Do you ever get taken aback and remember why you fell in love with something, or someone? One day you’re rushing to work and then a bird flies past you and you just stop and watch it in all of it’s beauty. Perhaps your partner is sleeping in, yet again and then you spend a few moments watching them sleep and seeing them so peaceful brings everything into perspective. Last night at the TDS competition I fell in love with Salsa… again.
Perhaps I never fell out of love, but there have been rough patches. Last night energized me as everything thats’ amazing about Salsa was present, in full-force!
The Joys of Beginning…
It was apparent as soon as I walked in that it was going to be a special night as everyone in the Beginner class were smiling and having a blast! If you’re ever in a slump, take the beginners’ class and you’ll find a sea of smiles. Seeing people connect for the first time on the dance floor is a sacred thing.
Seeing Old Friends, Making New Ones…
I almost immediately ran into a Salsera who had taken a break of roughly 8 months. It was so nice to see her radiating and dancing up a storm! I remember having a really bad night a while back and she made me feel like a million bucks with a really great dance.
I also ran into 3 people I had the pleasure of helping in their level 1 class last term. It was truly amazing to see them on the dance floor all night and having a blast! I don’t think I had the guts when I first started out and am almost certain that within a few months that they’ll be salsa addicts.
At Least One Great Dance…
One of my personal goals is to try to have 1 great dance each time I go out. Last night I had about 6! I guess the stars were aligned, but something was in the air and it all came together. Mind you, I did a few bad ones and apologize for those.
Community…
One of the greatest things about the TDS Competition is that you get to see students, teachers and performances from many of the dance schools in Toronto. I love how all of the schools in Toronto are so supportive of each other big events like last night are always a blast because diversity in dance makes us all better dancers.
Mind-Blowing Performances…
9 performances and all of them were rock-solid and unique! From the flawless United Salseros to the Show-Stopping iFreeStyle teams and Passionate GoDance team! I also have to say that the pre-teen champions of Latin Energy blew me away!
Pretty in Pink…
The TDS Ladies brought the house down in fine form! With amazing formations, shines and an insane amount of pink sparkles; they made all of us proud!
Clash of the Titans…
As I watched each of the five couples I found different elements of salsa that helped reignite my salsa passions. Joanna and Orlando’s routine was spicy hot, from the flamenco-esque entrance to the heart-stopping lifts they were elegance personified.
Omid and Maysa’s routine was all about the powerful sex appeal of Salsa. Featuring insane-acrobatics and some serious show-boating; I was loving every second of it!
Steve and Jamie were so synched and tight watching their routine reminded me of ‘Burn the Floor’ as their steps were perfect and movements were stunning.
Miro and Julia’s performance was Salsa in it’s purest form. Who could forget Julia’s amazing floor spin?! A flawless ending to boot!
Last but not least, Olivier and Elise’s routine was a perfect combination of shines, tight movements, stunning tricks and brilliant costumes! Something really special happened on stage and I was really happy to witness it. Congrats to all of you as it was a most amazing night.
All I can say is thank you to everyone who made the night so amazing! I can’t wait till next year!!!
Till then,
Stay Shining Salseros!
