Searching for a different way to improve your Salsa dancing? Ask any experienced dancer and they will tell you that learning the fundamental techniques of another dance form helps improve your skills as a dancer overall. In this class Tracie will lead you through technique exercises used by Argentine Tango dancers to develop their centre, poise, isolations and body awareness and show you how to apply those fundamentals to your salsa dancing. Also learn how to add sexy Tango leg styling within the structures of your on-1 salsa footwork. This class is also suitable for Argentine Tango dancers wishing to develop their Tango fundamental techniques of posture, balance, disassociation and execution. For dancers who have completed Level 2 salsa or higher. Also suitable for dancers who have just completed Level 1 or 2 Argentine Tango.

Brazilian Samba
with Tracie Yee
Starting April 29th 6pm for 9 weeks at $117 plus HST at Empress

Samba, the national dance of Brazil, is perhaps one of the most energetic and exhilarating South American dances! Learn the basics of Samba no pe, the style of samba most associated with Rio de Janeiro’s carnival. This class is suitable for female dancers with no experience with Brazilian samba, or those wanting to further develop their basic samba footwork, body movement, rhythm and styling. Improve coordination, core and leg strength and learn a fun, new (and easy) Brazilian samba routine. Join Tracie to dance and sweat to some of the most fun music on the planet! No prior dance experience necessary. This is a solo female dance class, no partners necessary. Please note that this class will be conducted in bare feet.

Reggaeton Funk
with Tracie Yee
Starting May 1st 11am for 9 weeks at $117 plus HST at Empress

Ever get seized with the overwhelming desire to flee the dance floor when Reggaeton comes on at the club? Well, flee no more! Learn how to get your funk on with this fun new dance class that blends the grooves of hip hop, funk and Jamaican dancehall. In this non-partnering dance class for both men and women, Tracie will focus on rhythm, body isolations, execution, styling and coordination. Once you’re done with this course you’ll have no reason to sit out the reggaeton music sets at the club!

The post New Ladies Styling and Technique class and more starting soon! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We started the day early at 10am at Leaside Curling Club. We had the entire arena to ourselves and curling instructors to show us the ropes. It was fun to see the helpers try something so new and unusual and after everyone got used to the slippery ice it was smooth sailing. We definitely have some natural born curlers in the group!

After the lesson and tournament everyone headed to Empress Studio for a special salsa workshop with Gen & Young of Korikoa. They learned a fun combination with styling and, in teams, created a short routine and performed it to the group.

After all this exercise the group was hungry so we headed down to Ichiban Sushi House for a great Japanese lunch.

Thanks to everyone who came out and participated. I am running out of unique activities so send me an email if you have an idea for our next outing!!

The post End-of-Fall Helper Recognition Outing! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

A huge thanks to Evan, Sara, Tracie and Mark who joined me at the studio for a fun morning of jokes, laughter, stories (it was a long car ride!) and salsa of course.

For those of you who have never seen the show, Real Life host Sharon Caddy and co-host Tanya Prokomenko keep us up-to-date on what’s going on in the world of entertainment, fashion and beauty tips, home decor, fitness, nutrition and family fun. Visit the Real Life website at: www.reallifeoncts.com

The 3 part segment will be aired on November 17th from 4:30 – 5:30pm so check it out!

The post TDS On Real Life! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

We have just posted a new Helper Only Performance Choreography class! This is your chance to take your dancing to another level by learning a professional choreography and performing it as a team in full costume at the completion of the course.

The course is 10 weeks long at 1.5 hrs per class. In addition to the class will be 5 hours of rehearsals before performance night. It begins Jan 9th to Mar 13th on Saturdays from 12:30pm – 2:00pm at Empress. The class is led by Tracie Yee.

Registration is open and we hope you take advantage of this fun opportunity to grow as a salsero!
_________________
Sharon
Toronto Dance Salsa
http://torontodancesalsa.ca
Toronto Salsa Lessons / Toronto Salsa Classes

The post Helper Only Performance Class appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

It is always hard to judge who will win because it is about the most popular dancer, not the best dancer. That is why Sabre won out Danny, Benji won out Travis and, most recently, Brendon lost to Jeanine.

