Avelino Davila (Nino) was born in Harlem, New York City, where the street music he listened to was James Brown, Gladys Night and the Pips, etc. But at home the music was filled with the love of Mambo/Salsa, and Afro Cuban music and dance.

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At 14, he began tuning into the rhythms around him. His older brother used to spin boogaloo and Latin records like Charlie Palmieri, The Alegre All Stars, and Eddie Palmieri, while his parents immersed him in the sounds of Afro-Cuban music and dance.

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Without realizing it, he was undergoing a Latin cultural awakening that would shape the rest of his life. As he grew, so did his passion for the music of Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Roberto Roena, and more. These rhythms became his roots. He began exploring Latin clubs in NYC. The most memorable was The Corso on 86th Street, where he soaked up the energy of Mambo and Salsa and learned from dancers, instructors, and legends like Eddie Torres.

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In 2008, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he found a new salsa dance community at The View nightclub (not like New York City, but close enough) and later at Viva Dance Studio.  Studio owner, Rebecca Sweet, honored him and his son by choreographing a Mambo routine called “Mambo Lino”.  This was a moment he treasured deeply.

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Now at 73, he continues teaching about the Latin legends of the Palladium era. He teaches Mambo/Salsa not just as movements, but as a way to preserve, honor, and pass down cultural identity.  He continues to pass the rhythm forward, to teach and celebrate this culture that first called to him when he was just a teenager. Mambo and Salsa are more than dance, they are his story, his spirit, and his way of keeping his heritage alive.