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About Us

One of the best dance studios in Cambridge

Here at Rumba y Timbal, we provide the best latin dance training for those in the Greather Boston area. We specialize in classes in Salsa, Bachata, and other unique Latin Dances. Let us help you on your dance journey, whether as a professional performer, a seasoned social dancer or a complete beginner!

Won’t you join us for a dance?

Our Philosophy

We pride ourselves on the ability to help our students reach whatever goal brought them to our space: whether that’s to be a professional dancer, or to just get dancing! Our comprehensive dance curriculum and qualified faculty are ready to help.

Our Philosophy

We pride ourselves on the ability to help our students reach whatever goal brought them to our space: whether that’s to be a professional dancer, or to just get dancing! Our comprehensive dance curriculum and qualified faculty are ready to help.

Our Team

Roberto Figueroa

Roberto Figueroa

Artistic Director and Founder

As Artistic Director of Rumba y Timbal Dance Company, Roberto has the opportunity and great pleasure of sharing his culture and love of dance with the communities of the greater Boston area.

Abniel

Abniel Izquierdo

Instructor

Abniel "Ab" Izquierdo grew up listening to salsa music in his native Puerto Rico. In 2007, he began periodically dabbling in salsa classes at various studios, but nothing stuck. In 2021 he took his first class RyT and never looked back. He has since performed multiple times with the company and is thrilled to take on the new role of teacher. "Teaching has brought a newfound enjoyment. Connecting with new students and being part of their beginning dance journey is incredibly rewarding."

Alexis Coto 2

Alexis Coto

Instructor

Alexis embarked on his dance journey in 2008 in his native country, Venezuela. His love for dance led him to be a core member of one of Caracas's premier dance teams for over six years, clinching 1st place in numerous competitions. He began dancing and performing at Rumba Y Timbal Dance Company in 2023. He is driven by his passion for Latin dance and a desire to motivate others to discover and express their unique selves through various forms of artistic expression.

Deysi

Deysi Melgar

Instructor

Deysi Melgar native of Texoco, Mexico grew up in Massachusetts. Attended Boston Arts Academy as a theater major. Deysi Started salsa dancing as part of an after school program at Boston Arts Academy. She performed under Rumba Y Timbal Dance Company from 2005-2009. Deysi is happy to be back as part of Rumba Y Timbal training staff, a place she considers home!

Dustin Lin Option 2

Dustin Lin

Instructor

Dustin has always enjoyed dancing but it wasn't until he joined Rumba y Timbal that he began to embrace Latin dance for its creative avenues and ability to bring together people from different walks of life. His favorite part during class is witnessing that ‘aha’ moment when someone understands a new concept! Dustin hopes to pass on his joy and guide others in discovering what dancing represents in their life- one step at a time.

Isle Bastille

Isle Bastille

Instructor

Isle was born in Mexico and grew up on Cape Cod. She began Latin dancing as an activity to share with her mother. Her enthusiasm for teaching stems from the joy she feels helping students gain confidence in themselves and in their dance skills. As an instructor, she highly values teaching proper technique and emphasizing the opportunity for creative expression in these rich Latin dances.

Julie

Julie Mabille

Studio Manager

"The day I took my first salsa class at the studio, I had no idea it was gonna be one of the best things that happened to me. The studio and its people soon became my family here in Boston. This place has so much to offer! So after 2 years as a student, I decided that I wanted to be more involved in this special place."

Johnny

Johnny Steichen

Instructor

Johnny was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where he grew up dancing a style of swing-dance called “shag.” After moving to Boston, he developed a deep appreciation for Latin dance, both as an artform and as an avenue for building community. A teacher by vocation, he feels most himself when sharing what he has learned with others, whether that be in the classroom or in the dance studio. In his teaching, he values clear communication and mastering the basics, as they serve as the indispensable foundation for the creative conversation that social dance can become at higher levels.

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Kennedy Farrow

Promotional Content Creator

Kennedy started dancing at Rumba y Timbal in 2021 and joined the staff in June 2022. She manages marketing at the studio, including social media, email correspondence, and short form video work. The best part of her job is getting to be around dancers and a creative environment.

