1) When and how did Cache form?

After playing with Vibrason, led by me, for about 4 years. A replica of the Joe Cuba Sextet which was a format that did not include horn but had an exceptional chemistry with a lot of soul. These ingredients were key player for us to be able to write our own music and so, Caché was formed in 2001. Our Debut performance was at the legendary Bamboo Club on Queen And Spadina.

2) How long have you been playing together?

With Caché, with have been playing together for 10 years. As musicians some of us have been playing with various bands for 20 years.

3) What are your thoughts about the Toronto salsa scene?

I believe we have come a long way musically and now that salsa is more recognized and accepted we still lack a larger market and venues for live performances, if we were to compare it with New York with a population over18 million and a good percentage of that being Spanish speaking where the roots and percussion rhythms are instilled from an early age.

4) Can you describe your style of music?

Our style of music is a blend between vintage and new. It is not new and it is not old. We are not trying to be salsa from New York, salsa from Puerto Rico, salsa from Colombia or Cuban. We are inspired and we have been brought up listening to the old school salsa and Caribbean rhythms. Bands nowadays have become too technical. We do not want to copy or duplicate, we want to bring back what has been lost from vintage salsa and at the same time update it with our own heart and soul. This is why we like to call it Canadian Salsa.

5) What musicians have inspired you?

Musicians that have inspired me are, Papo Luca, Tito Puente, Noro Morales, and Willie Rosario just to name a few.

6) We are excited to hear about your new CD. Can you tell us a bit about the new CD and how it differs from your past two CDs?

We are very happy with the new release, “Looking from the Top” which will soon become available on iTunes just like are 2 previous CDs. You will be able to see how we have grown not only as musicians but as writers. There is not much difference as we like to maintain our trademark, so when a Caché fan hears our music they will be able to identify the sound or rhythm as a ‘Caché’ song.

7) Where can we purchase your CDs and songs?

Our CDs and songs are available in iTunes. Or you can always place an order by sending an email to wmacevedo@sympatico.ca and pay by paypal.

8) Do you have any upcoming performances that we can check out?

We will be at Lula Lounge on February 25

9) What are the band’s plans for the next year or two?

Our plans for the next year is to hopefully tour across Canada and the States as well as to get more involved with Salsa Congresses.

***********

For more information on Caché’s new CD please email Wilson at wmacevedo@sympatico.ca.  Their new songs should be available on iTunes shortly so enjoy!

The post My Interview with Wilson Acevedo from Caché appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

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.

• Turning down a dance
It cannot be stressed enough that rejecting someone’s offer to dance can be a very negative experience for that dancer and has even led some to give up dancing. Do your best to accept every offer unless you are uncomfortable with the person. Remember that people have very long memories and one rejection (for whatever innocent reason it may be) may be remembered for a long time. The salsa scene is a small one and people do relay stories about others. Be as gracious as possible. If there is a legitimate reason for the refusal, please specify it (e.g., I have just been dancing up a storm and am taking a break, I promised someone else this dance but maybe we can dance later, I am just about to leave, etc). Don’t forget to ask that person to dance later on if it is possible as a show of respect. Try to never reject a person and then go dance with another person immediately after. Dancers, especially beginners, are trying to build, gain and maintain confidence. This can be very hurtful and affect a person’s ability to ask others to dance.

If you are on the other side of this scene where you have been rejected for a dance, keep a practical and positive perspective and remember that it is not a rejection of you as a person but potentially the circumstance. There are many other dancers who would be more than happy to accept a dance.

• Ladies – how to get asked to dance
If you are not comfortable in the asking role, there are many tips to use to be more approachable. Always make yourself visible. Stand at the edge of the dance floor. Make eye contact with potential dance partners around you and those coming off the dance floor. Let your interest and eagerness to dance show and never stop smiling. Remember the rules of body language – gestures such as crossing your arms, looking down, looking bored, uninterested or unapproachable and congregating with groups of friends are just a few things to avoid. Dance with anyone who asks as women who dance throughout the night are seen by male dancers as more likely to accept their invitation to dance. A man is more likely to ask a woman as she is walking off the dance floor after completing a dance then one who is standing around. Also, the more partners you accept, the more dancers you get to know, and this opens up new networks and groups of dancers to you, as dancers often introduce you to their friends and fellow dancers.

