The evening began with 3 different lessons.  Lisa and Eunjoo provided the absolute beginner dancers with a fun intro to salsa class.  Sara and Roger taught the beginner/intermediates a sexy combination.  By the way, this was Sara’s last time teaching a club class.  Sara has completed her PhD and will be moving into a full time role in her field.  We will sorely miss her and I know she had a great time teaching the class.  May and I taught the intermediate class up on stage with a huge crowd and that was fun (almost lost my voice!).

Social dancing began at 8pm while the competitors, judges and performers prepared.  Winnie Fung was our Stage Manager and did a fantastic job organizing the evening.  The judges arrived and were briefed, we drew numbers to see the order of the competitors and everyone was getting their makeup done professionally by the fabulous ladies from Mary Kay.

At 9pm sharp, the awesome Tracie Yee in her gorgeous orange dress started the night.  She was truly an amazing emcee – engaging, entertaining and natural.  She kept the evening flowing beautifully and allowed enough time for the judges to tally up their scores.

Our judges for this round were Teddy and Rene from United Salseros, Angus from iFreestyle, Jennifer from Steps and Oscar from Latin Groove Productions.  Thank you so much judges for your input and support!

We had 8 couples compete:  Nina and Branco, Ileana and Martin, Monique and Joseph, Alexandra and Yuri, Anny and Tony, Sandra and Vig, Stephanie and John and Sanaz and Khemara.  Each couple was fantastic – you could really see the effort that was put in for the freestyle round which is difficult to do without knowing the song that is coming up.

While I tabulated the judges’ scores we had six amazing performance by the TDS Cabaret Team, Latin Grove Productions, TDS Reggaeton Team, Sumeet and Crystal from United Salseros, Daniel and Sandra’s Argentine Tango performance for TDS and the amazing TDS Pro Team debut performance with Jessica and Olivier.  A huge thank you to everyone who performed – you should all be so proud!

It was finally time for Tracie to announce the 5 couples who will be moving on to the finals and in no particular order they are:  Nina and Branco, Ileana and Martin, Anny and Tony, Sandra and Vig and Sanaz and Khemara.

Thanks to DJ Suave for the great tunes, Evan for keeping the evening running so smoothly and everyone else who made the night so memorable for almost 400 participants.  I can’t wait for the finals on Sunday June 26th at 6:45pm at Six Degrees Nightclub!!

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Don’t hesitate to be specific.  Telling your partner you love a specific move or styling that they use is great feedback as well as a positive lift to the dance.  I always try to tell my dance partners that I enjoy dancing with what I enjoyed about the dance.  Whether it is the smoothness of the lead, the lightness of their follow, the energy they demonstrate or the shines they use, compliment, compliment, compliment.  It will brighten up someone’s day.

This is especially great when you see improvements in your partner.  You see the hard work that they have been putting towards developing the dance technique with additional salsa classes or salsa practices.  When you point out their improvements all that hard work will have been worth it for them and you will inspire them to continue to develop.

You never know when someone is feeling down about their salsa progress and these compliments are a great boost.  Whenever a student tells me about a compliment they received they are so affected by it that it makes me realize how important a little positive reinforcement can be on the dance floor.  So go out dancing and let the compliments begin!

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“Casino Rueda: My Latin dance journey started with Casino Rueda.  During my college days in India, we performed a Casino Rueda choreography for our college cultural function, it was an epic success and we got a lot of appreciation. Later we were even invited as guest performers in other colleges. That is how I fell in love with Casino Rueda and this was long before my girlfriend introduced me to the world of Salsa.

Later in Toronto, in the midst of my Salsa journey, I happened to see “Casino Rueda lessons by Tracie and Daniel” posted on the TDS website and thought I would give it a shot. I am so glad I took that course. It was totally different from a choreography class because we had to remember the Spanish names of the moves and we had to execute it when the circle leader calls for it. Some of my favorite moves were; Enchufla El Pulpo, Festival de Pelota, Setenta complicado, Toma Electrica, Sombrero (hat), La Flor (the flower).

