Our Values. Our Family.

With gifts of rhythm and musicality, Wayne has quickly excelled and created a name for himself in the dance scene over the last few years. Having trained in Salsa since 2008 in Toronto and now teaching since 2013 in Vancouver, he has become one of the leading teachers in the city, known for his strong foundational knowledge and his own groovy flavour. His choreographies have garnered international praise and his Baza teaching style always results in students asking for more, both locally and internationally. As he gains more and more exposure, look for Wayne to make more waves in the dance scene!

Kristal has been dancing since the age of 4 and has a strong background in Ballet, Jazz, Hip-hop, and Latin dance, with experience in other styles. She is now one of the leaders in the Vancouver dance scene, having been teaching and performing since 2013 with Wayne. Her attention to detail is admired by students in her classes, and also shows in the quality of her performances. She is passionate about always continuing to learn different things and forever being a student. Kristal currently teaches Salsa, Bachata and ChaChaCha and co-directs the Baza Salsa teams.

Born and raised in Mexico, Arely started dancing at the young age of 12. At the age of 17, she moved to Vancouver Canada, where she expanded her dancing and learned Salsa On2 at Dance Vancouver and later continued her growth as a dancer with Bachata Vancouver. She partnered with Ronald Martinez where she gained further experience in Bachata, Salsa On2, Zouk and Kizomba and performed and instructed.
Arely has also traveled around Canada to teach and perform at festivals and congresses.Her flow, her technique, her styling, and her movement have no limits!

If you haven't met Abi, you will when you come in! She's usually greeting you at reception with a friendly smile and uplifting energy. She heads our community engagement initiatives, from planning outings to liaising with community partners. Aside from that, she is a salsa superstar in the making - she trains on our Baza Soul Salsa Team as well!

With a degree in Contemporary Dance, and over 10 years of experience performing internationally as a solo artist and for Latin American icons, she's got the talent to match her energy. Watch out!

"Beyond body movement, I believe that dancing is the best way to connect with ourselves and other human souls. Dance makes us free and happy. I want my students to believe in dance as a way to share energy and connect."

Yulia is a true passionate dancer, fitness enthusiast, performer of Latin and Afro-Brazilian cultural dances, and a dedicated Capoeira martial artist. Her journey in sports and dance started at the age of 7, with artistic gymnastics. And it’s years later through Capoeira when she fell in love with Brazilian Samba in 2011. Since then, Yulia has performed in various Latin and Afro-Brazilian shows in Canada and internationally, she has taken workshops and classes with world-renowned dancers and professionals from Brazil, performed in various venues and paraded multiple times in Brazilian Carnivals in Vancouver. Yulia continues to expand her knowledge and skills in dance and cultural aspects of samba in order to pass it down to her students. Vancouver Samba School was founded to further promote Brazilian Culture and dance in Vancouver by offering beginner and intermediate Samba classes, as well as grant performance and international travel opportunities to Samba Congresses and Samba Carnivals in Rio de Janeiro for students.