I know we have benches at Empress but if you are looking to dance, a word of warning: don’t sit on the benches! When you sit on the benches it tells other dancers that you want to rest and you don’t want to dance so you won’t get approached as often. So if you are looking to dance, be up and about, make eye contact with dancers you would like to dance with, and most of all, ask yourself! Both women and men can ask each other to dance. Once you have asked someone to dance, they will be a lot more likely to reciprocate in the future.

There are some helpers at the social wearing name tags. Feel free to ask them to dance – they will be more than happy to do so.

If you continue to come to the socials, very soon you will be making friends and the first feelings of awkwardness will disappear, leaving you very comfortable and excited to see the gang.

Hopefully this helps you go out dancing. Say hi and introduce yourselves to me at the socials – I am usually at the door until 7:30pm!
_________________
Sharon

The post Sunday Social Advice to New Attendees! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

• Timing vs. Moves
Gentlemen, you have the very difficult task of balancing the rhythm/timing of the music with the types of moves you execute. Some men will compromise proper timing to execute more complicated moves. From a female perspective, most women would rather dance with someone who understands timing and can stay on time and who only executes simples moves as opposed to someone who is constantly skipping from one beat to another while executing complicated moves.

In terms of what timing to keep, the truth is it does not actually matter what beat you begin dancing every set on – depending on what part of the world you are in, who you have learned from and how you interpret the music, a male can lead on any beat (hence the terms “dancing on 1”, “dancing on 2”, etc). The key is to keep that same beat for the entire song. So if you begin the dance “on 1” which is the first beat of the set of 8 salsa beats, you should start every set on 1.

• How to make a graceful exit
There will be those times when a dance becomes unsafe or uncomfortable. In these situations it is best to end the dance as soon as possible, even if that means stopping the dance half way through. There are two ways to approach the situation. If you feel the need to let the person know that they are rough in their lead or follow, please do so kindly. Many dancers are just getting started and strong criticism could affect them. Gently let them know that you are having a bit of difficulty following or leading them. Many will be open to advice or feedback but don’t give it to them unless they ask for it. If you are not comfortable with this approach, it is always best to let them know you are getting tired/hot/thirsty and need to take a break. Always thank them for the dance and be gracious.

The last and most important piece of this article will come up next on the blog!

The post Salsa Etiquette appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

SG – “Are there any things students should avoid doing in their development?”

BH – “The only thing I can think of that students should avoid doing in their development is acquiring bad habits by practicing bad or incorrect techniques. It’s important to take lessons in order to find out what the correct techniques are. It is also important to do your research when looking for instructors to make sure you have found professionals with adequate credentials and experience to teach you.”

SG – “Are there any obstacles you can remember experiencing in your salsa development and how did you overcome these obstacles?”

BH – “Sure I have faced many obstacles, I still face them today. I struggled with spinning for a long time when I started, and today I struggle most with continuing to evolve my style and evolve our choreographies. You know you are continuing to grow if you keep facing obstacles because you are pushing yourself to try things you never have before. The thing to do is just keep working at it. I get frustrated all the time when I don’t get something right away but I’ve learned that I have to put in the time and have the discipline to work at it.”

Definitely inspiring to hear that everyone struggles to grow and develop artistically. Stay tuned for part #3 of Burju’s interview. But in the meantime check out their website at www.hymstyle.com.

The post Burju’s Advice appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

SG – “What is the most important piece of advice you can offer a person learning how to dance?”
BH – “I can’t be sure that this is the most important piece of advice but it is certainly top on my list when it comes to my practices. Always be a student first. Learn from as many instructors, styles and even different genres of dance as possible. The more you continue to learn the easier learning becomes and the more versatility you will have.”

SG – “What are the most important actions that students can take to see improvement?”
BH – “In dance in general to see improvement a student must continue learning and practicing as much on their own as possible in order to really apply the things they learn in classes. For Salsa specifically there is an element of reflex and spontaneity when social dancing that can only be acquired through experience. You become a better social dancer by social dancing as much as possible. It’s the same idea as driving. You become a better driver through experience driving.”

For more information on Burju and Hacha Y Machete Dance Co. (HYM Style) please click here. Part two coming soon!

The post My Interview With Burju appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

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IT’S COMING…..

May 16, 2008…..

Ritmo Masacote’s “Fantagious” CD Release!

A NOT TO BE MISSED 2 HOUR THEATER Concert Featuring Ritmo Masacote AND Masacote Dance Company LIVE!
7:30-10:00pm

Buy Your Tickets Online Now! NO Tickets sold @ door!
http://www.masacoterecords.com

— LAST DAY TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET AT THE DISCOUNT RATE OF $25 IS APRIL 18TH! Prices will increase to $35 after!

— Student Discount: $20; Contact us for Group Rates!

Tickets Not Sold @ Door!

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What to Expect

— A 2-hour Theater Production
— A Latin Jazz concert with Ritmo Masacote Live!
— Dance Performances by Masacote Dance Company!
— Special Guest Artists from Bermuda, Atlanta, Texas!
— Singing DEBUT of Gordon Neil, Masacote Records!
— Special Surprises!
— An Afterparty to top it all off!!!

