MEET OUR TEAM

Meet Katie

Katie first started latin dancing in Auckland in 2021, with over 15 years prior experience in synchronised swimming. Katie’s favourite dance style is modern bachata, she enjoys the musicality, body movement and connection. You can find her learning new moves and choreographies at workshops, festivals and classes both in Nz and Australia. In 2024 she won gold medals in bachata and salsa shines and bachata partnerwork,

Meet David

Originally from Chile, David has been dancing for over 20 years and has been active in the New Zealand latin dance scene for the past 9 years. David’s dance strengths are in mambo, bachata and Cuban salsa, which he has taught at many dance schools in New Zealand. A strong performer and choreographer, David holds the title of Semi-Pro Salsa Soloist Champion for New Zealand in 2023. He has lead numerous performance teams in mambo shines and couples, Cuban shines and bachata couples. David strongly believes that dance can unite a community so you will find him supporting festivals, workshops and socials across New Zealand and collaborating with dancers from all backgrounds.

Meet Alina

Alina Kireeva is an Auckland-based Latin dance teacher known for her artistry and inspiring teaching style. Alina’s dance journey began with classical ballet, and by the age of 10, she was already performing in team projects and exploring a variety of dance styles. This early foundation shaped her natural musicality, discipline, and expressive movement. In 2020, after attending a social dancing night, Alina discovered Latin dance— and it quickly became her passion as she began both learning and teaching. Her dedication paid off quickly: in 2024, she started competing and placed in every category she entered. In 2025, she reached a major milestone by becoming a Semi-Pro Champion in World Salsa Solo, Australia. For Alina, Latin dance is about more than just steps. She believes great dancing comes from refining technique, understanding the history of the dance, and truly connecting with the music. That’s why you’ll find her taking various dance styles classes and workshops, as well as dancing socially—sharing her love of dance with everyone around her. Outside the dance floor, Alina is passionate about fitness, wellness, and body movement. She is currently a proud member of KD Dance, where she continues to grow as a performer and educator.

Competing and dancing as a couple since 2022, Katie and David have placed in multiple categories and competitions in New Zealand and Australia (individually and together). Some of them are:

  • World Salsa Solo 2025 - Gold Coast

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Caitlyn & John

    • 1st Place ProAm Bachata Freestyle Follower - Caitlyn Jones

    • 1st Place ProAm Bachata Freestyle Leader - John Yang

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata Couples Classic - Caitlyn & John

    • 1st Place SemiPro Salsa Soloist Female - Alina Kireeva

    • 2nd Place Open Bachata Couples Team

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Couples Team

    • 2nd Place SemiPro Salsa Couples - Alina & David

    • 3rd Place Open Bachata Freestyle - Katie & David

    • 3rd Place Open Salsa Freestyle - Alina & David

    • 3rd Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Mercedes & Edu

  • NZ Latin dance Championships 2025

    • 1st Place Open Bachata Couples Team

    • 1st Place Semi Pro Salsa Couples - Alina & David

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata Couples - Caitlyn & John

    • 1st Place Open Bachata Freestyle - Katie & David

    • 1st Place Open Salsa Freestyle - Alina & David

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Caitlyn & John

    • 1st Place Amateur Salsa Freestyle - Caitlyn & John

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata JnJ - Mercedes

    • 1st Place Open Salsa JnJ - Alina

    • 2nd Place Open Bachata Shines Teams

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Salsa Solo - Alina

    • 2nd Place Amateur Salsa Couples - Caitlyn & John

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Couples - Mercedes & Edu

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Mercedes & Edu

    • 2nd Place ProAm Bachata Freestyle - John & Katie

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata JnJ - Edu

    • 3rd Place Open Bachata Couples Team

    • 3rd Place Semi Pro Salsa Solo - David

    • 3rd Place Amateur Bachata JnJ - Tessa

    • 3rd Place Open Bachata JnJ - Alina

    • 3rd Place Open Salsa JnJ - Katie

  • World Salsa Solo 2024 - Gold Coast

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Bachata Soloist - Katie McDougall

    • 3rd Place Semi Pro Bachata Couples Cabaret - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 3rd Place Open Bachata Freestyle - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 3rd Place Amateur Bachata Couples Team - KD Dance

    • 3rd Place ProAm Bachata Freestyle - John Yang & Katie McDougall

    • 3rd Place ProAm Salsa Freestyle - John Yang & Katie McDougall

    • Finalists ProAm Bachata Freestyle - Caitlyn Jones & David Sepulveda

    • Finalists Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Mercedes Bishop & Eduardo Speranza

  • NZ Latin dance Championships 2024

    • 1st Place Semi Pro Bachata Couples Cabaret - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 1st Place Semi Pro Bachata Shines Duet - Katie McDougall & Christa Murphy

    • 1st Place Open Bachata Shines Team - RYDE Dance School (Katie, Christa, Cassandra, Ariane, Mercedes)

    • 1st Place Open Salsa Shines Team - ODYSSEY Dance School (Katie, Christa, Cassandra, Ariane, Mercedes)

    • 1st Place ProAm Salsa Shines Duet - John Yang & David Sepulveda

    • 1st Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Cassandra Synder & John Yang

    • 2nd Place Open Bachata Couples Team - KD Dance

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Bachata Solo - Katie McDougall

    • 2nd Place ProAm Salsa Couples - Caitlyn Jones & David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Open Bachata Freestyle - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Freestyle - Ariane Cox & Abdul Rehman Gill

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Jack n Jill - John Yang

    • 3rd Place Amateur Bachata Jack n Jill - Abdul Rehman Gill

    • 3rd Place Amateur Salsa Freestyle - Caitlyn Jones & John Yang

    • 3rd Place Amateur Salsa Jack n Jill - Caitlyn Jones

  • World Salsa Solo 2023 - Brisbane

    • 2nd Place ProAm Bachata Couple Classic - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 3rd Pace ProAm Mixed Latin Couple Cabaret - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

  • NZ Latin Dance Championships 2023

    • 1st Place Semi Pro Salsa Solo - David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Amateur Bachata Jack n Jill - Katie McDougall

    • 2nd Place Open Bachata Couples Team

    • 3rd Place ProAm Bachata Couple Cabaret - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

  • World Salsa Solo 2022 - Brisbane

    • 1st Place ProAm Salsa Couple Cabaret - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Salsa Solo - David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Salsa Couple Classic - David Sepulveda

    • 2nd place ProAm Bachata Freestyle - Katie McDougall & David Sepulveda

  • NZ Latin Dance Championships 2022

    • 1st Place Semi Pro Salsa Couples Classic - David Sepulveda

    • 2nd Place Semi Pro Male Salsa Solo - David Sepulveda

Competition Results:

CONTACT US