Madison

Madison Plummer

Instructor

Since 2014 Madison has dedicated her life to training all forms of movement and sharing her love of partner work. Madison performs and teaches professionally in a myriad of disciplines: social dance, contemporary, ballroom, and circus acrobatics. She loves movement and dance but more importantly she loves connecting with others through the art form. Madison also specializes in dance film and has spent much of her career producing feature-length dance films. After dancing and filming in San Francisco for many years, Madison is happy to be back in the Boston area and pleased to join the team at Rumba y Timbal.

vivi

Vivi Martinez

Instructor

Vivi took her first salsa class at age 12 at Rumba Casino studio in her native Venezuela. For 6 years she took classes, performed, and competed throughout the country. Her dance journey continued in Peru, where she taught, and now in Boston as an instructor with Rumba y Timbal. She enjoys continuing to learn from and feel the rhythms of salsa, and loves passing along that passion to her students.

Happy Students

People love our dance studio and they are telling us on Social Media!

Facebook: 5 stars
Google: 4.9 stars
Yelp: 5 stars
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It's an amazing place with incredible coaches and a enjoyable vibe. Great for all levels.
Santiago Q.
2022
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My wife and I were looking for a Dance studio so we can learn how to Dance Salsa and we were so happy we found Rumba Y Timbal Dance Company .We were welcomed to a great dance family and community . The instructors Roberto , Liliana and Carlos were so supportive and we new this was the place we felt at home . We fell in love with classes we were driving to Cambridge four times a week from the suburbs . Now how salsa and bachata is taken to a great level . We recommend this amazing Dance studio to anyone wanting to learn Salsa in an amazing environment Thank You Rumba Y Timbal Dance Company !!
Roda H.
2022
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I've only been once so far but it was a great experience. The entrance is very unsuspecting, but once you get inside, it's a non-stop dance party. They offer a very wide variety of classes at a very reasonable price. I've danced most of my life, but hadn't been to a proper class in almost a year. I found the class to be just challenging enough to accommodate a wide range of dance skill levels. I'm really looking forward to taking classes on a regular basis to see how much I can grow.
Deborah B.
2021
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Rumba y Timbal is a dance school with a progressive curriculum which helps you better your dancing technique and styling. Instructors are well prepared and carefully follow each student to help improve every student dancing within a fun environment.
Patricia G.
2020
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This is a great community of caring, excellent and dedicated professionals!
Flor O. H.
2020
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One of the best salsa/bachata schools in the country. Very far above anything else in the Boston and Cambridge area (I have done them all). Great instructors, strong emphasis on technicals, presence of curriculum for every class, flexibility of schedule (classes twice a week) all make progression very fast. Most people who joined got a good level after ~6 months. Also good leader/follower ratio (~50/50 for pretty much all classes - not the case in many other schools, where there are traditionally more leaders, which means leaders learn much less). Also a great community - I feel I have always been treated as a student or a friend, never as a customer.
Pierre J.
2020
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Amazing teachers, classes every day, really well priced, and an overall great community.
Marshall W.
2019
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One of the best studios in Boston! I've been at the studio for over two years and I have nothing but praise. The instructors truly care about students. They have salsa, bachata, kizomba, and cha-cha as well a specialty classes like body movement, styling, footwork.
Perry W.
2019
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Very good service. Frequent there for practicing. Classroom is big with sufficient mirror access for my practice.
Yiyun D.
2019
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This studio is a fantastic learning center for the art of salsa and bachata dancing. I started taking classes at the studio for about a year now. I can honestly say that the atmosphere at the Rumba Y Timbal studio is ripe for learning and having an amazingly good time. I was able learn how to salsa dance and learn very intricate variations/spins/combinations but I also understand the technique and mechanisms behind each and every move that I attempt.' I feel that this is something that is lacking in some of the workshops that I have attended. So, now, I can pull moves off youtube and apply my knowledge of technique and master them in real time with relative ease. This studio promotes a great sense of community as well and not just among the members of the studio but as well as involving the local community to share what the studio is passionate about the most. whether that may be through a community fundraiser, out reach and/or a culture show and workshop with kids at a school. This studio is a great for learning the basics or getting to really in depth with this style of Latin dancing. I would highly recommend this studio, especially if you have two left feet because they were able to fix me in no time flat. Haha.
James J.
2016
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