May
1, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance!
Well,
it's less than 21 days away before the first episode of the
original Fox Network "So
You Think You Can Dance" Season 4 Premiere on Thursday,
May 22nd at 8pm; and you'll see there's some changes to the
judging line-up this year -- only Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels
are returning as regular judges/ choreographers.
Judges from previous years -- Shane Sparks, Wade Robson and
Dan Karaty are no longer listed, but the new choreographer/judges
for this season now include:
Tabitha and Napoleon
Jean Marc Genereau (Cdn)
Tyce Diorio
Mandy Moore.
Hmmm.... it's also going to be interesting to see how dynamic
this year's choreography will be compared to previous years.
For Shane Sparks, I wonder if him appearing on "America's
Favourite Dance Crew" had something to do with his
change, especially as there will be Season 2 later this Summer
on MTV... Auditions are almost over in:
Apr 18 - New York, NY
Apr 21 - Houston, TX
Apr 29 - Los Angeles, CA
May 3 - Chicago, IL
And for those who are thinking of auditioning for the "So
You Think You Can Dance Canada!", here are the remaining
audition dates...
May 5 - Halifax, NS
May 12 - Calgary, AB
May 27 - Montreal, QC
June 9 - Toronto, ON
Check
out all the latest updates for "So You Think You Can Dance
Canada"!
Main Site
The
Judges
The
Vancouver Auditions
And
if you haven't yet voted... click
here and let everyone know where most Toronto dancers are
dancing these days...
March
28, 2008
March is Almost Over...
If
you didn't attend the Winter Salsa Carnival this past weekend,
you missed an amazing weekend of non-stop energy, fun and loads
of dancing. I was only able to attend Saturday and Sunday night
and it was a blast -- the crowd was the most appreciative and
high energy I've seen in a very long time. Check out the photos
when you get a chance...
March
21, 2008
Spring is finally here...
Well
technically, can't wait to see the last of the winter snow melting...
but in the meantime, there's alot of dancin' to choose from on
TV and on the "streets"...
So if you're in the mood to dance this long weekend, you'll see
the hardcore dancers at the Winter Salsa Carnival.
If you're an avid Reality TV Dance Junkie, "Dancing
with the Stars" premiered this week... and even
I forgot to tape and watch the Monday night show with the men
and then remembered to tape the Tuesday night show with the women.
From the recap for the men, it sounds like Mario is the current
favourite and in the lead... and after watching the Tuesday night
show, Kristi Yamaguchi is an early front-runner to potentially
win as she looks like she's always been dancing ballroom. Priscilla
Presley also looked quite graceful doing a foxtrot and actually
did a death spiral.
The list of stars appearing on the show is at the bottom of the
column...
Also, a few weeks ago, CTV announced the auditions for "So
You Think You Can Dance Canada".
Click
here for the latest updates from CTV... They have announced
the dates and auditions will be in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto,
Montreal and Halifax, starting in April!
The dance styles on the show will be from hip-hop, drump, pop-and-lock
to alsa, quickstep, ballroom and jive.
The series will premiere this fall on CTV.
And if you haven't yet voted... click
here and let everyone know where most dancers are dancing
these days...
It's been interesting to see which club comes out ahead... and
it changes each week between Babaluu's, the Weekend Socials and
Alleycatz.
Note that I haven't included every club in TO, but most of the
places that hardcore dancers have been known to hang out...
Competitors on 'Dancing with the Stars'
ADAM CAROLLA & JULIANNE HOUGH
- Comedian and radio host, Adam Carolla, (host of the nationally
syndicated radio program, The Adam Carolla Show) teams with reigning
two-time defending Dancing with the Stars champion, Julianne Hough.
Julianne returns for her third season.
CRISTIÁN DE LA FUENTE & CHERYL
BURKE - International film star, Cristián de
la Fuente (Family Law, CSI: Miami), teams up with two-time champ,
Cheryl Burke. Cheryl returns for her fifth season.
SHANNON ELIZABETH & DEREK HOUGH
- Film and television star, Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie,
Scary Movie, That 70s Show) is paired with Derek Hough who returns
for his second season. Derek is the older brother of Julianne
Hough and was paired with Jennie Garth last season.
STEVE GUTTENBERG & ANNA TREBUNSKAYA
- Movie star, Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy, Three
Men And A Baby, Short Circuit and Cocoon), teams with Anna Trebunskaya
who returns for her third season. Anna is married to professional
dancer Jonathan Roberts, who also returns for another season.
