SG – “What does salsa mean to you and how has it changed your”

SM – “Phew, this story is long but to keep it short…Salsa has changed my life completely. From a person who was overweight with no confidence to who I am today – it was a loooooong journey. But you know who I am today and what I am, and that is important. I love my dancing and traveling – meeting people and saying what I am saying now, to get everyone together. I am sorry if I come across as a sad salsa loving teacher but I do love everything about it and more……I love teaching and sharing this knowledge that was given to me and dancing with so many lovely dancers around the world. It’s all good.”

SG – “What are some of your salsa goals for 2008?”

SM – “Salsa Goals….hmmm….I always like to go to 2 new countries every year. And this year, I have Taiwan and Lithuania. So goals achieved. ;)”

Fore more info on Super Mario and to try a free online class, visit his new website:
www.salsaclass.tv

Thanks Super Mario! By the way Super Mario is visiting mid June and I am taking him to Babaluus. Will let you know closer to the date so you can come and experience some of his awesome moves. He is also donating 20 DVDs to the competitors of the the Toronto Dance Salsa Amateur Salsa competition so thank you to him for all his support and help!!

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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 started off by asking Super Mario what is the most important piece of advice he can offer a person learning how to dance? Here is his response…

SM – “The most important piece of advice that I could give anyone learning how to dance, well…..HAVE FUN. Learn stuff, but have fun while learning. I have been dancing for almost 10 years now, only salsa with no prior dance background. And for me, dancing with someone today is as much fun as it was the first day I took a salsa class. And knowing that when I am having fun my partner is also enjoying themselves and they walk away with smiles all around.”

The thing that I like and respect about Mario is that what he says is the truth – he really is having a blast every time he gets on the dance floor and he treats every person he dances with as if they are the best, most fun dancer he has danced with so you feel great walking off the dance floor.

I also asked Mario what are the most important actions that students can take to see improvement? Here is his response:

SM – “Hmmm…..I used to try and remember all my material when I was learning, and then one day someone showed me how I looked like when I was dancing. I didn’t like it at all. So I worked on fixing all the areas of my dancing that didn’t look good on tape. Try filming yourself dancing and you can be your biggest critic. So every now and then film yourself social dancing and then correct what you don’t like.

Dance with everyone, from beginners to advanced dancers. If you can lead something, you will be able to lead it on a beginner or advanced dancer. If your lead is weak, the beginner would not be able to follow it, so you might have to lead it differently. What you learn from this is how to lead everyone. The same move but with different tensions.

Listen to music and learn to dance all styles…..it only opens one’s mind.”

I will post more Super Mario tips over the next few weeks. In the meantime check out his website with online classes at: www.salsaclass.tv

Happy dancing!

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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 am not sure if I have considered in the past if I have had a “Perfect Dance” and I agree with DC Earl that there really can’t be a perfect dance. I have thought a great deal about who have been my all time favourite dancers and I also have a top list of my favs. I am sure my list will constantly change with every year and every new dancer I meet.

Here are a couple of my favourite male congress dancers that I have had the pleasure of dancing with:

Super Mario: By far one of the most fun dancers on the scene, Super Mario is just plain fun. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and every time I dance with him he has amazing fun new turn patterns that keep you on your toes, but at the same time, flow well together. Every congress we laugh at the crazy line up that starts as soon as he walks into the room. He may be underrated as he doesn’t quite look like the typical salsa pro but looks can be deceiving. Ladies, ask him to dance at the next congress and you will have a blast!

Milton Cobo: Now I only had the pleasure once to dance with him but I have never seen him turn down a dance and Milton Cobo always looks at you like you are the only dancer in the whole world. He doesn’t notice the crowds around him – he just loses himself in the dance. Amazing body movement, very sexy styling…I definitely am wowed by his smoothness and skill.

Have you had a perfect dance? Any favourite dancers on your list? Share!

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