Chris (The guy with the braided hair!)

How did it all happen?

The year is 2000. The place is Dubai. Royston and Chris, inseparable buddies make it one evening to Savage Garden Restaurant and Club, Capitol Hotel, Dubai in the month of February. They are clear about what they want out of life after a hard days work. With intermittent stops and starts on the dance floor, Royston and Chris became an inseparable part of the Savage Garden atmosphere where they meet a Chilean couple who showed them authentic Latin grooves.  With much commitment and dedication, Chris was fortunate to have Tami, (Founder of Team Salsa, Dubai) an English lady with Nigerian roots, as his inspiration. All this in the making is later destined to make Royston and Chris true connoisseurs of dance appreciation and rhythm.

Royston with his pure spirit and soul in dance, won the Dubai Salsa Championship in 2002, which jointly motivated Chris and Roy to open classes in 2003 to people who dreamed of dancing but did not know how to!

Ahmed Salsa, Producer of the Dubai Dance Festival 2008, has also been an inseparable part of the dancing community since 2001. Ahmed’s influence on Chris and other dance lovers in the city, enabled them as a group to bring a vibrant dance feeling to the city of Dubai that was beginning to show prosperity and a feeling of multiculturalism. Together they created a fusion of in-house techniques in a relaxed atmosphere.         

No fullstops to Chris’ Participation in  International Salsa Congresses and Festivals

Experience in Choreography with World Maestros…  

Attended several Master Classes in the United Kingdom and United States with Albert Torres, Johnny Vazquez, Francisco Vazquez, Louis Vazquez Eddi the Salsa Freak and many more…

Promoter on behalf of the United Arab Emirates and  Middle East

Chris is an Official Promoter for attendees from the Middle East region for several Salsa Festivals and Congresses in the world - Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden, and Italy to name a few.  

Chris loves teaching in Dubai, he is completely immersed…

Chris’s passion for teaching dance commenced in March 2003, the same year in which Familia dela Salsa was formed with Royston. Chris began his teaching at the Willow Spa Fitness & Health Club at the Fairmont Hotel.  Classes at the Fitness Club of  The World Trade Centre, ‘The Club’ started in October 2005 and are run till today. The Familia de la Salsa group is known to be one of the multicultural and busiest salsa classes in Dubai.

Chris’s talent in teaching has also extended to Bahrain (2007), Sri Lanka (2006, 2007, 2008) and Romania (2008). 

Some events in Dubai …

Part of the organizing team for Angel’s Parties, held once in two months, a key member of the Dubai International Latin and Salsa Festival (2007 & 2009) and Dubai Dance Festival (DDF) 2008. Chris loves to arrange events for the Corporate Sector.  Some of the companies that he has performed for are Eurostar, MasterCard and Gitex 2006. He has also performed in major fashion shows and international exhibitions of a high standard.

Recognition for Contribution to Community …. 

Unconditional Support to Promote Salsa in the Region Award in 2004
Appreciation award for the Dubai International Latin and Salsa Festival 2007
Appreciation award for the Dubai Dance Festival 2008

Chris is quite philanthropic in nature- he has extended a helping hand to the victims of several disasters such as Tsunami in Sri Lanka and the Lebanon Crisis.  

How to meet Chris?

Not difficult to spot!

Chris is happy to dance with you at the ‘The Club’, which is the Recreation and Fitness Club of the World Trade Centre Apartments. Always joyful and full of energy, he conducts classes on Saturdays and Tuesdays from   8:00 pm – 9:00 pm for Beginners and from 9:15 pm – 10:15 pm for Improvers. Private Lessons can also be arranged subject to timings and availability.

For further details:
www.familiadelasalsa.com
chris@familiadelasalsa.com
Mob: + 9715 0 518 3316  

The Rhythm of Royston has left an indelible mark in Dubai….

Who is Royston and where is he?

It is the year 2000….Royston Cooray, a coiffeur by day and salsero by night brings a refreshing perspective to Dubai’s dancing circles. He is instrumental in being a key founder of the Familia de la Salsa Dance Group, which was founded in 2003 along with Chris and Valerie.

Since 2001, when Salsa dancing was just about developing as a trend in Dubai, Royston and his dancing buddies used to dance for fun; however Roy had a natural flair for rhythm - he transformed himself overnight from a casual weekend dancer to a Dubai Salsa Champion!    

What is Roy’s philosophy?

Roy believes that Salsa Dancing is a great form of exercise, where people have a great social time as well as a complete body workout. Dancing helps move the body, soul and mind to music. The difference is that in a work out people are subconsciously thinking about the result, but in Salsa one achieves the result without thinking about it! Let the music carry you away….           

Passionate about teaching

Roy’s personal enjoyment in dancing motivated him to teach others. Along with Chris, Fairmont Hotel was their first venue to teach at the hotel’s spa and fitness center – the Willowstream Spa.     

Participation in  International Salsa Congresses and Festivals

Some Events

Roy has participated in several corporate events in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and Qatar.   

How to meet Roy? 

Presently residing in Washington DC, USA, Roy is just as passionate about dancing as he is about hairdressing….

For further details:
www.familiadelasalsa.com