Anne-Marie Valente-Feliciano is a Latin Dance instructor and performer whose enthusiasm for her craft has been marked by a worldwide foray into international Salsa and Argentine Tango communities, and professional training for each from instructors across the globe.

Born and raised in Lyon, France, and fluent in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, Anne-Marie has her degree in Molecular Physics and Lasers and in Applied Physics. Already a seasoned world traveler, Anne-Marie traveled to Santiago de Cuba in 2000 for scuba diving and there she found her first opportunity to sample the excitement of salsa. Upon her return to Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked as an Applied Physicist at CERN, her study of salsa began in earnest. Trained there mainly in Cuban, but also Puerto Rican, and Casino Rueda styles, Anne-Marie quickly became a devotee, often dancing till 3AM many nights weekly.

In 2001, a job relocation as a Materials Scientist to Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia afforded Anne-Marie an opportunity to work with Ashton Feliciano in Salsa Rueda. She joined the Richmond Rueda Team, and began performing in exhibitions and demos for USA Dance, showcases at The Dance Space, demos at clubs across Hampton Roads, as well as exhibitions in New York, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.

Under Ashton Feliciano’s tutelage, Anne-Marie achieved Master Level in Salsa Rueda by 2003, and the following year began teaching Beginner Salsa Rueda and Intermediate I Salsa Rueda under his guidance following his Dance Therapy Studios syllabus. She teaches beginners in Salsa Rueda, providing them with a firm foundation for continuing their study with Ashton Feliciano in the intermediate, advanced, and master levels of Salsa Rueda. Their partnership provides Latin Dance enthusiasts of all levels with the instruction needed to attain their goals in Salsa Rueda.

On her world travels, Anne-Marie had always found herself drawn to that other exotic Latin Dance form of world renown, Argentine Tango. With Ashton as her dance partner, Anne-Marie threw herself into the mastery of Argentine Tango with equal abandon. Besides her studies with Ashton, she has attended various workshops in Virginia, North Carolina, D.C, and Geneva, Switzerland. She has studied Argentine Tango with numerous instructors, including: Fernanda Ghi, Guillermo Merlo, Luciana Valle, Alex Krebs, Homer and Christina, Felipe and Rosa, Dana Frígoli and Pablo Villarraza, Aurora Lúbiz, Jorge Firpo, Gachi Fernández and Sergio Cortazzo, Fernando Galera and Vilma Vega, María and Carlos Rivarola, and Silvina Valz.

Anne-Marie continually strives to strengthen her technique in Argentine Tango both as a lead and follow, and she serves as a teacher’s assistant to Ashton in his Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Argentine Tango classes. Students find her attentiveness and firm but gentle instruction a helpful bridge to understanding a dance form known for its difficulty and subtle nuance.

Hola Argentina

In March of 2005, Ashton and Anne-Marie traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, sampling the culture, dancing in Milongas, and training with highly regarded instructors. Later that year, Anne-Marie's devotion to Latin Dance brought a different sort of partnership into her life when she married Ashton. Since then, their dance partnership has extended far beyond instruction. The couple performs regularly, entertaining audiences through demonstrations and exhibitions designed to reveal the intimacy and romanticism of Argentine Tango.