Meet our Instructors

 About Henri

From his childhood in his native Venezuela, social dancing has always been a passion for Henri Velandia.  He began his formal dance training in Classical Ballet, Jazz and Modern Dance at the age of 20 at the Princeton Dance and Theater Studio (PDT) under the tutelage of Susan Jaffe and Risa Kaplowitz.  Through his training Henri has been able to understand the importance of technique and the beauty of movement, taking his dancing to new levels and earning him the nickname "the miracle dancer".   He has danced with PDT for over 4 years, performing at their annual Spring Shows as well as Susan Jaffe's Nutcracker and Risa Kaplowitz’s The Secret Garden.  In addition to his training at PDT he has completed various workshops with Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City.  Henri also trains in Ballroom with Irina Piginnina, and has  been competing in the Pro-Am divisions for the past 2 years. As a  Professional Salsa Dancer and Instructor, Henri has developed his distinct Salsa style, a fusion of hip-urban street Salsa with some formal Ballroom technique, incorporating expressive body styling and footwork.  These forms are seamlessly blended into a unique and fresh approach to Salsa dancing infused with his stylish grace and sensual ease.   He is the founder of HotSalsaHot Dance Studio in Princeton and is a featured instructor and performer at several venues in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

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"Salsa is the art of improvisation, the beauty of mistakes, and the passion of the rhythm." 

Henri Velandia

About Christy

 

Christine Kam began her dance career as a classically trained ballerina. In 1999 and 2000, she won the prestigious Pacific Northwest Weiler Choreography Competition Scholarship for her original choreography pieces. She has passed dance examinations from both the Royal Academy of Dance as well as receiving high honors in the American Academy of Ballet’s Performance Awards. In college, she found her passion for latin dance and trained under many instructors while dancing with Onda Latina, a latin dance troupe from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she started her ballroom dance training at that time and has been an active member of the ballroom dance team as well as being the performance coordinator, choreographer, and instructor for the University of Pennsylvania ballroom dance team, where she earned her degree in 2004. She and her ballroom partner are the current and 2007 national rhythm title holders for amateur open rhythm (cha cha, rumba, swing, mambo, and bolero) as well as the current national champions for open 9 dance (waltz, tango, foxtrot, viennese, cha cha, rumba, swing, mambo, and bolero). They are also the 2008 Southeast Regional 9 dance champions. With over 10 years of teaching experience (ballet, ballroom, latin, and salsa), she hopes to use her passion for dance as well as extensive knowledge of body movement and dynamics to inspire others to dance.