About Us
Rico Bravo, Studio Owner/Director
Rico Bravo was inspired to learn to dance as a teen after seeing his parents perform. He began training with them and performing at numerous local events. After a solid year of hard training, Rico Jr. performed at the 2000 LA Congress, closing the show with his brothers to a standing ovation. Over his years of dancing, he has captured numerous awards, reaching the semi-finals in the 2002 Mayan World Salsa Competition, winning the professional men’s solo category at the Portland Salsa Congress, and multiple other awards. Rico formed Bravos De La Rumba Dance Company which toured across the U.S., co-directed Corazon Dance Company, and now directs Salsaymotion’s multiple dance teams: Estilo Bravo, RB Men’s Styling Dance Project, and Salsaymotion Student Team. He also made appearances on Star Search, So You Think You Can Dance, and Marc Anthony’s music video “Valio la Pena,” and continues to establish himself as one of the rising stars in the Salsa world.
Emmy Christine, Studio Owner/Director
Dance and teaching have been Emmy’s passions since she took her first ballet class at 5 years old and began teaching younger dancers when she was only 12 herself. Emmy has a strong classical dance background with nearly 30 years of ballet training, teaching, and performing at studios in Bellingham, British Columbia, and the greater Seattle area. After dabbling in Argentine tango, Lindyhop, Blues, and West Coast Swing, she found her passion in the music, connection, and energy of Salsa and Bachata. Emmy began training with the Bravo family in 2017 and has since performed, taught, and competed locally and internationally. Emmy and her husband Rico placed first in the 2023 World Salsa Summit “Rising Star” Salsa On-1 division as well as first in both Salsa and Bachata at the 2023 Ultimate Latin Dance Championship’s Pro Social Dancing division. Emmy is passionate about building a diverse and welcoming dance community where people of all backgrounds, ages, walks of life, and body types are able to find belonging and the joy of dance.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
Gayle Staker, Latin Dance Instructor
Maya Tremblay, Salsa & Bachata Instructor
Maya Tremblay comes to Bravo Dance School with a rich background in theater and dance…
Samantha Brava, Founder
Samantha Brava is the founder of Salsaymotion Dance Academy. She is an accomplished instructor, well rounded in art of lead and follow techniques as well as footwork, styling, and connection. Samantha was the first woman in the Northwest to teach Ladies’ Styling. Her two sons, whom she personally trained, are both championship dancers and accomplished teachers. She was also the Director of the Bravas Performance Team, which has performed throughout the region. She has trained many of the best Salsa dancers in the Northwest. When watching Samantha dance, you’ll understand why many people call her the “Queen of Salsa.”
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo, one of Salsaymotion’s former teachers and founders, is a competition level dancer who also loves teaching LA Style Salsa On1. Johnny was a finalist in the Mayan Competition, Professional Class. Johnny is well known among the best dancers in the world for his speed, spins, and splits. He has choreographed and trained dancers for competition, but most of his students just enjoy dancing socially with him since Johnny makes it a fun and exciting experience.
Approach
It’s more than a dance. It’s a way to express your spirit and food for your soul. The vibrant music and dance bring out the passion in life. It’s not only an art form, but healthy exercise, and a great way to meet new friends. Salsaymotion (pronounced salsa emotion) gives students the individual attention and feedback they need to fine-tune their technique and advance as dancers. In teaching LA Style Salsa On 1 as well as our other Latin dance forms, we teach students how to MOVE, which goes far beyond just teaching the steps. Once the basics have been mastered, students can easily advance to learning different combinations and execute them with confidence.
We understand how learning to dance can feel intimidating at first. Our studio is a non-threatening environment where everyone has fun. After all, Salsa and Bachata are primarily social dances where people are free to express their feelings and passions through movement and connection with their partners.
Testimonials
“Samantha’s Basic Salsa Class is totally FUN! Being completely new to Salsa, Samantha took plenty of time to teach the basic steps before adding additional patterns. She made sure the class had an understanding of a particular pattern as well as the beat count of the music before advancing to the next dance step. It was good that everyone had a chance to dance with other partners, (including getting to dance with Samantha!), as this helped us get used to dancing with other partners. Definitely recommend Samantha and her classes, even for baby boomers!” ~ Michael & Julie Kopp
“I love Samantha’s classes. I have taken all of them including Bachata and Ladies Styling. She pays a lot of attention to detail but still makes it fun.” ~ Mary Anderson
“Wow! I took Samantha’s Ladies Styling class and really liked how I was able to go out dancing that night and use what we learned in class to “shine”. It was fun taking a class with all women. Plus it was a super workout! If you take this class be sure to bring water!” ~ Natalie Myersdorf
“I never really knew how to do the basic step until I took lessons with Salsaymotion. Samantha and Johnny are very committed to their students and to dance. They give them a solid foundation for different types of Latin dance and I highly recommend them.” ~ David Conners
“Taking Bachata at Salsaymotion was a blast! They concentrate on the fundamentals and technique so that you will look great on the dance floor. Spicy hot!!!” ~ Javier Gonzales