• How to read your partner’s skill level
Every partner you dance with will be at a different level. If you are a male the best process to use is to start slowly and gain momentum according to your partners’ skill level. Begin by executing basic footwork, turns and basic cross body variations. If your partner is following with ease then slowly introduce more difficult moves. If you are a beginner female, specify this when you are asked to dance so the male is aware of your position and can work with your skill level.

Part 3 coming up in the next blog post!

The post Salsa Etiquette appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

****************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(New York, NY- October 6th, 2008)

Press Contact:
Kazuko Nagao
Notions United LLC
646-472-5204
kazuko@notionsunited.com

Hot!Hot!Hot! Yoko, “La Japonesa Salsera”!
Japanese female singer singing Hardcore Salsa! YOKO LA JAPONESA SALSERA CD RELEASE!
Performing LIVE at S.O.B’S Friday October 24th and CD on Sale on October 25th.

Salsa’s fiery heat has grown worldwide since the sixties. South America, Europe, MiddleEast and Asia all share the passion of Latin music. Today, Japan introduces their newest pride and joy in Latin music, Yoko, “La Japonesa Salsera”!

In 1997, Yoko’s career took an interesting turn when she moved to New York and began working at a Japanese financial firm. Though satisfied with her stable new career, she never lost interest in pursuing a singing career. Yoko continued playing gigs and performing whenever she had a chance. In 2004 she was invited to perform in Japan with Herman Olivera, a prestigious figure within the New York salsa scene who is currently the lead singer of the Eddie Palmieri Orchestra. Despite all this, it has not been easy competing with the thousands of other musicians striving for success in the Big Apple. For some time now, Yoko has wanted to record her own album in order to showcase her talent and have her voice reach people from all over the world.

Yoko could not have released this album without a production team strongly believed in her talent and potential. Willie Ruiz a 35 year salsa veteran coached and fine tuned Yoko’s vocal talent. Yoko’s training and unique sound coveted her a position as lead singer for the critically acclaimed Latin music group “Chino Nunez and friends.” Yoko’s debut on Chino Nunez’s album lead to a duet with famed Salsa singer Ray Sepulveda on “Hoy Ces cantamos” on Chino Nunez’s “Dr.Salsa”, album.

Yoko’s album is a combination of hardcore salsa, dance classics and a tribute to salsa of the past. Swinging arrangements by Willie Ruiz, Pablo “Chino”, Nunez and other talented arrangers and musical collaborations with the greatest talents including piano players Edwin Sanchez and Chiemi Nakai, base player Jose Tabares, trumpet players Raul Agraz,Richie Viruet and Manuel (Maneco) Ruiz , Trombone players Joe Fiedler ,Luis Bonilla and Jose Davila, Baritone Sax players Carmen Lavoy and Carl Corwin, Conga players Pablo ”Chino” Nunez and George Delgado, Timbales player Pablo “Chino”Nunez and Bongo & Bell player Pablo “Chino” Nunez and Jorge Gonzalez sets this album apart as not only musically sound but modern and innovative.

Yoko’s album release is to be held at the prestigious S.O.B.’s in New York City. S.O.B., Sounds of Brasil is considered a landmark venue for world music. 25 years ago Larry Gold opened S.O.B.’s doors exposing the mainstream to the heritage and culture of the Afro-Latino diaspora. Please join us in welcoming newest and hottest salsera, Yoko! “La Japonesa Salsera”.

The post Japanese Salsa Singer! 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.

I always say that one of the most fun dancers to get down on a salsa congress dance floor with is Super Mario. He has one of the longest line ups at congresses and women wait all night for a spin on the dance floor with him.

Recently Mario shared with me some great tips and advice for our students that I will share over the course of a few blog articles. But first, here’s his bio for you all to get to know Mario a little better…

Super Mario’s Bio from his new website called salsaclass.tv.