PENN JILLETTE & KYM JOHNSON
- Magician, Penn Jillette, one-half of the famous illusionist
team Penn & Teller, teams with Kym Johnson who returns for
her fourth season. Kym was runner-up alongside partner, Joey
Fatone in season four.
MARIO & KARINA SMIRNOFF
- R&B star, Mario, teams with Karina Smirnoff who returns
for her fourth season. Karina was runner-up alongside partner
Mario Lopez during the third season of Dancing with the Stars.
MARLEE MATLIN & FABIAN SANCHEZ
- Academy Award winning actress, Marlee Matlin (Children of
a Lesser God) teams up with newcomer Fabian Sanchez. Fabian
is the 2006 World Mambo Champion, a four-time Fred Astaire National
Champion and the United States Rising Star, and the 1999 American
Rhythm Champion.
PRISCILLA PRESLEY & LOUIS VAN AMSTEL
- Actor and businesswoman, Priscilla Presley (Naked Gun, Dallas)
is paired with Louis van Amstel who returns for his fourth season.
Louis was most recently paired with Monique Coleman.
MONICA SELES & JONATHAN ROBERTS
- Grand Slam tennis champion, Monica Seles, teams up
with Jonathan Roberts who returns for his fifth season. Jonathan
finished in third place last season alongside partner Marie
Osmond.
JASON TAYLOR & EDYTA SLIWINSKA -
NFL Man of the Year, Jason Taylor, teams with Edyta Sliwinska.
Edyta is the only pro to compete in all six seasons of Dancing
with the Stars.
MARISSA JARET WINOKUR & TONY DOVOLANI
- Tony Award winning Broadway star, Marissa Jaret Winokur, best
known for creating the role of "Tracy Turnblad" in
the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, teams with Tony Dovolani
who returns for his fifth season. Tony was previously paired
with Jane Seymour.
KRISTI YAMAGUCHI & MARK BALLAS
- Olympic champion figure skater, Kristi Yamaguchi, teams up
with Mark Ballas who returns for his second season. Mark was
previously paired with Sabrina Bryan.
March
2, 2008
Coundown until Spring...
It's
hard to believe two months have already past, and maybe some
of you are starting to come out of hibernation and tired of
our cold and snowy winter which refuses to go away...
So I decided to post a new survey
to see where TO dancers are dancing these days as I get asked
all the time about where is the best place to dance...
So click
here and let's see where most dancers are dancing these
days... Note that I haven't included every club in TO, but most
of the places that hardcore dancers have been known to hang
out...
February 27, 2008
Coming out of Hibernation?
Well,
after a few months of hibernation and/or social conflicts with
the salsa events from the past few months, I was able to make
it out to the Pro Semi-finals last Sunday at the Mambo Tribe
Social; and it was nice to see everyone out...
The pics are up from the Competition and have some new videoclips
to post...
In the meantime, Oren is back from Australia and we'll be heading
out to Babaluu's tonight...
February
13, 2008
Musica is where the Heart Is... in Cyberspace
OR
does persistence finally pay off when you need a musica fix!
I know I keep promising to publish my next list of 100 songs...
and at the rate I'm going I'll have two more lists...
And every once inawhile for stress release or as an escape, I
find a great new website or 2 that posts alot of audio clips to
CD's by latin artists (new and old).
So in anticipation of what's to come, here's some links to some
of my favourite songs to dance to that I don't think I've published
before in no particular order or not! These are songs I've heard
in the clubs that get me up on the dancefloor -- some maybe "cheesy"
and some are hardcore salsas...
And on the hardcore salsa dancer's night, these songs are thanks
to DJ Julio on Tuesdays at Babaluu...
1. Be
Mine - Fuego 77
2.
En Mi Puertorro - Andy Montanez - CD
3. El
Cantante y la Orquesta - Angel Canales - CD
4. Mujer
Erotica - Tito Rodriguez Jr.
5. Chupa
Piruli - Frankie Dante
6. Lluvia
Con Nieve - Mon Rivera
7. Quien
Dijo Miedo - Los Lebron y Raul Marrero
7 . Complicacion
- Tito Puente - CD
8. My
Favourite Things - New Swing Sextet
9. Chow
Main - Tito Puente - CD
10. No
Tires La Primera Piedra - Tommy Olivencia - CD
11. Faut
S'Calmer - Mambomania - CD
12. Ntoman
- Aficando - CD
For the more romantica cheesy or commercial moments... these are
played by either DJ Carlitos (Wed) or DJ Julio (Fridays) at Babaluu...
