Thanks to Maria and the Reggaeton class gang for their great idea of having a Reggaeton Performance Class – this class is just for you guys!

To see a description of these classes or to register for a class, please click on our Fall Dance Schedule.

S.T.U.D. (Salsero Training for Unique Development) for Men
Sundays 9:15-10:15pm starting Sep 12th at Empress

Afro Cuban Movement and Styling
Sunday 12-1pm starting Oct 17th at Empress

Zumba Latin Cardio – 6 weeks $84
Tuesday 6-7pm starting Sep 14th at Empress
Wednesday 6-7pm starting Sep 15th at Empress
Thursday 6-7pm starting Sep 16th at Empress

Argentine Tango
Friday 8-9pm starting Oct 15th at Empress – Level 1
Friday 9-10pm starting Oct 15th at Empress – Level 2
Friday 10-11pm Tango Practice Session (Milonga) Empress $5 drop in

Belly Dance – Combos and Musicality for all Levels
Monday 6-7pm starting Sept 13th at Empress

Student Performance Class – Partnerwork
Saturdays 12:30 – 2pm starting Sep 18th at Empress
Reggaeton Performance Class
Sunday 11:00 – 12:00pm starting Oct 17th at Empress
Ladies Salsa Technique Bootcamp – $84 for 4 wks x 1.5hrs
Wednesday 6:30 – 8:00pm starting Aug 18th at Empress

Brazilian Samba – Variations
Friday 6:00 – 7:00pm starting Oct 15th at Empress

Salsa Styling & Choreography Building – Condensed 4wks x 2hrs
Saturday 2:00 – 4:00pm starting Sept 11th at Empress

Salsa Technique Building – Condensed 4wks x 2hrs
Saturday 4:30 – 6:30pm starting Sept 11th at Empress

The post So Many New Classes! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We have just posted a new Helper Only Performance Choreography class! This is your chance to take your dancing to another level by learning a professional choreography and performing it as a team in full costume at the completion of the course.

The course is 10 weeks long at 1.5 hrs per class. In addition to the class will be 5 hours of rehearsals before performance night. It begins Jan 9th to Mar 13th on Saturdays from 12:30pm – 2:00pm at Empress. The class is led by Tracie Yee.

Registration is open and we hope you take advantage of this fun opportunity to grow as a salsero!
_________________
Sharon
Toronto Dance Salsa
http://torontodancesalsa.ca
Toronto Salsa Lessons / Toronto Salsa Classes

The post Helper Only Performance Class appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I am always surprised at how quickly they fly through the Vegas Week which is such an interesting part of the competition. This season I believe they covered the entire week of eliminations in 3 hours. I would have loved to see more of each stage of the week and really get to know the dancers, their styles and the reason why they eliminated who they did. Most of the top 20 participants were not focused on at all so it was a surprise to see them in the top 20.

However, the first round of performances by the top 20 last week was great. Most of them are really strong dancers and I am sure we will get to know their styles as the weeks go by. I was happy to see Tony go. Apart from personality, there wasn’t much to his dancing and I really think he took the spot of someone a lot more deserving.

I was so excited to see them bring back Wade and I loved the Crash Test Dummies Choreography just like I love all his choreographies. He is truly a genius at what he does and I was glad to see the judges recognize this. One of the last times he was on the judges dug into his routine, saying they couldn’t comment on the dancers because the routine was too out there. So it is great to see him get the recognition he deserves.

I am looking forward to tonight’s episode. If you haven’t seen it yet make sure you check it out and let me know who your favourite dancers and choreographers are this season!

The post SYTYCD appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We have just posted an Intro to Dancing Salsa ON 2 workshop on Saturday March 7th from 5:15 – 7:15pm at Empress. Open to those who have finished level 2 or with permission, this workshop is taught by Teddy Olaso from United Salseros and is $35 for students and $30 for helpers.

Here is a description:
This workshop will focus on introducing the proper fundamentals of dancing On2, covering proper footwork, musical pacing and timing. Musical tips will be given on how to feel the On2 beat much more effectively and how to enjoy it differently from dancing On1 so one understands the music better. Students will convert commonly used turn patterns On1 to On2 timing so they can focus more on the timing rather than the choreography. Since most On1 turn patterns were originally based on On2, transition will be easier and less complicated. However, an intermediate level turn pattern On2, along with styling (body isolations & hand movements) body movements that go with the accent, will also be introduced at the end of the class.

