As a comedian by nature and dancer by right, Nelson Flores, currently director of the Descarga Latina Dance Co., plays an important role as both producer and initiator of the "Latin Madness" concept. You can say Nelson has learned to dance Mambo from a variety of people. His first basic steps were taught to him by Angel Rodriguez of "Razz M' Tazz". He learned a few floor shines from Evelyn Leon and also picked up some partner work techniques from Mario Diaz. Nelson has worked with several dance companies such as: "Fuerza Latina", "Mario Diaz Dance Revue" and "Santo Rico Dance Co.". Having been part of these groups and learning from them has given Nelson the diversity to be creative in style, turn patterns and open shines. Prior to the world of Salsa dancing, Nelson was actively organizing comedy skits and shows with New York's top stand-up comedians that was then known as Laff-A-Lot Productions . Read the biography on Descarga Latina dance Co. for a peek of what Nelson has been involved in.

Carlos Mendoza is the Executive Director of Side Street Kids, Inc., a non-profit organization located in the Bronx. He is also a New York State certified teacher. Along with overseeing the operations of the 200 member Side Street Kids, Inc., he has conducted mambo seminars for the NYC Board of Education, the Congreso Mundial de Salsa, various colleges throughout the metropolitan area and internationally in Italy. Carlos has danced professionally with the Mambo Elite Dance Co., Stacey Lopez, Fiesta Brava and the Evelyn Ramos Dance Co. Carlos also co-produced the Off-Broadway "Dancical" comedy hit, Un Verano en Nueva York.

Dance Team Bios

Descarga Latina Dance Co. came together in January 1998. As an internationally acclaimed dance troupe that continues to be on the cutting edge in the world of Latin dance, Descarga Latina has toured in countries such as England, Italy, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Canada, Turkey and Peru. In the United States, they have toured cities such as Chicago, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington D.C and California. They have shared the stage with many renowned Latin artists, such as the late Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Oscar DeLeon, Tito Nieves, Jerry Rivera, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Michael Stuart, Marc Anthony, La India, and various RMM and Fania All-Star artists. Each member contributes to the group by incorporating a variety of dance genres ranging from mambo, cha-cha, merengue, hustle and hip-hop.

ABAKUÁ Dancers are a group of talented individuals who perform for special functions with original choreography by Frankie Martinez adopted from old and new Salsa/Mambo, Cha Cha Cha and Rumba steps mixed with our modern dances. Frankie's unique choreography involves a blend of historical events that along with original costumes add drama and charisma to any stage performance. This spicy and ethnically diverse group entertains with traditional, cultural and modern dance routines entrancing the audience with their captivating and unique style.

The Mambo Mamas was an idea, almost a whim, conceived in the recesses of the mind of Abbey Plotkin. A group of large-sized women dancing professionally went against the grain of everything she had been taught by her family and society. Plotkin had always loved dancing and performing so why not create her own dance company with other big women? She recruited two other plus-sized women and in 1993 they debuted as The Mambo Mamas. They have performed in all the major nightclubs of NYC including Club Broadway, Latin Quarter, Club Broadway II, Side Street and the Copacabana. The ladies have graced stages at NYC landmarks such as the South Street Seaport and Grand Central Station on New Year's Eve. They have been featured on television several times -- The Maury Povich Show, Sabado Gigante and Ocurrio Asi. The troupe also has had the privilege of performing at conventions in Italy, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago and Denver.

Santo Rico Dance Co. was initially formed by Wilton Beltre, a 32 year old Dominican native, who expressed his love for dancing by displaying his street style of dancing Mambo/Salsa in local nightclubs in NYC. The group has performed for Channel 41, Roxy, Madison Square Garden, and First Annual World Salsa Congress in Puerto Rico. Now under the direction of Thomas Guerrero, the troupe has traveled to England and is enroute to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Norway to entertain where their style and their dance company has not yet been introduced.

Addie Diaz formed the "Addie-Tude" Dance Company in January 1999. The current dancers each have their own distinct backgrounds ranging from Mambo, Cha-Cha, Merengue, Jazz, Tap, Ballet and Hip Hop. Although Addie Diaz is the choreographer of the team, the group is recently contributing to new choreography giving each member the opportunity to add their own flare. As a team the company has performed in Switzerland, California, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, London, Paris and Japan, as well as corporate events and benefits throughout NYC. On separate occasions, the dancers have had the honor of performing for artists such as: Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo, Oscar DeLeon, Jerry Rivera, India, Jose Alberto, Tito Nieves and Domingo Quinones.

Jai, at age 18, started to take interest in the music business. He soon found himself writing and arranging rap songs with his then friend Rafael. The two of them formed a group called First Ave. After performing at multiple venues, Jai started promoting parties at certain events he was performing at. On 2 events he and his manager promoted their event with DJ Red Alert and Hot 97. After 4 years, Rafael and Jai parted ways. They were in the process of shopping their demo to multiple record companies with artists such as Teddy Reily. At age 26, Jai inquired about salsa classes at Sandra Cameron dance school in Manhattan. His obsession had grown so rapidly that he sought out Eddie Torres after a friend had introduced the idea to him. Eddie treated Jai with such interest and precision that after 4 months he was asked to join the Eddie Torres Jammers. After performing for 2 years with the Eddie Torres troupe, Jai & Candy started performing as a duet. They both currently perform with Eddie Torres in addition to their solo work.