances, workshops and classes throughout the greater Bay Area, Hawaii, New York, Cuba, and Mexico.
A graduate of the Escuela de Instructors de Arte de la Ciudad de La Habana, (School of Arts Instructors in Havana) with a degree in Education, specializing in dance.
Check his website out! HERE
Weslei Guimaraes
Weslei is a dance teacher and a performer, native to the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. He teaches a variety of dance styles across the Bay Area to dance enthusiasts of all ages. Some of the dance styles include Samba no Pé, Brazilian ballroom (such as Samba de Gafieira), and Baile Funk. He is the winner of the Brazilian National Bolero Champion “Estilizando Bolero” (2016). He also participated in numerous “comissão de frentes,” a highly selective performance section of the world renowned Rio Carnaval, and has appeared in popular Brazilian television shows. In the United States, Weslei also worked heavily on dance productions like “SamBrazil” as Choreographer and Director (2017, 2018), and the “Yemanja Arts Festival” with Brasarte.
As an instructor, Weslei created Northern California’s first comprehensive “Dança de Salão” (Brazilian ballroom dance) program, and has helped hundreds of dancers fall in love with the art of Samba de Gafieira. He has worked with children including those with different learning abilities (Brasarte, Get Empowered). He served as Lead Choreographer of San Francisco’s first Samba de Gafieira ala for two years at the Annual San Francisco Carnaval festival. Currently, Weslei serves as Choreographer and Director of Talent Development for Estrelas do Samba dance company, and continues teaching ongoing classes and performing across the Bay Area.
Recently, Weslei opened his dance studio in Berkeley California where he teaches weekly Samba no Pé, Bolero, Brazilian Funk, Samba de Gafiera, Samba de Roda and Forró classes.
Jeff Jung
Learn to dance safer, learn to dance better. Learn techniques and movements to bring safe and beautiful dancing to Humboldt County. Don’t be the dangerous dancer on the floor pulling moves from social media and calling it Sensual Bachata.
Jeff teaches from the Korke y Judith Sensual Bachata Mastery Program (the originators of Sensual Bachata from Cadiz, Spain). He has been teaching Sensual Bachata since January 2018 and has enjoyed working with many levels of students under JAS Latin Dance Academy.
Jeff is a former trainer for Daniel y Desiree World Team Project, San Francisco and other teams under JAS Latin Dance Academy directed by Jose Santamaria.
Jeff is a member of the Daniel and Desiree World Team Project Performance Team in the SF Bay Area. They have also been training in Zouk under the instruction of Anthony and Collyane Umina, on the San Francisco Zouk Performance Team. He brings a variety of dance backgrounds including Salsa, Bachata, Zouk, Hula, Argentine Tango, and various other social level ballroom dances.
Jeff works full time outside of the dance industry and in their free time try to share their passion, knowledge, and spirit to help grow open and welcoming communities of people.
Jeff is one of the founding members of Bachata Lab Productions in Santa Rosa (Organizers of Sazon’s Sensual Bachata Nights) where their mission is to grow the local dance community through supporting local businesses and social networks through fun and education in their events and activities. See their Website HERE
Takechi Ruiz
Born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Takechi Ruiz was raised in a deeply artistic family where music, dance, and performance were an essential part of everyday life. From an early age, he displayed remarkable talent in acting, dance, and music, a passion that led him to pursue formal artistic training.
He graduated from the José María Heredia Vocational School of the Arts in Santiago de Cuba, where he developed a strong technical foundation and refined his artistic skills. Over the years, Takechi has dedicated himself to preserving, performing, and teaching the richness of Cuban dance traditions, sharing the authentic essence of Cuban culture with students and audiences around the world.
Known for his dynamic teaching style, musicality, and charismatic stage presence, Takechi specializes in Cuban social dances, including Casino (Cuban Salsa), Rueda de Casino, Son Cubano, Timba Partner Work, and other Afro-Cuban dance expressions. His classes emphasize not only technique but also musical interpretation, connection, history, and cultural authenticity.
