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.

There won’t be any responses to voicemail unfortunately. Most of the answers to everyone’s questions can actually be found on our website so search through the site and use the forums as a means for obtaining info. If you can’t find the answer to your questions email me at info@torontodancsalsa.ca as I will be occasionally checking emails.

I will update the registration numbers every second day so it should still remain fairly accurate. All registrations as usual will be processed online and it would be beneficial if everyone paid through with a credit card online to avoid cheque delays.

DVDs will not be mailed out during this time so please remember it will take a few weeks to receive. Email confirmations also will not be emailed out until my return so please be patient and you will receive them by Dec 27th.

This will also be my last blog post until end of December. I wish everyone a wonderful a wonderful holiday season and an amazing end to 2007!

The post Office Closes Dec 6th to 26th appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

When you go out to a salsa club, dedicate a couple of songs to finding your favourite couple in the room and watch them dance. It will assist you with ideas about new turn patterns, body movement, musicality and partner dynamics. You may think it doesn’t affect you but watch often enough and you will see your own moves start to sharpen, your body movement and styling start to come out and your range of musicality will increase.

I prefer watching at congresses because you are looking at some phenomenal dancers and it is really inspiring. You may have to get over your “inadequate” feelings watching such good dancers. I remember the first congress I went to I couldn’t dance for the first night. I saw Milton Cobo dancing with Grizelle Ponce, who are still two of my favourite dancers, and that was traumatic! I couldn’t bring myself to dance after that experience. But I had to re-shift my thinking so that their dancing would inspire me to improve instead of shake my confidence. And I went out and danced all night the next day, trying a few styling moves I had seen.

You can also watch videos on the web. YouTube and MamboTV are two great websites for this but there are also thousands of clips online that will inspire and motivate you.

Happy watching!

The post Watch and learn appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

It was a great semester – it flew by faster then any other. I found the students to be really enjoyable – fun and dedicated and ready to learn. I also find that every year the students get better and I have to add just a little bit more to the syllabus to keep them challenged and progressing. Maybe it is that their practicing has increased or maybe I just keep honing my method of teaching and it is easier to get through the material. Whatever the case it is nice to see the students mastering difficult combinations.

Many people are worried about taking a month off of salsa…they may start to forget the moves. To combat this, make sure you practice. Purchase the DVD and work along it. Go to salsa clubs – there is a least one club open every night of the week. Go to the Monday Toronto Dance Salsa practice at Adelaide Club – there are still two weeks to go. Go to the Toronto Salsa Practice sessions on Saturday at Trinity Church downtown.

We also have one more outing on Friday Dec 28th at 9:15pm at Plaza Flamingo. Come out and support our team of helpers who have been practicing their performance routine for months and are ready to show you their stuff!

I want to thank all my students for a great semester – it was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again in January!

The post My last classes :( appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Just like many of you, Don, The Unlikely Salsero, did not look or feel the part of a salsa dancer. He started dancing later then most and felt very awkward throughout the first few months of dancing. It is funny because everyone who comments about themselves to me in level 1 states that they have “two left feet” with such shame. It is almost like most of us think we are the worst dancers and there is no one else in our situation. This is not true. Most people don’t have a natural musical dance talent. It is something that is earned through practice and patience. And the reward is well worth the effort.

Don lists some of the benefits he has been privileged to be rewarded with throughout his salsa journey. Here is my favourite paragraph of the blog although I encourage you to read it in full. Here he states:

“He’s simply one example of someone who made a positive impact on me and I could fill twenty pages with more examples. I’ve become friends with CEOs, manual laborers, construction workers, teachers, bus boys, accountants, models, waitresses and waiters. You name a profession and I probably have danced with them or next to them. Nobody cares about my being an older white guy or having gray hair, as long as I continue to grow as a dancer and treat others well. I dance with women young enough to be my daughter and old enough to be my mom, and it’s all good. It’s amazing, and I don’t think it ends. Social dancing keeps me thinking about how I can be a better friend, connect with more people, and grow my circles of contacts. The diversity is a big win for me. Although I have to admit I’ve always loved people, social dancing opens a new, wide world of interesting relationships.”

Feel free to share some of your salsa experiences. Communication is a great way to move past the physical and mental blocks or hurdles and move to a new place where the rewards far outweigh the risks.

The post Want to Get Inspired? appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

One of the conversations we had is how drama-free the TDS team is in comparison to many salsa groups. From past experience I know that just like work or school, salsa groups have lots of drama, competition, romances and friendships gone wrong. But with our TDS core team of instructors and helpers which has more than 60 people in the group, it is very rare to hear of any incidents. Everyone is really there to be social and enjoy the fun, stress-free environment. This is what I love most about what I do. Seeing students catch the salsa bug and grow and develop into helpers and really come out of their shell and become different people. They may move on to other groups in the future but I can be proud that their initial first years of salsa experience were positive, passionate and gave them a really good base of friendships, dance partners and dance experience.

Thanks for the great conversation and evening ladies – you all rock!

The post Girls Night appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

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!

The post Last Night at Babaluu’s appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

This advanced class is intended for those who have completed level 5 or by permission. This 9 week course will cover the fundamentals of body movement, individual styling as well as styling during partner work for both males and females, and timing, rhythm and musicality individually and with a partner. The goal of the class is to transform the student into a “dancer”.

Every semester we focus on a different specialized salsa class so that students can being to advance to the next level. Styling is one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of the dance because when you start to look like an advanced dancer you begin to feel like an advanced dancer and that is when you let go and really feel comfortable on the dance floor.

If you are in level 4 and feel confident about your dancing, please send me an email and I will assess whether you are ready to go into this class.

The post Advanced Body Movement Class appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We were a little worried because 60 people responded that they were coming and while our new home is quite spacious, 60 people may be cutting it close.

Well all 60 people did end up coming and within a couple of hours the tables and sofas were moved and the salsa addicts had turned our home into a salsa club! The non-salsa friends watched in wonder as the salsa helpers danced their way through song after song. Evan and I through in the towel and started dancing too although socks and hardwood floor makes for one slippery dance. The good news is that our floors have never been so shiny!

It is funny to watch salsa dancers. We have a hard time sitting still when salsa music is on. I put on salsa music throughout dinner and everyone couldn’t wait to push the tables aside to bust out the moves.

Hope everyone had a great time. We’ll be sure to do it again!

The post Salsa at Our Open House appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The Salsa for Singles class is geared towards single people between the ages of 20-35yrs who want to meet other singles in their age range. It is not just for the point of meeting a potential romance. It is also to make new friends and enlarge your social network. The syllabus (what you learn) is exactly the same as our level 1 class. However, with this class everyone rotates so you get to dance with everyone in the class and it is a more social setting. Many students will form groups after class and go dancing on their own.

The 7 week salsa class that we have available occasionally is just salsa so it doesn’t have the Merengue and Bachata classes that the 9 week class has. The salsa syllabus is exactly the same but it is missing the other two dances.

Hope that helps clarify your questions!

The post Singles Class Vs Regular Level 1 appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.