Dance Lesson Blog

Dear Diary,

I haven’t written to you in years, and I miss talken to ya.

So what’s new with me? Let me tell ya…

It’s been a while that I had the most fun dancing and partying in a dance congress, but last weekend at the Reno Bachata Convention, I was reborn. It was not a congress, mind you, it was just a bachata convention…I mean whodathought, right?

Oh trust me, dear diary, there were some doubters there floating around. Come to think of it, they have been doubting Thomases since I started promoting bachata dance 8 years ago anyways. It is such a simple dance with lots of twings and twangs of the guitar, yeah, I know, it’s not that alluring to hardcore salseros that love xylophones and all, but it has evolved and fast evolving.

But past is PAST and moving forward is always the wise choice…burning bridges is not my cup of tea, after all, I know that sooner or later I’ll be crossing lots of bridges, so yeah, my motto; don’t mess with bridges because it more important to be nice than being important.

I have to admit, Reno Bachata Convention wasn’t part of the plan. The real plan was just to concentrate on planning the 1st San Francisco Bachata Festival. Of course, realistically, all things don’t exactly go perfectly according to plan.

November of 2008, I got a FB message from Juan I. Ruiz, one of the founding fathers of successful Sydney Bachata Festival, saying, “Hey Rodney, I’ll be vacationing in Chicago and I’d like to drop by San Francisco to hang out, bachata and then some, will you be in town?”

You see Sydney Bachata Festival is pretty much the event that made me “international” – you could say that I was baptized there as an international dance teacher. And I will never forget the hospitality of Australian bachateros. Their attitude and friendship is still immensely felt here in my heart a year later- little good things that done to me will be appreciated and never be forgotten.

“Juan, let me see what I can do, brotha. Bay Area ain’t that really fanatic for bachata compared to Sydney, but let me ponder and think of something.”

And so I pondered, indeed…

Hmmm, maybe a bootcamp…

Maybe, a series of workshops in SF, San Jose and Sac…

Hmmm…

I called Jorge Elizondo, “Bro, Juan is coming to SF and he wants to hang out, you in?”

“Tell me more, when and what do you have in mind…” Jorge was curious

Jorge loves SF and everytime he was here, he stayed at my place. We develop a friendship over the years because of bachata. I love bachata instructors that love the dance and promote it at the same time. I could care less which bachata style they teach or dance as long they have passion and really believe in what they’re doing. I dislike haters who are up to no good and just talk shit about each other, it’s a lose-lose situation and they sound like losers.

Since Jorge is a savvy businessman, I had to make sure he knows my intention and reaffirm my vision. So I said, “Bro, I’m thinking of bachata bootcamp with you, Juan and Camille in San Fran. Juan treated me well when I was in Sydney, so let’s give him a good time here in SF. I need your help in this.”

Jorge was in…

Last time I hosted a bootcamp here in the Bay Area, although well attended, I didn’t like it and it didn’t feel like an accomplishment for me. I was secretly disappointed that it didn’t make a dent in my vision – for bachata to be respected and recognized, not only by salsa dancers but salsa Djs as well as Latin dance enthusiasts.

Last question in my mind was, “Do I continue hosting little workshops here and there or do something really big before the SF fest?”

So the pondering ended with the question above, on which, I never pondered again, not until I taught a bachata workshop in Reno…

I love Reno people, you know why? Because they love to party and they don’t give a shit whether you are Cuban stylist or Mambo stylists or OutOfTiming stylist. They dance for fun and they learn to dance for fun. I especially love them when they always ask when I’m coming back to Reno after the end of teaching a workshop.

I have been sponsored by BB of Salsa Reno and Reno Dance Sensation numerous times there and everytime I went and taught the community there loves me. So for a Halloween night, I had no plans and really didn’t feel like partying in San Francisco, yes, I was bored. And dear diary, you and I both know that I am not the most productive or even creative when I’m bored. I was seeking an adrenaline rush, a fix, if you will.

