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Archive for the 'dancer post' Category

How to dance like a professional : Dance Tips for Leaders

Published by Esteban Conde, 8 months ago in dancer post and salsa tip. 22 Comments Tags: , , , .

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’

Reasons Why You Should be Dancing Salsa Right Now!

Published by Esteban Conde, 9 months, 1 week ago in articles and dancer post. 6 Comments Tags: , .

Salsa Dancing.  What is it that makes it popular today?  Why is it that people who salsa seems to be happier, in better shape and in a better mood compared to others?  From these questions we see that there are two major roles dancing salsa plays in people’s lives: they are healthier and they have a great social life.

We all know, having heard or read somewhere, about the health benefits of dancing.  Here are some of the more prominent ones to be considered:

  • It’s a great cardio activity that is fun; it’s a lot easier to spend three hours dancing than it is to spend forty five minutes on the treadmill.
  • You burn 450 calories per hour while dancing.  Isn’t that amazing?
  • Your balance and posture improves.
  • You loose weight.
  • Your flexibility increases.
  • It helps develop better circulation.
  • You will have better coordination.
  • You gain long-lasting energy as your metabolism increases.
  • It helps you work through or reduce other major health problems (e.g., depression).
Esteban Conde

Esteban Conde

So if these reasons alone aren’t enough to understand why people pick up salsa dancing, let’s analyze the social aspect of it.  We all come from different walks of life; some better than others, but for the most part the one thing people mutually seek is the feeling of being important, of having a purpose and belonging somewhere (e.g., to a community or group of people with common interests or goals). That is where dancing comes in: the means to a better end, building confidence and a sense of self that will drastically improve your quality of life. So how does salsa dancing help fulfill this ultimate goal?

Here it goes: Salsa dancing…

Continue reading ‘Reasons Why You Should be Dancing Salsa Right Now!’

So You Think You Can’t Salsa? - NY Times

Published by ScarletMambo-DanyJoshua, 10 months ago in Salsa News, article, articles and dancer post. 3 Comments

On Friday August 29th, 2008, The New York Times publised an article about Salsa “So You Think You Can’t Salsa?.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/arts/dance/29sals.html

Salsa at the Club Iguana on 54th Street, where the “Mojitos Sundays” make it the after-party spot for the city’s socials.

Salsa at the Club Iguana on 54th Street, where the “Mojitos Sundays” make it the after-party spot for the city’s socials.

There are two snapshots of our beloved Magnita. Like always, she manages to catch everyone’s attention. Lastly, yours truly and Scarlet Mambo were also quoted.

(Read Complete Article):
So You Think You Can’t Salsa?
By JULIE BLOOM
Published: August 29, 2008

Why dancing Cha Cha is good for you

Published by ScarletMambo-DanyJoshua, 10 months, 2 weeks ago in dancecraft, dancer post, dancing, feminine and salsa tip. 8 Comments Tags: , .

Why is Cha Cha good for you?

  • Cha Cha fixes timing problems.
  • Cha Cha trains your ear.
  • Cha Cha teaches body styling and isolations.
  • Cha Cha is cool.

Let’s see why.

Frankie Martinez often says that “if Salsa is the man, then Cha Cha is the woman”. Cha Cha can be so delicate like the smell of a woman’s hair and as emotional as the jealousy of a girlfriend. There is an incredible addiction to dancing Cha Cha that is not very apparent at first, but very powerful.

Maybe it is because of its catchy and light Cha Cha Cha rhythm, or the marked accent of the 2 and 6 beats. Maybe it’s the carefree and non-hurried feel of the dance. Cha cha is so slow compared to Salsa that it feels like there is almost an infinite amount of time to develop and execute body isolations. Moreover, because Cha Cha is slower in tempo, we tend to pay more attention to the rhythmic components. The tumbao rhythm becomes so apparent in a way that it takes control of our body. The connection of the steps to the percussion of the music is remarkably easy to feel.

Perhaps its attraction rests on the opposite feel of its components, the cha-cha-cha (4 and 5 or 8 and 1) part feels subtle and natural, and the 2 3 (or 6 7) feel so determined and exact. And it is this contrast in movement that allows us to experiment with our bodies.

In terms of technique, the Cha Cha teaches exact timing and definition of steps. The Cha Cha rhythm is easy to hear and dance because the music is so slow that we can internalize the connection of the steps to the percussion beats. Initially, beginners dancers find it difficult to stay on the Cha Cha beat because Cha Cha’s tempo is so slow compared to Salsa. After a while the “cha cha cha” part of the beat jumps out from the music and it becomes crystal clear, taking hold of one’s sense of timing.

Cha Cha is precise in way that salsa cannot match. 10 milliseconds of discrepancy in a Cha cha step makes the body feel out-of-tune, whereas the same discrepancy in Salsa is the expected standard tolerance. ChaCha has very little room for timing error, but lots of freedom of in movement range.

