Last updated

06/18/03

Date of Birth: May 1st.
Place of Birth:  Brooklyn, NY
Ethnic Origin:  Puerto Rican Parents
Lives Now:  Florida
Weight: 129lbs Contest/138 Off Season
Height: 5'3
Bust: 36D
Waist: 25
Eye: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Shoe Size: 6

As a teen Denise was a tomboy and always involved in sports and athletics. She attended Mark Twain School for the gifted and talented, a performing arts school in her home town of Brooklyn. Growing up her hobbies included art, dance and the martial arts. As a young girl Denise was always involved in the performing arts, majoring in Modern Dance, Jazz and Ballet.

Denise was first introduced to bodybuilding and weight training at the age of 14. Her athletic interests and physical nature made working out with weights an immediate attraction.

Denise's first bodybuilding competition fell on her birthday on May 1, 1994.She was a light weight competitor at 108 lbs and began her amateur career by winning every amateur event she compete in and becoming the fastest turning Pro in Florida State history.

In 1994 Denise became Ms. Naples, Ms. Sarasota, Ms. Fort Myers, Ms.West Coast, Ms. Jr. Florida & Jr. Florida Mixed Pairs champion. In only five months Denise was qualified to compete at the national level. In November of 1994 Denise competed in the NPC Nationals competition held in Florida. As a relative new comer she did not feel ready for the Pro qualifying level but was told by the local NPC officials that she should experience that level of competition. Denise would not make her weight as a light weight and ended up competing in the middle weight class. She finished 8th in a field of over 30 women and was asked to be on the Montel Williams show a week later.

She took a much needed brake from competition, went back to the drawing board and came back the following June of 1995 to compete in the Florida state Championship. There she won her class and the overall and was crowned Ms. Florida. With that win, Denise set her sights on the NPC Nationals for the second time. In November of 1995, Denise competed as a light weight in New Orleans. She also competed in the mixed pairs with David Marinelli an accomplished national level bodybuilder. David and Denise won the mixed pairs. Denise won her class and was crowned 1995 National Light Weight Champion and got her Pro Card. At the same time, Denise started to pursue the development of what would become a very successful personal training business. As her success as a competitive bodybuilder grew so did her business.

In early 1996, Denise pursued her dream to be photographed by the best physique photographers of her sport, Bill Dobbins and Robert Reiff. She was featured in every major Fitness and Bodybuilding magazine in the world. She was a two time Centerfold in Flex magazine's Power & Sizzle and voted the Sexiest Bodybuilder Alive by Ironman Magazine. She was also included in Flex's 1997 Annual Swimsuit issue and in their Fantasy Lingerie issue.

In response to demands from Denise's fans for autographed pictures Robert (her husband) and Denise created Denise's first two photo collections. One of the collections was Denise's Private Collection which included the first group of nude images she had ever done. Following the success of the sale of Denise's new Private Collection of photos came the demand for a video. Denise responded by creating Denise's first video title Denise Exposed. With Robert's marketing expertise, and their commitment to create a video that would begin to redefine the image of the female bodybuilder, Denise Exposed became a huge success. Robert and Denise went on to create two more video titles of Denise (All of Me and Every Bit AWoman) with each new release, Denise's fan base and popularity grew and so did the demand for her products.

In 1997 Denise talked Robert into putting together a small publication that she could include in a fan club package she wanted to develop. After some convincing, they began to develop the first issue of Muscle Elegance Magazine. With Roberts careful attention to detail and wonderful writing skills, Muscle Elegance Magazine came to life as a 16 page, glossy black and white publication featuring only Denise. When Denise saw the finished piece, she was so convinced that it would be a success that she decided to include a survey with each copy. The overwhelming response was so positive that they decided to take their shot at the publishing world.

Today Muscle Elegance Magazine is in its 5th year of publication and is enjoying a growing newsstand presence and distributed in more than 8 countries in addition to a very large website presence and fan base. The magazine, webzine and video production company Robert and Denise have built features women bodybuilders and fitness athletes from all over the world. Denise's normal day to day life includes on average work day of 14 hours, 7 days per week. Denise's dedication to work, her family and commitment to excellence fuel her. In addition to her annual commitment to compete in Arnold Schwarzenegger's Ms. International, Muscle Elegance Magazine deadlines, photo shoots, video production schedule, marketing appearances and business dealings Denise is now taking on the development of her newest project: her new fan club website. Just one more step in Denise's drive to Redefine the Image of the female body builder and the female athlete.

Denise has been featured on multiple national and international talk shows and cable TV shows including Montel Williams, Maury Povich, Fox Sports, Playboy cable TV's Sexcetera, Canada's City TV, Germany's Peep Show and the Discovery channel.

Denise's Amateur Competition Stats
1994 NPC Ms. Naples - Lightweight & Overall Champion
1994 NPC Ms. Sarasota - Lightweight & Overall Champion
1994 NPC Ms. West Coast - Lightweight & Overall Champion
1994 NPC West Coast Grand Prix - Overall Champion
1994 Ms. Jr. Florida - Lightweight & Overall Champion
1994 Jr. Florida Mixed Pairs Champion
1995 NPC Ms. Florida - Lightweight & Overall Champion
1995 NPC Lightweight National Champion
1995 NPC Nationals Mixed Pair Champions

Denise's Pro Competition Stats
1996 IFBB Jan Tana - 6th Place
1997 IFBB Ms. International - 13th Place
1997 IFBB Jan Tana - 6th Place
1998 IFBB Ms. International - 7th Place
1998 IFBB Jan Tana - 6th Place
1998 IFBB Women's Pro World - 4th Place
1999 IFBB Ms. International - 6th Place
2000 IFBB Ms. International - 4th Place
2001 IFBB Ms. International - 5th Place
2002 IFBB Ms. International - 5th Place

Creatively
As a creative person Denise is always working on new ideas for shoots or new projects. Denise is responsible for most of all of the styling that is done on all of the Muscle Elegance Magazine and video shoots. "Part of what makes my job so much fun is creating the styles and looks for each athlete we feature.  My vision of a female bodybuilder is that of a living Super Hero. In my world, I creating a Super Hero character out of each and every model."

Business
Denise's background in commercial real estate management and leasing involved many different aspects of business that she finds beneficial today. Her crossover dealings included the development of a knowledge base in a diverse group of business acumen.  She is well versed in real estate investment strategies, many aspects of building construction, development and management and commercial lease negotiations and sales.

Personal/Political
As an earth person, Denise loves the outdoors and animals. She has 4 cats (Taki, Baby, Bailey and Weezer II). Most of her interests includes creative work, people and sports. She loves all kinds of music and is a performer at heart. She grew up listening to Spanish and dance music and loves all kinds of ethnic foods, people and learning about different cultures Consistent with her birth sign (Taurus) she is a very hard worker and can be very stubborn. Politically, Denise is a registered Republican, who has voted out of party. Denise does not conform to the normal bi-partisan bull. Her political choices are made based on data and her belief system. She is a fiscal conservative, who believes in the right to choose and bare arms. She does not believe that a persons righteousness comes from his or her weekend visits to church but rather from a persons daily dealings with others and their environment.

Goals
Denise's goals include a role in a movie, ideally as a super hero. To make as great an impact in women's bodybuilding as Arnold did in the sport. To develop Muscle Elegance into an international success that changes the way people look at female muscle and athletes. To develop an agency that would represent the extraordinary talents of the women of bodybuilding.