About Baila Albany Dance Studio
Latin dance rooted in culture, built for community — serving Latham, Albany, and the entire Capital District since 2000.
Felix Ortiz — Bronx-Born, Albany-Made
Felix Ortiz grew up in the Bronx, NY, where Latin music wasn’t background noise — it was the heartbeat of every family gathering. His grandmother started it all, pulling a young Felix onto the living room floor at holiday parties. Her joy was impossible to resist, and her passion for dance became his.
In 2000, Felix moved to Albany and carried that same joy north into the Capital District. What began as a love for movement became a calling. Over 25 years of teaching, performing, and building Latin dance communities, he has taught at venues across the country, competed on charity stages, and run multiple studios. Baila Albany is his third Latin dance studio — the result of decades of iteration, community feedback, and relentless love for the craft.
His specialties span the full Latin palette: Salsa (NY Style On2 and Casino Rueda), Bachata, Merengue, Cha-Cha, and Latin Medley. But ask Felix what he actually teaches, and he’ll say the same thing every time: confidence.
“When students leave this studio, they don’t just know steps — they feel the music. That’s what the Bronx gave me, and it’s what I give every student who walks through that door.”
Why We're Here
Baila Albany Dance Studio exists because the Capital District deserved a Latin dance home built by someone who grew up with it in their bones — not a franchise, not a fitness fad, but a real community studio run by a lifelong dancer from one of America’s most vibrant Latin neighborhoods.
We’re located at 952 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham, NY (Peter Harris Plaza) — a central point that draws students from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Clifton Park, Saratoga Springs, and every corner of the four-county Capital District. We teach over four nights a week, offering classes from complete beginner through advanced, with a structure flexible enough for your first night out and deep enough for dancers who want to keep growing.
Our focus is always cultural authenticity. Salsa isn’t just footwork — it’s history, it’s community, it’s how generations of families in New York and across Latin America have celebrated, healed, and connected. We honor that. Every class at Baila Albany carries that weight and that joy.
Meet the Instructors
Felix Ortiz
Owner & Lead Instructor — Salsa (NY Style On2, Casino Rueda), Bachata, Merengue, Cha-Cha, Latin Medley
Felix brings 25 years of Latin dance experience to every class he teaches in Latham, NY. A Bronx native who made Albany home in 2000, he has built and run three Latin dance studios in the Capital Region and taught at celebrated venues including Universal Preservation Hall and The Glove Theatre. His teaching style blends technical precision with the infectious warmth of his Bronx roots. Felix holds the rare specialty of NY Style On2 instruction — a timing approach almost no other instructor in the region teaches.
Latin Authenticity. Community First.
There are plenty of places in the Capital District to take a dance class. What separates Baila Albany isn’t the building or the floor space — it’s the standard we hold ourselves to.
We teach Latin dance the way it’s meant to be taught: with respect for where these rhythms come from, patience for students who are brand new, and ambition for dancers who want to push further. We don’t rush beginners into partner work before they’re comfortable. We don’t water down footwork for fitness-class aesthetics. We don’t pretend cultural context doesn’t matter.
What you’ll find here is a studio where a complete beginner from Clifton Park learns side by side with an intermediate dancer from Schenectady and an advanced social dancer from Albany — and everyone gets better because of it. Our classes are small enough that Felix and the instructors actually know your name. Our community events, studio socials, and venue performances keep the connection alive outside the classroom.
- No partner required for most classes — come solo, leave with new friends
- All levels welcome — from never danced to ready to perform
- Cultural authenticity — Bronx-to-Albany roots, not franchise polish
- First class FREE — experience it before you commit
Rooted in the Capital District
Felix and the Baila Albany team have never seen the studio as just a classroom. Latin dance belongs to the community — and that means taking it outside the studio walls whenever possible.
Felix has served as a pre-concert salsa instructor at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, warming up audiences before Alex Torres concerts — one of the region’s most beloved Latin music events. He brought free salsa lessons to Ichabod Crane Middle School in Kinderhook as part of a student wellness program, introducing Latin dance to kids who might never have encountered it otherwise.
