Between gigs Shaun makes it a priority to find time to teach. His charismatic approach to his art and versatility are trademarks that keep him in constant demand. Revered as a "thrilling and spectacular Master Teacher," he is sought after on the Broadway stage, in the Concert Dance arena and in the studio!

Through the years, he has lived in Germany, Colombia and South Africa choreographing, performing and competing. He loves and excels at many different styles of dance, and he is thrilled to share his enthusiasm and skills with his students at Empire Dance in New York City.

Oleg Trebunski has coached many young dancers in the U.S. and Russia. Over 25 couples trained by Oleg have participated at over 30 NDCA competitions in the past several years.  You may have seen one  of his students, his daughter Anna Trebunskaya, who took 2nd place in Dancing With the Stars with her partner, football hero Jerry Rice.

Roderick started performing as a juggler in 1990.  He has performed innumerable solo shows and worked with many groups including Umbrella Theatre in Seattle, Circus Millenia in Washington, DC as a choreographer, writer, director and juggler. These days, Roderick is one of the Flying Karamazov Brothers.  In this role, he is also an actor, dancer, musician and composer. Roderick has performed all over the United States and Europe. His favorite venues have been the Kennedy Center, The White House, Carnegie Hall, and the Carre in Amsterdam.

As Kimberly saw the pole fitness craze explode, she noticed that the pole moves were fabulous, but the students couldn't duplicate them in their own homes. She wanted to teach women sexy moves that they could actually perform for their lovers...or just for themselves in the comfort of their own bedroom with no equipment needed! Dancing is about expression. "I put on a song that has meaning to me and I can just work it out. If I am feeling happy, sad, sexy, ugly, whatever. If I put on that song and start moving, it just gets released. I would put that emotion into dancing and it was like therapy! It's an amazing experience!"

Laura has appeared in numerous stage and screen productions for Paramount Pictures, Blackbird Dance Company and others. Her training includes work with Brian Green, Flex, Locxsmiff, Bam Bam, Showoff, Tic-Toc, Livewire Dance Company, Blackbird Dance Company, Rhapsody James, Robin Dunn, Tanya Alexander, Alvin Ailey School of Dance, Center for the Creative Youth, Educational Center for the Arts, and Dee Dee’s Dance Center.

Born and raised in the projects of NY, Frankie dedicated himself to the study of Shotokan Karate, becoming a 4th degree black belt and winning many competition awards before joining the U.S. Navy in 1996. While on military leave, Frankie visited a Florida salsa club, and the modern age of Latin dance was born. Returning to New York, Frankie joined “The Dance Club” at Metropolitan Avenue, a ballroom dance school, where he was quickly hired as a dance instructor and soon after managed the Salsa/Mambo Department.

With less than one year of dance experience, Frankie was invited to join the Eddie Torres’ Dancers. Later that same year Frankie performed “Concierto del Amor” at Madison Square Garden. Over the next three years Frankie went on to perform for such luminaries as Tito Puente, Jose Alberto, Fania All Stars and many others, from the Los Angeles Palladium to New York’s Roseland and countless venues in between.

In 2000, Frankie Martinez gained further renown by winning Nutriments’ Latin Dance Competition. He also launched his first international tour with performances in Milan, Brecia, and Bologna, Italy. In 2000 Frankie Martinez’s Abakua Afro-Latin Dance Company was born, and in tours of Europe and Japan Frankie quickly established Abakua among the top Latin dance companies in the world. Ever since, devotees have crossed the globe for the opportunity to see Frankie perform and, for a rare few, take private instruction; the dance company Encuentro Latino, received a grant from the Arts Council Of England “to train with the most sought after Mambo/Salsa Instructor/ Performer in the world, Mr. Frankie Martinez.”

2005 saw the debut performance of “Raices” and closed with a preview of “After Hours Funk” his new work slated for Off-Broadway production in 2006 In the meantime, Frankie Martinez will continue to perform and instruct with the passion and dedication that has placed him in the company of Latin dance’s legends. (Learn more about Frankie Martinez & Abakua)

To further develop his understanding of Latin dance, Manny has studied many genres of dance including Ballroom, Jazz, Afro-Cuban and Katherine Dunham technique. He has been teaching Mambo and body movement technique to groups, individuals and couples since 2003. Manny has a B.S. in Psychobiology and is currently pursuing his graduate degree in social work at NYU. His dream is to use the performing arts as a vehicle to inspire community development.

Jack expanded his repertoire and knowledge of NY Salsa, studying with Eddie Torres, Carlos Koenig, Karisma, and Santo Rico, but counts Frankie Martinez and Johnny Matos as the two people who have influenced his dancing the most.  Jack's teaching skills and and emphasis on technique has provided him with opportunity for travel and teaching in countries as far as Finland, Russia, and Japan. In addition to Latin dance, Jack has spent twelve years studying and teaching an eclectic set of martial art styles, including JKD, Kali, Wing Chun, and Muy Thai.

