Brooklyn Heights
Dance, teach, & merengue
Savvy-steppin’, smart-brained Brianna Rios is a world champion salsa dancer and a full-time college student, who has been tripping the light fandango since she was 4 years old.
Brianna’s parents, not one for babysitters, took their bundle of joy to dance class, where she sat in the back and observed her nimble-footed mom and dad tearing up the floor, and soon began to follow in their footsteps.
A very savvy instructor saw Brianna’s natural born talents and began training her, and at 18 she became the youngest professional world champ in her division. The rest is history — Brianna and partner Elvis Collado hold the 2012-2014 first place titles from the Calgary International Salsa Congress, IHSC Orlando, Montreal Salsa Convention, Canada Salsa Congress, Niagara Falls Salsa Congress, Trinidad Dance Fest, and the World Salsa Summit.
Brianna, a member of the university’s Dance Team which performs at men’s and women’s basketball games and special events, knows how important it is to give back.
“If I can brighten someone’s day with encouragement or a compliment for something they accomplished, then my job is done,” says our honoree, who is studying education at St. Francis College, and who wants to combine dancing and knowledge of body mechanics with teaching.
St. Francis College [180 Remsen St. at Court Street in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 522–2300].
