Oliver Pineda

Oliver Pineda is the Founder and Director of Latin Motion Dance Academy which is Australia’s most successful Latin Dance Academy. He is also the Founder and Director of Australia’s most prestigious yearly Salsa event and competition, The Australian Salsa Classic.

Oliver Pineda with celebrity dance partner Luda Kroitor from ‘Dancing With The Stars’ are Australia’s only 5 times World Salsa Champions having won the 2001 IDO World Salsa Championships in Miami, 2005 World Salsa Open in Puerto Rico, 2005 & 2006 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Nevada, Las Vegas and recently the 2007 ESPN World Salsa Championships held in Disney World, Florida.

Oliver & Luda were also special guest choreographers for the Channel 10 TV hit show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.

Born in Australia and of Chilean descent, this young man has been dancing Salsa for 15 years and is Australia’s most undisputed talent. His unique style of dance and clear precise teaching methods make him one of the most admired and sought after Salsa dancers and instructors in the world.

Although passionate about Salsa and Mambo, Oliver's dance experience also extends to Rueda, Merengue, Zouk Lambada, Kizomba, Samba, Cumbia, Cha Cha, Rumba, Afro Cuban Rumba, and all the Ballroom dances such as Jive, Paso Doble & the modern dances such as the Waltz, Slow Foxtrot & Quick Step. In addition to his dancing expertise, he is also a well known percussionist playing in some of Sydney’s top Salsa bands, mastering the timbales, congas and bongo amongst other percussive instruments. His early performance experience within the Brazilian culture has also enabled him to handle Brazilian style instruments such as the snare drum, zurdo, pandero and the hepinique.

His black belt achievements as a Martial Artist have also equipped him with an understanding of the basics of Capoeira. Oliver is also proud to have represented Australia at several Championships of Dancesport at a national and international level. With 7 years training in Dancesport, Oliver chooses instead to pursue the music and dance of his Latin American roots. It was Oliver and his partner who were captured on international television screens, leading the "Americas" segment out onto the field in the Olympic Opening Ceremony Sydney 2000.

It was also Oliver who was given the honour of being Australia’s first Male dancer ever to be featured on the cover of Australia’s VIVA Magazine ‘The Only Australian Lifestyle Magazine about the Latino World’ in it’s December issue 2004 and also featured on the cover with his partner Luda in the January 2008 issue.

Oliver was also given the Best Male Instructor Award at the biggest Salsa Congress in the world, the 2006 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles.      
After winning the title of 2001 IDO World Salsa Champion 2001 and being the first Australian International Representative, Oliver decided to take himself and his company, Latin Motion to the international circuit. Oliver has taught, danced in and was the choreographer for routines performed at numerous international Salsa Congresses such as Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, Paris, UK, Dubai, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Canary Islands, Luxembourg, Cyprus, New York and more.

Oliver also heads one of the highest calibre student performance groups in Australia, the ‘Latin Motion Mambo Masters’. Oliver is the choreographer, lead dancer and trainer for the Latin Motion team which has now represented Australia overseas over 50 times. Oliver was a founding member of the original 'Rueda Dance Group' introducing Cuban Salsa & Rueda to Sydney in 1999 and was one of the instigators of Linear Style Salsa in 2000. Oliver has also been responsible for introducing Kizomba and Semba to Australia and is undoubtedly the pioneer of Mambo ‘On 2’ in Australia.

Oliver is also proud to be the creator of his own brand of Salsa called ‘Aussie Style Salsa’ spreading this style to dancers all over the world.