5 Things I wish I would have known when I started salsa dancing.

1.  Its OK to go alone.
90% (completely unscientific stat) of the people who go to salsa nights are there to just dance.  Many of us go alone and leave alone.  Heading to the club was something I kept putting off because I had no one to go with, but after my first time I saw how may people come alone and it was out almost every night afterward.  Always try to do the club lesson to meet all the other people who are new to dancing and start building your “salsa friend” base.

2.  Latin Nights and Salsa Nights are different.
While both are lots of fun I made the mistake of going to Latino Nights expecting to salsa dance and barely hearing salsa.  Latino nights are more like club nights with not just salsa but also reggaton, merengue, reggaton, bachata, reggaton and other varieties of latin music like…reggaton.  These nights are great fun, but are different from salsa nights in both the crowds that come out and the vibe you will feel.  If you are not sure what kind of a night it is ask your teacher, call the promoter and ask what kind of music they will play.  If they say reggaton its probably a latin night, but this can vary depending on your location.

3  Its OK to say No.
This applies a lot to ladies, but once in a while to guys too.  If you don’t want to dance with someone its OK to say no, my feet are tired, sorry I am a bit dizzy or anything like that as long as its done nicely.  I have had it happen to me and its hard to not take it personally.  There are a lot of reasons why, but as a beginner its can be deflating.  Try to keep this in mind.  Salsa is a scene and the ‘dancers’ tend to recognize one another and while new faces are welcome people might need to see you dancing a few times before they realize that you are a ‘dancer’ as well and not just trying to pick up.  Ladies if you do say yes and half way through the song you feel uncomfortable (your are dancing with the 10% see point one) don’t be afraid to use one of the above excuses to detach from the dance.

4.  Be prepared,
Salsa is high energy, you almost have to think of it as a workout.  In all my time of dancing I have consistently heard complaints about breath, sweating and odor.  Make some rules for yourself.  Here are mine.  I always add extra deodorant under the arms (double up), bring deodorant with you and keep it in your bag or the car, every two songs new gum or mint, hydrate – most bad breath comes from dehydration and no amount of breath stuff can help if you have mouth pasties.  Lastly if you are a sweater like me bring some extra shirts or take a break every 3rd song.

5.  Be the fun one
I must admit to always feeling a bit of jealousy when I talk to girls who rave about how fun someone was even though they didn’t have a lot of moves.  If you are dancing, try to add some funny little bits to your repertoire of styling. Personally I love adding a little shimmy, butt shake or cheeky grin at the end of moves, but that is my style.  Observe yourself in other situations when you are being funny and see if you can put that on the dance floor.  Be the fun one to dance with.

Article by Ivan (Salsero)  Ruiz
Ivan is a local dancer and instructor in Vancouver.  He is one of the organizers of the Vancouver International Salsafestival and has a blog called SalsaMe.  You can contact him or find out more about him at his blog:  http://salsame.tumblr.com/

The post Salsa Advice from Guest Blogger Ivan (Salsero) Ruiz appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Jazz Meets Salsa is a 24 hour (7 days a week) Salsa Radio, Rumba Buena Estereo, currently streaming via www.jazzmeetssalsa.com. This is a 100% Canadian run station where you will have the enjoyment of listening to great salsa music in the comfort of your home and with no need to worry about changing CD’s.

Our vision is to bring Salsa Music to our listeners without the need of having to login to a foreign site. In this site their is also a section where visitors will have access to listen to the bands offered, Cache amongst others.

We are only a year new, and have already accomplished one of our visions, to bring forth the first ever Latin stage to Toronto’s own Beaches International Jazz Festival in 2010 where we showcased Latin Bands, percussion workshops as well as dance lesson on a wood platform, ideal for the dancers. This new area is called, Latin Square, and our main stage is JAZZMEETSSALSA. All this conveniently located right by the boardwalk. Who said you needed to travel down south to have the Latin flavours and rhythms. We worked hard to bring it to the people in Toronto.

Feel free to take a look at some pictures of last years event at www.beachesjazz.com

*********

We are also interviewing Wilson about Cache’s new album which has just been released and we will be bring you this interview soon. Until then, check out jazzmeetssalsa.com and enjoy!

The post Jazz Meets Salsa appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

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.

Thank you for all the interest in our competition. We now have 11 confirmed couples, more than ever! I will be closing the entrance to the competition now so I can focus on collecting awesome prizes. In addition to all our usual sponsors, the Detroit Salsa Congress will be sponsoring us this year with lots of full congress passes and much much more.

If you know of a company that can donate prizes, big or small, let me know. It is always an overwhelming task to get prizes.