I got a call from BB…with fees and little negotiations; I was slated for Halloween at Pearl’s Reno’s Latin Thursday. BB is a cool guy. I call him the Godfather of Reno Salsa and rightfully so. We instantly connected when I met him 4 years ago. With lessons and workshops later, I endorsed him to teach bachata in the Reno/Tahoe area. We became friends eventually, and I always admired his go-getter personality.

After teaching an enthusiastic crowd of 400 people, I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I think I just found my answer here.”

Back to the Bay Area, I needed to confirm to Juan and Jorge about the proposed SF Bootcamp. I wasn’t 100% about the bootcamp idea. I needed to make a decision fast. There was no time to lose and January was just around the corner.

I went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered my fave; Pan Fried Eggs with oysters. Oysters are filled with zinc and of course eggs are filled with B vitamins, in other words, it keeps your testosterone level high You know what they say, you think faster and smarter when your testosterone levels are high.

In the middle of my meal, I texted BB of Salsa Reno, “Bro, I am gonna do a bachata event in Reno and I would love you to be a part of it.”

1, 2, 3, 4, 5….phone rings…

“Hello BB…”

BB was in…

After talking to BB, I called Jorge,

“Jorge, change of plan…we’re going to Reno and we’re gonna do a prelude Bachata event for SF Bachata Festival. I think 400 people would suffice.”

til next time,
Rodchata

Rodney Rodchata Aquino
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/diary-of-an-ambitious-bachatero-734532.html

There is no person who does not love to dance. Dancing is a specialized skill that is an art of expressing one’s feelings and emotions. There are various dance forms out of which tap dance is the popular dance forms these days. Tap dance is one of the well-liked dance forms in which there is a tapping sound made. These tapping sounds are made when the dancer’s shoes that have metal plates touch some hard surface. The dancers produce musical sounds and are popularly known as percussive musicians.

There are various dance academies that are providing training to the people and making them proficient in various dance forms. There are varied options for people who wish to exercise and keep their body in shape. The dance academies also provide the people with tap dance lessons and make them familiar with all the possible aspects of tap dancing that includes improvisation, creativeness as well as step timings.

It is very easy to learn the basic steps of tap dancing and one can further add flair and touch to the basic steps. The tap dance lessons are proved beneficial for the people even if they are not so good at dancing or for those who know nothing about tap dancing. There are professional dancers that are there in the various dance schools and are giving the aspiring dancers the tap dance classes. In most of the tap dance classes there are tap dance videos of the trained dancers that help the people in hearing the beats and dancing with rhythm. Furthermore, they train the dancers with some warm up techniques that is followed by dance routines. With the progression of the tap dance classes, the dancers are taught other new moves to make them proficient in the tap dance steps.

With these tap dancing professionals that train the dancers and help them how to tap dance, the aspiring dancers can become one of the renowned tap dancers that can be featured in the popular dance videos. For the one who wishes to learn to tap dance, they must have the idea clear in their mind that tap dancing is more than knowing the way in which the dance moves are made. It might extend to the styling of those moves so that the dancer looks as well as feels good. It not only makes the person dance but they also have an exercise at the same time.

There are many of the people who feel shy to enrol themselves in the tap dance classes and learn to tap dance as they don’t have the confidence to face the audience. For the people who are unable to get along with the dance schools but wish to get the training of how to tap dance, tap dance videos are the best solution for them. There are tap dance DVDs that are available in various series that have different teaching levels that includes the basic dancing steps, intermediate and the difficult level dancing.  The cardio dance DVD has a complete range of dance steps and gives a complete guidance on how to start. Tap dance is basically the cardio dance that enables the work out of the whole body. The cardio dance DVD is made available to the people who are willing to work hard to exercise and loose weight.

Eli Newsom
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/tap-dancing-sessions-for-rhythmic-and-healthy-life-1147183.html

Who on the planet earth exists that doesn’t love dancing? Whether humans, animals or birds, you will see everyone dancing in their moods. Dancing, though a specialized skill, is no doubt an art of expression. There are some who love to express their joy by dancing to their own rhythm while there are also few who in the low mood, also dance so as to express their pain in their dancing steps, which somehow they can’t express in their words. Hence, everyone on the planet earth has been acquainted with the art of dance performance. In today’s times, it has become a part of profession for many as well as there are so many young ones and adults who are joining dance classes to excel in this body art.