You can register online through your profile. We are still looking for one more workshop topic for April so get in your request soon!

The post Just Posted appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The evening began with lessons as usual. Velina and Mark taught a beginner lesson and Evan and myself taught the intermediate turn pattern. The classes were packed and hopefully everyone could hear us over the noise. Regardless of the usual sound issues, everyone seemed to do really well with the combinations and hopefully the turn pattern stuck with everyone throughout the evening so that it became muscle memory.

At 11:15pm our TDS Helper Team were introduced for their performance. For those who don’t know, about once a year we hold a special class just for helpers that teaches them how to become performers. This includes learning a professional choreography by our awesome choreographer Caryl (go Caryl!), fitting for costumes, and makeup assistance from professional makeup artist Shirley Yung (thanks Shirley!). The team, after months of practicing, has now performed at least twice and has been invited to several other functions to show their stuff.

Here is a list of the performers:

Barry Ip
George Reichert
James Anes
Sandra Villella
Tracey Hsieh
Winnie Fung
Manuel Alvarez
Marta Slowik
Ozzy Gul
Phoebe Yu-Kowalski

Needless to say the group looked amazing. They were polished, energetic and I was super proud of their hard work and dedication. Congratulations to them as well as David and Mildred who are part of the group but could not be in attendance on Friday.

Hopefully everyone had a great time at Plaza. Our next two outings are as follows:

1) Friday Feb 6th at Lula Lounge
2) Saturday Feb 21st at Peridot Lounge

See you all there!

The post Last Friday at Plaza Flamingo! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The judges have been way too nice. There has been very little critiquing to push the dancers to really become better. The choreography is somewhat fluffy – not edgy and memorable like Mia or Wade or some other amazing choreographers from the U.S. Show. The host is a little fluffy too and needs to develop a little edge herself.

The worst part of the show by far is the costume selection. Many people won’t notice how bad the costumes are but they are terrible. They look tacky and overdone and take away from the dancers and what they are expressing through their movements. If Nico is supposed to be a dark angel, having black wings really is not necessary. He can convey this with his dance, body movement and facials. Between the toy soldiers, clowns, fake afroed disco dancers and other ridiculous costumes, the dancing is lost and that is too bad because the dancers are quite good.

However, I will make an effort to comment on the final shows as we are getting down to the top few dancers and I do want the Canadian show to do well and improve. Hopefully they are reading viewers’ comments and can make some adjustments for next season.

In the next blog I will cover my favourite dancers…

The post So You Think You Can Dance Canada appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada Reveals First-Ever Top 20

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX)

After an exhilarating cross-country audition tour and intensive finals in Toronto, CTV announced during tonight’s broadcast the 10 men and 10 women who have danced their way to the top of the inaugural So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20. The dancers, who specialize in everything from Ballet, Hip-Hop, Salsa and everything in between, compete for Canada’s votes with the series first-ever Top 20 two-hour performance episode next Wednesday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV (visit ctv.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Following the performance episode, viewers will have two hours to vote for their favourite couple. Learn more about the Top 20 in the So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 guide to be published in Metro newspapers across the country on October 8.

“This first-ever group of Top 20 dancers are about to write a new chapter in Canadian television history,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “Their unbelievable natural talent and pure charisma will captivate the country.”

“The men and women in our Top 20 are some of the best dancers I have ever seen,” said Executive Producer Sandra Faire. “This group are not only some of the best dancers Canada has to offer, they are world class. Canada has some of the best choreographers in the world, and when they get their hands on the Top 20, we know viewers will be blown away by their performances.”

The Top 20 will be divided into 10 couples, who will work with top choreographers to learn a new dance routine each week from a wide variety of genres, including Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Broadway, Ballroom, Bollywood and more. The fate of these 20 finalists – one of whom will be named Canada’s Favourite Dancer – will be left up to viewer votes.

On the first live results show, debuting Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CTV, the three couples with the fewest number of votes will be announced. Each dancer in those three couples will have one last chance to impress the judges and “dance for their life” with a solo routine of his or her choosing. After all six dancers have performed, the judges will weigh in on the performances before sending one male and one female dancer home.

