Being a Dominican-native and raised in the urban neighborhoods of Paterson, NJ makes it easy to understand how Alex began his musically artistic journey. As a child, Alex turned to music to get him through hardships like being picked on and bullied by other kids at school because of his ethnicity and his weight. Being very optimistic, he never isolated himself - instead he channeled his energy into something positive. He admits to always identifying with music of all genres. “Music can make you go through a range of so many different emotions – sadness, excitement, melancholy, love…it’s beautiful.” Despite the huge presence of Latin music at home and in his surroundings he found himself more drawn to mainstream POP, R&B and Dance. “My mom would want me to get up and dance at family parties, but I was too embarrassed. I would want to listen to Michael or Madonna instead”. As he got older, however he began to grow more of an appreciation for Latin music. Meeting one of his relatives from Dominican Republic allowed him to experiment with the body movements and steps involved in interpreting the music through the art of dance. He was very much into dancing his native music of Merengue and Bachata and would dance to it every opportunity he got at local clubs and parties. One night, Alex went out for a typical weekend of dancing at a NYC club. He noticed a couple dancing Salsa but not the way he was used to doing it. “I knew they were dancing salsa, but it seemed like they were off beat”. His friends, knowing how much Alex loved to dance and how good they thought he was, encouraged him to ask the young lady out to dance. Not only was Alex ignored but immediately after turning him down, she accepted a dance by another gentleman at the club who understood her style of dancing. This discouraged Alex a bit and made him realize how important it was to always stay grounded and humble despite what your talents/abilities are in life. He vowed that if he ever learned to dance Salsa the way that couple did, he would keep true to who he was. During his college years, Alex continued to go out dancing and enjoy the music as he always did while aware that many dancers knew this “new dance style” – later discovering it was Salsa On 2. Upon graduating with a college degree, Alex quickly sought after a dance instructor in the NJ area. He had no clue where to begin but understood he needed to start somewhere. After many days and various websites later, Alex made the decision to begin lessons with renowned instructor, choreographer, and director of Caribbean Soul Dance Co. Ismael Otero – also known as the “Million Moves Man”. After the first few lessons Alex was eager to move on from the beginner’s section of the class to the intermediate side. He asked how many steps were required to be learned before moving on. He was told that if he knew 6 basic steps and felt comfortable enough, he could move on. Only knowing 2 of the 6 steps, Alex accepted and tried out the intermediate section. The very first session, Ismael pointed out – “you in the back, show me your basic step…see that’s the problem, perfect your basic step”. From that day forward Alex worked very hard to learn as much as he could from Ismael while perfecting his basic steps. With time Alex developed his own style of dancing. He would take moves he learned in class and hone them to match his own style. After just a couple of years Alex was then asked to join Ismael’s professional dance team. Not exactly comfortable with what exactly being in a professional dance group meant, Alex reluctantly accepted. “I just always wanted to dance, never had I imagined dancing on stage for others”. Two things Alex had always been self-conscious about is his appearance and his dance background. When you think of a dancer, you don’t necessarily think of someone with an above average waistline. The second factor was the fact that he has never undergone any formal dance training outside of salsa classes. Performing with a professional dance team would involve proving to the world what his talents are and why he deserved to be on stage. Upon accepting the challenge and with the help of both of his instructors Ismael Otero and Shani Talmor, Alex worked hard at learning the proper technique and choreography for the group’s first number – “Por Ti”. Since the routine first debuted at the Washington DC Salsa Congress in August 2008, many have been captivated by the energy and excitement of this afro-cuban influenced electrifying performance. It has been performed at 3 major Salsa Congresses in both the East and West Coast as well as local events in the NJ/NY area. Alex hopes to motivate and inspire other aspiring dancers or those who may feel reluctant about stepping foot on the dance floor. He plans on continuing to exercise his passion for dance and hopes to bring joy and smiles to more and more people across the world with his style of dance.