We are a diverse team of artists and professionals, with talents spanning industries and dance forms. Our multi-disciplinary abilities are what make us unique as a dance group. Find out more about our individual strengths below!
Sergio Sanchez
Director
Sergio Sanchez, born in Mexico and raised in New York, started dancing like most in Latino families; being unenthusiastically forced to dance with family members during parties and events. However, it wasn’t until 2003 when he met his first salsa on 2 dance teacher, Marizol Rodrigez, that he finally developed a keen interest. After convincing Sergio to join her 4 month after-school program, his mind and perspective of dance was changed forever.
In 2008, under the wing of Edwin Ferreras, Sergio helped co-found LFX Dancers during their undergrad years at City College. After becoming one of the directors of the team in 2010, he decided to further explore the performing arts learning under many NY dance instructors such as Joe Burgos, Jorge Salas, Seku McMiller, and Jonathan Rodriguez, while also joining some of their diverse dance teams ranging in styles from salsa, bachata, merengue, bolero, cumbia, mambo, rumba, and afrocuban to non-Latin styles such as hip hop, break dance, lifts and tricks and even belly dance. These experiences did not only make Sergio a well-rounded dancer, but expanded his knowledge in teaching and managing the dynamics of a dance team, allowing him to help shape LFX into what it is today. To follow Sergio on Instagram click here.
Stevi Dumbrell
Director
Stevi Dumbrell has never been a stranger to dancing. Starting her ballet training at 3 years old and quickly expanding to tap, jazz, and pointe, 10 years of classical dance and several years of gymnastics training have provided a sturdy foundation for her current dance pursuits. She first began partner dancing in 1999 after teaching herself swing from a Paul Maranto instructional video. She’s been a student of Ballroom and Latin dances ever since, progressing through the levels of both International and American-style competitive ballroom as President of the NYU Ballroom and Latin Dance Team and ending as a professional competitor in the NDCA International Latin circuit.
Stevi began to explore the social Latin dance world in 2008, where she fell in love with bachata and salsa on 2, and as they say, the rest is history. She has been a member of LFX since 2013 and a director / instructor / choreographer since 2016. In addition to LFX, Stevi currently works as a costume designer for LFX and as a custom bridal dress seamstress. Her daughter Arya is the team mascot! To follow Stevi on Facebook or inquire after her sewing services click here and send her a message.
Andrea Ude
Director
Andrea Ude began dancing at age 4 and never looked back. She spent her grade school years studying styles of ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip hop and at the age of 12 began competing at local venues, and eventually nationally. With a hunger to further diversify her experience, Andrea dedicated her college career to expanding her practice, knowledge, and love of dance at LIU Post. While there, she worked with multiple emerging choreographers and performed in legacy works of modern dance companies, graduating with a BFA in Dance Studies.
In 2010, Andrea found herself in the world of partner dance, training first in Ballroom and Latin styles at Arthur Murray before discovering the social Latin dance scene of NYC teaching and performing in styles such as salsa, bachata, merengue, and cha-cha. Her diverse background made joining LFX Dancers an easy choice in 2016. Now with more than 25 years of dance experience and over a decade of teaching, Andrea is a Co-Director/Choreographer of LFX, as well as a bachata instructor with former member, Brian ‘El Matatan’. To follow Andrea on Instagram click here.
Roald Johnny
Member
Roald Johnny (“Johnny”) started dancing salsa in Spring 2009 when he joined the Salsa Mambo Club at City College. Coincidentally, this is where he met the inaugural members of LFX Dancers and joined the team shortly after, in March 2010. Johnny has a love of both salsa and bachata; salsa for the versatility and bachata for how naturally sensual it is. Outside of dance, he is also a boxer and teaches college students developmental math.
Dolly Kamalpreet
Member
Dolly Kamalpreet has been a member of LFX since 2014.
Wallieke Sutton
Member
Wallieke Sutton joined LFX in August 2018, but he started dancing as a break dancer in his early teens. Later he went on to study West African dance, samba, bachata and his favorite dance style, salsa. Wallieke fell in love with salsa music, and enjoys the freedom of expression and interaction with one’s partner it provides. He also enjoys teaching musical instruments to children, DJing, producing music, traveling and working out.
Suzanne Gammer
Member
Suzanne Gammer has always had a love for dancing during parties but really found her love for Latin dance with her university Latin dance team (Pasion Latina) in 2013. There she was able to learn and experience different styles such as Cumbia, Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, and Kizomba. After graduating she still had thirst for dancing and joined local dance teams in Boston where she discovered the world of social dancing. Since moving to the New York area in 2021, she craved to be part of a team again that focused on different styles of dance and that’s when she discovered LFX. Her favorite style of dance remains to be Bachata, where she enjoys practicing her lead. Outside of dance, Suzanne loves listening to Soca and Afrobeats, creating in the kitchen, and cuddling with her kitty, Desiree.
Rhina Allende
Member
Rhina Allende started dancing salsa, bachata, and merengue as a child at home with her family. At boarding school, She began dancing predominantly in jazz and modern styles, which eventually led her to performing in college on a jazz and hip hop focused team. She really loved the camaraderie that came with being part of a dance community and actively sought that feeling in adulthood. Over the past few years, she has sporadically taken classes in Latin dance styles, but still felt the desire to join a team and grow with others, which is what drew her to LFX in the winter of 2024. Rhina loves many styles of dance, but salsa has always been her favorite as it makes her feel most connected to her culture. Outside of dance, she is a school administrator, avid reader, and fitness enthusiast!
Fernando Brens
Member
Like most red-blooded Dominicans, Fernando started dancing at house parties with his mother and aunts since he was 6 years old. He’s always enjoyed dancing from then on, and although he focused mostly on being a musician, playing guitar in a bachata & merengue band, he’s continued to dance socially over the years. Fernando felt very confident in his dancing skills, but then reality hit when he met professional Latin dancers and discovered how little he really knew. Eventually, a friend suggested he try LFX, as he was interested in improving his dance skills and learning other rhythms, such as salsa, and even different styles of bachata and merengue that he didn’t know existed. Fernando started with the LFX team in January of 2024 and has felt very welcomed, enjoy their teaching approach, and is looking forward to learning and growing in music and dance.
Cristal Duverge
Member
Born in Queens to Dominican parents, Cristal has danced socially to Latin music like merengue, bachata, and salsa her whole life. She also enjoys watching dance forms such as ballet, tango, cumbia, corridos, and boleros. This led her to taking formal training in NY style salsa in 2018 and joining LFX in March 2024. Although Cristal has enjoyed broadening her repertoire, her favorite dance style remains traditional Dominican Bachata, drawn to its rich flavor and variety of styles across different provinces of the Dominican Republic and the diaspora. When not dancing, she is a Paralegal and finds joy in running, hiking, reading, and stand-up comedy.
Edwin Ferreras
Founder
International Ambassador of Dominican Arts, Edwin M. Ferreras is a Dominican-born dancer, scholar, and educator of the arts, based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2008, he founded the LFX team in New York City and gave it life with his exceptional understanding of music and dance experience, incorporating connection, musicality, history, cultural idioms, footwork and social dance skills into the team’s choreography. He has traveled around the world with LFX including Australia, Brazil, China, Russia, and throughout the United States, encouraging his team to express themselves in their own unique way.
While he is no longer active in the day-to-day workings of LFX, his legacy lives on through the philosophy and storytelling aspects of the team that he developed from its early years onward. His influence and input will always be an integral part of the team as they forge their own path forward in the world of dance.
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