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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.

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.

The group started when Juan Miguel Mas decided he was frustrated with the lack of opportunity overweight people experience when learning how to dance. What was so great to hear was that Danza Voluminosa has “become a cultural phenomenon in Cuba, performing to sell-out crowds at some of Havana’s top venues”.

I loved reading this article because dance is so universal and should be an enhancement to the lives of everyone regardless of race, size, gender, age, etc. I wish, however, that everyone would have the same opportunities when it comes to education. It would be great to see students of all types attend any class they choose, instead of feeling like they have to form separate groups to be comfortable and progress. That is why I love salsa! I have students from 14-80 years old attending the classes from all cultures, races, sizes,types. When I go to a salsa club in Toronto I am amazed at the variety of dancers and that is why I love living in Toronto!

The post An interesting article. appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I agree with what the author, Jason Pacheco, writes below. I think that it is an unnecessary worry many people have because you will find groups in every situation. High school, the local baseball club, work. You hang out with your friends and the people that you like and are comfortable with and if a new person comes into the group it is great. When you are in a new environment you see groups all around you and feel isolated but you probably are a party of many groups yourself and if asked I bet you would be happy to have new people in the group.

So next time you want to dance with someone in a “clique” just ask and you’ll probably be surprised!

Sharon

“Salsa Cliques By Jason Pacheco

I was having a late snack after dancing and I was trash talking with some people about life. Picking up the info on who was dating who and who left which dance company. We had a few veteran dancers but there was a new child on the scene. She made a comment that a lot of young dancers make. “The salsa scene has too many cliques.” I had to laugh because it was such naïve statement.

I grew up in a very strict evangelical home in the inner city of Chicago. Every social event from childhood through high school was surrounded by church. I went church, bible study and bible camp during the summer. Then I went to college and was exposed to many different social circles. I wasn’t sheltered to the point that I never had exposure to other social circles, but I never really saw them in depth like I did in college. It was a fun experience because I enjoy watching people interact. When I started dancing I realized that the salsa scene was by far the most entertaining social circle that I have ever witnessed.

“People are people” I say this all the time. Sometimes we become so involved in our social world we think it’s the exception. Really people tend to behave the same regardless of the scene. Growing up in church you meet good people and you meet not so good people. There is a church jargon and yes they have cliques. This goes for every social group where people gather together. The word clique has a lot of the negative connotations. (Except for the Hip- hop scene) If you were to look it up in the thesaurus it’s synonyms are faction, gang and elite. Ouch… Who wants to be described as elite faction or gang? There isn’t anything wrong with cliques. Yes I agree that the dancing scene has many cliques. No one should apologize about wanting to hang out with his or her friends. That’s what humans do. People who complain about cliques are usually jealous that they are not part of a clique. Their complaints subside once they have their own niche. Newbie’s will always make this complaint until they gather the skills to hang with advance dancers. Everyone goes through it and no one likes being humbled.

I use to play basketball in high school religiously. I would play for to 4 to 5 hrs straight everyday during the summer. Even within athletic circles groups would form. These revolved around your skill level. There are three outdoor basketball courts in the park. On the south end all the kids and busters would run their games. In the middle was the High school and mid level players ran their games. On the north end was where the giants roamed. These were grown men and a few large teenagers. No one complained about cliques on the basketball court. You played at your level until it wasn’t challenging and then you attempted to make the jump. If you weren’t good enough you wouldn’t get picked to play. How much fun would a grown man have going over to the south end of the courts and totally dominating a bunch of kids? Not only wouldn’t it be fun it’s dangerous.

It’s the same thing with dancing. You want to dance with people who are going to challenge you. Of course you should dance with beginners and make an effort to welcome new people. No one should expect that if they are just learning the fundamentals that they are going to be dancing every song. If you are not dancing it’s not because these cliques want to deny you a good time. Truth is no one gives it that much thought. (Expect for over analytical people like myself). So just keep dancing and practicing soon enough people will complain about how left out you make them feel.”

The post Salsa Cliques – LaVos Magazine appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.