Toronto &
Vancouver salsa dance classes / lessons at Salsa For Charity Latin
Dance School:
With multiple locations & events serving people across the
Greater Toronto Area, Greater Vancouver Area: Downtown
Toronto/Downtown Vancouver, West/Central and East Toronto, North
York, Markham, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Scarborough, Richmond Hill,
and Vaughan; we are Canada's most FUN & EXCITING,
charity-focused Salsa, Latin Dance Lessons / Classes / School /
Instructors / Performers / Entertainers. Where's the proof, you
ask? Try our salsa dance lessons and find
out.
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Toronto Salsa
Dance Lessons|Classes with Salsa For Charity in action. Watch some
of our group Salsa lesson students learning fun latin salsa dance
moves.
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"Look Below
for our Schedule of Level 1 & 2 Salsa 9-WEEK GROUP Lessons
& 1-DAY BOOTCAMPS in Toronto & North
York!
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"In
our Level 1 Salsa dance group lessons, you will have fun focusing
on learning to dance mostly Salsa along with some Merengue,
Bachata, and the Cha-Cha basics. So be ready to get active learning
to dance while having fun and giving back! (We donate a part of the
proceeds to help worthy charities such as the Covenant House,
Canada's largest street youth shelter)."
"We give you fun smaller
dance classes of only 10-20 people so you get more individual
attention to help you learn to Salsa dance at your best."
"You can start on any of the following dates and then go for 9
lessons from that point on."
Click
here to REGISTER in our 9-WEEK Group Salsa lessons or
BOOTCAMPS.
Click
here to REGISTER in our 9-WEEK Group Salsa lessons or
BOOTCAMPS.
"Get
lots of individual attention - only a maximum of 10 people per Boot
Camp are accepted." PLEASE
EMAIL US AND WE WILL SEND YOU A SCHEDULE.
Click
here to REGISTER in our 9-WEEK Group Salsa lessons or
BOOTCAMPS.
Click
here to REGISTER for Private Salsa lessons.
Click here
to hire us for a Salsa Performance/Private
Party.
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Davin's Dancing Tip
#1
You hear me say it in dance class all the time.
Make eye contact with your partner.
When you salsa dance with a partner, it doesn't matter how much of
a beginner you are, there's nothing like the eye contact and a
smile. It connects you and your partner and gives your dance that
extra special something. At one extreme, you could constantly look
at their feet, or worse yet, look at other people trying to decide
who to dance with next! At the other extreme, you could have a
staring contest which is, indeed, awkward at best. You want to find
the happy medium.
So how do you do this? Remember, you've always got the one step
that requires the least amount thinking: the Mambo. Do the Mambo
and use that chance to make that eye contact to help make your
Salsa sizzle!
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LEARN TO DANCE. GIVE KIDS A CHANCE. SALSA FOR CHARITY!
How do you help make a difference?
We are the World's 1st Professional Latin Dance School committed to
making our community a better place. To date, we've donated over
$38,000 in cash and services to help those in need at Toronto and
international charities such as the Covenant House, World Vision,
the Red Cross & more. Through your involvement in our dance
programs, we are able to continually donate a portion of the net
fees to worthy charities. Dance with
HEART
& Do
YOUR Part.
SALSA
For
CHARITY!
SALSA FOR CHARITY RUNS
CANADA'S FIRST SALSA FOR STREET KIDS PROGRAM
@ THE COVENANT HOUSE - EVERY WEEK, WE TEACH THE STREET KIDS IN THE
COVENANT HOUSE HOW TO SALSA DANCE & MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW TO
COOPERATE, BE PATIENT & BE RESPECTFUL WITH ONE ANOTHER. And the
Kids love it.
Read our Salsa For Charity Mission Statement and
Community Works page.
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Welcome to Greater Toronto’s Salsa For Charity, the World's
FIRST Salsa/latin dance school focused on helping students and
street kids all at once! We specialize in transforming absolute
beginners into Salsa-loving social dancers/performers as well as
helping kids without homes, so get ready to get fit, make new
friends and give back with our fun Salsa lessons!
What’s Salsa? In short, it is the world’s most popular
Latin street dance. With ties to Cuba, Puerto Rico, & South
America, it has spread like wildfire around the world and is danced
by “Salseros/Salseras” in cities as diverse as Paris,
London, Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and, of course, in Toronto.
In fact, any evening of the week you will find hundreds of
Torontonians dancing their hearts out in Salsa lessons and/or at
one of the many amazing Salsa clubs in Toronto and beyond. Go
traveling and you’ll likely find the same in every major city
in the world! When you start Salsa dancing, you join a huge family
of Salsa dance-loving folks spread throughout the
world.
Whatever your starting point, whether you are joining with a
partner or without, our Toronto Salsa lessons are for you. Our
Salsa instructors are enthusiastic, patient, caring and deeply
realize it is a privilege to have Salsa in their lives and love
sharing this privilege with their students and the community. Our
lessons are all about teaching you how to Salsa dance in a fun,
comfortable and caring environment. We put careful thought into
balancing the number of men and women so you get the most out of
your class learning time. In addition, we have a group of
Assistants and Salsa For Charity Volunteers who take the time to
help you reach your full potential.
At
the start, we suggest Salsa Level 1 as your first set of lessons.
This class is a 9-week course with one hour of instruction per
week. The lessons will cover the basics of all 3 dances
you’ll likely see at a Latin dance nightclub: (1) Merengue, a
two-beat Dominican Republic dance is easy to learn and a lot of fun
to dance to. In this, you will learn basic musicality, body
movement and leading and following skills. (2) Bachata, a four-beat
Dominican Republic dance, is slower than Merengue and a bit more
romantic. In this, you will learn to use your hips and improve your
leading and following skills. (3) Salsa: the balance of the lessons
will cover the core moves of Salsa dancing including the four basic
steps, basic right and reverse turn combinations and variations of
the cross body lead. In the level 1 lessons as in all our levels
and classes, we focus on leading and following skills, musicality,
body movement and styling.
If you have prior Salsa dance experience, we do assessments to
determine the appropriate level for you. Note that since every
dance school and/or Salsa instructor has a different lesson plan,
it may be better to begin with our Salsa level 1 lessons.
Please browse through our website, video clips and contact us with
any questions you may have about Salsa For Charity’s Salsa
classes and lessons. Dance with HEART and do your PART. Salsa for
Charity!
"When
you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance...I
hope you dance." – LeeAnn Womack
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ARTICLE: Salsa Dancing can Change your
Life
S-A-L-S-A. Adds much needed flavour to slightly dry nachos. But
with dancing and life…what’s the connection there? The
connection: it can add much needed flavour to what might otherwise
be a slightly dry life. And everyone seems to be trying it. Is that
your doctor, your high school friend, or your neighbour on the
dance floor? All it takes is one trip to the local Salsa Nightclub
to see that the place is packed with shining happy people, be it a
weekday or weekend, with men and women from all backgrounds, ages
and sizes. The fact is, millions of people around the world have
come to enjoy this exciting and passionate dance so much so that,
second only to music, Salsa dancing might be considered the
world’s most understood and loved "universal
language”!
If you are still undecided as to whether or not Salsa dancing is
for you, here are some of the key reasons why you should make Salsa
dancing a part of your life:
Salsa
Dancing Helps You Stay in Shape
Witness the many toned bodies twirling at the local Salsa Nightclub
and you’ll see how Salsa dancing is great exercise. It can
burn from 300-500 calories/hour, comparable to cycling, swimming or
jogging. Salsa increases your heart rate, helps you burn more
calories, tones your muscles, and can help you lose weight. With
Salsa dancing, you will be strengthening your abs, hips, buttocks,
thighs, calves, and arms. Salsa lessons and Salsa dancing makes you
sweat and makes it fun at the same time. Salsa also promotes other
healthy habits. Salsa dancers tend to drink and smoke less. Salsa
dancers tend to eat healthier food and keep their weight at a
healthy level.
Salsa
Dancing Helps You Feel Better
Witness the abundance of smiling blissful faces at the local Salsa
Nightclub and you’ll see how Salsa dancing is an amazing way
to relieve stress. In your Salsa lessons, the world and all its
problems fade away and leaving you in a state of complete fun and
relaxation. After investing some time in learning to dance through
Salsa lessons and practice sessions, you will grow in
self-confidence both in the Salsa Nightclub and in the rest of your
life. Dancers are both more comfortable with themselves and with
others in social situations. Also, when you take Salsa lessons you
learn to dance and cooperate with so many new people that you learn
to feel better about yourself in a learning environment, which can
be difficult to accomplish. Believe it or not, feelings of family
and belonging are created in Salsa classes and this can also assist
with inner confidence, self-awareness, and
centredness.
