David Young

David Young (NZL)

Team Latinissimo 2010

David was born in our capital city Wellington and is an Aquarius! David took his first salsa class at the University of Cantenbury back in 1999, but he found it so hard that he gave it all up!

It wasn't until 7(!) years later in 2006 when David moved to Los Angeles that he took up salsa dancing again! His girlfriend "dragged" him along to a beginners class. This time he stayed and took the beginners course not once, but 3x times before he moved on to the next level. Perfect example that if you really want to advance to the next level, repetition is a must to make sure you re-enforce everything you've learned. David says he had a very good teacher that broke it down to basics was very encouraging. Although Salsa is the only dance he has ever done he is no stranger to performing. The same instructor choreographed their first dance at their wedding which wowed everyone! Recently he has also tried some Zouk.

David is an Energy Economist at the University of Auckland Energy Centre. They mostly design and run models of the NZ Electricity Market to test the effect of possible changes.

I asked David how his experience with TEAM Latinissimo has been.

"I think my dancing has improved a lot since training with TEAM Latinissimo. Not so much new moves, but more technical things such as, posture, weight transfer, balance and rhythm - specially posture!"

David is a keen scuba diver and a keen cook, specially when it comes to desserts and chocolate treats! Also, only a few days after the 2010 NZ Salsa Nationals, 6 days after to be precise, David became a first time dad! Latinissimo wants to congratulate David and his wife Laura on the birth of their new baby boy Joshua!

TEAM Latinissimo wishes David and his family all the best in the USA as they will be moving back at the end of the year. It was a pleasure having David in the team, he will be missed!