Today, Takechi Ruiz continues to inspire dancers of all levels through workshops, performances, festivals, and regular classes in the United States, promoting Cuban dance with passion, excellence, and heart.
He graduated from the José María Heredia Vocational School of the Arts in Santiago de Cuba, where he developed a strong technical foundation and refined his artistic skills. Over the years, Takechi has dedicated himself to preserving, performing, and teaching the richness of Cuban dance traditions, sharing the authentic essence of Cuban culture with students and audiences around the world.
Known for his dynamic teaching style, musicality, and charismatic stage presence, Takechi specializes in Cuban social dances, including Casino (Cuban Salsa), Rueda de Casino, Son Cubano, Timba Partner Work, and other Afro-Cuban dance expressions. His classes emphasize not only technique but also musical interpretation, connection, history, and cultural authenticity.
Today, Takechi Ruiz continues to inspire dancers of all levels through workshops, performances, festivals, and regular classes in the United States, promoting Cuban dance with passion, excellence, and heart.
Mireille Ruiz
Mireille Ruiz was Born and raised in Mexico City, she grew up dancing and listening to Latin Music as part of her culture including Cumbia,Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Banda.
She learned her first following Techniques dancing with her father in every family fiesta.
She has a background in Mexican folklore, Jazz, tapp
dancing and gymnastics.
she is also a percussionist, drummer and Montessori Teacher.
She grew up performing since the age of 4.
Bay Area Latin dance instructor.
Mireille has been teaching, performing, choreographing and leading dance teams around the USA and Mexico since 2008.
Zach Knox
Zach has been dancing salsa since 2014, performing all over the world and winning multiple championships in the soloist, couple, and team divisions. Zach shares a passion for salsa by empowering students to find their own flavor, backed by a strong foundation of proper technique.
Ryan "The Bachata Rockstar" and our Master of Ceremonies
Ryan has dedicated his heart and soul to Bachata, Salsa, Zouk, and Kizomba and went from simply doing moves, to deeply feeling the rhythm and music. 20 years ago, he stepped into his first Bachata lesson, and his life changed forever. He was teaching a year later, and has since become famous for his Bachata Romantica workshop series world wide. Blending sensuality, connectivity, and love, with a variety of different dances styles, these workshops help dancers tap into their inner romantic, unlocking a dancer's personal presence and style. True to his moniker, Ryan can always be found on the social dance floor til it closes down, and has been lauded for being one of the most approachable and dedicated social dancers. Ask for a dance and you will get 110%!
Sean and Lisa
Angelica
From Seattle Washington, Lisa and Sean have been performing together on teams and as a couple over the last 9 years. Having studied under Jhon and Liz of acclaimed Salsamania Productions, they bring joy and love for salsa with an eye for detail in each class they teach and dance they have. Now a family, they bring there little one to dance events, like at Bravo Dance Studio where they are currently guest instructors, in the hope he ends up liking Salsa. Time will only tell.
Pat Gimeno
Pat Gimeno is a Latin dance ambassador with over 15 years of experience dancing and performing. He began his dance journey in college with San José State’s Spartan Mambo and went on to perform with renowned Bay Area teams Latin Symbolics and Rica Salsa. Over the years, he has learned from some of the best dance instructors in the world, attended countless events across the West Coast, and has contributed to the Humboldt Latin Dance Festival for 5+ years.
Pat loves bringing people together, feeling the music, and finding freedom in every dance. As an instructor, he invites dancers to move beyond patterns, play with musicality, and make the dance their own. He hopes to inspire the next generation to embrace the joy of salsa, bachata, merengue and more of the amazing latin styles! Don’t be afraid to ask him to dance! Let’s play!
Pat loves bringing people together, feeling the music, and finding freedom in every dance. As an instructor, he invites dancers to move beyond patterns, play with musicality, and make the dance their own. He hopes to inspire the next generation to embrace the joy of salsa, bachata, merengue and more of the amazing latin styles! Don’t be afraid to ask him to dance! Let’s play!