“For many years now, ‘Super Mario’ has been a household name on the international Salsa scene, recognised and respected by students and fellow professionals for his amazing lead, unlimited database of fantastic moves/combinations and his teaching ability. His classes and workshops have always been extremely popular both in the UK and in countries as far as Australia, Japan and the USA, specialising on technique but always maintaining an element of fun.

Mario was born in India but moved to the UK as a teenager. He settled in London, where he continued his education, taking a degree in mathematics and also qualifying as an accountant. In 1998, a friend took him to a salsa club where the teacher immediately saw his potential. Mario was hooked straight away and has never looked back since. Still based in London and travelling to teach nearly every weekend of the year, Mario specialises in cross body style, dancing on the ‘1’ or the ‘2’ and focusing mainly on moves and combinations, with special emphasis on leading techniques.

Despite no previous dancing or teaching background, he was able to observe the unnecessary power used to lead turn patterns, and began focusing on breaking down routines to understand the techniques and signals that are essential to good leading. His natural talent for both producing and executing so many imaginative moves led to an invitation to teach at the first congress that he ever attended. His big break came soon after, when asked to give workshops at the biggest salsa congress in the world in Toronto, Canada.

Mario has earned himself the title; ‘Million Moves Man’ through his ability to create any number of unique combinations, that are lead with expertise and are always comfortable to follow. His dancing style is smooth but fast, giving him and his dance partner extra freedom to improvise. His amazing presence on the dance floor sets him apart as a social dancer and his outgoing, energetic personality has also been instrumental in getting him known in the Salsa World.”

The post Super Mario is Our Guest Blogger! appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I agree with what the author, Jason Pacheco, writes below. I think that it is an unnecessary worry many people have because you will find groups in every situation. High school, the local baseball club, work. You hang out with your friends and the people that you like and are comfortable with and if a new person comes into the group it is great. When you are in a new environment you see groups all around you and feel isolated but you probably are a party of many groups yourself and if asked I bet you would be happy to have new people in the group.

So next time you want to dance with someone in a “clique” just ask and you’ll probably be surprised!

Sharon

“Salsa Cliques By Jason Pacheco

I was having a late snack after dancing and I was trash talking with some people about life. Picking up the info on who was dating who and who left which dance company. We had a few veteran dancers but there was a new child on the scene. She made a comment that a lot of young dancers make. “The salsa scene has too many cliques.” I had to laugh because it was such naïve statement.

I grew up in a very strict evangelical home in the inner city of Chicago. Every social event from childhood through high school was surrounded by church. I went church, bible study and bible camp during the summer. Then I went to college and was exposed to many different social circles. I wasn’t sheltered to the point that I never had exposure to other social circles, but I never really saw them in depth like I did in college. It was a fun experience because I enjoy watching people interact. When I started dancing I realized that the salsa scene was by far the most entertaining social circle that I have ever witnessed.

“People are people” I say this all the time. Sometimes we become so involved in our social world we think it’s the exception. Really people tend to behave the same regardless of the scene. Growing up in church you meet good people and you meet not so good people. There is a church jargon and yes they have cliques. This goes for every social group where people gather together. The word clique has a lot of the negative connotations. (Except for the Hip- hop scene) If you were to look it up in the thesaurus it’s synonyms are faction, gang and elite. Ouch… Who wants to be described as elite faction or gang? There isn’t anything wrong with cliques. Yes I agree that the dancing scene has many cliques. No one should apologize about wanting to hang out with his or her friends. That’s what humans do. People who complain about cliques are usually jealous that they are not part of a clique. Their complaints subside once they have their own niche. Newbie’s will always make this complaint until they gather the skills to hang with advance dancers. Everyone goes through it and no one likes being humbled.

I use to play basketball in high school religiously. I would play for to 4 to 5 hrs straight everyday during the summer. Even within athletic circles groups would form. These revolved around your skill level. There are three outdoor basketball courts in the park. On the south end all the kids and busters would run their games. In the middle was the High school and mid level players ran their games. On the north end was where the giants roamed. These were grown men and a few large teenagers. No one complained about cliques on the basketball court. You played at your level until it wasn’t challenging and then you attempted to make the jump. If you weren’t good enough you wouldn’t get picked to play. How much fun would a grown man have going over to the south end of the courts and totally dominating a bunch of kids? Not only wouldn’t it be fun it’s dangerous.

