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 Apr
6 - Take the Lead Screening Passes!
To be a little different this time, you don't have to be part of the
mailing list, BUT you have to write me from the Feedback
Page and let me know why you feel you deserve to win a pair of tickets
and/or a Tshirt...
In the subject line, please type "Take the Lead"; then write
about what salsa has done to change your life, what inspires you to
keep dancing OR what got you into salsa in the first place... Also don't
forget to include your EMAIL and phone no. I'll try to choose a few
winners each day; and I must be allowed to post what you wrote, but
can keep your name anonymous.
The Pre-Screening
Thursday, April 6th, 2006
6 pm line-up, 7 pm show
Silver City at Yonge & Eglinton
Please bring picture ID
April
4, 2006
The first set of Winners!
As expected, due to the type of contest, I wasn't surprised to have
less people interested as it requires a lot more reflection and energy
to write than it is to fill out a form.
It was also difficult for me at first to sift through the responses
as many were similar, but here are two contestants who almost immediately
captured the spirit of what I was looking for -- Rose Knows
The Responses
April 3, 2006
So you ask why I deserve to get the tickets? I've been dancing for 3
years now and I am an absolute fanatic just like when I started. I love
to dance and I enjoy teaching. I even drive to Toronto (1hr plus away
from my home city) to get my hunger met.
I think this movie will encourage more people to come out and enjoy
the wonderful social environment. What inspired me to start dancing
was my love of dance and I always regretted never taking lessons. So
I went to the first few nights that a club opened in our home town.
Once I started to go and dance, I couldn't stop. I began dancing night
after night. I truly believe that the social support (i.e. all the other
regular salsa goers) was a huge attraction. People are friendly, they
are helpful and they are passionate! And now I'm totally hooked. I teach
some classes every now and then and its amazing how much energy I get
from it. My students are incredible and they give me so much more than
I ever thought! Salsa rocks! Christina
April 4, 2006
I haven't been dancing Salsa for very long, it's been less than half
a year since I started in November 2005 at the insistance of a very
close friend. I had danced before as a kid but nothing quite like Salsa
and so was nervous when I came to my first class offered by the Organization
of Latin American Students (OLAS) at Ryerson University. I was in love
instantly. At the time I was actively involved as a Martial Artist practing
both Tae Kwon Do and Brasillian Jiu-Jitsu and had been for almost four
years. I stopped my training in Martial Arts so I could attend every
Salsa class offered by OLAS.
In January when the Salsa lessons resumed after the holidays I was asked
to join the Intermediate class with only 6 hours of Salsa under my belt.
I was catching on quickly and with each class my love for the dance
grew. From January to March I was dancing 5 hours a week. I had picked
up an extra Salsa class with Toronto Dance because the two hours of
Salsa and two hours of Merengue/Bachata/Cha Cha I took with OLAS during
the week just wasn't enough.
As much as I deny it to everyone who insists I'm a very good dancer
I can see the drastic improvement in my ability over such a short period
of time. Salsa has definitely changed my life and I owe it to the one
person who introduced me to it. I listen to almost nothing but Latin
music, I talk about almost nothing but Latin dancing and everyday I'm
not dancing I'm waiting for the days I do.
I've taken up Latin-Ballroom dancing and start a Brasilian Lambada and
Carnival Samba class at the end of April while continuing my lessons
in Salsa. I was dumbfounded when the instructor of the OLAS lessons
came up to me at the last lesson of the semester and insisted on my
signing up for summer lessons and then proceeded to add me tentatively
to the Advanced class after only 4 months since my first introduction
to it.
I think and breath Salsa. The process of learning is what inspires me
to keep dancing. There is no end goal as there will always be something
to learn, it's the journey I more than embrace and cherish. My inspiration
is knowing that I have so much more to learn and will never stop learning.
Thank you, Christie
April 3, 2006
I feel that I should win tickets to "Take the Lead" because
I am a high school Spanish teacher in a "rough" school where
students aren't interested in much! I use salsa to build their self-esteem
and help socialize them, especially where the opposite sex is concerned.
It teaches the boys how to be gentlemen and the girls to be ladies-
something that I feel is a lost art. It also gives them the chance to
connect to students they may not have socialized with on their own and
in doing so, they learn that there is something good in everyone. It
breaks down the walls between "popular" and "unpopular"
kids making. Salsa brings people together. -- Heidi
April 3, 2006
What salsa has done to change my life...
