I met a friend in 1999 who started to show me some basic salsa steps whenever she could which really got me interested and excited about dancing and I thought if I knew how to dance I can meet lots of girls.
Who first taught you to dance salsa?
I took my first private lesson as a beginner with an instructor name Oscar but my first group class was with a school called United Salseros and they became the only salsa school I learnt from.
Did you have any dance training prior to salsa?
No. But I danced a lot of calypso and soca growing up in Trinidad and a little bit of break dancing.
Tell me a little about Mambo Tribe. When, why and how was it set up?
Mambo Tribe was formed in March 2003 by my partner at the time Stephanie & I and by November of that year we formed our dance company. We felt that we had the experience to start performing internationally and we wanted to form a dance company to give us more exposure. Stephanie and I no longer perform together but we still continue to operate Mambo Tribe as we do a number of salsa events together.
My new dance company’s name is called MAS Mambo Latin Dance Company. “MAS” stands for Mark-Anthony Sheppard. I am also a fulltime Instructor, performer and Chorographer.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from my fellow performers. Performers who have a creative mind and are not afraid to express their creativity on the stage. I also get it from the music as every song tells a story and once I hear a song that speaks to me, I create, which inspires me.
Who do you admire?
I admire performers and instructors who work & train hard, who express their creativity, who like to be original and who enjoy what they do. Such performers like Leon Rose, Sekou, Ana & Joel Massicot, Gordon Neil, Magna Gopal, Grisselle Ponce, Tito & Tamara.
What’s your favourite track at the moment?
Lament by Joel “Masacote” Massicot
What are your all time favourite tracks?
El Alacran-Ray Perez La Agonia-Lebron Brothers Chupa-Franke Dante Ahora Si-Sonora Poncena
What are your favourite albums?
Lebron Brothers Super Hits 2Eddie Palmieri-The Music Man
What was the last CD you bought?
Ruben Gonzalez
What music is in your car/cd player/tape player at the moment?
Sade
Who are your favourite artists?
Lebron Brothers Ray Perez Sonora Poncena Willie Colon
Frankie Dante
If you were not a successful Promoter/Teacher/DJ, what would you be doing instead?Or if you also have a full-time job, what do you do?
Finance Management
Tell me something most people wouldn’t know about you?
I was one of Toronto’s biggest house music Djs before I started dancing salsa fulltime. I started Djing salsa music about 3 years ago and I am now one of the top Salsa Dj’s for the dancers in Canada and Toronto.
What’s your all time favourite salsa club/event that you have played/taught/danced?
1.The Israel Salsa Congress 2.Mambo Nights-Bermuda 3.Cannes Salsa Festival
What has been your most memorable moment?
The first time I saw some of the Salsa legends performing on stage in Puerto Rico like Roberto Roena, Bobby Valentin and Willie Rosario.
Have you had any embarrassing/nightmare-ish moments in salsa?
This year at the Chicago Salsa Congress I was dancing with Ana Massicot and I ripped the crouch in my pants while doing a move. My first reaction was “damn do I finish the song and risk the possibility of everyone seeing my boxers or do I stop and go change.” Well I am a solider of salsa so I finished the dance because it was a beautiful song but I quickly ran to my hotel room to change as soon as the song was over.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It’s hard as a salsa artist coming out of Canada but I really appreciate the love and support that I have gotten from my fellow performers, instructors, students and salsa lovers from all over the world. Without the support my struggles would have been much more difficult. Thank You.
My new company is called MAS Mambo School of Dance. I have 2 dance partners, Akila who’s located in Toronto and she travels with me for the North American events and Elena who lives in Stockholm (performs with Sacuye) and travels with me when I am in Europe. Our next performance and workshop will be at the Hamburg Salsa Festival in July 2007.
My Website: www.masmambo.com Email:
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Phone: 416-895-7874
Without the salsa music we would not be able to perform on stage or dance up a sweat on the dance floor. Please show your appreciation and respect to the salsa bands, especially the legends, who are still performing for us, for our dancing pleasure.
