Congratulations! Whether you know it or not, you're about to take the first steps on a journey that could change your life. A few years ago, I didn't know how to dance a single step of salsa. Today, dancing is part of who we are; something that gives us fulfillment, joy and happiness.
Dancing is one of the most important social skills a you can possess.
Not only does it bring confidence and poise, but it's a great way to meet people and make new friends. If you can dance salsa, you can go practically anywhere in the world and belong to a community of fun, outgoing, energetic people. It is satisfying socially, physically, and emotionally. It's also free. You might pay for gas to drive there, and you might pay a cover to get in, but once you're on the dance floor, you don't have to pay to dance. In fact, you can as much as you want anywhere there is salsa music playing. How many other things can say that?
Of course, before you get all the good stuff, you have to put in some work. That's why you're here. But, if you stick with it, and practice hard, you WILL learn how to dance salsa. And once you've experienced that first magic dance, you'll know that all the hard work will have been well worth it.
Music
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Celia Cruz - Serie 32 La reina, Celia Cruz.
The best female salsa singer EVER. Get everything you can of hers. I picked this CD out of 160+ available on Amazon because it has three essential salsa tracks on it (and a ton of other great songs). La Guagua just might be one of the most perfect dance tracks ever recorded. And Bembelequa, along with Quimbara, are guaranteed dance floor destroyers. La Reina, Celia Cruz! Get it!
Various Artists -The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance: Second Edition--I picked up a copy of this recently not expecting a whole lot, but boy was I surprised! This CD has a lot for everyone, from nice easy songs for the beginner, to salsa dura tracks for the hardcore salseros.
Sonora Carruseles - Con Todos Los Hierros -- Another dance classic by the Columbians, many people say this is their best CD. It starts out HOT with Arranca en Fa and never lets up.
Angel Canales - Millonarios de la Salsa --- What?! You never heard of Angel Canales? Well you're in for a treat. This guy is a mad genius! Eccentric, enigmatic, and highly overlooked, his improvisational style and distinctive voice make his music a pleasure to dance to. Bomba Carambomba, Ana Isaoco and Lejos de Ti. If you don't love these songs, you might not have a pulse :)
Angel Canales - Live at Roseland --- Yet another bomber by El Diferente (that's Angel's nickname), I included this CD because it has a couple of must have tracks that are not on the previous CD. Sabor los Rumberos, Cantante y la Orquesta, and Panama Soberana are just great songs to dance to.
Spanish Harlem Orchesra, Ruben Blades - Across 110th Street --- this album is FIRE!.
Sonora Carruseles - Heavy Salsa--- This group makes some of the hottest, most danceable salsa music around. They are definitely one of my all time favorites, and this CD is a great way to get introduced to their music. The whole thing is good, but check out Al Son de Los Cueros and Mosaico Boogaloo if you want to feel some heat!
Sonora Carruseles - La Salsa La Traigo Yo-- They bring it, alright! This CD is another smoking hot collection of tracks para los salseros!
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Un Gran Dia en el Barrio --- One of the best salsa bands in the world, SHO always delivers the goods when it comes to getting the dance floor moving. A true DANCERS band, you need to have this CD in your collection.
Fruko y Sus Tesos - Descarga Espectacular -- If you were trapped on a desert island, and you could only have one salsa CD, this might be the one. This entire album is pure HEAT! Hit after Hit. I can't even explain the quality of the dance tracks on this. INSANE! A definite MUST HAVE CD.
Fruko y Sus Tesos - Grandes Exitos de Salsa, Vol.1--This is more of a classic album, not the kind of club banging salsa I've been recommending up to this point, but it contains possibly the greatest salsa song of all time - El Preso. This song is more than just a classic, it is a treasure, and it deserves a prominent place in ANY salsa CD collection.
Yuri Buenaventura - Yo Soy--- This CD is incredible. When I first heard Mala Vida and Salsa Rai, it was a revelation. Do not miss!
It's on! The hottest dance contest in the Monterey Bay is now underway, and you know we are about to crown the baddest salsa dancers in the 831.
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*YOU PICK YOUR PARTNER* You will need a dance partner. If you have one, cool. If not, we'll try to help you find one.
*WE PICK THE MUSIC* We want to find the best dancers, not the best choreographers. And, real dancers can rip to ANY music. So, on the day of the contest, we will select the music that you will dance to. You will not know in advance what your song will be. You will just have to be ready to rip to whatever comes on. This will filter out the REAL salseros from the imposters.
*CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKETS*Instead of the traditional format of all the couples dancing at once, we will be setting up brackets like a real tournament. The tournament will be single elimination, and couples will compete heads up until a winner is crowned. More below...