1. Desesperado
- Luis Enrique - CD
2. Mi
Media Mitad - Rey Ruiz - CD
3. Media
Negras - Willy Chirino
4.
La Cura - Frankie Ruiz - CD
5. I'll
Always Love You - Tito Nieves - CD
6. Mi
Libertad - Frankie Ruiz - CD
7. Por
Retenerte - Los Titanes - CD
8. Valio
la Pena - Marc Anthony - CD
9. Soy
Guajiro - Willy Chirino - CD
10. Tu
Amor Me Hace Bien - Marc Anthony - CD
And as an added bonus... 5 years later and dancers still want
to know that song that Frankie Martinez danced freestyle to in
one of my clips... well, here's a treat I found on the net...
check out the videoclip from 1996!
Me
Prendiste Velas - Oscar D'Leon - CD
or MP3 purchase
Another site I found by accident while searching for a clip to
Be Mine by Fuego 77 has alot of clips from a DJ's vinyl collection
-- click
here and enjoy checking out some great new songs to dance
to!
February
3, 2008
Ready for "America's Best Dance Crew?"
In
case you missed the final auditions Sunday night, the premiere
of "America's Best Dance Crew" by Randy Jackson airs
this Sunday at 7 pm on Cable 29 (MTV).
After scouring the country for the top street and studio dance
crews, we found 12 of the very best groups to grace our stage.
Week after week, each dance crew will work their butts off to
demonstrate their most innovative choreography and sick dance
skills. The crews will be asked to recreate the moves seen in
the hottest music videos, use their fancy footwork to reenact
their favorite movie scenes and pay homage to the classic grooves
(and moves) of the past.
Once we tally up the votes, the two weakest links must battle,
showing the judges their best moves for the chance to advance
to the next round. One crew will be eliminated each week, ultimately
revealing America's Best Dance Crew!
Click on the link
to find out about all the Contestants across the US.
February
1, 2008
Winter Blues overcome by Dance Mania on and off the dance floor!?!
Although
this is the coldest, snowiest winter yet, there's enough events
on the Toronto dance floor, on TV and in the movies to you give
you some new inspiration or to keep you movin'' on your feet!
On TV, you have 'Dance War' on Mondays, and reruns of "So
You Think You Can Dance".
In the movies, a Cdn. dance step dancing movie "How
She Move".
A gifted student, Raya Green, is forced to leave her prestigious
private school and return to her old neighbourhood when her
parents can no longer afford her tuition, following the tragic
death of her sister.
Determined to return to her private school, Seaton, Raya endures
life at the local high school, and soon finds herself drawn
back into the world of Step dancing. When Raya realizes she
could win some serious prize money at a fierce Step competition,
she convinces Bishop to let her join his crew, the Jane Street
Junta.
On
February 14th, "Step
Up 2 The Streets" will hit the theatres...
It is the follow-up to "Step Up," in August 2006.
When rebellious street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) lands at
the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting
to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life.
When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer Chase
(Robert Hoffman) to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete
in Baltimore's underground dance battle The Streets, she ultimately
finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between
her two separate worlds.
Featuring the directorial debut of award-winning up-and-comer
Jon M. Chu, "Step Up 2 the Streets" reunites much of the production
team behind the original film including "Step Up's" cutting-edge
hip-hop choreographer Jamal Sims, who is joined this time by
choreographers Hi-Hat ("hip-hop's high diva of dance") and Dave
Scott ("Stomp the Yard").
And in the streets of Toronto, you can pick and choose whether
you'd like to watch a latin band OR check out the latest competitions
or dance performances at various events during the month of
February.
January 7, 2008
TV Dance Mania continues...
So
if you've been surfing in dance cyberspace... it's great to
see that dancing is starting to take off on TV!
Right now, you can watch "Dance War", a new show that
takes two of the judges from "Dancing with the Stars",
Carrie Ann and Bruno who face off by having two dance teams
who can sing and dance on Mondays on CFTO Cable 8.
And auditions are now being held in the US in 6 cities for the
4th season of "So You Think You Can Dance" for August
2008 -- click
here for all the details!
