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.
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.
So how can a person new to salsa and latin dancing find places to go out dancing here in San Diego? Sure you can go about searching the internet for clubs and venues but an easier way is to let those venues come to you via Meetup.
The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group is a great way to find out quickly what is going on around San Diego. The organizers for the group, many who are local dance instructors in their own right, use the Meetup group to share events that they host or know about going on locally.
I’ve been salsa dancing here in San Diego for many years now and I’ve seen so many changes in our local salsa scene. Indeed, in the last few years there seems to have been a proliferation of numerous dance companies and individuals that now call San Diego home.
When talking about the history of the San Diego salsa dance scene, though, one company stands above the rest in terms of originality and their influence on the development of salsa here. Majesty in Motion, well known not just in the local community but worldwide as well, is synonymous with San Diego salsa dancing. I recently had the privilege of talking with David and Jennifer Stein of Majesty in Motion about their commanding presence in the world of salsa dancing and how they continue to have an impact on San Diego salsa dancing today.
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Ritmo Bello: David and Jennifer Stein, thank you both for taking some time out of your busy schedules to address the Ritmo Bello audience. San Diego’s salsa dancing scene has seen many changes over the years, but Majesty in Motion has remained a strong force here locally. What does Majesty in Motion offer to the San Diego dance community that makes your organization so popular?
Majesty in Motion: We offer students a challenging, fun program with great teaching. Our team members can take group classes for free in addition to discounts to our events. Members can work with a variety of instructors, ourselves along with Steve Meyer, and Juan Carlos Hernandez. We have over 10 years of teaching experience in working with teams and groups. Our Mission Statement is TAKING DANCERS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. We have trained most of San Diego’s Directors.
Ritmo Bello: Every dancer has a story about how they “found” salsa dancing. Tell me a little about how you each started dancing salsa. Did you know that you were going to create Majesty in Motion from the very beginning?
Majesty in Motion:
David: I was looking for dance auditions and stumbled across an ad that said DANCE TEACHERS NEEDED. I completed a teacher training program and learned all the ballroom dances and salsa was one of them. I fell in love with salsa and stuck with it. After attending the LA Salsa Congress I knew I wanted to be a part of something big and wanted to strive to be the best and create some of San Diego’s best dancers. Majesty in Motion is now known worldwide!!
Jennifer: I stumbled across Cafe Sevilla and met David and was introduced to this dance. I took a lesson the next day and was hooked. I had previous jazz dance training and it helped me while I was training with David. Since then I have travelled the world and started my own ladies team which also now has the opportunity to travel. I also strive to be the best and we both work hard to keep Majesty growing.
Ritmo Bello: Majesty in Motion is known throughout San Diego and worldwide as one of the premiere salsa dance teams in competition today. What types of teams do you currently have in formation and where do they compete?
Majesty in Motion: We currently have 2 beginner teams, an amateur team, semi- pro and pro team along with our pro ladies. Our pro team competed in SF and won 1st place which qualified us to compete in the World Salsa Championships where we placed 12th in the world!! We just got back from Houston where we performed and taught, we’re scheduled to teach and perform throughout the US for the remainder of the year.
Ritmo Bello: What is the process like for someone interested in joining one of your teams? Do you have to have prior dance experience?
Majesty in Motion: We have auditions twice a year once in January and in July. You do not need experience since we have teams for all levels. We do sometimes have openings that pop up. For someone who is interested visit us in group class and let us know. We are always looking for motivated dancers who want to work hard. For more info check out our website: www.majestyinmotion.com/auditions.htm
Ritmo Bello: Some of the most popular events regularly hosted on the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group are your salsa socials at Starlight Dance Studio. What do these events offer to somebody brand new to salsa dancing?
Majesty in Motion: Our socials generally cater the dancers. Our friendly environment is less intimidating so every dancer no matter what level is just there to have fun and dance. You get a free group class with paid admission which includes free water and free food. Starlight has a HUGE dance floor so you can practice your dance moves without feeling crowded. We also offer entertainment such as performances and dance contests.
Ritmo Bello: David, some people here in San Diego still refer to you as the “salsa white boy wonder.” Where did this name come from? Is there a story associated with the name?
Majesty in Motion: The name came from Troy Spooner who recently taught a workshop here along with his wife Jorjet Alcocer. I was on my 1st trip to Bermuda and Troy gave me the name White Boy Wonder. He was wondering how a white boy could dance the way I did so he called me the White Boy Wonder.
Ritmo Bello: Anything else you’d like to share with the general public?
Majesty in Motion: We both love our job and we want to continue to give great instruction and to keep salsa alive in San Diego. We remind those out there to have fun and stay humble. We encourage you to keep dancing, keep learning and keep having fun!!
Ritmo Bello: How can the Ritmo Bello audience reach you if they want to find out more information about Majesty in Motion?
Majesty in Motion: Feel free to call us at 619.917.1721 or visit our website www.majestyinmotion.com, check out our youtube videos, or stop in for a group class anytime.
Ritmo Bello: Jennifer and David Stein, on behalf of Ritmo Bello and the San Diego salsa community thank you for all you do to promote salsa here in San Diego and around the world.
Majesty in Motion: Thank you John and for those of you who support us, friends and students!