Amongst so many dancing forms, the most popular dance these days is the tap dance. One doesn’t need to be a professional dancer to learn to tap dance. Whether amateur or learned, all can learn to tap dance through a series of dancing videos that specialized in making people learn to tap dance.

It is DVD series which instructs and teaches tap dance lessons to dance from the very comfort of your home. This series is for both non-dancers/amateurs as well as dancers/professionals. The instructions on tap dance lessons are very clear and easy-to-use that you will feel that you have never been learnt in this way ever before.

The best feature of learning this way dancing is that you don’t have to attend any tap dance classes or tap dance schools. By just putting the tap dance video, you can learn the dance. The dance video has dancing steps which covers split-screen camera angles as well as offers musical counts also.

There are many of us who feel shy to join tap dance classes or tap dance schools because we don’t have that confidence to face audience and other batch-mates of the group, whom we think excel than us. So, if you are also one of those who can’t join a live class because of your lack of confidence and shy nature, then fitness video option is best for you.

Apart from joining it in order to learn tap dancing, it can be also be used by those who wish to lose their weight. Tap dance requires high energy and involves movement of all body parts, especially legs and thighs. Hence, it is a great form of exercise. So, one has an option to join these tap dance classes as a form of fitness regime. So, you have option to use them as dance video or fitness video. It is the best medium to lose weight while having fun and enjoyment. You can also call your friends or neighbors and fix a time together, and can learn dancing in the group by putting the dance video.

So, take out the notion from your minds that you can’t dance, we have made it very simple for you. So, just remove that fear and join fitness video classes today. For more information about tap dancing, learning tap dancing or tap dancing classes, log on to tapdancemadeeasy.com

Eli Newsom
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/say-yes-to-tap-dancing-728108.html

The rhythm and beat of foot-tapping music appeals to every child. Children love to sway their bodies to the music played as a part of their course curriculum. Keeping this in mind, specific dance music for kids has got underway. When kids personalized music comes to the fore, children leverage the maximum benefit from it.

The love for dance music by kids has prompted the evolution of personalized kids CDs. Hearing their names being called out many times by their favorite cartoon characters is a big boost to the kids. They feel confident and important to be recognized by their lovable characters. Be it Mickey, Minnie or Goofy, the children feel delighted to be a part of the CDs.

Start from an Early Stage

Children love to dance from the time that they can stand on their own two feet. Whenever you play a tune on the radio or TV, you can see them getting totally engrossed in the melody and swaying their bodies to and fro with it. Some children learn dancing and some improvise on their own. But dance music for kids is a must to help them become complete individuals. Kids personalized music also plays a great role in drawing the attention of the young kids and helping them dance a jig. The personalized kids CDs help the children to focus on their own names and feel excited to dance along with it.

Make Kids React to Movements

Dance music for kids inculcates a trained ear for different types of sounds and how to react to it. It fortifies a child’s artistic expression and coordinates rhythm and movement along with sound. Dancing comes easy to children especially when exposed to kids personalized music. They start mimicking the dance steps right from the very beginning. They will do exactly as you will teach them to do. In fact, you can teach them to move their body along to the songs in personalized kids CDs. Teachers and instructors lay stress on starting dancing lessons for kids right from the very early years of their childhood.

Begin With Simple Steps

It is important to start with simple movements first. Parents can teach their kids to hop, jump, skip, tap their toes and snap their fingers along to dance music for kids. It is easy for kids to simulate their own normal body movements first. Even shaking hands with children, smiling and laughing with them and stimulating their senses will help them to learn to emote while dancing. Emotion can be more cleverly portrayed by making use of kids personalized music.

A Note of Caution for Parents

When you help your children perform with dance music for kids, you should put some restraint on them. They should learn to cope with parental discretion. You have to keep an eye open and gauge what your kids are listening and dancing to. Sometimes, kids may be misguided and get into bad company. You have to regulate this and make sure that children listen to pure music and nothing more. By taking active part in their interest for music, you will also nurture a feeling of belonging with your kids and also pique their curiosity and creativity to learn new things through personalized kids CDs.

