Jaclyn

Grace, creativity and determination have made Jaci Spencer, one of the founding members of Cuban Groove, a dancing sensation. She has won the Salsa World Championships three times alongside her partner Chris Marques and her success is simply down to sheer determination and a formidable natural talent.

Born in Liverpool, Jaci began dancing soon after she learned to walk focusing on Ballroom and Latin American dancing. Her drive and love of dance led her to win every medallist competition she entered and she performed at every local event she could – building up her repertoire and confidence along the way. 

Jaci knew that the excitement and achievements which come with dancing would be her drive in life and a career in dance was the way for her to reach her goals. She decided to take her dancing to the next level and trained with top competitive teachers whilst winning numerous national titles with her new partner. Jaclyn and her partner won the coveted under 14s British Open to the World Ballroom Championship before she paired up with a new dance partner based in Belfast.

Jaci had to follow the advice she gives to other dancers of “staying focussed and remembering your goals” as she flew from Liverpool to Belfast every weekend so she and her partner could train. The hard work paid off as they were soon the highest ranked Latin American dancers in Ireland.

Eventually, the travelling and studying for her GCSEs proved too much and her partner moved to Liverpool where they went on to win many prestigious youth competitions. When her partner decided to open a dance school, Jaci found herself looking for a new partner and it was then she met Chris.

Free spirited and quirky, Jaci’s creativity is an inspiration to those she works with and her artistic flair proves to be vital when choreographing new dance routines. She measures her success in terms of her happiness, “doing what I love for a living is the best success there is and following a journey where you reach goals and push yourself to achieve as much as possible is my motivation.”

Jaci finds inspiration from a real variety of dancers from the poise and elegance of Cyd Chaisse to the principle dancer of the Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta who, like Cuban Groove, combines classical and Cuban dance to create innovative and awe-inspiring routines. She also admires Patrick Swayze and Michael Jackson who share much of her own flair, innovation and sleek moves on the dance floor.