Fabrizio Febi and Giulia Michelini, winners of the 2023 World Championship “The Summit” in Miami in the On2 Salsa Professional category, are among the leading couples in today’s salsa scene. Based in Italy, they are the creators of the international festival MAMBO LEAGUE, held in cities such as Genoa, Milan, Naples, Florence, and Mexico. Centered on the fusion of live music and dance, the festival gathers over 400 participants each time and features renowned artists such as Grupo Alafia, Full Project, and many others, spreading their passion for the deep connection between music and dance.

------------------------------------

Fabrizio Febi was born in Pescara on June 9, 1995.
At the age of 10 he approaches the first steps in the world of dance, especially in Caribbean dances, obtaining remarkable results in national and international competitions.
In 2011 he joined the Latin Passion Group directed by the masters Michele di Benedetto and Chiara Barone dancing in the best stages in the world such as: Rome, Milan, New York, Freiburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, London , Montréal.
In 2014 he performed in the great 45-minute production of Adolfo Indacochea "Tribute to the Kings" tribute to the great Tito Puente and Eddie Torres.
He has been part of The Latin Soul Dancers of Adolfo Indacochea since 2014 to 2020 dancing all over the world.
He traveled the 4 continents: 15 eureopean states 3 states in Asia 10 american states 5 of latino america dancing for the best audience of the world.
In 2016 he opened his own studio called Mambo & Co in Pescara, Italy.
In 2018 he started dancing with Giulia Michelini to become a new couple on the mambo scene!!
Organizer of the event international festival called MAMBO LEAGUE in Europe and Mexico with Giulia became world champion 2023 in the category on2 salsa professional in Miami florida in the prestigous competition the Summit championhip.

Giulia Michelini was born in Varese on dicember 16,1992.
When she was 13 years old she began studying ballet, jazz and Caribbean dance.
In 2008 she joined the Flamboyan dancers directed by Marco Berretta and Shearley Alicea.
She has danced in this group for 10 years.
In 2016 she studied at Sosa Academy in Milan.
She is vice champion together with Giulia Galparoli of mundial pasos libres “La Negra”.
In 2017 she was part of the Latin Dream’s dance casting.
She has been part of The Latin Soul Dancers of Adolfo Indacochea since 2017 dancing with Fabrizio Febi.
She started dancing only with him to create their own style!!
With fabrizio became world champion 2023 in the category on2 salsa professional in Miami florida in the prestigous competition the Summit championhip.
They are working / dancing together to create our own way of dancing mambo keeping the tradition but with some different elements and influences!!
Even if it's a job for them they dance for Passion from so many years and our latin passion is the one that allows us to go on dancing every day!!

Fabrizio & Giulia are really expert of Salsa and mambo sector they danced on the same stage with the bests singers and musicians in the world like
Tito Puente Jr.、Frankie Figueroa、José Alberto “El Canario”、Ray de la Paz、El Chino y La Diferencia、Mercadonegro Orquesta、Canchanchara Orquesta、Mambito’s Salsa Orquesta、Ricky Campanelli、Máxima 79、Ray Ruiz など。

Champion of the Cabaret Group Division at the 2012 World Latin Dance Cup.
Winner of the Cali Salsa World Festival three times between 2011 and 2017, Carlos has been performing for over 20 years on numerous stages both in Colombia and abroad.
He is currently a member of Baile Constelación Latina, a world-renowned dance academy.

He is the one of the most important representatives of the Afro dance in the world. He has danced for 21 years in the national folklore of Cuba, becoming first dancer from the year 2005. He has not only danced in the best stages of the world, but also given his knowledge to the professionals who dance today, teacher of teachers.
He is a percussionist and multifunctional dancer, not only dances Afro Cuban, manages all Cuban popular rhythms. He knows the history of the dances, including in his classes or his dances the history of the Black Dance, in the other word, He is the living culture of Cuba.

