Ruben Justin Lopez
Owner, Instructor, Choreographer
Ruben Justin Lopez was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of 7 he started taking salsa classes with his sister at La Salsa De Hoy. He later joined Young Ambition Dance Company and attended the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he trained in ballet, tap, jazz as well as other modern techniques(Horton, Graham, and Cunningham). In 2010 he joined Latin Fever which later became Balmir Latin Dance Studio the following year. As a member of the professional dance company he has traveled to numerous venues internationally to perform and teach such as Peru, Canada, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Italy just to name a few. He also studied in numerous dances like Salsa On1 and On2, Latin Hustle, Afro-Cuban, Cha Cha, Bachata, and Kizomba. This past summer performed with PrimaDanceSport to work on a piece honoring HBO’s 30th Anniversary of Dirty Dancing.
Myla Petroff
Owner, Instructor, Choreographer
“There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them!” - Vicki Baum, Ballerina
Myla has had a love of dance for as long as she can remember, but it took time before she was able to fully step into that passion. At LESALSA, she brings together her business background, love of people, and passion for dance into one space.
She began her journey in the ballroom world, competing from 2016 to 2018. Through her connection with Justin Lopez, she discovered her passion for salsa and other Latin dances, which led her to train her own performance teams and travel around the U.S. to continue growing as a dancer.
What Myla loves most is sharing that journey with others. She finds joy in teaching and creating an environment where students feel confident, connected, and inspired. Her goal is to help people experience how dance can open their lives, build community, and bring genuine joy.