The class was so lively with non stop dancing and it was a faster pace than a regular salsa class, at least for a non Spanish speaker like me!  Every class was so much fun and so full of laughter that it made my day brighter and I would always long for the next week’s class.  It  became very addictive on me.

If you would ask me to chose either Salsa Dancing with a partner or Casino Rueda in a circle, I’d opt for Casino and I wish it was just as popular. But even now, I would add my Casino moves like Enchufla, Sombrero(hat), etc into my Salsa social dancing which will always impress my partners. I feel that the Cuban body movement is very stylish, and I always tend to adapt them into my Salsa dancing. Guys you have my word, no one will ever regret taking a Casino class, especially with Tracie and Daniel, as they are the best… :)”

For more information on the Casino Rueda Class we are offering please see the Student Performance Team class on our Spring 2011 semester schedule.

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Dips and Tricks Workshop:
Want to kick your dancing up a notch by adding a few fancy dips and tricks? This workshop will teach you how to use your core to execute and balance dips and tricks effortlessly on the dance floor. For dancers who have completed Level 3 or higher. Sat Feb 26th 12:30 – 200pm. $35 for one workshop, $60 for both. $25 for helpers.

Shines & Styling for Men and Women Workshop
Learn new ways to get your feet moving to the salsa beat as well as how to use your body to interpret the music through styling. You will learn a fun and challenging shine routine (suitable for both men and women) and how to style the routine in different ways so that it sensual and feminine for women and strong and masculine for men. For dancers who have completed Salsa Level 2 and up or have passed an assessment. Sat Mar 5 12:30 – 200pm. $35 for one workshop, $60 for both. $25 for helpers.

The post New Workshops Just Posted! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

Hopefully you all had a great holiday and are ready to get back into the swing of things. If you haven’t registered for a TDS class yet here are some great classes for our winter 2011 semester:

Salsa Nightclub Level 1 to Level 6
Argentine Tango Level 1 and 2
Zumba for Fitness
Cabaret Salsa Performance Class – Sold out
Helper Only Performance Class
Ladies Styling
Latin Belly Dance Fusion
Reggaeton Funk – Sold out
Bachata
Belly Dance Bootcamp

Please note due to the popularity of Belly Dancing we just opened an all new class with Christina on Saturdays at 4pm at Empress called Latin Belly Fusion which takes the fun hip shaking steps of Latin Dancing with the sensual moves of belly dancing and fuses them together in fun mini choreographies.

If you are looking to get out and practice we have our regular Sunday Social every Sunday from 6-9pm at Empress Studio. As long as you have had your first salsa class you are welcome to attend and practice your moves in a comfortable, friendly setting.

We also have another outing to Acrobat Lounge scheduled for Saturday January 29th at 8:45pm. Beginner and intermediate salsa lessons will be taught from 9-10pm. Come out and meet new people.

Hope to see you salsa dancing this semester!

The post Welcome 2011! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

1) Outings and Socials – we still have a few events in the next week for you to go and practice your moves and learn some new moves.  Our big TDS Holiday Party takes place this Saturday Dec 18th at 8:45pm at Acrobat Lounge.  A beginner and intermediate lessons are available from 9-10pm where you will learn fun new combinations and meet new people. There will be performances by the TDS Pro Team, the TDS Student Team and the TDS Reggaeton Student Team to get you motivated and inspire you.  We also have our last social of the year on Sunday Dec 19th at Empress from 6-9pm.  We will then be off for 2 weeks and resume socials on Jan 9th.

2) Salsa clubs and practices – there is a salsa club open every night of the week.  Some of them even offer free lessons at around 9pm before the crowds get there so take advantage.  My favourite clubs are Babaluus in Yorkville, Lula Lounge for live music, Acrobat and Alley Katz.  There is also a Toronto Salsa Practice every Saturday at a downtown church so take advantage of these great events and dance, dance, dance.