So next time that the DJ plays a Cha Cha, do not take a break. Instead, grab a partner and use that opportunity to experiment with some isolations. Better yet, try to dance Cha Cha with perfect timing. After a while, there should be a noticeable improvement in your Salsa dancing.

[More at ScarletMambo]

History of Mambo and Salsa - Palladium Era

Published by ScarletMambo-DanyJoshua, 1 year, 2 months ago in articles, dancer post and videos. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

NJN, a local public television station, hosted a documentary in its Imagenes Series called “Golden Age of Dance”. It aired on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm

If you ever wanted to know how Salsa and Mambo got so popular, now you can watch a 27-minute documentary that focuses on the Palladium Ballroom Era (1950’s) in New York City.

This episode focuses on all aspects of Mambo/Salsa music around the 1950’s in New York City. In fact at the end of the video, a typical Palladium night is recreated along with dancers, instructors, performers and a big-band Orchestra.

So grab a comfortable chair and a drink and watch this whole Mambo documentary. It is worth it!!! It mentions famous Salsa dancers, musicians and instructors.

“Golden Era of Dance” - Part 1.

I had to split the video into 3 parts. Part 2 and Part 3 can be found in this article in ScarletMambo.com

Sexy Dancing: Merging Femininity and Athleticism in Dance

Published by Julie Merrill, 1 year, 2 months ago in articles and dancer post. 5 Comments Tags: , , , .

This one is for the ladies.  Most of us associate dance-especially Latin dance-with femininity: because dancing can be so sensual, it imitates the mating ritual, highlighting the masculine/feminine duality.  Some of this happens naturally, and a lot of it is taught, in the form of movement, posture, footwork and style.  It varies from place to place, with some styles emphasizing ultra-feminine hand placement and “daintier” footwork.  The differences even carry over to salsa culture, where in some areas it is popular to find make-up, sparkles, fashion, and high heels.

With this traditional element of femininity within modern culture, I wonder: how does it fit in with other aspects of modern culture that are not so feminine?  After decades of women’s rights and title IX allowing women to have university sports teams, and girls who now grow up playing rough sports, how do we merge the femininity of the old times with the athleticism of today?

Continue reading ‘Sexy Dancing: Merging Femininity and Athleticism in Dance’

The Process of Change-Some Possible Steps

Published by latinaskin, 1 year, 4 months ago in dancer post. 0 Comments Tags: , .

From latinaskin:

You will all be surprised what you will learn from a Modern dance class. Currently, I’m taking that class which surprisingly has helped me become more aware and understanding of my movements in dancing salsa as well as life. Anyways I was handed an article, Making Connections, that I would like to share pieces from, regarding the theme of changes one goes through as both a dancer and an individual.

Continue reading ‘The Process of Change-Some Possible Steps’

Recapping the First Annual San Diego Salsa Festival 2007

Published by flare, 1 year, 8 months ago in dancer post. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Alas, the weekend is over! I don’t know about everyone else who attended, but I was exhausted on Monday!! Let’s talk about the venue, the people, the performances, the workshops, let’s talk about it ALL!

The Venue: this year it was at the Four Points Sheraton off of Aero Drive. Overall, there was plenty of room to dance, convenient enough to be one story (with not having to wait for elevators, go up/down stairs), and cooling off was just a step outside (no corridors to have to walk through). I really liked that they had tables and chairs for everyone outside, where the bar was, so people could just hang out to cool off. That wasn’t the case at the other two congresses that I’ve attended. Also, plenty of free water and Rumba, the official energy drink of the San Diego Salsa Festival, hahaha.

The People: Social dancing was pretty good, a mix of on1/on2 dancers. There weren’t as many LA attendees as I had thought there would be (maybe for the SD on2 repertoire?). But I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by a handful of Mambo Inc. dancers, and of course the old school San Diegans. A couple of “known” salseros I danced with included Victor Perez (of Hacha Y Machete), and Iran Castillo (a local San Diego instructor of Son Y Pasos). I was also honored by a dance with Karlos, which you will probably see on nuevotec.com, soon since Allan was following us around with his bright camera light. I danced with Also had the opportunity to lead Anthony in Bachata, you can ask him about that one. Joshua of Joshua & Amaris from Vegas was a very nice lead as well. There weren’t as many people as there could have been, but with such a well-organized and great event put on by Angel and Tulane Rivera, I don’t doubt that next year will be even better. Hopefully, more people will discover how great San Diego is, and want to attend next year. Also, with it being a little smaller this year, there were more opportunities to dance with the greats.

