Web site designed and managed by Zeanie Yoon

Event Staff

Director & Manager | General Administration
Salsa Coordinators & Staff | Competition Staff & Judges | Instructors | Performers | DJs

Jay Byam
Owner and founder of People Who Dance
Director and Owner of Palm Springs Swing Dance Classics (Swing'n Dance Camp)
Director and Owner of Salsa Extravaganza (Palm Springs Salsa Congress)

Studied music and dance at CSUH, Jay is a GSTA certified dance instructor and a UCWDC certified judge. He has been in music and dance for 20 years.

Jay teaches classes from San Diego to Atlanta, Georgia and to Calgary, Canada. He also enjoys teaching special workshops in Swing, Two-Step, Salsa, West Coast Swing, Lindy, and Jitter Bug. He is also well known for his classes that are essential to dancers: Timing, Rhythm & Phrasing, Teachers Training, and Lead & Follow Technique classes.

In 1991 Jay created New Year's Swing Dance Championships Dance Camp & Summer Dance Camp. Jay is currently the director and owner of both the Summer Dance Camp & New Years Dance Camp and New Years Salsa Extravaganza. Jay was also the past Coordinator for the Northwest Regional Swing Dance Championships in Spokane. Jay has also co-hosted the Instructors Training Seminars at the Los Angeles Salsa Congress.

Jay was the director and choreographer for the “SWINGMEISTERS” Swing & Salsa dance team.
Through his school of dance, Jay has been teaching Swing and Salsa in Ventura County and supported dancers around the world.

In his spare time Jay enjoys tuna and marlin fishing and free diving off his small boat just off shore from his home in Ventura and in Baja.
So if ya wanna catch some great fish or just fun in the sun, call Jay.

Shery Olson
Registration Coordinator

Becky Radcliffe
Accountant

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Conan Perdomo
Administrative Assistant / Project Manager

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Randy Newman
Event Coordinator

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Mike and Simona
Casino Rueda Event Advisors

Directors of Rumbanana Salsa Group.

From Portland to Philadelphia, to Honolulu to Houston - Mike and Simona are spreading their love of Casino Salsa.

They started Rumbanana Salsa Group in January 2000 as a way to promote Cuban Salsa dancing in the Pacific Northwest. Both have been dancing, performing, choreographing and teaching Salsa for more than 12 years. Their focus for the past 8 years has been Casino Style Salsa. By carefully studying Cuban dancers, as well as key dancers from Miami, Mike and Simona have brought true Casino Salsa to hundreds of people around the world.

Their teaching ranges from small classes to 100+ people workshops. Not only are their workshops and classes filled with meaningful information, but they also make it fun and exciting to learn.

Teaching venues have included their own classes in the Northwest, as well as workshops at national events, such as the Houston Salsa Congress, Palm Springs Salsa Congress, Chicago International Salsa Congress, Salsa Rueda Competition in Vancouver, BC, Philadelphia Salsa Congress, Honolulu Salsathon and many others.

Mike and Simona joined Salsa Extravaganza in 2005 the first time. 2006 Summer Salsa Extravaganza professional shows were opened by Mike and Simona, inspiring and opening the eyes of Salsa, Casino, and Casinor Rueda dancers. Salsa Extravaganza is proude to invite Mike and Simona as Casino Rueda Coordinator.

Jerry Gabaldon
Master of Ceremony

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Espie Hernandez
Mistress of Ceremony

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Daniel Herzog
Volunteer Coordinator

Daniel, a computer geek by trade, and avid motorcyclist, began his salsa career in 2005. After two years of working with salsa, Daniel expanded his repertoire to include West Coast Swing, and currently studies both.

Looking forward to teaching as well as competing regularly, Daniel spends his time proving that even geeky white boys can learn to dance.

Deanna Herzog
Hospitality Coordinator
Cocktail Party Coordinator

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Victoria Tolonen
Head Bartender

With a background in competitive skating, cheering, theater, jazz, hip hop, and ballroom, Victoria's style is crisp and technique-driven. She started dancing ballroom at University of Oregon in 1993 and was a member of the first Salsa performance group in Oregon, Ritmo Latino, spreading Salsa throughout the State. In 1997-1998 she toured the US and Europe with a musical, Up With People, as a principal dancer and (unfortunately) a singer. She has travelled to every continent (except Antarctica as penguins don't dance) and she's danced Salsa from Sweden to Beijing to Ecuador. She is the sole Salsa and Swing instructor, promoter, and dj in Central Oregon, cross-pollinating her Salsa dancers with West Coast Swing musicality. Her teaching style is clear and she teaches at Salsa/Swing events along the west coast, focusing on techniqe, timing, and connection rather than flashy moves. For her desk job, she is a real estate broker in booming Bend, Oregon.

Mandy Gough
Competition Coordinator

Behind the scenes" in LA salsa, Mandy has spent the last 4 years learning from all the vast resources Los Angeles has to offer and supporting the cause along the way. Coming from a dance tradition of 13 years training in various genres of the art form, followed by an extensive pause, salsa has satisfied the hunger to return to her passion in dance. Previously part of the Royalty Academy Dance Team and assisting People Who Dance events, there's barely a floor she hasn't tested or an instructor who hasn't trained her. Currently she is busy in the development of DJ Ricky "El Gozador" in LA - DJRickyla.com. Catch her on the floor from Ventura to the OC and ask for a dance!

Donnie Carl
Chief Judge

With a 30 year dance background, Donnie has competed, taught, or judged almost every form of partner dance, holding multiple titles in various styles. He has trained with some of the top dancers in the world, and coached competitive dancers at the top of their respective styles. His unique take on dancing allows him to transfer all of his knowledge from these dance forms to the dance at hand, bringing a slew of new possibilities to every dance.

Champion dancer and experienced judge, Donnie Carl will bring objectivity and fairness to the competition ran at Salsa Extravaganza.

Mark & Jill
Score Keeper & Scruitneer

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