Salsa Dancing NYC

June 6, 2013 by ·

Here are a few tips to consider when at a salsa social or salsa dancing NYC .  1)Standing on the dance floor:  Please do not stand in the middle of the dance floor if you’re not dancing.  This is inconsiderate.   You wouldn’t stand in the middle of a basket ball court or baseball diamond while a game is going on, so why do dancers do this on a dance floor? If you’d like to talk  or rest, do it off the floor.

Salsa dancing NYC

Latin couple dancing salsa in NYC club.

2)Making your way onto the dance floor:  Do it without disturbing the current salsa dancers.   If you are the one making your way onto the floor, it’s your job to avoid bumping into dancers and not the other way around.  Try to find the space that is least crowded.  Elbowing your way into a packed area is inconsiderate.  If the floor is too crowded, consider sitting one out.

3)Ladies attire: Ladies, of course wear a great outfit that turns heads, but make sure you can dance in it.  You don’t want to spend the night pulling down a skirt that keeps riding up, or not be able to spin because your dress comes up too high.  Wear something that allows you to move, but compliments your beautiful dance curves.

4)Getting asked to dance: A smile goes a long way.  With a smile,  you will definitely attract gentlemen.  Stay by the edge of the dance floor.  Alone is better than with a group of friends.  Sitting away from the dance floor chatting with your girls,  you most likely will not be asked to dance.

5)Asking a woman to dance: Be respectful gentlemen.  Offer your hand and ask; “Would you like to dance?”  The way you ask a woman does matter.  Don’t ask like she’s the last resort, and perhaps you don’t really want to dance with her.

6)Leading: Please be smooth.  Good followers don’t like rough leaders. We don’t want our hands crushed or our arms pulled out of the socket.  Build the dance.  Start with easy salsa patterns.  Once you see the woman can follow these easy salsa patterns, you may move onto more difficult ones.

Filed Under: Dance lessons, Latin dancing, salsa dance schools, salsa dance studios, Uncategorized · Tagged: , ,

Salsa Dancing. Keys to Following

February 28, 2013 by ·
Salsa dancing in Brooklyn at Dance Fever Studios Park Slope location.

Beginner salsa class in Brooklyn.

Salsa Dancing.  Becoming a Better Follower:

I’m a proud, strong, independent Hispanic woman.  My leader on the dance floor could care less.  All he wants to do is lead me on the dance floor without a fight.  Ladies, I know that this can be difficult  being who we are, but it really is just a matter of letting go,  and putting our trust in our leader.

To be a great follower we must remember that we have the easy job.   We don’t have to think or worry about anything except the music and styling.  We just get to enjoy the ride.  Let him think about the steps.  Most of the time followers think way too much.  We try to guess what the leader wants us to do.  Most of the time we are wrong.  We try to read his mind and anticipate his moves.  We need to relax and not think.  We need to feel and see what our leader wants from us.  When he is relaxed you should be relaxed.  When he give you tension you give it back.

A follower needs to pay attention and look at the leader.  Don’t look at his feet, your feet or the floor.  Keep your head up and pay attention to his torso and lead signals. A follower shouldn’t try to help.  Hopefully he knows what he wants and how to lead you there.  If you’re not sure what to do,  the default step is your basic in place.

A follower needs to relax.  Don’t get tense or grab for dear life.  Don’t grab his hands. Keep your palms facing down, elbows in front and away from your body in a good salsa dance posture.  When you are tense and grabbing the dance becomes more like a shoving match and less like salsa dancing.

Finally.  Have the right attitude.  Don’t be a miss know it all.  If you get a leader at a lower level than you are, let him lead his steps.  Don’t start doing whatever you want.  That’s bad following.  Like Penny told Baby in “Dirty Dancing,”  “Let him lead You”  So don’t be the Baby at the beginning of the movie, be the Baby at the end.  She had the time of her life.

Please view some of our salsa dancing and salsa lessons on our Youtube channel.

Filed Under: Dance lessons, salsa dance schools, Salsa Dancing · Tagged: ,

Brooklyn Dance Studios

February 24, 2013 by ·
Brooklyn Dance Studios

Me salsa dancing when I was a student.

Bronx Girl Dancing in Brooklyn Dance Studios.

Growing up,  I always finished what I started.  That is rare for a teen girl and young adult in college.  I did everything right: Graduated college with honors, got a job right out of college, started the ball rolling on getting my masters degree.  Life was working out, but something was missing.  I felt unsatisfied and lost.  I felt that there had to be more to life than just going to school and working.  I was looking for something, but not really sure what.  I found myself staying home.  Tired of the same old night and bar scene.  I just kept telling myself that there had to be more to life than this predictability.  I was seeking excitement and something completely different, but didn’t know what.

Then one day, a friend of mine told me about salsa classes she had been taking at a Brooklyn dance studio.  She said that she was having the time of her life.   She knew I had always wanted to take Argentine tango classes, but didn’t want to pay New York city prices.  She told me tango is one of the dances they teach at her Brooklyn studio.   She convinced me to go to one of Dance Fever Studios bimonthly parties.  I decided to go.  On my way there, I kept thinking,  what the hell am I doing travelling all the way from the Bronx to Brooklyn?  I wanted to turn around and go back, but I kept going.

When I arrived at Dance Fever, everyone was so friendly, warm, welcoming and could dance.  I always thought I knew how to dance salsa, bachata and Latin dances.  I’m part Puerto Rican.  I realized that I had a lot to learn.  As the night went on, I was amazed by everyone.  Then came the show case.  Francis and a student performed an Argentine tango.  At that moment, I decided “I want to do that.  I’m coming here.”

I signed up for a month of tango, thinking I’d do it for one month.  After that I’d be able say I tried it, liked it, did something different.  I’d be able to get back to my graduate studies and work, and be a little bit more satisfied with life.  The cycle ended, and I registered for another month.  I kept going, month after month.  I became addicted.  I started going two, then three and four times a week.  I took all the dances they offered: salsa, hustle, bachata, Latin, ballroom.  Dancing became a huge part of my life.  Sometimes it’s a wonderful thing when life does not work out the way you think it will or the way you have planned it.

In the four years since I started dancing my life changed drastically in great ways.  I lost over 70 pounds.  When I started dancing I was weighing over 200 pounds.  My energy level is way up.  Now, everyone calls me the Energizer Bunny.  I gained confidence that I lacked for most of my life.  I met some awesome people who have become some of my closest friends.  I have a non stop social life now.  I became a dance teacher at Dance Fever Studios. They have two studios now, and I run one of them.

Teaching at Dance Fever has been so enjoyable.  It’s a great feeling to see your students learn how to dance, enjoy themselves, see their fears and insecurities about dancing slip away. Dancing has become my greatest passion.  I can not wait to get on the dance floor.  I owe it all the my home away from home, Dance Fever Studios in Brooklyn.  I simply live, love, laugh and dance, dance, dance.  You may see some of my videos our Youtube chanel.

Filed Under: Argentine tango, Dance lessons, Dance studios Brooklyn, salsa dance schools · Tagged: , , ,