It’s on the streets, in the studios, on TV, and on stage. As a dancer, and someone who loves watching and being a part of dance, I’m always looking for opportunities to be involved in dance. While for some, it’s purely a form of entertainment, but for others it is life.

Nowadays dance is more popular than ever and has finally been introduced to the masses for what it is: an artistic form of expression, an athletic and powerful movement, a competition. ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ is one of the most well-liked shows exposing talented dancers and their passion for dance to the world. Thousands of young dancers audition to see if they’re good enough to take on the challenge and the rest wait and watch patiently for the results.

At times, I too have played with the idea of being on the show, and so when the opportunity arose for me to attend a shooting of ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada, I was thrilled to be a part of the magical experience.

The stage was lit up with various colours and we were surrounded by camera-men, crew members, props and excitement. I couldn’t believe I was actually there, and about to watch the show in person. Before it all started, the warm-up host, Josh Hellyer, entertained us with interesting facts about the show, the dancers, the judges, and what to expect once it all began. He made the audience feel like a great part of the show, and we were. In a way, without us, it wouldn’t seem as exciting to the viewers. Before the show started, Josh asked for volunteers to demonstrate their dance skills on stage, and many young dancers, some not old enough to audition, confidently walked up on stage and danced to whichever music was chosen for them. The show has not started yet and we were immersed in the world of dance.

Then the judges came on and our excitement grew. Even some of the American ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ judges were there including Mia Michaels and Mary Murphy. The host, Leah Millar, came on next for sound check, and finally it all fell into place. Two by two, the dancers performed their routines and exceeded our expectations. Because of the perfect form and grace the dancers portrayed on television, I assumed that they were touched up and the performances recorded prior to the actual show, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. They were all just as spectacular in real life as they were on TV. Their bodies, their passion, and techniques were astonishing. Watching them perform literally gave me goose-bumps. The music, combined with the setting, costumes, and of course the choreography and dancers, made the routines surreal. There was so much emotion and power behind their movement that I could feel their love for dance. It made me want to try harder, dance more, and become just as good as them.

Dance is everywhere. And ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ shows this very well.

From the very beginning when they give thousands of dancers the opportunity to dance on the streets and show their talent, regardless of whether they make it or not, to the stage they perform on, this show made this artistic movement a great form of entertainment for many, and gave those lucky enough the chance to make dance their life.

What is this equal to?

Hours of fun..Let’ say you did the salsa for 5 hours that weekend.

As an extra bonus you did quite a workout which is equal to

Running from

the CN Tower of Toronto to the Pearson International Airport.

How many calories do you burn out during dancing salsa in an hour?

The numbers vary between 375 calories to 800 calories. More than 420 calories is a common figure given in different sites. Also it is also claimed that according to experts one person can burn up to 10 calories per minute during salsa dancing. Of course, the weight of the person is important. Generally the figures depend on a person who weighs 150 pounds/70 kg.

After some math, let’s go to that weekend.  There is the Glamour.com’s activity calculator (a rough one but fun). 5 hours of also for a person of 70 kg  means burning almost 2,000 calories.

The same person has to run for a total of 3 hours with a pace of 10 min/per mile to burn these 2,000 calories. He ends up at the Pearson Airport, if his starting point is the CN Tower (25 km/15.5 miles).

WOW? Right? You just wanted to have some fun and get into the tempting groove of salsa for two nights in a row on a weekend. Actually, you just finished more than a half-marathon (21.09 km).

Who knew, right?

Of course, the heavier you are more calories you burn. Let’s take me as an example. I can dance 5 hours salsa with great pleasure. Just tell me when… I weigh 220 pounds/100 kg.

I burned 2881 calories.

Now what did I deserve? What do I want? I like chicken pizza. That’s me!

Large chicken pizza would be good. Yes! How many large chicken pizzas did I deserve?

4 large  Chicken Pizzas.

Not bad, eh?

Salsa dancing  is not only a good way of workout where you burn lots of calories but it also offers other health benefits of a good exercise.

Health benefits of exercise has been the trend in brain research during the first decade of the century.

We now know that exercise makes you sharper, gets your mood elevated.  Of all these studies, my favourite study is an animal study.

The influence of maternal treadmill running during pregnancy on short-term memory and hippocampal cell survival in rat pups.

This study shows the magic of exercise directly. The pregnant rats exercise and their babies are born with a better short-term memory and a bigger part of the brain related to this function.

Amazing,no?  That’s why they tell old people to do the ballroom dancing. Less dementia!

So salsa dancing will make you sharper and happier with a good heart (literally)!

