In “The Stars Behind the Stars” franchise, Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors share stories that have yet to be told, directly from those who aren’t often in front of the spotlight. Think “todo lo que no se ve detrás de cámaras,” or “everything that happens behind the scenes.” These unsung heroes are essential to an artist’s team and its foundation. Today, we highlight Felix “FeFe” Burgos, who has been Rauw Alejandro’s choreographer since 2017, and is behind the Puerto Rican star’s Broadway-inspired Cosa Nuestra Tour.
With more than 20 dance numbers, 10 actors and dancers and a full live band onstage, Rauw Alejandro’s Broadway-inspired Cosa Nuestra Tour is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a concert setting. And that’s exactly what they were going for, says Felix “FeFe” Burgos, Rauw’s longtime choreographer.
In Cosa Nuestra, which is divided into four acts, there’s acting, singing, interludes, a master of ceremony – a masterclass in showmanship that Burgos also hopes will inspire a new generation of dancers and performers. “Latinos, we can also do that,” he says. “We can give a good show and be top performers, too.”
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05/10/2025Burgos — who has worked with a roster of superstars that includes Chris Brown and Jennifer Lopez — met Rauw Alejandro in 2017 when the hitmaker took one of his workshops. There was an immediate sense of trust, Burgos remembers. “It has evolved to the point where [Rauw] asks me to do a song and if he doesn’t like something, he has the trust to say, ‘Can we change this, can we change that?’ And I’m 100% open to hearing his suggestions also.”
The complex dance numbers — which help tell the story of Raúl (Rauw) and María (think West Side Story) in the Cosa Nuestra show — were conceptualized by Burgos, alongside his wife Denise Yuri-Disla, also a choreographer. Both are from Puerto Rico, where they began dancing to the beat of congos and maracas. Learning to dance was almost like a rite of passage for them.
“The number for ‘Carita Linda’ was inspired by my wife’s dancing in school as a little girl. When she saw that number come to life, it took her back to those days,” Burgos says. Then there are other dance numbers that were inspired from a scene in The Lion King, or even Daffy Duck from Looney Tunes. “Wherever my mind wants to flow, I let it.”
Below, Burgos talks about executing Cosa Nuestra, the importance of a tour like this, and how family parties in Puerto Rico ignited his love for dancing.
Before we get into the specifics of Cosa Nuestra’s choreography, what’s it been like for you to see it come to life?
It’s a sigh of relief. A lot of the numbers were already done but they were for festival runs. So we had to change a lot of the choreography that was already done and adjust it to the new [Cosa Nuestra] tour format. The old choreography did not fit with the theme. So, when we first started, [Rauw] came into the room, he was like, “Yo, you need to have everything done in three weeks before we go to Vegas for production rehearsals.” We had to get done 20-something numbers — and that includes everything from acting, to transitions, lighting, him performing — we had to get everything done for Vegas in just a few weeks.
How many dancing numbers did you have in the festival run?
Well the festival performance is like an hour show, hour and a half at most. It went from that to a two hours and 30 minutes show, because it has a lot of performances in it. The dancers are constantly onstage, so we had to choreograph everything — thankfully, we have a good cast of dancers who are super professional and are able to pick up stuff really quick. That helped us out a lot.
Rauw’s Cosa Nuestra is very much like seeing a Broadway musical, where every element comes together to tell a story. Was there any hesitation about the format?
There was no hesitation, we were super onboard with it. Rauw and I usually talk about what our next six years will look like or what his next album will look like. So, during Saturno, when we were rehearsing for that, we were already talking about this tour.
First thing, we knew we wanted a band incorporated. We were super excited when they came up with the whole concept. The most challenging part was making a Broadway musical feel like a concert and for people to feel connected to the artist and at the same time it be an engaging story. At the end of the day, we wanted to create something that no one in the Spanish-language industry had ever done. On the American side, I think it’s a very small number of people — maybe like Madonna and Lady Gaga — who have done something similar to what we did.
How many dancers in total and have you worked with them for a long time?