Please save April 25th as the Preliminary date to come out and support our competitors and watch some great performances from schools such as Go Dance Mambo, Latin Energy and, of course, the TDS Helper Team and the TDS Pro Team with their sexy new Cha Cha Routine.

Can’t wait for the big night 🙂

The post Closing the Competition to Competitors! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We are excited to celebrate Valentine’s with you all TDS style!

On Saturday February 13th we will be having a special outing to Acrobat Lounge. As usual we will be holding a beginner and intermediate lesson from 9pm – 10pm. Social dancing will commence at 10pm with DJ Evan. By the way, Evan always accepts song requests so make sure you let him know what you want to hear!

We will also be having a special Valentine’s Day Dancing Game which will get people meeting new people and winning prizes. Come with your partner or on your own as it is a great night to get to know many awesome salseras and salseros.

At 11:30pm we will be having special performances by:
1) The TDS Pro Team
2) United Salseros
3) Latin Groove Productions
4) Brazil Dance World

Cover is only $10 at the door (no advance tickets are necessary). Hope to see you all there!

The post Be My Salsentine Party at Acrobat Lounge! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

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 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!

Join Tracie every Thursday 6-7pm from October 29th to December 10th at Empress for a high energy dance workout.

________________

New Belly Dance Beginner Class

What is Belly Dancing?

Belly Dance is a very sensual, fun past time and offers an excellent workout especially for the abdominal area. This ethnic dance which originated in the Middle East has different influences from regions such as Egypt, Africa, Lebanon, Turkey and more. Today it is enjoyed by dancers worldwide and is a popular form of entertainment and exercise as well as a great way to meet new friends and socialize.

Belly Dance has many social, mental and physical health benefits. Belly Dance classes promote better circulation and can reduce blood pressure, assist in joint health and act as a great cardiovascular exercise which burns calories, tones up and strengthens the body and assists with trimming up and getting fit.

The technique of belly dance varies with the type and style but most of the basics involve circular motions that, very similar to salsa body movement, isolate certain body parts such as hips, abs, shoulders, etc. The use of a coin belt or scarf tied around the hips assists with accenting and isolating the hips.

It is a misconception that men do not belly dance. Historically men have been very involved in this dance and we welcome males in our Toronto Belly Dance classes.
Join Laura from Arabesque every Monday or Wednesday from 6-7pm for Belly Dancing for Beginners at Empress.
Mon Oct 26 – Dec 21
Wed Oct 14 – Dec 9

The post New Belly Dance and Zumba Classes Just Posted! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The evening began with a fun hour long lesson. Tracie and Mark taught the beginner lesson upstairs and Emely and Olivier taught the intermediate lesson on the main floor. After an hour of social dancing the competition began and the four finalists each took the stage to perform their choreographed routines. No limits on dips and allowances on lifts meant some very showy and entertaining tricks from all the competitors.

While we tabulated the judges’ scores, we were privy to three awesome performances by Latin Energy, the Semi Pro Team at iFreestyle and United Salseros. Thank you so much to each performer and the schools for a wonderful and inspiring display of salsa!

By the time the last school finished performing, the results were in and here they are below. Congratulations to all four couples – what a great effort!

1st Place – Mridu & Elton
2nd Place – Winnie & Manuel
3rd Place – Karen & John
Runners Up – Maysa & Dan

Special thank you to Evan, George, Sara, Tracie, Mark, Emely, Olivier, Adis, Nora and our great judges Teddy, Rene, Angus, Vanesa and Oscar.

The post TDS Amateur Salsa Competition Update! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

It was an awesome evening – our most organized by far! We opened the doors at 6:30pm and by 7pm when the lessons began we were already starting to fill up the huge venue. Sara and Farnoosh taught the intermediate lesson on stage and Tracie and Mark taught the beginner lesson upstairs.

At 8pm DJ Efren started spinning his very high energy salsa tunes and the lights went down. By this time we had about 400 people in attendance dancing up a storm. Upstairs in the dancer’s lounge the 18 competitors were getting their makeup done professionally by Alice from Mary Kay Cosmetics who volunteered her time to spice up the competitors. A huge thank you to her and her colleague – they were amazing and did a great job!