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BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT DOOR! BUY NOW!

http://www.masacoterecords.com

— $25 Discount Until April 18th! Buy Now! Prices will increase to $35 after!
— Student Discount: $20
— Contact Us for Group Rates!

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Official Website:
http://www.MasacoteRecords.com

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More Info on Ritmo Masacote:
http://www.masacoterecords.com/ritmomasacote

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More Info on Masacote Dance Company:
http://www.masacoterecords.com/fantagious/dancers/

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More Info on Masacote Dance Company Feature Dancers:
http://www.masacoterecords.com/fantagious/dancers/1.html

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More Info on Special Guests Flown in Specifically for show!
http://www.masacoterecords.com/fantasias/guests

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The post Ritmo Masacote’s Fantagious CD Release! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

SG – “What are the most important actions that students can take to see improvement?”

ATM – “First and most importantly, practice what you learn from class, both in a group and on your own. I know for me practicing in a group of 3 was very helpful as I always found it motivating. Plus, I could ask someone to take a look at what I was doing and see if they saw what I might be doing wrong. Practicing on your own is also good though since there are some things we feel less self conscious about practicing alone.

Now, the key to practicing is to focus on certain things – such as spinning, body movement, social dancing, etc. Don’t try to do everything in one day. That is the downfall for most people. If you don’t find a focus, it could just end up being a waste of time. If you’re not sure what to focus on, then I’d highly recommend taking privates to help you target.

Another really great action is to tape yourself on video every couple months. You can literally document your improvement this way. The truth is that if we don’t have an awareness in our bodies, we will never really understand what people are trying to tell us to do or not to do unless we see it for ourselves. That is the beauty of video.

Now, that doesn’t mean have someone follow you around with a camera. lol Just bring a camera to practice and ask a friend to tape you social dancing or just improvising to footwork (a great substitution if you don’t have someone to lead you). These days, photo cameras or phones usually all take videos, so it’s not as hard to come by one. 🙂

I never had a camera when I started, but I was lucky that some friends did and once in a while a friend would give me a video of me social dancing that I didn’t know existed. It opened so many new doors for me…I would literally cringe at the first videos I saw of myself. I was doing so much I didn’t like, but all the corrections people were giving me started to make sense. When I would see subsequent videos, I would see the difference in my dancing and even more that I wanted to correct.

In the end, all these early videos served as motivation for me when I would get frustrated or hit a rut later on. Sometimes going back to the first videos of yourself and seeing how far you’ve come can really help to focus you once again. Here are some of the earliest salsa videos I have of myself…Maybe it will motivate someone else:

http://www.masacoteentertainment.com/videos/anaprogression/index.html

Thanks Ana for the advice and sharing your first videos. I still think your first videos are wonderful but the progression is definitely notable and inspiring for those who feel they have reached a plateau!

More interview questions with Ana coming soon!

The post Part #3 of Ana’s Interview from Masacote appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Here is the first excerpt from the interview:

SG – “What is the most important piece of advice you can offer a person learning how to dance?”

ATM – “Have fun! Dancing is about having a good time. Many times people begin to take it too seriously and forget why they started in the first place. That doesn’t mean don’t work hard…The beauty of salsa is that it doesn’t matter how much you learn, there is always something MORE. It is a much more challenging dance than people think when they start out, so many times people let frustrations get the best of them and they give up.

Just work hard, practice hard, and focus, but when you step out on that dance floor, don’t forget that your Number One priority is to have fun and enjoy yourself.”

SG – “Are there any things students should avoid doing in their development?”

ATM – “Most students want to conquer the world in one day instead of finding a focus. I would recommend to focus on one timing…Be it on 1, on 2, on 3….But focus on one of them until you get comfortable with it. Then, begin to expand into other timings. Salsa is just a language with many dialects. There is some similarity between all the timings, but if you try to learn them all at once, you can easily confuse yourself. Try to find one focus, but once you are able to expand, definitely DO IT! You never want to limit your partners, so it is great to learn and understand all the other timings possible.

Also, try to avoid staying in a clique. That is the biggest mistake most people make…They take classes, meet people in the classes, go out as a group, and dance only with themselves. That creates 2 problems….1) You don’t get to learn the art of adaptation. Salsa is about learning to connect with people whom you’ve never danced with before. 2) The salsa scene grows into a nice little slump of a community. The more open people are with each other and the more interaction they have with others from the community, the more the salsa community can grow together and create a healthy environment for newcomers. Just sit back and watch it blossom. This invariably helps the dancers in the community grow too.

Of course, I’m not saying not to go out with friends. By all means, find a group of people to go out with, make it a group trip, and dance with each other at the clubs, but don’t just stick to dancing with each other. Branch out and dance with others you haven’t met before.”

More with Ana over the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out some videos of Ana on her website Masacote Entertainment.

The post Ana’s Interview from Masacote appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Here is a very short bio on Ana as found on her website:

“Ana trained in folklórico, the traditional dance form of her Mexican culture, starting at the young age of 5. At the age of 15, she set foot for the first time in a salsa/merengue nightclub where she was exposed to what is known as “cumbia-style” salsa. She instantly fell in love with the dance, and it quickly became her passion.

