Meet The Team

The Salsa and Tango Dance Team:

Jennie Davies, Sophie Fox, Agi Banas and Nicky Parsons

Jennie Davies

I have now been dancing salsa since 2004, when I took my first salsa steps as a beginner in Bill’s class. In my first year at his class I was awarded “best student” and haven’t looked back. Since then the world of dance has begun to take over my life. I now enjoy many different dance styles including Bachata Kizomba and even Tango. I have been assisting Bill on the teaching team since 2006 and love being part of the Steel City Salsa family. With a friendly approach and helpful nature I take pleasure in working with all the Salseros who come along and watching their dance and confidence improve. Knowing how it was as a beginner, it is a joy to see them become dancers. Dancing is about freedom, expression and enjoyment – absolutely anybody can do it and it gives so much back too. It’s a privilege to be able to share the experience with everyone that comes through the door!

Outside dance, I currently work in industry (a bit like Flashdance?!) as an Improvement Manager. I have a PhD in Particle Astrophysics (no, really!), can converse in British Sign Language and can sometimes be found crewing at sea as a volunteer for the Tall Ships Youth Trust.

Sophie Fox

I have been dancing Salsa since 2005. I started with Steel City Salsa and have remained with the company ever since. I was invited to join the teaching team at the beginning of 2009 having been part of the staff since 2007. I am friendly, bubbly and some would say talkative… but dancing takes up a huge part of my life. Outside Steel City Salsa, I have studied for my A Levels, where one of my subjects was Dance and although Salsa was not part of my course, I made sure that everyone in my A level class was aware of what I do outside of school time (and made them watch ”Strictly”). I often help out with Salsa-related activities at school and in the local area. I am very grateful that the Salsa family have taken me under their wing and made me the dancer I am today.

Agi Banas

My dancing adventure started when I moved from Poland to UK in 2007 …. I was looking for a way to meet new people and a friend recommended salsa. My salsa journey started in Leeds with Fuego Latino. Since then I’ve become an established salsa teacher in the area with a particular interest in ladies styling.

My love for Tango started when I saw Bill and Jamie Ellicott performing their tango show at the 12th Night event in York in January 2008. Their performance moved me to tears and since then I always wanted to learn.

I started learning tango  with Paris from Manchester and danced tango socially in Leeds, Manchester, Warsaw and Budapest.  I met Bill in February of this year and decided to resume my tango journey intensively  by continuing private lessons with him.  In July 2011 I was invited to join him as a teaching partner.

In addition to working with Bill at his regular Tuesday class in Sheffield, we have taught workshops in Nottingham and Weatherby. We have also performed at Sheffield Food Festival in July 2011 and at a charity event in Nottingham in August 2011  to an excited crowd of over 400 people. Many other bookings are in the diary so this exciting challenge continues.

My Tango dance is finally consolidating so to step into the teaching arena in this dance is a great  personal achievement. Tango brings me the emotional expression, passion and physical challenges. Tango performance takes me to a higher place in the dance.

I see it as a sincere compliment to be asked to teach and perform  with Bill. I have great respect and admiration for his previous dance partners who have taught and performed with him. I bring my own personality, flare and style to the dance…I know I  have a high standard to maintain, this only inspires me more to bring out the best in the students and in myself during teaching and performing.

Nicky Parsons

I first started tango in 2007 when Bill’s enthusiasm and love of the dance persuaded me to join his class. I had tried a couple of salsa classes but then decided to give tango a go. After one evening I was hooked. I had never danced before (other than around the kitchen whilst cooking!) so to start with such a beautiful but technical dance was quite a challenge. Since then my dance has progressed rapidly I have made some amazing friends and formed those special bonds that only come from sharing a dance. I began teaching and performing with Bill in May 2009. It has been a pure pleasure to experiment with music and emotions, not to mention the physical challenges of new moves that demand greater balance, flexibility and strength. We have developed our technique and precision together.

For me tango fulfils all the elements of wellbeing, creative, spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual. It’s a real passion. I particularly love the different and individual style with which each partner dances. When I’m not on the dance floor I work full time as a primary school teacher and enjoy the challenges and rewards it presents. I also own two very lovely horses that keep me in touch with the simple things in life.