In a region-wide moment of giving, Felix competed in “Dancing with the Capital Region Stars” — a charity gala that collectively raised over $430,000 for local nonprofits. His participation brought the full energy of Latin dance to audiences across Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer counties, many experiencing it for the first time.
These aren’t marketing efforts. They’re how Felix has always operated — bringing the thing he loves most into spaces where it can do the most good.
Universal Preservation Hall
Pre-concert salsa instructor, Alex Torres shows — Saratoga Springs
Ichabod Crane Middle School
Free salsa lessons, student wellness program — Kinderhook, NY
Dancing with the Capital Region Stars
Charity gala — $430K+ raised for local nonprofits across Albany, Schenectady & Rensselaer counties
Where You'll Find Us Beyond the Studio
Baila Albany has built working partnerships with some of the Capital District’s most recognizable performance and event venues. These relationships mean our students can see — and sometimes join — Felix and the instructors in real performance contexts, not just in-studio settings.
- Universal Preservation Hall (Saratoga Springs) — Latin event instruction and pre-concert dance experiences alongside nationally recognized Latin performers
- The Glove Theatre (Albany) — Performance and event collaboration bringing Latin dance to Albany’s arts community
- Crowne Plaza Desmond Hotel (Albany area) — Studio social and event hosting at one of the region’s most established hospitality venues
These partnerships reinforce what we believe: Latin dance is not a niche activity. It belongs on every stage, in every season, for every generation across Albany County, Schenectady County, Saratoga County, and Rensselaer County.
Questions About Baila Albany
The best starting point depends on your goal. If you want to learn social partner dancing, the Salsa Beginner class on Tuesday evenings is the most popular entry point — it covers footwork, timing, and basic partner connection at a relaxed pace. If you prefer something with less partner pressure, East Coast Swing on Thursday evenings is open to all levels with no partner needed, and Zumba on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings is pure solo movement. And your first class is free either way — so you can try it with zero commitment.
Yes — Baila Albany accepts new students on an ongoing, drop-in basis. There’s no registration window or waitlist. Your first class is free. After that, you can drop in for $15, or pick up a 4-class card for $50 (saves $10). View the current schedule and reserve a spot at bailaalbany.punchpass.com/classes. Group classes run Monday through Thursday evenings, plus Saturday mornings, in Latham, NY, and private lessons are available by appointment.
No partner required. Most of our group classes — Salsa, Traditional Bachata, Zumba, East Coast Swing, and Ladies Styling — are designed so anyone can walk in solo. For partner-work classes like Salsa Beginner and Intermediate, we rotate partners during class so you’ll dance with multiple people. Many of our students in Albany, Clifton Park, and Schenectady come alone and build their social dance network right here at the studio.
Felix is the owner and lead instructor, and he teaches Salsa, Casino Rueda, and Traditional Bachata (Mondays). Veronica Puente leads Zumba® on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, Jason “Zumba J” leads Zumba® on Saturdays at 10:00 AM, and Bob Fullan teaches East Coast Swing on Thursdays at 6:30 PM. All of our instructors are active and working weekly — this isn’t a guest-instructor model where the main teacher disappears.
Our location at 952 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham puts us at a natural crossroads for the Capital District. Students come regularly from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Clifton Park, Guilderland, Saratoga Springs, and beyond. The majority of our student base lives within 20 minutes of the studio. If you’re in the 4-county Capital District — Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, or Rensselaer counties — you’re close enough to make a weeknight class work.
A few things set us apart. First, cultural authenticity — Felix is a Bronx-born Latin dancer with 25+ years of experience who built this studio because he believes the Capital District deserves instruction rooted in real Latin dance culture, not a franchise version. Second, specialty depth — we teach NY Style On2 salsa, one of the most technically sophisticated and socially rewarding forms. Third, community ties — Felix has taught in schools, performed at major venues, and raised money for local charities through Latin dance. We’re not just a studio. We’re part of the fabric of this region.
Your First Class Is Free
Try any class — Salsa, Bachata, Zumba, East Coast Swing — with no commitment and no cost. Beginners welcome every night. Located at Peter Harris Plaza, 952 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY.