It’s news day on the Azúcar! Blog. Here are the latest happenings from around the salsa scene
We hope everyone’s had a fantastic long weekend. As for us, we spent the last few days at the Montreal Salsa Convention, taking in some amazing shows, social dancing with people we’re in awe of, and learning some great new moves and techniques that we can’t wait to pass on to all of you!
Intro to Salsa A make-up class Since our studio was closed both Saturday and Monday this past weekend, we are holding a make-up class for our Intro to Salsa A students, today (Tuesday, May 21) at 6pm. Hope to see you all there!
We’ve joined Instagram! Help us tell our story in pictures – connect with us @AzucarOttawa and tag your photos with #azucarottawa. Let’s get this party started!
Connect with us on Twitter! We’re @AzucarOttawa. Come chat, ask questions, and get news and updates from the worldwide salsa scene.
Azúcar! gift cards available on SMAKK.com!
We know a few of our students got their lessons as gifts for a special occasion. Now we’re making it even easier to give your loved ones the gift of dance – you can send them an Azúcar! gift card from SMAKK.com. Click, order, and have the card send directly to them, electronically or by mail!
This week’s events For a list of other socials happening this week, check out Salsa à la carte.
Not too long after I’ve started dancing salsa, my method of finding salsa music was mostly by going to Costco and buying the “100 Best Salsa/Must-have Latin/Best Tropical” CD collections (this was before YouTube and the era of fast downloads). Of course, most of the songs ended up either being not salsa, totally un-danceable, or one of those gritty, old old school salsa. (You know, the ones with nothing but trumpets blaring. All. The. Time. )
I didn’t know better then, and thought that salsa music was pretty one-dimensional, and forever stuck in the 60s, until I found this song:
Marc Anothony – Ahora Quien (Salsa Version)
This was my first introduction to romantic salsa, and furthermore, it put me in a state of shock. How could this be salsa music? I must have listened to this song at least 500 times before the CD gave out (read: I sat on it by accident). I had no idea what the lyrics were saying, but I could feel the power behind his words. These were by far some of the strongest feelings I felt listening to a piece of music. I was hooked.
It was much, much later, when I started researching salsa singers, that I learned who sang this song; it wasn’t “Mac Anthoughny” as the back of the CD had suggested, but Marc Anthony. And this month, I’d like to do a feature on him.
Born Marco Antonio Muñiz in New York City, Marc is the youngest of 8 siblings in a Puerto Rican family. Marc started his musical career in the 1980s as a session vocalist for freestyle and underground New York house music acts. He produced a number of freestyle records, and worked as a backup singer and vocals for other artists.
After 1992, Marc changed his focus from freestyle to salsa and other Latin melodies, and soon after, he was quickly recognized as one of the great new talents in salsa world. He released his Spanish-language debut, Otra Nota, in 1993, followed by Todo a Su Tiempo in 1995, winning him the title of “tropical artist of the year”. Marc went on to produce eight more albums, making music ranging from salsa to ballads to pop, and sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, making him the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. Marc also received numerous awards for his accomplishments, including both the Grammy Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards.
I could go on talking about Marc’s film career and his complicated personal life, including his marriage and divorce to a former Miss Universe, and more famously to Jennifer Lopez. However, this is a salsa blog, and I am here to show case his music, so here are some of Marc Anthony’s more memorable pieces for you to enjoy:
Marc Anthony – Valio La Pena (Salsa Version)
Marc Anthony – A Quien Quiero Mentirle (Salsa Version)
Monday is news day on the Azúcar! Blog. Here are the latest happenings from around the salsa scene
Victoria Day long weekend The Montreal Salsa Convention is taking place this weekend, and all Azucar! teachers will be in Montreal learning some new tricks to share with you, straight from the world’s best dancers. As a result, our studio will be closed and all classes will be cancelled on the following days:
We’re on Twitter! We’ve seen the light, joined the 21st century, and got with it. Connect with us – we’re @AzucarOttawa. Come chat, ask questions, and get news and updates from the worldwide salsa scene.
Azúcar! gift cards available on SMAKK.com! We know a few of our students got their lessons as gifts for a special occasion. Now we’re making it even easier to give your loved ones the gift of dance – you can send them an Azúcar! gift card from SMAKK.com. Click, order, and have the card send directly to them, electronically or by mail!
This week’s events For a list of other socials happening this week, check out Salsa à la carte.
Express – a new Burlesque Workshop by Emilie Phaneuf this Saturday! Want to feel sexy and have fun while learning some hot dance moves? Emilie has a great routine inspired by Christina Aguilera’s “Express” that’s sure to bring in your inner bombshell.
This Saturday at 2:15pm! More details on the Facebook event page.
We’re on Twitter! We’ve seen the light, joined the 21st century, and got with it. Connect with us – we’re @AzucarOttawa. Come chat, ask questions, and get news and updates from the worldwide salsa scene.
Azúcar! gift cards available on SMAKK.com! We know a few of our students got their lessons as gifts for a special occasion. Now we’re making it even easier to give your loved ones the gift of dance – you can send them an Azúcar! gift card from SMAKK.com. Click, order, and have the card send directly to them, electronically or by mail!
This week’s events For a list of other socials happening this week, check out Salsa à la carte.