He has various experience of performing dance performances at the opening of the Salsa World Congress and many other shows. He has contributed greatly to the spread of salsa and casino in Fukuoka as a dancer and lecturer since he visited to Japan in 2000.
Currently he lives in Fukuoka. He is not only an experienced dancer and lecturer, but he has also worked as an event producer, director, DJ and choreographer.

FUSAFES Artistic Advisor

After graduating from university, she moved to New York alone. There, she was selected as the first and only Asian professional member of the Yamulee Dance Company, the world's top salsa team, since its founding. After four years at Yamulee, she went to France and worked in Europe as a professional dancer invited by the Alegria Dance Company.
Her beautiful long limbs, expressiveness, and precision in spinning are the best among world-class professional salsa dancers.
She has been invited to congresses and competitions in more than 20 countries and has performed on many big stages. From 2018 she will challenge the world competition. She has won World Salsa Solo, Canadian International Competition, Liberty Dance Championship, etc. In 2020, she won 3rd place in the world's largest salsa competition, the first Asian to do so. She is now a mother of two child, but while performing overseas, she is the only one who combines a method for Asians to dance like Latin people and a salsa dance training method that has been prepared in Japan. The second lesson is being developed nationwide and around the world.

Cheli Latinesa is an international salsa dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Taiwan. With over 25 years of dance training across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, she blends Afro-Cuban, Salsa On1 and On2, street, and contemporary styles into a rich, expressive Latin dance language.
She is the founder of Latinesa Studio and the creator of Andaya Latin Festival—Asia’s first LGBTQ-friendly Latin dance event. Trained as a Latin pianist under a Cuban maestro, Cheli combines music and movement to create immersive, culturally rooted performances.
She is one of the few Asian dancers to represent salsa fusion in Spain and has competed in both Spain and Italy. A boundary-pushing artist on the international stage, she is the Asia Dance League winner and Salsa Solo 2nd place champion at the Busan International Latin Cup.

Misaki is a salsa dancer based in Tokyo. She began dancing street styles in her childhood and discovered salsa in 2011, which became her true passion. Her passionate energy on stage captivates audiences. She now performs and teaches not only in Japan but also internationally, appearing in workshops, shows, and music videos.

Representatives of HIDE & PEKO Dance Company.
Salsa dancers, instructors, and choreographers.
Four-time All Japan Champions.
First Asian couple to become finalists in the professional category at a world championship.
Their salsa journey began in 2010 when salsa was incorporated into a musical they performed in. Formed as a university dance duo in 2013, they have since pursued both short- and long-term training in various countries and participated in numerous competitions. They have won the All Japan Championship four times. In 2018, they achieved a groundbreaking feat as the first Asian couple to place 4th in the professional salsa category at the prestigious World Latin Dance Cup.
In 2023, they were selected as the Asian representatives among the world’s top dancers for FANIA Records' "We Love To See You Dance" project, honoring the record label that popularized salsa music in the 1970s. The same year, they were invited as sponsored guest performers by the city of Cali, Colombia, to participate in a world championship held in Cali.
Currently, they perform shows and conduct workshops both in Japan and internationally. Their activities extend beyond their own performances to include being backup dancers for singers and producing wedding performances. Additionally, they are dedicated to promoting salsa and contributing to education; in 2021, they served as special temporary instructors teaching salsa dance at a public junior high school in Tokyo.

She has been learning Latin dance at Tiempo Iberoamericano since 2013.
From the fall of 2015, she studied abroad for about 9 months in Cuba at the Afro-Cuban Dance Course at Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) where she studied with local students. Additionally, Yuka was taken under former National Folkloric Company of Cuba top dancers such as Israel Valdés, Yenis Flores and Ernesto Trujillo.
She is Tiempo Iberoamericano's Latin Dance Troupe "Anacaona" member since 2017.
From November 2019 she went to Barcelona and returned to Japan in March 2020.

Mike Honda discovered salsa and bachata in 1996 and has since trained extensively in countries such as the U.S. (LA and NY), Cuba, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Spain. Since 2000, he has been teaching salsa and bachata and has participated in numerous events and festivals, including the Japan Salsa Congress, with workshops and performances. In 2011, he moved to Shanghai, China, and in 2015 opened the Latin dance studio LATIN SOUL with his partner, Sakina. Together they organized the international events BACHATAMEMUCHO and later BACHATEAMO (2015–2019). In April 2025, he relocated to Fukuoka, Japan, with his family.