Starting next Wednesday (Oct. 8) and continuing for the next nine weeks, voting begins as Canadians make their voices heard for their choice of Canada’s Favourite Dancer. Voting will occur following the conclusion of Wednesday’s “performance shows” and is restricted to one, two-hour voting window in each region of broadcast (detailed voting information can be found at dance.ctv.ca).

Already the country’s newest homegrown hit, averaging 1.1 million total viewers to date, So You Think You Can Dance Canada is also ranking No. 1 online. As announced earlier this week by Yahoo! Canada, So You Think You Can Dance Canada is the top-searched new show for the week ending September 26, 2008 and is the seventh top-searched television show overall.

The Top 20 were selected after So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s exhaustive, cross-country search in five cities and the gruelling “Finals” cutdown in Toronto. Ranging in age from 18 to 29, The Top 20 dancers chosen from over 2,500 auditions are students, dance teachers and choreographers, all vying for the coveted title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer.

The Top 20 finalists (in alphabetical order) breaking it down for the first ever So You Think You Can Dance Canada performance episode on Wednesday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV are:

ALLIE Bertram (18) is a Ballet dancer from Calgary, AB. She is a graduate of the International School of Ballet, and is excited to represent her style on the show. Allie has just returned from the Boston Ballet and is thrilled to showcase for Canada how much she loves to dance.

ARASSAY Reyes (21) is a Contemporary/Latin dancer from South Surrey, B.C. Born in Havana, Cuba, Reyes has been dancing since she was young and frequently incorporates her Latin flair into her routines. Arassay attended the Cuban National School of the Arts, later earning a spot in the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba (Danza Contemporanea de Cuba). Arassay is currently dancing with the Vancouver dance company Grupo America.

BREANNE Wong (25) is a Contemporary dancer from Whitby, ON who began dancing competitively at age 12. Now a dance teacher in Ajax, Breanne is also the co-owner of a dance studio, which she cites as one of her biggest accomplishments.

CAROLINE Torti (23) is a Contemporary dancer born in Kamloops, B.C., who now lives in Oakville, ON. Caroline, who started dancing at age three, has trained in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, lyrical, acrobatics, and hip-hop, but says that contemporary wins out as her favourite style of dance.

DANNY Arbour (26) is a Latin and Ballroom dancer from Montréal, QC. He knows that with his status as a professional ballroom dancer, he needs to impress the judges in all styles of dance that come his way.

DARIO Milard (19) is a Contemporary dancer born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in St. Hubert, QC. He is a self-taught dancer who believes that his creativity and hard work have gotten him this far. Since taking an interest in dance five years ago, Dario has taken ballet and contemporary lessons at various Montréal-area schools, including Dawson College.

FRANCIS Lafrenière (28) is a Ballroom dancer from St. Bruno, QC. Francis owns his own dance studio and credits his students as his biggest supporters. He competed in the Blackpool Dance Festival in Blackpool, England, and looks forward to showcasing his infamous hip moves in the upcoming season.

IZAAK Smith (19) is a Hip-Hop and Ballet dancer from Prince George, BC. Dancing since the age of seven, Izaak attended North Shore Academy of Dancing and has studied at Judy Russell’s Enchaînement Dance Centre. He is also trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, modern and musical theatre.

JESSE Catibog (29) is a B-Boy from Toronto, ON. Inspired by his hometown’s multiculturalism and versatility, Jesse honed his skills on the streets of Toronto. Known for his signature dance move, the coffee grinder-torpedo-coin drop-jump-jazz split-chair freeze, Jesse is excited to show Canada his moves.

JOEY Matt (19) is a Contemporary dancer from Calgary, AB. Joey believes that making the Top 20 is one of his greatest accomplishments. The support from his friends and family is what drives Joey to dance like there is no tomorrow and try out new styles of dance.

KAITLYN Fitzgerald (18) is a Contemporary dancer from Loretto, ON. She has been dancing since the age of two, starting out in tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet. Kaitlyn has studied at various schools, including the National Ballet of Canada, and her proudest dance moment came when she participated in the Solo Seal for the Royal Academy of Dance.

KEVIN Mylrea (22) is a Contemporary dancer born in Saskatoon, SK and raised in Westbank, BC. He attended DANZMODE Productions and KC Dance Connection, and says he is proud to see other dancers perform his own choreography. One of Kevin’s biggest accomplishments is working on The Lizzie McGuire Movie with Hilary Duff.

