 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Abanico Salsa | Directors |
|
Angus started dancing in 1998 because of his love for the music and his passion for Salsa. His professional teaching and DJing career started in 2000 and he is now recognised as one of the UK's finest teachers of the Cross-Body Style of Salsa dancing. Angus is also one of the few teachers in the South West working Internationally - his growing popularity means he is now much in demand as a showcase artist on dance holidays across Europe and America. He is one of those rare people who combines being a superb dancer with being an excellent teacher and whilst he has an enviable natural dancing ability, he is still able to break down, demonstrate and explain exactly what he is doing, and why. His infectious enthusiasm and focus on helping others to express their own style and personality to music ensures his classes are much in demand by dancers of every level. Angus focuses on teaching moves which are leadable and followable and ensures his students develop effective techniques which help them to progress from beginners to accomplished dancers. Angus is now also regularly working for schools and shares his love of dance with children of all ages who love his fun personality, which comes out in every class. Angus founded Abanico Salsa in 2007, with the intention of taking his unique dance experiences to a wider audience and together with the Abanico Team, is responsible for some of the most popular classes in the South West. Angus is a qualified UKA Club Salsa Dance Instructor, holds an Enhanced Disclosure CRB certificate, and has Public Liability insurance. |
Find Angus teaching every week in: > Plymouth and every month at: > Salsa Saturday TORQUAY and at: > Guest teaching slots for promoters around UK and abroad. Contact Angus: +44 (0) 7771 666 119
|
Bill started learning Salsa in 2003 without having any prior dance experience whatsoever. After being persuaded by Denise he soon got over his first reluctance and was hooked on the music. It didn't take him long before he began to enjoy his dancing. In 2005 Bill taught his first class with his partner Denise, in 2006 he attended Angus' classes on a regular basis and was one of the first teachers to join the Abanico Team. Bill has danced all over the world and constantly continues to extend his knowledge on technique, style, teaching and music. Having started without being able to dance, Bill is now fluent in Salsa, Cha Cha, Merengue and Bachata. He is thrilled to be able to help other people achieve their dancing goals. His charming, relaxed and cheeky personality fills all of his classes with an enjoyable atmosphere. The Clevedon classes he runs with Denise are very popular and the testimonials show why they come so highly recommended. Bill is a fun character and the Abanico Team wouldn't be the same without him. |
Find Bill teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact Bill: +44 (0) 7815 187 848 |
The salsa bug first gripped Denise in 2003 after an introduction to the Salsa Scene in a London Club. Having had previous dance lessons in country and later line dancing she decided to extend her dance experience and take up Salsa. Denise began teaching Salsa in 2005 with her partner Bill, in 2006 she was inspired by Angus and soon after became a member of the Abanico Teaching Team. Sadly, Denise was recently diagnosed with advanced Arthritis in her knees which greatly limits her own dancing, but she still gets much pleasure from helping Bill with the Clevedon Classes. Denise now teaches Salsa, Cha Cha, Merengue and Bachata with the goal of helping others to discover the pleasures of dancing. Due to her calm and approachable character Denise's classes are always light-hearted with a big emphasis on making the session fun. Together with her husband Bill, they generate a real 'family' atmosphere and have a very loyal following. |
Find Denise teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact Denise: +44 (0) 7815 187 848 |
James is an experienced entertainer having taken to the stage in his first theatrical production at the age of 19. Since then he has performed in a wide variety of dramatic productions, before taking his acting experiences behind the scenes making his directorial debut in 1996. James then progressed to freelance DJing before forming his own company to work as a DJ and promotor. He took a break from the entertainment industry to focus on his career, but returned when he started dancing in 2005 and quickly fell in love with the Salsa scene. He is now back where he is happiest - On stage! Both dancing & teaching! And always for fun! James joined Abanico Salsa in 2008 and is part of the Yate teaching team. He is an avid fan of Bachata and Merengue which compliments his dance repertoire. His friendly personality and easy manner make him a popular figure on the local Salsa scene. |