November
15, 2007
Charanga Habanera from Cuba...
So,
for all you Salsa Galz, if you weren't at the Docks last Friday,
you missed an interesting Cuban treat!
I wasn't sure if I could attend, but Bong said it was a show I
would not want to miss... and it was definitely eye-candy for
the gals when this band came on...
And at the end of the night, definitely not-to-be-missed eye candy
for the boyz!
So, check out my special early Xmas treat that at a special viewing
level not normally always seen...
Don't say I don't do my best to make my boyz happy...
And there will be more treats for the salsa girlz in the near
future... I literally ran out of batteries and space on my camera
because of this cuban version of a boy band! Enjoy... click
here!
PS It was a little too graphic so I toned it down in sepia tones
and had to add some musica because I was filming beside a boombox
and the sound quality was crap! But I'm sure you won't be disappointed...
November
1, 2007
My Small Fat Italian Vacation...
Well,
I finally found some time to download and post my vacation pics
of Italy...
Click here
to read about my action-packed week of bliss with no internet
and no salsa... Didn't think I could survive without both; but
the weather was perfect, the countryside was a new paradise
to explore, with the added bonus of great wine and food and
a little bit of shopping -- what more could a salsa girl ask
for! Except the chance to go back again sometime soon!
October
29, 2007
Salsa your way into the Holidays!
Yes, I know, I haven't written in months! and I've hardly been
out dancing... Occasionally, you'll see me pop in and out of
the clubs, but real life kicked in big time during the Summer
with real work and my recent "Small Fat Italian Vacation"
-- something I've always wanted to do, and last minute had the
chance to go during the Canada Salsa Congress.
Did I salsa in Italy? No, it was not possible -- spent too many
hours touring the Umbrian countryside and spent the last two
days in Rome walking around in history, drinking Italian wine
and having heavenly fresh Italian food.
It was also Salsa Baby time this past Summer with some of my
closest salsa friends, and spent some time doing that too!
But the good news is Salsa lives on in Toronto and there's alot
of parties and events from now until Xmas! And I've posted pretty
much everything that's been thrown my way... The challenge is
picking and choosing; and/or attending them all!
August
1, 2007
Salsa heats up...
Wow,
we're halfway through summer and as usual, there's lots to see
and do with salsa and without...
And for those who have too much to do and can't keep track of
everything, like me, this Friday, El Cantante will finally be
in the theatres. Definitely a must-see salsa movie with the
legendary Hector Lavoe from the Fania All-Stars. If you go to
the official
site, you'll get to hear some of his classic all-time favourite
salsa.
And of course, there's already quite a few clips
about this movie on YouTube.com.
July
12, 2007
Dancing with the Stars Show Tour was at Babaluu's on Wednesday!
After
watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and not being
out in the clubs for more than a week, I decided to drop by Babaluu's
for a little dancing and promised myself I wouldn't stay late...
but the fates had something else in mind; and ended up doing a
little "stargazing".
Apparently, the show tour of "Dancing with the Stars"
had just finished a show in Hamilton and just happened to be staying
at the Four Seasons Hotel; so where else would they go to dance,
but Babaluu's.
And who was there...
Apolo Anton Ohno
Julianne Hough
Joey Fatone
Cheryl Burke
Drew Lachey
Edyta Sliwinska
Tony Dovolani
Brian Fortuna
Alex Mazo
Joey Macintyre
July
3, 2007
Happy Canada's Day...
Here's
hoping you had an amazing weekend.... I know I did!
July is a jam-packed month, except that there will be no chance
to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" until next week!
June
24, 2007
Summer is here to stay!
The
weather has been great, and on the nights I do decide to go out
-- the vibe and energy for the most part has been awesome...
Check out the Toronto Events section (bottom right-hand side)
for everything that's happening -- June was a great month for
salsa fun in the sun, but July promises to get even better!
For those of you who haven't seen Vida yet, the tickets have been
reduced to $40 for their last week at the Royal Alexander Theatre.
Vida is the story of a woman's life through six decades of turbulent
Cuban life (1930-80). This show was inspirational to watch due
to the talent, training and choreography of a Havana-based dance
troupe, Danza
Cuba. This dance company is only 15 years old, and they are
a fusion of Spanish flamenco, Afro-Cuban dance and some ballet.
