“Although I only began learning salsa six months ago, joining Toronto Dance Salsa I already feel like I’m part of a welcoming and exciting community. I have enjoyed all the classes I have taken so far, with Sara in Level 1 and Sharon for Levels 2 and 3. The atmosphere in the classes is always friendly and fun, and the material is taught at the perfect pace, with lots of opportunities to practice. And I love dancing with and hearing the advice of helpers, who really are helpful. Having said all that, it comes as no surprise that I’m developing a salsa addiction, the benefits of which are incredible. In the last few months I have met so many interesting people and got to dance with many of them at the Sunday Socials (at which I am now a regular) and some of the outings. And, it seems like the salsa addiction sparked by TDS is contagious, because I’ve already got several friends as enamored with it as I am. All in all, I am excited for my salsa journey to continue!”

– Nina Gheihman, Level 3, Toronto Dance Salsa Testimonial

Keep the feedback coming our way – email me at info@torontodancesalsa.ca with your comments!

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Thanks to over 200 people who came out to enjoy the evening.  Olivier and Elise taught the beginner salsa class and Evan and I taught the intermediate salsa lesson.  Ladies, we needed you!  There were at least 5 men who could have used a partner so ladies, come early to the outings so you can enjoy the workshop and get to meet some great dance partners.

There were tons of new faces and dancers of all levels.  As well, it was great to see some old friends and those who have been out of the salsa scene for a while.   Thanks to all my great dances including Rob, Teddy, Bryan and of course Evan and all the new dance partners I met.

Our next outing is the last one of 2010 and it is our TDS Christmas Party at Acrobat on Dec 18th, 2010 at 8:45pm.  There will be performances by the TDS Pro Team, the TDS Students Team and the TDS Reggaeton Team.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

The post Saturday at Acrobat! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The evening started off with a beginner lesson with Velina and Stella downstairs and an intermediate lesson upstairs with Evan and I which was really fun. The groups got the combos quickly and continued to practice the new moves throughout the evening. At 10:30pm the lights went down and the music was turned up and the dancing began. More and more people arrived, all with amazing, elaborate costumes. We saw everything from the scary costumes such as vampires and demons, to movie costumes such as the trio in the Wizard of Oz, to superhero costumes, to some very unique costumes (some I didn’t even understand).

We had a group birthday dance with Sara, Ozzy and Jennifer – happy birthday to you all!

I was the bubblicious Girl all in pink and handed out a lot of bubble gum. That was fun! Thanks to all my dances that evening – it was great to see some old students drop by as well as the United Salseros group.

Thanks to everyone who came out and made an effort with their costumes. It was a great night due to all of you!

Next outing: Friday Nov 14th at 9:30pm at Plaza Flamingo…

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We have just received word that Adelaide Club has been flooded and the studio will not be usable for this week. They are doing their best to fix the club to be ready for next week. In the meantime their sister property across the street called “Toronto Athletic Club” at Bay and Wellington in the TD Waterhouse Tower (studio 1) has been kind enough to allow us to use their studio this week.

Your classes for this Tues Nov 4th and Wed Nov 5th have been moved to the following location:

Toronto Athletic Club at Wellington and Bay
TD Waterhouse Tower
79 Wellington St. West, 36th Fl.
Studio 1
Toronto, Ontario M5K 1J5 Canada
T: 416.865.0900

Click below for map and parking info:
http://torontodancesalsa.ca/salsa-classes.php#TorontoDanceSalsaClassesLocations

We apologize for any inconvenience. Classes should resume as usual for next week. We will notify you through email if there are any issues. Please spread the word around to any friends you have attending these classes.

Thank you for your understanding.

The Gang @
Toronto Dance Salsa
416-913-5497
info@torontodancesalsa.ca
http://torontodancesalsa.ca

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The next new class to be offered is the very famous Zumba Fitness Workout 5 week session. This is a high energy, fun cardiovascular exercise program that incorporates Latin dance footsteps, body movement and arm movement to get the heart pumping and the muscles working. No partner is required. Cost is $70 for 5 weeks and the class takes place on Wednesdays 5:45 – 6:45pm starting November 19th. Here are some more details regarding this program:

What is Zumba Fitness?
Founded by celebrity fitness trainer, “Beto” Perez, Zumba Fitness Classes Toronto fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic workout system that will blow you away. It’s an exhilarating workout of caloric-burning, heart-racing, muscle-pumping, and body-energizing movements meant to engage and captivate for life! The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat.

