Our TEAM
SAMANTHA
Samantha took her first dancing steps when she was 11, studying ballet, contemporary dance, ballroom, and flamenco.
In 2001, in Italy, Samantha discovered the Caribbean rhythms, and it was pure love. Ever since she hasn’t been able to stop dancing Salsa!!
She started teaching in Galway, Ireland in 2012, with “Dance Project.” In 2015, she invaded the Cork scene, opening Salsa Cubana Cork, later Salsa Cubana Dance Academy and Now The Tribe, which quickly became the leading Cuban Salsa school in Cork City and Ireland.
She continues to expand her knowledge and teaching techniques by attending numerous Salsa festivals, traveling to Cuba regularly, and training with teachers such as Yeni Molinet, Alberto Valdes, Roly Maden, Federico M. Nunez, and Valerio Perla just to name a few.
In 2018 Sam joined and completed the World Mastery Cuban Rumba Program for Teachers, taught by Alberto Valdes.
in 2019 Sam joined the Roly Maden professional certification for teachers, and in 2020, she becomes the first certified professional teacher of Caribbean dances in Ireland.
The passion she shares for this beautiful culture is addictive, and together with her strong personality, volcanic energy, and teaching skills makes her the most beloved and respected Salsa teacher in Ireland.
Luca
Luca is well-known in the Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba communities in Ireland. He took his first steps in the world of dancing in Italy and fully submerged in Latin dances after he moved to Cork.
His primary expertise in teaching is with sensual Bachata, and he trained in Luis and Andrea’s sensual bachata school. In addition, he continuously improves and broadens his knowledge by attending international congresses and events.
With his detail-oriented approach, he strives to get the best out of his students while creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere in his classes.
Eszter
Eszter started Latin dancing in Dublin in 2016 and hasn’t stopped since! She dances Salsa, Kizomba but her favourite dance is Bachata – all of its styles included. She performed in the Dublin Touch Ladies Styling team for three seasons, choreographed by La Alemana and directed by Saray Jimenez.
After moving to Cork, she joined the Salsa Cubana team, now The Tribe, as administrator and organizer.
ELISA
Elisa started learning Salsa Cubana with Salsa Cubana Cork in 2016 after a trip to Cuba ignited her interest in its rhythm and culture and made her discover the joy of dancing.
The environment and the friends she found made it impossible to leave the dancing scene after that! The year after she started learning Bachata and Kizomba and participated in a few performances during parties and events. In 2019 she joined Salsa Cubana Cork as administrator, while still attending classes and congresses to improve her knowledge and style.
In 2021 she started assisting the teachers in Salsa and Bachata classes for SCDA while supporting the team with administration and events.
ROVIGO
Originally from Venezuela, Rovigo has been a dance enthusiast throughout his entire life. Since arriving at the Salsa Cubana Cork Academy, he has been focused on styling and technique.
He brings his dancing passion to the core of the Tribe as a collaborator not only helping the team with ad-hoc classes (especially salsa) but also helping to define the vision of The Tribe through User Experience….and eats all chocolates!!!! Be careful!
Anna
Anna comes from Laois but moved to Cork in 2018. She had her introduction to the salsa world in 2018 and has been a consistent member of the community here in Cork ever since.
With a background in sport and with years of ballet classes under her belt, the transition to salsa was a natural one.
Anna works full-time as a primary school teacher and happily extends these skills to her salsa life. She began by assisting during beginner classes and quickly proved that she could plan and manage classes independently. You will now find her teaching frequently within our weekly class schedule with The Tribe, formally SCC.
She can also be seen to turn her hand to many jobs around the school such as course promotions, registrations and social media content.
REBEKAH
Originally from Cork, but living in the UK until very recently, Rebekah has now returned to her home city! She is a Kizomba teacher and dancer from Kent. She didn’t know she was a dancer until her mid 20’s when she wandered into a Salsa class one evening and the rest is sort of history. While learning to dance and teach Salsa she also came across Bachata, but when she discovered Kizomba it changed her whole world! She took to leading like a duck to water and travelled far and wide to take classes with kizomba masters. And she is always looking to learn and develop more!
She is incredibly passionate about teaching and sharing her love of Kizomba with others. She focuses her lessons on great technique, musicality and flow, and most importantly – Connection! “Connection is Key!” is her absolute favourite phrase. She has a really special way of inviting you into the heart of the dance and opening your eyes to the layers of magic that exist within it with her rather unique and unusual teaching style. She’s always delighted to be asked to dance, as a lead or a follow, and she especially loves dancing with beginners!! So don’t be shy!
NENSI
Nensi came to Cork from Croatia in 2016. As it was a fresh start in her life, she decided to change her carrier and challenge herself by learning new skills in the hospitality industry.
Also, she never stopped educating herself, diplomas in Human Resource Management and Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner just motivate her to continue her studies in RTT.
Nensi took her first dance class early this year and discovered how empowered she feels belonging to The Tribe.
thetribedanceacademy@gmail.com
Phone
+353 89 486 8387
