Afeenix Artist
Jo Quiñones
Known as the “Diva of Bachata”, Jo Quinones has traveled worldwide spreading her wisdom, technique, and love for Latin dance through instruction, choreography, and performance.
As a child Jo trained extensively in ballet, Puerto Rican folk dance and jazz. Growing into a young adult Jo’s focus shifted to the wide variety of competitive, social ballroom and Latin dance styles. Jo became a member of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts to further her dramatic arts training. Quinones was then certified by Arthur Murray Dance Studios and ultimately became a competitor and franchise studio manager before moving on to become an independent instructor holding group and private lessons throughout the Inland Empire, Los Angeles and Hollywood areas.
Jo performed as Assistant Director in the professional entertainment company “Otero Dance Co.”, as Director of the self formed, world renowned “Afeenix Dance Co.”, and most recently Director and founder of the all female, urban Latin dance company “Divachata”. Jo Quinones’ stage and television credits include salsa congresses (in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Mexico, Japan, China, France and Puerto Rico), Cancun's Club Med, South Carolina's Sea Brook Island, the Asian International Telecommunications Expo, Telemundo, Univision, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and CBS.
Most recently Jo Quinones received the Lifetime Achievement award from Albert Torres (world renowned dancer/choreographer and the world’s premier producer of live Salsa and Dance events) at the La Salsa and Bachata Congress in 2014 and has been named Creative director of the wildly popular, annual San Diego Salsa Bachata Kizomba Festival and The Reno Latin Dance Festival. In early 2015 Jo, along with her dance family, opened their very own dance studio in Covina,CA named after her first dance company, Afeenix Dance Center.
Jo’s blend of charisma, sensuality and style through her instruction and performance entertains and inspires; making her a performer and instructor that thrills and educates the audience; leaving them wanting more.
Brendan Jason Brasier
Places where Brendan has taught:
Arthur Murray Dance Studio- Riverside
Arthur Murray Dance Studio- Upland Instructor
Crunch Gym- Hollywood (Sunset)
Instructor Crunch Gym- Burbank
Instructor Bally Total Fitness- Manhattan Beach
Instructor Bally Total Fitness- Pasadena
Instructor Bally Total Fitness- Hollywood (Gower)
Instructor MG Dance studio Hollywood
Instructor MaDonna Grimes Fitness Theater Hollywood (La Cienega)
Instructor Athletic Garage- Pasadena Adjunct
Faculty member Cal State Polytechnic Pomona
Adjunct Faculty member Riverside City College
Adjunct Faculty member Chaffey College
Instructor Valverde School of the arts
Instructor Rixos Resorts Turkey
Instructor Warner Bros Fitness Center Burbank Lot
Instructor Afeenix Dance Center Covina
Instructor Reno Latin Dance Fest Reno Nevada (‘16, ‘17, ‘18, ‘19)
Instructor Los Angeles Salsa Festival (‘17, ‘18, ‘19)
Ghostbusters Fanfest ’19 Sony Pictures Lot Culver City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Ya418tcuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUVC6y7viUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtgUBQ_BV5w
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Arthur Levine
Arthur Levine was born in NYC, but didn’t start dancing until he moved to LA. While dance didn’t come naturally to him he has trained diligently under Jo Quiñones and Brendan Brasier as a student and now instructor without the Afeenix dance family. Arthur has made it his passion and dedication to go out and learn technique from the best across genres and disciplines allowing him to bring diverse knowledge to his students. Arthur enjoys genres such as salsa, mambo, house, old school and modern hip-hop, as well as funk, soul, rock and R&B. He brings all of this to the table providing for a unique perspective on dance. Arthur offers friendly constructive criticism and supports growth while challenging his students. Arthur spends the time he has not dancing operating sustainable farms and a non-profit organization. He is “el agricultor de la salsa.”
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Teaches: Salsa On1
Tim Eswagen
Tim Eswagen always knew he would be a performer when he was inspired by watching Michael Jackson music videos at a young age. That inspiration grew exponentially in high school 2004 when he was introduced to a B-Boy club. This cultivated a motivation to learn as many different street styles as possible including locking, liquid popping, clown walking, and B-Boy itself.
During his first year in college back in 2007, he was persuaded by a friend to take a hip-hop class and after the first day, he was hooked. From there, although his focus was on hip-hop, he was also trained in ballet, jazz, and modern in various styles. He was then urged go start choreographing pieces of his own and was awarded to show his work in the college's Spring Dance showcase in 2009. The very next year, his mentor, B.J. Brasier, brought him along as an assistant to the various college's and studios he taught at including Cal Poly Pomona and Riverside Community College. Later he would join his mentor's dance team, Serious Effect, and continue his training under him. It was there he received unexpected tutelage from one of his dance idols, Eddie Garcia who danced back up for Michael Jackson.
He was then asked by another of his mentors, Jo Quiñonez, to train and be on her very own Latin ballroom team, Afeenix. It was there that he would also receive extensive training in salsa, bachata, rumba, tango, and various other Latin dance styles. This led to him performing in his first Latin festival in Palm Springs.
Today, he has had many opportunities to showcase his hard work and is credited for dancing back up for Antonio Bliss and Ray Parker Jr. He has cultivated and afro infused hip-hop style, or Afrohop, and hopes that he can inspire many others to trailblaze with him.
Emily started dancing bachata and salsa at the age of 8. Since then she trained in different styles of dance such as ballet, cha cha, jazz, hip hop, and modern. Her knowledge in dance continues to grow and better. She realized really young that dance was her happy place. Now her goal is to to share that happy place with everyone.
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Teaches: Youth Latin Fusion
Started dancing at Age 11 just for fun. After high school he took his first professional class at Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio and since then he was hooked. Dance became his Utopia.
Credits: Michael Jackson, LMFAO, Chris Brown, Baby Bash, Frankie J, AV
Compton Dance Companies: <ThaMost, SNOWTORIOUS, Xpendabulz, Serious Effect, Insomniac Entertainment
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Teaches: Lyrical Hip Hop