Vanessa Lopes

Instructor

Salsa Salsa Dance Studio

Although Salsa and Bachata music were a constant backdrop in the Portuguese household where Vanessa was raised, she was first introduced to Latin dance as an extracurricular activity in high school. With prior training in ballet, tap, flamenco, and modern dance, she quickly fell in love with Latin rhythms and began learning salsa and bachata choreographies from YouTube in her free time.After attending the New York International Salsa Congress in 2012, Vanessa trained with many world-renowned Latin dancers and performed on stages across the U.S. and internationally. In 2016, she proudly won first place in the Bachata Team Open with La Fuerza Dance Company at the World Salsa Summit, returning in 2017 to defend their title as champions.Since 2015, Vanessa's passion for teaching has only deepened as she’s watched the students of Salsa Salsa's multiple performance teams flourish under her and Jose Rivera's direction. She aims to continue motivating both budding and experienced dancers with her high-energy teaching style, focus on technique, in-depth body movement breakdowns, and quirky humor.