A reminder to everyone that when practicing dance in your personal space, take safety into consideration. This message, brought to you by the Department for Salsa Safety. Here we have Veronica to show us how it’s done.
Here are some videos I’ve seen recently and just thought, WOW. The styling and musicality of these San Diego ladies can teach us so much: I am happy to be able to learn from them. Of course, there are many more- if anyone has more ladies styling videos to share, please post them. Enjoy!
Serena Cuevas of Deseo Dance Company
Jennifer Stein of Majesty in Motion
Continue reading ‘Ladies Styling and Musicality: Highlights from San Diego’
We all have our preference in salsa dance style. Some like Cuban Rueda, NY Mambo, or LA Style. While I’m sure these dancers are great in their style in Colombia, I cringe at the sight of all the lifts and throws that they perform in this routine. Very scary!
Thanks to Juan Carlos for sending it in.
I will be in San Francisco, California next week starting Nov 15-20th, 2008. I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent in the bay area when I’ve attended the San Francisco Salsa Congress over the years, even though it was really in downtown Oakland. However, because I’ll be attending the Adobe MAX 2008 Conference (for my real day job), I’m excited to see a the real showcasing of the San Francisco night time salsa scene. If anyone has any suggestions to where to go dancing during those nights - I would really appreciate it! You can leave any info in the comments.
As a quick reminder, the San Francisco Salsa Congress will be the weekend after that week: Nov 20-23rd, 2008. If you have never gone to a congress, you definetaly should check out this event - one of the best in the US. While I will not able able to attend or performing at the congress this year, Julie Merrill will be performing with David Stein’s Majesty In Motion Pro Team (videos).
Imagine yourself in that salsa club for the first time: the music is loud, upbeat and with great energy and everyone is dressed in a fashionable way. As you walk in, you approach the dance floor. Here is when you are truly introduced to the world of salsa. You stare at the dancers as you see dancing, executing all these amazing turns; how they dance with passion, the sexiness, and then again, the turns! The never-ending, fun turn!!
Sound like your experience? It was definitely mine, so right away I knew I had to learn how to dance.
Once I started dancing, the better I saw myself dancing, the more I noticed that some girls did not enjoy dancing with me or they’d just flat out say no every time I asked them to dance. Why? After all I was doing all the turns and dips, the sexy patterns, the fun stuff - you know, the works.
It was after some time that I truly learned what makes a guy a great dancer:
“ When you dance salsa, you don’t make the girl do the turns, you guide her”.
This observation alone is very general, but it opens the door to help you understand dancing in a new way. Leading is the key to being a great dancer. Let’s dive in to see how you can improve the way you play your role on the dance floor as a leader.
Here are my tips:
Continue reading ‘How to dance like a professional : Dance Tips for Leaders’