How the Shire found its ballroom rhythm with Jeanfer Salas
KEEP ON DANCING
BUSINESS FEATURE
If there’s anyone who can get our Shire moving, it’s Jeanfer Salas. In just two years, the former international competitive dancer has built a thriving local dance scene from scratch, bringing a fresh wave of energy and connection to the community.
Locals caught a spectacular glimpse of this movement over this year’s Carnivale weekend, when dancers took over Four Mile Beach and various spots around town for workshops led by world salsa champions.
Bringing this international talent to the region is all the work of ballroom and salsa dancing teacher Jeanfer Salas, who has been sharing her love of movement through her “Keep on Dancing” classes for locals in Port Douglas and Mossman.
For Jeanfer, hosting global talent is a natural extension of her past life.
Thanks to her years competing at the highest levels while travelling the world, she built a massive network of top international dancers and champions.
It is a massive milestone for a project that originally started with a single Facebook post.
Shire catches rhythm
When Jeanfer - originally from the Philippines - relocated to Port Douglas in 2022, she realised how much she missed dancing but discovered a total lack of local options.
So in 2024 she posted on social media to see if anyone else wanted to learn. The growth over the last 24 months has been massive.
What started as a trial class has turned into a weekly highlight.
Jeanfer structures her weekly ballroom classes around six core styles that she rotates through weekly, while also offering separate, dedicated classes for salsa and bachata.
This thriving community has since expanded into popular bi-monthly social dance events hosted by the Pullman Sea Temple Resort.
Building student confidence
Beyond her group classes, Jeanfer runs a packed private lesson schedule to keep up with growing demand.
The social impact of her dedication is clear: most of Jeanfer's students started with absolutely zero prior experience.
Today, they are shedding their self-consciousness, dressing up for weekly themes, and having fun on the dance floor.
For Jeanfer, the ultimate goal is to give her students total versatility.
“Knowing different dancing styles is like having a superpower,” she says.
“You never have to sit out and say, ‘I don't know that dance.’ Instead, you can say, ‘I can dance that!’”
For more information and class schedule, check out Keep on Dancing on Facebook.
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