Team
I DJ Afrodeshiak was born and raised in Nashville Tennesse. After I graduated college I
discovered and fell on love with international dance music such as Salsa, Bachata, Zouk and Kizomba. Over the years I joined a Casino Rueda dance group, started teaching classes in Salsa, Bachata, and Kizomba, and DJ'ed at various dance events in Nashville. In 2013 I joined with the ladies of Kizomba All*Stars. Seeing the lack of female DJs in the Kizomba dance world, I decided to step up to the challenge and focus mainly in Kizomba, Semba, and Afro House music. When I'm not playing my music I like to travel the world for dance, ride my bike, and post articles on Facebook.
I am Aziza Mithcum of Criola, an entertainment company that specializes in hosting and creating spectacular Kizomba and African Rhythm events. I love and dance many dances with Kizomba being one of many I am truly passionate about. My goal is to share with everyone the joy I get from Kizomba and I believe that cultivating and growing this dance can enrich the lives of all.
I am Casey Ashmont, one of the three partners of Kizomba Hollywood. I started learning about Kizomba from a Cape Verdean friend a couple years ago and a year later, began taking Kizomba workshops and attending Kizomba Parties around the U.S.
To grow Kizomba in L.A., my sister Stacey and I along with our partner Nii Tetteh, started Kizomba Hollywood and are making it our mission to grow and nurture Kizomba in the U.S. and around the world.
I am Stacey Ashmont. I first fell in love with KIZOMBA when I was researching Cape Verde and saw a video of dancers, Iris Debrito and Kwenda Lima showcasing the dance at an event. I kept rewinding the video to try and find out what the dance pattern was. I could not figure it out ! A couple years later, when taking some time off, I decided that I was going to learn Kizomba. After much digging to find where this rare dance was taught, I was able to get into a couple of workshops and classes. I was hooked ! With the dance not being popular in states and me wanting to dance it all the time, I made it my mission to help grow Kizomba in Southern California. I partnered up with my sister Casey Ashmont and Nii Tetteh to create Kizomba Hollywood! We are a company that facilitates and promotes Kizomba!
Born in the southern part of Mexico, Damaris Ortiz grew up dancing Salsa, Bachata and other native dances. My passion has always been in dancing. I began dancing Bachata in the Bay Area in 2012 and as I was looking through videos on the internet of the best Bachata dancers and I found a video of a couple dancing Kizomba. I was hooked and eager to learn the dance. Since I have been living in San Francisco I became part of a group where we had a weekly Kizomba class. After taking workshops and private lessons from a few instructors I started teaching Kizomba in the Bay Area. My goal is to share my knowledge and passion for Kizomba.
Nii Ashitei Tetteh is one of the three partners of Kizomba Hollywood. A native of Ghana, his dance background is steeped in Salsa and Bachata. Nii Ashitei first heard about Kizomba back in 2012 through a friend in France and not long after, began taking Kizomba workshops and attending Kizomba events around California. His untamed passion and growing understanding of the roots and subtlety of Kizomba led to an ever increasing presence on the social scene and led him to partner up with Stacey and Casey Ashmont to create Kizomba Hollywood. Nii’s mission has been and continues to be helping bring better awareness of the amazing, intricate, sensual and respectful experience of KIZOMBA