San Diego has a new dance team under the direction of Susie Nguyen and Juan Garcia.Renamed as Ooh La La Dance, the duo help direct a number of dance teams including the Cosabellas and Hot Tamales.
In 2007, Juan and Susie participated in the 3rd Annual World Salsa Championships as the first San Diego couple to represent America’s Finest City.The video here in this post showcases their performances at the Championships.
This new dance company, along with many other local favorites like Majesty in Motion and A Time to Dance Studio, will also be participating in the upcoming San Diego Salsa Festival later this month. Make sure to check them all out if you attend!
How long will salsa dancing be available in San Diego’s downtown on Friday nights?
Hopefully for a long while since Aubergine’s debut of salsa dancing went extremely well, at least from a dancer’s perspective. While others may be evaluating the profitability of having salsa dancing at Aubergine in terms of drinks sold and other such factors, I think it’s equally important to look at the people and groups that were attracted to this new salsa night.
Indeed, the San Diego salsa community came out en masse to support the new venue. There were many familiar faces from the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup , as well as major San Diego dance studios being represented. A number of notable performances were conducted by Majesty in Motion, A Time to Dance Studio, and the Sexy Salsa Divas . The video posted here shows the young ladies during the performance that night.
Whether or not the salsa night remains a normal mainstay for Aubergine, I think the majority of people in attendance appreciated the ability to have salsa dancing at a venue like Aubergine. I have to say that it was interesting to go from the part of the club that was hosting the salsa dancing and to visit the other areas of the club that were open to hip hop. I noticed upon my return to the salsa areas that many of the people from the hip hop room were curiously showing up to watch the salsa dancing. A couple of those people found themselves on the salsa dance floor too.
Overall, I think there is a future for salsa dancing in the Gaslamp Quarter on Friday nights. Let’s hope Aubergine thinks the same thought. Thanks to A Time to Dance Studio and other San Diego salsa supporters for bringing salsa dancing to downtown San Diego on Friday nights.
As it gets closer to the 2nd Annual San Diego Salsa Festival here in San Diego this September, there may be many of you wondering what happens at a event like this. Indeed, before I attended my first festival (aka salsa congress) for salsa years ago I really had no concept of what went on during an event like this.
If you are a beginner and just learning to dance salsa, the festival will present to you a massive assortment of options to dance, watch performances, and most importantly learn a great deal about salsa dancing. One aspect of the San Diego Salsa Festival that will be of particular help to new dancers are the numerous workshops scheduled throughout the weekend.
A salsa workshop is a little different from a traditional salsa dance lesson in that salsa workshops allow the instructor to really concentrate on certain aspects of the dance. This is helpful because let’s say you already know how to salsa dance but want to learn some new styling moves without going through the basics once again. A specific salsa workshop like the one Iran Castillo is hosting at the San Diego Salsa Festival might interest you as it will focus on “cool moves” and “On2” dancing.
The workshops during the San Diego Salsa Festival start on Friday night with a beginner’s boot camp workshop that will consist of 3 hours of focused dance instruction for those new to the dance. The rest of the weekend will have workshops hosted by local dance studios like A Time to Dance, Salsa Inferno, and Majesty in Motion. There are also workshops hosted by visiting studios and instructors from as far as Cali, Colombia.
I wanted to let you know about another Salsa Congress coming up in July in Las Vegas, Nevada. Specifically, the Sin City Salseros in association with David Nieto are hosting the 5th Annual Las Vegas Salsa Congress .
For those of you unfamiliar with Salsa Congresses, the 5th Annual Las Vegas Salsa Congress and other congresses like it are official qualifier rounds for the World Salsa Championship coming later in December.
Majesty in Motion is doing it again! They are hosting another salsa social this Saturday January 5th.
Through their new innovative routines, Majesty in Motion incorporates many styles of dance such as Jazz, Ballroom, and Hip Hop into their Salsa routines. The video here showcases their Ladies Pro Team.
If you want to find out more information visit the Meetup Group Site .
Juan and the rest of Majesty in Motion are going to be hosting this salsa dance event this upcoming weekend. If anyone has ever seen Majesty in Motion in action you know that they are all very capable dancers that always please the crowds. You can check out the information below and pre register for the event at the Salsa Dancing meetup link (see below):
Announcing a new event for The San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group!
What: Salsa @ Synergy Dance Zone
When: Saturday, November 17, 7:30 PM
Event fee: USD 7.00 per person
Where: Click the link below to find out!
Event Description: Dancer’s Night Out Salsa Social
A Dancer’s Night Out!!
Hosted by:
Juan Carlos Hernandez and Majesty in Motion Dance Co.
Location:
Synergy Dance Zone
7480 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92126
When:
Saturday, November 17, 7:30PM
Time:
Doors Open @ 7:30pm and Close @ 12:30am
Cover Charge:
$7 dollars
Guest DJ:
TBA but it might be DJ Juan,2,3!!
Salsa, Cha -Cha , Latin Jazz & Mambo, Bachata , Merengue and other tunes that won’t disappoint your listening taste on music.
Dress Attire:
Casual dress to impress
There will be FREE snacks, hor devours and PLENTY of parking for sure, so don’t worry.
Let’s go out and dance, try something new and join us for a night of fun, great dancing, smooth music, and good friends so we could make this a night to remember with more to come.
For more Info:
Phone: 619-840-6213
E-mail: Juan@juan-two-three.com
