November 2, 2024

If you haven’t seen the latest viral video of Sofia Vergara getting her swerve on at an Emmy after party, no fear, just click here. If there is one lessoned to be learned from the video ‘LLERO’s it pays to know how to dance. Damn that Derrick Hough!!

We enlisted the experts to give you some pointers — Island Touch Dance Academy’s Jorge “Ataca” Burgos and Tanja “La Alemana” Kensinger. Don’t believe us, well with their Bachata and Salsa routines, they’ve danced their way to the top-tier of the professional Latin Dance scene, attaining worldwide fame as well as choreography gigs for acts such as Xtreme, Prince Royce and Toby Love. Need we say more?

First a bit about our Bachata guru’s. Earlier in life, both of their families played key roles in their penchant for dancing. Jorge grew up watching his family play instruments and dance the night away during their many parrandas. While Tanja’s dance history goes back to Germany, where her mother – a professional ballroom dancer – signed her up for classes in ballroom dancing, ballet and tap dance at three-years-old.

While working for a mortgage company, Jorge met Rudi Lopez (a.k.a. El Tiguere Del Mambo).

“One day, [Rudi] called me into his office and was like, ‘I’ve seen you grow into this very mature, high-level dancer. I’ve always wanted to start a dance company. What do you think about going in it with me?’ And, I said, ‘Of course!’”

Tanja – who had already been running her own dance company with a former partner – met Jorge through the dance scene. Sometime later, Tanja split with her partner and was in search of a new dance mate.
“[Jorge] found out that I was looking for a dance partner, he gave me a call, and that’s when we started talking,” Tanja recounted. The two linked up, and along with Rudi, Island Touch was ready to
“touch the world.”

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About The Author

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Born to Dominican parents in NYC and raised in Passaic, NJ, in nearly a decade as an entertainment writer, Emmanuel Ureña has written for numerous publications, including VIBE, Latina.com, BET.com, LLERO, Urban Ink, Inked, and many others. When he’s not typing away on his MacBook, Ureña is reading fictional novels and comic books while enjoying ice-cold Blue Moon beers. You might also find him at a local tattoo shop getting some fresh ink!

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