Saturday:
March 12-April 16, 2005
Trinity St.Paul United Church,
427 Bloor St. West (West of Spadina)
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.Salsa for Beginners
2:30 to 3:30 p.m.Intermediate Level
Friday Nights:
February 25-April 8, 2005
Harbourfront Community Centre,
627 Queen’s Quay West (corner of Bathurst and Queen’s Quay)
6:00 to 7:00 p.m.Salsa for Beginners
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.Intermediate Level
$12/class or 60/six classes
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SALSA ARTICLES:
DON'T GIVE UP! Learning to dance takes time and work for most
of us, and it includes some evenings when you feel you'll never
improve and when almost no one will dance with you. But if you keep
learning, by taking classes or privates, drilling the fundamentals
and practicing, and getting out there social dancing, you will most
likely master the dance and come to enjoy the results of all that
work: the joy of dancing well and being able to dance with many
different partners.
INTIMIDATION OR INSPIRATION? Let's say you're a beginner or
intermediate dancer and you're standing and watching some really
good dancers, and you're feeling intimidated and afraid to dance.
The problem is not with these really good dancers. The problem is
in your own head. You are not a victim of those dancers, nor of the
thoughts in your own mind. It is YOUR mind, YOU control the
thoughts in YOUR mind. You have a mental CHOICE that you can
make: You can CHOOSE to be Intimidated, or you can CHOOSE to be
Inspired, by these excellent dancers. You can CHOOSE to take the
attitude that they're great and you're lousy, and that you'd be
Intimidated and embarrassed to get on the dance floor. Or you can
CHOOSE to take the attitude that they have some great dancing
abilities which someday you can learn, and you can use them as
Inspiration to learn and grow bit by bit, as you study and practice
this great dance over the months and years. Intimidation or
Inspiration: You're not a passive victim, you have the power to
actively CHOOSE whether you want to be Inspired or Intimidated.
Now, which would you rather choose? Which choice would be more
constructive for your dancing progress, for your self-esteem, and
for your dancing pleasure?
SO LADIES...I
know we men are supposed to climb the highest mountain, and swim the
deepest ocean, for that woman of our dreams, but I guess over the
years we fellas have either become a lot less heroic and romantic,
or we have just learned to play the odds and the probabilities. So
we focus most of our attention on the ladies right up by the dance
floor. Therefore, here's the best strategy for you ladies: if you
really want more dances, stand up near the front, make yourself more
visible, get into moving to the music., try a little eye contact and
a smile (not too much, 'cause you know guys can't handle intimacy!),
maybe even give the guys a helping hand by asking one at your level
to dance, so
that others see you want to be out there dancing instead of just
sitting in a corner. Something else to remember: If you arrive,
leave, and spend the whole evening mostly with one guy, even if he's
"just a friend", many possible partners will not approach you to
dance because they'll think he's your boyfriend and you're sticking
with him for the evening. So if you want people to ask you to
dance, it's best to roam around a bit or hang out with different
people during the evening so the guys will perceive you as more
available.
AND FELLAS...We
have to remember that most ladies who are true salseras come to
clubs and socials to dance, not to just sit or stand around and be
cranky or depressed. When we're hesitating and timid about asking
someone to dance, we need to remember that the majority of these
ladies really do want to dance....that's why they came. So just
take action, fellas. And if the lady says "No", well....we've been
told "No" many times before and we're still breathing. And there
are definitely 10 other ladies right nearby who would probably love
to say "Yes". And if a lady says "No", and then 30 seconds later
she's dancing with another guy, well....what can you do? We all
have a right to be choosy, and so does she. But it doesn't mean
you're a jerk, or that you were wrong to have asked her to dance.
Just get over it, move on, and ask someone else. .
Let's get out and dance, and make the most of it!
-
by "Doc Salsa", Steve Shaw, SalsaNewYork.com Website
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