In this episode of Addicted2Salsa salsa dance video lessons, we will show you how to perform a basic salsa windmill combination into what we call the “hourglass copa“. The Windmill is very similar to other moves you have done that require an cross-body lead with an outside turn, except this is just a variation in styling of that basic move. The hourglass copa is based off of basic copa move (a.k.a in-and-out), except that the lead requires the use of two points of contact on the ladies’ shoulder blades.
At the end, Julie will break down some basic ladies’ styling techniques when performing this move. Finally having a woman’s voice in the video is refreshing!
For those new to our series, we have started a new page on Facebook @ 
http://facebook.com/addicted2salsa .
We would like to thank our sponsors Gabellini Dance Shoes for providing us with our favorite pair of dance shoes.
Watch the video here!
This episode is our first episode available in High Definition on YouTube. Just click the button “Watch Salsa Dancing“:
In the large spectrum of dance shoes, there is very little written about the variety of options available to men. Now that I have gone through enough salsa dance shoe phases, it is time to provide my experience and mini-reviews of the dance shoes I have worn throughout my salsa lifetime.
If you have been a long time fan of the addicted2salsa podcast, you may have noticed the original shoes that I wore for the series. Those days are gone, and so are those shoes that were given the famous name, ‘salsa boots’. Here I present an overview of my dance shoe evolution throughout different stages of my salsa life.
While I know beginners are sometimes preoccupied with having a good set of dance shoes since they will help their ‘salsa game’ – most of these shoes only add an incremental amount of performance enhancement compared to proper training and execution of footwork and patterns. Shoes are no replacement for real salsa dance practice.
This is the list of shoes I will be comparing in order of how I bought and used them:
- The Street Shoes
- The Bloch Sneakers
- The Jazz Shoes
- The Latin Ballroom Shoes
- The Practice Sneakers
- The “Pointy” Shoes
- The Modern Suede Shoe
Continue reading ‘Review of Salsa Dance Shoes for Men’
In this episode of Addicted2Salsa we show you how to perform a basic blind cross-body lead with a loop-over lock salsa move. While the move may look easy at first, it is the timing and the proper leading where some may have difficulties. Also, we will take it and chain it together, going from a cross-body hammer-lock to a reverse loop-over. I consider this a more intermediate dance pattern because you have to be very careful on how you lead this move. These moves done incorrectly can hurt the girl in VERY bad ways. At the very end of the episode, we decided to add one of our bloopers from filming. Enjoy!
Before we continue, over the years I had been receiving a lot of questions on the much nicer dance shoes that I wear during the Addicted2Salsa dance video episodes (nice white shoes) compared to the original series (big black heavy shoes). I’ve worn A LOT of dance shoes since I started dancing salsa, from regular rubber dress shoes, to BLOCH sneakers, to jazz shoes and shoes with Latin heels. As a male dancer, there isn’t much of a selection for a great dance shoes – until a few years ago when I met Giancarlo from Gabellini Dance Shoes. 
He has made some of the most fabulous dance shoes for men that combine a great sense of style and utility. I bought my first pair in November 2006 and have never bought any other brand since. Giancarlo has taken time to really focus on what makes a great dance shoe for men: a lightweight shoe that allows a better placement of your center of gravity with enough support to provide you with better control on spinning and footwork. We all appreciate anyone who that takes time in designing things very carefully and well, and Gabellini has done this for mens’ salsa dance shoes. I’d like to thank him for being the first sponsor for the Addicted2Salsa show.
[Updated] The song name is Lunes Locos (Crazy Mondays) by Los Gatos. Also, for those who were asking, my favorite shoes are the ‘White Leather’ (with a black stripe).
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