So when judging who will win we really need to keep in mind who was the most popular dancer in the group. I haven’t had a chance to watch the entire season but I do know that Tara Jean comes to mind as the most well rounded popular dancer. She has never been in the bottom 3 as far as I know, she is spunky, fun and bubbly and she does a great job adapting to all the different dance genres. So I am betting my money on Tara Jean. I do think Jayme Rae is also a strong contender, she is a real fighter. I hope to see her place second.

Good luck to all the participants. Looking forward to focusing on the American version which is starting the Top 20 of its 6th Season. I have missed so many episodes so far. Has anyone PVRd it???

The post SYTYCD Canada 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.

Here is the info for the Canada Salsa Congress this fall in Toronto.

The post Canada Salsa Congress 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.

It was great to see everyone in one spot and dinner was delicious. For anyone who has a large group, Korean BBQ is a great way to get everyone eating as much as they want to in a fun, interactive environment as you get to cook your own food on small grills placed directly on the tables.

During dinner we announced the helpers who are celebrating one year of service with TDS and everyone received T-shirts. Congrats to Sandra, Anthony, Allan, Loveliza, Therese and Sadaf for being with TDS for one year!

After dinner the group walked to the Royal Alexander Theatre to watch the last Saturday night show of Dirty Dancing. It was a special treat to watch this high energy show with my fellow dancers and I think everyone enjoyed the flips, tricks and dips of the performers.

Thanks to everyone who came out. Photos are up on the events page. Now it’s time to come up with a new concept for the next outing. If you have any ideas for me, let me know!

The post Helper Recognition Outing appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

So you think you’re the next Nico Archambault? Come out to this year’s auditions for So You Think You Can Dance Canada, starting Saturday, April 4 at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver, B.C., and prove it!
Auditions for the dance tour are a grueling, intense process, and hopefuls must come prepared for the most important moment of their lives. After all, you wouldn’t expect earning the title of “Canada’s Favourite Dancer” to be easy, would you?

Audition dates and locations
Registration begins at 8 a.m. in each city.
Auditions will be held at the locations and on the dates listed below (subject to change):
Vancouver, B.C.
Saturday, April 4, Centre for Performing Arts, 777 Homer St.
(CALL BACK AUDITIONS APRIL 5TH and 6TH)
Edmonton, Alta.
Tuesday, April 7, Winspear Centre, 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square (Corner of 99th Street & 102nd Ave.)
(CALL BACK AUDITIONS APRIL 8TH AND 9TH)
Saint John, N.B.
Tuesday, April 21, Imperial Theatre, 24 King Square S.
(CALL BACK AUDTION APRIL 22ND)
Toronto, Ont.
Monday, May 18, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, John Bassett Theatre, 255 Front St. W.
(CALL BACK AUDITIONS MAY 19TH AND 20TH)
Montréal, Que.
Tuesday, May 26, Théâtre St-Denis, 1594 St-Denis St.
(CALL BACK AUDITIONS MAY 27TH AND 28TH)

So You Think You Can Dance Canada is designed to showcase and judge the talent of Canadian dancers.

Rules and regulations
The So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 2 cross-country auditions are open to all Canadians who, as of April 1, 2009, are of the age of majority in the province/territory in which they reside, and are no older than 30 years of age.
* Competitors must be either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
* All competitors must be legally eligible to work in Canada.
* Competitors must be of the age of majority in the province/territory in which they reside and no older than 30 years of age as of April 1, 2009. The age of majority is as follows: 18 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan; and 19 years of age in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Yukon.
* All competitors must provide two pieces of identification, including a government-issued photo ID (e.g. driver’s license or passport), at the audition.
* Competitors may bring a non-competing dance partner for purposes of the audition.
* All competitors must bring with them, along with the proper ID, the signed personal release, the completed preliminary questionnaire, and the music sheet. All will be available at the audition site and for download soon at dance.ctv.ca.
* All competitors are asked to bring with them the completed music sheet indicating the music they will use in their audition, along with the CD containing the indicated music.
* All songs must be “original” songs that are commercially available. A song must not be a re-mix of a song, a song downloaded from the Internet, or a competitor-created mix.
* Competitors will not be permitted to audition in any article of clothing with a visible designer, sports or other logo; artwork; name; photo; or other mark which may be subject to protection by copyright or trademark laws.

The post SYTYCD Canada Auditions! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.