Santo Rico was initially formed by Wilton Beltre, a Dominican native, who expressed his love for dance by displaying his street style of dancing mambo / salsa in local nightclubs in New York City. Prior to forming Santo Rico, Wilton received dancing instruction from the well renowned Eddie Torres. This gave him professionalism and grace which ultimately led to the developement of a unique form of salsa dancing. During his stint with Eddie Torres, Wilton excelled and brought his abilities to such a high level that he become one of the most outstanding members of The Eddie Torres Dance Company.
After several years with the company, Wilton decided to start his own called Santo Rico Dance Co. Student rehearsals were initially held on the second floor of the "La Pequeña España Restaurant and on some Sundays at Jones Beach. Once people found out about Wilton's dance classes and how much his students were progressing, they sought him out and thus establishing himself as having one of the best salsa dance schools. He eventually acquired a permanent studio location and by 1996, Santo Rico Dance School was officially in operation offering the dance community a variety of classes and rehearsal time.
Santo Rico first performance was at a Dominican Festival in Washington Heights called Gozamba where they shared the stage with renowned merengue artist, Fernando Villalona. The event was televised by the popular Latin broadcast TV network Univision 41 who later invited the dance company to perform on the TV showcase "Sabado al Medio Dia". The performance drew the interest of the community, promoters, media organizations and led to Santo Rico appearing in TV commercials on Univision.
Other performances at the time include a fund raiser hosted by Mochael DeLorenzo and Luren Velez of the hit Fox TV police drama series, "New York Undercover" and large scale performances at Madison Square Garden and at The First Annual World Salsa Congress in Puerto Rico.
Upon his departure, Wilton entrusted Tomas Guerro on continuing the legacy of Santo Rico. After several months providing dance instruction in the community, Tomas endeavored in assembling a student group comprised of his most advanced students and named it "Xibicion Santo Rico" (Xibicion meaning Exhibition in English). This officially marked the beginning of his career as a choreographer and director of Santo Rico.
Santo Rico works relentlessly on its art, spanning 5 continents, over 25 countries, and over 40 U.S. cities. They are recognized for their dazzling choreographies and their world famous "Santo Rico spinning technique" initiated in 1998 by Tomas Guerro.
Some notable achievements include performing with several salsa superstars such as Gilberto Santo Rosa, Tito Puente, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Marc Anthony, La Sonora Poncerña, and Victor Manuelle. Santo Rico was also featured in the hit HBO documentary film called "El Espiritu De La Salsa"
Please contact us for more information or visit us online at www.santorico.com
