Bios / Team

Hilda Zelaya

(Founder,Director)

Origin:
Hilda Zelaya of Salvadoran descent was born in Ottawa, Canada. Since the age of 15 Hilda has trained in the arts of hip hop, jazz, Afro-Cuban rumba, on1 salsa, mambo, cha cha, merengue, bachata and hustle. Within a short period of time of training she quickly learned that her true passion was salsa.

Pursuing a Professional Career:
Hilda started training with her first dance instructor, who came from Cuba with 15 years of ballet training under his belt.  He taught her everything she needed to know about technique, stage presence body isolation and Cuban salsa movements.

Performances and Travels:
Hilda has had the privilege to perform in congresses all over Canada and the U.S. including the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress, the Miami Salsa Congress, the Canada Salsa Congress, the Montreal Salsa Convention, the Winter Salsa Carnival, the Toronto Salsa Festival, the Quebec Salsa Festival.  Hilda was also a member of Salsa Team Canada.

Continuing Education:
In the journey to perfect her craft Hilda has trained and taken workshops with renown instructors all over Canada and the U.S including Sonia and Morris of San Tropez (Montreal), world salsa champions Victor and Katia of Comomango (Montreal), Liz Lira "The Rose of Salsa" (Los Angeles), world salsa champions Eli and Yen Dorado (Los Angeles) and Magna Gopal ”The Spin Queen" (New York), just to name a few.

Hilda is known in the salsa world as a dancer who is energetic, explosive, and very sassy on stage. As an instructor, performer and choreographer she always makes sure to keep her classes fun and interesting while making sure to keep her students on their toes. In the spring of 2009 Hilda decided that it was time to make Evolucion Dance Company a reality. It was then that she became founder of the Evolucion Latin Dance Company. She only hopes her passion and love for salsa will touch and inspire others as it has her.

Que viva la salsa!!!

MY FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Long experience has taught me that the crux of my fortunes is whether I can radiate good will toward my audience. There is only one way to do it and that is to feel it. You can fool the eyes and minds of the audience, but you cannot fool their hearts." - Howard Thurston