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.

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/

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“Although I only began learning salsa six months ago, joining Toronto Dance Salsa I already feel like I’m part of a welcoming and exciting community. I have enjoyed all the classes I have taken so far, with Sara in Level 1 and Sharon for Levels 2 and 3. The atmosphere in the classes is always friendly and fun, and the material is taught at the perfect pace, with lots of opportunities to practice. And I love dancing with and hearing the advice of helpers, who really are helpful. Having said all that, it comes as no surprise that I’m developing a salsa addiction, the benefits of which are incredible. In the last few months I have met so many interesting people and got to dance with many of them at the Sunday Socials (at which I am now a regular) and some of the outings. And, it seems like the salsa addiction sparked by TDS is contagious, because I’ve already got several friends as enamored with it as I am. All in all, I am excited for my salsa journey to continue!”

– Nina Gheihman, Level 3, Toronto Dance Salsa Testimonial

Keep the feedback coming our way – email me at info@torontodancesalsa.ca with your comments!

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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.

“Dancing away the woes
Vasumita S
Daniel Clifford, a salsa dancer and trainer conducted two-week salsa workshop for prison inmates at Central Prison Bangalore

For the many inmates at Central Prison Bangalore, salsa was not a term they may have been acquainted with before. But that is exactly what they got to enjoy and experience in the two-week salsa workshop that Daniel Clifford, a salsa dancer and trainer conducted for them recently. Daniel proposed this concept to the Additional Commissioner of Prison, H A R Ramesh. “The police department was very interested in my proposal, for they thought this kind of dance therapy can have a positive influence on the prisoners. The class itself turned out to be an amazing success, as more than 170 prisoners joined up for the workshop on the first day, and they were very interested in learning the dance technique,” says Daniel. The workshop that he conducted in January had a two-week course on salsa, samba, Cha Cha Cha and other Latin dance forms. The workshop was also filmed by BBC Worldwide.

Daniel has been a salsa dancer for almost 10 years now and has travelled to South Africa to professionally get trained in each of the dance forms. He has a dance school in Mumbai, and conducts short workshops in Bangalore too in association with Studio 5678. He says that dance is a medium that instills confidence in people. “Dance provides you with a platform to shed all your inhibitions, and learn to enjoy yourself. Also salsa is a very vigorous and vibrant dance that has immense health benefits too,” he says.

And for those of you planning on joining up the classes, Daniel says that joining the right dance school is most important. “Bangalore has a handful of certified talented salsa dance trainers. It is important that your trainer knows what you are looking for, else the satisfaction from learning the dance will not be there,” he says. Daniel himself is planning on a short workshop in Bangalore before heading off to South Africa for further training. The workshop will include a 10-day course for children and adults on salsa and other dances starting from April 10.”

Is this a good idea or not? I say why not. The power of dance is amazing and if it can benefit and really change someone’s life regardless of where they are or what they have done then great! Thoughts?

The post Salsa in Prison? 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.

Leah Miller will host the show. For those who don’t know Leah she is a Much Music host and also has a dance background. According to the ctv.ca website Leah won the title of “Miss Junior Dance of Canada” when she was 13 and danced competitively until the age of 16. Leah also had the privildge of taking dance lessons with choreographer Keith “Tyce” Diorio who is a regular choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance.

As for judges there are 2 permanent judges and then alternating and guest judges.

Judge #1 Tré Armstrong (How She Move)
Judge #2 Jean Marc Genereux (guest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance US)

Alternating Judge #3 Luther Brown (Hip Hop Choreographer)
Alternating Judge #3 Blake McGrath (was on So You Think You Can Dance Season #1)

Special Guest Judges

Rex Harrington (Ballet dancer)
Paul Becker (film choreographer)
Mary Murphy (SYTYCD judge)

So some great names on the roster – can’t wait to see the Canadian talent!

The post So You Think You Can Dance Canada Details 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.

A very short walk from the subway station and with cheap $5 parking across at the Marriott, Peridot is very accessible. There are 2 floors with 3 main sections as well as a patio. We had 300ppl there almost and there was still space for more which was such a pleasant surprise!

There are 3 main rooms so we offered 3 lessons. Velina with Mildred as an assistant did the absolute beginner class, Emely and Sonya did the level 1 class and Evan and I did the intermediate class. Classes were very busy – hopefully everyone learned the combo and were able to practice it that evening to memorize.

Peridot kindly offered us gift certificates to give away and 2 lucky dancers received those. There was also a birthday dance for Tyrone, one of our helpers. All in all a great evening. Photos will be posted this week on our “events” page.

We look forward to visiting Peridot again very soon for our next Sunday outing!

The post Peridot Last Night! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

It has been a long time in the making but we are so excited to announce that Toronto Dance Salsa is finally moving into our own studio! We will be throwing our doors wide open June 1st, 2008, just in time to begin our summer semester.

Our gorgeous new studio is located in the heart of North York on Yonge Street between Finch and Sheppard at Empress Walk Mall right on top of the North York Civic Centre Subway. Parking is free for 1.5hrs for students in the underground parking. The studio is extremely large and airy at 1600 square feet!

We will still be holding classes downtown at the Adelaide Club and the Toronto Athletic Club so that we can provide convenience and flexibility to our downtown students.

We have just posted our summer schedule and registration is open inclusive of our new location called “Empress Walk”. For all the senior students who have been asking we have a level 6 class and a specialty styling class. Adelaide Classes will be posted very shortly.

For more information or to register please click on the following link:

http://torontodancesalsa.ca/salsa-classes.php

We will be holding regular weekly practice sessions at Empress Walk once we move in and will let you know the details as they come.

We look forward to welcoming you to our new home!

Sharon

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