Sandra Castro

I am Colombian American, born and raised in Philadelphia. As soon as I was able to walk, I had a love for dance and music. At the age of 10, I joined a traditional Colombian folkloric dance team in Philadelphia called "Embajadores Folkloricos de Latinoamerica", performing at various festivals and making an appearance on a local WPVI television show. I continued to perform throughout my teen years on the high school dance team, but this was only the beginning of my dance career.

As an adult, my desire to reconnect with my culture led me to take formal salsa lessons in 2000 under the direction of Barbara Capaldi for the Atrium Dance Studio. In 2003, I began to perform for the Atrium becoming a member of the salsa teams, Salseros Unidos, Casineros Unidos (rueda team), and the Atrium's Ladies Styling team. I have performed at various venues in Philadelphia as well as Boston, Puerto Rico, New York, and Miami salsa congresses. In 2009, I became a member of the first all female Latin professional dance team, Ahi Nama under the founder/director Victoria Lugo-Woods formerly of Top Hat Dance Studio.

My love for dance and especially Latin music lead me to zumba.  I had began taking classes with my "zumba momma". I was hooked instantly! I connect to zumba because it combines the best in physical fitness and Latin dance. I loved it so much I decided to get my B1 license on my birthday on Oct. 1 of 2011. Then I received my B2 license with Tanya Beardsley in April of 2012!  I want to take my passion for Latin music, my culture, & dance, combined with a high energy workout you don't want to miss! Zumba has been life changing for me. I have lost 30 pounds & met some amazing people. Zumba has also enabled me to do other hard core workouts such as P90x and Insanity and recently teaching and getting licensed in Strong by Zumba (their version of a HIIT format, synced to music) in August of 2016. Being fit and healty is a way of life! Now I and want to help you reach your fitness goals as well and have fun in the process!