High Desert Latin Dance

High Desert Latin Dance teaches bachata, salsa, and Salsa Rueda across two locations: Studio Nia in Santa Fe (851 W San Mateo Rd) and The Social Club in Taos (112 Doña Luz St). Their mission is to build community through dance, offering spaces for people to learn, grow, and enjoy life together.

The core team brings deep experience. Stephen Smith is a Bachata and Salsa Instructor with 12+ years of teaching experience. He trained with renowned artists in Spain including Daniel and Desiree, Sara and Marco, Luis and Andrea, and Korke and Judith. Before moving to New Mexico, he taught progressive Bachata programs with Bachata Sensual Orlando, one of the top bachata studios in the country, and previously ran a dance business on Maui where he taught Bachata and Salsa for 7 years. He has also toured nationwide teaching Bachata in 29 cities across 14 states over two summers. Joanie is a multi-disciplinary dance artist with 16 years of teaching experience. She served as Artistic Director at Saffron Dance, one of the largest belly dance schools in the country, from 2017–2020, and was a senior faculty member there for 8 years. She also spent 5 years as a soloist and company dancer with Nomad Dancers, a Persian and Central Asian performance troupe in Washington DC. Liz Gomez graduated in 2015 from Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH) with a Bachelor's degree in Dance with a minor in Pedagogy, and is also a Licensed Massage Therapist practicing in Taos and teaching at UNM Taos. Her love for Latin dance is rooted in her heritage and includes Cuban salsa and Bachata. Zuhey Quezada grew up in Chihuahua City, Mexico, dancing different styles of Cumbia, and started dancing and competing in ballroom dance in 2021, expanding to Bachata, Mambo, and Lambada, with regular training trips to Cuba and Brazil.

Weekly classes run on a regular schedule. Bachata Tuesdays in Santa Fe with Stephen and Joanie offer Modern Bachata (7:00–8:00pm) and Bachata Sensual (8:15–9:15pm). Salsa Wednesdays in Taos with Stephen and Liz offer Modern Bachata (6:30–7:30pm) and Práctica, which is free. Salsa Rueda workshops on Fridays in Santa Fe with Stephen and Zuhey are held semi-regularly, with Level 1 Rueda de Casino (7:00–8:00pm) and Level 2 Rueda de Casino (8:00–9:30pm). Modern Bachata is characterized by smooth turns and rhythmic footwork and is accessible to first-time dancers while offering depth for experienced dancers. Bachata Sensual, developed in Cádiz, Spain, focuses on fluid body movements, close connection, and controlled isolations, especially through the torso and hips, and requires at least a few months of prior bachata experience or significant technical dance training in another style. Salsa Rueda is a high-energy Cuban salsa style danced in a circle of multiple couples where a caller shouts out moves and dancers perform patterns in sync, switching partners regularly.

The studio hosts regular social events and larger festivals. Monthly socials follow all-levels classes. Latin Night events run at venues including Farafina and Tumbleroot Brewery, combining an all-levels Bachata class with DJ-led Bachata and Salsa social dancing. The Santa Fe Bachata Weekender is the largest Bachata event in Santa Fe, now in its third edition, featuring 11.5 hours of workshops, 7 instructors, 3 nights of social dance, and 3 DJs at The Hut (1285 Clark Rd Unit 1 and 2, Santa Fe). All classes are accessible to Spanish speakers; students can request instruction in Spanish when they arrive.

You'll rotate partners throughout class so you'll dance with many other students. Classes welcome dancers of all genders learning either or both lead and follow roles. No partner or prior experience is required. Studio Nia in Santa Fe requires dedicated indoor dance shoes or socks; no street shoes allowed.

Stephen Smith brings 12+ years of teaching and training in Spain with Bachata Sensual pioneers; Joanie, with 16 years of teaching experience, served as Artistic Director at Saffron Dance and danced with Nomad Dancers in DC; Liz Gomez holds a Bachelor's in Dance from UMSNH and is a Licensed Massage Therapist in Taos; Zuhey Quezada, from Chihuahua City, has danced and competed in ballroom and Latin styles with regular training in Cuba and Brazil.

Modern Bachata is accessible to first-time dancers and is offered at all-levels sessions; Salsa Rueda has a dedicated beginner Level 1 class; private lessons are also available.