Veronica Castilla
With multiple widely recognized hustle titles, Veronica has earned her stripes of an esteemed hustle dancer and instructor over the years. As a 7X World Salsa Champion, Veronica has extensive training and expertise in partner-based dances.
Through the tutelage of Paul Pellicoro and many other instructors, she began her hustle and Salsa training in 2006 at DanceSport in NYC, prompting her partnership with tricks and lifts specialist, Rainer Trubiere and salsa pioneer, Nelson Flores.
While specializing in lifts and tricks, Veronica is also known for her keen attention to detail and effortless style of hustle dancing, which has amassed the wide/ranging student base she possesses today. Influenced by prior hustle pioneers, Veronica hopes to bridge the gap between the younger and older generations of hustle to further develop and grow the hustle communities.
You can catch Veronica in the highly regarded Lin Manuel Miranda directed dance film, “In the Heights”.
Victor Alexis & Frédérique Noël
Victor Alexis, an ambitious artist, choreographer, instructor and competitor, has acquired his renown name thanks to his multiple winning titles: International and World champion and medalist, from various competitions in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto and Montreal. A part from being a Salsa, Bachata and Hustle expert, he has a passion for learning new styles of dance and has completed recent certifications, such as:
Salsa teacher training with Tito Ortos from Puerto Rico.
Kizomba, Tarraxhina and Semba teacher training
Lamba-Zouk and Brazilian Zouk teacher training with Ryel ZenZouk from New York.
Kizomba teacher training by ALC from Portugal.
Throughout 20 years of experience, Victor shared incredible knowledge with dancers of all levels. He has collaborated and performed with World wide renown artists, such as Rodrigo Cortazar, Alien Ramirez, Paulina Posadas, and many others. His teaching style and his constant professional and positive attitude catapults his students in competition, enabling them to achieve their best.
As a choreographer for Pro-Am and Am-Am competitors, Victor has successfully come away with several titles.
In addition to his expertise as a dancer and an instructor, he is a certified dance competition judge. Thanks to this impressive portfolio, he molds future Canadian dance stars.
Kelvin & Lori Ann Roche
9-time World Hustle Champions, Kelvin & Lori Ann Roche mesmerize with their unique style of Latin & Theatre Arts Hustle! They have traveled all over the world and have worked with stars such as: Vanessa Williams, Conan O’Brien, Liza Minelli, and many more. Kelvin and Lori Ann have also worked on many movies, commercials, and television shows. They appeared in the move “El Cantante” with Marc Anthony ad Jennifer Lopez, and the Disney movie “Enchanted” staring Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon and Amy Adams.
"Smitty"
Hustle Pioneer, “Smitty”, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and moved to New Jersey when he was 6 years old. Growing up, he became interested in art, graffiti art to be specific. Later on, influenced and inspired by the emerging breakdance scene, he became the lead artist for a breakdance crew. Soon after, he was regularly challenged to battle by rival crews. He found great success as a breakdancer and it became a major passion of his. The passion led him to a NJ club named “Joey’s”. Every Sunday, the break dancers would dance starting at 10:30 PM but before that, the hustle dancers had the floor. Often however, the hustlers would stay longer, which was somewhat upsetting as they had their time. However, the more he watched them dance, he proclaimed “I can do that dance”. At first, he was not great at this new dance, but with practice and perseverance, a new passion was born. He became a true lover of the Hustle.
Over time, he learned other dances like Cha-Cha, Mambo, Rhumba, and Tango, and became one of the premier teachers at Continental Studios in New Jersey. Today, Smitty works as an MC/dancer for one of New Jersey’s Premier entertainment companies. Hustle is Smitty’s passion and he continues to dance and teach whenever he can.
Marilyn Velez
Marilyn grew up in a musically gifted family, with her Dad & other relatives, playing many different instruments. To no surprise, she felt a passion for music & dance at a very early age. She credits many years of Ballet, Tap & Jazz both as a kid and now as an adult, for making her a good dancer…and a joyous one at that.