Salsa Dancing Improves Your Social Life
Witness the number of vibrant, cheerful people chatting and dancing
amongst themselves at the local Salsa Nightclub and you’ll
see how Salsa dancing can improve your social life. The truth is -
most of us could use an upgrade when it comes to our social lives.
Whether that means making new friends or meeting someone special,
Salsa lessons and Salsa dancing create an effective way to
socialize. Salsa classes can introduce you to dozens of new Salsa
dancing friends every semester. Add that to the hundreds of
students that are found practicing their moves at bi-weekly outings
and the thousands of Toronto Salsa lovers that can be found dancing
at local Toronto Salsa clubs and “poof”; your social
world has grown! Salsa gives folks a fun way to interact. Since you
already have something in common, conversation is easier. And once
you start dancing, the bond begins to form. Laugh together, feel
the music together, and talk with ease together. You do not need a
partner to take Salsa lessons, take Salsa club classes or go
dancing at an outing or club. Many people go to Salsa classes or
clubs alone because it gives them the chance to be social, meet new
people, and build friendships with folks they’ve met there
before.
As well as rewarding friendships, Salsa is an easy way for single
people to meet other singles and possibly start a romance. Salsa
dancing is fun, relaxing, and liberating so it is a great place to
find and get to know that special someone. Students in Salsa
lessons often get together in small groups and go out Salsa dancing
so not only are you meeting the students from your class but also
their network of friends and family. Staring at a computer
screen/connecting via an Internet dating site, speed dating or
singles events are other ways to meet people but why not learn to
dance and have a chance to meet someone at the same time? Why not
try a Salsa class! We have Salsa classes specifically designed for
singles looking to meet new friends and add some
“sauce” to their social lives. In the Salsa lessons,
everyone who wants to rotate gets the chance to change partners
every few minutes and meet a variety of Salsa
students.
Salsa Dancing Helps You Get Inspired
Witness the abundance of Salsa dancers who swear by Salsa dancing
and bring that joy into their work lives, their community work and
their family lives and you’ll see how Salsa dancing helps you
get inspired. Salsa dancing is an extremely, creative, expressive
and inspiring activity. For anyone looking to develop and/or
showcase their inner artist, Salsa dancing is it. Countless turn
patterns, body movements, solo/partner dance steps plus your
interpretation of the music expresses one's self and is unique to
you and to you alone.
Most definitely, Salsa is F-U-N. With those high energy,
hip-shaking hot Latin beats, it’s not hard to guess why Salsa
has grown into the most popular, widely enjoyed social dance the
world has ever seen.
So to sum it up:
• Salsa lessons are a great way to get in shape
• Salsa lessons burn calories and can help you lose
weight
• Salsa lessons improve muscle tone, flexibility,
coordination, endurance and strength
• Salsa lessons reduce stress
• Salsa lessons keep you mentally sharp and self-aware
• Salsa lessons keep you feeling and looking young
• Salsa lessons enhance self-confidence
• Salsa classes help you meet new friends
• Salsa classes help you meet someone special
• Salsa classes help you become self-expressed
• Salsa classes help you feel like you belong
• Salsa classes get you excited and enthusiastic about
life
Everyone who loves Salsa dancing can tell you how it’s
changed his/her life. So look past your reservations and try
something that will give you more in return then you ever
expected.
- The Faces of Salsa For Charity
Toronto Salsa Dance Lessons / Classes! -
-
FUN ADULT /
KIDS GROUP
SALSA DANCE
CLASSES - 
- SALSA DANCE
WEDDING SHOWS / LESSONS - 
- FEATURED ON CityTV, GLOBAL,
ROGERS TV -
How about a Salsa Dancing Show or
Lessons at your Wedding or Company Party?
Salsa
dance shows or classes performed by our instructors and dancers
would make the perfect addition to your wedding or company party.
Exciting Salsa performances or lessons are our specialty and will
help make your party a hit.
Do you
need Private Salsa Dancing Lessons or Wedding
Choreography?
Taking Private Salsa classes/lessons for either your social dancing
or your wedding is the fastest way to learn Salsa with confidence
and ease. Please contact us for further
details.
