Here is a list of the new classes:

Cuban Style Salsa Level 1
Learn the original Cuban Salsa Style, a fun and highly interactive style of salsa dancing characterized for its playfulness and unique turn patterns. In this course you will learn the basics steps of the dance, musicality, lead and follow, meaning and execution of moves such Guapea, Paseala por el parque, setenta, and much more! At the end of every class learn to dance these moves in a Casino Rueda style wheel.

Student Performance Class – Salsa Threesome!
Interested in taking your salsa dancing to the next level? Join the TDS Fall 2011 Student Performance Class: Salsa Threesome Edition! This class is for Level 3 and higher dancers who are interested in developing their salsa partnerwork, styling and shine skills as well as going through the performance and training experience of a performance dance team. Students will be taught and rehearse a choreographed partner and shines routine, and perform as a group before live audiences around the GTA. The Fall 2011 routine will be the fun and challenging “2-on-1” style salsa (two follows and one lead). Each class is 1.5 hours in length over 9 weeks.

MTV Video Star – Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson
Do you ever wish you could just rock out that awesome choreography from your favourite dance music video? Well now you can! Join Tracie in the MTV Video Star class where she will teach you routines from some of the most popular dance music videos. Choreographies will be built-up each week in this 9-week course: dance moves will be added each week to build a full routine; time will be given to perfect and perform the steps just like in the video, right down to the rockstar attitude! This semester will feature the choreographies from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”. No experience necessary!

Ladies Styling
Learn how to incorporate styling into your salsa dancing. Tracie will show you how to add that extra “oomph” and flair to your basic steps and the combos that you already know and love so that you can start adding styling to your dancing right away. Each class will focus on the fundamental elements of building styling into your dancing: body rhythm, timing, follow technique, musicality and the essentials of clean footwork in turn patterns and spins. Each class will introduce more advanced styling techniques to add as your dancing progresses. For those who have completed a minimum of Level 2 and up.

Open Shines
Shines are an integral part of salsa dancing – it is one of the things that bridges the gap from being a student to a dancer. This class will focus on the body isolation and movement techniques essential for fluid shines and open the dancer’s mind and body to the essential element of shines in salsa dancing as well as develop a dancer’s overall musicality skills. Every week students will learn fun and challenging shine sequences (suitable for both men and women) that will be used to build an overall routine; there will also be some focus on shines improvisation. For dancers who have completed TDS Level 2 and up.

Argentine Tango Level 1
Argentine tango has been thrilling dancers for more than 100 years. Tango is loved by dancers and audiences for its beauty, passion, drama and excitement. The essence of Argentine tango is about life and, especially, about the relationship between a man and a woman. This 9-week course is intended for absolute beginners and will focus on the fundamentals of lead and follow technique, the Tango walk, close embrace, musicality and etiquette. Learn simple floor patterns that you will be able to use in a milonga (tango social).

Bachata Intermediate 9 Week Program
Learn the finer points of the body movement, lead and follow technique and musicality of the sensual and romantic dance of Bachata. New turn patterns will be introduced each class with a focus on styling, body rhythm, timing and execution. Some time will also be spent on developing musicality and learning where and how to add accents, dips and holds to spice up the dance. Completion of Salsa level 2 or assessment required.

Bollywood Flash Mob
Ever wanted to surprise your friends with a Bollywood performance? Now is your chance! Join this Bollywood Flash Mob dance class and learn how to perform a choreographed Bollywood routine, but shhh… the details are a surprise! Referred to the genre of dance emanating from the Hindi cinema industry, Bollywood dancing is a fusion of traditional South Asian dances like Bhangra with Hip Hop as well as Latin & Arab influences. In this 9-week course you will learn to move like a Bollywood movie star, building on your performance quality, and feeling the rhythm of the Bollywood beat. This course will teach you a fun and easy choreographed routine, which will be performed at a time and location known only to the performers and instructor. Get ready to surprise the audience ‘Jai Ho’ style!
Fridays 6-7pm starting Sep 30th with Sadaf

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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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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!

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Friday, December 4th – OUTING TO PLAZA FLAMINGO – (423 College St) – OPEN TO EVERYONE! Beginner and intermediate lesson available from 9:30 – 10:30pm. Cover is $10 and includes lessons. 200 people expected.

Saturday, December 19th – OUTING TO ACROBAT LOUNGE- (2464 Yonge St just North of Eglinton) – OPEN TO EVERYONE! Beginner and intermediate lesson available from 9:00 to 10:00pm. Cover is $10 and includes lessons. 250ppl expected.

