Timing is the key.  Tuu Tuu...Tah!

Manuel Martinez learned to dance salsa and cha-cha-cha when he was a small child in his native Puerto Rico. Manuel’s first teachers were his parent and siblings. The whole family would participate in house-cleaning duties on Saturdays and in between mopping and dusting they would have dance breaks. For this reason salsa is second nature to Manuel. He later developed his dance technique heavily influenced by notable dancers from his homeland and New York City such as Roberto Roena, Papito Jala-Jala, Janette Orta, Felipe Polanco and Jesus Aponte, among others.

Manuel is a professional classical guitarist with a Bachelor in Music from the Conservatory of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico and a Masters in Music from the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.  Manuel's extensive musical background and his experience as a music teacher complement his dance teaching skills.

Manuel has been a guest instructor on various occasions at Penn State University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Among other events, he has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Andrews Air Force Base and a special presentation for New York Mambo instructor Eddie Torres.

In addition to his regular teaching schedule, Manuel is the director of Salsa con Clase and Las Mambo Mamis (two mambo/salsa performing groups) and is presently working with a salsa/mambo and cha-cha-cha program for kids and teenagers called the Latin Dance Youth Program

Sam Rodriguez of Salsaweb DC and Eileen Torres of Salsamundo have openly endorsed Manuel’s teaching techniques. In 1999 Wendell Robinson’s Latin-Dance.Com elected Manuel Martinez as the DC Metropolitan Area Mambo Instructor of the Year.

To inquire further about the lessons please contact Manuel at (202)785-8515 or e-mail him at manuel@salsaweb.com.

Ideas and concepts by Manuel Martinez