Latin & Ballroom,
Weddings, Salsa

Amy Garcia Phillips is a vibrant part of the Rahway arts scene. Her dance company, Contento Dance, teaches group classes and private lessons at the UCPAC , hosts a monthly Salsa night at Cubanu Restaurant and Lounge, hosts ¡Baile! Rahway a weekly outdoor Latin dance party in June at Rahway's Train Station Plaza and teaches and performs at various events in the City. Amy also supports Rahway arts in her role as one of the Managing Directors of the Rahway Arts + Business Partnership.

From a very early age, Amy found her passion for dance and began training at age three. She graduated from Kutztown University with a Related Arts degree, majoring in Dance, minoring in Theater and Music. Upon graduating she began studying the Feldenkrais Method, a body therapy that studies movement patterns and helps to relieve pain and improve self awareness and quality of life through examining and retraining ones physical self.

Eventually moving to New York City, Amy wanted to find a way to continue her dance training and discovered the Fred Astaire ballroom dance teacher training program. Her dance background facilitated an easy transition. She began to compete in the America Rhythm Circuit, placing in her very first competition. She also received the Rookie of the Year award. In 2000, Amy joined the team at Paul Pellicoro's DanceSport. There she fell in love with authentic style Salsa/Mambo and began competing and performing at the International Hustle and Salsa Competitions placing 2nd in 2002. Amy continued to study all the different dance styles and became a wedding dance specialist, running the Wedding Department at DanceSport. She was featured in a New York Magazine article "Save Me the Waltz". Amy also coached the NYU Latin and Ballroom Dance Club for 5 years, growing the club to over 100 members during her tenure.

After taking time off regular teaching to grow her family, Amy began her company, Contento Dance, in Rahway, NJ and enjoys being a part of Rahway's growing arts and dance community. As an affiliate of the Union County Performing Arts Center, she continues to teach private lessons and regular group classes in various Ballroom and Latin Dances, including Mambo on 2. She loves to create pieces in Salsa, swing, Cha Cha, Bachata, Hustle and more for her Contento Dance Company Dancers. Contento Dance hosts a Salsa night at Cubanu Restaurant and Lounge, on the Third Thursday of every month as well as hosting ¡Baile! Rahway, a weekly outdoor Latin Dance Party at the Rahway Train Station Plaza in the month of June (sponsored by the City as part of their summer Big Thursdays).

In addition to dancing, Amy is one of the Managing Directors of the Rahway Arts + Business Partnership, and works to improve the business districts of Rahway through the lens of the arts.

Through her career, Amy has worked and trained with the late Cubanu Pete, Billy Fajardo, Maria Torres, Jose Aponte, the late Arte Phillips, Franklin Ayala, Ron Rosario, Paul Pellicoro, Eleny Fotino, Luis Aguilar, Añya Katsevman, Mariana Parma, Tatiana Keegan, Kelvin Roche and Lori Ann Greenhouse and more.

She was featured in a commercial for WB 11; a featured segment on The Late Show with David Letterman; the YES network as an instructor for their “dancing with the stars” type competition; a featured choreographer at Kutztown University; a choreographer for the indie film by Gina Rodriguez; a choreographer and dancer with Australian musician Brien McVernon, for the UCPAC’s music competition, “Icon”; and many other projects big and small.