Thursday, December 31st – NEW YEAR’s EVE BLACK & WHITE PARTY AT ACROBAT LOUNGE- (2464 Yonge St just North of Eglinton) – OPEN TO EVERYONE! Special evening filled with lessons, performances, give-away and more. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased through Acrobat on Friday evenings or buy calling Acrobat at 416-489-1105. Only 230 tickets available!

Socials for December: Sunday Dec 6th, 13th, 20th from 6-9pm at Empress

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Whether you are too young to get into the salsa clubs or are just not ready confidence/skill wise to make that leap, Sunday Salsa Socials are a great alternative. There is a weekly DJ playing great music, the lights are turned down to make dancing less stressful and add to the ambiance and there are plenty of helpers to dance with everyone.

If you are a more advanced dancer then come out too! We had plenty of instructors, helpers and senior students who come out and would love the challenge.

If you would like to be a guest DJ for an hour for the socials, let us know also!

Our next Sunday Social will be after the long weekend on Sunday August 10th from 5:30 – 8:30pm. Remember there are no socials scheduled on long weekends.

Here are the photos from this Sunday’s outing where we had about 100 people dancing up a storm. See you at the next outing!

PS the office is closed Thursday July 31st to Tuesday Aug 5th. Email us and we will do our best to get back to you. Classes on Friday and Saturday are on as usual and Sunday and Monday are off for the stat. Have a great wekend!

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SG – “Are there any things students should avoid doing in their development?”

BH – “The only thing I can think of that students should avoid doing in their development is acquiring bad habits by practicing bad or incorrect techniques. It’s important to take lessons in order to find out what the correct techniques are. It is also important to do your research when looking for instructors to make sure you have found professionals with adequate credentials and experience to teach you.”

SG – “Are there any obstacles you can remember experiencing in your salsa development and how did you overcome these obstacles?”

BH – “Sure I have faced many obstacles, I still face them today. I struggled with spinning for a long time when I started, and today I struggle most with continuing to evolve my style and evolve our choreographies. You know you are continuing to grow if you keep facing obstacles because you are pushing yourself to try things you never have before. The thing to do is just keep working at it. I get frustrated all the time when I don’t get something right away but I’ve learned that I have to put in the time and have the discipline to work at it.”

Definitely inspiring to hear that everyone struggles to grow and develop artistically. Stay tuned for part #3 of Burju’s interview. But in the meantime check out their website at www.hymstyle.com.

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Evan and I were out very early on Sunday shopping for all the yummy desserts and decorations for the evening. By noon we were setting up at the studio, then I taught 3 hours of class and I don’t think we left the studio until 11pm which was a long day but everyone’s energy and enthusiasm kept us fully motivated!

At 4pm Evan, David and Annamarie began to set up the tables, chairs, balloons, etc. With the help of Emely, Joanne, Karina, Sara and many more the studio was transformed for the evening. We opened the doors to DJ Evan’s awesome salsa at 5:30pm and by 6:00pm the studio was hopping. Throughout the evening we had many TDS friends and students drop by to enjoy the tasty desserts and dance the evening away. It was great to see so many faces.

Monica, Selena and Annamarie took care of providing everyone with a Spanish version of their name and there were some very creative and sexy nametags in attendance. Thanks also to Joanne and Daniel for helping.

At 7pm Alfred and Nina started off the performances with a bang. Camela and Manuel performed their choreography from the finals of the competition and finally to end the evening off Bryant & Faye from Tango Soul Productions performed an Argentine Tango routine. We raffled off some salsa T-shirts and DVDs also – congrats to the winners!

I was worried that the studio wouldn’t be able to handle the amount of dancers we expected but we had about 250ppl in the studio from 5:30 – 930pm and at no time was it packed so I know that our Sunday Socials will always be spacious.

Big thanks to Evan – it was his debut as a DJ and I thought he did an awesome job! He will be DJing this Saturday July 19th at 9pm at Peridot Lounge for our next outing as well as at our first Salsa Sunday Social this Sunday July 20th from 5:30 – 8:30pm at Empress Walk Studio. Hope to see everyone there!!

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I just got this email from Luis Mario Ochoa who performs live salsa music around Toronto….here are some events for you to see!

“Just a quick note to inform you about my upcoming performances:

– Friday, July 11th – 9:30 PM – Luis Mario Ochoa w/ Hilario Duran (Quintet) at Harbourfront Sirius Stage – Ritmo Y Color – 235 Queens Quay West

– Saturday July 12th – 7:30 – Luis Mario Ochoa with Son Ache at Covent Garden Market – Caliente Festival Hispano London, Ontario 130 King St.

