I felt compelled to write about an article I saw online concerning the 1st Annual Marrakesh Salsa Festival. Apparently, the article refers to the controversy surrounding the city hosting its first salsa festival citing that some locals believe it will promote vice according to the religious law in Morocco. Specifically, it points out that under certain cleric’s interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, it is sinful for men and women to mingle when salsa dancing together.
Of course I disagree with this position as I believe salsa dancing can be used as a force for good to bring people together. As with most things in life, any activity can be abused. There probably are some people who abuse salsa dancing for their own devices such as to fuel their pride, I don’t doubt that point. I don’t think, though, that these uses outweigh the virtues of the dance. As a Roman Catholic I’v enjoyed salsa dancing as a way to meet other people of different religious faiths and to learn about where they come from. I will even go as far as to say that salsa dancing is my method to spread a gospel of joy to everyone I meet.
I’m curious to see if any of you have any opinions on the controversy. If so feel free to leave a comment here on Ritmo Bello.
The economy has been the front and center topic these last few weeks as we hear about the collapse on Wall Street. All of us are affected to some degree and this also includes those of us that are part of the San Diego dance community.
One message I saw circulating on the internet mentioned that salsa dancing is a great way to work through the financial stress that we are all experiencing. Indeed, I think its important to keep doing the things that keep us strong emotionally during this time and for many salsa, tango, and other forms of latin dance are such activities. Although salsa and latin dancing may cost some money in terms of club cover or dance lessons, many times the ocassional expense is worth the huge benefits you can receive from the dance.
We all know too that small businesses have been hit hard by these tough economic times. The salsa and latin dance community as a whole can help support those businesses that help to create the dance experience we all enjoy. E.K. Clothing, a small business I interviewed recently, is one such business that could benefit from our patronage. The company has extended free standard shipping of any purchases of $50.00 or more if you use the special promo code “RITMOBELLO” (it ends 12/31/2008). If you are not familiar with E.K. Clothing, you can check out their great assortment of salsa dance wear and shoes on their website.
Feel free to leave comments if you have other ways to keep positive and support the dance community during these economic times.
This Saturday October 11, 2008 the La Jolla Marriott is offering FREE admission to everyone.
This is a one time event to thank everyone in the San Diego salsa community for continuing to keep this Saturday night venue going strong. I’ve attached a video here from another salsa night held at the La Jolla Marriott last month:
As usual, there are free salsa lessons given at 8:30pm and DJ starts spinning at 9:30. The club is open till around 1:30am.
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!
From time to time I come upon something new in the dance world and today I found out about a dance called Zouk Lambada. More specifically, the music is called zouk (it’s a french-caribbean inspired blend) and the dance is called zouk lambada. Described as the “Coolest Dance You’ve Never Heard Of”, Zouk Lambada is becoming more popular with the salsa and tango scene worldwide.
Usually salsa and tango dancers can pick up this type of dancing easily with a little help and San Diego is fortunate to have a visiting Zouk Lambada instructor coming in October. If you see this video you’ll see some elements found in other Latin dances that appear in Zouk Lambada:
Willem Engel, a Zouk Lambada instructor from the Netherlands, will be hosting a workshop event at a local studio here in San Diego. To get a sense of what this workshop will look like and to see Willem in action I’ve posted this video from a previous workshop he hosted in New York:
Over the past year I’ve used Ritmo Bello as a medium for sharing information about the local salsa and Latin dance scene. Indeed, I’ve been amazed at how much the site has grown in popularity and how people have used the website to learn more about San Diego dancing.
Ritmo Bello also has coverage through other channels like Twitter and Youtube. Twitter is an interesting concept that I wrote about earlier this year in an earlier post. I’m including a video here again with a simple explaination of how Twitter works, but in a nutshell dancers can use Twitter to connect with other like minded dancers online in real time:
Something new I’ve launched recently is Ritmo Bello’s Youtube Channel. Part of my approach for this website has always been to bring to light the perspective of an average person’s experience in the salsa and Latin dance scene. With this in mind, I’ve posted videos of things an average person might encounter while attending a local salsa club or some other local dancing event. I’ve posted an example of a video I recently produced from my channel here:
Feel free to visit Ritmo Bello’s Twitter account & Youtube account to follow in more depth what’s happening here in San Diego for dance. You can also subscribe to both services as well.
