WE PRESENT OUR INSTRUCTORS:
GLESNIEL (Cuba)
Salsa/Reggaetón /Bachata/Kizomba Instructor
An energetic Dj and dance instructor with 15 years experience, Glesniel Pérez Montalvo, was born in Havana, Cuba and is a Mechanical Engineer Graduate.
​
From a young age, he has been passionately fanatical about both traditional and new styles of Cuban dance that are seen and enjoyed in the streets of Old Havana. Due to this enthusiasm, he was actively involved in school dance groups. From the age of 20, he participated in Rueda de Casino competitions, and he was a member of the rueda group, "Los Marqueses de la Vibora”, which performed in the recording of the video clip, "Yo vengo de Cuba” by Fclan. Before moving to Bergen, Norway in 2014, he worked as an instructor at the Cuban dance schools Casa de Maisuri and La Casa del Son in Havana, and performed at the well-known club, 1830, in addition to other popular dance venues with his dance group.
​
Today, Glesniel runs his own dance school in Bergen, Cuba-Norge Dans, together with his dancing partner and wife, Karina. They have also established their own local dance festival, Minifestival Bailando for the last several years, a project that will continue in the future.
​
As a teacher, Glesniel has excellent pedagogy, tremendous energy, and is loved by his students. He loves social events and good fun (La Gozadera).
MARIT KJEKSRUD AMUNDSEN (Norge)
Rueda Instructor
Marit has always loved to dance and started teaching at the age of 15. When Marit discovered Cuban Salsa and Rueda de Casino in Bergen in 2005, she found her passion in life. She gave her first Rueda class in Cuba in 2007 and has since taught partner work and Rueda at BSI Dans, Danseglede/Salsakompaniet and at international festivals like, the Norwegian Rueda Congress, the Rueda Festival in Stockholm, and the Rueda Festival in Stuttgart.
Marit is known for her pedagogy and focuses on having fun, how to follow and lead, how to make a Rueda flow, how to educate new Cantantes, Feminist Rueda de Casino and crazy hard shit in Rueda.
Marit is a member of the international Rueda group TWSS That’s What She Said.
​
"Thank you Marit for a fantastic workshop. I attended several Cantante worshops and even gave some, but I never asaw such a sensitive and effective way of teaching calling. I highly recommend Marit´s Cantante workshop to all organizers of Rueda Festivals!" Sassan Ito
​
THERESE LUDVIGSEN FJEREIDE
Lady Styling Instructor
Therese flyttet til Oslo i 2005, og begynte da å danse salsa. I all hovedsak lærte hun å danse i latinomiljøet, og hun danset med alle mulige dansere, uvitende om at de danset forskjellige salsastiler, for ikke å snakke om forskjellige dansestiler. Etter at hun kunne følge de fleste danserne på dansegulvet var det noe som manglet, STYLING! Therese begynte da å ta timer hos Jazzy Ruiz og Amy Tuarez hos Salsakompaniet. Det var da hun ble oppmerksom på at det fantes forskjellige stiler, og at stilen hun lærte hos salsakompaniet var LA salsa. Etter hvert begynte hun også å undervise sammen med Jazzy,og gjorde dette fra 2009 til 2012 da hun flyttet tilbake til Bergen. Therese danser flere dansestiler, blandt annet Bachata og Merengue. I tillegg til dansen er Therese også Zumba instruktør, og har instruert Zumba siden 2013. Therese er opptatt av at musikken og dansen skal føles, og dansen skal være et svar på musikken man danser til.
IVÁN ROSALES CANALEJO (Spain)
Salsa on 2 and Bachata Instructor
¡Hola salseros! I’m Iván, a Spanish dancer and Salsa instructor who has been dancing since 2013. I’ve had several Salsa master teachers locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed such as Christian Wints ‘El Guayo’, Noelia Delgado, Irena Draganova, David Chico Swing, and the international Salsa master and amazing performer Bersy Cortez. I performed on stage with Christian Wints’s dance company On Music for 3 years, and I have taken 2 of Bersy Cortez’s African Mambo dance company choreography courses. I have taught both online and in-person Salsa students since the COVID lockdown, and I have led several workshops in Salsa and Bachata. My focus in Salsa teaching is body movement and having fun while learning technical and theoretical stuff on the go. As part of my training, I have gone, and keep going to national and international Salsa Congresses such as Malaga Latin Congress, Benidorm Salsa Congress, Madrid Salsa Congress, etc., where I have learned from internationally acclaimed dances such as Fernando Sosa, Adolfo Indacochea, Maykel Fonts, Tania Cannarsa, Eddie Torres ‘The Mambo King’ and his wife, María, etc. I have studied Cuban Salsa, Salsa LA (on1), Salsa NY or Mambo (on2), Son Cubano, Afro and Cuban Folklore (Rumba, Orishas and Palo Congo). Since I consider continuous learning key to being a good dancer and instructor, I am a perpetual student who continues growing and adding style to my dance.
ELIAS OULIE HUSE (Norge)
L.A(on1)/Mambo(on2) Instructor
​
Elias grew up with constant music around him, as his mom worked as a jazz dance instructor. He would be brought to be in the studios as a toddler which probably shaped his interest in dance. He started training Capoeira (a martial art from Brazil with elements of dance) at the age of 5, here getting an outlet for his fascination for movement and music. Elias took his first salsa class in high school and was firstly introduced to casino/Cuban style. It would take a couple of years until he was made aware of the other styles. Not yet old enough to venture to the socials held at bars (usually with the age limit of 20 years) Elias tried going to as many events at dancing schools as he could. This is where he was introduced to crossbody-style. Intrigued by the style Elias was taught the basics by people at socials, before going to classes. Continuing going to classes after high school, Elias was conscripted into a year’s service in the Norwegian navy. While there he tried to start classes for the other conscripted soldiers. Unfortunately, without much luck. While on leave he tried going to as many socials as he could, as to keep his level intact. Upon his return to Oslo, he met a dancer with a style of dance he had never seen before. This turned out to be Mambo, also known as salsa on2. Mesmerized by this new way of thinking of the music. Elias took as many classes as he could, also joining a showteam called “Gents of Oslo”.
When both teaching and social dancing, Elias’ focus revolves around feeling the music and moving to the instruments. He tries to teach under the mentality of “as a dancer; When you see movement, you should hear music. When you hear music, you should see movement”.
​
