Sol is a Co-Founder, Director, Instructor and Performer for Latin Rhythms

Favorite Latin Dance

Mambo or ChaChaCha

Favorite Latin Musician/Band

Alejandro Sanz (he's a lyrical genius); Selena and Jennifer Lopez (they are performance goddesses)... ya gotta appreciate both aspects

Favorite Latin Food

Arrachera tacos (with lots of lime), and my mom's Mexican rice

What do you like most about being part of the Latin Rhythms Family?

The very family-like friendships established; The fact that my dancing continues to improve everyday; The amazing rush I feel during our performances; The idea that we (Latin Rhythms) have been able to help out hundreds and hundreds of people learn to dance, and therefore, give them one more thing in their life to smile about.

What advice would you give to a BEGINNING SALSERO? - - Someone who may, at first, be intimidated to learn salsa... but truly wants to become a great Salsero/Salsera!

1) Be patient. Nothing comes over night.
2) (Really) Listen to the music. Understand what you're dancing to. Half the battle with great dancing isn't memorizing a bunch of combinations, but rather, understanding the timing, counts and rhythms of the music... and then applying this to all your fabulous combinations.
3) Follow proper technique from the get go. A bad habit is much harder to rectify the longer it's practiced, so try to catch these technical incorrections from the beginning.
4) Never lose your basic step! Play with it, sure... but never lose it.
5) Lastly, and least bias, come to Latin Rhythms Dance Studio if you really want to become a great Salsero/Salsera. :)

Please give your dance background and technical experience

Bred and raised an "athlete" from an embryo up through college, [four-year varsity starter for Big Ten Women’s Water Polo @ the University of Illinois -gotta throw this in somewhere,] my life as a "dancer" did not (seriously) start until January of 2000 - A time marking my graduation from college; the retiring of a long athletic career; and my initiation into the Latin Rhythms Family. This is where I would have to start my real "dance training" clock. (Thank you, Maricza Valentin!)

The same method that was used to train me as a Salsa dancer (and eventually a Salsa instructor), is relatively the same method/approach we use today to teach all our students at Latin Rhythms Dance Studio. (So it's full-proof... The proof is in the pudding, people!) In other words, although I started dabbling in Salsa two years before joining Latin Rhythms, I wouldn't consider my dancing technically trained or sound until I started working with Maricza Valentin and the rest of the Latin Rhythms' Founders.