That’s right! Carlos Santana, the legendary latin rock artist, will be performing live at Cricket Wireless here in San Diego tomorrow Tuesday September 30th.
I was lucky to get some VIP tickets for the performance and I look forward to hearing him in concert. Santana, as most of you know, is credited with popularizing Latin music through the years with many hits such as “Oye Come Va” and “Black Magic Woman.” Both of these songs are enjoyed by dancers as they follow cha cha cha beat and are club favorites.
San Diego is lucky to have another visiting salsa band coming to perform in October, Seattle Salsa Band Picoso.
Picoso founder Eli Rosenblatt began playing guitar at thirteen.He has played many styles of music including blues, salsa, son, reggae, jazz, Brazilian, Zimbabwean and Malian. He got hooked on Latin Music at age sixteen and has been writing dance music since that time.Along with the other members of Picoso, the band is well known in their hometown of Seattle, WA.To get a sense of how they play salsa I’ve included this video clip here for you to check out:
Santo Rico Dance Company is coming to San Diego as part of a weekend of workshops and performances this November 14th-15th, 2008.
The talented dance company, as many of you might know, has been busy since 1996 spreading salsa dancing throughout the world.The group is credited as being one of the longest standing performance teams in the world with exposure in over 25 countries and over 40 U.S. cities.They are well known for their famous choreography called the “Santo Rico Spinning Technique” and have influenced a great many salsa performance groups over the years.
Santo Rico Dance Company has performed for some of salsa dancing’s biggest names including Gilberto Santo Rosa, Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, and Victor Manuelle.
We are lucky to have them visiting San Diego in November and I’ve put together a special San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup event for a performance they will be giving at the La Jolla Marriott on Saturday, November 15th.
I’ve attached a video here so you can get a sense of the type of performances they’ve done in the past. Check it out and see you at the La Jolla Marriott!
For many in the Salsa and Latin dance scene, Bachata is not as well known as the other Latin dances.Indeed, when it comes to this native Dominican dance many of us know very little about the influences that formed what we understand today as bachata.Fortunately, others have extensively studied the history of bachata dance and compiled their findings.
I recently was sent an email about one such resource in the form of a book called “Bachata:A Social History of a Dominican Popular Music” by Deborah Pacini Hernandez.I’ve included a synopsis from Google Book Search for you all to review.
An interesting aspect about Deborah’s book is the comparison that she makes between the development of Bachata and Rap music. She identifies that both genres share a parallel history in the way both became more main stream and respectable.
Check out the book and share your thoughts about it by leaving a comment. Enjoy!
It was a busy weekend for San Diego dancers and music lovers as both the San Diego Salsa Festival and Street Scene took place this last weekend. Both events had tons of performers and it would be great to hear from reader’s out there that attended both about your experiences.
If you’ve been following Ritmo Bello for some time now you know that I’ve written about the upcoming San Diego Salsa Festival covering topics ranging from San Diego Salsa Festival travel deals to tips for first time attendees. I thought it would be fitting to complete my review of the upcoming festival by including the full schedule and performance line up for the whole weekend.
Along with the original schedule of salsa dance workshops, this updated schedule below of salsa performers has the additions of Richardo and Michelle (Pretty Boys & Girls Dance Co.), Jo and Jo (Afeenix Dance Company), and Edwin Rivera and Ashley Dawson (From “So You Think You Can Dance?”). Most if not all of the performers are in competition to receive a coveted spot for the World Salsa Championships.
Don’t forget to RSVP for the San Diego Salsa Festival if you haven’t done so already to find out more information about the event that starts Friday night.
For those of you not familiar with the brother and sister salsa duo, the video here is a promotional training video about them. (Although I don’t support one studio over another, Junior and Emily definitely stand out amongst the crowd for their national exposure.)
To find out more information about the group, I know that Alex Tiger is part of the Pro Team and is also an Assistant Organizer with the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup. Feel free to sign up for the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup group if you are not already a member!
