Angelica Robles was raised to be a ballet dancer since she was 2 years old.

Once she saw Southwestern’s Latin Dance Company, however, Robles traded her pink ballet slippers for red hot rhythms and never looked back.

Robles, a 22-year-old dance major, auditioned for the company and is now a swirling dervish on the touring team that is garnering critical success and sending South County performing artists into the professional world.

Salsa has surpassed ketchup as America’s favorite condiment, and salsa dance is roaring past other forms as Latino culture continues to gain footing in Los Estados Unidos. Robles said Latin dance is spirited and fun, but more difficult than it looks, even for an athletic former ballerina.

“It is a big challenge to be a salsa or bachata dancer, especially because posture is different than other disciplines,” she said, “but it’s totally worth it.”

SWC’s small but mighty company performs in the community and was the highlight of an otherwise dreary SWC Opening Day in January. Members of the team see themselves as cultural ambassadors as well as performing artists. They represented the college recently at “Big Salsa San Diego” and other smaller events.

Dancer Samantha Munoz Rios said the team is a tight-knit group that works well together.

“Latino Dance Company is like a family, una familia,” she said. “We spend hours of hard work together and we have great communication. When we dance salsa, bachata or Argentine tango, we dance in pairs and communication is key to a great performance.”

Dance professor Mary Jo Horvath founded the Latin Dance Company in in 1990 and directed more than 40 concerts before handing the company over to her protégé, Professor of Dance Dana Maue. The Latin Dance Company has sent nearly two dozen dancers into careers in New York, Los Angeles and other American artistic hubs. Jaguars also danced professionally in Mexico and have performed in a number of Latin American nations.

Maue said creating professionals is an essential part of the mission of the company. Dance is an important part of several South County subcultures, she said, and legions of children learn an array of dance forms growing up. Southwestern College is a natural Latin Dance Academy because of the talent that feeds into the campus.