Finally, at the end of a long day you can end up at a gym or run at the streets of Toronto, alternatively do your pushups at home. Salsa, as an exercise, reinforces the mood elevator effect of exercise by offering you a way of socializing.

Salsa being that great way of exercise it is not surprising that

many celebrities choose to salsa to stay fit and healthy!

Updated Tue. Jul. 27 2010 3:12 PM ET

CTV

After dancing its way into the hearts of millions of Canadian viewers, CTV’s Gemini Award-winning series So You Think You Can Dance Canada returns with its highly anticipated third season premiere on Sunday, August 15 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, with encore episodes airing back-to-back beginning Saturday, August 21 on MuchMusic

The premiere kicks off a week of audition episodes before the performances begin with the Top 20 on Monday, August 23 at 9 p.m. ET, followed by the results on Tuesday, August 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CTV. The series then moves to Wednesday night performance episodes and Thursday night results episodes beginning September 22 and 23.

Featuring the country’s most talented and distinctive dancers, the Season 3 audition episode broadcast schedule unfolds as follows:

• Sunday, August 15 at 9 p.m. ET (two hour premiere) – Toronto Auditions
• Monday, August 16 at 9 p.m. ET (two hours) – Calgary and Halifax Auditions
• Tuesday, August 17 at 8 p.m. ET (one hour) – Vancouver Auditions
• Wednesday, August 18 at 9 p.m. ET (two hours) – Montreal Auditions
• Thursday, August 19 at 9 p.m. ET (two hours) – Finals Week
• Sunday, August 22 at 9 p.m. ET (one hour) – Top 20 Reveal
• Monday, August 23 at 9 p.m. ET (two hours) – Top 20 Performance
• Tuesday, August 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET (half hour) – Top 20 Results

“After two captivating seasons, this fan favourite is going to get viewers’ toes tapping all over again,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.

“So You Think You Can Dance Canada has discovered some amazing talent over the past two seasons. Show alumni are performing with Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Ke$ha, and Adam Lambert, among others, making a statement about Canadian dance around the world.”

Gemini Award-winning host Leah Miller is back for Season 3 and is joined by returning judges and dance experts Jean Marc Genereux, Tré Armstrong, Luther Brown and Blake McGrath. Guest judges throughout the five-city audition tour and Finals Week include Edmonton native Stacey Tookey (Calgary auditions), Mary Murphy (Toronto and Vancouver auditions), Mia Michaels (Montreal auditions), Dan Karaty (Halifax auditions), Rex Harrington and Sean Cheesman (Finals Week).

Aspiring dancers showed off their skills in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax during Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 with the hope of receiving a boarding pass to take them to the next round of competition. Almost 150 dancers moved on to Finals Week in Toronto, where they worked with some of Canada’s top choreographers with the goal of earning a spot in the coveted SYTYCDC Top 20.

The Top 20 dancers then face the nation and perform in front of Canada to gain the public’s votes but it won’t be easy, as the dancers work in partners and select a different dance style each week, ranging from hip-hop, house and bollywood, to salsa, quickstep, contemporary and afro jazz. Two competitors are eliminated each week during the results shows.

Over  1 million salsa lovers in 5 years

The coolest street party was back in town…Great food and great music…A festival that makes you a part of itself in a second..Dancing your way to the rhythms of salsa in midtown Toronto; Hillcrest Village, between Winona Drive and Christie Street…

The first festival was in 2005 and the event attracted more and more people and interest over the years…The last year’s success was just overwhelming. This year will not be different. Thousands of people will listen to “la musica latina” , eat  the “deliciosa” food and enjoy the salsa lessons at the streets of Toronto on a nice summer weekend.

The performers of St. Clair Street Festival 2010

Ricky Franco Banda Super Show (SBS Band)

And Many More!

Here is a nice feature story from the 2007 St.Clair Festival @ Toronto Star. You can read the full article by clicking on the image below. Enjoy it!

A journey through the festival

St.Clair Festival 2010

Let’s go to St. Clair four years ago

A piece from the festival in 2007

Let’s go two years back to St. Clair

St. Clair Salsa Festival; the summer of 2009

Born in 1969 Jennifer Aniston is  41 years old. Rachel Green of the popular sitcom of the 90s; Friends pursued a successful career in Hollywood. Forbes listed Jennifer as the 10th richest woman in the entertainment industry in 2007. A five-year marriage with Brad Pitt and the way she handled the end of her marriage made her even more famous. Being 41 year old but not showing her age, Jennifer has her own way to stay fit.