*TWO PAIRS ENTER, ONE PAIR LEAVES* That's right, we gettin Thunderdome on this!!! When it is time to compete, the competing couples will step on the dance floor. Neither couple will know what the song will be. Once the song starts, both couples will start dancing. When the song ends, a winner will be selected. One couple will advance in the tournament, the other will be eliminated.
***$500 CASH PRIZE. WINNER TAKE ALL.*** The winning couple will receive $500 cash and the title of "Monterey Salsa Freestyle Champion." There will be no prizes for any of the losers.
ENTER TODAY!!!
**UPDATES!**
**FREE OPEN DANCING TUESDAYS!**
Great news! In addition to FREE beginner classes, we now offer FREE Open Dancing on Tuesday nights!
From 8-9pm, we will be playing non stop Salsa music. So, whether you want to work ..s, or you just want to dance, this is the place to be! Bring a partner or meet one there. And if you have questions, Monterey Salsa instructors will be on hand to help you.
** MONTEREY SALSA TEAM PRACTICES BEGIN**
On Thursdays, we will be discountinuing our Intermediate class so that we can begin Monterey Salsa Team practices. We apologize to our loyal students, but due to our growing performance schedule, we need to begin practicing as a team again.
Proof that Monterey Salsa can rock the party like no other.
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Our kick-off party for Slammin' Salsa Fridays @ El Palomar Restaurant...
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Monterey Salsa @ the Street Low Car Show, March 16th.
Our team has been teaching salsa for over five years. Featured on television shows such as Wild on E, Caliente, and Control, with numerous appearances around Hawaii at venues including Ala Moana Center Stage, Zanzibar Nightclub, Rumors Nightclub, the Salsathon, and the Sheraton Waikiki.
As promoters, we were the first to bring Al Liquid Silver and Edie the Salsa Freak to Hawaii. Subsequent promotions included many notable dancers from around the world. Through our company, R+R Productions, we've hosted many latin events, all of which were met with great success. Now in California, our mission is to bring the same fire to the Monterey Bay.
Traditional methods of salsa instruction often focus on steps and patterns. But, learning to dance that way is like learning another language by trying to memorize phrases. Sure, you can learn to say some fancy sayings. But, so can a parrot. Without understanding, it is meaningless. If you really want to learn to speak, you have to focus on learning the grammar and building up vocabulary. Only then would you be able to actually communicate. So it is with Salsa.
Monterey Salsa's proprietary system for teaching salsa makes learning to dance simple.
Instead of trying to remember complicated patterns and moves, we distill the essential elements of the dance into simple, easy to remember pieces. These pieces are then presented to students one at a time, with each level building on the concepts presented in previous courses. This gives our style an internal consistency and logic that allows it to be easily demonstrated and understood, much like a mathematical proof.
We believe that salsa, THE DANCE, is rooted firmly in salsa, the music. Therefore, all of our courses start with an explanation of the music.
*How the tumbao defines the structure of the basic.
*The role that the clave plays in timing and interpretation.
*And how the structure of a typical salsa song can affect the choreography of the dance.
To Monterey Salsa, salsa is a personal, maybe even spiritual, activity, and we believe that how you feel is much more important than how you look.
One of our favorite sayings is
"The best dancer in the club is the one having the most fun."
And you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who loves dancing salsa more :)
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CHECK OUT MY PAGE LET ME KNOW IF YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS NEED A TABLE OR GUEST LIST LA & OC'S HOTTEST DJ'S THREE ROOMS PLAYING EVERY THING 2 MAKE YOU DANCE YOUR ASS OFF. EVERYONES IN FREE ALL NIGHT THIS FRIDAY @ SAGE 6511 GREENLEAF AVE. UPTOWN WHITTIER
wow. cool! thank you! im bout to hit that place up EVERY friday then! ;) lol. no..im scared..lol...im not good enough for that! especially when im under pressure/nervous! maybe next one tho..
ooh yeah baby! 100% Guatemaltica! :) your husbands dad..I didnt even know you were married! i know you were once upon-a-time... you got a new man? Daang! you go girl! lol..so that means hes part guatemalan..thats cool..
ooh and girl..I SHOULD be THANKING you! i love going to EL PALOMAR! ive been telling my friends from work that they should go! i always have a blast there! So tell me again...is our name always on the list? cuase i didnt know that! no-one ever told me! If it is ill be going every friday! lol. and no..im not doing the contest any more...sean "cant do any physical activity for a month" so he says! i think its bullshit tho..but whatever, i was pretty damn nervous about it to tell you the truth! lol
