Maestro Roberto Valente, born in Manfredonia (FG) on May 8, 1973, began approaching the Caribbean dance world in 2001.
After several years of dancing and working as an assistant teacher, in 2008 he decided to further deepen his studies with Maestro Michel Lanera, dancer of the New Sosa Style Dancers, specializing in the Sosa Style. In the same year, he officially started his teaching career.
In the following years, he continued to refine his skills by attending workshops with internationally renowned masters, enriching both his cultural and professional background.
Since 2009, he has performed in various venues across Italy. In 2010, he participated in the nationally recognized event Salsitaly, where he obtained the LIDCI (Italian League of International Caribbean Dances) Gold Level Diploma as a Dance Technician/Master. In the same year, he founded the “Gruppo Zodiak”, where he performs as both dancer and leader.
In 2011, he challenged himself once again by enrolling at the Sosacademy School in Milan, led by Maestro Fernando Sosa. There, he had the opportunity to explore and specialize in new styles and disciplines, working with renowned professionals such as Max Tripicchio, Sandy Ramos, Tatiana Bonaguro, Adolfo Indacochea, Rary, and Eva Mancini.
In 2012, together with the dancers of Gruppo Zodiak, he took a major step forward thanks to an idea by Fernando Sosa, who introduced professional choreographers Max Tripicchio (former Tropical Gem dancer) and Camilla Battocchio to work with the group.
He participated in the “Pasos Libres” competition in Spain alongside fellow dancer Simone Asprella, achieving 12th place out of 50 participants.
He won 1st place at the Salsa Congress Austria, confirming the same result the following year.
He also achieved 1st place with Gruppo Zodiak at the Salsa Convention St. Gallen in Switzerland.
In 2017, he appeared as a dancer in The Latin Dream, a film by Fernando Sosa.
In recent years, he has been awarded the title of Gold Level Technical Master for Caribbean Dances by LIBERTAS, ACSI, and AICS.
In 2018, he had the pleasure of performing alongside his choreographers Max Tripicchio and Camilla Battocchio, further increasing his experience and professional level.
More recently, he became part of a new show group in Milan, “Emambocaribe”, together with dancer Elisabetta Castigliego.
He has also deepened his studies by traveling to Cuba, where he attended private lessons with expert masters of Cuban culture, gaining new insights into techniques and training methods. His strong curiosity keeps him constantly updated on evolving styles and new disciplines through continuous study with internationally renowned teachers.
For several years, he has also served as a competition judge with his federation, AICS.
His passion for teaching remains strong, with the goal of sharing his love for dance with anyone who wishes to step into the Caribbean dance world.