LARA Smythe (25) is a Contemporary/Acro dancer from Toronto, ON who started out as a competitive gymnast and grew up attending Earl Haig’s performing arts program. For the last five years, Lara has been working mainly as a choreographer for acrobatic routines.

LISA Auguste (27) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Rexdale, ON. She is a graduate of Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, and the Canadian Aesthetics Academy. While in New York attending a class at the Broadway Dance Centre, Lisa had the opportunity to work with contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels – an idol of many other contestants in the competition.

MILES Faber (21) is a Popper and Boogaloo dancer from Calgary, AB. With no formal training, Miles was first introduced to hip-hop by choreographer Tara Wilson. Miles looks forward to testing himself as he takes on new dance styles and competes to become Canada’s favourite dancer.

NATALLI Reznik (28) is a Hip-Hop/Latin dancer born in Israel and now living in Toronto, ON. Natalli, who began dancing later in life, started with ballet at age 17 and moved into the modern, Latin, and hip-hop styles of dance. Currently studying fashion and visual merchandising at Seneca College, Natalli believes it will be her unique personality that will entice judges and viewers alike.

NICO Archambault (23) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Montréal, QC. He has been studying dance at Cégep du Vieux Montréal (http://www.cvm.qc.ca/), and enjoys rock ‘n’ roll as much as dance. Nico is looking forward to dancing with the rest of the Top 20 competitors and mastering new styles.

ROMINA D’Ugo (22) is a Jazz dancer born and raised in Toronto, ON. She started dancing as a child, taking jazz, tap and ballet. Romina attended the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, majoring in dance, before pursuing a career as an actor, graduating from Sheridan Institute’s Musical Theatre-Performance program. Her true passion, however, lies in salsa dancing.

TAMINA Pollack-Paris (19) is a Hip-Hop dancer born in Toronto, ON. With some training in jazz, ballet, and Irish dance, Tamina attended the Interplay School of Dance. She is currently busy taking classes at Toronto’s OIP Dance Centre and Street Dance Academy.

VINCENT Noiseux (22) is a Contemporary/Hip-Hop dancer from Saint- Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC. He has been dancing since the age of 13, and aspires to dance on tour with Janet Jackson. Vincent is overwhelmed with the amount of talent he has seen thus far in the competition, and looks forward to the weeks ahead.

Learn more about the Top 20 in the Wednesday, October 8 special So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 guide in Metro newspapers across the country, or at dance.CTV.ca, the official online portal for the series and the source for everything SYTYCDC. The site is jam packed with exclusive footage and clips, fans can get up close and personal with their favourite dancers, judges and choreographers by browsing the image galleries, videos, forums, blogs from judges and more.

For those who missed tonight’s episodes and in advance of next week’s first ever So You Think You Can Dance Canada Top 20 performance episode, an encore of this week’s Top 200/The Finals episode will air on MuchMusic Sunday, October 5 from 9-11 p.m. ET. An encore of both performance and results episodes will air Sundays at 9 p.m. back-to-back on MuchMusic beginning October 12 (go to ctv.ca and muchmusic.com to confirm local broadcast times).

Watch Top 200/The Finals highlights, exclusive footage not seen on TV backstage footage, on demand on the CTV Video Player at dance.CTV.ca.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada is based on the Emmy Award-winning smash hit series created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe that premiered in 2005. Canada joins the United States, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel as markets with an original So You Think You Can Dance production.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, and is produced in association with CTV by Danse TV Productions. Sandra Faire and Trisa Dayot are Executive Producers. Ed Robinson is Executive Vice-President, Programming, CTV Inc. Susanne Boyce is President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.

The post SYTYCDC’s Top 20! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

“So How Does ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’ Work?
Updated Tue. Sep. 9 2008 10:41 AM ET
Lindsay Zier-Vogel, CTV.ca

The show’s about to hit the nation but before Thursday’s premiere, let’s figure out how the show works…

Cross-Canada Auditions

Our cross-Canada audition shows feature the best of the best! So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s stellar roster of judges traveled from Vancouver to Halifax, searching for Canada’s top dancers.

How Does the Audition Process Work?

Before they even have a chance to get on stage the dancers lined up in wee hours of the morning, braving rain and wind and humidity. They nap, eat, bust a move and practice their solos while they wait, greeting old friends and meeting new ones.