The San Diego Salsa Festival is almost here! Day one of the salsa festival begins this Friday night and I know many of you are excited to attend. I wanted to give you all a sneak preview of the salsa band that will be playing at the event on Saturday night. Salsa band Lucky 7, shown here in this video, is a multi-ethnic fusion of 1950’s and 1960’s Spanish Harlem. The band is known for bringing the high energy sounds of the classic mambo to those ready to dance.
San Diego is lucky to have Grammy nominated Latin Jazz and Cuban salsa artist Maraca performing Live later this month.For those of you not familiar with Orlando Valle ‘Maraca’, he is one of Cuba’s premier flutist and has been very influential in the Afro-Cuban band genre.
He was nominated in 2003 as the “Best Salsa Album” at the U.S. Grammy Awards, making him the youngest Cuban artist ever nominated by the U.S. National Recording Academy.
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!
What’s a great way to learn salsa dance in an environment where there is little pressure? A salsa dance party! Salsa dance parties are usually hosted by instructors and studios as a way to allow new students to interact with other learners in a safe environment. I say safe because for many just learning to salsa dance, making an entry into a club setting can be overwhelming to say the least.
A couple of studios around town host these salsa parties regularly and I wanted to highlight one that is going on this weekend. The Salsa party will be held at Pattie Wells Dancetime Studio from 8 to 10:30 pm. The event is hosted by Jose, the salsa instructor at Pattie Wells, who has great experience teaching salsa dance in the Colombian style. He’ll be teaching an beginner’s and intermediate salsa class that is included with the paid admission.
Salsa dancing lives to see another night at Aubergine Nightclub!After a successful inaugural night on August 22, 2008 the club decided to extend its Friday night salsa dancing, at least on certain specific nights. The next salsa night is scheduled for 9/26. I’m happy with the decision and already have an event organized for the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup where you can RSVP.
Check it out and let them know you heard about it on Ritmo Bello!
As the San Diego Salsa Festival approaches, I’ve received numerous emails from people that are attending the event. For many of these folks it will be their very first salsa festival or congress that they will be attending. Many of these dancers are unsure about how someone can maximize their time at a salsa festival given that there will be so much to experience.
Apart from taking advantage of the salsa workshops that I mentioned in a previous Ritmo Bello article , I think it’s vital for new attendees to the salsa festival to fully integrate into the event by simply dancing and interacting with other attendees. I know from my own experience that it can be a little intimidating to arrive at a salsa event of this magnitude and be overwhelmed by the big names in attendance when you are just starting out. The Unlikely Salsero (aka Don Baarns , a friend of Ritmo Bello and online salsa dance resource, recently wrote about the upcoming San Diego Salsa Festival and addressed some of these issues. In particular, he’s written a 2 part series with tips and recommendations for those attending a salsa festival or congress.
Check them out and feel free to offer up any comments here to help out those attending the San Diego Salsa Festival for the first time.
As most of you know, I’ve been dancing street salsa for many years both locally here in San Diego and around the world. Over those years I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the dance and the positive changes that it has brought to my life. From time to time I reflect on these changes and it occurred to me that my salsa dancing has affected me in a way I never would have imagined.
When I opened up my closet recently I noticed that I have not one but two separate parts to my wardrobe. Indeed, on one side I had all my regular clothing and on the other I had what I call my “salsa wardrobe.” Any of you out there that have been dancing salsa for a while understand immediately what I mean by this simple revelation. The clothing worn by a dancer can define that person just as much as their dance style and my separate salsa wardrobe reflects that to the core.
This got me thinking about an often overlooked part of our dance world, the people that provide the wonderful range of clothing and shoe options for us to wear. One organization in particular, e.K. Clothing caught my attention in the Latin dance community and I recently sat down for an interview with the company’s owner, Nicole Shahian, to talk about outfitting the Latin dance world.
Ritmo Bello: Nicole, let’s go ahead and begin. Many people that are new to salsa dancing here in San Diego are not sure what type of options are out there for footwear and dance clothing. What makes e.K. Clothing a good option for them to consider?
e.K. Clothing: Our prices are pretty reasonable and usually if orders are received Monday – Saturday by about 1pm or so, they’re shipped the same day. Returns are easy and most of our styles are great for Salsa and other types of Latin dancing.