Dance and Be Merry

So, participate with your children when they play dance music for kids. Take them to live concerts and expose them to a wide variety of dance forms like hip-hop, salsa, tap and many others from a host of countries. Find out their interests and educate them accordingly. Buy kids personalized music and prepare to further the art of dancing in your kids. Your interest is bound to take your kids to the next level. It is sure to boost their cheerful time.

Site Booster
http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/arrange-dance-music-for-kids-to-boost-their-cheerful-time-1179652.html

When Ann Jenkins was told that her daughter Amy was having trouble interacting with the other kids in her kindergarten class, she was at a loss for words. You see, Amy had always been a little shy around other kids, but after she "warmed up" she was usually fine. Why was kindergarten class any different? Amy’s teacher told Ann that she felt Amy lacked self-confidence and that the other kids recognized this and picked on her. When Ann asked the teacher what to do, she was surprised at her response: "Enroll Amy in dance lessons".

Initially shocked that dance could help her daughter psychologically, Ann started to do some research. Here’s what she found out about the benefits of dance for children: 

• Teaches kids an exciting new way to move their bodies in entertaining and creative ways.
• Introduces kids to exercise that is fun to do, early in life, promoting a life-long commitment to fitness. 
• Promotes self-discipline.
• Improves self-esteem and builds self-confidence.
• Improves flexibility, coordination and memory.
• Builds strength and stamina.
• Gives children a sense of grace.
• Helps children succeed in other sports and in the classroom.

There are almost as many kinds of dance classes out there are there are kids. Like adults, kids just have to find their niche. The Bea Hive Dance Studio in Garden Grove, California, caters to children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. Their unique Kid’s Program has classes available after school, in the evenings, and on weekends with classes in many different genres, including Hip Hop, Salsa, Funk Style Street Dancing, Ballet, Jazz, Polynesian Dancing and Aerial and Dance Fitness Training. Classes are starting now, so enroll quickly to make sure that your child will be assured a spot. Remember, dance is one of the greatest gifts that you can ever give your child. It is the gift that keeps on giving, for many years to come.  

For more information about dance classes for kids and adults, or to rent the studio for your own dance event or party, contact Beatrix, Queen of the Bea Hive, at 800-883-2109. www.beahiveballroom.com

Beatrix Dozier
http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/dance-classes-for-kids-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-1108922.html

I recently got a job teaching children and babies at a daycare how to dance. I want to start incorporating lessons into my classes, as well as change up the exercises each week. What kinds of things should I be trying to teach babies, and what kinds of things should I be trying to teach children from 3-5 years old?

Don’t expect amazing things from 3-5 year olds.

Here’s RADs pre-primary syllabus:
Running in a circle
Running en diagonale
Walking with stretched feet
Walking on demi-pointe
Skips
Demi-plies
Rises
Points
Knee bends
Jumps
Bounces
Claps
Marches
Pony steps
Pony trots
Pony galops

Here’s the primary:
Swaying
Step close step point
Knee lifts
Stork walks
Sautes
Echappes sautes
Spring points
Galops sideways
Jumps with eye focus
Skip change of step

Here’s grade 1:
Battlements tendus
Petit jetes
Bivided battlements tensud
Transfer of weight
Classical walks
Swaying
Spinning
Soubresauts
Galops forward
Step forward (heel toe)
Picked up runs

For babies, focus on rhythm and movement. Clapping in time, counting to 4, bouncing in time, ‘free dance’ to music, happy feet and sad feet (pointed and flexed), pretending to be animals /ghosts /trees /princesses /butterflies, etc.

Dancing is fun. Everybody should learn how to dance. If nothing else, what happens if you have a daughter and she gets married and expects you, as her father, to dance with her at her wedding? Won’t you look like a fool if you don’t know your two step from your samba? And you ladies, what gal doesn’t want to be swept off her feet on the dance floor by some hunky guy? Okay, so how about some tips for learning how to dance?