Sakina began studying Chinese dance from an early age, winning multiple national awards. She later explored various dance genres such as Latin, jazz, and hip-hop, before discovering salsa in 2009. In 2015, she co-founded LATIN SOUL dance studio with her partner, Mike. Together, they have performed and taught workshops across China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and many other cities. Today, Sakina is recognized as one of China’s top five salsa and bachata dancers, admired for her experience, artistry, and technical skill.

After exploring street dance styles such as Hip-Hop, House, Pop, and Soul, she encountered salsa in 2010. Through Cuban salsa, she discovered Afro-Cuban dances like Rumba and Yoruba, gradually becoming captivated by their charm.
From 2015 to 2016, she traveled to Cuba alone to undergo intensive training in Afro-Cuban dance. Upon returning to Japan, she began spreading the allure of Cuban dance.
Currently, she holds classes three times a week in Umeda, Osaka, and once a month in Kyoto.

RAVSHAN VALIEV : Mambo Dancer / Instructor / Choreographer / Rav & Yuko Mambo Academy Director / Adolfo Indacochea Mambo Excellence Certified Instructor

Originally from Uzbekistan.
Since his days at the Palaidium, he has pursued the modern mambo in both dance and music, and is energetically disseminating it. As a mambo dancer, he has appeared on numerous stages in Japan and abroad. He is also active as an invited instructor. His energetic dance style unique to men and powerful and gentlemanly pair dance leader lessons are popular.

-----------------------

Yuko Akiba

Salsa Dancer / Choreographer / National Public Safety Commission Approved / Japan Dance Sports Federation Certified Instructor / Japan Salsa Association Certified Instructor

Rav & Yuko Mambo Academy Director / Adolfo Indacochea Mambo Excellence Certified Instructor

Born in Yokohama City.
She has performed on stages in North America, South America, Europe, Russia, Asia and Oceania. She is also works as an invited instructor and competition judge. She has also appeared as a salsa dancer in TV commercials, variety shows, national programs, Univision, and music videos.
She also visits numerous salsa music live stages, and her motto is to convey the relationship and enjoyment of music and dance.

A Latin band from Fukuoka led by Shingo Noguchi, a devoted lover of Cuban popular music known as Timba.
Striving to capture the authentic Cuban sound and create music that makes people dance, the band aims to deliver an uplifting and extraordinary live experience. Their lineup and repertoire vary according to each occasion, featuring songs in Japanese as well as original pieces written in the local Hakata dialect, full of hometown spirit.

Formed in 2015, this Latin jazz band brings together members from diverse musical backgrounds to explore the possibilities of Latin music. They have composed many original songs, and their repertoire ranges from traditional styles to contemporary numbers. The band has previously performed at Isla de Salsa.

Más Arriba! is a Latin music group led by Machao, founder and director of the Fukuoka-based Latin big band High Notes Big Band.
While featuring some of the same musicians, Más Arriba! offers a different experience—one that brings Latin rhythms to life in a more intimate and danceable setting.
Even those new to Latin music and dance will find themselves swept up by the irresistible energy and feel-good vibes that fill every venue they play.

Passionate about Bachata, Salsa, and Latin Jazz.
Started DJing in 2013.
Adheres to a selection philosophy that prioritizes the ambiance and flow of the dance floor, aiming to convey a storytelling experience through the music.
Furthermore, began remix production in the spring of 2018 with the desire to create tracks that are enjoyable to dance to.
Has already produced over 60 remixes in Bachata, Salsa, and Kizomba genres.

Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He has been involved with Tiempo Iberoamericano´s project in Fukuoka, Japan since 2002.
He is a key-player in the development of salsa in Fukuoka being undoubtedly the local main tango DJ for 20 years.
He is one of the organizers, producer and has played as DJ in FUSAFES since the first edition.