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…
This month marked a major change in the San Diego Salsa & Latin Dancing Meetup Group as I formally stepped down as the main organizer for the group. Over the course of a number of years I helped to spread the word about Latin dancing of all types here in San Diego and had a great time doing so in the process.
The new person at the helm of the group is San Diego’s Salsa Susie from Ooh La La Dance. A great promoter of San Diego’s local dance scene, she’s already brought back many former members to the group and is expanding it past the 3,500 member mark for the first time.
Ooh La La Dance Company is going big and expanding their offerings through a brand new dance academy that launches October 9th.
This free event for the general public is going to be a family, all ages event complete with an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 2pm. There will be live music, free massages for adults, games for kids, face painting and a number of other activities for the whole family. The grand opening will also be a great opportunity to meet the 19 master instructors that will head the new dance academy.
The season premiere of NBC’s America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday, May 31st at 8pm and San Diego’s Ooh La La Cosabellas were hand-selected to audition for the show. Salsa Susie, director of the group, has worked hard over the last few years preparing her dance teams and it looks like the hard work is paying off in a big way. The picture above and video below show some highlights of the dance team’s competition.
Along with competing on network TV, Ooh La La is hosting a huge FREE event for the San Diego dance community in the form of a “Day of Dance & Wellness”. As Salsa Susie describes it herself, the event is her way to thank everyone that has allowed Ooh La La to continue with great success:
“I’m giving back to the community and really want the San Diego Salsa & Latin Community to be able to enjoy what dance & wellness has brought to my life.”
I’ve included a schedule below outlining some of the events Ooh La La will be hosting on Saturday June 11th:
For more information on the event please contact Susie directly at her website, OohLaLaDanceCompany.com.
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’sMajestyinMotion.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.
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.