About us
Our Mission: The Kizomba Training Academy (KTA) was created to help dancers who want to significantly improve their dance, teaching skills and knowledge of Kizomba and other related music and dances, while providing a support system and continuous education opportunities to our community of graduates.
The KTA was founded in 2022 by Mr. Tonino Cidade after over 15 years of dance education and teacher training with world class Teachers, Educators, Dancers, Musicians, Historians, and first-hand experiences, organized, and professionally crafted under a system-based methodology of learning and teaching.
About Tonino Cidade
Antonio Medina (AKA Tonino Cidade) is from the Cavo Verde Islands, born in Dakar, Senegal. He grew up dancing Morna, Coladeira, Funana, Batuku, Cola San Jon, Passada, Mbalakh, and other Afro-Caribbean dances such as and Konpa, Zouk and Salsa.
He was first introduced to the world of structured dance through Salsa in 2006 and after two years of intensive training with multi-World Champion Edie “the Salsa Freak” started to teach at Baile Con Sazon Dance Studio in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Tonino also has a background as a Teacher at the Military Intelligence Training Academy and combined with over 15 years of experience as a Latin dance instructor and is a certified Red Belt Salsa Instructor with the Black Belt Salsa System.
In 2010 when Kizomba swept through the U.S, Tonino immediately felt home with the music and dance he grew up with. With so much misinformation and misrepresentation of the dance, Tonino felt the calling to share his passion for and his real life experience with Kizomba/Passada.
Tonino trained with many International Kizomba experts to include Ricardo and Paola from Afro-Latin Connection, Portugal, Eddy Vents, Guinea Bissau, Lucia Nogueira, Portugal to name a few and gathered a great deal of knowledge from mentors such as Rui Djassi Moracen of the Kizomba University, Angola and Eliza Sala, Angola, Netherlands.
Tonino has taught Kizomba, Passada, Coladeira, Batuku, Funana, Tarraxinha in many cities and Dance Festivals/Congresses such as the New Orleans Salsa Bachata Festival, The American Riviere Kizomba Festival, The Cancun Salsa Bachata Festival, The Puerto Vallarta SBK Festival, The Phoenix Bachata Festival, The Alaska Salsa Festival, The Utah Salsa Bachata Festival, The Las Vegas Afro-Latin Festival, the Denver Salsa Bachata Kizomba Festival, the Tijuana Salsa Bachata Kizomba Festival and in cities such as Los Angeles CA, Atlanta GA, Las Vegas NV, Orlando FL, Columbia SC, Fayetteville NC, Charlotte NC, Myrtle Beach SC, San Obispo, California and more.
Tonino is the founder of Kizomba Phoenix, founder and director of the New Year Eve Kizomba Kultura Festival and co-founder and former co-organizer of the Orlando International Kizomba Festival, founder of the Tucson Salsa Bachata Festival, and the Arizona Dance Addiction.
In 2020 Mr. Tonino Cidade founded The Kizomba Training Academy, after over 15 years of dance education and training with world class Teachers, Educators, Dancers, Musicians, Historians, and first-hand experiences, organized, structured and professionally crafted under a system-based methodology of learning/teaching for dancers who want to significantly improve their dance and teaching skills.
Tonino’s passion for Art, music and dance led him to develop as an established Disk Jockey, Professional Photographer and Video Producer. Tonino is also a retired U.S. Army Veteran with 20 years of service and multiple combat tours to Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is a dynamic dancer; patient instructor and his biggest reward is watching new students grow to become phenomenal dancers.