Dance and education have always been intertwined in Ana’s life. After attending the 2nd Annual West Coast Salsa Congress, Ana found a new appreciation for the dance as an artform and was inspired to take it beyond a hobby, but not before she finished school.

During the fall of 2000, she moved from Dallas, TX to Boston, MA, where she majored in business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. That fall she joined the MIT Casino Rueda performance group and remained with the group for the next 2 years. She also took a brief period of classes with the MIT Movements in Time Dance Company, a modern ballet and jazz group and has taken a periodic private with various mambo instructors to work on her salsa technique.

In November, Ana met Anara Frank, the director of a non-profit kid and adult dance organization called JAM’NASTICS, Inc. She joined the staff as a salsa instructor in January of 2001, teaching both children and adult classes.

Ana left JAM’NASTICS In 2003 when she moved for 6 months to Okinawa, Japan. There she co-founded Masacote Entertainment, a music, dance, and multimedia company, with her husband, Joel.

She has since graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Management Science and has devoted herself full time to the entertainment company and dancing as a profession.

Ana dances and teaches both Salsa On 1 and Mambo On 2. She is excited to continue to challenge herself both mentally and physically in music and dance through working with the team at Masacote Entertainment.”

Over the next few weeks we will feature excerpts of our interview with Ana and provide advice and guidance for students learning to dance!

The post Ana Tinajero Massicot’s Interview With Me! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I started off by asking Super Mario what is the most important piece of advice he can offer a person learning how to dance? Here is his response…

SM – “The most important piece of advice that I could give anyone learning how to dance, well…..HAVE FUN. Learn stuff, but have fun while learning. I have been dancing for almost 10 years now, only salsa with no prior dance background. And for me, dancing with someone today is as much fun as it was the first day I took a salsa class. And knowing that when I am having fun my partner is also enjoying themselves and they walk away with smiles all around.”

The thing that I like and respect about Mario is that what he says is the truth – he really is having a blast every time he gets on the dance floor and he treats every person he dances with as if they are the best, most fun dancer he has danced with so you feel great walking off the dance floor.

I also asked Mario what are the most important actions that students can take to see improvement? Here is his response:

SM – “Hmmm…..I used to try and remember all my material when I was learning, and then one day someone showed me how I looked like when I was dancing. I didn’t like it at all. So I worked on fixing all the areas of my dancing that didn’t look good on tape. Try filming yourself dancing and you can be your biggest critic. So every now and then film yourself social dancing and then correct what you don’t like.

Dance with everyone, from beginners to advanced dancers. If you can lead something, you will be able to lead it on a beginner or advanced dancer. If your lead is weak, the beginner would not be able to follow it, so you might have to lead it differently. What you learn from this is how to lead everyone. The same move but with different tensions.

Listen to music and learn to dance all styles…..it only opens one’s mind.”

I will post more Super Mario tips over the next few weeks. In the meantime check out his website with online classes at: www.salsaclass.tv

Happy dancing!

The post Super Mario’s Advice! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I always say that one of the most fun dancers to get down on a salsa congress dance floor with is Super Mario. He has one of the longest line ups at congresses and women wait all night for a spin on the dance floor with him.

Recently Mario shared with me some great tips and advice for our students that I will share over the course of a few blog articles. But first, here’s his bio for you all to get to know Mario a little better…

Super Mario’s Bio from his new website called salsaclass.tv.

“For many years now, ‘Super Mario’ has been a household name on the international Salsa scene, recognised and respected by students and fellow professionals for his amazing lead, unlimited database of fantastic moves/combinations and his teaching ability. His classes and workshops have always been extremely popular both in the UK and in countries as far as Australia, Japan and the USA, specialising on technique but always maintaining an element of fun.

Mario was born in India but moved to the UK as a teenager. He settled in London, where he continued his education, taking a degree in mathematics and also qualifying as an accountant. In 1998, a friend took him to a salsa club where the teacher immediately saw his potential. Mario was hooked straight away and has never looked back since. Still based in London and travelling to teach nearly every weekend of the year, Mario specialises in cross body style, dancing on the ‘1’ or the ‘2’ and focusing mainly on moves and combinations, with special emphasis on leading techniques.

Despite no previous dancing or teaching background, he was able to observe the unnecessary power used to lead turn patterns, and began focusing on breaking down routines to understand the techniques and signals that are essential to good leading. His natural talent for both producing and executing so many imaginative moves led to an invitation to teach at the first congress that he ever attended. His big break came soon after, when asked to give workshops at the biggest salsa congress in the world in Toronto, Canada.

Mario has earned himself the title; ‘Million Moves Man’ through his ability to create any number of unique combinations, that are lead with expertise and are always comfortable to follow. His dancing style is smooth but fast, giving him and his dance partner extra freedom to improvise. His amazing presence on the dance floor sets him apart as a social dancer and his outgoing, energetic personality has also been instrumental in getting him known in the Salsa World.”

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