In the past years Zumba Fitness Classes have become nothing short of a revolution. Coining the concept of “fitness-party” and making fitness fun, Zumba has spread like wild-fire throughout North America. The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms, and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you’ve got Zumba Fitness!

Zumba Fitness Classes in Toronto will get you grooving to Merengue, Salsa, Reggaeton, Cumbia, Bachata and Cha Cha Cha. The progressive level 1 class will start you with the basic footwork patterns and as the weeks progress, styling and fitness elements will be added to have you really working up a sweat! What are you waiting for? Join the party!

Toronto Dance Salsa offers Zumba Fitness dance classes in Toronto for beginners. This five week introduction class will address all the basics of the dances including technique, footwork, arm movements, body movement and styling.

Our Zumba Fitness Toronto classes are taught by Tracie Macko. Here is Tracie’s bio:

Tracie Macko, Salsa and Zumba Instructor
Tracie first fell in love with salsa in 2002 at a club in her hometown of Winnipeg, MB. Moving to Toronto that same year, Tracie saw the diverse dance and performing arts community that Toronto had to offer and immediately immersed herself into the Latin dance social scene. She quickly obtained a position as a Salsa dance group and private class instructor at Soles Dance Studio, and was a main dance instructor there until Soles closed its doors in the summer of 2004.

Since then Tracie has continued on as a private On1 Salsa Dance instructor, and, in 2005, expanded her teaching into the world of dance fitness, teaching ‘Zumba Fitness’ and Salsa Cardio at various fitness facilities throughout the GTA. Tracie has also established herself as a creative, dedicated and energetic dance performer and choreographer, making appearances on numerous Toronto stages in a variety of dance genres, ranging from cabaret style jazz to Salsa to Afro-Brazilian and Samba. She is currently a performing member of The Dance Migration, The Orient Dance Company and Las Gatas Entertainment. She is also a “regular” on the social Salsa dancing scene, dancing both On1 and On2 at clubs in the Toronto area, and is known for her unique style that reflects her diverse dance background.
Click here to view our Zumba Fitness Workout Classes Toronto.

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Dancing with the baby boomers
(Posted Date: Thursday, October 16, 2008)

As our population ages and looks for new ways to stay fit, many are turning to dancing
By Brian Baker
DANCING THROUGH LIFE: Couples of all ages are learning how to cut a rug, thanks, in part, to the popularity of reality dancing shows like Dancing with the Stars.

Adding a little spring to your step helps to tap dance on the head of the stereotype that says you have to take it easy as you get older.

Dancing, whether it’s ballroom or Latin, is a great way to ease into physical activity without the intensive regimen of weight training, say experts and participants.

Automotive industry executive Tony Dobranowski and his wife Janice started taking ballroom dancing lessons in the spring and plan to continue this fall.

Their goal was to get out for a bit of exercise and develop some dancing skills, Dobranowski says. And he credits Dancing with the Stars for helping to motivate the pair.

The TV show has helped timid baby boomers picture themselves as the next Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers, says Sharon Galor, president and owner of Toronto Dance Salsa.

“I think (boomers) were hesitant a few years ago because it was still fairly underground and it was considered a young person’s dance,” she says. “Now you see Dancing with the Stars and you see people of all ages dancing — it’s not limited any more to young people. Everyone’s taking advantage of it.”

Galor, an avid Latin dancer for more than a decade, adds the show is a positive influence, since Marie Osmond, Steve Guttenberg, Jane Seymour and Susan Lucci — all baby boomers — have wowed audiences.

Besides popularity on television, dancing is a great low-impact way for older, less active people to stay in shape.

“First of all, it’s a cardiovascular exercise so you’re going to be sweating, you’re going to be getting the heart rate up,” she says. “You’re going to be using muscles in terms of toning, have the abs being worked, the hips being worked, and all the muscles in your arms and legs.

“So it’s a really good overall body workout, without being too hard on your body.”

Dancing also helps with coordination, reflexes and memory, Galor says.

