As I’ve mentioned in the past, the very best salsa lesson I ever took was a master class in fundamentals with Vanessa Stay, one of the most experienced Latin dance teachers in the city. It was a group class for a very small number of people that cost us $100 for the hour. Between the…
Allow me to express a great big thank you to the great Jen Daudlin for stepping in on very short notice to teach the two Salsaholics classes last week. Where was I? Lounging on a beach somewhere? Doing a guest appearance on Dancing with the Stars? (I wish!) Abducted by aliens obsessed with learning bachata…
Very often, I’ll have new students come into the class, just to “try out” a beginner lesson. You know: “To see if they like it,” it being salsa dancing. As any more active student – not to mention long-time dancers – will know, a single beginner class won’t likely tell the tale of whether dancing…
The number one piece of advice for social dancing is, don’t teach on the social dance floor. This is doubly true if you’re not a teacher! I often have dance partners who will ask me for “pointers,” or to teach them one thing or another, or even to point out their dance deficiencies during a…
This week, we’re once again doing a bachata class. Bachata can be danced with a range of styles, including Urban, Modern, and Sensual with each bringing elements, idioms, tones, and aspects from other, analogous dance styles. While Urban and Modern forms can be danced with, say, your mother or father, the sensual style is sometimes…
With the coming of spring and the warm weather of summer just around the corner, a Toronto dancer’s mind turns to thoughts of outdoor dancing. Toronto is among the best cities in North America for its outdoor festivals, with each weekend following the “official beginning of summer”—Victoria Day—featuring multiple cultural, arts, drama, and you-name-it festivals….
Last week, I wrote about how to great great collaboration between followers and leaders on the dance floor. The more experience you have, of course, the better you’re able to do this. But what if you’re not as experienced as someone else who has been dancing for years? Is it still possible to create great…
Those of you who follow me on Facebook will likely know that I co-facilitated a session for the AM/PM MBA program at Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto this week. The program was designed by my friend, Dr. Edy Greenblatt who is an adjunct professor in the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking at…
What a fun class last week as we began the first of our two-week bachata workshops. For many students – especially those who are less experienced dancers – bachata is considerably easier to learn than salsa. The basic steps, for instance, are pretty basic. If you can count to four, you can dance bachata. This…
With a popularity that almost belies its lower-class origins, Bachata has become a popular social dance and best-selling music genre. Fifty years ago in Dominican Republic – bachata’s home – the dance form was considered low-brow and vulgar. It was relegated to the barrios, among the brothels and bars, where it grew in popularity among…