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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.

SG – “Are there any obstacles you can remember experiencing in your salsa development and how did you overcome these obstacles?”

ATM – “Where do I start?! I was a broke college student…lol So, I didn’t have much money for classes and such. What I would do is save up as much as possible to take a private once in a blue moon so I could get some individual attention and find out what I really needed to focus on. Then, I would practice the heck out of what I was told to do. This won’t always work for everyone as you have to have a lot of discipline to make it worthwhile, but it definitely helped me.

Time was also a problem. MIT was very demanding, so I had little time to do much else but study and bury myself in my work. Every chance I could get to come up for air, I’d take it. I had to get good at prioritizing. I believe if you really want to do something, you find a way to make it work, no excuses. That’s why I have no sympathy when someone tells me they don’t have the time to practice. You have to make the time.

SG – “What does salsa mean to you and how has it changed your life?”
ATM – “In truth, I’m actually a very shy person unless I know you. I don’t talk much in public unless I’m forced to, but I’ve found myself being more open and much more confident as I’ve improved in my dancing. Salsa has a way of helping you let go of inhibitions.

I’m still very self-conscious about a lot of things, but we all have our insecurities, and I just learn to work through them.

SG – “What are some of your salsa goals for 2008?”
ATM – “Joel and I are working on some big productions. There’s the Fantagious CD Release & Theater production coming up May 16th (www.masacoterecords.com). WE’RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT! It is going to be different from any other dance event or show you’ve been to before. I know there’s a lot of people from Toronto planning to join us. That is taking a lot of prep work.

We have another production to work on after that which we want to finish in a couple years, and I have a couple other projects to embark on before the end of this one, including my first solo, which I’ve been wanting to do since 2004 but wanted to wait till the right time. I’ll be working on that this year. Hopefully you guys will like it :)”

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The post Part #4 of Ana’s Interview from Masacote appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

SG – “What are the most important actions that students can take to see improvement?”

ATM – “First and most importantly, practice what you learn from class, both in a group and on your own. I know for me practicing in a group of 3 was very helpful as I always found it motivating. Plus, I could ask someone to take a look at what I was doing and see if they saw what I might be doing wrong. Practicing on your own is also good though since there are some things we feel less self conscious about practicing alone.

Now, the key to practicing is to focus on certain things – such as spinning, body movement, social dancing, etc. Don’t try to do everything in one day. That is the downfall for most people. If you don’t find a focus, it could just end up being a waste of time. If you’re not sure what to focus on, then I’d highly recommend taking privates to help you target.

Another really great action is to tape yourself on video every couple months. You can literally document your improvement this way. The truth is that if we don’t have an awareness in our bodies, we will never really understand what people are trying to tell us to do or not to do unless we see it for ourselves. That is the beauty of video.

Now, that doesn’t mean have someone follow you around with a camera. lol Just bring a camera to practice and ask a friend to tape you social dancing or just improvising to footwork (a great substitution if you don’t have someone to lead you). These days, photo cameras or phones usually all take videos, so it’s not as hard to come by one. 🙂

I never had a camera when I started, but I was lucky that some friends did and once in a while a friend would give me a video of me social dancing that I didn’t know existed. It opened so many new doors for me…I would literally cringe at the first videos I saw of myself. I was doing so much I didn’t like, but all the corrections people were giving me started to make sense. When I would see subsequent videos, I would see the difference in my dancing and even more that I wanted to correct.

In the end, all these early videos served as motivation for me when I would get frustrated or hit a rut later on. Sometimes going back to the first videos of yourself and seeing how far you’ve come can really help to focus you once again. Here are some of the earliest salsa videos I have of myself…Maybe it will motivate someone else:

http://www.masacoteentertainment.com/videos/anaprogression/index.html

Thanks Ana for the advice and sharing your first videos. I still think your first videos are wonderful but the progression is definitely notable and inspiring for those who feel they have reached a plateau!

More interview questions with Ana coming soon!

The post Part #3 of Ana’s Interview from Masacote appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Here is the first excerpt from the interview:

SG – “What is the most important piece of advice you can offer a person learning how to dance?”

ATM – “Have fun! Dancing is about having a good time. Many times people begin to take it too seriously and forget why they started in the first place. That doesn’t mean don’t work hard…The beauty of salsa is that it doesn’t matter how much you learn, there is always something MORE. It is a much more challenging dance than people think when they start out, so many times people let frustrations get the best of them and they give up.

Just work hard, practice hard, and focus, but when you step out on that dance floor, don’t forget that your Number One priority is to have fun and enjoy yourself.”

SG – “Are there any things students should avoid doing in their development?”

ATM – “Most students want to conquer the world in one day instead of finding a focus. I would recommend to focus on one timing…Be it on 1, on 2, on 3….But focus on one of them until you get comfortable with it. Then, begin to expand into other timings. Salsa is just a language with many dialects. There is some similarity between all the timings, but if you try to learn them all at once, you can easily confuse yourself. Try to find one focus, but once you are able to expand, definitely DO IT! You never want to limit your partners, so it is great to learn and understand all the other timings possible.

Also, try to avoid staying in a clique. That is the biggest mistake most people make…They take classes, meet people in the classes, go out as a group, and dance only with themselves. That creates 2 problems….1) You don’t get to learn the art of adaptation. Salsa is about learning to connect with people whom you’ve never danced with before. 2) The salsa scene grows into a nice little slump of a community. The more open people are with each other and the more interaction they have with others from the community, the more the salsa community can grow together and create a healthy environment for newcomers. Just sit back and watch it blossom. This invariably helps the dancers in the community grow too.

Of course, I’m not saying not to go out with friends. By all means, find a group of people to go out with, make it a group trip, and dance with each other at the clubs, but don’t just stick to dancing with each other. Branch out and dance with others you haven’t met before.”

More with Ana over the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out some videos of Ana on her website Masacote Entertainment.

The post Ana’s Interview from Masacote 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.