““I love the sweat each time I’m doing an exercise routine. It just wouldn’t do if I didn’t. I see it as a sign that my metabolism is building up. And by the way, I love Salsa”

Jennifer actually did her routine to stay fit  in the romantic comedy Along Came Polly in 2004 where she shared the leading roles with Ben Stiller.

The Salsa Scene of Jennifer Aniston from the movie Along Came Polly

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is a 31 years old Hollywood actress. She got famous with role in the 2001 comedy-drama Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) which gained her wider fame.

Kate had to go through a strict diet and exercise program several times in her life, for example after gaining 60 pounds while she was pregnant.

She recently discovered a new way of losing weight and staying in shape – Salsa. Kate said that Salsa helped her maintained her figure and Salsa also improved her appetite. Kate explained: “I’ve kind of gotten into salsa. It’s hard, though. If you do a full salsa session for an hour, you’ve got to lose an inch. You’re pouring sweat. Salsa is really fun.”

Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams has the title of the first African- American  Miss. America. After becoming Miss. America she was in movies, TV shows and also released albums. The 47- year-old celebrity still looks hot and fresh.

“I try to weight train at least once or twice a week. I hit the treadmill if I’m not training. I’ll do yoga when I have the time,” she tells Shape. “Also, I do a lot of salsa dancing. That’s a great way to stay in shape and be social. I would definitely recommend salsa for anyone who wants to hang out with friends, have a ball, and lose weight.“

Roselyn Sánchez

Roselyn Sánchez is a 37-year-old Puerto Rican singer, model, and actress. Elana Delgado of the TV series Without A Trace also has a career in cinema; Rush Hour 3, The Game Plan. Nightstalker…

Roselyn also loves to dance and sing. She is a big salsa fan.

“My favorite type of dancing is Jazz and I love to Salsa“

Sofia Vergara

The wife of Al Bundy Gloria at the popular comedy TV series “Modern Family” Sofia Vergara, the famous Colombian actress does the dance of her Latin culture in an episode of My Wife & Kids.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez,a.k. a. J. Lo, says “I love salsa” and shows her moves during a talk show:

Barack Obama showing his salsa moves with the Mexican pop singer Thalia at the Fiesta Latin even at the White House in October 2009:

Let’s finish a cheesy yet popular video from YouTube.

Bill and Hillary Clinton doing the salsa:

Do not forget; you do not need to be a celebrity to do the salsa!

Leave your body to the rhythm,

feel good and stay in shape!

You’ve been practicing for months. Time, energy, and strength put into a routine you didn’t even know would blossom. At times you were frustrated, exhausted, impatient, perhaps even got hurt, but then when that song seeped through the speakers and your feet hit the floor to its luring rhythm, and the blood rushed through your veins, you knew there was nothing else that could replace that feeling.

Now, a few months later, you and your partner are ready. You’re ready to show others what you’ve been working so hard toward and impress your audience.

The Key to Being a Performer

Some people love performing and the energy it brings to the stage, while others become extremely nervous and lose focus. I believe that the median of both is the best balance before stepping on that stage. It’s always good to be a little nervous before doing something important because it means you care. You want to do well and show others what you’re capable of. However, it’s never good to be too nervous. This is the key to being a performer.

You and Your Partner At the Stage

People usually get nervous because they are afraid to fail, and if you think about failing you are likely to make the mistake you’ve been dreading. It is important to remember that the audience wants you to do well; they’re on your side. So even if you make a mistake, don’t focus on it and redeem yourself by blowing them away with the rest of your performance.

For those who love the audience, performing is a little easier. They will often do better on stage than in practice because they feel like they finally have someone to show their talent to. At the same time, an excess of this emotion can be dangerous as well since it’s possible for you to be too confident and therefore pay more attention to your surroundings than your steps. Suddenly you’ve forgotten the routine and the whole performance starts to lose its balance. That’s why it’s vital that you concentrate and think about what you’re doing while enjoying the viewers’ company.

If you and your partner are different when it comes to these approaches it’s a good idea that you transfer your energy to each other. This way, the over-confident dancer will be brought back to earth and focus on the steps while the nervous performer will gain some confidence and relax.

In the end, whatever the outcome may be, remember that with each performance your steps, attitude, and confidence will get better and better!

When you look at the map above you get it right away that there will be no worries to do the salsa when you are in Miami, USA. Miami is the closest North American city to the lands of salsa.