“A lot of people come to us and the first few weeks they can’t remember any of the moves we teach them,” she says. “Usually by the end of the semester they’ve got the moves, they’re being able to put them together.”

Professors at York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences echo Galor’s dance floor observations.

But, associate professor Joe Baker says, there’s a pervasive stigma attached to getting older. And he wants to stomp out the negative stereotype that as we age we can’t be as physically active as we once were.

“Our big social push in the lab is to get more people physically active and to forget about the stereotypes of what it means to be an older person, because we are finding more and more that those stereotypes just aren’t accurate,” says Baker, who researches physical activity and aging at York.

His suggestion for those who are not as active is to get out and dance.

“Our general message is you need to be doing activities that will challenge the current state of your cognitive and physical functioning,” he says. “So if you are a baby boomer who hasn’t been that active in physical activity for the past couple of decades, dancing is a great way to start getting a little bit more exercise integrated into your lifestyle.”

More exercise means greater blood flow, which also benefits the most important organ of all: the brain.
“There’s mounting evidence that suggests any time you get your heart up and getting the blood flowing, it also flows to the brain,” Baker says. “And so the brain is getting more enriched with oxygen than if you were sitting on the couch.”

For Wendy Lavender, office manager and teacher at the William G. Pollock Dance Studio, the enjoyment of dancing is a lot simpler.

“Well, (dance lessons) get people up moving around the floor,” she says. “It’s a lot more social than somebody going to the gym and getting on a stationary bike.”

Pollock Dance Studio, in the Yonge and Davisville area, offers smooth dancing styles like the foxtrot, waltz and tango, and some more uptempo steps: rumba, cha-cha, merengue, swing and mambo.

Lavender, a dancer for 18 years, says plenty of boomer couples come into the studio because they have more free time to be together.

“They’re empty nesters now and they’re looking some time to spend with each other,” she says.

And it’s the ease of dancing that attracts Dobranowski even more.

“(Janice and I) have admired for a long time the ‘old smoothies’ who glided around the floor effortlessly,” he says, “and we were hoping we might be able to do the same.”

The post TDS Featured in Another Newspaper! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I thought you would all be very interested to know you can have free tickets to see So You Think You Can Dance Canada live!

The online form is located at dance.ctv.ca. Just go to this link and request up to 4 tickets per person. Tickets are granted on a first come first serve basis, and successful parties will receive a phone call of confirmation. Taping takes place Mondays (from Oct. 6-Dec.1) at 6:00pm, Wednesdays (from Oct.8-Dec. 3) at 6pm, and Thursdays are live (from Oct. 9-Dec.4) at 6:30pm. The ticket desk is open for approximately 2 hours before the show.

The audience is set up as a “mosh pit” area and requires that the audience members stand for the duration of the taping. All audience members must be at least 14 years of age. Full details are available at the website along with the request form.

This is a great experience and we are lucky the taping is in Toronto. Hopefully you all take advantage and attend a taping. Please share you experience if you do!

The post Tickets to SYTYCD appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We met at World of Circus which is a Circus School in Richmond Hill for a lesson in all things circus related. In 5 groups we were able to rotate to several different areas learning such fun activities as Trampoline, Aerials, Juggling, Hula Hoops, Balancing and more. We also got to watch some of the pros in action and let me tell you it is a lot more difficult then it looks!

The group worked up an appetite and then met at Korean Grill House in Markham. This is a really fun place for a group because you can cook your own food on personal grills at your table. It is very interactive, fun and delicious!

Over 40 helpers came out to bond and have fun. Thanks to everyone for their participation and enthusiasm. Photos are now up on the events page so check them out!

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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.

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The evening began with a beginner lesson downstairs with Sara Sharifpoor and Velina Sotirova and an intermediate lesson with Evan and myself upstairs. We had a great turnout for the lessons and I was happy to see that the students picked up the combination with greater ease than last week at Plaza Flamingo.

DJ Evan then got the night started with lots of great salsa, merengue and bachata. I saw plenty of faces of new students and past students so it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. I had some fun dances myself – thanks to Frank, John, Vince, Mark, Rob and anyone else I danced with for the fun times!

Our next outing is on Friday October 17th at 9:30pm at Plaza Flamingo. Also keep Saturday November 1st open as that is our traditional Halloween Dress Up Salsa Party, this year at Peridot!

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