I have received several emails from fans letting me know that while they may not have time to watch “So You Think You Can Dance”, they catch up by watching my favorite picks. While I have been doing this on our addicted2salsa Fan Page on Facebook, I decided to be more proactive and post it here as well.
First, there is the interpretation of the “Love Lockdown” by Phillip and Jeanine. This routine was one of the few where the prop used in the choreography, the locked chain between their ankles, actually was used properly for the performance. Phillip of course is probably one of the best pop-and-lock artists that I have ever seen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm21r3PcrvI
This next choreography is from my favorite couple, Brandon and Janette. Every week they come and just know how to sell a performance (show that it is fun to dance). This is their cha-cha-cha routine that is full of energy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmy8HydaQA
Now, the most surprising performance of the night was from Ade (pronounced ‘A-Day’) and Melissa, a female dancer who’s core style is in classical ballet. Their performance was an interpretation of the ballet version of “Romeo and Juliet” which was done exquisitely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwnqn1I-S4
Photo Credit: CNN.com
Michael Jackson, proclaimed “King of Pop” and undoubtedly the greatest performer and entertainer of the eras, has died of cardiac arrest this afternoon. He was one of the world’s most renowned dancers, performers and entertainers - quite possibly of all time. While I am sure there will be many tributes paid to Michael Jackson during the next few weeks, I would like to personally acknowledge that he was one of my inspirations for dancing. I grew up with a lot of Michael Jackson’s music and videos - which inspired me to someday learn to dance and learn to innovate in entertaining audiences. After being in the ’salsa scene’ for several years, I can attest that he has also influenced many modern salsa dance moves and choreographies that I have seen from many salsa dance companies througout the world. To Michael Jackson, may he rest in peace and his legacy live on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3-Hb9wF9s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex30DYwQlHU
For those who are ready to add something extra to their cross body leads in salsa dancing, this video will provide three ladies’ styling techniques to bring your salsa dancing to the next level. Julie demonstrates three cross body lead variations for ladies: “the hop,” “crosses,” and “the booty roll.” Now that the men have their styling video, we have to spice up our dancing as well!
Continue reading ‘Ladies’ Styling for Cross Body Leads’
The often-requested men’s styling for salsa dancing has arrived! Once you have a solid basis for your cross body leads, the next step is to be able to do variations of it. In this salsa video, we teach ways to spice up your salsa by adding style to your cross body leads. Anthony will teach you how to do a monkey move and a hook step into a cross body lead, and at the end how to add a shimmy. For the ladies, see the sister video with ladies’ styling, taught by Julie.
Credit of the “Monkey Move” goes to David Stein from Majesty In Motion.
Continue reading ‘Men’s Styling for Salsa Cross Body Leads’
If anyone out there is wondering, “what can I do to improve that doesn’t involve the natural process of getting good over time,” I have some answers for you. Using body language (one of the main ways people communicate), you can improve how you look when you dance simply by remembering these easy tips. Look at it this way…for dancers who are taking classes or doing what they can to improve their dancing over time, these tips will help you look good while you are in the process of learning. Often, when a dancer is learning something new, the basics are thrown out the window. What ends up happening is that the body language suffers, so while you may have a great new footwork pattern, you’ve sacrificed some important basics. While you learn, keep these tips in mind, and you’ll always look great!
1. Chin Up
The saying, “chin up” is popular for a reason! With your chin down you come across as self-conscious or sad, hence describing personalities as generally “down” or “up.” When dancers learn something new or lack confidence in what they are doing, the chin tends to go straight down subconsciously. By reminding yourself to keep your chin up every once in a while, you will give off the perception that you are confident and happy with the dance. An additional benefit is that keeping your chin up enables you to literally “look up to” your partner as you dance, which will be understood as a sign of respect. Continue reading ‘Quick Salsa Styling Tips for Ladies’
I have been watching the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ show for a while now and I have grown accustomed to watching great ballroom dances and good non-Latin Latin dance routines. I praise the celebrity dancers for their hard work and determination in learning something completely new to them. This is nothing against them because I truly admire their progress. However, I always have an issue when the professional dancers on the show are required to dance a specific genre of dance, such as salsa, and we come to find out that they don’t know what is real salsa dancing. Now, I do understand that there are different styles of salsa dancing around the world. My judgment takes this into account. However, when you slap on stereotypical non-salsa dance steps with house music and state that you are salsa dancing - that is a whole different story. The video below is what gives salsa dancing an improper typecast compared to what you and I know and love.
My biggest gripe with the whole thing is the judges. While Carrie Ann Inaba is measuring entertainment value and Bruno Tonioli is measuring timing (you can see him hit the table when couples dance), Len Goodman is supposed to be judge who prefers traditional steps and music. Len usually criticizes couples when they don’t follow proper dance structure in terms of proper steps for the assigned dance, but last night was a different story. I have finally come to accept no judge or professional dancer in the show knows what is real salsa dancing.
See for yourself at the judges reaction and let me know what you think!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SM1QCQlzKM
In this episode of Addicted2Salsa Dance Lesson show, we travel a bit to the East Coast in order to show you a very common and popular move to do at the salsa dance nightclub. The first move, which I call the “Cyclone Bounce” for no apparent reason, can be seen in many salsa dance congress on the East Coast. The second dance move is really taking most of the concepts from the The Windmill Combo salsa dance episode and putting a different spin on it. In the end, Julie will have a special section to showcase ladies’ styling for the follows. Credit goes to David Stein for the inspiration for these moves.
We would like to thank our sponsors Gabellini Dance Shoes for providing us with my favorite pair of salsa dance shoes. Remember than you can use the coupon code: A2S10 for $10 off your next purchase. It is a thank you for being our loyal fans.
I just came across a beautiful performance by Masacote Dance Company from Boston, MA that I wanted to share with everyone. This performance has so many levels to it; it is truly a work of art. Rarely do we see symbolism in salsa choreography, and rarely do we see music written specifically for the choreography. I love the creativity in this performance, and especially the interplay between the dancers and the musicians. Great musicality is my weak spot - I think it really embodies what dance is. I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks to Dany J. (ScarletMambo) for posting this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8lpMhcPHKU
In this episode, we will provide you with three great ways to improve your salsa dance spins. While most of them tend to be ‘known’ to most intermediate dancers, we have noticed it does not get addressed soon enough to early beginners. Here are the summary of items this episode will cover:
- Frame and Position
- Dance Prep
- Spotting
Continue reading ‘How to Improve Your Spins in Dancing’
You know you are addicted to salsa, when you buy a scented candle just because it had a cool reference to salsa (not even dancing related) and are thankful that once you lit it, it does not make the room smell like a sweaty nightclub.
For those visitors who be interested in this item, I bought it at Bath and Body Works (here).
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