Skip to main content

Where the world comes to dance. All ages, all levels, all styles.

LOG IN   |  STEPS ACADEMY

Luis Salgado

Headshot Luis Salgado

Luis Salgado is an international director, choreographer and educator based in NYC. Recently Director/Choreographer of the 2nd On your feet National Tour, and Associate Director/Choreographer of Cirque Du Soleil Paramour, he is also well known for his work as the Latin Assistant Choreographer of the Tony Award winning musical In The Heights. He has performed on Broadway in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and In The Heights as well as in the Off Broadway shows and Broadway try outs; The Mambo Kings (Frankie Suárez), Fame on 42nd Street (Joe Vegas u/s), and Aida, among others. Film credits include American Gangster, Dirty Dancing 2, Enchanted and Step Up 2: The Streets (Alejandro), performing as well as assisting choreographers in both Enchanted and Step Up 2. Luis has also choreographed the animated film Dora’s Explorer Girls and music videos for Wonka Inc. and McDonald’s LR1 single “Maña y Corazón”. Luis choreographed Zapata The Musical in the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival, DC-7: The Robert Clemente Story, Shafrika The White Girl, I’ll Be Damned, The Drop Outs and Serenade which he won an HOLA award for choreography. He has made a name for himself internationally teaching musical theatre intensives and creating new work with the focus of Making Art with a Purpose through his company Salgado Productions . He has directed/choreographed productions and festivals in and out of the United States, including Amigo Duende, The Musical, The 2011 Choreographers Festival in NYC and Candela Fuerza y Pasion in Lima Peru. BroadwayWorld.com Gypsy of the Month, 2009 Grand Marshal of NY Dance Parade and Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Ensemble of In the Heights. Luis is the founder/C.E.O of R.Evolución Latina , an organization that utilizes the arts through educational and collaborative programming to empower the Latino community to discover their full potential – Making a difference through the arts with the philosophy of DARING TO GO BEYOND!. Luis is currently developing the 50th Anniversary Concert for Peruvian singer Cecilia Bracamonte which he will direct this November in Lima, Peru.

Visit LuisSalgado.com for more information.

Class description:

Luis teaches in a very optimistic, passionate and challenging style, motivating his students to bring out the best of themselves while combining different choreography styles.

Latin Fusion

Class begins with a 40 minute warm up that includes isolation, coordination, and strengthening exercises. Floor work includes core, legs and back stretch to get your body ready to work choreography. Students will then focus on performance, energy and rhythms that are elements of Latin dance styles.

Class will work on dynamic choreography and Latin footwork in fusion with Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary or Theatre, opening the student’s perspective of Latin rhythms as well as connecting them to their HEART and performance skills.

Theatre Dance

Luis’ philosophy in musical theatre is that a character is made out of the dancer’s truth. Class aims to get to the core of the dancer/actor. Providing insight into the use of character actions to guide intentional movement while telling a story through dance.

The warm up gets the body and mind ready for the task at hand. Students will work on developing their performance skills while engaging their mind in thought, understanding their feelings through movement, and how to bring what’s inside them to the character. Inspired by Meisner and Suzuki ideas, Luis has shaped his class to balance a very rigid approach with the freedom we all seek to achieve.

Both classes focus on the individual success of the students instilling the ideas of Making Art With a Purpose and Daring To Go Beyond.