ClaveConChi: About Us

Instructor, choreographer, and director of ClaveConChi, Kelly Brown hails from the West Coast, specifically Seattle, Stanford, and, as a child, Kailua, Hawaii. His passion for Latin dance links back to those early bodily immersions in the ocean and tropical life, whose rhythms later found a natural expression in Latin percussion and the syncopated dialogues of salsa, which he’s been exploring for over 20 years, and a dozen of them sharing his enthusiasm and skills as a Latin dance instructor in St. Louis.

Kelly’s style draws not only from the L.A. influence out West, but from lengthy travels to the salsa hotspots of Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico, New York City and Miami, blending the best of different bases with the spice of contrast. As both musician and dancer, and even just one lucky enough to know the rhythmic power of the sea, Kelly believes that to dance deeply and fully, one must be both grounded in fundamental techniques and afloat on the flowing and surprising moment which builds, with the always evolving energy of your partner, the playful, ecstatic, even spiritual experience of synergy—what, in brief, we mean by ClaveConChi.

ClaveConChi
means to attune you to the multifaceted energies of the dance, and the magic that can happen when two people explore this oceanic flow together. Joined by his partner Michele Jianakoplos, together they bring the best of musicality and passion and sharp technique to the street salsa scene, performing and teaching for groups as large as 200 at corporate events, salsa congresses and festivals around the mid-west, while keeping a regular schedule of on-going group and private classes. Conveying respect & excitement for the dance, with encouragement & humor they effectively pass on the skills and attitudes that create excellent, expressive social dancers.

At ClaveConChi we explore “street salsa,” an endorphin-loaded social event and celebration of rhythmic interaction, as well as other Latin dances, such as merengue, bachata, cha-cha-cha, Afro-Cuban rumba, street samba, mambo On2, and rueda de casino. ClaveConChi is dedicated to making it healthy as well, by promoting salsa at smoke-free venues such as The Atomic Cowboy, and to deepening appreciation of the music, history and culture from which the dance has sprung through articles and presentations as well as their dynamic choreography and passionate performances.