From time to time, students ask me when they should move up from Foundation level to participate in the Repertoire classes. Or, they simply assume that they’re not good enough (read: haven’t yet developed the confidence) to stay on for the Repertoire class after Foundation. Part of this hesitation might come from the training and…
I was speaking with a prospective client this week (for my non-Salsaholics work) about creating a workshop for their leadership around the theme of “Be Inspiring.” So, I had cause to reflect on what it takes for an individual to… well… be inspiring. I’m not sure I yet have a good answer for what might…
For many people around the world, this week marks an annual renewal, a time to reflect and be truly appreciative for the blessings throughout our life. Rather than talk about form, or technique, or dance classes, this week I simply want to say, “Thank You.” Thank you to everyone who inspired me to dance…
I dance several different styles socially – both Latin and non-Latin – and I hear this from time to time as I ask a prospective follower to dance: “Okay, but I’m not very good,” or variations on this theme. It’s hard to say whether the person feels less confident because I know my way around…
The day after Labour Day is, of course, a parent’s happiest time of the year—the day their children return to school. It marks the end of summer, if not meteorologically then at least psychologically. In a sense, it’s a time when most of us are programmed to consider new beginnings and to approach activities with…
I was listening to a podcast yesterday on “Prevention.” It dealt with preventing all sorts of dire events, both in the community and for ourselves, personally. There was, not surprisingly, a segment on Alzheimer’s disease which for many people is among the most frightening of dire events that could befall us or a loved one…
This week, I was called an “offbeat teacher.” I’m assuming, of course, that the critic was referring not to my dance timing, but rather to the unconventional way in which I teach my class, especially at the Foundation level. Let’s face it—I don’t simply tell students to parrot movements, to forget how they learned to…
We have Malcom Gladwell to either thank or blame for popularizing the meme that it takes 10,000 hours of practice at something to reach an expert level. Gladwell – as he is wont to do – misread or misinterpreted or both original research performed by Dr. Anders Ericsson who, with two colleagues in 1990, published…
Over the past few weeks in the Repertoire class, we’ve worked on some choreographies that have interesting elements. There was the “pizza turn” with an elbow block push-down, a blind spot turn with the lead hand stopping on the back of the leader’s neck, some shifting from rail to rail on the slot, and others….
It’s something of which I often remind students in my classes: Salsa is a metaphor for life. (To be fair, many other lead/follow, partner dance styles are equally metaphorical for life, but this is Salsaholics after all!) I often joke about this in class, like when mentioning that the follower (usually a woman) never lets…