At 9pm sharp George(eous) our host began the competition. Funny as always (and making fun of me as usual 😉 George thanked our sponsors, the judges and introduced our 18 competitors who warmed up on stage for 2 minutes. Then each competitor was introduced with their bio and performed a freestyle performance for 2 minutes. Here are the names of the competitors in no particular order:

1. Winnie Fung and Manuel Alvarez
2. Mridu Das and Elton Martins
3. Michelle Sui and Bobby Cabral
4. Karen Di Monte and John Radtke
5. Julia Brodyansky and Vincent Cheng
6. Marta Slowik and Alex Florescu
7. Stephanie Cansino and Nick Sagias
8. Eva Wen and Derek Wisniewski
9. Maysa Tani and Dan Tahirkheli

The energy of the crowd was excellent and the judges had the very difficult job of rating each couple. Once all competitors performed Sara and I ran upstairs to tally up the scores and get the names of the 5 couples with the highest scores. At the same time, the adorable kids from Latin Groove Productions performed on stage. Thanks to Oscar for bringing his group to perform – the crowd loved the group!

Finally it was time for the results. Once again, in no particular order, here are the 5 finalist couples who will be competing for the TDS Champion Title:

1. Winnie Fung and Manuel Alvarez
2. Mridu Das and Elton Martins
3. Karen Di Monte and John Radtke
4. Marta Slowik and Alex Florescu
5. Maysa Tani and Dan Tahirkheli

Everyone received an awesome gift bag with prizes like a year’s VIP pass to Six Degrees, TDS t-shirt, El Rancho VIP 4 month pass, passes to Lula Lounge, Plaza Flamingo, Baila Society classes and more. Thank you to the sponsors for the great prizes!

Overall an amazing evening. I can’t wait to experience the final round on Sunday May 31st at 7pm at Six Degrees. Hope to see you all there!

The post The Preliminary Round of the Competition! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The Miami Salsa Congress has always been a great friend and sponsor of TDS. As usual this year they are contributing passes to our first, second and third place winners of the TDS Amateur Salsa Competition and we are very appreciative.

“THE 8th MIAMI SALSA CONGRESS
July 29 – August 2, 2009
PRESENTED BY
SALSA LOVERS & MIAMI BEACH VISITOR & CONVENTION AUTHORITY

For a total of five days you will experience over 80 live spectacular showcases, dance to the music of some of the hottest Salsa disc jockeys & Live Bands in the industry and take dance workshops with the best instructors from around the world.

The Miami Salsa Congress was created in 2002 to give Floridians a chance to experience the latin culture of music and dance under one roof. It’s also an opportunity to bring salsa music and dance lovers from as far as the UK, Asia, South America and beyond to enjoy our beautiful sunny city while enjoying great Salsa music. This is why everyone calls the Miami Salsa Congress “The Ultimate Dance Vacation!”.

For more information regarding the Miami Salsa Congress, please visit:
http://www.miamisalsacongress.com/home.asp

The post Miami Salsa Congress appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

La Excelencia’s first CD ‘Salsa Con Conciencia’ has sold over 9000 units without major distribution. The entire CD ‘Salsa con Conciencia’ and two singles from the CD “La Salsa y el Guaguanco” and “La Lucha” were chosen to be voted on by the Latin Grammy’s, and, The Grammy’s making it as far as the second round. La Excelencia’s music can be found on countless salsa/world music compilations, motions pictures, instructional DVDs, and can also be heard on radio stations and satellite radio both nationally and internationally.

This CD showcases the versatility of La Excelencia and the many talented artists within the orchestra. In fact there are 13 in the band and the depth and layering adds considerably to the sound.

La Excelencia is a Nuyorcian band, but do not expect pure Mambo, this is Salsa Dua with plenty of hard-core trombones and acoustic piano. They are creating a new mix style with Cuban, Colombian, Puerto Rican and African traditions in a complete and smoothly contiguous manner. Layed on top of each track, the lyrics have a cutting message and underlying story. Soneros Edwin Perez and Gilberto Velazquez certainly do the lyrics justice.

Song titles include:
La Lucha
Solo Sin Amor
Sentencia
El Tiempo en Tus Manos
La Salsa y el Guaguanco
Estoy
El Loco
Cada Dia
Hijo De Los Rumberos
Boogalu Pa’ Colombia
La Lucha (Remix) Fet: Shanny
Musicians include:
Jorge Bringas Bass
Willy Rodríguez Piano
Charles Dilone Bongo, campana, quinto
José Vázquez-Cofresi Congas, shekere
Julián Silva Timbales, maracas, tambora, catá
Ronald Prokopez Trombone
Tokunori Kajiwara Trombone
Jack Davis Trombone
Sam Hoyt Trumpet
Jonathan Powell Trumpet
Willie Oleneck Trumpet
Edwin Pérez Lead vocal, coro
Gilberto Velázquez Lead vocal, coro, guiro

Check it out and I hope to see you on the dance floor.

Louis
www.theClave.com
Supporting local Salsa Bands!
—

The post La Excelencia appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.