Ritmo Bello: How did e.K. Clothing get started?
e.K. Clothing: Well, just like the song – Todo Empezo…Bailando! About 4-5 years ago, I was out dancing almost every night and was always looking for new Salsa clothes, because you know how it is…Salseros usually have a semi-separate Salsa wardrobe, right? I made a couple of purchases from several major online retailers and was disappointed in the price vs. quality. So I figured maybe I could offer dancers a better option…
Ritmo Bello: I know that salsa and mambo dresses are one of the things you specialize in providing to the dance community. Can you provide some helpful tips on what somebody might look for and consider when shopping for a salsa or mambo dress at your store?
e.K. Clothing: Any clothing that has ruffles, flounces, slits and cascades will extend or accent your movement and actually make you *look* like a better dancer. Halter straps (as opposed to tank straps) are nice because they don’t slip off the shoulders. Mid length skirts with zig zag bottoms spin beautifully. Also, blends of Polyester, Nylon and/or Spandex are the best kind of fabric blends for dancers because they stretch nicely, wash easily and dry quickly.
Ritmo Bello: Are there different options available for ladies interested in specialized dresses for ballroom or Argentine Tango?
e.K. Clothing: Some of our ready to wear items are popular with Tango dancers - usually the more elegant, sharper styles or those with some sort of lace detail. For Ballroom dancers, a lot of our skirts are great for practice wear. At this time we don’t offer custom Ballroom dresses, though.
Ritmo Bello: I also understand that you offer skirts and pant options to women dancers. What are some of the advantages of choosing an option like this compared to a full dress?
e.K. Clothing: Dresses and skirts typically have a lot more movement and can be much more eye catching. Pants are quick and easy and you never have to worry about them flying or inching up as you’re dancing. Pants and skirts are a nice option for those who like to mix and match and sometimes are better for women who may need a different size up top than what they wear on bottom.
Ritmo Bello: How does a dancer find the right sizing for a dress, skirt, or pant when considering some of your clothing?
e.K. Clothing: It is always important to consider your body type. There are certain styles that are more flattering to different figures and it is just a matter of finding what cut/style suits you best. Everyone has their favorite pieces of clothing that they tend to wear over and over again. If you can figure out what it is that you like about your favorite outfits and look for those qualities when clothes shopping, you’re more likely to be happy with your new purchases. Also, knowing your measurements (these can be taken with a tailor’s tape measure) is always helpful. Every clothing manufacturer is different, so ALWAYS take a look at the size chart if you’re shopping online!
Ritmo Bello: In terms of footwear, what are some things you recommend to somebody looking for good salsa, mambo, or even tango dance shoes? What characteristics make for a really good dance shoe?
e.K. Clothing: Dance shoes should be flexible, have a non grip bottom that has just enough traction for spins and should always STAY PUT on your feet, especially around your heels. For women, wearing dance shoes (instead of regular street shoes) absolutely makes a difference. Although dancing shoes might be a little more expensive, usually they are made with quality materials and last a long time. For suede bottom shoes, almost any cobbler can replace the suede when it wears out, so don’t worry too much about preserving the suede - just dance!
Ritmo Bello: In your opinion what is the best heel height for dancing?
e.K. Clothing: The best heel height is what you’re most comfortable in–for women, if you’re not used to wearing high heels, dancing in them will take a while getting used to. I’d suggest a thicker heel if comfort is the main concern, because the more area that weight is distributed across, the better. However, the most common heel for women’s Latin dance shoes is 2.5 inch slim heel. Padded soles or inserts help with getting used to higher heels.
For men, usually a 1 inch heel is the standard. Some men who dance a lot or compete prefer the 1.5 inch heels, but I’ve been told those take some getting used to as well.
Ritmo Bello: Do you offer customized shoe making options for dancers? If somebody had an idea for creating a custom shoe with e.K. Clothing what is that process like?
e.K. Clothing: We do! We have many, many custom colors available for all shoe styles. Custom designs can even have 2 or more chosen colors/materials. Customers specify the style, color/material(s) and heel height and in 3-5 weeks the shoes will be finished.
