Al’s passion for dance began in early 2000. His career in the merchant navy as a marine officer, and later as a Master, took him to many different South American countries where he was surrounded by Latin music. In 2003, he vacationed in Cuba and took intensive Salsa lessons in the heart of Havana. Upon returning to his home town of Vancouver, BC, he met Salsa World Champion Alfonso Caldera and joined his school for several years. He developed a unique LA Salsa style dance that still reflects in all his dance styles today.

Al’s passion didn’t stop there. He visited the Dominican Republic several times where he learned authentic Bachata techniques. He also joined the famous Grand Ballroom school in Vancouver and learned all twelve international standards and Latin ballroom dances. 

In 2012, Al's career took him to New York City where he was introduced to the Kizomba world. He met David Campos and KizombaNYC and was trained in traditional Kizomba and Semba dances. He fell in love with this dance and followed several international dance festivals. He participated in numerous workshops from famous Kizomba masters such as Eddy Vents, Helio Santos, Kwenda Lima and also learned the modern Kizomba styles of Isabelle & Felician, Jojo, and Ronie Saleh.

After moving to Miami, Al pushed his dance to the next level when he joined the Miami Sensual Bachata dance team. They performed on stage at the renowned Miami International Dance Festival.

Today, Al brings twenty years of experience in a variety of Standard, Latin, and Afro dances along with his unique dance style mainly in Kizomba. As the founder of Kizomba Modern, his style blends the fluidity of traditional Kizomba techniques with modern energetic moves and tricks. He offers well-structured teaching techniques that have transformed many students from complete beginners to advanced dancers in a short time. Al has been teaching in Thailand on Koh Samui Island  for over six years.