It’s the same thing with dancing. You want to dance with people who are going to challenge you. Of course you should dance with beginners and make an effort to welcome new people. No one should expect that if they are just learning the fundamentals that they are going to be dancing every song. If you are not dancing it’s not because these cliques want to deny you a good time. Truth is no one gives it that much thought. (Expect for over analytical people like myself). So just keep dancing and practicing soon enough people will complain about how left out you make them feel.”

The post Salsa Cliques – LaVos Magazine appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

If all you do is take a one hour salsa lesson once a week, you will likely not learn too quickly and it will be a little difficult for you to go salsa dancing and feel comfortable and smooth.

The general rule of the thumb is 3-4hrs of practice for every 1 hour of class time. That may seem like a lot of time but an evening of salsa dancing at one of our outings or a local club will fly by and before you know it you have put in the required pratice time without it feeling like homework! That is the beauty of salsa dancing – it is so much fun and once you go out a couple of times and get used to the salsa scene you will find it fun, social, energetic and it will enhance your life.

Other ways of practicing include dancing at home with a partner or on your own. You can use a DVD or just a mirror and some music. You have YouTube to assist you visually and you should try to listen to salsa music wherever you go. Try a Saturday practice session at Trinity Church or our own Monday practice session. Go on the forums and see where the students are heading to and post questions for your knowledge. Really get involved and you will find an amazing new world that is social, musical, fun and exciting!

The post How often should you dance? appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.

I read this very interesting article about the evolution of mambo to salsa in New York and how salsa in changing. Take a quick read by clicking here. There were many interesting points that were brought up in this article that I wanted to comment on…this may take a few posts to get through!

The first theme that was discussed was how salsa has drastically changed since the era of Hector Lavoe and other famous salsa artists in the 70s and 80s. Salsa was grittier back then, danced in smoky clubs where alcohol and drugs were in abundance. The dance was less about the sport and more about the social aspect, a way for those of Latin heritage to unite, socialize and party together. The moves were basic and the rhythm was whatever you were feeling at the moment to that particular song. There was a freedom to this way of life that is not as evident these days in the New York salsa scene.

With the introduction of Eddie Torres to the mambo scene and the creation of dancing on “2”, salsa became more structured and emphasis was placed on dancing on beat in a similar linear manner. Dance lessons became more popular and learning to dance “properly” was emphasized.

With all the changes, salsa clubs in New York have become less popular. Instead, salsa studios, weekly socials, parties and congresses have taken over in popularity. The dance has become more competitive, athletic and sporty. It is taken very seriously and the days of drinking, smoking and even drugs in the salsa environment are fading quickly.

I can definitely see these changes in Toronto also. Although salsa clubs in Toronto are more popular then ever, the tone has changed in the 7 years I have been dancing. When I started dancing the clubs were filled with mostly those of Latin background. The dancing was much simpler, really fun and very social. There wasn’t a big challenge to the dance style though and the rhythm of many dancers was all over the place and difficult to follow.

Fast forward to 2007 where salsa clubs are just a packed but with every type of dancer – background, size, age and skill sets vary considerably. Dancers focus on varying up their turn patterns and sticking to a certain beat. The skill level is much higher with amazing multiple turn variations. There is less drinking, no smoking and more focus on dancing.

I don’t really think one is better than the other. I am a non-smoker, non-drinker so an environment that caters to this appeals to me. I like the challenge of more complicated dancing and I really want my partner to dance on time. However, I also loved dancing in a free, structure free environment where no one cared about rules and just let go.

Hopefully we can keep alive the free, social and fun factor of the past and merge it with the clean living, athletic structure and continue to enjoy all that salsa dancing has to offer!

(Continued tomorrow)

The post Is Salsa Changing? appeared first on Toronto Dance Salsa.