KARIBEKIDS - Key Persons
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Jose Luis Gutierrez's dancing career began in 1992 in Los Angeles while he was in the Marine Corps. During his time in the Marine Corps, Jose Luis was active for 8 years total, from being in charge of Supply Administration of his unit to then becoming Sergeant in just 4 years of his placement. Jose Luis' ambitious attitude brought him to succeeding in many aspects of his life. During his free time in the Marine Corps, Jose Luis found himself at dance clubs, finding his talent for Salsa dancing. Since then, his passion for Salsa has only continued to grow. After 3 years of dancing and many dance classes requests later, Jose Luis' career as Salsa instructor took off.
After being transferred to San Diego, he founded E-Club at the Miramar Marine Corps Base, which quickly became the number 1 Latin club for two years in a row. Once his contract with the Marine Corps ended in 2000, he moved to Miami. It was during his first few years in Miami that Jose Luis took time off from teaching, to brainstorm and refine ideas on how to share his passion for dancing at a larger scale.
With his background in Business Administration from Miami Dade College and his passion for dance he was able to start Karibe Dance Studio in 2003. Since then, he has competed and won more than 20 local competitions, winning prizes from cruises to cash money. Karibe Dance Studio has participated in a surplus of major Salsa events such as LA Salsa Congress, Tampa Salsa and Bachata Festival, Orlando Salsa Congress and many more congresses throughout the United States of America. Jose Luis has also participated in dance videos and congresses for known artists such as Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz, Tito Nieves, La India, Issac Delgado, and Albita.