Ritmo Bello: I’ve talked to a number of professional dancers that have mentioned your store as a great place to find group dance or performance style dresses. What kind of options do you offer to those dance groups looking to outfit their whole team?
e.K. Clothing: Group discounts start at 10% for purchases of 3 or more of the same item, regardless of color or size. We also carry sizes S-3X and often have a larger selection of colors in stock, which varies by season. Also, depending on the style, we can accommodate custom sizes and colors with a fairly quick turn around.
Ritmo Bello: Although most of your offerings are geared towards women, do you offer anything for men visiting your store?
e.K. Clothing: Currently we have men’s shoes. Hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll have some clothing for men as well…we’ve been told they’re feeling a little left out…
Ritmo Bello: Is there any chance we’ll see you in San Diego wearing some of the items you sell at e.K. Clothing?
e.K. Clothing: Right now, probably not John …I’m pretty much glued to our retail store in Lomita, CA 6 days a week.
Ritmo Bello: How can the Ritmo Bello audience reach you if they want to find out more information about e.K. Clothing?
e.K. Clothing: We can be reached at the e.k. Clothing website , 888-831-0925 or info@ekclothing.com.
Ritmo Bello: Nicole, on behalf of the Ritmo Bello audience and the San Diego dance community thanks so much for providing quality clothing options for dancers…
e.K. Clothing: Thank you! Maybe one day I’ll see you on the dance floor!
For everyone that attended the San Diego Salsa Festival last year you’ll remember that a major focus of the Festival was the salsa competition. Indeed, the majority of salsa festivals or congresses are great opportunities for salsa dance teams, both local and from afar, to showcase the hard work they put into their dancing.
The San Diego Salsa Festival has the added benefit of being an official qualifying location for the World Salsa Championships . This major salsa dance competition is being held on December 3-6, 2008 in Florida and brings together the best in what salsa dancers have to offer.
The objective of the World Salsa Championships is to see which couple or teams in each division can best interpret salsa music and dance regardless of the repertoire of tricks that are employed. What this means is that the competitions are looking for those who truly feel the music and can express what they feel in the dance for the benefit of the salsa community.
The World Salsa Championships is a collaboration of salsa dancers around the world united under Albert Torres and The Salsa Seven, Inc , the producer of the event and pictured below. The hope of this major event is to bring more visibility to salsa dancing as a whole to the general public and to create what he describes as “unity through salsa.”
So what can we expect at the San Diego Salsa Festival for competitions? There will be 4 categories of competition with only 1 couple and only 1 team moving on to the competitions in Florida . The areas of competition include On1 salsa couple dancing, On2 salsa couple dancing, Team dancing, and a Cabaret couple division. An example of Cabaret style might look something like what is seen in this video included in this post below. (A Time to Dance Studio, the major supporters of the San Diego Salsa Festival, appear here during a recent performance at Aubergine.)
The judges will determine who moves on to the World Salsa Championships based on timing, overall technique, difficulty, connection/partnering skills, choreography/originality, appearance, and showmanship.
The winning couple and teams not only secure a spot at the World Salsa Championships, but they also get compensated for their hard work. This compensation comes in the form of paid flights to Florida courtesy of the San Diego Salsa Festival along with all meals and hotel accommodations provided by Salsa Seven, Inc. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
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.
Ever heard of “Latin Grooves”? If you haven’t you are missing out.
Latin Grooves, a local radio show that airs 1 to 3pm Saturdays on Jazz 88.3, delivers what many people in San Diego wish we had more of on the radio: salsa music and all types of Latin jazz. Broadcasting since 1951, the station is the only 24 hour all jazz radio station to devote a segment of its programming to Latin jazz for the benefit of San Diego listeners.
The main DJ for Latin Grooves, Chris Springer (pictured here in this post), was recently highlighted in an article that appeared today in the Del Mar Times . As described in the article, Springer has a knack for not just playing Latin jazz but also educating the public on the origins and synthesis of the music over the years.
Although a local station, Jazz 88.3 has worldwide reach through the internet with a fan base ranging from New York to throughout Latin America. To find out more information check out the Jazz 88.3 website or set your dial to the radio program Saturday afternoons.
Thanks to Chris Springer and Jazz 88.3 for keeping Latin Jazz alive here in San Diego!
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.
