Friday, September 20, 2013
Aventura Dance Cruise!!!! Don't Miss It!!!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Tendonitis – Be Careful With That Spin
Tendonitis, or Achilles Tendonitis, is one of the most common injuries that occurs when dancing. It is when the tendon becomes inflamed due to overuse, or excessive pronation (the arch remains flat, and the ankle rolls too far inward as the toes begin to push off. This places increased stress on the muscles and ligaments of the foot).
The most common cause of tendonitis is improper technique. So when you are spinning, or jumping during dancing, be sure to be diligent in your technique. If a song is too fast and you can’t do this, wait for a slower song. When prepping for spins, you want to make sure that you toes are pointed out. In Salsa dancing, it is especially important to dance with your toes pointed outward, as there are many turns that can be done during a dance.
Also, make sure you are wearing proper-fitting dance shoes, no rubber bottoms as these can make it especially difficult to turn or spin, and can increase damage to the tendons.
And, last but not least, always warm up prior to dancing.
Avocado and Tomato Salad
5 Salsa Dance Tips For New Dancers
Every time we are new to something, we are at our highest level of anxiety because we are at our lowest level of knowledge. Just like in anything in life to get better, one must practice a mixture of learn knowledge and activity knowledge. The two work together, not separate.
Tip #1: Find a dance studio that teaches the type and style of Salsa you are interested in learning. As you attend your dance classes, remember that the only way to get better is by being persistent and consistent in our actions. Meaning if you learn something during week one, but don’t show up for week two or three, then come back in week four trying to catch up with everybody else is not going to help your learning. Most dancers get frustrated and start blaming the teacher for not spending time with them, not teaching properly etc… or blame other students for being snobby, rude, with an attitude or whatever else…. This is like going to school but only show up whenever we feel like it.
Tip #2: This is what I call the modeling phase. Find a dancer who you believe has the type and style of dance you wish to have and emulate him/her. Today with the existence of video sites such as www.youtube.com or www.vimeo.com we can find libraries of instructional videos along with performances and Social Dance videos. Use these videos as a learning tool and don’t be shy to ghost dance alone, maybe in front of a mirror or at a Social dance to practice the style you are interested in. It is okay to be a copycat as long as you copy the right cat LOL.
Tip #3: Practice anywhere, anytime, all the time. Let’s be realistic, if the only time you dance is during class or at a Social Dance, it will take us longer to become like those people we see showing off on the dance floor. If we make practicing a single move a part of our daily routine, for example a double or triple spin, body roll or maybe a shine move, and we execute this multiple times throughout the day, we would have increased our amount of practice, experience in that move, which will result in mastering that move faster. The important thing is to focus only on one aspect of the dance and do it over and over at any available opportunity.
Tip #4: Videotape yourself dancing. Usually the camera doesn’t lie to us. It lets us know exactly what we are doing wrong or right. Self-criticism is sometimes the worst type of criticism because it slaps us harder on the face. Don’t worry too much about what you see but rather spend that time figuring out how to fix your posture, style, timing, footwork etc. There are few ways to do so; schedule a private dance with an instructor; practice the right way of what you lack of over and over; watch videos posted by other people in the area you need help with or simply ask question to other dancers or instructors.
Tip #5: Don’t be in a rush to jump class. Here is a big issue in our learning. Many time dancers like to rush from beginner to intermediate and from intermediate to advanced without really mastering the skills within that level. Everyone needs to get back into the basics in order to better perform in our own dance category. The danger behind rushing through dance levels is that not only we have not mastered all skills necessary, but by jumping to the next level we interfere with their progression because we are still fumbling with the lower range level. This makes students at higher levels angry and may lead to some form of alienation. Let’s stay within our dance level and only move to the next higher level once we are fully knowledgeable and confident.
If all we do is go to dance classes but never attend a Social dance to put what we have learned into action, then it will take us longer to master certain skills; at the same time if all we do is go the Social dances without any formal learning from a teacher or a class environment, it will take us longer to master certain skills. These are some tips that are guaranteed to take your dance skills from where it is today to the next level, depending on your learning abilities and commitment.
Want2Salsa Happenings
It has been sometime since we gave u a report from W2S home station in Fayetteville NC. It has been a very busy dancing Salsa time. During this month we have been supporting our local Salsa venues: Hellas Night Club (Friday nights), Big Apple Sports bar (Wednesday nights), and Zero Degree night Club (Saturday Nights). We have two DJ’s that cover these three establishments: DJ Pete el Rey del Mambo and DJ Eric el Chileno; they bring in quest DJs that come and show their skills to the loving Salsa dancers of our city. In a feel good story for our Salsa community DJ Pete was nominated as one of the best DJ’s in the state of NC. The Salsa scene in our city is starting to blossom and mature thanks to these two fantastic DJ’s that make every Salsa night the place to be for all Salsa lovers that want to dance or listen to good music. During this time we also went out and supported our fellow Salsa brothers and sisters in the cities of Wilmington, Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill.
Want2Salsa also attended the Compare Foods Music and Games day, which was held on the grocery chain's parking lot. It was a family-oriented affair, with activities for children and adults alike. The event featured two Mexican bands, who played a variety of Banda and Cumbia. There was also a DJ who played a spin of Salsa and Bachata. There was plenty of food, and plenty of games for the children. In all, it was a nice and relaxing event for the Latin community.
Wilmington: We at W2S decided to enjoy the good weather we been having in NC and took a trip to visit our Salsa family in Wilmington, the Wilmington Latin Dance Studio have their monthly social. It was an incredible weekend of Salsa dancing and spending time at the beach; “that is what we call a fun Salsa weekend”.
Durham: This is one of the best places to go Salsa dancing on a Thursday night. We at W2S and our Salsa brothers and sisters from Baile con Sazon decided to take a weekday Salsa trip to Cuban Revolution Salsa meet up night sponsored by the Cobo Brothers. This was a fun night of Salsa dancing with some of the best dancers of the area in this beautiful restaurant/club. We danced the night away and had a great time, but W2S family if you ever in the area on a Thursday night this is the place to go for Salsa dancing, the only thing don’t get there too late because it gets really full and it is difficult to dance later on in the night.
Raleigh: We also went to one of our favorite locations to dance Salsa in North Carolina “Carmen’s Cuban Café”. This is one of the locations with the most space to dance and enjoy yourself with dancers of all levels and a welcoming atmosphere. The music was fantastic and lively we just could not stop dancing all night; DJ Mike from Triangle Dance Studio was on fire all night long and all the dancers were having the time of their lives.
Chapel Hill: We finished the month by going to one of the Sunday socials at the Triangle Dance Studio. This social always provides a good a relaxing time with some really nice people that enjoy a good dance on a Sunday night. The dancers that were there that night were from beginners to intermediate and a few advanced dancers.
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