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Oliver Pineda is the founder and director of Latin Motion Dance Academy, Australia’s most successful Latin Dance Academy. Oliver Pineda is also the founder and director of Australia’s most prestigious yearly salsa event and competition, The Australian Salsa Classic.

Oliver Pineda with celebrity dance partner Luda Kroitor from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ are Australia’s only 5 times World Salsa Champions having competed and won the 2001 IDO World Salsa Championships in Miami, 2005 World Salsa Open in Puerto Rico, 2005 & 2006 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Nevada, Las Vegas and recently the 2007 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Disney World, Florida.

Oliver & Luda have also been confirmed as special guest choreographers for the Channel 10 TV hit show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.

Born in Australia of Chilean descent, this young man has been dancing Salsa for 15 years and is Australia’s most undisputed talent. His unique style of dance and clear precise teaching methods make him one of the most admired and sought after Salsa dancers and instructors in the world.

Although passionate about Salsa and Mambo, Oliver’s dance experience also extends to Rueda, Merengue, Zouk Lambada, Kizomba, Samba, Cumbia, Cha Cha, Rumba, Afro Cuban Rumba, Jive and Paso Doble as well as Modern dances such as the Waltz, Slow Foxtrot, Quick Step and Jazz. In addition to his dancing expertise, he is also a well known percussionist playing in some of Sydney’s top Salsa bands, mastering the timbales, congas and bongo amongst other percussive instruments. His early performance experience within the Brazilian culture has also enabled him to handle Brazilian style instruments such as the snare drum, zurdo, pandero and the hepinique.

His black belt achievements as a Martial Artist have also equipped him with an understanding of the basics of Capoeira. Oliver is also proud to have represented Australia at several Championships of Dancesport at a national and international level. With 7 years training in Dancesport, Oliver chooses instead to pursue the music and dance of his Latin American roots. It was Oliver and his partner who were captured on international television screens, leading the “Americas” segment out onto the field in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies Sydney 2000.

It was also Oliver who was given the honour of being Australia’s first Male dancer ever to be featured on the cover of Australia’s VIVA Magazine ‘The Only Australian Lifestyle Magazine about the Latino World’ in it’s December issue 2004. Oliver was also given the Best Male Instructor Award at the biggest Salsa Congress in the world, the 2006 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles.

After winning the title of IDO World Salsa Champion 2001 and being the First Australian International Representative, Oliver decided to take himself and his company, Latin Motion to the international circuit. Oliver has taught, danced in and was the choreographer for routines performed at numerous international Salsa Congresses such as Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, Paris, UK, Dubai, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Canary Islands, Luxembourg, Cyprus, New York and more.

Oliver also heads the highest calibre student performance group in Australia, the ‘Latin Motion Rising Stars’. Oliver the director and artistic director of Latin Motion is proud to be the choreographer, lead dancer and trainer for the Latin Motion team which has now represented Australia overseas over 50 times. Oliver was a founding member of the original ‘Rueda Dance Group’ introducing Cuban Salsa & Rueda to Sydney in 1999 and was one of the instigators of Linear Style Salsa in 2000. Oliver has been responsible for introducing Kizomba and Semba to Australia this year and is the pioneer of Mambo ‘On 2’ in Australia.

Oliver is also proud to be the creator of his own brand of Salsa called ‘Aussie Style Salsa.’

Luda Kroitor is the current 5 times World Salsa Champion with dance partner Oliver Pineda. They are the winners of the 2001 IDO World Salsa Championships, 2005 Puerto Rican Salsa Open, 2005, 2006 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Las Vegas and most recently the 2007 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Disney World, Florida. Adding to her achievements has also been representing Australia teaching and performing in various World Salsa Tours covering many countries throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Oliver & Luda have also been confirmed as special guest choreographers for the Channel 10 TV hit show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.

Of Russian origin, Luda began her passion for ballroom, salsa and Brazilian dance at 11 and she won her first national competition, the Youth Latin Championships in 2000, followed by another ground breaking record for an Australian dancer to then win her first world title in 2001 by becoming the IDO World Salsa Champion. It was the first time Australia was represented at the world championships, and every judge gave Luda a first place. After that she toured the United States with the international show Burn the Floor and featured in NSW Tourism TVC campaign as a dancer with Csaba Szirmai. Luda also won the TV series Strictly Dancing with Csaba in 2004.

Currently, Luda performs with Australia’s Most Successful Dance Academy, Latin Motion Dance Academy in various dance show productions at suburban clubs and appears at a variety of corporate events.

Throughout Dancing with the Stars Series, Luda has partnered Home and Away actor Jason Smith in series two, singer David Campbell in series three, boxing champion legend Kostya Tszyu in series four which saw them make the finals as runners up and comedian Anh Do in the last series which also saw them make the finals as runners up.