Check out their website to find out more about their background
and watch the videos of their style of dancing and a clip about
how Vida came about.
Also, the musicians they brought are awesome, especially the salsa
at the end of the show that resonates throughout the whole theatre
and makes you want to dance.
June
18, 2007
Summer is almost here!
 Well,
for most of us, it's already here with the hot summer days,
and with loads of salsa events to choose from -- June has been
a busy month so far.
A few weeks back, Tony Nardillo, a salsa dancer who used to
live in Washington DC (who has now relocated to LA), and came
out a few times to dance at Babaluu's in 2004, contacted me
about a short feature film he has just wrote, produced and directed,
called "Mano".
The trailer is hot, and it seems to have all the makings of
a good film, except the added bonus of great salsa music and
dance. You will probably see dancers you know from around the
world, including Toronto's own, Magna.
It also helps that he used some great salsa music that we all
know and love...
Chaparro - En Africa
Merecumbé - Johnny Colón
La Malanga - Eddie Palmieri
I didn't want to post the trailer
until I got some background info. Tony has obviously been so
busy, he still has not responded to me, but due to Rose Knows
persistence, Mano can finally be "googled" and it's
obviously picked up alot of traffic because I didn't find a
single link a few weeks ago.
Check out these links and get ready to see the short film at
the Toronto Film Festival in September. If we're lucky, we might
find Tony Nardillo in the salsa clubs around the same time.
Info
on MySpace
More
Info on SalsaForums
Congratulations Tony, I knew you were passionate about dancing,
but didn't know you were aspiring to get into movies! Good luck
on this project, and find some time to write back!
June
3, 2007
Spanish
Harlem Orchestra will be at Harbourfront this Wednesday,
June 5th at 9:30 pm!
Well,
they finally made it to Toronto, Canada and a free outdoor concert
at Harbourfront, what more can a dancer ask for...
This group rocks and can't wait to hear the hits from the first
album, "Un
Gran Dia en el Barrio". Click on the link if you'd
like to hear clips from their soundtrack. This is one of my
all-time favourite albums to listen to anytime.
They have also just launched a new release in May, called "United
We Swing".
May 24, 2007
It's Baby Time Once Again!
Congratulations to Rene and Michelle, they just had a baby girl
named Veronica, 6 lbs. 4 oz at 2:51 pm today...
We hung out Tuesday night at Babaluu's and she was still dancing
and able to touch her toes... hmmm.... if you want to give birth
sooner, just dance!
May
11, 2007
We need more "Floorplay"
Just got back from watching "Floorplay" with my family;
and we all loved it!
It wasn't quite as good as the original "Burn the Floor"
show, but it definitely will appeal to today's modern dancer
-- it's all about dancing with attitude, sex appeal, great costumes
and lots of eye candy for guys and gals!
And as I jokingly mentioned "Ready to Burn the Floor or
a little Floorplay" a week ago; the show was all about
that... flirting with your partner or the audience around you...
and that's just what they did... as only a ballroom dancer knows
how... although it definitely could be used to our advantage
in the salsa scene.
And I enjoyed how they took ballroom choreography and added
a broadway feel to it. The only disappointment was that there
wasn't enough ballroom dance choreography showing off each of
the couple's strengths.
For those of you who haven't bought the tickets yet, I was given
a 10% discount code to share with you.
Burn the Floor® will
perform their spectacular new show FloorPlay starring
16 of the best international award winning dancers, a superb
live band and two extraordinary singers. They will take you
through a repertoire of dance that has remained timeless including
hot steamy Latin, the beauty of Ballroom, the fun of the jive
and many more.
Simply select one of 3 ways to purchase tickets to FLOORPLAY
and quote the discount code – PRSALS:
1 Call Ticketmaster at 416-872-2262 and quote - PRSALS to receive
your 10% discount
2 Online at www.ticketmaster.ca – in the promotions and
special offers box please input the discount code - PRSALS to
receive your 10% discount.
3 In person at The Hummingbird Centre Box Office! Quote the
discount code - PRSALS when purchasing your ticket at the window.
May
10, 2007
Congratulations to Diane D for winning a pair of tickets
to see "Floorplay" on Thursday, May 10th at the Hummingbird
Centre. Your tickets will be at the box office for pick-up.
May 5, 2007
Springing into Salsa!
OR
What Salsa DJ's can do to make it better...