The Performances: Some highlights (in no particular order) were Jayson Molina & Emily, Victor & Burju, Tito & Tamara, Jr and Emily, Joby & Paco, Josie & Hector, Majesty & Motion of San Diego, Al and Karla, Mambo Inc. of LA, and the Alma Latina Kids, who always deliver standing ovations each time. Jayson was supposed to dance with Griselle Ponce, but something came up with her, so he had to borrow Emily real quick and teach her a routine in about 40 min–amazing! Of course, Tito and Tamara had their ChaChas, wonderfully performed and well-danced. I absolutely love how into their dancing they get–they just look like they’re having the time of their lives. With couples like that, the chemistry they have is really apparent on stage. I was told by a source that it was because they’re Puerto Rican, haha. And well, I’d have to give it to Vic & Burju for my favorite performance of the weekend. That choreography looks amazing on video, but to see it in person, it’s breathtaking and reviving. Wow, they really love each other and their entire bodies move when they dance. If you’ve seen them in person, you know what I mean. They got a standing ovation as well. Performers came from Vegas, Utah, Wisconsin, LA, Orange County, Mexico, Puerto Rico, etc.

The Workshops: I wish I could tell you about more of the workshops, but with everything that happened, I attended only 2 and helped to teach one. Iran Castillo’s very advanced on2 class on Sunday was one, Vic and Burju’s Body Movement class was another, and then helped to teach an afternoon Bachata class with Carlos Hammond. Burju’s body movement class was A-MAZING. Absolutely AMAZING. I loved it–she’s a very sweet and funny person (we got to interview her and Joby), and her and Vic play off each other really well. You can tell they have a lot of fun! And Iran’s class, of course, was very challenging! I’ve heard people say that there should have been more variety in instructors, which I can support. But its also good because if you can’t attend one of their classes on one day, you can always attend the other one. As it is the first one, I think its a little harder to get a lot of instructors, as well as have funds for them.

Overall, it was well-organized, well-scheduled, and pretty good! Obviously, the promoters can definitely use this as a learning tool for next years. It was definitely a good start, and there weren’t any major complaints from me. Others may beg to differ. It is also up to the dancer to make the most of the opportunities available. Met some dancers that will also be attending SF congress, so it’ll be nice to look forward to some familiar faces in November. That’s why I love congresses–social networking! For those of you that came, I hope that you can spread the word about the event so that we can make San Diego a landmark for Congress, as it has great potential. And for those of you who weren’t able to attend, it’d be a great disservice to yourself not to come join us. Until the clave beats again…

Flare (aka Pauline)

Mexico City and the Origins of Mambo

Published by ScarletMambo-DanyJoshua, 1 year, 9 months ago in dancer post. 3 Comments Tags: , , .

By Dany J.Have

You ever wondered how Salsa started? Where it started? When it began?I am a nut for the history of things so I have been researching Salsa for a while now. I have been around the NY/NJ Salsa scene for about 10 years now and I have seen how it has changed. Yeah, there are more instructors. Yeah, there are more places to dance. Yeah, the dancers are better. But the most important change has been that mainstream people are again appreciating the Art of Salsa now and they are wanting to take part in it. I have been working on a set of articles that will detail the history of Salsa/Mambo through the last six decades. In the meanwhile, let me give you a little peek.

Although this video is from a 1965 film, this Mexican film “El Dengue del Amor” shows the importance that Mexico had in the development of Mambo in the 1950s. The song in this video is “Mambo Universitario” starring Perez Prado as himself. The university portrayed is the U.N.A.M. (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) whose professional soccer team are the “Pumas”. Continue reading ‘Mexico City and the Origins of Mambo’

Nuevotec Salsa Summer Splash 2007 Video Dance Review

Published by Allan Tabilas, 1 year, 9 months ago in Congress, dancer post and event. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Anthony Persaud Interviews Majesty In MotionWhat’s the sweeter bonus? A weekend in beautiful Palm Springs, CA? Or a salsa congress and bootcamp in the 2007 Salsa Summer Splash? Maybe it’s a draw. Regardless, I had a great time at the event. Palm Springs gets very crowded with salseros in the months of July and August. Al Espinoza’s event somehow pulls a large following, despite the fact that his party is the third event (in 8 weeks) in the desert oasis. Both the workshop/bootcamp portion and the performances/parties were well attended. Want a reggaeton class? Check. Bachata or salsa shines? Yup. I’m trying to recall if there was a zouk workshop. Wanna talk about some great instructors? John Narvaez and Liz Rojas from Salsamania taught an intermediate/advanced on2 pattern class. The bay area team broke down the pattern thoroughly, and even split the class between guys and girls to get their respective pieces down. John also took some time outside of the class to help me with a difficult section. Anthony and I really enjoyed the session.

John and Liz from SalsaManiaIn addition to meeting Sir Anthony Persaud of San Diego for the first time, I met Pauline (Miss Flare), Karlos, and a bunch of other salseros from the Bay Area, LA, San Diego, etc. Great company. On the performance tip, they started pretty close to their scheduled time, within a half hour. Some of the standout routines included Majesty in Motion, John Narvaez and Liz Rojas, Pretty Boys and Girls, Salsabor y Cache. Click on some of the images below for a sampling of the videos. Thanks to Anthony for doing the interview with Dave Stein and Majesty in Motion. Keep the podcast going for the community! Continue reading ‘Nuevotec Salsa Summer Splash 2007 Video Dance Review’