San Diego’s Newest Tuesday Night Salsa Venue Premieres March 8: BarFly La Jolla

Thursday, February 17, 2011

San Diego’s Salsa and Latin dance scene is exploding with new venues and La Jolla is the lucky locale for San Diego’s newest Tuesday night spot.  Hosted by A Time To Dance & Rivera Entertainment, San Diego’s newest weekly salsa club is set to premiere at BarFly La Jolla (Formerly “Hard Rock Cafe La Jolla”) on Prospect March 8th.

The grand opening celebration will feature a number of great items including free appetizers, drink specials, state of the art sound system, and a great wooden floor for dancing.

To find out more information about this new Tuesday night venue please visit the event page on The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group.

See you all at the grand opening of BarFly La Jolla March 8th!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

World Renowned Latin Percussion Expert Tomasito Cruz at the World Beat Center February 24th

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Tomasito Cruz, who has played with such greats as  Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Arturo Sandoval, Alejandro Sanz and many others will be visiting San Diego for a special workshop he is conducting.  A talented musician in his own right, the workshop will focus on Cuban percussion with elements of timba as well.

The workshop will take place at the World Beat Cultural Center on the 24th and he will perform in concert on the 26th.  For more information about Tomasito and his music please visit the World Beat Center’s website.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn percussion from a master!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

AfroCuban Rumba: Enhance your Salsa Dancing By Guest Writer Jennifer Gonzalez

Thursday, February 10, 2011

What exactly is Rumba?  Someone recently asked me that very question and although I have a vague understanding of the dance I felt that I needed to educate myself on that style of dance.  During my research I came upon Jennifer Gonzalez on Twitter and learned a great deal about Afro Cuban Rumba and its influence on salsa dancing. The article below is a guest piece written by her that explains the interesting connection between rumba and salsa.  I hope you enjoy the article!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

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AfroCuban Rumba: Enhance your Salsa Dancing by Guest Writer Jennifer Gonzalez

The number of people who have taken up salsa dancing in the last 10 years is pretty phenomenal. It seems each week more people are starting lessons at clubs and dance studios across the country. As people progress, they may learn harder turn patterns or even a different style (switch to on2 from on1 or try salsa casino). However, what many fail to do is to look back at the history of salsa – where it originated and the dances that came before it. By looking back, we can not only enrich our knowledge of the dance and music but also add a new dimension to our dancing.

AfroCuban Rumba is one style of dance that can give all dancers a greater appreciation of Cuban culture as well as new ways to move our bodies. While many are spending hours learning new shines, those who take up AfroCuban Rumba will learn new ways of moving their shoulders, chests, hips, and arms. AfroCuban Rumba is broken down into three separate dances: Yambú, Guaguancó, and Columbia.

Yambú

Yambú is often described as the ‘old person dance’ as the music and movement is slower. It may be danced alone – most often by women or as a couple. In the clip below the couple enters the floor imitating a much older couple. Their dancing is slow and may involve flirtatious movement as well.

Guaguancó

Dancers may progress to Guaguancó once they are able to dance to the slower rhythms of Yambú. The speed of the music is faster and the interaction between the couple is much more flirtatious. While dancing Guaguancó, the man will attempt to ‘vacunao’ the woman. Vacunao is taken from the Spanish word: la vacunación or vaccination. Basically, the man is attempting to impregnate the woman. This is demonstrated by the man flinging his hand, foot, knee, head, midsection, etc. towards the woman. She, in turn, will take her hand or skirt and cover her ‘area’ to stop this from happening. While you watch the clip below, you will want to notice how the woman keeps her eye on her partner at all times so that she can block the vacunao.

Columbia

Columbia is the final form of AfroCuban rumba. Columbia is most-often danced as a solo by a man while he challenges another man to outdo his dancing. You might liken it to a breakdance battle as one attempts to out dance the other. Columbia is quite fast and may involve men balancing plates, candles, and other items while dancing. While historically women do not partake in this style of rumba more and more are attempting to give it a try although it is still seen as a very male-dominated dance. In the clip below you will see the men taking turns interpreting the music.

