Jenna Robey Mendiola (she/her)

studio owner, co-founder, principal Instructor, performance team director

Dance Styles: Bachata, Cha-Cha, Merengue, Salsa On1 and On2

Biography: During the day, Jenna works as a middle school teacher and holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Tufts University. In the studio, she combines her passion for education with her love for dance to inspire a contagious desire to learn, grow, and connect.

Jenna has been training in Latin dance styles since 2008. Her dance journey began while living in Santiago, Chile, where she was introduced to Rueda de Casino. After returning to Boston, she studied Salsa through Tufts University’s dance program and continued training with various Latin dance schools throughout the Boston area. In 2016, she achieved one of her biggest accomplishments by winning 1st Place at the World Salsa Summit in Miami with her Salsa team, Mambo Revelation, under the direction of Mariano Neris. Jenna has also trained extensively under the guidance of Alex & Desiree and has received teacher training certifications from Alex & Desiree, Gaby Equiz of Alma Latina, Carlos Cinta, and Island Touch.

Alongside her dance partner, Luis, Jenna has played an influential role in the growth of the Boston Bachata community. Together, they have built a welcoming and supportive environment centered around connection, high-quality training, musicality, and social dancing. Through classes, performances, training teams, socials, workshops, and community events, Jenna and Luis have helped cultivate a space where dancers of all backgrounds feel empowered to learn, express themselves, and find community through dance.

Luis Talavera Diaz (he/him)

Co-Founder, guest instructor

Dance Styles: Bachata, Salsa On2, Hip-Hop, Merengue

Biography: Luis moved to Boston from Puerto Rico in 2013 and has continued his success in dance. In addition to Latin dance, he is also a trained Hip-Hop dancer and choreographer. He has performed at a large variety of events including the Olympic Games of 2010 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, with artists like Olga Tañon, Wisin y Yandel, Tito el Bambino and Ana Isabel. He has also choreographed and performed in music videos with international artists Jowell y Randy and J-Alvarez.

Sirae Richardson (she/her)

senior Instructor, performance team director

Dance Styles: Hip-Hop, Salsa, Bachata, African, Bellydance, & Ballroom

Biography: Sirae began her dance journey by studying multiple dance styles, including: African, Bellydance, and Ballroom. She was later accepted into the Boston Arts Academy, where she expanded her knowledge of multiple other dance styles including salsa. She rediscovered her love of hip hop, salsa and bachata by training with multiple teams in Boston under the instruction of Michelle Garcia, Alma Latina franchise, and Island Touch taught by Luis and Janna. She found her home in the J&L Studio and tries to be a part of every project offered under Jenna and Luis’ instruction.   Sirae has a passion for making dance light and accessible by combining technique, movement history and musicality with everyday activities. When she isn’t training, she is either bartending or singing with her band The Doped Up Dollies.

Jacqueline Gerritsen (she/her)

senior Instructor, performance team director

Dance Styles: Bachata, Salsa On1 & On2, Kizomba, Zouk

Biography: Jacqueline fell in love with Bachata shortly after moving from the Netherlands to Boston in 2015. Ever since, she has trained extensively and consistently with Jenna and Luis and shares their mission to create technically strong dancers while having a great time. She also trained in several other dance styles with local artists; Salsa with Andres Giraldo of SYC, Kizomba with Ceijay and Bruna, and Zouk with Jose Cuadra. She has been co-teaching classes at Havana club in Cambridge and captaining various J&L and Island Touch dance teams for several years, and has been a fierce advocate of learning both leading and following regardless of gender.

Outside of dance, Jacqueline holds a PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT, and works in the Kendall Square area to make an impact in human health. Besides dancing, she loves to work on her own DIY projects, spend time outdoors with her dogs, and travel to new places.

DJ Casanova (he/him)

principal Instructor

Dance Styles: Kizomba, Tarraxa/o, Urban Kiz, Konpa

Biography: Jovan is a Boston Dance instructor who is heavily involved in the Kizomba community. He has been teaching Kizomba for 5 years and has developed intricate teaching methods to ensure his students excel in any dance they do. Jovan has accomplished many works in the community, and has been at the epicenter for any Kizomba related event in Boston. He also aims to bring well renowned instructors to the area to help foster growth in the local Kizomba community. Training with many high caliber instructors allows him to fuze his style and personality with technique and precision needed to become a top dancer. Partner that with traveling internationally and Jovan ensures his progressive career as an exceptional instructor and dancer.

Mandie Vega-Ayala (she/her)

junior instructor

Dance Styles: Bachata, Merengue, Salsa On2

Biography: Mandie grew up dancing, but she did not start training formally until 2020. She started her journey by learning Salsa On2 in Rhode Island. Although she loves Salsa, she discovered her true passion was Bachata. She started learning Bachata in Rhode Island but she ultimately found her home at the J&L Dance Studio after joining the Yarari training team in 2023. From there she began training in MA, RI and NY as she knew her ultimate goal was to teach and become a stronger social dancer. She received her teacher training certification from Alex and Desiree in 2024 and has been training under Jenna and Luis ever since.

When she is not training, she manages an Autism center and. She also loves to volunteer and spend time with her family.

Richard Sustache (he/him)

Junior Instructor

Dance styles: Salsa on1, Bachata, and Merengue

Biography: Richard began his dance journey in 2017 at Muevelo Dance Studio, learning under Leah Calitri. While focusing on salsa, he became intrigued by the bachata classes held every Wednesday night with Jenna and Luis. Eager to learn the proper fundamentals of bachata, Richard took additional classes and later joined the Alex and Desire franchise team, taught by Jenna and Luis. Although salsa remains his first dance love, Richard has recently shifted his focus towards bachata and is working towards becoming an instructor under the guidance of Jenna and Luis.

Bryan Solano (he/him)

Junior Instructor

Dance Styles: Salsa On2, Bachata

Biography: Coming soon!

Sophina Clough

Junior Instructor

Dance Styles: Bachata

Biography: Coming soon!

Loreen Watts

Senior instructor

Dance Styles: Kizomba, Konpa

Biography: Coming soon!