Every week at Salsaholics Anonymous, we welcome dancers who are new to Salsaholics, most of whom are new to salsa dancing. The challenge of our Foundation class is to both accommodate new dancers learning the basics of salsa and enable more experienced dancers to polish up their foundational moves with a strong focus on great…
This week was the municipal election throughout the province. As with most municipal elections, incumbents have a massive advantage: It’s very rare that an incumbent mayor or councillor loses their seat on city council. This time was both very different and very much the same: The resulting council will be comprised – as per usual…
Recently, I was at an event that was organized by people who are not partner dancers. In other words, they enjoy dance, but mostly in a solo, freestyle, do-what-expresses-you style. Nothing wrong with that, of course—in fact, there’s a lot right with anyone expressing their feelings about, and interpretation of, great music (or even not-so-great…
In my coaching work with clients, we eventually get to the point of beginning a trajectory towards the type of change the client wants to see in their career. (And yes, “eventually” does indeed suggest that there’s usually a lot of stuff that needs to be cleared away before getting to that point!). We always…
This week is Yom Kippur for the Jewish people. It is the day on which they ask forgiveness for sins committed against G-d, and more importantly, ask forgiveness from one another for sins committed against another person. It’s a day of reflection and resolving to do better during the year ahead. In the spirit of…
I was once social dancing with a person who was a relatively newer dancer who was not only self-conscious about her dancing, but also self-conscious that she was somewhat bigger than me (not that I’m exactly a giant!). She said, “I feel so heavy when I dance.” And it was an apt observation—she was indeed…
It is ironic, I think, that we consider the season in which nature seems to be shutting down for the impending winter as a season of new beginnings. According to a well-known office supplies company, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” as children begin school anew, eager and fresh-faced for the next chapter…
Dancing is one of those pastimes that takes a physical toll over time. For those who are serious about dancing, one can expect to experience at least one – if not a half dozen or so – injuries of various sorts throughout one’s dance career. And, let’s face it, knees, hips, shoulders, and feet suffer…
This past weekend, we celebrated my daughter’s fifth birthday with a big party in a local park. In addition to family (and “family by love”), we invited her friends from various places and times in her life. We had school friends, of course, and also friends she had made and kept contact with from preschool….
This past May, we received a visit from a producer for CBC Radio’s “Out in the Open” who also happens to be a former instructor with Salsaholics Anonymous. Debbie Pacheco was producing a segment on how “letting go on the dance floor became a metaphor for life.” The segment is here and, besides being well…