Salsa Clubs in Miami

Alcazaba

Wednesday Happy Hour
Complimentary Sushi and Paella 5-8pm
Ladies receive complimentary Champagne & Wine 5-9pm

Añoranzas

Colombian Tavern with nostalgic tropical music. Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Bongo’s Cuban Cafe

Dress: Dressy
Hours: Fri – Sat, 10pm to 4am
Sun        3pm to 11pm
Cover charge: $20 – Parking: Valet, $10

Bodeguita del Medio

Every Saturdy starting at 10:30 p.m
Bongos Cuban Café
This is the club owned by Gloria Estafan and Emilio Estéfan

Every Sunday – 3 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. – Salsa!

Café Mystique

Hours: Thu nights – free basic salsa classes
Sun nights – casino style and Timba

Café Nostalgia @ Miami Beach, FL ( 6 km from Miami)
Open Wednesday thru Sunday From 8pm to 5am

Club Hoy Como Ayer
Hours: Thu nights
Cristal Nightclub @ Miami Beach, FL

Hours: Sat nights

Havana Dreams Café
Hours: Fri – Sat, 10pm$10 cover.

Kaffee Krystal Nightclub
Hours: Wed – Sat nights

Mix of new and old salsa, Cuban classics, merengue, and vallenato.

La Covacha
Hours: Fri – Sat nights

Mango’s Tropical Café (Miami Beach, FL)

Latin Connection Band

Thursdays from 11 pm to 4:00 am

Fridays from 10:30 pm to 4:10 am

Saturdays & Sundays from 11:00 pm to 4:10 am

(El) Palenque Nightclub
Hours: Fri – Sun nights
Rendezvous

@ Miami Lakes, FL

Típico Dominicano (Miami Beach,FL)

Hours: Fri – Sun, 9pm to 5am

Tropigala (Miami Beach,FL)

Hours: Wed-Sun  7:30 pm-2 am
Cover $20, $39 without dinner

Salsa Dance Classes in Miami

Salsa Lovers Dance School

Private Lesson 5 Hour Pack

199 $

Salsa Kings Dance School

They have different packages for private lessons and group lessons.

For singles the price range is between 50-70 $/hour, and for couples 70-90$/hour.

Salsa Mia Dance Studios

Different Class Packages from 1 Night to 40 nights

1 Night Package 40 $

10 Nights Package 200 $

The 9th Miami Salsa Congress

Wednesday Aug 4th – Sunday Aug 8th, 2010

International Salsa Festival in Miami

29 April - 3 May,2010

More of Salsa Clubs in Miami

IneedMySalsa

Mejordecuba.com

Salsacrazymiami.com

Salsapower.com

    * Pleasese call any salsa facility in this guide prior to your visit for any confirmation of the info given in the guide! Gracias!

      New York City.The capital of finance and entertainment. A big metropolitan city. Therefore, this salsa guide will bring the “salsa” in Manhattan only.

Manhattan

Center of New York City and the New York metropolitan region

Manhattan hosts the seat of city government and a large portion of the area’s employment, business, and entertainment activities. As a result, residents of New York City’s other boroughs such as Brooklyn and Queens often refer to a trip to Manhattan as “going to the city”.

Land size:  2.96 sq mi (59.5 km2)

 If you happen to be in Manhattan…  

    A famous resident of Manhattan Elaine Benes (Seinfeld) dancing

Tavern On The Green

But this famous restaurant overlooking the world famous Central Park is closing soon So check the website before you go and check the place!

OR

Four Points Sheraton Hotel (See Sunday)

 Columbus72

It is Copa Tuesday @ Columbus72. Admission is 10$.

Free Buffet. Free Salsa Lessons.

6:00 PM to midnight or later.  Salsa dance lesson given somewhere between 7:30 – 9:00 PM.

OR

Club Etoile

5-10PM, $5 admission

OR

Four Points Sheraton Hotel (See Sunday)

 Julia De Burgos Cultural Center

OR

Plan B

Cuban-Style Salsa

Live Salsa Music & Dancing. 10 PM – 4 AM.

Admission Free

OR

LQ

Salsa Legends with the DJ

OR

Tavern On The Green (See Monday)

Club Cache

10:30 pm- 2:30 am

11 $ cover

Gonzalez Y Gonzalez

Live salsa bands every week on Thursday through Saturday nights. From Mambo and Salsa to Merengue and Bachata.

No cover charge

Thursdays – sets begin at 9:30pm & 11:15pm
Fridays & Saturdays – sets begin at 11:30pm & 1:15am

OR

 Cuba (see Friday)

Cuba

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: Live Salsa Music

No cover, free admission.

Cuban food and Cuban cigars.

