Meet Our Director
Antonina Valdez-Romp
Antonina Valdez Romp, Director and President of Los Ninos de Santa Fe Y Compania, is native of Santa Fe and has a bachelor’s degree in Education from Benedictine College. She has been a Home School educator for elementary and high school instruction for over 24 years; and is actively involved with the community in Santa Fe. She has coaching experience in swimming, running and volleyball. Antonina started dancing folkloric since at the age of six and has performed in several professional venues at The Lensic, James A. Little, Denver Stadium, Moving People Dance, Folk Art Museum and other local school theaters. She has been the Artistic Director of LNSF since 2005. She received professional training in Mexican dance in Las Cruces, NM with Rafael Zamarripa, Tucson, AZ with La Universidad de Colima Ballet, Mexico City with Carlos Antunez of renown Ballet Folkorico de Amalia Hernandez, and Guadalajara, Mexico with La Universidad de Guadalajara and La Universidad de Autonoma Guadalajara.
Meet Our Teachers
Ariana Angel Carmelita Archuleta
.png)
M. Ariana Angel teaches the Beginner 1 class. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with an undergraduate in Community Health Education. Ariana has been dancing Folklorico dance since she was 4 years old and has a passion for passing on the love of dance and the history that comes from each region.
Carmelita Archuleta teaches the Beginner 2 class.
She graduated from the University of New Mexico. Carmelita has been with Los Ninos De Santa Fe since she was 6 years old. Carmelita loves to teach children the style and grace of dancing Folklorico. Carmelita also has an outreach program with the Moving Arts in Espanola.
KIM Caffrey
Kim Caffrey, R.D.E. dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Studied Ballet with Muriel Stuart, Maddiys Vero Newtchinos, Maddiys Louise Outhwaite. Modern Dance with Bertram Ross and Yuriko. Ms. Caffrey is a member of the National Regestry of Dance Educators, who are dedicated to positivily affecting dance education through adherence, of standards of professional responsibilites, a code of ethics, and guidelines for the safe practice of teaching.
Ms. Caffrey has taught at universities and colleges in N.Y. and N.M. implimenting programs of dance for all students while working with the administration in the ethics of proper facilities for teaching. Many of Ms. Caffrey's former students are educators teaching dance in public education and provate schools of dance. She has also trained several professional dancers, who perform with professional dance companies.
"To Touch, To Move, To Inspire, Is The True Gift of Dance"
About Us
Los Niños de Santa Fe (LNSF) is a local program dedicated to preserving traditional dances of Mexico. Students ranging from ages three to adult learn the fundamental techniques of traditional and modern movements, footwork and the history of other ethnic influences that has defined folkloric dance of Mexico. LNSF seeks to instill educational life skills to each participant through positive role modeling, emphasizing respect, responsibility, and discipline to the student.