Ricardo Linnell, Director

Ricardo's love for salsa music and dance is deeply rooted in his ability to interpret the complex rhythmical structures of salsa music. An experienced musician and percussionist, Ricardo is able to channel the passion he feels for the music and transfer it to the dance floor. In only a few short years, Ricardo has established himself as one of the most recognized salseros in the Northwest, as well as one of the region's premier mambo dancers.

Ricardo has over six years of performance experience under his feet, including both solo and team performances with his group Hurricane Tumbao. Hurricane Tumbao has performed and competed in numerous salsa congresses from coast to coast, and has received acclaim throughout North America.

In addition to performing, Ricardo is an accomplished instructor and has taught at salsa congresses in Seattle, Salt Lake City, and major events.

Shin Draper - Ladies' Director

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Shin fell in love with salsa in 2005 and has been dancing nonstop ever since. She has performed and competed in numerous events including the Los Angeles Salsa Congress, the San Francisco Salsa Congress, and the Las Vegas Salsa Congress. In 2007, Shin was a semi-finalist for the world salsa championship in Orlando, Florida.

Shin has learned from some of the best salsa instructors in the world including Eddie Torres (the King of Mambo), Santorico, and Yamulee Dance Company. Her style and technique are also influenced by her training in jazz and ballroom dancing. In 2009, Shin joined Hurricane Tumbao an instructor and dancer to continue her journey with the passion of her life: salsa!

Jason Bettles - Hurricane Tumbao

For Jason, a former collegiate musician with the Cornell University Big Red Marching Band and a Mixed Martial Arts student, salsa has entwined his two greatest passions: music and sport. In salsa, Jason has discovered a simultaneous expression of music, mind and body.

Upon relocatng to Portland in 1999, he immediately became hooked on the salsa nightlife. Over the years, he has performed with a number of local salsa teams, including Salsa con Sabor, Rumba Caliente, Fuego de Tumbao and, most recently, Hurricane Tumbao. He has performed throughout the Portland area and at several major salsa events, including the Salt Lake City Salsa Congress, the San Francisco Salsa Congress, and the Gemini Salsa Competition. 

Jason's dance career has produced innumerable treasured experiences and friendships, and he eagerly looks forward to future salsa engagements as both a performer and a competitor.

Nam Kaewborworn - Hurricane Tumbao

Nam started salsa dancing in 2002, taking her very first steps at the Viscount Ballroom in Portland. After just one year of instruction, she joined Sabor Latino Dance Company, traveling, performing and competing at numerous events the world over, including the West Salsa Congress in Los Angeles, the New York Salsa Congress, the Northwest Salsa Congress in Seattle, the Vancouver Salsa Congress in British Columbia, and the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress. She has also performed and competed with Ricardo Linnell, Director of Hurricane Tumbao, at the San Francisco Salsa Congress, and the Chicago Salsa Congress. The pair also took First Place in the On 1 division of Viscount Ballroom Salsa Competition.

Nam joined Hurricane Tumbao in December of 2007 and started working on her first group routine in the Summer of 2009.

Malik Delgado - Hurricane Tumbao

 
Malik is obviously a very shy person.

Summer Ross -  Hurricane Tumbao

A longtime student of dance, Summer began Salsa dancing in August of 2008. Six months later, she began training with the Hurricane Tumbao training team under the tutelage of Shin Draper and Ricardo Linnell. In May of 2009 she was invited to train with the performance team. She has now performed at several venues throughout the Northwest, including the Seattle Salsa Congress this past November.

Prior to dancing salsa, Summer studied ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and musical theatre. She has  performed professioanlly as a dancer in Hershey Theme Park for Allan Albert Productions and on-board Holland America Cruise Line for Stiletto Entertainment. In 2002 She moved to NYC where she studied at Broadway Dance Center and performed In two dance productions with the Walden Dance Company, Under the direction of Josh Walden.  She has also performed in and choreographed several musicals under the direction of Kevin Morales at the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette, California. 

Dancing is a very important part of Summer's life and she is passionate about sharing the joy of dance with others.

Cristian Costa - Hurricane Tumbao

 
Cristian is presently enrolled in the Federal Witness Protection program and has no past.

Josephine Blake - Hurricane Tumbao

Josephine started dancing at a young age, performing on her junior high and high school dance teams. In 2003, she moved to Utah and was introduced to ballroom dancing, where she fell in love with partner dancing. She would later medal Bronze and Silver in International Latin Ballroom dance. She later relocated to Portland where she met Ricardo Linnell and started dancing New York Salsa Style - as soon as she could legally enter a dance club, that is. 

A huge fan of all styles of dance, Josephine has also studied Ballroom, On2 Salsa, Tap, Jazz, Modern and Hip Hop. She looks forward to evolving as a dancer and to performing further with the Hurricane Tumbao team.