Adam has studied extensively with Andres Amarilla, Gustavo Naveira y Giselle Anne, Tete Rusconi, Chicho Frumbolli y Lucia Mazer in Buenos Aires, and Robin Thomas, Brigitta Winkler, Tomas Howlin and Alex Krebs in the US. In addition to teaching in NYC at Empire Dance, Adam regularly guest teaches in Pittsburgh, New Haven, CT (Yale); Princeton, NJ; State College, PA; Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh UN). Adam has also DJ'd tango music in Buenos Aires, San Fransisco, Montreal, Toronto, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, NY, Providence and Pittsburgh, to name a few.

This passion for tango is now transmitted in her teaching, as she approaches the subject with intricate details and subtleties. To Jennifer, tango is all about the communication between two people and the music. Her main influence has been Alex Krebs, with whom she taught weekly classes in Portland and workshops in Washington D.C., Toronto, Denver, Seattle, Austin, and Ann Arbor, MI. She currently co-teaches with Robin Thomas in New York City.

Robin's travel schedule is a busy one, reflecting his growing popularity as a teacher and tango DJ. Recently, he has taught in Portland, Denver, Ann Arbor, Washington DC, Seattle, Berlin, Edinburgh, San Diego, Providence, Pittsburgh and at the universities, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell. When he is not traveling, Robin stays busy in his hometown of New York City teaching 3 group classes peR week at Empire Dance Studio. On the rare occasion that he is neither teaching or DJing, Robin can always be seen on the dance floor, either working to expand his own understanding of Argentine tango, or simply enjoying the connection he works so hard to share with others. Robin hosts a practica, El Abrazo, each week to help dancers of all levels improve their tango. He also hosts a popular milonga, Nocturne, once a month.

Andrea began performing Middle Eastern dance at cabarets, and cultural events in 1990. She has taught weekly dance classes since 1993, and has performed as a soloist and company member with Elena Lentini's Caravanserai, Anahid Sofian & Dancers, Jehan Kamal's Ballet Exotiqa, and SaZ Dance Theatre. In 1997 Andrea opened for Ricky Lee Jones' GHoSTYhead tour in NY, Boston, and Philadelphia. Andrea's choreography has been most presented at Town Hall, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and at Buffalo's Pfeifer and Flickinger Theaters. Andrea also performs in the public schools as part of the NY Performing Artist Company.

Kristina Kulin developed a profound connection with Flamenco after seeing live performances in New York City as a child, and after seeing Carlos Saura’s films “Carmen” and “El Amor Brujo.”  She began training as a teenager with Andrea del Conte in New York City, and went on to study with Ramon del los Reyes in Boston, MA, and Juan Polvillo in Sevilla, Spain. 

Kristina has performed throughout the city in various venues and has taught both adult and children’s classes.  Her dance background also includes bellydance, tango, and salsa.

Oreet's family roots are in the Middle East. Her exposure to an array of ethnic sounds and rhythms, including traditional belly dance melodies, inspired her to learn all she could about dance and movement. She received her BFA in Dance and Performance in NY, where she later settled. Excited by the way in which health clubs were reaching clients and the variety of classes being offered, Oreet was eager to learn more. Her certifications include AFFA, Johnny G Spinning, and Back Logic; she instructs hi/low-impact aerobics, step, body sculpting, spin, kickboxing and stretch classes at several popular fitness clubs.Years of work with clients helped Oreet form her new workout. Returning to her roots, Oreet blended together several techniques, including those from the body-loving art form of belly dance, with the cardiovascular and toning benefits of fitness classes. SharQui - The Bellydance Workout™, was born.

1993-1997 Reba taught at a major ballroom studio and formed Reba’s Dance Connection 1998-2002. She has taught at The New York Times, The Open Center, AmEx, AT&T, Viacom, Simon & Schuster, and more. She performed at Club Broadway (with 'Mambo King' Freddie Rios), NY Swing Society, Il Campanello, and at events for The New York Times, Nassau Community College, and Covenant House. She created SalsaAerobics!, a fitness program based on Latin dance, featured on The Alive and Wellness Show on national cable TV. She has worked with seniors at various centers, with children through the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Beacon Program, and with people with disabilities through FEGS. 1988-1990 Reba was Assistant to the Executive Director of the Cunningham Dance Foundation. From 1990-1993, Reba was Assistant Director of the Indo-U.S. Subcommission on Education and Culture, an exchange program with India. She has a BA in Dance and an MA in Dance History from the University of California.