Jan (aka JB, Jan Bexx)

It's all about the dance

How my Dance Journey began!

My dance journey started back in 2000. I was holidaying in Barbados with 3 of my friends celebrating a birthday. One evening we went to a restaurant called Sweet Potato and within minutes the floor was filled with people dancing, ladies beautifully dressed and men leading them around the dance floor.

Now, because my friends and I were in holiday mode, we were dressed for the evening, this fooled some of the men into believing that because we looked the part, we could dance the dance. The reality was that we could not. However, this did not deter the men from asking us to dance, so we gave it a go.

On arriving home, I said to my friend I’m going to learn to dance to salsa music and return the following year and dance properly with those guys. So that is exactly what I did.

My first classes were with Salsa Secrets in North London UK. Within a few months I was attending Improver/Intermediate level and dancing not just in the class but also by doing social dancing in salsa clubs around London. I soon began assisting experienced dance teachers at the classes I attended.

As my confidence grew and my circle of friends widened, I started to attend other salsa venues. I soon became a regular at Bar Latina in Tottenham, North London, and at the legendary Mambo City.I have attended many salsa dance weekenders and congresses and have been lucky enough to travel to other countries all in the name of salsa. This has given me the opportunity to do classes with the likes of Eddie Torres, Angel Ortis, The Cobo Brothers and Super Mario.

Teaching seemed to be a natural step from assisting in classes. I taught at Bar Latina and The Irish Centre, both in Tottenham, for several years. From there I was introduced to Lets Go Salsa by my current teaching partner, Steevo LDJ. Steevo and I have taught at several ad hoc events for various salsa outfits and regularly at various weekly club nights.

My passion for dance is still as strong as it was when I first started dancing. I enjoy seeing people learning and having fun all at the same time.