It was great to get back into the swing of things. I taught 3 sold out classes (level 1, 2 and 3). Everyone was super excited to salsa after a long hiatus and, as usual, we were a little rusty. So I wanted to remind everyone not to worry or stress too much about your first class. It usually takes a week or two to get back into the salsa swing if you have taken some time off so give yourself a break.

Remember that every class begins with a review of last semester so make sure you are on time and ready to review the most important moves of the past level. Keep in mind that even if you can’t remember all the moves, as long as you can execute the main moves, you will be fine and throughout the semester as you learn new moves we will bring back older moves and add to combinations so that you will continuously practice them.

Our Sunday social is more popular then ever. It is so nice to see students coming out weekly and really improving with every practice session. It is such a cozy, comfortable environment and it is very easy to make friends and meet new dance partners. Hope to see you all out practicing this semester and don’t forget that our first outing of 2010 is this Saturday, January 16th at 8:45pm at Acrobat Lounge. See you all there!

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We have a level 2 student named Prakash who recently wrote an article about how people can improve neuro skills and he listed dancing as his top 5 item. He recommends salsa dancing and TDS to learn. Check out the article on the website examiner.com

Top 5 tips to exercise your brain

Mental stimulation improves brain function and actually protects against cognitive decline, as does physical exercise. Most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. In short, use it or lose it.

By constantly participating in activities that you have not done before, you train your brain to go into uncharted territories, and pick up new skills. Health, or for that matter, anything flourishes, when you focus on eliminating the weakest link. i.e you are as strong as your weakest link.

Here are the top 5 tips for actively engaging your brain and in the process having fun too:

1. Break routine
Use your weaker hand to drive the computer mouse. Or try signing your name, or try punching in the phone numbers or brushing your teeth with your weaker hand. By doing it more often, you will be surprised how quickly your brain adapts!

2. Play games/sports
Any kind of new indoor or outdoor games that you haven’t played before. Or the latest craze – Sudoku. Sudoku rules are easy, and most websites carry free puzzles that you can download, and print and take it with you on your ride to work. www.krazydad.com/puzzles is a good resource to go to.

3. Juggling
Juggling is my favorite way to get my brain, eyes and arms coordinate, balance and do acts that I thought I could never do! Get yourself a good set of Juggling balls to begin with. There are a lot of youtube videos that show step by step on how to start juggling. You can drop me an email, and I can teach you myself or pass on the links. One of the best places to get juggling gear is from www.higginsbrothers.com.

4. Play a musical instrument
Learn a musical instrument. Anything that you always wanted to play. When I started learning the piano, getting the fingers and the brain tuned to the next note to play, can be really challenging and at the same time fun. Practice makes us learn it eventually and we then go on to play complex notes, songs or start learning the next musical instrument!

5. Learn a dance form
Salsa, could be a great choice. New moves to learn, new partners to dance with, and a great cardiovascular workout at the same time! If you are in Toronto, I would highly recommend torontodancesalsa.ca.

Thanks Prakash for a great article!

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1) Create tension in your frame – When you instructor keeps reminding you to keep your arms 90 degrees, open the thumbs and only use you fingertips in a light pull, they are reminding you to create tension in your frame. This is because salsa is not a choreographed dance. You never know what the next move is and the leader has to communicate what the upcoming move is with the tension in their fingers. To assist in the communication process, keep your arms at a 90 degree angle with your elbows flush along the sides of you bodies. Don’t stretch your arms. This weakens your tension. Both leaders and followers should not clamp their thumbs down on your partners hands because, again, this weakens tension. Your only hold should come from your fingertips curling and pulling gently against your partners fingertips.

2) Don’t look down – Looking down is a bad move for many reasons. The first is it shows your self consciousness which affects lead and follow. Your partern can sense when you aren’t confident and they become less confident about your lead or follow. Also looking down as a leader doesn’t allow you to see around you and you can end up hurting yourself, your partner and couples around you. Same with followers who look down. You can end up traveling too far or into another couple.

3) Listen to salsa music outside the classroom – Many students worry that they don’t understand the salsa beat. This is because they only listen to salsa music for 1 hour a week in a classroom where you are busy learning new moves and it is difficult to concentrate on several things at once. Instead, take the time to listen to salsa music in your Ipod or in your car and tap out what you think is the beat 1-2-3, 5-6-7. Slowly you will start to distinguish the one of the music and be able to understand the beat. This will then translate to better, more musical dancing in the classroom and on the dance floor.

There are many more tips to discuss. I will try to provide some more over the next few days!

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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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New York Style Cha-Cha-Cha (not be confused with ballroom version) is one of the few variations of this dance that places a heavy emphasis on musicality and partner-work play. It has both an elegant and funky feel at the same time. In this workshop, proper footwork fundamentals, leading, following and timing will be covered to provide a more comprehensive approach to this workshop. This includes graceful hand/arm movements and use of various parts of the body to accentuate the rhythms of the dance. The class is geared towards more advanced-beginner – intermediate level students and can help familiarize students who are also learning dancing On2. Must have completed level 2 or receive instructor permission to attend.

