Biograpfy

Ivan Van Wassenhove, Ghent, Belgium ,1959

Youngest son of an amateur ballroom danscouple. Started dancing ballroom at the age of 8 with his mother, and took professional classes at the age of 18.

A few years later, fell in love with Tango  and started teaching Tango for the first time at the age of 22.

By coincidence came into contact with salsa 2 years later and found an even bigger passion in Latin Dance. No longer ballroom but contemporary latin dance as salsa, merengue, bachata, chacha,mambo and cumbia.

Started teaching Salsa etc. and founded his first dance school:  Salsa Caliente vzw

This teaching carriere in salsa, combined with a fulltime job in chemestry, lasted for about 23 years, in the meantime having given birth to many thousands of salsa dancers in Belgium.

He was a freelance dance and travel guide in Cuba (for a Belgian travel agency) from 1997 till 2002 (not stationary)

In 2006 his salsa show team took part of a Lindy Hop Contest , a dance af wich he had never heard of untill then. After one week of training,the group was selected with 4 other dance teams to go to the finals, in wich the 4th place was an acceptible result, given the fact of only one week preparation for the team. The price was a Lindy Hop Class for one season!

A new passion was born and between 2009 and now he attended several international Lindy Hop dance camps such as:

Lindy Hop Areals in Dortmund,2009

Lindy Hop advanced and Areals in Barcelona (Barswingona),2010

Lindy Hop in New Orleans (ULHS -USA), 2011

Boedapest (Lindyshock- Hongary),2011

ALX 2011 (Amsterdam)

Crazy Camp (Dworp ) 2012

Swinging in the rain 2016

Started teaching Lindy Hop in 2011

Dance school: Làgrimas Negras vzw

website: www.gentswingt.be

mail: salsamanneke@hotmail.com

skype: Lindyvan59

phone: +32 473 410 254

pictures free to use: