Franklin Diaz is a salsa and mambo dancer, instructor and choreographer based in New York City. Born in the Dominican Republic, he grew up in a musical family and began exploring dance as a child. His work combines Latin social dance with flamenco and concert dance training.
Diaz studied salsa with Victor Pacheco and Eddie Torres. His flamenco teachers included José Molina, José Maya and Alfonso Losa, and he studied ballet and modern dance at The Ailey School. Those disciplines have informed choreography that brings together Cuban musical influences and contemporary movement.
He was selected for New York Live Arts’ 2012–2013 Fresh Tracks Performance and Residency Program, presenting work that incorporated flamenco and Afro-influenced movement. His teaching has also reached international salsa festivals, including a Mambo Movement On2 workshop at the Chicago International Salsa Congress. Among the dancers he has trained is Molly Hagman, who performed his boogaloo choreography with Selene Tovar in New York in 2016.