As a little girl, Alexandra went to all the ballet, tap, and modern classes she could. She continued training in ballet and ended up en pointe with Roland-Ballard Dance School. Fortunately when she moved to Ecuador as a 12-year-old, Alexandra found that dancing was rampant in her new community. Remember those awkward middle-school dances? In Ecuador, Alexandra found them more enjoyable, since everyone comfortably danced kumbia and merengue with each other. At these Latin American school dances, birthday parties, and social gatherings, all ages mingled to dance with each other. Alexandra fell in love with the Latin rhythms.
After graduating high school in Ecuador, Alexandra moved to the bay area to pursue a degree in ocean and environmental science at Stanford University. Within the first week, she had joined “Los Salseros de Stanford”. She danced with this student group for four years. She also taught beginner and intermediate salsa classes on campus throughout her years there. In her last year, she trained briefly under Katie Maloney. She plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Geology.
As a new member of Afinkao, Alexandra is excited and grateful to be a part of a group that utilizes salsa intwined with lyrical and afro-cuban motion. Afinkao will allow her dance training and her cultural background to come together in an explosion of expression.