The crowds erupt when host Leah Miller calls them into the theatre, and after the initial rush, there are forms to fill out, music to register, dance clothes to slip on and muscles to stretch. Before long, the dancers are finally up on stage, doing what they do best — dancing.

Solos:

After each dancer performs his or her solo for the panel of judges (in his/her own style to his/her own music), three things can happen:

* “It’s a no for me”: If the majority of the judges don’t think dancers can hold their own, they are homeward bound.
* “It’s a yes for choreography”: If the judges aren’t sure about the potential of a dancer, or just want to make sure he/she is versatile and capable of picking up choreography, the judges send him/her on to “Choreography” with Blake McGrath to learn a challenging multi-genre routine.
* “It’s a yes for me!: If the majority of the judges see great potential in a dancer, he/she will receive a “Boarding Pass” to Toronto and head straight to the Finals.

Choreography:

Dancers who are sent on to choreography perform Blake’s routine in front of the judges in small groups. After this performance, two things can happen:

* “It’s a no for me”: If the majority of the judges don’t think dancers can hold their own, their So You Think You Can Dance Canada journey ends for this year.
* “It’s a yes for me”: The strongest, most versatile dancers receive Boarding Passes to the finals.

Finalist Week in Toronto

The top dancers from each city travel to Toronto to compete for a spot in the Live Show’s Top 20.

Competitors are taught routines in several different styles by the two permanent judges, Tré Armstrong and Jean Marc Genereux, and third alternating judges, Luther Brown and Blake McGrath.

* At each stage, the judges vote on whether or not to keep the dancers in the competition.
* If the judges are split, contestants must “Dance for Their Lives” (i.e. perform a solo in their own style).
* After a grueling week, judges choose the Top 20 — ten male and ten female finalists — to participate in the live show.

Top 20 to Canada’s Favourite Dancer

With the Top 20 dancers ready and rarin’ to show Canada what they’ve got, it’s up to Canadians to decide who stays and who goes.

Each week, competitors are assigned different partners and dance styles to perform. From hip-hop, krump and pop-and-lock to salsa, quickstep, ballroom, and jive, the dancers perform group numbers, solos and duets every week.

Leah Miller hosts the evening and there will be three judges each week:

Two permanent judges: Tré Armstrong (a contemporary/funk dancer, choreographer and star of the MTV/Paramount dance film ‘How She Move’) and Jean Marc Genereux (international ballroom champion and guest judge/choreographer on the U.S. version of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’).

The third judge will alternate between a series of guest judges: Paul Becker, Luther Brown, Sean Cheesman, Rex Harrington, Blake McGrath, Mary Murphy and Melissa Williams.

Top 20: The First Five Weeks

The Top 20 Contestants try to impress both the judges and the voting public so they can remain in the competition.

Performance Night:

* Dancers perform duets created by the show’s choreographers in specific styles –contemporary, hip hop, ballroom and jazz, among others.
* The judges offer their take on the couples’ performances and provide feedback.

After Performance Show:

* Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite couple(s).

Results Show:

Dancers open the show with a group number.

* The three couples that received the least number of votes are revealed.
* Dance For Your Life: These bottom six performers are given one last chance to prove themselves as dancers as they each perform a self-choreographed solo in his/her own style.
* One male and one female contestant are removed each week based on the judges’ final decision.

TOP 10: The Remaining Weeks

Once our dancers are narrowed down to the Top 10, it’s up to the public’s votes send one female and one male home each week — ending their dream of becoming Canada’s favourite dancer.

Performance Night:

* Dancers perform duets created by the show’s choreographers in specific styles –contemporary, hip hop, ballroom and jazz, among others.
* Dancers also perform their own solos
* Judges offer their take on the couples’ performances.

After Performance Show:

* Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite couple(s).

Results Show:

The remaining dancers open the show with a group number. Special guest performers will also perform for the live audience

* The male and female with lowest number of votes are revealed and eliminated.
* In this part of the competition, the judges do not have any direct control of the elimination process, and the fate of the dancers is left entirely to the viewers at home.

Season Finale:

After the tough, exhausting months-long competition, one dancer is voted number one and heads home with the highly coveted $100,000 grand prize and the title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer!”

Can’t wait to see what they have done with the show – I’ll keep you updated but feel free to send me your thoughts especially about the salsa routines!