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Velina and Mildred taught the level 1 lesson upstairs and had a full floor of students. Evan and I taught downstairs a complicated turnpattern and even with the packed floor everyone seemed to get the combination.

It was great to see some old faces of past students as well as so many new students who were attending their first outing. I also loved seeing all the helpers and instructors in attendance showing some amazing new moves and styling – go team!

Our next outing is scheduled for Friday January 29 at 9:30pm at Plaza Flamingo. This will also be a huge outing as the helper team is performing at 11:15pm so come out to support them, learn new moves and have a blast!

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They have added cover for men on Wednesdays now. It is $5 and includes coat check which is still a great price but it is good for everyone to know. We didn’t have cash on us and had to go back to the car in the sleet to grab some. Not sure if this is a permanent change but bring extra cash on Wednesdays gentlemen!

I danced for about 1 and a half hours. I am usually busy dancing with friends and very rarely now get asked to dance by people I don’t know but last night I had two new dances as well as a dance with one of my level 4 students and helper, Ozzy. I was just passing by when I heard him say to Sara, one of my instructors, that he was definitely not going to dance with me – one instructor was enough for the evening. So of course we had to dance after that comment 😉 Great job, Ozzy!

I also danced with Evan, Rob, Tawfiq and Angus…all great dancers. I can’t believe how good everyone is getting. Evan has a great trick he does before he goes out on Wednesdays. He looks through our videos of salsa moves or even YouTube for new moves and memorizes one new move and tries to practice it that night so it will be incorporated into his regular repertoire. Works very well!

We saw tons of Toronto Dance Salsa students around so come out on Wednesdays and practice your salsa!

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Below is an excerpt that is useful on any dance floor that may help you get more dances!

“THE GEOGRAPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF THE DANCE FLOOR

Let’s face it, all people are not the same. Different people are different. And different people dance differently. Furthermore, these different dancers often dance in different areas of the dance floor. It’s just human nature. Generally, there are areas with beginners, other areas with intermediate dancers, and still other areas with the hot shots. There are even little sub-areas within these main areas. It’s not a rule, but it just sort of happens that way, naturally. It’s like a cafeteria: you eat what you want, when you want, and you sit where you want, with who you want. On the dance floor, everyone can make their own choice of how good they want to get, who they want to dance with, and where they want to dance on the dance floor, and often it breaks down according to ability level and friends.

Now, sometimes I’ve noticed beginner and intermediate dancers spending hours standing or sitting in the area where all the top dancers are dancing, and they’re complaining that no one will dance with them, and that the good dancers are stuck-up. This is not a constructive or helpful approach. Here’s a better strategy: As I mentioned above, most people usually want to dance at their own level. While it’s great, as we’re working up, to spend a little time watching excellent dancers in order to admire them, or be inspired, or to learn new moves and style, it’s not realistic to be expecting more than a very occasional dance over in that section of the dance floor, until you dance very well.

If we really want to get lots of dancing practice, our best strategy is to spend most of our time in the areas where dancers at our own level are dancing. Complaining doesn’t help; taking action does help. Eddie Torres used to tell us: “When you go to a club or social, don’t dance right away. First, walk around and see who can dance ON 2, and who dances at your level, or maybe a little bit above your level, and where they’re hanging out. Then spend most of your time dancing mostly with them. That way, you get the most dancing practice, meet new partners, and have the most fun.” It’s the geography and psychology of the dance floor, and the sooner you learn it the sooner you’ll have great evenings dancing.”

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“Miami Salsa Congress 2007…thoughts by Linda Domenichini!

One word: phenomenal! This sums up my experience at the 6th Annual Miami Salsa Congress. Held at the Miami Beach Resort & Spa on August 1-5, the event brought together all those who have a passion for salsa for five full days of parties, performances and workshops – and wow, this event did not disappoint!

We arrived in Miami early Thursday afternoon, which gave us a chance to settle in and hit the beach. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the official kick-off party at Yuca Lounge in Miami Beach. The small venue was packed with salsa enthusiasts and I had some great dances. I even learned a few new moves and a dip! Many of the instructors gave a freestyle demonstration of their talents as well. Among the salsa pros was Toronto’s very own Giovanni Torres, who tore up the floor with his shines. I was really impressed with the talent during these demonstrations – especially since the floor conditions weren’t the best (stone tiles) – but nothing could stop us from moving our feet to the beats of DJ Alberth Moreno (South Florida) and DJ Franklin Ayala (N.Y). We didn’t get back to the hotel until three in the morning!

A late-night made it a challenge to get up for the workshops, but we didn’t travel all that way to sleep in and miss out on classes with some of the most acclaimed salsa dancers in the world. With two classes (in different rooms) an hour to choose from, we had to plan which ones to take for our dance development. The program offered classes from the beginner to advanced level, ranging from various styles including Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Colombian. On1, on2, footwork on clave, ladies styling – whatever you were after, it was there! The congress even offered a beginners bootcamp, taught by Edie “The Salsa Freak” Lewis. I wish I could have taken all of the classes, but I managed to participate in five out of the seven timeslots of classes each day.”

Stay tuned to the next post from Linda’s exciting Miami trip…

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