Meet Our Team

Natasha Barrera, Sarasota native and second-generation ballroom dancer, has over 26 years of international training and performance experience. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian, she has studied 29 partner dances, with a current focus on Bachata Sensual and Urban Kiz—styles she first encountered in Italy and Spain. Her diverse background in ballroom, ballet, modern, and Afro-Cuban dance, along with contact improv and theater, gives her a unique blend of technique, musicality, and expression. Natasha is the founder and director of Bachata Fuego SRQ and the International Movement Exchange, where she shares her passion for connection, versatility, and artistry in dance.

• Sarasota Cuban Ballet
• Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences (2007)
• Booker High School VPA Dance Program (2011) 
• New World School of the Arts Summer Program
• Leymis Wilmot Founder of Sarasota Contemporary Dance Co (afro cuban instructor)
• Broadway Theater Project (2011)
• Deb McWaters (choreographer)
• Julian Barnett (choreographer)
• Pino Magnelli & Francesca Pietramale (Italy)
• Caterina Arzenton (Italy)
• Margaret Burns & Wilson Barrera (USA)
• Wilson's Dance Club (instructor, stage manager, coach, MC)
• Charlotte Jorgensen (Denmark)
• New York Wedding Dance (instructor and choreographer)
• Ieva Pauksena (NYC)
• Pamelita Urban Kiz (2021)
• Korke and Judith Bachata Sensual Instructor Program (2023)

What's something exciting your business offers? Say it here. Rose teaches Salsa and Afro-Cuban dance, drawing inspiration from New York, LA, and Cuban styles to create a dynamic and creative learning experience. Known for her energy and love of improvisation, she encourages students to explore both shines and partner work while developing rhythm and musicality. Rose’s classes are about more than steps, they’re about bringing people into her world of fun and play, where every salsa song is an opportunity to try something new. With a passion for collaboration, travel, and continuous growth, Rose inspires her students to embrace salsa as both a skill and a joyful expression.

Raised in Peoria, Arizona, Mina began dancing at just three years old, training in ballet, tap, and acro at Devney’s Dance Academy (now The Dance Project). Over the next 12 years, she traveled and competed across the country, later teaching ballet, jazz, and hip hop. Her passion for movement eventually led her to the Latin dance scene, where she discovered the vibrant social and communal energy of salsa and bachata. After years of social dancing and performing with Las Diosas, an all-female bachata styling team, she moved to Florida and began blending her classical and urban background into her own unique style.

Today, she teaches Latin fusion with Bachata Fuego, drawing on influences from bachata, salsa, hip hop, contemporary, and heels. Her classes are high-energy, fun, and welcoming, with a focus on giving students practical tools and exercises they can carry with them onto the social dance floor and beyond.

For her, dance is not only a form of expression but also a way to connect with community and release energy in a positive way. One of her most memorable moments came early in her journey, when she attended the Hollywood Vibe dance convention in California at just seven years old. Competing against dancers much older than herself, she won a scholarship that gave her the chance to train with world-renowned choreographers like Shane Sparks and Mia Michaels - a reminder that hard work and passion make anything possible.