DANCER INFO

 

When you attend class, it is best to dress in clothing you feel most comfortable in.  Sneakers are not advised, as the rubber soles will often inhibit your turns.  It's best to wear a shoe with a thin leather sole. (See links below for places to buy dance shoes and attire)

 

Although we dance in an air conditioned space, having a towel handy always works best in the hot summer months and a bottle of water.  Keeping hydrated is always important for any workout.

 

See you dancing!

 

 

If you are struggling with taking your dancing to the next level; there are three important questions you need to ask yourself:

#1 - Are you willing to start from scratch?  Often times when I hold a certain level class, I've experienced students who are attending an intermediate level class and they are, for example, unable to pull off a double spin.  Perhaps at the school they came from an Intermediate course moved at a slower pace but what is more important than the number of spins a student can pull off is that their fundamental technique is non-existent.  So although they may be able to get by in a general partnerwork class at an intermediate level when they enter a ladies styling intermediate technique class they can barely keep up because they don't possess reliable foundation.  So I ask you, are YOU willing to get back to basics?  Are you willing to put your "intermediate dancer" title aside and are you willing to start from scratch?  Which leads me to my second question...

#2 - Are you commited to mastery?  Another words, do you want to look good on the dance floor? In order to pull off a great dance and great moves on the dance floor, you have to have the mindset that you are commited to mastering the three elements of salsa today:  spinning, contra body motion and isolations of the body, musiciality and meshing those skills with a partner gracefully.  Mastery is about a decision to do WHATEVER it takes to get THAT good.  So ask yourself are you commited to mastery?  Also what kind of classes are you attending?  Are they classes that focus on mastery and building blocks of movement or a class of solely what I call a walk-in class.  My classes are progressively taught, we don't focus on having tons of patterns or moves but build each week so that you can fully absorb the movement because mastering movement is a process, a journey not a one shot deal.  There are no quick fixes to mastery.

and #3 - Are you commited to consistent practice?  Without consistent practice and dedication one can not expect to succeed in their dancing.  So if you think taking one course or class and then laying off for the next 3 months from studying doesn't affect your progression, you're fooling yourself, it's just not going to happen.  You have to be a perennial student to get good.  Ask yourself what is keeping you from being consistent?  Is it funding for your classes, is it time consumption? Get creative, get resourceful in figuring out the answer to this question.  If money and time are a constraint, my Online Mastery courses last 2 to 3 months, they contain drills, drills which can be practiced daily for one set fee and only $10 to renew a subscription and you can watch them an excerpt at a time which last no more than 10 minutes and schedule them into your day along with in-person instruction.

So the next time you ask yourself "how come I see others able to pull off a body roll effortlessly and gracefully but I can't" ask yourself these three questions.  I can bet that the dancers competently pulling off these moves have one definite answer to all three - 'ABSOULTELY YES'!

If you would like more information on how you can enroll in the above mentioned courses (my online mastery packages www.letherapy.com/masterypackages.html and in-person instruction, please visit me online at www.letherapy.com

Warm wishes and continued dancing,

Gina A. Liccardo
NY Salsa Instructor On2

LINKS FOR SALSA PRODUCTS & INFORMATION

http://salsanycalendar.com - Calendar of Salsa Events!

http://www.mambonyc.com - Calendar of Weekly Salsa Events and Event Video Footage - see what what type of crowd and ambience each club has first hand...super site!!

http://www.latinclubs.com/nythisweek.html - Weekly listing of event in New York City!

http://www.salsanewyork.com - Calendar of Salsa Events & tons of information on the Art of Salsa On2, everything from historical facts, where to buy music, listing of salsa music, where to buy shoes, etc.

http://www.salsaroots.org/ - History of the Mambo and Salsa Dance.

the hottest underground salsa club in NYC!

http://www.partyforfreenyc.com/events.htm - Mike Pena, Salsa Promoter's Website.  Holding salsa events in NYC area; visit this site for savings and to get on his guest list!

http://www.latindancestore.com/gogo4020.html - My favorite shoe for comfort!:)

http://www.exoticsalsashoes.com - Dance shoes online for half the price!

http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722098112/page/1.html - men's jazz shoes.  (very affordable)

http://balloshoes.homestead.com/ - Stylish dance shoes for men!  (This is the main website for Ballo shoes, however, you might want to do a general search to find a better deal pricewise!)

http://www.balloshoe.com/ - Ballo Shoes For Men Very Stylish!;)

http://www.salsanorthwest.co.uk/shoes.htm - Men's shoes.

Dance apparel especially for hardcore On2 salseros! Also Salsa Calendar, Socials and Salsa Congress and Cruises!

http://www.themamboscene.com/

DSOL Dance Shoes Online
http://www.DanceShoesOnline.com
Description: The world’s largest online resource for various kinds of dance shoes
including Ballroom, Latin, Salsa, Court, Ballet, Taps, Jazz, dance Sneakers and
dancewear and dance accessories.

http://www.dance-forums.com - Articles and discussion about salsa, swing, tango and ballroom
dancing.

www.vivadanceshoes.com.au - Supplier of premium quality designer dance shoes and accessories. Worn by the likes of: World Salsa Champions Luda Kroiter and Oliver Pineda, Australian Line Dancing Champion Chris Watson, and Dancing with the Stars Celebrities Holly Brisley, Mark Hodge, Trenton Shipley and that's just to name a few.

www.leotardsandmore.com - Dance apparel.

OTHER SERVICES:

INTERESTED IN LEARNING WEST COAST SWING OR HUSTLE?

CHECK OUT WWW.SWINGSHOES.NET

www.liccardomusic.com - Classical Piano Instruction

www.livevillage.com - real-time local search engines

http://www.sefilmclub.com/

http://bzcs.tripod.com/ - The Very Best in Freelance Computer Services in New York City.