What
is Salsa Dancing?
(Source:
www.wikipedia.com)
Salsa
is a
partner
dance form
that corresponds to salsa music, however it is sometimes done
solo too. The word is the same as the Spanish word
salsa
meaning
sauce, or in this case flavour or
style.
According to testimonials from musicologists and historians of
music, the
name salsa was gradually accepted among
dancers throughout various decades. The very first time the word
appeared on the radio was a composition by Ignacio Piñeiro, dedicated to an old African man
who sold butifarras (a sausage-like product) in
Central Road in Matanzas. It is a son titled Échale salsita. Wherein the major refrain and
chorus goes "Salsaaaaa! échale salsita,
échale salsita." During the early 1950s,
commentator and DJ "bigote" Escalona announced danceables with the
title: "the following rhythm contains Salsa." Finally, the
Spanish-speaking population of the New York area baptized
Celia Cruz
as the "Queen of
Salsa."
Salsa is danced on music with a recurring eight-beat pattern, i.e.
two bars of four beats. Salsa patterns typically use three steps
during each four beats, one beat being skipped. However, this
skipped beat is often marked by a tap, a kick, a flick, etc.
Typically the music involves complicated percussion rhythms and is
fast with around 180 beats per minute (see salsa music for more).
Salsa is a slot or spot dance, i.e., unlike Foxtrot or Samba, in Salsa a couple does not
travel over the dance floor much, but rather occupies a fixed area
on the dance floor. In some cases people do the Salsa in solo
mode.
History
Salsa music is a fusion of traditional African and Cuban and other
Latin-American rhythms that traveled from the islands (Cuba and
Puerto Rico) to New York during the migration, somewhere between
the 1940s and the 1970s, depending on where one puts the boundary
between "real" salsa and its predecessors. The dance steps
currently being danced on salsa music originate from the
Cuban son, but has influences from many
other Cuban dances such as Mambo, Chá, Guaracha, Changuí, Lukumí, Palo Monte, Rumba, Yambú, Abakuá, Comparsa and some times Mozambique even. It also integrates swing
dances. There are no strict rules of how salsa should be danced,
although one can distinguish a number of styles, which are
discussed below.
Steps
The basic
movement occurring in the dance patterns of
the various salsa styles is the stepping on the beat of the music.
Salsa is best grouped in pairs of 4-beat patterns counted
"1-2-3-...-5-6-7-...". The leader starts on count 1 by stepping with
the left foot. On count 2 and 3, they step with right and left,
respectively. On count 4, the lead pauses or makes an optional tap
with the right foot. On counts 5, 6, and 7, they step with right,
left, and right, respectively, again followed by a pause on count
8. As a standard, every step must be taken with full weight
transfer.
The follower part is identical, but with left
and right reversed. In all patterns and styles, the leader starts
with the left foot and the follower starts with the right
foot.
The term "basic
step" normally
refers to a forward-backward motion. On counts 1, 2, and 3, the
leader steps forward, replaces, and steps backward. On count 5,
6, and 7, they step backwards, replace, and step forward again. The
follower does the same, but with forward and backward reversed, so
that the couple goes back and forth as a unit. This basic step is
part of many other patterns. For example, the leader may dance the
basic step while leading the follower to do an underarm turn.
The following variants of the Basic step may be used, often
called breaks.
• Forward
break: Starting
from any foot, step Forward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or
5,6,7.
• Back
break: Starting
from any foot, step Backward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or
5,6,7.
• Side
break: Starting
from any foot, step Sideways, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or
5,6,7.
On One and On
Two
Salsa
danced according to the above description is called
Salsa on
One, or
briefly, "On One", because it starts on the first count of the
8-beat rhythm. If the first step (with the left foot) occurs on
count 2 or 6, it is called "On Two". This Basic Step pattern and
timing are known also as "Power 2", "Palladium 2" or "Ballroom
Mambo" style. This creates a distinction from another step pattern
known as "NY Style 2" or "Eddie Torres Style".
Some consider dancing "On Two" to work more closely to the
clave
rhythm, the
most basic rhythm of salsa music, as the steps start on the first
tick of a 2-3 son clave. However, dancing "On One" hits just as
many beats in the clave and hits the first tick if the music is
using a 3-2 style son clave. In short it's a matter of personal
preference which counting to use, and most people prefer the
counting of the style they were taught first when they began
dancing salsa.
