Rafael & Erika – New York

Erika Lopez

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Erika Lopez has always had a love
for dance. Growing up she would learn choreography by watching videos on
her own and learning from others. She started out with hip hop, had been
a part of her High School’s dance team and began taking classes at
Broadway Dance Center. It wasn’t until October 2007 that she joined
the Lorenz Latin Dance Studio and found her passion for Salsa. She
started off taking salsa classes and joined the student dance team,
where she realized performing was going to be an important part of her
life. Since then she has gotten the privilege to dance on the semi-pro
team Reflejo de Lorenz and excelled to the Pro Team, Lorenz Latin
Dancers, and has traveled to different parts of the world performing,
including Peru, Texas, Puerto Rico and dr to name a few. Throughout her
time in the studio she’s learned other various styles of dance
including cha-cha, hustle and rumba, and bettering in bachata and
merengue. She is also one of the children instructors in their kid’s
program, as well as an instructor for the adult classes. She teaches
weekend workshops including Zumba, as well as cha cha, partner work and
hip hop alongside Christopher Guzman. Throughout her 8 years dancing she
has been grateful for her continuous growth as a dancer. She’s
performed at venues including Madison Square garden and citi field, and
has performed alongside various artists such as Loisaides and Winstar.
Erika has been fortunate enough to obtain opportunities to perform on
live television such as Fox 5 and NY1. She continues to flourish and
grow, hoping to inspire others with the same love she shares for dance
and is blessed to be a part of an amazing experience.

Rafael Monroy

Rafael Monroy started his dance career with the Lorenz Latin Dance
Studio in June 2010. Almost immediately, dance became a passion which
took a very important role in his life. He went on to become a part of
Lorenz’s Semi Pro Teams Mambo Clasico and Reflejo de Lorenz, and
eventually became a part of the professional team – The Lorenz Latin
Dancers. As he continued to grow and unfold as a dancer, he was given
the opportunity to pass on his knowledge, and teach Salsa, Bachata,
Cha-Cha and Pachanga at Lorenz. Throughout the years, he has traveled to
various events and congresses including the Capital Congress, Punta Cana
Salsa Congress and our very own Texas Salsa Congress. Now an experienced
instructor and director of the Mambo Clasico Semi Pro Team, he comes
back to the Texas Salsa Congress for the third consecutive year
performing the Latin Dancers’ newest routine, and teaching smooth,
lead-able turn patterns to add to your dance repertoire.