When first introduced to Hustle, she was intrigued & felt a strong will to learn it. Marilyn immediately fell in love with Hustle and through determination, passion & practice, learn it she did!
25+ years later, she still finds the most joy dancing Hustle. Currently, she teaches a beginner Hustle class with her partner Smitty and finds joy in sharing her Hustle passion. Marilyn hopes to help keep Hustle alive & growing amongst the next generation of Hustle dancers.
“When I dance, I feel free.”
Shawn Kim
Shawn Kim is a hustle and street dancer from Vancouver 🇨🇦. He is a community leader and teacher within “Hustle at RS,” a hustle community with many talented dancers that attracts hustle dancers from all over the world. Shawn has made connections with international hustle communities within Canada, US, UK, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Taiwan, Korea & Japan through workshops, competitions and socials.
Nathalie Scott-Hsiung
A classically trained violinist, Nathalie found her way to dance later in life through the Vancouver hustle community, “Hustle at RS”. She quickly fell in love with the creativity and freedom hustle allowed her to express, and has grown into a teacher and community leader in the Vancouver hustle scene. She has trained extensively under Savage & Samuelle and has been fortunate to learn from Shay Dixon, Ralphie Ramirez, Veronica Castilla, and Stephen Ward. Outside of Vancouver, Nathalie has traveled to Calgary, L.A., San Jose, and New York City to teach, compete, and connect with other hustle dancers.
Christopher Crevatas & Taryn Rucinski
Professional Hustle Rising Stars, Christopher Crevatas and Taryn Rucinski have been partners since 2020 and are based in Fairfield, New Jersey. Christopher is a DVIDA certified dance professional and instructor with over 17 years experience, who specializes in teaching Hustle, Salsa, Ballroom, and the Rhythm dances. Taryn is a Hustle professional who has been dancing for the last 7 years; she also holds her USISTD Student Teacher certification in Standard and is a high-level competitive dancer in Smooth and Latin. Most recently, they placed 3rd at the 2022 L.A. Hustle Congress in Professional Just Hustle, 2nd at the 2023 New Jersey Hustle Congress in the Professional Showcase Division, and 1st at New York’s famed Copacabana’s 2nd Annual Disco Fever Friday’s Hustle Competition.
Stephen Ward
Stephen Ward is a highly-talented dancer & instructor with a diverse background ranging from Freestyle, Country Western, West Coast Swing, Social Ballroom, Ballet, Theater Arts, & Cabaret. He is a devoted Hustle dancer, which he learned from Raul “Big Daddy” Ante & Bobby Concepcion in the SF Bay area, and also received training from Maria Torres, Billy Fajardo, Arte Phillips, and many others. He has been competing, teaching, & performing Hustle for 26 years and is wholly dedicated toward the preservation, promotion, and growth of Hustle dancing. He regularly teaches private lessons & weekly group classes throughout the SF Bay Area.
Mihoko Ninomiya
Originally from Tokyo, Mihoko is based in New York City, the birthplace of hustle, where many living legends still grace the dance floor, where she and Sal met as well.
Her dance journey began when her parents threw her in ballet classes in kindergarten, later becoming an avid jazz dance student in her teens. She fell in love with the art form of partner dancing initially through lindy, with hustle becoming a focus with many legends as her competitve coaches and mentors.
Her dedication and passion for the dance are expressed through helping dancers build foundation and vocabulary for exciting ‘conversations through music and movement’. Mihoko also enjoys being part of projects featuring the dance of hustle. Her performing credits include “In Search of The Invisible People,” “Ramp to Paradise,” and “Crime Cutz.”
She is available for privates, and may be traveling near you, as a National Educator for a skincare company training wellness professionals.
Sal Rentas
a native of the Island of Manhattan, NYC, has been deeply influenced by the vibrant music and rhythm of his upbringing. His mother, hailing from the Dominican Republic, instilled in him a love for patterns and footwork on the fly, teaching him frequently with some of her fav songs that played on Spanish radio. This early exposure to dance was further enriched by his older brother, an exceptional musician, and his father from Puerto Rican, businessman/singer and had a small record label.