We work with five guys and five girls. And then we have swings — and what they do is, they learn different people’s tracks, and if someone gets injured, they come in for that person. They have the hardest job. We have two mains, and they are extremely professional — from day one, they were already learning each other’s tracks. This group of dancers is the one we normally book. We’ve been working with them for a lot of years.
You’ve been working with Rauw for a while now. Can you talk about how that partnership has evolved since the first time you worked together?
We met in 2017 and I remember because there was this picture of us from the day we started working together. I feel like our partnership got developed from a standpoint of trust. I came from working with a ton of artists, like Chris Brown and J.Lo, I had already been dancing and teaching classes for a really long time. So, when we first met, he took my workshop and there, he developed a sense of trust, because he knew I had the experience.
It evolved to the point where he asks me to do a song, and if he doesn’t like something, he has the trust to say, “Can we change this, can we change that?” And I’m 100% open to hearing his suggestions also. I have also seen his growth and I abide by the growth. I don’t treat him how I treated him in the very beginning, I understand his artistry. I told him, “When you grow, I grow and we’re going to respect each other.” There’s some things that don’t need to be said.
Felix “FeFe” Burgos Felix “FeFe” BurgosWhat does your day-to-day look like today?
I used to teach in the United States, Europe and Puerto Rico. Now, I don’t teach as much because I’m so busy. Before I used to teach a whole lot more classes and workshops and would meet a lot of people like that. Right now, I’m preparing for the closing show of a convention where I taught. I’m also in conversations about Rauw’s shows in Puerto Rico, we have to book a whole bunch of people, there are many surprises that will happen.
We also have a choreography on the Shakira tour. We choreographed the “Te Felicito” number, and she does it on her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour. That’s something cool to have there. After that, who knows? God always provides.
Where does your inspiration come from for these dance numbers?
I get all my ideas while in the car driving and listening to the songs. I pull from a lot of different things, from cultures, movies. I’ll let certain movies or people inspire my way of movement.
Can you give me an example?
There’s a number in Cosa Nuestra called “IL Capo,” which is the second number. “IL Capo,” believe it or not, was inspired by The Lion King. There’s a scene in the movie where Scar is singing and a bunch of hyenas join him and start doing this marching choreography, the whole entire number was based on that part of the movie.
Wherever my mind wants to flow, I let it. There’s this one clip of Daffy Duck that I saw somewhere and I liked how he was doing certain movements, so I was trying to get it humanly possible for a dance number. I like watching cartoons, and a lot of my inspiration comes from that. And the number for “Carita Linda” was inspired by my wife’s dancing in school as a little girl. When she saw that number come to life, it took her back to those days.
What or who inspired you to start dancing?
We used to have a lot of family parties when I was a kid. If it wasn’t at my house, it was at my uncle’s or my grandparents’ house. Every weekend with guitars, congas, maracas, and through there, we developed that sense of entertainment and dancing. My dad was actually a huge inspiration. He inspired me to continue on this path as a dancer. He danced in the clubs, he had a crew in Puerto Rico. He got me into it. I was 5-6 years old and I’d watch my dad do dance moves and I’d follow him.
At 18 years old, I moved to New York and that’s when I started taking [formal] dancing classes. In New York, I got a crew that trained me. My mentor showed me how to properly glide and all of that stuff. The one thing I would say always helped me is that I always had rhythm. I already had that in me.
What was your big break?
I had been booking spot dates with artists, really small artists, maybe six dates in total. My first big break dance wise was in this show called VH1 Divas and there I worked with a choreographer called Fatima Robinson, that was my first big break in dancing. Touring wise, it was with Cheryl, one of the winners of X Factor in Europe. That’s when I first performed for arenas. Then I got to work with artists like Selena Gomez, Chris Brown and Jennifer Lopez.
Any final thoughts?
I hope that kids or teenagers who go to a Cosa Nuestra show are inspired by Rauw and think, “I want to do that when I grow up.” I hope that a new star is born from this. And that they bring it back to the Latin side, and let people know that Latinos, we can also do that. We can give a good show and be top performers, too.
Felix “FeFe” Burgos Felix “FeFe” Burgos Read More Details
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