The post So You Think You Can Dance Canada appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Evan and I were out very early on Sunday shopping for all the yummy desserts and decorations for the evening. By noon we were setting up at the studio, then I taught 3 hours of class and I don’t think we left the studio until 11pm which was a long day but everyone’s energy and enthusiasm kept us fully motivated!

At 4pm Evan, David and Annamarie began to set up the tables, chairs, balloons, etc. With the help of Emely, Joanne, Karina, Sara and many more the studio was transformed for the evening. We opened the doors to DJ Evan’s awesome salsa at 5:30pm and by 6:00pm the studio was hopping. Throughout the evening we had many TDS friends and students drop by to enjoy the tasty desserts and dance the evening away. It was great to see so many faces.

Monica, Selena and Annamarie took care of providing everyone with a Spanish version of their name and there were some very creative and sexy nametags in attendance. Thanks also to Joanne and Daniel for helping.

At 7pm Alfred and Nina started off the performances with a bang. Camela and Manuel performed their choreography from the finals of the competition and finally to end the evening off Bryant & Faye from Tango Soul Productions performed an Argentine Tango routine. We raffled off some salsa T-shirts and DVDs also – congrats to the winners!

I was worried that the studio wouldn’t be able to handle the amount of dancers we expected but we had about 250ppl in the studio from 5:30 – 930pm and at no time was it packed so I know that our Sunday Socials will always be spacious.

Big thanks to Evan – it was his debut as a DJ and I thought he did an awesome job! He will be DJing this Saturday July 19th at 9pm at Peridot Lounge for our next outing as well as at our first Salsa Sunday Social this Sunday July 20th from 5:30 – 8:30pm at Empress Walk Studio. Hope to see everyone there!!

The post Our Grand Opening Party! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

What a fantastic evening Friday turned out to be! With almost 700 people in attendance the 2008 Toronto Dance Salsa Amateur Competition Finals was a smashing success. The evening started off with a beginner lesson with Velina and Jennifer and an intermediate lesson with Rob and Sonya. Despite the large crowds both classes were fun and by the end of the hour the students were able to execute the combinations.

Social dancing began immediately after the lessons until 11pm and although we had so many people in attendance there was still lots of elbow room to really dance.

At 11pm sharp George(ous) began the competition. As usual he was funny, engaging and entertaining and the crowd really enjoyed the introductions and funny stories. The judges were introduced: Teddy and Rene from United Salseros, Angus from iFreestyle, Ana Machada and Salsa Steph from Go Dance Mambo.

Then it was time for the competitors to do their warm up. All the couples warmed up on stage for 2 minutes at which time George called each couple to perform. Each couple had been working for the past 4 weeks to create a choreography to a 2 to 2.5 minute routine and the effort was evident on stage. I was really proud of everyone – most of them had been in my level 1 a year or two ago and to see them on stage in costume performing in front of hundreds of people was amazing and inspiring.

Once the competitors finished I ran to add up the scores with Sara. At this time we had 5 performances by iFreestyle, Go Dance Mambo and Mambo Mosaic. Each one was unique and very entertaining. Thank you to all the performers who took the time and energy to perform that night.

Immediately after the performances George announced the winners – it was a very exciting moment for everyone! The winners were:

1st Place – Kelly and Barry
2nd Place – Camela and Manuel
3rd Place – Therese and James
Runner Up – Marsha and John
Runner Up – Jennifer and Tyrone

Barry and Kelly won the following:
A full Canada Salsa Congress Pass for each of them, a full Miami Salsa Congress Pass for each of them with 1 night hotel stay, a full World Salsa Competition Pass for each, 3 pairs each of dance shoes from both Century Wide shoes, Gabellini Shoes and Addicted to Dance Shoes, dinner & show from Plaza Flamingo, Peridot Rest Lounge Gift Certificates, 1 year membership to Lula Lounge’s salsa Fridays, t-shirts from Shokkwear, Meet Market Adventures Gift Certificate and Trophies

Congratulations to everyone for competing. It is such a courageous thing to do and many people don’t realize the amount of work that goes into performing so I am very proud of everyone.

Thank you to everyone who made the evening rock – Evan, George, the judges, the performers, the sponsors and the competitors. Looking forward to seeing you all next year at the 2009 competition!

The post Competition Last Friday! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.