3) Record yourself – before you forget all the moves you learn take a camera and record yourself doing these moves.  That way you can play it back and remember how to execute the moves.

4) Watch youtube videos – youtube salsa videos are super inspiring and, while it is difficult to learn from a small clip, it will still get you listening to music, watching dance moves and thinking about salsa

5) Practice on your own or with a friend/partner – practice at home if you are not yet comfortable going out.  You can practice your basics, turns, cross body leads, shines, body movement, styling and musicality.  You can also purchase our beginner DVD and work on your moves with the DVD.

Hope you keep dancing during the holidays!

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First of all, make sure that you really have mastered what is being taught. Many times I will ask who aced the move I just taught and receive lots of confident yeses but when I walk around I see that there are gaps. So make sure you ask your partner what you can do to improve the lead or follow of the move, the timing of the move and the styling of the move. The person dancing with you can best gauge what areas you can work on and if you develop an honest rapport with your partner or fellow students, you will find the honest feedback is very useful.

If you do have extra time in class focus on the following areas:

1) Timing – really take the time to listen to the songs being played in the class and ensure that you are dancing to the right timing and keeping the consistent “quick, quick, slow” tempo. Count the beats and take the time to slow yourself down on the 4 and 8 to ensure proper rhythm

2) Body movement – are you moving your body while executing the move or are you just stepping? Start with your knees bending in the proper direction. This takes weeks, even months of perfecting to ensure your lower body is moving properly. Once you have the knees working properly which affect hips then you can move on to the rib cage isolation exercises to ensure you upper body moves also. Lastly, add the figure 8 to your rib cage and shoulders to get the final full body movement of the basic.

3) Styling – what can you do to make the move look better? Now that you have the right timing and the right body movement, are there arm or leg movements and additional styling techniques that you can add to the move to take it to a higher level?

With these 3 areas in mind, there should be plenty of work to do in class and when going out. Remember to only concentrate on one area at a time so that you can really hone your skills!

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Here are some things that you can do to keep yourself developing and growing as a dancer:

– Practice spins, body movement, footwork, shines at home
– Stands on one leg to gain balance while doing chores, waiting for the bus, etc.
– Listen to salsa music and pick up the different instruments, beats, accents
– Take other dance classes and exercise classes to improve flexibility, agility, strength, choreography and more – hip hop, jazz, ballet, belly dancing – everything helps!
– Drum along to the different parts of the salsa beats
– Visualize the dance moves you have just learned before falling asleep at night
– Practice shoulder rolls and shimmies while driving in your car
– Follow a salsa instructional DVD at home
– Read salsa forums and articles to gain more knowledge and info on the dance
– Stretch daily to improve flexibility
– Write down the moves you have learned and how to execute them

These are just a few things you can do while you are away from the dance floor that can help your dancing…anyone have any other tips?

The post How to become a better dancer off the dance floor appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

The session came about due to the students’ requests for a private place to casually practice moves, ask questions and learn comfortably. So we have scheduled Kimberly Robinson, one of our instructors and 6 helpers and they are available to answer questions, catch up on a move and dance with attendees.

Here are the details of our winter semester salsa practice session:

When: Mondays from February 4th – 9 weeks
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 pm
Location: Original Studio at the Adelaide Club – Bay & Adelaide on the concourse level of the First Canadian Place
Cost: $4 per session, or all 9 sessions for $25

You do not need to sign up in advance – it is a drop in structure.

Enjoy!

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Also try to practice your basics, listen to salsa and watch some DVDs, video clips or youtube performances just to get your mind back into the swing of things. If you can, visit a salsa practice or club at least once. Go through the syllabus we sent you last semester and try to visual how to lead or follow each move.

We also have our Monday night practice sessions beginning Monday Feb 4th at 9pm at the Adelaide Club. It is $4 to drop in or $25 for the entire 9 weeks. Come out and practice.

Hopefully if do a couple of these things you can feel a little more confident about starting classes back up. Good luck with your first class and looking forward to seeing everyone at the outings!

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