After exploring AfroCuban rumba some may ask, “Well how is that going to help me with my salsa?” As you become more comfortable with the movements and styling as well as learning to move to more complex music, you may find that your salsa dancing can move to the next level. You may hear the beat more clearly. You may hear the congas, the piano, the horns, or the clave in a totally different way and want to move your body to certain instruments rather than just staying with the 1-2-3, 5-6-7. One of my favorite clips is below and it shows how rumba can be incorporated into couples dancing salsa.

As always, we should allow the music to be our guide when it comes to dancing. Perhaps you may not incorporate rumba into a Tito Puente song, but, perhaps into an older Celia Cruz song and most definitely into something by Los Van Van.

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Jennifer Gonzalez has been dancing salsa for the past 12 years and salsa rueda/casino for the past 10. She danced and taught with SAOCO DC for 4 years before having to focus her interests elsewhere due to kids, work, and life in general. She has also taught at the San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival for two years and independently throughout Northern Virginia. Jennifer dances LA Style on1 and salsa casino but prefers salsa casino. She has trained with Aramis Pazos in Washington DC in AfroCuban dance. She works full-time as a web content manager and in search engine optimization/social media marketing. In addition, Jennifer authors Salsa Casino in DC – a blog dedicated to sharing events, classes, and more that are happening in the Washington DC Metro area as well as teaching people about the Cuban history of dance. Additionally, she is a regular contributor to PlanetTimba.com and The Examiner. When she is not dancing, thinking about dancing, or writing about dancing she spends time with her two children and husband.

New San Diego Salsa Venue Old Town Latin Wednesdays Grand Opening February 23rd!

Monday, February 7, 2011

I’m very excited to share news about a new Wednesday night option for salsa dancing here in San Diego.  Spin Nightclub will boast San Diego newest and biggest night club for salsa and Latin dancing that we’ve ever seen.  Hosted by Salsa Susie’s Ooh La La dance company every 4th Wednesday each month, the new venue will feature  3 levels, 2 rooms, over 10,000 Square Feet and a 24 hour license to allow till dawn salsa dancing to your heart’s content.

Ritmo Bello and the San Diego Salsa & Latin Dancing Meetup Group welcome you to attend the Grand Opening of the new venue this Wednesday February 23rd 2011. You can RSVP for the event here at this link (click here please).

Here are some important items to keep in mind when you go:

Doors Open at 9:30pm

FREE BEFORE 10pm, After 10 there is a $10 Cover Charge

Open until 5am or when the Party Stops

Plenty of Free Street Parking right off the 5 Freeway

21 & Up with Valid ID

State-Of-The-Art Sound System

Awesome Lighting

Lounge Areas & Pool Table

Drink Specials & All Night Restaurant

See you all at the new Old Town Latin Wednesdays at Spin Nightclub!

John :-)

@RitmoBello

La Jolla Marriott Latin Dancing: San Diego’s Longtime Salsa Attraction

Thursday, February 3, 2011

If you’ve ever been to the La Jolla Marriott you know it is not your typical salsa club. Hosted in the Character’s Bar & Grill area of the hotel, the venue consistently serves as a nice choice for salsa dancing on Fridays and Saturdays.  The unique location of the club makes it easy for ordering a dinner, sharing some drinks and even playing some pool in between dances.  Having a dual purpose of  a sports bar is also a bonus if you care to catch the latest sports figures while you visit.  One thing to note is that if you like a very well lit salsa club as opposed to a darker venue this is your place.  The venue tends to keep the lights on so you can see your dance partner as you dance.

Serena Cuevas from Deseo Dance usually teaches the complimentary lesson starting at 8pm.  For those of you unfamiliar with Serena check out this interview I conducted a while back soon after her work with Gatorade.  She is currently starting up new lessons too for anyone interested (you can see the info below).

Along with other newer venues like the San Diego Salsa Jam, the La Jolla Marriott serves as an integral part of San Diego’s salsa dance scene.  You can see a complete list of dance venues on our club list here on Ritmo Bello.

See you all on the dance floor,

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

John F. Bello

Meet John ;-)

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