Jenna Robey Mendiola

Instructor, Co-Owner

Dance Styles: Bachata, Cha-Cha, Merengue, Salsa On1 and On2

Biography: During the day, Jenna works as a middle school teacher. In the studio, she combines her passion for teaching with her passion for dance to create a contagious desire to learn and grow.

Jenna has been training in Latin Dance styles since 2008. She began her dance training while living in Santiago, Chile, where she was introduced to Rueda de Casino. Upon returning to Boston, she began training with various Latin Dance schools around the Boston area. In 2016 she achieved one of her biggest accomplishments winning 1st Place with her Salsa team, Mambo Revelation, at the World Salsa Summit in Miami under the direction of Mariano Neris.

Jenna began formal training in Bachata in 2013 after joining the Island Touch Dance Academy Franchise, Boston Touch. A couple of years later, she was introduced to Alex & Desiree and trained extensively under their wing. Jenna has received teacher training certifications from Alex & Desiree, Gaby Equiz of Alma Latina, and Carlos Cinta.

Luis Talavera

Instructor, Co-owner

Dance Styles: Bachata, Salsa On2, Hip-Hop, Merengue

Biography: Luis moved to Boston from Puerto Rico in 2013 and has continued his success in dance. In addition to Latin dance, he is also a trained Hip-Hop dancer and choreographer. He has performed at a large variety of events including the Olympic Games of 2010 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, with artists like Olga Tañon, Wisin y Yandel, Tito el Bambino and Ana Isabel. He has also choreographed and performed in music videos with international artists Jowell y Randy and J-Alvarez.

Luis and Jenna have been partners since 2013 and have trained and worked extensively to grow the Boston Bachata scene.

Sirae Richardson

Instructor

Dance Styles: Hip-Hop, Salsa, Bachata, African, Bellydance, & Ballroom

Biography: Sirae began her dance journey by studying multiple dance styles, including: African, Bellydance, and Ballroom. She was later accepted into the Boston Arts Academy, where she expanded her knowledge of multiple other dance styles including salsa. She rediscovered her love of hip hop, salsa and bachata by training with multiple teams in Boston under the instruction of Michelle Garcia, Alma Latina franchise, and Island Touch taught by Luis and Janna. She found her home in the J&L Studio and tries to be a part of every project offered under Jenna and Luis’ instruction.   Sirae has a passion for making dance light and accessible by combining technique, movement history and musicality with everyday activities. When she isn’t training, she is either bartending or singing with her band The Doped Up Dollies.

Jacqueline Gerritsen

Instructor

Dance Styles: Bachata, Salsa On1 & On2, Kizomba, Zouk

Biography: Jacqueline fell in love with Bachata shortly after moving from the Netherlands to Boston in 2015. Ever since, she has trained extensively and consistently with Jenna and Luis and shares their mission to create technically strong dancers while having a great time. She also trained in several other dance styles with local artists; Salsa with Andres Giraldo of SYC, Kizomba with Ceijay and Bruna, and Zouk with Jose Cuadra. She has been co-teaching classes at Havana club in Cambridge and captaining various J&L and Island Touch dance teams for several years, and has been a fierce advocate of learning both leading and following regardless of gender.

Outside of dance, Jacqueline holds a PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT, and works in the Kendall Square area to make an impact in human health. Besides dancing, she loves to work on her own DIY projects, spend time outdoors with her dogs, and travel to new places.

Jovan aka “DJ Casanova”

Instructor

Dance Styles: Kizomba, Tarraxa/o, Urban Kiz, Konpa

Biography: Jovan is a Boston Dance instructor who is heavily involved in the Kizomba community. He has been teaching Kizomba for 5 years and has developed intricate teaching methods to ensure his students excel in any dance they do. Jovan has accomplished many works in the community, and has been at the epicenter for any Kizomba related event in Boston. He also aims to bring well renowned instructors to the area to help foster growth in the local Kizomba community. Training with many high caliber instructors allows him to fuze his style and personality with technique and precision needed to become a top dancer. Partner that with traveling internationally and Jovan ensures his progressive career as an exceptional instructor and dancer.

Franklin Condori

Instructor

Dance Styles: Salsa On1 & On2

Biography: Coming soon!