OUR TEAM

Basil Pinnock – Licentiate UKA
Director of Dance2Salsa Dance Company

Basil has been involved in competitive sports and dance for most of his life and has trained, taught and performed in a number of different disciplines. In particular, he has represented the UK in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do at both national and international levels. Until 2008, Basil worked as a lawyer with one of the biggest Criminal Law firms in the country but retired from the profession to start his own Dance Company.

A great deal of Basil’s early years were spent in the various Jazz Dance clubs up and down the country. This was a unique underground dance scene, where the emphasis was on solo footwork and breath-taking body movement. The ‘Latin Jazz’ music played during this period has been a strong influence on the music currently played at Dance2Salsa events and has made a major contribution to Basil’s understanding of the music and his expression of it.

Salsa became a major part of Basil’s life in 2001 and he has dedicated himself to learning and teaching all aspects of this fantastic art form. He started Dance2Salsa in the Autumn of 2006 at Bird Hills Golf Club with Melissa Lambourne who in that time has established herself as the ‘First Lady’ of Dance2Salsa. Basil now teaches a number of different dance styles and forms including Cross Body Lead salsa On1, Mambo On2 (Palladium/Classic timing), Cha Cha Cha and Bachata Tango. With his partner Melissa, he also delivers unique 3 hour workshops in areas such as Musical interpretation and application to dance, Ladies and Men’s Styling, Spins and Rotations, Footwork and Solo movement and Dancing On2.

Basil has developed a unique system of teaching and delivery built around a strong syllabus, the focus of which is the development of excellent ‘Core Technique’, matched by strong leading and following skills. Fundamental to the above is a thorough understanding of and awareness of the music as well as the development of musical expression. This can be seen in the high calibre dancers that have been through the program. Basil is UKA qualified to ‘Licentiate’ level after passing his higher level UKA exam in June 2007 with the United Kingdom Alliance.

In the last three years, Basil and Melissa have jointly choreographed a number of performances at professional and student level and have performed and taught at various venues around the country.

Melissa Lambourne
Principle member of Dance2Salsa Dance Company and Head Salsa Teacher Assistant level 1-6 and Kizomba Teacher Assistant level 1-3.

Melissa is a trained beauty therapist by profession and for the past 12 years she has run her own salon and is a fully qualified beautician, reflexologist and specialist in electrolysis. Melissa has a particular and personal interest in the healing arts.

She has been dancing now for about 9 years and has established a reputation for excellent technique and great following skills. Not one to blow her own trumpet, Melissa is quietly understated but with very stylish technique. She is regularly sought after by other female dancers for advice in relation to styling, body movement and technique. Melissa has been teaching all aspects of salsa dance from a follower’s perspective and regularly assists Basil in the delivery of the Advanced and Dance Development classes as well as the various specialist workshops.

Melissa’s knowledge and experience of dance, in particular, Salsa On1, Mambo On2, Cha Cha Cha and body movement and styling has a major impact on the look and feel of the shows produced by Dance2Salsa. She is also the founder and director of Latin Dance Society which specialises in the delivery of weekly dance classes focusing on various Latin dances including Salsa, Reggaeton, Cha Cha Cha, Bachata and Merengue. Melissa is available for one on one private lessons or workshops on a larger scale.

Makeup and photography is a developing area of interest for Melissa and she currently undertakes regular studio sessions.

Clair Dawson
Bachata Assistant Teacher, Levels 1 and 2

Clair has been dancing salsa for about 10 years and enjoys cuban, cross body salsa, as well as Cha Cha and Bachata. Clair has been a longstanding member of Dance2Infinity Dance Academy and has joined the Bachata teaching team teaching level 1 bachata since 2016 hoping to share her love of dance with others. Clair has developed a real passion for the dance and is a dedicated and committed member of the team.

Clair can regularly be found at our cross body salsa, cuban and bachata nights.

Eva Miles
Salsa Teacher, Levels 1-4

Eva is a professional Horticulturalist based in Farnham Royal in South Berkshire. Eva owns and runs her own plant nursery which specialises in Clematis, being one of the most popular and versatile type of climber grown in the UK.

Eva is fortunate enough to be able to bring a wide range of experiences to her salsa teaching as the following demonstrates. She has always been interested in dance with a background in ballet and modern dance reaching silver medal standard. Two of her most recent dance interests have become salsa and ballroom.

Eva has danced Salsa for over 4 years and has in recent times been teaching beginners level salsa. She is very interested in shines & footwork and can often be seen passing on her passion for shines to others. Not one to rest on her laurels, Eva has set her sights firmly on the ballroom dance floor and is currently in the process of learning this increasingly popular activity.

As a teacher, Eva is very patient and always willing to assist anyone having difficulty with any aspect of their salsa experience.

Heidi Turner
Bachata and Cuban Assistant Teacher, Levels 1 and 2

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Marie Baguena
Salsa Teacher’s Assistant, Levels 1-5

Marie has been part of Dance2Infinity for 9 years where she has learnt to dance different styles including Salsa on1, classic mambo on2, on Clave, Bachata and Kizomba. In the last few years, she has become part of the teaching team for Salsa and has assisted at all levels at D2infinity and assisted as part of D2I at other clubs. She has also been part of the student and advanced performance groups as a student but more recently has choreographed the Fuego student performance team in 2017.

Marie runs her own business as a Virtual Personal Assistant which allows her to work from home, providing a service to help businesses with their office administration. She has a particular interest in holistic therapies such as Acupuncture, Kinesiology, Energy Healing and Nutrition.

Marta Garrod-Brodka
Kizomba Assistant Teacher, Levels 1-3

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Ronky Jones
Salsa, Cuban and Kizomba Assistant Teacher, Levels 1-3

I still remember the first time I stepped out on the dance floor, I went with a friend to a salsa class & was instantly hooked. hat was 12 years ago & I have been dancing (still loving it) ever since.In those 12 years I have dance cross body, on2 & kizomba, but there always be a special place in my heart for Cuban.

I have made some great friendships along the way as well as having a shoe collection that rival Imelda Marcos. More recently I’ve found myself in the privileged position of sharing my passion for dance & helping others to find theirs through teaching.

Val Walters
Cuban and Salsa Assistant Teacher, Levels 1-3

Val first discovered her love of dancing at 9 years old when her dad taught her how to Quickstep. Over the years, her passion for dancing has diversified from Ballroom to Disco, from Belly Dancing to Latin, and several years ago she joined the Dance2Infinity Academy to learn Salsa, Cha Cha and Bachata. She became a member of the Cuban Salsa teaching team in 2017, and more recently the Cross Body Salsa team to encourage and inspire others to feel that same passion for dance. “Dance with your heart and your feet will follow”