Find James teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact James: +44 (0) 7717 707 860 |
Abanico Salsa | Teachers |
|
Having started her dance career with Tap Dance at the age of 5, attending ballet classes until the age of 15, and later learning Argentinean Tango, it didn't take Claire long to find her own flowing and elegant style of Salsa dancing. Claire's interest for Salsa was discovered in 2005 during a dance activity weekend and not long after going to regular lessons her interest turned into a passion. Claire was approached by the Abanico Team in 2007 and became a member very shortly after. She enjoys passing her knowledge and understanding of dancing on to her students. Her calm and gentle approach to teaching helps people to relax and lose any feelings of anxiety or nervousness. Filling a class with delight and pleasure is one of Claire's natural talents. The Abanico Team is honoured to have a confident, capable and reliable teacher in Claire. She brings needed calmness to the easily excitable team! |
Find Claire teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact Claire: +44 (0) 7599 832 110 |
Sonja developed a passion for Salsa music in the mid 80s while at college, but it wasn’t until quite a few years (& babies!) later she tried her first Salsa class and was instantly hooked. By 2006 she had set up Exmouth Salsa and was booking Angus for regular Salsa and Cha Cha courses to share his fun classes with a wider audience that had yet to venture as far as Torquay! Since then she has continued in tirelessly promoting the Salsa scene in her home town with events such as the now well established "Exmouth Salsa Cruise" and it’s smaller but more frequent sibling the "Exmouth Sunday Social". She continues to assist with teaching on a weekly basis in Exmouth; and runs very successful Beginners' courses across Devon. As if that wasn’t enough, Sonja can often be seen waving goodbye to her family before setting off across the UK to indulge her passion on the dance floors of some of the biggest Salsa events. And let’s face it, when is she actually off the dance floor? |
Find Sonja teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact Sonja: +44 (0) 7926 701 220 |
Abanico Salsa | Teaching Assistants |
|
Angelique first started dancing Salsa in 2004 whilst at University in France. Having a background in dance - she studied Modern Jazz whilst at school - she was a fast learner and even progressed to a level where she was teaching before moving to the UK. Shortly after moving to the UK in 2007 Angelique started attending Abanico Salsa classes in Torquay where she discovered a passion for all things New York style... both the dance and the music! Since then she has worked even harder at her dancing - as those who have seen her dance (and spin!!) will know - and now assists Angus every month at our Viva Mambo sessions, as well as his guest teaching appearances across the UK. |
Find Angelique at: and every month at: |
Cathy first began dancing aged 7, and up to the age of 10 she learnt and took (IDTA) exams in many Latin and Ballroom dances (Foxtrot, Tango, Cha Cha, Waltz, Jive Rumba, Quickstep and Disco!). It was in September 2006, when a friend and her decided to go travelling around Cuba, that someone suggested that she try Salsa classes in preparation for her visit - her feet have barely touched the ground since..! Cathy was immediately hooked and since then has been on numerous Salsa weekends and holidays, and as many parties as she can fit in - Salsa has now become a major part of her life (as all of her long lost non-Salsa friends will tell you!). Cathy started taking lessons with Angus at Abanico Salsa in the summer of 2007 and was captivated by his entertaining approach to Salsa - and his choice of music. Abanico Salsa are very happy to have such an enthusiastic Salsera as part of the team. |
Find Cathy every week in: and every month at: Contact Cathy: |
Liz first started dancing Salsa on a birthday night out in 2005 with some salsa dancing friends. She started dancing with Abanico Salsa in Torquay in 2007, when her local class finished for a summer break and she found that 2 weeks was too long to wait, and hasn't looked back! Soon, once a week was not enough and on moving to Bristol for work she was ecstatic to find she could dance every night of the week! Dance took off completely and Liz found a whole new circle of friends, and a wide variety of opportunities to dance - including weekenders, and more recently, several trips to New York to learn Mambo/On2. She also loves to dance other stlyes, most notably Cha Cha and Bachata. Liz joined Abanico Salsa in 2010 and as well as at assisting at Abanico events and parties she can be found every Monday helping at our Yate classes. |