For starters, you DON’T have to go to a dance school. I don’t know why it is that people feel that they need to have one on one instruction. Sure, if the thought of some guy pawing you all day lights your bulb then go for it. Otherwise, it is just as easy to learn how to dance from watching some really well made videos. And the great part of videos is that you can start and stop them all you want. No hourly fee for lessons.

Dance shoes. If you are serious about this (you are serious, right?) then you are going to want to buy a pair of dance shoes. Depending on what kind of dancing you intend to do, those are the kind of dance shoes that you’re going to buy. You will not buy ballroom practice shoes to do square dancing and conversely, you’re not going to buy western dance boots for ballroom dancing. Yes, there are many different types of dance shoes. So you need to make sure you get the right pair for what you intend to learn.

Warming up. A lot of people just go right into their dance routine without any kind of warm up at all. This is asking for a cramp, pulled muscle or worse. It is ALWAYS a good idea to do some stretching exercises BEFORE you start dancing. That way, once the lessons begin, or your actual dancing begins, you don’t have to worry about being carried off the dance floor on a stretcher. I’m not kidding. Don’t go into dancing cold, especially if you’re not a kid anymore.

Dancing can be a ton of fun, and it’s not hard to learn how to dance. Essentially, it’s just a few steps. In my signature is a great resource that will get you started and on your way to becoming a professional dancer in no time at all.

For A Review Of The Best Learn To Dance Program Out There, Click Here!

Gary West
http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/some-tips-to-learn-how-to-dance-easily-1001977.html

In order to survive in this modern competitive world we are required to have a good health. Today, a lot of people are going to gyms and many others are joining fitness classes to remain fit and fine. Moreover, some other people are buying fitness videos in which a wide range of exercise are being offered by professional instructors. Those people who do not have time to go to gyms and fitness centers can improve their fitness level by performing exercise at home with the help of these fitness videos. These fitness programs have proved to be beneficial for those people who are not in a condition to carry out tough workout in gyms. It also allows them to get rid of the expenses that they shall spend on instructors and personal trainer’s fees. Moreover, these fitness videos can help them to stay fit without any tough workouts. Besides, fitness videos dance videos are also very useful in improving your fitness level. Not only it improves your health but it also teaches you to learn some exciting dance steps that you can show to others. These useful dance videos are designed by fitness trainers and professional dancers who have keen knowledge of interesting as well as effecting dancing. Moreover, these dance videos can help you to reduce your fat and become toned up.

In these dance videos are included tap dance classes that are quite effective for every age groups. Tap dance classes will help you to remain in shape and increase you confidence. It also offers you some fun and you can get relaxed with its leisure music. When you are engage in a tap dancing class, you are required to concentrate on your movement and it is quite similar with an aerobic exercise. Tap dance classes also improve your body balance and help you to regulate a rhythm inside your body. Some tap dance lessons offer cardio benefits and they boost up your stamina. Tap dance lessons such as the hula dance and hip hop offer workouts of muscles that you have never known. You can also go to tap dance schools in order to learn tap dance but you might not have the time to extract. Moreover, these tap dance schools may require you to get an admission and pay large charges in order to get enrolled. So why should you waste your precious time and your money when you can get affordable tap dance videos.

You can learn to tap dance by purchasing these dance videos which are now available in DVDs where all the instructions and details are provided for varieties of dances. The instructions are offered in easy language and reviews of past users are also included inside them. The navigation system offered by this DVDs are also very straight forward and one could easily understand it. They are easily affordable and suitable for kids as well as elder citizens. When you learn to tap dance with these dance videos, you will be so busy in enjoying the dance routine that you wouldn’t even notice that you are losing your excess weight. The video as well as the audio quality of these dance videos DVDs are superb and almost every user has benefited after using it.

Eli Newsom
http://www.articlesbase.com/movies-articles/improve-your-fitness-with-dance-videos-707163.html

Dance is not a hobby for most people; it’s a non verbal communication and an activity which can bring us many benefits if we practice it regularly. Learning to dance means learning how to coordinate the movement of your body. Learnign to dance can take a lot of effort for some people but the end result will be worth it. Learn to dance dvd is one of the newest and maybe the most successful method for becoming a good dancer.