– Sunday, July 13th- 3:30 PM – Luis Mario Ochoa & Cimarron at Salsa On St. Clair Festival, Toronto

– Thursday 17th – 8:30 PM – Luis Mario Ochoa Quintet at Hotel Le Germain – 30 Mercer St. Toronto. (sold out event)

– Saturday July 19th – 3:30 PM – Luis Mario Ochoa & Cimarron at the Beaches Jazz Festival – Woodbine Stage.

– August 1st – 10 PM – Luis Mario Ochoa & Cimarron at Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St W.

– August 5th -8 PM- Luis Mario Ochoa & Cimarron at the Oshawa Jazz and Blues Festival – Jubilee Pavillion – 55 Lakeview Park Ave – Oshawa

Hope to see you at one or more of my shows.

Thank you for your support, it helps me keep going!

Luis Mario
Cuban Music Productions”

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Let’s start with our Grand Opening Party at Empress Walk which is being held this Sunday July 13th anytime from 5:30-9:30pm. We will have performances, Evan will be spinning the tunes (his first DJing gig so come out to support him!) and there will be lots of dancing and celebrating. Attendance is free and open to any TDS student or friend. The studio is at 5095 Yonge Street (between Finch and Sheppard) on the 2nd floor.

Following the grand opening party will be our outing to Peridot Lounge Saturday July 19th at 9pm. We rarely ever get a Saturday venue so if you like going dancing Saturday nights come out and support us so that we can make this a regular evening for us. Peridot is an awesome venue at 81 Bloor St E (at Yonge) with two floors of dancing and a great patio.

After Peridot we begin our weekly Sunday Socials at Empress. A social is a dance party where you can casually practice your moves in a comfortable environment. Every Sunday from 5:30-8:30pm come out to our studio at Empress Walk. Cover is only $7 and you can dance for 3 hours.

Salsa on St Clair – this is the best salsa related festival. I posted last week some details on this so find the post and attend!

More events to come soon!!

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What a fantastic evening Friday turned out to be! With almost 700 people in attendance the 2008 Toronto Dance Salsa Amateur Competition Finals was a smashing success. The evening started off with a beginner lesson with Velina and Jennifer and an intermediate lesson with Rob and Sonya. Despite the large crowds both classes were fun and by the end of the hour the students were able to execute the combinations.

Social dancing began immediately after the lessons until 11pm and although we had so many people in attendance there was still lots of elbow room to really dance.

At 11pm sharp George(ous) began the competition. As usual he was funny, engaging and entertaining and the crowd really enjoyed the introductions and funny stories. The judges were introduced: Teddy and Rene from United Salseros, Angus from iFreestyle, Ana Machada and Salsa Steph from Go Dance Mambo.

Then it was time for the competitors to do their warm up. All the couples warmed up on stage for 2 minutes at which time George called each couple to perform. Each couple had been working for the past 4 weeks to create a choreography to a 2 to 2.5 minute routine and the effort was evident on stage. I was really proud of everyone – most of them had been in my level 1 a year or two ago and to see them on stage in costume performing in front of hundreds of people was amazing and inspiring.

Once the competitors finished I ran to add up the scores with Sara. At this time we had 5 performances by iFreestyle, Go Dance Mambo and Mambo Mosaic. Each one was unique and very entertaining. Thank you to all the performers who took the time and energy to perform that night.

Immediately after the performances George announced the winners – it was a very exciting moment for everyone! The winners were:

1st Place – Kelly and Barry
2nd Place – Camela and Manuel
3rd Place – Therese and James
Runner Up – Marsha and John
Runner Up – Jennifer and Tyrone

Barry and Kelly won the following:
A full Canada Salsa Congress Pass for each of them, a full Miami Salsa Congress Pass for each of them with 1 night hotel stay, a full World Salsa Competition Pass for each, 3 pairs each of dance shoes from both Century Wide shoes, Gabellini Shoes and Addicted to Dance Shoes, dinner & show from Plaza Flamingo, Peridot Rest Lounge Gift Certificates, 1 year membership to Lula Lounge’s salsa Fridays, t-shirts from Shokkwear, Meet Market Adventures Gift Certificate and Trophies

Congratulations to everyone for competing. It is such a courageous thing to do and many people don’t realize the amount of work that goes into performing so I am very proud of everyone.

Thank you to everyone who made the evening rock – Evan, George, the judges, the performers, the sponsors and the competitors. Looking forward to seeing you all next year at the 2009 competition!

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