Evie Alva"The Bailerina"
Due to injury Evie will not be teaching at the 2026 festival.
Evi has been dancing salsa, bachata, zouk, kizomba and international latin ballroom for a decade and has ventured into other cultural dances – she’s now an award winning belly dancer and an Indian classical dancer! She has also been studying human anatomy and how to dance with effortless ease through her studies of movement called Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method. Her specialty lies in teaching how different parts of the body coordinate and move to create isolations and fluidity in dance, even more so with a partner. She loves connection on the dance floor, and in her life, and seeks to teach connection through non-verbal communication – the art of receiving and intention when we hold another in our arms dancing. The balance between tension and intention, how to create a safe frame in which the follower and leader engage in fluid communication. She’ll be teaching Bachata isolations and transitions from isolations and all types of body rolls when solo-ing and dancing with a partner. Her classes are perfect for those who want to add to their personal style and expand their dance vocabulary. Get excited!!!
Due to injury Evie will not be teaching at the 2026 festival.
Evi has been dancing salsa, bachata, zouk, kizomba and international latin ballroom for a decade and has ventured into other cultural dances – she’s now an award winning belly dancer and an Indian classical dancer! She has also been studying human anatomy and how to dance with effortless ease through her studies of movement called Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method. Her specialty lies in teaching how different parts of the body coordinate and move to create isolations and fluidity in dance, even more so with a partner. She loves connection on the dance floor, and in her life, and seeks to teach connection through non-verbal communication – the art of receiving and intention when we hold another in our arms dancing. The balance between tension and intention, how to create a safe frame in which the follower and leader engage in fluid communication. She’ll be teaching Bachata isolations and transitions from isolations and all types of body rolls when solo-ing and dancing with a partner. Her classes are perfect for those who want to add to their personal style and expand their dance vocabulary. Get excited!!!
Our Local Talent
Miss Julie Hayes
Miss Julie Hayes is passionate about gathering people together and making dance accessible to EVERYONE. She is a credential teacher for the State of California and loves teaching all ages! She began dancing at the age of 3 and has never stopped. She grew up in San Jose, California, and was trained in ballet by Principal Balanchine dancer Gloria Mohr. After dancing with the Santa Clara and San Jose Cleveland Ballet companies, Julie turned to Competitive Jazz dance until 1998 when she started her family and moved to Humboldt County to finish her degree.
Julie is the co-founder and Organizer of the annual Humboldt Latin Dance and Music Festival. Also, she is training closely with John Narvaez of Salsa Mania in Oakland. In 2024, she won 1st place and Best in Show at the San Francisco Salsa Festival in the Salsa ProAm75 division, and 3rd place at the San Jose Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival in the Salsa ProAm Open Division. Then, in 2025, she won First Place at the West Coast Latin Dance Championships and went on to proudly take first place at her first world championship at the Euro Son World Latin Dance Cup . She looks forward to sharing her 45 years of dance passion with you!
Miss Julie Hayes is passionate about gathering people together and making dance accessible to EVERYONE. She is a credential teacher for the State of California and loves teaching all ages! She began dancing at the age of 3 and has never stopped. She grew up in San Jose, California, and was trained in ballet by Principal Balanchine dancer Gloria Mohr. After dancing with the Santa Clara and San Jose Cleveland Ballet companies, Julie turned to Competitive Jazz dance until 1998 when she started her family and moved to Humboldt County to finish her degree.
Julie is the co-founder and Organizer of the annual Humboldt Latin Dance and Music Festival. Also, she is training closely with John Narvaez of Salsa Mania in Oakland. In 2024, she won 1st place and Best in Show at the San Francisco Salsa Festival in the Salsa ProAm75 division, and 3rd place at the San Jose Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival in the Salsa ProAm Open Division. Then, in 2025, she won First Place at the West Coast Latin Dance Championships and went on to proudly take first place at her first world championship at the Euro Son World Latin Dance Cup . She looks forward to sharing her 45 years of dance passion with you!