Well, Spring has FINALLY arrived, and if you haven't
been out dancing this past week, you missed an awesome time...
Now that the warm, sunny weather is coming, Tuesday and Wednesday
was totally off the hook at Babaluu's as I danced almost non-stop
and had the added bonus of getting the parking spot IN FRONT of
Babaluu's -- go figure, two nights in a row! Hmmm, did the full
moon have something to do with that or my usual parking mojo...
It was so much fun and everyone was in such an amazing happy dance
mood that I even closed the club both nights... Here's hoping
this trend continues as TO has been in a salsa glut for the past
year or so.
It also helps that the DJ's play awesome danceable salsa music.
Keep up the good work and remember that if the floor isn't rammed
during a salsa song, something is wrong... it could be you just
played too many fast ones in a row sometimes; or the music is
just not danceable (too many changes in rhythm). Mind you, I'll
admit that some dancers are very particular about what type of
music they dance to, some refuse to dance to Romantica and others
don't like Cuban... but the worst type of music nights I have
experienced a couple of times is when a DJ seems to play every
song I would NEVER dance to. It was like let me pick up every
salsa song that no one would like or buy and play it.
Take Babaluu's, one of my favourite spots because you can go almost
any night of the week and get your fix, but it will also totally
depend on the DJ. You can tell a good salsa night by the amount
of dancers that go out on those nights. Probably the worst night
at Babaluu's would be a Sunday right now as the DJ has a weird
mix of music; and that used to be one of the best nights to go
dancing; although I did hear they may be changing DJ's soon.
Tuesday nights is considered one of the best nights for the hardcore
salsa dancers; but DJ Julio has an unusual tendency at times to
play some of the best salsa dancing music at the end of the night
when many dancers have already left... luckily this week he did
not... but he did close the night with one of my ultimate favourites
"Be Mine by Fuego 77".
For the longest time, I stopped going on Wednesday as DJ Carlitos
would do some unusual mixing and very littlle good danceable salsa...
Luckily, he has gone back to what he was best at, good danceable
romantic salsa with a sprinkling of other danceable salsa music;
and the dance crowd has been picking up on Wednesdays.
Fridays is another alternate favourite night of mine as DJ Julio
plays a bit of everything (and if I beg enough, I get many of
my favourite salsa songs to dance to) and you get a mix of social
and hardcore dancers.
So if you want to gauge a great night for dancing, just check
out which nights get packed with dancers; and during salsa songs,
check out how many are on the dance floor; and you'll get a great
sense of a good night/bad night and whether the DJ knows what
salsa to play for that particular night. Some may consider this
a Rose Knows tip, but really it's just good common dance sense
if you take the time to observe and learn.
And don't forget enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to
see "Floor Play" on Thursday, May 10th! I will be picking
the winner probably on Monday...
 April
18, 2007
Ready to Burn the Floor OR maybe a little Floorplay...
Your
chance to win a pair of tickets to see the new Burn the Floor
show called "Floor
Play".
If you loved "Burn the Floor", or haven't seen a ballroom
dance show before, you will probably thoroughly enjoy it and
may even pick up some new dance moves or ideas for costumes
or choreography.
Click on this link
to check out the videoclip in Windows Media Player and you'll
even see an old salsa move from the past...
Click here to
enter the contest...
April
15, 2007
April Showers Part 2
Congratulations
to Vadym Mikhnevych for winning a Montreal Salsa Congress Pass.
And bowing down to a little peer pressure, I finally joined Facebook.com;
and have to admit it's easy to use and can see how some people could
get addicted to it... try mixing all your friends in one place,
with photos, discussions and events; and you almost have a one stop,
place to socialize.
I even started a TOsalsa group within Facebook, just to save some
time with my extra postings. What's great about it is that you can
post questions to fellow salsa dancers and post up all your own
salsa pics without my help.
If you would like to join, click here... TOsalsa
in Facebook. You'll have to register to start,
but it's a small price to pay to chat with other salsa dancers in
the scene.
April
8, 2007
April Showers?
Well, it may not be pouring rain, but life in Rose Knows land is
very chaotic indeed -- giving me absolutely no time to write and
barely enough time to enjoy some social dancing!
And don't forget to enter to win a Montreal Salsa Congress Pass.
One lucky winner will be announced this Friday!
March
20, 2007
Winter is almost over!
