Salsa!
Salsa Instruction
In our weeklong Salsa workshop we will practice Afro-Cuban body movements and Latin styling. Together with our dance partners we will learn new patterns and shines and work them into a short performance choreography. A musicality workshop is included.
Dance instruction begins every morning with our restorative yoga class designed especially for dancers! Restorative yoga helps to improve the posture, relaxes the shoulders, increases overall flexibility, and promotes better balance. Additional exercises will improve core strength, a requirement for a solid turning technique.
After yoga class and a breakfast break we will begin the 2 hour long Salsa intensive lead by Beatriz Melina, director of the Tumbao Dance Company and winner of the National Salsa Competition in Querétaro in 2005. You don't have to bring a dance partner or worry about an unbalanced class: we will provide dance partners from the Tumbao Dance Company! The Tumbao Dance Company is participating in the major Salsa competitions in Mexico every year, most noteably Acapulco and Mexico City. Here are some youtube videos from recent competitions, they are not great quality, but will give you an idea:
Beatriz is an amazing dancer and beautiful performer, but more importantly she is an excellent and experienced teacher. Her personality and energy make the classes fun and her focus on styling will earn you lots of compliments back home. Besides opening two dance schools in Oaxaca, Beatriz has performed and taught workshops internationally in the UK, Germany and Italy. In 2008 Beatriz has started teaching Latin Dance at the Universidad Anahuac Oaxaca.
During the warm-up part of class we will work on body movement separation techniques for the shoulders and hips. These body movements of Afro-Cuban origin are an essential part of Salsa dancing. After the warm up we will practice shines, steps and movements performed without a connection to the partner. Latin styling is an important part of the shines, and practicing a short choreography every day will significantly improve your vocabulary.
The second half of class is dedicated to dancing with a partner. You will learn a new pattern with your partner and work together to expand the pattern and add shines to create a short choreography in the course of the week. On the last day of class each team performs the choreography they practiced in front of the group. This is always a lot of fun and the highlight of the workshop, but of course it's optional!
Musicality workshop: beginning with the September 2010 retreat, we will offer a musicality workshop lead by a professional musician. Here we will learn to listen to the elements of Salsa music, mainly the clave. We will learn the different rhythyms of the clave and the differences between dancing Salsa On 1 and On 2.
Private lessons with the instructors are available in the afternoons. You can chose between partnering or styling lessons for Salsa On 1 or On 2, Cha Cha or Bachata, to list the most popular options. Mexican folcloric dances and a variety of non Latin dances, such as Hip Hop are also available.
On the last day of class we will celebrate together with our dance partners and instructors at a local Salsa club with live music.
Whether you are a total beginner or an advanced dancer - the intensive Salsa training with the dancers and performers from the Tumbao Dance Company will be lots of fun and you will definitely learn something new.
There are no mistakes in dance, only unexpected movements...
Yoga and dance complement each other. On the physical level, yoga practice helps a dancer through greater strength, flexibility and balance, improved posture, more stamina, and increased energy. On the spiritual level, yoga practice allows the mind to become still, non-judgmental, and centered on the body. Working with the body and breath will allow blocked areas to open and energy to flow freely. This creates a perfect base to start connecting with another person through dance and to start receiving joy through the experience of Salsa and the captivating rhythms of the music. Dance is a moving meditation.
Salsa in Oaxaca
While most people associate Salsa with Cuba, Mexico does have its own Salsa tradition which started with the Mambo in the early 50s. The King of Mambo and his Perez Prado Orchestra are from Mexico City and are performing there to this day.
Oaxaca can now be considered the Mexican capital of Salsa. With more than 20 Salsa schools, some of the top performers in the US are from Oaxaca. Here is a short list of YouTube videos of past performances in the US:
With so many role models and the opportunity to obtain a travel visa for accomplished performers, Salsa dancing has developed a serious following in Oaxaca, especially among teenagers. Walking through the city, you will see hole-in-the-wall dance schools with the stars of tomorrow practicing hard.