Now that it is the beginning of the year you may have certain New Years resolutions and goals for the next 12 months.  One item that I always like to look at that is part of my dance wardrobe are the shoes that keep my feet moving.  Indeed, regularly updating your salsa shoes is necessary for not just comfort but also safety on the dance floor.

Both men and women can benefit from upgrading their shoes on a regular basis.  The shoes you wear while salsa dancing are important to the movements you make with your feet during the dance and if those shoes are lacking in support in any way it could end up hurting you in the long run.  This is especially true since your salsa shoes absorb many of the impacts from turns and jumps that often accompany salsa dancing.  Of particular note are paying attention to the soles of the shoes and the heel to make sure they are not overlay worn.   The last thing you want to happen to you while you are salsa dancing are for them to fly off your feet because of a damaged strap or heel that is lacking in strength.

So where do you start looking if you are interested in getting new shoes for 2012? One great resource online is EK Clothing, a salsa dance clothier and dance shoe provider.  They have a great array of different styles and colors to choose from (and have a great selection for men’s shoes as well).

You can find your perfect pair by visiting their website, EK Clothing, and choosing the ones that best suit your needs.

Hope to see you all on the dance floor in your new EK Clothing salsa dance shoes!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

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If you are looking for the perfect gift for the salsa and Latin dancers in your life here are some suggestions that may help.  You can always go with a traditional salsa gift such as giving new salsa shoes or salsa dance clothing to that special someone.  EK Clothing provides a great array of latin dance wear (including options for men!) that are contemporary and affordable.

EK Clothing also offers other options like their new 2011 Latin Calendar which can make for a great gift as well.  The 2 pictures below are taken from their new calendar which will be available soon.  You can find these and other great gifts on the EK Clothing online store (click here).

For the more tech oriented, we recommend the new salsa dance App from our friends over at Addicted2Salsa.com.  Anthony and Julie just released their Android version of their popular salsa iPhone app, Pocket Salsa.  The video below gives a basic overview of how it works and you can download it by scanning the QR code that follows below.

We wish you luck in your gift giving for your salsa and Latin dancer this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

For anyone on a budget, you know its important to spend your money wisely to make sure it stretches to cover all your expenses.  If you are like me, one of those expenses includes maintaining and updating what you wear to go out salsa and Latin Dancing.

EK Clothing (you’ll remember I interviewed Nicole, the owner) does a great job of offering both men’s and women’s dance wear at really good prices.  I recently visited their website and saw a large array of new styles and selections for your dance needs.  Check out EK Clothing today!

John ;-)

@RitmoBello

A while back I wrote an article about the sponsors for the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group and availability to help support our group.  In addition to our longtime sponsors such as EK Clothing and Roman Castro Photography, we are fortunate to have two new sponsors.

Latin Dance Store, a salsa dance clothing supplier, is offering our Meetup.com members and Ritmo Bello readers a special 5% off all purchases when you use coupon code “SDSALSAMEETUP”.  This new sponsor offers a variety of tops, dresses and accessories for the salsa dancers in your life.

Our second new sponsor, Burju Shoes, is well known in the salsa community for her innovative salsa dance shoe designs.  Burju is offering our Meetup.com members and Ritmo Bello readers a great discount of 10% all products if you use coupon code “RITMOBELLOPROMO”.

Don’t forget to check out these new sponsors who help make The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group possible.  Also if any other businesses want to help support our group check out our info page.  Thanks!

John ;-)

Ritmo Bello

Okay, if you are like me you are probably not done with your Christmas shopping. Indeed, I still have many gifts to get for all types of people on my gift-giving list.  Some of those folks, surprising enough, are Salsa and Latin dancers. I thought I would share (Shoooo! Don’t tell them!) some ideas I have for gift giving to them and anyone inclined to dance.

An easy gift idea for a salsa dancer is salsa music. Depending on the person’s current collection of salsa music, you may have to think outside the box to get them something unique. I found one salsa compilation by Dimelo! Records that is different enough to warrant my writing about it in this article. The CD, a salsa Christmas compilation titled “Ponle Salsa a Tu Navidad,” features Orquesta Tobaco y Ron and Chino Espinoza jamming out to all sorts of Christmas tunes.

Another great gift idea is something for the salsa dancer to wear. EK Clothing has some great clothing for women that want some style when they hit the dance floor. They also have a great selection of salsa dance shoes (check out some of them in this video above) that are functional yet comfortable for regular use.

For salsa dancers that are guys, sometimes simple gifts mean the most. A great gift for the avid salsa dancer could be as simple as handkerchiefs that they can use when they go out and dance (you know to wipe all the sweat off with class). They are inexpensive and if you really want to spruce them up you can have them embroidered with their initials.

If you have other ideas for Christmas gifts let me know via Twitter at @RitmoBello.  Merry Christmas!

The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group is looking for a few good sponsors!  Sponsorships are a great way for businesses, organizations or brands to support local meetup groups, while getting exposure to active, local members.

Some ways that you could possibly help our group as a sponsor include:

*  Paying money to support our meetup.
*  Supply samples to distribute to our members.
*  Offer free or discounted services to our members
*  Give discounts or coupons on products to our members

So far we’ve partnered with a number of great businesses and as a thank you to those organizations I wanted to highlight some of them here:

Unus

Unus is a web developer dedicated to helping businesses grow through online solutions. Open communication and no pressure sales are their mantra and they pride themselves in providing a great experience driven by excellent customer service. Unus has over 20 years of experience and they are not your typical techies. Every project is important to them, regardless of size. (Case in point, they did a pretty good job with my own website Ritmo Bello!)

e.K Clothing

e.K. Clothing / Dancewear is an online shop devoted exclusively to offering the latest in Latin dance apparel and clubwear. Many of the clothes in their store are Salsa & Mambo inspired styles however they also carry flower hair clips, asymmetrical skirts, flare pants, and halter dresses that are great for Ballroom, Swing, Tango, Jazz and Flamenco fashion.

Gabellini Dance Shoes

Gabellini Dance Shoes are created by dancers with the utmost comfort in mind and the most original, fashionable looks of the day. The shoes are designed by Giancarlo Gabellini and I can tell you from personal experience that the shoes are awesome for dancing as I own a pair myself.

If you are interested in finding out more information about sponsoring the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group check out this link ( http://www.meetup.com/san-diego-salsa-and-latin-dancing/suggestion/sponsor/)   and send me a message. Thanks!

February is here and of course many of you are thinking about what to get your signficant other in terms of a Valentines Day gift.  If you are a salsa or Latin dancer and want to give a dance related gift there are fortunately lots of options available.

For the men out there, it may be the perfect opportunity to give your loved one a new addition to their dance wardrobe.  Salsa or Latin dance dresses are a sexy and thoughful way to show that you care about your loved one and appreciate their interest in dance.  There is no reason to have anxiety over which type of dress to give since there are great resources like EK Clothing that assist in finding the proper fit and cut perfect for giving.  

If you check out their website you’ll see a huge assortment of salsa and latin dresses, skirts, women’s tops, and accessories that she will love.

Ladies looking for a good salsa or Latin dancing themed gift should consider quality dance shoes for the men in their lives.  With lots of styles also available on EK Clothing’s website you are sure to find a quality salsa dance shoe that will make a great gift.

If you can’t make up your mind on the perfect salsa dance gift you always have the option of giving a gift certificate for that person to make their own perfect choice.  (i.e. there should be NO excuse for not giving a great dance related gift.)  Happy Valentines Day!