Have you ever watched a great salsa dancer and wondered why your basic step doesn’t look as smooth as theirs? Or taken a class, learned the move, then got discouraged because your teachers seem to flow through it while you look like you’re fighting for your life?
I have. And I’m here to tell you it gets better!
It’s easy to put it all down to natural ability – “they were born dancers; I’m too uncoordinated / too old / too white” (I’ve heard it all and thought it all) – but the truth is, in most cases, that’s just not true. Most great dancers are made, not born, and they were made through years of practice.
Recently, a few students told me I look “so naturally graceful” when I dance. I’m flattered, but I have to tell you, there’s nothing natural about it. I spent most of my life as a hopeless klutz, tripping over my feet and bumping into furniture at least 4 times a day. When I started learning salsa, my dancing was clunky and awkward, and I had all the grace of a tortoise trying to jump rope. But time and practice and practice (and practice) trained my muscles and my brain to find these moves increasingly normal, and as a result made them look better.
Ana & Jeff. Now slightly less clumsy than rope-jumping tortoises.
Ask any dancer who’s been around a while, and they’re likely to tell you the same thing: learning a new move is the easy part. The hard part is practicing it until your brain rewires itself and your muscles reshape themselves to make it look effortless.
Yes, some people are naturally more agile or graceful or flexible or coordinated than others, but this alone never translates into great dancing. Never assume a good dancer got good without effort and practice, and never assume that effort and practice won’t get you there – because it will!
So:
Practice often
Keep track of your progress with videos of yourself dancing
Seek feedback and help when you need it
and you’ll become a better dancer than you ever thought you could be. And in a year, everyone will assume you were naturally gifted.
I’m still nowhere near where I want to be in my dancing, but a few years of practice have taught me that a few more years of diligent practice will get me there. And if the girl who uses her shins to mark the height of her furniture can do it, then so can you!
Monday is news day on the Azúcar! Blog. This week, we’re gearing up for our Open House this Saturday, introducing our new Twitter account, and giving you a new and awesome way to give someone an Azúcar! gift card!
Spring Open House on May 4th! We’ll be kicking off our Spring/Summer session with an Open House this Saturday night! This is a FREE event including 3 workshops as well as social dancing! For more details, check out the Facebook event page.
Spring/Summer session starts next Monday! We’ll be back with a full array of classes on Monday, May 6th. Our Spring/Summer schedule is already up on our web site, to be sure to check it out at http://azucarottawa.com/schedule
We’re on Twitter! We’ve seen the light, joined the 21st century, and got with it. Connect with us – we’re @AzucarOttawa. Come chat, ask questions, and get news and updates from the worldwide salsa scene.
Azúcar! gift cards available on SMAKK.com! We know a few of our students got their lessons as gifts for a special occasion. Now we’re making it even easier to give your loved ones the gift of dance – you can send them an Azúcar! gift card from SMAKK.com. Click, order, and have the card send directly to them, electronically or by mail!
This week’s events For a list of other socials happening this week, check out Salsa à la carte.
The more you dance, the more important your feet become. We’ve talked about protecting your feet before, but I thought I’d talk a bit more about a footcare routine you can do regularly that will keep your soles happy.
There are a lot of footcare products and “kits” out there that you can buy pre-packaged, but their efficiency varies. Through trial and error, I put together a simple, fairly minimal kit for myself, and I thought I’d help you do the same, if you’re so inclined. Here’s what’s in mine:
Epsom salt Magnesium sulphate (Epsom salt) is the main ingredient in most bath salt and foot soak mixes, and has great benefits, from relieving aches to relaxing muscles and promoting their proper functioning. You can get a big bag of Epsom salt for cheap at any drug store. Mix ½ cup of salt into a large pan or basin of warm water and soak your feet as long as it feels right. You can also add essential oils for more benefits (see next point).
Tea Tree Oil (or the essential oil of your choice) Essential oils can also help relax muscles and refresh tired feet. Tea Tree Oil is my current favourite, but lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon or rose all work well – read up on their individual benefits or ask the staff at your favourite natural health store for a recommendation. A few drops of pure oil are enough for a foot bath.
Pumice stone Dancers learn to love well-placed callouses. Having tougher skin in the right spots protects us from pain when we’re dancing for hours. I still like having smooth feet though, and a pumice stone is great for smoothing the skin without being invasive. Gently pumice your freshly soaked feet until your soles feel smooth, then rinse and dry your feet.
Foot cream The skin on our feet is prone to dryness, but a good moisturizer helps keep it supple. Look for a thicker, nourishing cream or butter that your skin absorbs slowly (I like the Body Shop hemp line, and Tashodi Body Butters), and massage it thoroughly into your soles, concentrating where you feel the most tension.
Toe spreaders This one’s especially for women, since our shoes tend to push our toes together – over time, this pressure builds up and can lead to bunions, especially if you’re genetically prone to them like I am (thanks, nature!). Toe spreaders help realign your toes as well as relax the muscles in your feet. You can get them at most drug stores; they look something like this. They are easiest to use once your feet have been moisturized – just put your feet up and relax for 5-10 minutes!
How do you keep your feet happy and healthy? Share your tips, favourite products, and routines in the comments!
Azúcar! gift cards available on SMAKK.com!