During his grammar school years, Sal’s passion for dance & skating began to overshadow his love for basketball. He immersed himself in the music and movements of iconic artists like James Brown and Michael Jackson. It was during this time that Sal had his first Hustle Dance lesson, by Mongo Santamaría’s niece, on the sidelines of his school’s basketball court. In high school, his dedication to music and dance grew as he collected music, DJ-ed, danced, skated and continued to refine his skills. Sal attended Hustle dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studios, and in college, he had the incredible opportunity to study tap dance under the tutelage of Gene Kelly’s brother for two years. Fueling his passion, Sal sought out various dance styles, taking lessons from numerous dance schools across the city.
As the years progressed, Sal became part of productions, shows and videos, realizing that he had become a true product of his environment—an environment teeming with dance legends, musical icons, and in NYC the birthplace of various dance genres. Sal considers himself profoundly blessed to have been immersed in such a vibrant dance music culture, from the origins of “The Hustle” to the present day.
Available for one to one coaching on grooving with wheels or without!!
ultrahustle@gmail.com
Lori Brizzi
Lori started teaching when she became hooked on the hustle and social dancing. She then branched off to all different styles of partner dance. She has won numerous dance championships in International Latin, Theater Arts, and Cabaret and is a 2 time winner of the Zacharay’s Dance Contest. She was a featured performer of such prestigious dance companies as American Ballroom Theater and Swing Dance America. She has performed at Lincoln Center, the Rainbow Room, the Copacabana, Latin Quarter, and other NYC night clubs. She has also made numerous TV and movie appearances.
Lori has taught and performed all over the world: in Germany, for Club Med, on Norwegian, Carnival, Holland America, Royal Carribbean and Costa cruise lines.
A renewed love of Hustle inspired her to start a monthly NYC dance party, Millennium Hustle, featuring Hustle, Salsa, and West Coast Swing and now Ballroom dancing. Because of its popularity, the party is now held in different locations throughout NY on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Lori is the event director for the New York Hustle Congress & New Jersey Hustle Congress. For more info, check out the New York Dance Experience website: www.nycde.com
Angela McCabe
Angela McCabe has been dancing professionally for over 15 years. She is recognized for her smooth and musical style with an emphasis on partnering. Angela teaches privates and group classes, performs and competes in the Hustle, West Coast Swing, and Country circuits. She recently became certified in the WCS Global Professional Dance Instructors Association (GPDIA) Beginner, Intermediate & Judging courses. She is known for performances, choreography and dance instruction. Overall, she enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for dancing and helping others to improve their technique and confidence. She loves to help everyone – social dancers, competitors, and her wedding couples alike. She was the IHDA’s Female Am Point Leader for the 2006-2007 season, and subsequently turned Pro in 2007. Since then she has achieved many titles with several different partners, highlights including Wingo Hom, George Garcia, Philip Spinka, Alan Saperstein & Gerry Morris. Angela runs her own studio in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and also teaches at Pivot Ballroom in Ardmore, PA. Angela also specializes in event management and competition assistance, relying heavily on her professional experience in IT and Project Management. She has also written her own Relative Placement Scoring software, currently used at a few events. In addition, Angela is also co-founder of Sparklage Productions along with Stephanie Risser. Together they host “Swustlicious” which is celebrating it’s10th anniversary. Check it out at www.swustlicious.com or www.angeladance.com!
Stefan Kant & Andrea Carolyn
Monique Leung
Born and raised in New Jersey, Monique started dancing at the young age of 4. She started with Ballet, Jazz, and Chinese folk dance, and later found her passion in Ballroom dance. She trained under Louis Van Amstel in International Latin and continued to compete and perform until she pursued her other passion – medicine. She continued to teach students of all levels throughout college, medical school, and residency, expanding the ballroom community wherever she went. She recently moved to Hawaii, and her mission is to “Inspire others to express themselves through movement and truly see how dance can enhance your health both physically and mentally”