Instructor Stats:

• Instructor Review

• Contact Info

• Website

• Articles

• Dance Company

• Social Dance

• Class Schedule

• Studio Directions

• Instructional Videos

• Privates

• Children

• Class Fee/Tuition
  

INSTRUCTOR REVIEW 
(Originally posted on Salsaweb NY pre-1998)
Nelson Flores is part of New York City’s new generation of mambo instructors. Teaching for several years now, he has made a mark for himself in the New York salsa dance scene. He has been part of various dance groups and has performed in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Puerto Rico, South America, throughout Europe and on such stages as Madison Square Garden. Currently Nelson is director of the Descarga Latina Dance Company and he teach several classes each week in NYC. 

Nelson’s popularity has grown over the years as well as the size of his classes. He’s developed a good rep for himself which has attracted good students from other schools who are curious about him and his classes. He has in my opinion been one of NY’s best kept little secrets for some time. Nelson has kept up with this demand by including two other qualified instructors (Albert Zagami & Jesus Nieves) to teach his beginner and intermediate level students. The advance section is left to Nelson himself. 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, Nelson is a great mambo instructor to learn from. The man knows his stuff. He begins his class with a 30-45 minute session of open shines. He has a tendency of tying each open shine with the previous ones so that in essence he teaches his students mini-open shine routines. He is able to break down the moves and steps for both men and women, to the point where he can do the woman’s part (styling, steps and all). Nelson is always looking for interesting elements to add into his class. At the end of some classes he’s been known to line up women on one side of class and men on the other. He then has either the men or women start off the open floor shine routine that they had been practicing during the beginning of class. This is great, because it forces students to do floor shines with a partner, gets them use to the concept of having fun while doing solo dancing and teaches them to overcome the apparent confusion and fear normally associated with shine steps (solo dancing).

The remaining portion of the class focuses on partner work. He encourages student creativity during his turn pattern or partner work segment. His approach is simple, Nelson begins a turn pattern and allows his students to finish it. After several moments, he gives everyone an opportunity to show the class their finishing or ending version of Nelson’s intro. There is no right or wrong, just different expressions. He then chooses the one he likes best and that becomes the new turn pattern for the class. Its an awesome element to add to class because it instills creativity not robotic repetition. In his way, Nelson is pointing his students to the path that will lead to the creation of their own style or trademark to Mambo dancing.

He offers a fun and challenging class. His open floor shines routines push students both mentally and physically. And he has a great time doing it. He has so much fun that its ashamed to call it work. That enthusiasm spills over to his student body, who also have fun joking around with Nelson as they become drench in their workout sweat. Did I mention as all this is happening that we are having fun?...well I’ll say it again, during classes we are having FUN! What can I say; Nelson teaches and entertain his students at the same time.

Nelson's Style in a nutshell:
If I were to compare Nelson to other instructors, I would say that his style is a very Bronx street-hustle style of dancing with mucho Latino sabor and attitude. Like Nelson, its very entertaining, energetic and fun to watch. Always busy, he is constantly performing, teaching and learning salsa/mambo. You can tell that he loves to teach mambo. He literally eats, drinks and dreams the stuff. He is the ideal mambo instructor who always thinks of himself as a student seeking knowledge and trying to discover that ultimate mambo turn pattern. For him enough is never enough. Always looking for new stuff, Nelson is not ashamed to go out and learn from others. If its out there and good, then he wants to learn and teach it. If your lacking flare, street attitude and enthusiasm in your dancing then Nelson is your man.

Social Dance:

• Monthly social - See www.DescargaLatina.com and www.T2DA.com .
   
• Check our calendar for a list of all current local Social Dances

Website:

• www.T2DA.com

Articles:

• Descarga Latina Photo Essay
• Edie Interviews NY Mambo Instructor Nelson Flores (Link taken from DanceFreak, Posted on SalsaNewYork on 4/03)

Instructional Videos
 

• New York Style Mambo Turn Patterns
• New York Style Mambo Shines
  
  

Dance Company

• Descarga Latina Dance Company and New Generation Descarga Latina : Nelson Flores, Director
• See listing in the SalsaNewYork Directory of Mambo Performing Groups
• Check SalsaNewYork Calendar for Dance Company Performances
  

Contact Info:

• Cell:  (718)-450-2629
• Email:   DescargaLatina@hotmail.com  

Privates:

• Nelson is currently available to teach private classes. Those interested should contact him directly to discuss fees and scheduling.

Children:

• Nelson mainly caters to an adult mambo student crowd, but he does teach children. 

Class Schedule:

Directions:

• Directions to Boys Harbor Location (Monday & Tuesdays):
  By car: 
  From Manhattan side of Lincoln Tunnel: Travel east till Madison Avenue. Make a left on Madison and head straight up to 105th Street. Make a left on 105th Street, then Another left of 5th Avenue. Park around 104th Street and walk to Boys Harbor entrance. The Boys Harbor address is 1 East 104th st between Madison and 5th Avenue.
  From the Bronx: Take the 3rd avenue bridge to 125th then make a right onto Lexington Avenue. Continue straight down to 106th Street. Make a right at 105th Street, continue straight to 5th Avenue (can't go any further cause the park blocks your path). Make a left on 5th Avenue and head to 104th Street. 
  SUBWAY: From either the UPTOWN (if coming in from the Brooklyn & lower Manhattan) or DOWNTOWN (if coming in from the Bronx) take the Number 6 train and get off at the 96th Street Stop. Walk out of the train station. Head to 5th Avenue, make a right and walk to 104th Street to Boy’s Harbor Community Center.
  BUS: Take the Madison Avenue bus (going uptown from lower Manhattan) or the 5th Avenue Bus (going downtown from upper Manhattan). Ask the bus driver to leave you at the nearest stop to 104th Street. Get off the bus and walk to Boy’s Harbor at 5th Avenue and 104th Street.

• To Pumping Iron Gym Location:
  Public Transportation: Take the Number 6 Train to the 96th Street Stop. Exit and walk east toward 2nd Ave., Make a right on 2nd Ave. and head to 91st Street. At 91st Street make a left and past 1st Ave. towards York Ave. Look for Pumping Iron Gym at 403 E. 91st Steet.
  

• NYC Transit : NYC Public Transit Authority Website which supplies you info on train/bus routes, transportation, etc.

• Mapquest.com : Map/direction providing website for those using their own vehicles to get to class location. 
  Yahoo.com: This is the link to the Yahoo maps starting page. According to Steve Shaw, it may be the better of the two Map websites.