OR

China Club

OR

 El Nuevo Conquistador

Friday nights from 7:00 PM until very late. Very casual place with mainly a mature Dominican crowd who mostly dance On 1.  If you want to dance On 2, bring a partner or group.  

OR

Gonzalez Y Gonzalez (see Thursday)

OR

Four Points Sheraton Hotel (See Sunday)

Mambo D Salsa Practica

Every Saturday, 6:30pm – 9:30 pm, at the new MAMBO D DANCE CENTER for 3 hours of dancing to salsa and cha cha hits from his 25-year collection

Admission is $10.

OR

Cuba (see Friday)

OR

Gonzalez Y Gonzalez (see Thursday)

OR

Four Points Sheraton Hotel (See Sunday)

Free admission before midnight except special events

 On Sunday

El Flamingo

Four Points Sheraton Hotel

              Finally, while you are in Manhattan, you may also check one of the best dance clubs in the city: SOBS to have a Latin dance night. Additionally don’t forget to check the calendar of Cielo for events.

                      Salsa lessons  in Manhattan

Baila Society  

 Sophistication in Salsa

Mondays
Salsa Partnerwork technique – Levels 3 – 5        7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Tuesdays
Salsa Spinning technique                                       7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Fridays
Salsa Shines and Styling, All levels               7:00 pm-8:30 pm

 Saturdays

New York Salsa for Beginners                       4:00 pm-5:30pm

Dance Manhattan

Club Salsa

Mondays

Club Salsa Basic                                                        6:00 pm-7:00 pm

Club Salsa Pre Intermediate                              7:00 pm-8:00 pm

Club Salsa Pre Advanced & Intermediate    8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Club Salsa Styling Intermediate                      9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

 Thurdays 

Club Salsa Basic                                                      6:00 pm-7:00 pm

Club Salsa Pre Intermediate                             7:00 pm-8:00 pm

Club Salsa Intermediate                                    8:00 pm- 9:00 pm

Fridays

Salsa Basic & Intermediate                              7:00 pm- 8:00 pm

Salsa Pre Advanced & Pre Intermedite      8:00 pm -9:00 pm

Couples Only Basic Salsa & Swing                 8:00 pm -9:00 pm

Karisma Dance Studio

To pick a date and see what is going on that day the school has an on-line calendar.

Paul Pellicoro’s Dance Sport

To pick a date and see what is going on that day the school has an on-line calendar.

Sandra Cameron Dance Centre

Basic & Pre Intermediate 7 days a week

Intermediate classes start on  Mondays @ 7:30 pm & on Wednesdays 8:30 pm.

Advance salsa class starts on Mondays @ 8:30 pm.

For more salsa clubs in Manhattan & NYC 

Directories

Just Salsa

 SalsaNewYork.com

MamboNYC

LatinClubs.com

Salsacrazy.com

Latinjazzlive

NYC Dance Connection

Yelp.com with reviews

By Jana Jankovic

        Tony always reminds his students that they should practice dancing at home. How many of you actually do so is a completely different matter. If you’re having difficulty finding the time to practice dancing salsa at home, here are some tips that may encourage you and your partner to do so.

1) The word ‘practice’ can often sound like a chore, an obligation one must do in order to get better at something. I try to avoid this word when thinking about performing my routine at home, or trying out some of the steps we learned in class earlier that week.  Instead, I think to myself ‘I’m going to dance!’ or ask my partner ‘Wanna salsa?’ This feels and sounds much more pleasant than ‘Do you want to practice our salsa steps tonight?’

2) Another tip is to play latin music often, so that you enjoy listening to it outside of the salsa class and develop feelings towards it. This way if you’re relaxing at home and a familiar or spicy latin tune comes on, you may suddenly get the urge to get up and sway to it. Playing a light latin CD during a Mexican dinner perhaps, can give you and your partner the feeling of being in a foreign Spanish-speaking country, and give you the desire to create your own dance floor after the meal.

3) The mood is one of the most important aspects of dancing. If you’re not in the right state of mind or the atmosphere is wrong, you may not enjoy the dance or want to dance at all. Sometimes salsa can help to change your mood after a stressful day, but if you force yourself or your partner to ‘practice’, the dance may become associated with this negative feeling. To create an authentic atmosphere I suggest either lighting some candles and dimming the lights if you plan on dancing to softer sensual salsa, or lighting some incense and turning up the heat with a sexy dress. This will help you both feel that salsa vibe.

 I hope you will try either one or all of these tips and if you simply don’t have the space, time, or creativity, go to a salsa club where they’ve already set the mood and music for you!