Being a good dancer is a qulity that your partner will appreciate and dance is a romantic way through which you can meet a romantic interest. Body language is an important way of communication and many times our body “talks” about our feelings better than we are able to. People have become more and more interested in learn to dance and they have discovered learn to dance dvd as the easiest way through which they can become good dancers.

For the people that are interested by learn to dance dvd there are now two DVD’s with dance lessons for women and one DVD for men interested in learn to dance. The first DVD for women will help the girls to learn the sexiest and hottest dance moves for clubs. This DVD was filmed in a popular club in New York to motivate each girl who learns to dance to feel like being in that club for real.

The second DVD for women will show to the girls how they should move when they go out with their friends in a club in order to be in the center of attention. Through the lessons from this DVD, the girls will learn to dance with the help of the instructors Nicole, Dana and Erynn. For the men who are interested by learn to dance dvd, we recommend the men’s DVD to them. Thanks to the easy way in which the lessons are presented, the men will also effortlessly learn to dance in clubs. Those who have already tried this method are very happy with the results they have obtained and we strongly recommend you try these DVD as well if you want to improve your dance skills.

Anne Tide
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/the-easiest-method-for-learning-to-dance-377525.html

Group salsa lessons are a fun, social, and affordable way to learn how to salsa dance. Some group classes can be as large as 40 people or as small as 5. The average class size at 15-20 people and oftentimes students are required to rotate partners through out the evening. If you’re a guy, this helps you learn to lead different women. If you’re girl, this helps you learn how to follow different leading styles. Students who take group classes on regular basis also form friendships and there is no better place to meet a potential dance partner then in a salsa class.

People who get a lot out of group salsa classes are usually very good at following directions and well coordinated. People who are active in martial arts, yoga, sports, or other forms of dancing usually can follow their dance instructor with relative ease. On the other hand, people who are poorly coordinated may find themselves struggling to keep up in their first few classes.

That is the unavoidable downside of group lessons. They are a one size fits all solution. I teach a weekly salsa class in Times Square that ranges from 15-30 people. I have to teach at a pace that accommodates everyone in the room. Therefore some people will feel the class is too fast while others may feel the class is too slow. The other downside of group salsa lessons is the instructor can’t give you individual attention. That means if your executing a move incorrectly, the instructor may not even notice because he/she is watching the entire class and not just you. Having that critical eye focused only upon you is why you may want to consider spending a little more for private salsa instruction.

Private salsa lesssons usually cost some where in the range of $80 – $100. It’s about 4x more than what you would pay for a group class. On the other hand, students who take private lessons learn at a much quicker pace and can cut your learning curve in half. The instructor has his/her attention focused on teaching you and you only which will prevent you from picking up bad habits. Most people pick up bad habits with out knowing it. Small things like not being wary of your posture or moving your hips the wrong way take a very long time to unlearn once they have become a habit. A good salsa instructor will keep you on the right path and weed out any potential bad habits at the first sign. Thus a student who wants to have a more refined technique and accelerate their learning ought to take private salsa lessons.

Private salsa lessons are also the way to go if you are not some one who learns well in large groups. The most important thing for an absolute beginner is to have a proper foundation. People who are new to salsa and have a below average sense of coordination may find themselves struggling to keep up in a group class. If this is the case, consider a few one on one sessions at a pace that you feel comfortable with. You can take group classes once you have developed a good grasp of the basics. The great thing about private salsa classes is that they can be custom tailored to meet your needs. You may want to take private lessons for any of these reasons listed: 1. You’re an absolute beginner and need things broken down more. 2. You already know the basics but find yourself unable to move past a sticking point. 3. You want to further refine your technique beyond what your group classes can offer.

The one main benefit that group classes have over private lessons is the opportunity to practice with many different dance partners. Learning to follow and learning to lead is a skill that develops over time through experience. One must practice with many different people in order to gain the experience necessary to develop this ability. I believe the optimal way to learn is to take both private and group lessons hand in hand. This gives you the critical one on one attention along with regular partner-work experience.

- Todd Chen

Todd
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/private-salsa-lessons-vs-group-salsa-lessons-706767.html