I once had feared audiences and was even contemplating taking a "Toastmaster's
Course", in order to improve my composure infront of an audience.
Although I am still a beginner to intermediate with salsa, I have seen
myself grow confidence. Confidence to ask women to dance, confidence
to take risks on the dancefloor with a new move I may have learned,
and confidence on the dance floor in general, which ultimately makes
me have a good time. A smile gets put on my face everytime I dance,
whether I make mistakes or not, and that is what salsa has done to change
my life.... Ben
April 4, 2006
I learned to Salsa in Vina del Mar, Chile 3 years ago. I fell in love
with it immediately, because it's not how we dance here in Canada. It's
all about the music. The authenticity of the instruments, and the stories
of love, sorrow, and other various things that just make you feel it
from your head to your toes, and right through your heart! Salsa is
beautiful because there is no pressure to get someone's number after
you dance...you both just enjoy the song for the moment, and that's
that. As well, it's a chance for a woman to totally let go and let someone
else lead for a while ;) That's why I love salsa...the love of the music,
the love of the dance, and the appreciation of all of it put together
-- Tara
April 4, 2006
Take the Lead "A New Path"
Over six years ago, my good friend Anthony also known as the Black Panther
of Salsa and I decided to take up salsa dancing. At first, we didn't
know what to do or where to go. Our first real foray into salsa was
in 1999 at the Harbourfront community center with Arthur Ga and Eloisa
Tobias who are still in the scene today. We took classes with them until
one day Arthur told us that he had taught all he could and advised us
to take classes with other instructors. It was the best advice anyone
in the salsa community ever gave us. Thanks Arthur, both Anthony and
I appreciate to this day your honesty and open-mindedness.
In 2000, Anthony and I had moved to Hawaii and we danced and met salsa
instructors from the vibrant salsa scene in Honolulu such as Rob Capilli,
Judah (The Lion), Mimi Ruiz (Hawaii's Salsa Queen), Roberto Vargas of
Salsa101 and Greg the Salsaman Henry. It opened our eyes to the big
world of salsa and at that point we became hooked. I came back to Toronto
and took classs with Giovanni and Jennifer, workshops and eventually
landed with UnitedSalseros whom I am still affiliated as their General
Manager.
Needless to say, Salsa has been very very good to me! Not only did it
open up a new world to me, I have developed close friendships today
in the salsa scene which I hold dearly. However, the most important
part of this story is when I met my wife Maple during the early days
at the Harbourfront community center. At the time, she had come out
salsa retirement as she was already an accomplished salsa dancer but
wanted to learn the new style of salsa which was taking Toronto by storm
at the time (after the salsa web convention). It was a fateful meeting
which flowered into a wonderful marriage. To this day, our lives continue
to revolve around salsa one way or another.
Here is another truly amazing story of how people's paths cross in salsa.
Recently, Maple and I were in the Philippines for a vacation and whom
did we bump into there but Okello, a salsa friend from the Toronto salsa
scene...all the way around the world in Manila! Salsa is truly world
wide. That is why I am sure that the readers of this post also have
an interesting salsa story of their own and how they have crossed paths
with others on their way to the dance floor. While Maple and I aren't
dancing as much these days, we do cherish those moments with our friends
on and off the salsa dance floor. You can be sure our path is never
too far away from that dance floor. That's my salsa story.
A final note: We should all support this movie because it will positively
impact the dance scene (salsa and ballroom ). Some of you may not know
but the dance sequences were shot at the Royal York Hotel and Toronto's
salsa scene own Oscar and Vanessa of Latin Energy had a part in this
movie. Also, Ross Todoric (who was with Mambo Mosaic briefly) from London,
Ont. played Antonio Banderas body double on the dance floor is in this
movie and is a regular in the Toronto Salsa scene. Let's support our
own dance talent!!! Cheers, Arthur
April 5, 2006
Hey Rose! No amount of words can fully describe what salsa has done
for me. It's truly a microcosm of how I would like to 'lead' my whole
life - with passion, energy, drive, continual learning, self-awareness
and freedom. Everything I learn from salsa dancing I try to apply to
my daily life and it helps me become a better person. There is rarely
an occassion where I dance and don't feel completely carefree and simply...HAPPY.
When I perform in particular, I feel a natural high that is absolutely
irreplacable....especially when I perform in front of people who care
about me and support me. I would say that taking up salsa dancing is
one of the best decisions i've made in my life! :-) Akila
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