Salsa classes have many on feet

Spiciness ruled Friday night as people hit the dance floor at Cafe Culture for Dancesalsa.

"Move your arms to balance your body," dance instructor Monika Ronquillo said as she showed guests the steps.

It wasn't until merengue kicked in that guests began to loosen up their feet and, after the lesson, guests were dancing with flair to the different styles without the need of alcohol to give them the extra courage.

Other dance styles were introduced along with salsa. Cumbia, merengue and bachata enticed patrons as their bodies moved to the rhythm of the sound.

Since several dance styles are taught, the title will be changed to "Chico Baile Latino: More Than Salsa," Ronquillo said.

Couples lined up side-by-side and held hands. They let their hips do the movement and arms do the turning to the beat of the music.

"Merengue are simpler movements and it's more playful, whereas salsa restricts people more,"

Ronquillo said.

There are three basic steps to salsa within a four-beat measure, and to observers the dance is very sensual.

It's hoped that crowds of students will come and explore the dances Friday nights, co-instructor and host Hassan Ghiassi said. Ghiassi, 24, received his master's in communications from Chico State.

"We want to get students to do something different than just bars," he said.

This Latino dance is something that brings the community together,

Ghiassi said.

"Is what drives me," he said, "makes me move my feet."

Dancesalsa is more than just a business for Ronquillo.

It's a motivation to share her knowledge of music, family, friends and fun, Ronquillo said. It's also meant to show that alcohol isn't necessary to have a good time.

It is a good deal for $5 since it's an hour of lessons and attendees can get in for free if they bring three people, Ghiassi said.

Gabriela Robles, a senior international relations major, went with her friends and liked that they welcomed different kinds of people, she said.

Randy Del Rosario, a freshman psychology major, was happy to have his dancing skills back, since he knew all the rhythms in his high school days, he said.

"Feels like home," he said.

Dancesalsa is a great way to get exercise, make new friends and no one is shy to ask for a dance. All ages are welcome to the event.

Recent hits are also played to please all styles, Ghiassi said.

"It's noche de diversion y fiesta," Ronquillo said.

Source Miguel Rocha

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Posted in bachata , Cafe Culture for Dancesalsa , Chico Baile Latino , Cumbia , dancing salsa , Merengue , salsa dance steps , salsacircuit , salsadance

Joyous Zumba:Dance and exercise to a Latin beat

(July 21, 2011)  Six bucks can buy you a margarita. That’s also the fee consummate musician and merrymaker Marla Joy charges for the Zumba classes she teaches from Fortuna to Trinidad.

“Drink one margarita and you might consume 300 to 600 calories,” Joy says. “You might feel OK, but for six dollars come in and get a better high than a cheap margarita and burn 600 calories. You don’t need three or four drinks to reduce your inhibitions and express yourself dancing. We get right into business for an hour.”

Zumba is an aerobic-cardio fitness system of short dance combinations taken from merengue, salsa, cumbia and other Latin-inspired steps choreographed to mostly Latin rhythms. Zumba classes incorporate fitness exercises such as bicep curls, knee lifts and squats into the dance combinations. The rousing music and choreography make for a jubilant atmosphere, more of a dance party than a fitness class.

Zumba was born of a happy accident in Cali, Columbia, in the mid-‘90s when aerobics instructor Beto Perez forgot his aerobic music and grabbed cumbia, merengue and salsa tapes from his backpack, then improvised steps from those dance traditions for the workout he was leading. The crowd loved it. And this totally fun craze began.

When I lived in New York, I didn’t need a gym membership. I walked everywhere and swam at my neighborhood pool. I could take modern dance classes of infinite styles any day of the week from morning until nightfall. Disappointed by the lack of modern dance classes here in Humboldt, I joined HealthSport and started taking Pilates, which, by the way, along with being great for anyone’s back, is particularly good training for dancers. Delving into the minutia of muscles and bones while doing Pilates is an absorbing addition to but no substitute for dancing.

Why not aerobics? Way too mindless for me, and bad for the knees. My best friend from high school, a size-two aerobics queen, would drag me to a class whenever I visited her. She and her friends would be high kicking it, all buffed out in the latest gym fashions, flashing tennis bracelets, pumping their arms in the air. (It was the ‘80s). It was a demanding workout, but too repetitive and I found the pop music annoying. Yet there was a palpable group energy; the women were definitely experiencing a collective rush. That’s what I needed: a big, sweaty, group-dance high to get me into the gym on a regular basis. But I wanted one with some artistic merit.

When I saw fliers for Marla Joy’s Zumba classes, I saw the potential for a wild ride. Joy is an incredibly hot and versatile musician who plays flute, bass and drums. Hip to dance, Joy has collaborated with choreographer Laura Munoz in live performances — she even wrote music for Munoz’ piece Take Off Your Skin — and more recently accompanied the modern dance classes Munoz teaches at Dell’Arte. Joy taught Israeli folk dances for the band Chubritza; she also gets crowds dancing playing bass in the Cajun band The Bayou Swamis. A musician teaching a musically rich form like Zumba was a sure win.

I like that she’s older, too. At HealthSport the younger Zumba instructors I encountered emanated positive energy and clearly taught the steps. But they did it to the max without considering the varying ages and levels of fitness in the room, or reminding participants to listen to their injuries and limitations, or suggesting modifications (not doing squats as deeply, for example). They were young fillies who do not yet harbor concerns for the longevity of their bods.

Source Stephanie Silvia

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Posted in Cumbia , health sport , Latin-inspired steps , Marla Joy’s Zumba classes , Merengue , Salsa , zumba dance , zumba fitness , zumba fitness class

Timba Classes Sweeping El Paso

EL PASO- An exercise routine started in the Borderland is growing in popularity.

It's called Timba and its creator, who lives in El Paso, is trying to take Timba to new heights.  He's hoping to make it the next popular form of exercise nation-wide.

The women at Tumbao Dance Studio in West El Paso are taking part in what could very well be the next exercise craze, Timba.

“Timba is an exercise system involving dance. Students learn Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, a bunch of different forms of Latin music,” said owner, Eddy Zayas.

“It's just the most fun workout. You don't even feel like you’re working out. You just feel like you're having fun, like a little kid again,” says June Peterson, who does Timba three times a week.

Zayas says he originated Timba in 1997 in Juarez after leaving his native Cuba. He brought the system to El Paso two years ago.  “We're trying to launch it across the U.S. We're going to Los Angeles. I have workshops in Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio,” said Zayas.

Zayas has been dancing since he was a young boy and even became a professional dancer back in Cuba.
He recently went back to the island and shot a Timba video which he'll use to promote Timba.

Zayas said Timba not only helps you burn calories, but they  teach the moves, so you can learn how to dance.

“With Timba, we teach you where the steps come from, how to do them. We have more forms of dance than Zumba. I think we have five more than Zumba and it's as fun and you sweat,” said Zayas.

“I wasn't really trying to lose weight but I’ve lost five pounds and just toned up a lot,” said Peterson.

Peterson is one of about 500 people who take Zayas's classes.

Zayas says he's proud of his Cuban culture and grateful to have the opportunities he's found here in the Borderland.

“Because of the system in Cuba, it's very difficult to have your own business,” said Zayas.  “I’m so happy of my roots and to be able to share it through dance.”

The classes are held Monday through Friday in the morning and evening. For more information on schedule and prices visit: http://www.tumbaodancestudio.com/

Source Oralia Ortega

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Posted in best timba dance 2011 , Cha-cha-cha , cuban culture , Cumbia , El Paso , latin music , Mambo , Merengue , Salsa , salsa circuit 2011 , Timba