As
we countdown to Spring, I actually went out dancing every night
since last Tuesday -- 6 days straight!
And probably paying the price for it now... with no time to write,
but you can check out Ziv's pics while I try to find time to write,
edit and post some video clips from this past weekend!
For those of you who missed out on the Winter Salsa Carnival this
past weekend... we had a great time watching the dance shows and
I actually stayed until the wee hours of the morning with all the
salsa die-hards... Kudos to Marc-Anthony and Stephanie for all their
hard work putting this together; and all the performers who spent
hours rehearsing...
OK, I lied, I took the time to sneak in one of my favourite performances
from Friday and Saturday night!
PS These WMV clips may take a little while to download as they are
about 10 mb each!
Stay tuned for more...
March
12, 2007
As Winter Melts into Spring,
The Seven Year Itch... and A Salsa Song Teaser...
Daylight Savings came 3 weeks earlier to help conserve
our power -- what a great way to pre-kick-start the anticipation
of Spring!
It's also less than 3 days and counting until the pre-party for
the Winter Salsa Carnival this weekend!
And in the next few days, I'll be posting a link for everyone to
enter to win a chance to win a Congress Pass to the Montreal Salsa
Convention organized by Sonia and Moris of San Tropez...
And why haven't you received any mailing list updates inawhile?
Well, ever heard of the 7 Year Itch?
It's hard to believe that it's just been just over 7 years since
Ziv and I joined forces and worked together on our "baby",
TOsalsa... so when Rose nudges or "nags" Ziv to fix something
that gets broken... it takes him a little longer than usual to fix
it!
PS And no, Ziv and I are NOT married with a child! For
those of you who don't read between the lines... like DJ Julio!
A few years ago, DJ Julio asked me where my hubby "Ziv"
was and how old our baby!! Needless to say, I was almost speechless
with shock that he didn't figure it out after all the years I knew
him...
When I started this website with Ziv in late 1999, and initially
with other salsa friends, we talked and emailed several times a
day for almost a year or more. So I used to joke that we were in
a marriage by writing that he was my E-hubby (email
hubby) and our baby (the website) was named "TOsalsa"!
PPS And for you music lovers... I am close to finishing
and polishing up my 2006 Top 100 Salsa Song List... the problem
was I had duplicates... In the past I never cross-checked my annual
lists and realized I had doubles!
Also, in the past few weeks I was surfing audioclips from various
music websites to ensure I had the right song, artist and title
-- and found almost 50 more salsa songs I either didn't know the
names to and/or forgot to add to my favourite salsa song list!
For a quick teaser... I've been going back to these links to hear
the songs that I always like to dance or listen to...
Frankie
Ruiz Greatest Hits Compilation with almost all my favourites.
Click on these quick real-time player links...
La
Cura - Mi
Libertad
But that doesn't include my other all-time faves by this artist
-- Bailando, Mirandote, and Desnudate Mujer!
Salsa
Fresca - Dance Hits of the 90's -- for those of you who are
looking to own your first Salsa CD! Here's a one of my ultimate
dance faves on audio-clip... No
Tires La Primera Piedra by Tommy Olivencia
You can't go wrong with these CD's as there are at least 6 songs
on each CD that are ultimate faves to dance or listen to...
February
11, 2007
You will be missed...
David Melendez
I am sad to announce that David Melendez died after a long battle
with cancer on Thursday, February 8th.
Most of Toronto will probably remember him best as the
MC at the Canada Salsa Congress for the past four years.
And how much fun we had with the traditional Sunday skit with
the dancers... He always had a great sense of humour, check out
Griselle
with David Melendez at the New York Salsa Congress...
But his dancing career started long before -- he was one of the
feature dancers with the first Eddie Torres dance troupe in 1987
with Tito Puentes.
I heard it first-hand from one of the dancers that he was so nervous
that he missed the first 30? seconds of his performance on-stage
because he couldn't get his tie on straight.
Since I started the website in 2000, he was well-known for taking
his kids' dance groups to salsa congresses, such as the Heartbreak
Boyz; and organizing various Congresses, including his own New
York Salsa Congress.
Please check out David
Melendez website for more information.
Junior Heartbreak Boyz
2002 West Coast Salsa Congress, LA
February 5, 2007
February Blues...
This February seems unusually slow for salsa events than in the
past... but it also doesn't help that the snow has finally arrived
to stay... and I just came back from a hot, sunny week cruising
on the Western Caribbean!
