During this unprecedented Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak it seems as though every part of our normal routines have been upended. Just a few weeks ago we had regular social dancing but with recent government mandates most if not all gatherings have been cancelled. Worst yet many people are in total quarantine without any indication of when all this will change.

I thought it would be helpful to provide some helpful local resources and ideas for continuing your passion of dance from where ever you are, lock down or not.

Many if not all dance studios here have begun the process of offering their salsa lessons online through video instruction. From Deseo Dance to Ooh La La and others they are extending many of these new resources directly from their websites and leveraging platforms like Facebook and YouTube to keep connected with students.

Many of these resources have the added benefit of being provided live in real time with the instructors responding to viewer generated inquiries. Here is a sample from Deseo Dance’s Serena Cuevas today:

As we see more local studios adding live content and offerings virtually it will be interesting to see the support from the community. As with many artists during this time it will be the local dance community that keeps the spirit of dance alive through the help of talented instructors. If you know of any other resources you’d like me share please send me a message via email and I’ll help spread the information as best I can.

Please be safe during this difficult time and stay positive. For you that pray, St. Vitus (Patron Saint of Dancers), pray for us…

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

Ritmo Bello on Facebook |Help Support San Diego Dancing!

Many of San Diego’s dance teams and studios have been busy upgrading their online presence over the last few months.  If you’ve visited David and Jennifer Stein’s MajestyinMotion.com, for example, you’ll notice the new upgraded feel of their website.  The site is simple yet elegant and gets you the information you need about the organization.

Deseo Dance also upgraded their online image recently with a new website that integrates the essential information you need along with a sleek presentation.  Some of the video links are still being upgraded but overall it looks like a great start to match Deseo’s powerful image.

Other dance studios and teams are working with their established online presence, continuously adding new content that is appealing.  Salsa Susie’s Ooh La La Dance offers easy ways to reach information and in particular videos of performances in case you missed a recent competition on their nice website.

If you know of any other salsa teams or groups upgrading their online image let us know so we can share with the whole San Diego salsa scene.

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

Some of San Diego’s finest dance companies will be coming together for the San Diego salsa and bachata Dia de San Juan Puerto Rican Festival this Saturday June 12.  The performers and dance companies include Abel Pena, Susie Nguyen & Ooh La La Dance Company, Alma Latina, Salsa Inferno, and the recently returned Deseo Dance under Serena Cuevas‘ direction.

The event runs from noon to 6pm so you’ll still have plenty of time to go dancing at night too!

For more information on the event and to see ticket information check out RSVP on the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group.

See you all this Saturday!

John ;-)

@Ritmo Bello

At first glance you probably wouldn’t think that San Diego has much going on apart from the traditional surfing and other recreational diversions for which this place is known. It takes a simple look under that well known surface to see that San Diego is a teeming hot bed of salsa dance talent.

Much of that dance talent is due in part to the myriad of salsa dance competition teams that offer a wide array of styles and philosophies of salsa dance. San Diego is fortunate to have a salsa scene influenced by such a great group of performers that help inspire those new to the scene to learn more about the dance.  Here at Ritmo Bello I’ve been privileged to get to know these performance groups over the years and I wanted to highlight some of them here.

Well known performance groups like Majesty in Motion and dancers from A Time To Dance Studio have excited audiences through the years through innovative dance. Newer dance companies such as Alma Latina and Salsa Susie’s Cosabellas & Hot Tamales have done a great job of expanding salsa dancing to a wider group of people. Some local San Diego talent has seen great national exposure such as Junior & Emily’s Amicitia Dance Company and Serena Cuevas Deseo Dance.

These and many other dance teams which I haven’t mentioned here all deserve to be recognized for the great exposure they give salsa dancing to the general public. For many people here in San Diego, joining a dance team is a great way to accelerate your learning of salsa dance while expressing yourself through performance.

If you’ve had a good experience with a local San Diego dance team feel free to leave a comment on this post.

John ;-)

Ritmo Bello