Courtney Flanagan started dancing at the age of 3 in a small town in South Jersey, outside of Philadelphia, PA. Courtney was trained in jazz technique from Carole Gorman-Swift and took summer classes at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and Koresh Studio. Despite being close to a city with a Latin scene, Courtney would not be exposed to salsa until years later. After graduating from the University of Delaware where she was a part of the “Delaware Repertoire Dance Company,” Courtney moved to New York City where her love of dance would flourish more than ever. Courtney was invited to a salsa club where she experienced the New York mambo scene for the first time. The music, skill, and passion of the dancers was incredible and within days of attending, Courtney was determined to learn salsa. Courtney started taking classes to learn the basics and went out social dancing to find her style. Courtney performed with Jamie Josephson’s “Rhythm Divas” and Latin Hustle with Raul Santiago and Sergia Anderson. Courtney started training with Shani Talmor and joined “Shani’s Girls,” where she began to really explore the technique and styling of salsa and performed at several salsa congresses and clubs. Courtney is currently still a dancer in “Shani’s Girls” and a new member of “Caribbean Soul” under director Ismael Otero and Shani Talmor. Dancing salsa is a constant thrill and challenge and Courtney hopes to continue to grow and perform as a dancer in New York City.