Velina and I, who both share the SYTYCD addiction, did a sushi and SYTYCD night. Nothing beats sushi and dancing! What was great about it was the Velina had the previous night’s 2hr show taped and we were able to see all the performances again before the elimination round which was brilliant. You do tend to forget and I find the second time watching you see completely different things.

I have a tendency to always look at the female dancers the first time. But with the second viewing I was able to watch the men, the dancers as a unit, their facial expressions and all the other small details that really make the dance. I guess I shouldn’t have thrown out my VCR because taping the show really makes a difference.

We probably watched the Work-A-Holic Hip Hop routine 4 times – it is such a great routine that gets better and better for me. The samba and the rumba were super hot also and the jailbird hip hop routine was a lot of fun.

So it was no surprise when the bottom three turned out to be the quickstep (which was by far the worst routine), the modern African piece (which had potential to be awesome but they couldn’t get enough power in their movements) and the contemporary routine with Kourtni and Matt.

I thought Kourtni and Matt’s solos were excellent. They were saved and that was great news. Comfort and Thayne were also saved although I think they may be going home very soon. But it was Chelsea and Chris who went home and I think this was the best decision.

Let me know your thoughts…I am still cheering for Will but he needs to get a new partner!

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“Roy Thomson Hall presents

The Buena Vista Social Club, an assemblage of many of Cuba’s most renowned musical forces, has presented live performances around the world since 1996 when Ry Cooder’s documentary and resulting Grammy-winning album gained critical and popular success.

Omara Portuondo, one of the featured vocalists on the album and documentary, brings to the stage smoky and quietly tragic vocals, charismatic stage presence, and a taste of Havana nightlife. She is joined by Roberto Fonseca, one of Cuba’s most promising young pianists.

Gilberto Gil

A pioneer of the revolutionary fusion of bossa nova, samba, salsa, rock and folk music, Brazilian icon Gilberto Gil and his “Banda Larga” (Broadband Band) present a musical interactive experience.

Enthusiastically embracing the realm of digital communication, Gil invites the audience to participate in his tour by taking photos, recording the show and posting them on his website to be re-experienced by fans and music lovers worldwide.”

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“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?

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Instead of doing this myself I stumbled upon a great website that lists Latin dance movies by genre…it is an awesome list and spans from 1930 – 2005.

The website is LatinDancePro.com and here is their amazing list:

Tango Films

1972 – Last Tango in Paris
1983 – Tango
1987 – Tango: Our Dance
1988 – Tango Bar
1991 – Danzon
1991 – Naked Tango
1992 – Scent of a Woman
1992 – Tango Argentino
1997 – The Tango Lesson
1998 – Tango: The Obsession
1999 – Tango Passion
2002 – Assassination Tango
2002 – Tango Kabaree
2002 – Tangos Fly
2003 – Assassination Tango
2004 – Chicago
2005 – Shall We Dance

Cha cha cha Films
1934 – Caravan
1955 – Bailando Cha cha cha
1955 – Que lindo Cha cha cha
1956 – Cha-cha-cha-Boom
1957 – Bambalinas
1959 – Girls for the Mambo Bar
Lambada Films
1990 – Lambada
Pachanga Films
1981 – La Pachanga

Mambo/ Salsa Films
1941 – Al Son De La Macumba
1950 – Al Son Del Mambo
1950 – Mambo Madness
1951 – Una Gallega Baila Mambo
1951 – Que Rico El Mambo
1954 – Mambo (Robert Rossen)
1960 – La Dolce Vita
1987 – Dirty Dancing
1988 – Salsa
1992 – Mambo Kings
1998 – Dance With Me
1998 – Mad About Mambo
2000 – Mambo Cafe
2004 – Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

Paso Doble Films
1984 – Paso Doble
1993 – Strictly Ballroom

Merengue Films
1995 – Manhattan Merengue

Bolero Films
1934 – Bolero
1949 – La Faraona
1952 – Bolero
1958 – Bolero Immortal
1970 – Bolero de Amor
2002 – Bolero

Samba Films

1933 – Flying Down to Rio
1941 – That Night in Rio
1942 – Springtime in The Rockies
1948 – Samba Mania
1948 – Samba Rhythm
1950 – Nancy Goes to Rio
1960 – Black Orpheus
1965 – Samba
1977 – Beat of The Heart: Samba of Brazil
1979 – Bye Bye Brazil
1980 – Brazil
1982 – Spirit of Samba
1999 – Samba Master
2001 – Samba Riachao
2004 – Samba in Mettmann

Rumba/ Son Films

1931 – The Cuban Love Song
1933 – When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba
1939 – Rumba Land
1941 – Cuban Rhythm
1942 – Harlem Rhumba
1945 – Rhythm of the Rumba
1946 – Let’s Rhumba
1952 – Rumba Caliente
1982 – Rumba
1987 – La Rumba
1989 – Last Rumba in Paris
1990 – Rumba

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What is the deal with the music choices? On Monday, out of 10 or 12 performances, there was only one choreography to a Latin song. The rest were to country songs (seriously???) and other genres of music that just don’t suit sexy Latin dances such as the Samba and Cha Cha.

The other frustration was the inconsistency of the judges. I haven’t watched many episodes but I have seen enough to see that they definitely have their favourites regardless of how well or badly they performed. They will tell one person that they didn’t dance enough, that there was no substance to the performance and yet another couple will completely get away with a performance that is full of walking, stopping and posing. I really think the judges need to get some consistency in their feedback and scoring.

When I compare this show to a solid show like So You Think You Can Dance, there is just no comparison. Dancing with the Stars is very superficial and has less to do with actual dancing and more to do with stars trying to regain their stardom. So You Think You Can Dance is amazing to watch with real people who have an extreme passion and love of dancing develop and grow in a professional environment.

Just my opinion…would love to hear some other opinions!

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Red Violin is located at Danforth & Broadview. They are a Brazilian Steakhouse and offered a upscale buffet full of Brazilian meats. Servers with skewers of beef, chicken, pork and more approach your table and you get to cut the meat right off the skewer…very yummy! You definitely need to bring your appetite but the good news is their live band is Latin (Cuban I believe but don’t quote me) and they play several sets throughout the evening so you can dance off all the food you eat. At 10pm there is s small show with a couple of female samba dancers which gets the crowd going.

The band wasn’t a salsa band but we did hear salsa-like beats, Cha Cha and Rumba. They had a nice sound to them and they weren’t too distracting if you came to have some great conversation like we had.

Prices are definitely on the high side but if you are looking for a fun special evening check out Red Violin!

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There are several venues for the festival. The Parti Gras part (kind of like the pre-party) is taking place this weekend at the Distillery July 20th – July 22nd. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of salsa but is still worth checking out.

The main event is in the beaches area next weekend. The main stage at Kew Garden has Son Ache playing on July 28th at 12:30pm. They are an excellent Toronto band with up to 11 artists. I saw them at the beaches festival last year and they were wonderful as usual. It is great fun as people are dancing on the grass and in the park. There are plenty of other bands too playing from 11:30pm-5:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday July 28th/29th.

The most fun part of the festival is the evening portion – also known as the Streetfest which takes place from July 26-28th. Every evening from 7pm-11pm the entire strip is closed off and there is an abundance of artists, music, food and goods on display. Cache will be playing during one of these evenings (not sure of the time – let me know if you do) as well as Samba Squad and Gypsy which is a Rumba/Flamenco band. Lots of great options to choose from during this weekend.

For more info click here. Hopefully you will all take advantage of this wonderful event – one of the best festivals in Toronto. Happy listening!

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