A Miami Sunset...
Cave Tubing in Belize
A Jet Boat Ride
to Seven Mile Beach
Cayman Islands
Seven Mile Beach
Cayman Islands
View of Cruise Ship
Roatan, Honduras
Sunbathe and Snorkel at
Chakanaab National Park
Cozumel, Mexico
Final Boarding at Sunset
Cozumel, Mexico
January
10, 2007
Happy New Year!
Hope
everyone had an amazing time over the Xmas Holidays and are back
into the "swing" of things...
While surfing the other night and possibly thanks to the ever-growing
reality dance shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance"
and "Dancing with the Stars", it seems we can look forward
to having at least 1-2 new dance movies a year.
So this Friday, January 12th, there's a new movie about a group
step dance competition in African-American colleges called "Stomp
the Yard".
If you're looking for a new intro to a salsa group routine or
some new moves for freestyle dancing, then maybe you should check
out this link to a step dance routine for a contest that I found
while surfing -- click
here!
December
28, 2006
Countdown to the New Year!
With
the mildest winter we've had in awhile, it's been great seeing
many dancers (new and old) out in the clubs dancing up a storm!
As always, it's that time of the year where you spend time socializing
and catching up with your friends and family. It's also a time
for reflection about how you'd like to kick-start the New Year...
This past year for me, it's been all about balance -- how to fit
the right amount of salsa into my life without taking away from
some of my other goals. It's been a challenging journey from living
and breathing the world of Salsa a few years ago to finding time
to doing everything I love about Salsa; including the dance, music,
writing and updating the website without it consuming the balance
of my life. Am I there yet? Well, not quite, but getting close.
Looking back on some of my articles, it's nice to see that alot
of the negative dancers have disappeared from the scene and/or
learned to respect other dancers; and in 2003, I put together
Salsa New Year Resolutions, and they still hold true today...
1. Remember to have one dance with someone you don't know every
time you go out to the clubs...
2. Remember to show appreciation to a fellow
dancer whose dancing you admire or had a fabulous dance with by
paying them a compliment...
3. Don't forget to show respect to fellow
dancers or readers on the world wide web of salsa... the goal
here is to educate and to learn to respect each other's differences,
not insult each other's opinions or ideas.
4. Getting bored of doing the same moves
over and over or don't like how you look when you're dancing?
Set up a goal to take your salsa dancing to the next level...
5. Tired of going to the same old clubs
dancing? Get together with some of your friends and pick a night
to go to a salsa club you've never been to.
6. Tired of seeing the same people over
and over in a club? Make a decision to go and check out another
popular salsa club night for a change of pace, or start checking
out the clubs which feature live bands.
7. Always wanted to finally learn about
your favourite latin music? Pick one night a week to stay home
and surf the net for information on artists, albums and to listen
to sound clips from various websites.
8. Always admired and wanted to have the
shape of a dancer's body to fit into those skimpy little outfits.
Make out a realistic timeline to start working out 2-3 times a
week for an hour, including cardio (for stamina and assist in
reducing body fat), stretch (for maximum flexibility and to help
reduce injuries) and light body-building to tone and strengthen
muscles, not to bulk up. And even if you can't always stick to
your schedule, turn them into appointments so you have no excuse
not to go. After awhile, it will become as regular a habit as
eating food every day.
9. Always wanted to compete in a dance
competition? Find a partner and just do it... it shouldn't be
just about who's going to win, but think of all the extra training
and practicing you'll be doing to take your dancing to the next
level. Also, set your goals to do your best under pressure and
you won't let yourself down; and remember to have fun! Isn't that
why you started dancing salsa in the first place?
 10.
Always wanted to go to a Salsa Congress but can't afford it? Start
by cutting back on some extra expenses by always looking for free
parking spots, cooking instead of eating out all the time, etc.
-- you'd be amazed at how many dollars you can start saving. Pick
a salsa congress that fits within your budget -- some of the best
congresses are the small ones where you can get to know the dancers
and are within driving distance. The cheapest way to travel is
to ask 3 of your salsa friends to share travel and rooming arrangements.
And finally, always remember to smile and dance as if nobody's
watching...
Highlights
of Toronto's Salsa 2006
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"She's not as innocent as she appears..."
Renee
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Ray Sepulveda
Tony Meredith
