Salsa in the Corporate Environment

By: Evan Carmichael

Salsa dancing is quickly becoming a popular activity for corporate events as human resource departments are looking for ways to engage their employees in a fun environment that also creates a positive team building experience.

Last week I began one of five lessons with a group of employees who work at a major hotel chain in North America. They wanted to reward the staff members who have been working there for a number of years and have them learn and present a dance routine to their co-workers.

They brought together front line staff with managers and it was an excellent bonding experience for everyone involved. We went through Merengue and introduced the basic steps and a number of introductory patterns. They picked it up quickly and by the end of the hour were dancing full songs on their own.

It’s amazing how much confidence you can instill in people by teaching them how to dance. Most of the employees we worked with today had never taken a dance class before and were scared that they would embarrass themselves. At the end of the class they were cheering and left with a newfound confidence in themselves.

If your company is looking for a great teambuilding experience that is fun and brings people together why not suggest bringing in a dance instructor to teach them the basics and inject some excitement into the workplace!

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“Hey TDS family,

I wanted to let you all know about something I recently experienced in hopes that you won’t make the same mistake I made. The lesson I learned is: make sure your dance shoes fit you properly!!

As a new salsa dancer, I went out in search of a pair of salsa shoes a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know too much about dance shoes, I just assumed they’re supposed to fit like regular dress shoes. I looked on the TDS website and found a place. I’m normally a 5 ½ or a 6 so I tried on the 5 ½ first and it was way too tight. The size 6 fit a big snug so I tried on a size 6 ½. To me, they fit perfectly but I wasn’t sure how dance shoes were supposed to fit but the lady assured me that they fit fine and that I’d have no problems with them. I left there very happy, not knowing what was about to happen a few days later…..

I went to my regular Sunday dance class and I found that my feet kept sliding forward in my shoes, leaving my toes to hang over the edge. I found this to be very uncomfortable so I asked one of the instructors if this was normal. She said no and suggested that I get insoles to prevent my feet from slipping. I went to a shoe repair place a couple days later and I asked for insoles and the repairman advised me that insoles wouldn’t help me because my shoes were in fact too big for me. He said that because of the material and because they’re dance shoes, I need to buy them a big snug and as I dance, they will stretch out. He also advised me that the space between my shoes and my ankles was too wide. He said that there was nothing he could do for me and that I needed to go back to the place where I bought them and get a smaller size. I called the lady from where I bought them and she said that if I want another size, I have to buy a completely new pair of shoes.

I referred back to the TDS website to see if there was another place I could try. To my delight, I found Century Wide Shoes (www.cwdanceshoes.com). The saleslady Angela greeted me with a big smile and she was very helpful and very friendly but most importantly, she took the time to make sure the shoes fit the way they’re supposed to. I left there feeling satisfied and relieved. I took a few of her business cards as I was leaving and I promised her that I’d give them to my TDS friends as I was very happy with her service. I tried the shoes in my next class and they were perfect.

My fellow dancers, when buying dance shoes, it’s important that you make sure that they fit you the right way. Make sure they are snug and there isn’t too much space in the ankle area and your toes aren’t hanging over the edge. They are supposed to fit a bit tight when you first wear them, but they will stretch out. Happy dancing!”

Written by Reshma Ramjattan

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She was interviewed because her memory had begun to fail her and she used many differnt approaches to re-sharpen her memory including supplements, a brain-training program, cognitive-enhancing drugs – and salsa dancing.

When asked why she chose salsa dancing her response was:

“You have to recall the steps and make your body perform them, all while you’re working with a partner, paying attention to the music, and trying not to crash into other people. It takes enormous neurological firepower.”

This is the first time I have heard of someone using salsa dancing for boosting memory but I do know that salsa dancing is commonly used to treat depression. According to an article written in the Courier & Mail, studies found that patients with depression received a huge boost of confidence and contentment after they attended salsa dance classes. This make a lot of sense to me. Salsa dancing is not only exercise which makes you happier, but the social interaction, confidence building and pride of mastering a difficult task can be a great revival strategy. You can express yourself, be creative and let out all the stress and frustrations of day to day life.

Wow I think I am ready to go salsa dancing right now…Babaluu’s anyone??

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