Find Liz every week in: and every month at: |
Steve had never set foot on a dance floor until his late twenties and firmly believed that he was a member of the 'two left feet' club! His first dance experience was of Ballroom, followed by a spell at Modern Jive, before moving to South America where he was bitten by the Salsa bug! Steve has regularly ettended Abanico Salsa and Salsa Southwest classes since 2004 and has developed a deep passion for Salsa and the Latin dances - which he now indulges by travelling the country in search of the UK's other best dance nights, events & weekenders. Steve first started getting involved with Abanico Salsa in the summer of 2008 when he assisted Sonja with our Summer Salsa courses, and he is dedicated to continually training and improving his own dance style and technique - as well as hoping to pass on some of the passion he has for Salsa to other danceres out there... |
Find Steve every week in: and every month at: Contact Steve: > Click here to email Steve |
Abanico Salsa | Non-teaching Assistants |
|
Carl (known also as Carlos on Tuesday nights) knew he loved dancing ever since he donned a bikini and danced around mouthing the words to "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" at the age of about 11 at a local talent show! Carl always enjoyed aerobics and step aerobics, working up a sweat and bouncing around to thumping music, but wanted more - something he could do outside of a tracksuit. The opportunity came along to start Ballroom dancing. He did this for about six months but, aside from Cha Cha and Foxtrot, he decided that it wasn't 'up tempo' enough for him. In 2007 Latin DX, now Salsa DX came to the Stable Club at Clyst St Mary for a trial class and immediately he was hooked - the music, the moves, the vibe... he loved it! In April 2008, a four week Salsa course was offered and he and Nicky (see below) decided to give it a shot as well as Salsa DX routines - "once you got the bug and when you're on a roll, you can't really stop, can you?!". Following the four week course at the Stable Club, Carl wanted to carry on dancing Salsa and, with Nicky, joined Abanico Salsa classes in Exmouth. Grants from their workplace enabled them to go forward quite quickly and within a year, he and Nicky were handling the admin for the Exmouth classes, whilst parallel to that, continuing to shine as Angus and Sonja's star pupils! |
Find Carl every week in: |
Nicky has always been interested in all forms of dancing, dabbling in tap and disco to name but two - even joining a local disco dance troupe in her early teens - but it wasn't until fairly recently that she caught the Salsa bug. Nicky started going to Salsa DX classes in September 2007 which introduced her to salsa music and footwork, and it was through these classes in May 2008 that she got the opportunity to try a salsa course - it was Carl (see above) who asked if she fancied "giving it a go?" - and she's not looked back since! Wanting to learn more, she joined the Abanico Salsa classes in Exmouth straight away and found Angus & Sonja's passion and enthusiasm for everything salsa very addictive. Suffice it to say, the salsa bug has well and truly bitten. There's a great social side to salsa dancing and "I've met and made friends with some lovely people at various classes and events". Now Nicky is hooked she is always on the dance floor trying to improve her dancing technique whenever possible! As well as this Nicky forms one half of our invaluable admin team on Tuesday nights in Exmouth - anyone who has come down to class in Exmouth will know how great she and Carl are at sorting everyone out at the beginning of the evening, and how much help they are during class and throughout the evening. |
Find Nicky every week in: |
Abanico Salsa | Teaching Associates At Abanico Salsa we also work closely with other teachers/promoters at some of our classes |
|
In Plymouth & Torquay we work with Dave Adams. Dave is our SALSA SOUTHWEST connection and well-known for his careful and considerate approach to teaching. He spends many hours developing different ways of explaining the basics, so that he can help even those with 'two left feet' to dance and enjoy salsa. He was the original 'driving force' in getting Salsa Southwest off the ground, and he is also our PR and Sound Man. Dave has run an acclaimed Beginners Course in Jersey, and has run very popular Introduction to Salsa classes on a Greek Island. Dave is a qualified UKA Club Salsa Dance Instructor. |
Find Dave teaching every week in: and every month at: Contact Dave: +44 (0) 7866 383 316 |
Angus Peters
Bill Coleman 
Denise Coleman 
James Smith 
Claire Camp 
Sonja Heigl 
Angelique Beaumard 
Cathy Boyd 
Liz Anderson 
Steve Porter 
Carl 'Carlos' Stamp 
Nicky Curgenven 
Dave Adams 