Christina Monneron
CHRISTINA MONNERON is an internationally trained dancer, teacher, and cultural ambassador with nearly three decades of experience in Afro-Cuban and Cuban dance traditions. She regularly teaches at the Aotearoa Cuban Festival in Rotorua, and she is keen to catch up with her NZ dance family. We are so blessed to have her as part of Salsa Tumbao 2025!
In Action
Professional Biography
CHRISTINA MONNERON is an internationally trained dancer, teacher, and cultural ambassador with nearly three decades of experience in Afro-Cuban and Cuban dance traditions. She regularly teaches at the Aotearoa Cuban Festival in Rotorua, and she is keen to catch up with her NZ dance family. We are so blessed to have her as part of Salsa Tumbao 2025!
What drives you to dance?
"The music of course! Dance for me is like a remembrance, of the true me. I have danced since I was young, but back then only for myself and not for others. The music and rhythms take me to a place where I can just be myself. Since immersing in Afro-Cuban rhythms the past 30+ years it was literally like a returning 'home'."
Christina's Cuban dance journey actually began in Sweden (1996 to 1997), where she trained and toured across Scandinavia with Maestro George "Chiqui" Dixon, former principal dancer of Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. In 1998, she deepened her studies in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, specializing in Orisha dance, Rumba, and Cuban folkloric traditions. In 2001, Christina was initiated into the Cuban Santeria (Regla de Ocha) tradition, grounding her work in lived spiritual lineage and cultural authenticity.
In 1999, Christina founded Australia's first Cuban Dance Academy, teaching and mentoring thousands of students while producing vibrant cultural showcases. In 2006, she developed the Academy's Teacher Training Syllabus, creating a structured path for future instructors to authentically transmit Cuban dance traditions. Christina went on to host Australia's first international Cuban dance festival, CubaMeMucho (Melbourne, 2009), and later co-founded Afrekete (2012), Australia's unique Afro-Cuban Dance & Drum Retreat, a celebrated cultural and spiritual gathering.
Today, she integrates her cultural expertise with holistic wellness through her signature practice, Orisha Movement Therapy: a blend of Afro-Cuban dance, healing, and empowerment that helps women reconnect with their essence, vitality, and full self-expression.