Manuel & Flavie

Manuel and Flavie teach classes together and practice their dancing every day at Kizomba Canada. Within the last year, they have performed together in Montreal, Gatineau, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, London, Edmonton, Burlington, Boston, Baltimore, Milan, and are scheduled to perform in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and all over Europe. At the 2014 AfricAdancar 7^th Edition of the Kizomba International Championship, Manuel and Flavie won first place in the improvisation category, and fourth place overall. They are excited to spread the cultures of Angola, Haiti, and Canada along with their love and passion for Kizomba all over the world in their future travels.

Manuel Antonio Eduardo Dos Santos, also known as Dr. Kizomba, was born and raised in Angola and has been dancing Kizomba, among other African rhythms such as Semba, Kuduro, and Rebita (known as the Angolan Rueda), since he can first remember. When he was 13 he began dancing Salsa, as well as hip-hop, Capoeira, and Latin Ballroom. He has even trained in Salsa under his mentor, Gabriel "Matanza" Mambi. His tenacious dedication to the art form has made him an outstanding, world-renowned performer. He has performed on stages worldwide including Tokyo, Japan; Milan, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Hamilton, Bermuda; and in several other American and Canadian cities. In 2010, Manuel realized one of his dreams and established a dance company in Montreal, Canada known as Kizomba Canada, the first dance school offering Kizomba lessons in North America.  At Kizomba Canada, dancing is a form of expression, an art, a passion, and a lifestyle. 

Flavie Merise was born in Haiti and moved to Montreal, Canada when she was 4 years old. Growing up, she played sports, achieved a black belt in karate, and was a competitive cheerleader for two years, winning the Quebec provincial competition with her college team, Vikings de Maisonnueve. In September 2012, Flavie joined Kizomba Canada and began dancing Kizomba with Manuel. She became very passionate about the dance, dedicating all of her free time to practicing, and was able to learn how to lead just as well as she can follow her partner. After she was a student for only a short time, Manuel asked Flavie to be his dance partner, and they have been working together ever since.