Cristina Zavala has had Salsa/Mambo in her heart for as long as she can remember.
Rodrigo Cortazar has been dancing for almost 10 years and has bought a wealth of energy and enthusiasm to his knowledge of dancing Salsa/Mambo.It was only until 6 years ago that she began to take her development as a dancer more seriously when Cristina accepted an open invitation form Sekou McMiller to be a founding member of the Descarga Caribe Dance Company. Through the complex and inventive choreographies that the group became known for, Cristina developed into one of the principle female dancers in the company and eventually became the traveling partner of the Director, Sekou McMiller, as they traveled the world representing the group as well as themselves. While a relocation forced their successful partnership to come to an end, she has now begun to find a new joy in dancing with her current partner, Rodrigo Cortazar, and is eager to adapt to the changes in style and presentation. Cristina is also a seasoned instructor in the Chicago Salsa scene and one of the truly recognizable homegrown stars to emerge from Chicago. 

Having first learned how to dance salsa "on1," in Veracruz, Mexico, Rodrigo Cortazar soon became interested and motivated to learn the "on2" style. His eagerness to learn bought him to the Capital city of Mexico where he learned with some of the pioneers of Salsa/Mambo in Mexico, Salsa con Clave (Victor Burgos and Gabriela Bernal). After training and getting more comfortable with his dance progress, he sought more and looked to challenge himself in a larger arena, the United States. Making a stop in Chicago and studying with the reknown Descarga Caribe Dance Company, Rodrigo found his new partner in Cristina Zavala and soon began to craft a new and exciting partnership. They started off with a bang as their first showcase bought immense interest and has already gotten them several invites to perform around the world. Rodrigo looks to keep bringing his incredible energy and choreography to as many places as he is able!