About Us

Everybody

is welcome, regardless background, culture, age, religion or lifestyle.

Dance Classes

Dos Bailadores is a dance school for lessons in Caribbean dances, Brazilian dances, Angolan Kizomba and Eastern bellydance. We don’t learn you standard Ballroom and Latin dances, but we give lessons in e.g. Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Samba, Zouk, Brazilian dance fitness Axé, Rueda de Casino, Belly Dance, Kizomba and Styling. In our classes you will master these spectacular dances in a short time. The lessons are given by experienced teachers and in a relaxed atmosphere. Personal attention plays a central role. With that our dance school is a concept in The Netherlands. The classes are given in Leiderdorp but Axe in Leiden. Following private lessons is also possible.

Everybody is welcome regardless background, culture, age, religion or lifestyle. Our classes and workshops are suitable for teen-agers, young people, adults and seniors. You don’t have a dance partner? No problem, we strive in our classes to about equal numbers of men and women. Have you never danced before? Then you are welcome on our starters classes.

On a regular base we organise dance evenings and parties in our dance school where you can practice the things you learned in our classes and workshops. Fun is the most important thing during these well-visited evenings and parties.

Workshops & Bootcamps

Besides our well-attended dance courses we regularly provide workshops and bootcamps. These are often provided by international guest teachers so you can experience other dance styles and dances as well.

Dance demonstrations, parties and communication training

We also provide workshops, dance demonstrations and shows for each party or company event. Our product can serve as a ‘relaxing intermezzo’ e.g. during or after an intensive training day. On location we can arrange a workshop, dance demonstration or show for small groups as well for big groups. We are mainly active in trade and industry, but we also contributed to television programs. For example, we organized training sessions and shows for companies such as Heineken, ABN/AMRO, Novib, Topaz, Randstad Uitzendbureau, the Sociaal Pedagogische Dienst, the Holy Hospital, for numerous private constituents and for the television program ‘Herrie in de keuken’. The various constituents were very well satisfied about the enthusiastic participation and the impact of the workshops.

We also provide communication training sessions based on Caribbean dances. Communication is the base condition for good co-operation and thus for the succes of an organization. Dancing, moving in harmony, is nothing else than the result of good communication. During the training sessions, the participants learn a Caribbean dance in a short time. Depending on your target and personal wishes, the trainers can make a link to general communication processes or to tailor-made solutions for company specific communication problems. Topics like leadership, mutual respect en effective communication are important parts of the training. The training also stimulates creativity, flexibility and team building.

History of our dance school

The history of Dos Bailadores has started in 1992. In that year the Caribbean Dance School ‘Dos Bailadores’ has been founded in Leiden by two enthusiastic multicultural dancers, Leo Martina and Monique Struch. The goal was to create a home for everybody interested in Caribbean dance and culture. In 1994 ‘Dos Bailadores’ has been turned into a foundation with a broader goal. Mainly Salsa lessons were given, but also lessons in other Caribbean dances.

With the take over of dance school ‘Claudio Gomes’ in January 1999, ‘Dos Bailadores’ went further under the name Centro de Dança Dos Bailadores. The specialities of dance school ‘Claudio Gomes’ were the Brazilian dances like Axé Bahia, Forró, Samba and Zouk, but they also gave Salsa lessons. The organizing and artistic combination of both dance schools resulted in a dance school where several dances and styles are taught. Classes original Argentine Tango were started in 2000.

After 10 years in the chapel of the old Elizabeth hospital at the Middelstegracht in Leiden we had to leave our favourite location at the end of 2004. Fortunately we found a new location soon. Since February 2005 we give our lessons at a much bigger and nicer location at the Perzikweg in Leiden. In december 2005 this location has been extended to two nice dance rooms and the small location at the Zandstraat in Leiden has been closed.