Salsa
styles
There are many characteristics
that may identify a style. There may be different step patterns,
different timing of steps, particular movement on the dance floor
(eg:slot, circular), dancer preference of turns and moves, attitude
and others. The presence of one or more of particular elements does
not necessarily define a particular style. For example, many styles
can be danced "On One" or one style may be danced "On One" or "On
Two". The following are brief descriptions of major "recognizable"
styles.
Cuban
style
Cuban-style salsa can be danced
either "on one" or "a contratiempo" ---the latter is often referred
to as "on two". An essential element is the "cuba step" (also known
as Guapea), where the leader does a backward basic on 1-2-3 and a
forward basic on 5-6-7. The follower does the same, thereby
mirroring the leader's movement. Another characteristic of this
style is that in many patterns the leader and follower circle
around each other.
The cross body lead is an essential step in this style too and is
referred to as Dile que no. The LA style is a later derivative of
this, the difference again being that the dancers rotate a quarter
turn around one another in the process. This move also becomes
essential in the more complex derivative of Cuban Casino leading to
the many moves of Rueda, or wheel dance. Here multiple couples
exchange partners and carry out moves syncronised by a caller. (see
examples here:http://www.salsatap.com/salsatap-videos/rueda-video/rueda-video-information1.htm
)
Colombian
style
This
style is common in Latin-American countries. The leader and
follower do most of the movements while standing in place. It stems
from the Cuban style. As such in many patterns the leader and
follower turn around each other.
Los Angeles
style
The
two essential elements of this dance are the forward/backward basic
as described above, and the cross-body
lead. In
this pattern, the leader steps forward on 1, steps to the right on
2-3 while turning 90 degrees counter-clockwise (facing to the
left). The follower then steps forward on 5-6, and turns on 7-8,
while the leader makes another 90 degrees counter-clockwise. After
these 8 counts, the leader and follower have exchanged their
positions.
LA style salsa is also known to be the most flashy style commonly
danced.
The Vazquez brothers are widely credited with developing the LA
style of salsa. Luis still teaches in LA. Here is a link to his
bio: http://www.massalsabrava.com/bio.php
New York style
or Eddie Torres style
The "NY Style" is a combination of
the "On 1" and "On 2" systems. The timing of the steps are on the
1-2-3,5-6-7 as in "On 1" but the breaks (where the body changes
direction) occur on the 2 and 6 as in "On 2". NY instructor Eddie
Torres developed this step pattern around the late 70's and the
80's and its definition is quite clear since he is still alive and
his followers are keen to keep the style intact.
Power 2 /
Palladium 2 / Ballroom Mambo
This style is similar to
Los-Angeles style, but it is danced "On Two". The basic step timing
is 2-3-4,6-7-8 with the breaks on 2 and 6.
It is important to note that although this style is also known as
dancing "En Clave", the name is not implying that the step timing
should follow the rhythm of the Clave as in 2-3 or 3-2. It only
means that you take the first step (and break) on the second beat
of the measure.
On
Clave
This
does indeed follow the 2-3 or 3-2 pattern of the clave, e.g. for
the 2-3 clave the leader steps forward with the left on 2 and with
the right on 3, then does the other 4 steps of the basic on 5-8
(syncronizing with the clave on 5 and 8). It's a traditional form
and it's less known/used outside some latin countries.
Puerto Rican
style
This
style can be danced as "On One" or "On Two". If danced as "On Two",
it is always danced on count 2, and not on count 6 as in
Ladies-style NY.
Rueda
style
Main article:
Rueda de
Casino. In the 1950s Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was
developed in Havana, Cuba. Pairs of dancers form a circle
(Rueda in Spanish), with dance moves called out by one
Shines
Normally Salsa is a
partner
dance, danced
in a handhold. However advanced dancers always include
shines, which are basically "show-offs"
and involve fancy footwork and body actions, danced in separation.
They are supposed to be improvisational breaks, but there are a
huge number of "standard" shines. Also, they fit best during
the mambo
sections of the
tune, but they may be danced whenever the dancers feel appropriate.
They are a good recovery trick when the connection or beat is lost
during a complicated move, or simply to catch the
breath.
Our partners: