How I got started with Salsa and Latin Motion PV

Hola, my name is Marcella Castellanos and I am a self-proclaimed Latin Dance FREAK. My boyfriend often says, “Honey, if I don’t learn how to dance, you and I won’t last long.” Correctomundo.  Salsa dancing is a part of my Latin blood now.  If I don’t get my fix of dancing at least twice a week, I feel like someone is cutting off my daily morning coffee consumption (don’t think so!) or my weekly tacos from Chilam Bilam. Again, I don’t encourage testing my limitations.

Latin dancing is one of those art forms that is full of passion and sensuality and you just can’t keep your eyes off of a couple who are dancing it-especially if they dance it well. The voyeurism invites you to explore your own sensuality and then you discover that it was always within you, just dormant. I started dancing ballet and jazz as a child and about seven years ago I was first introduced to salsa dancing in the San Francisco Bay Area.  That’s when I first got bit by the Latin dance bug.  It was sensual, infectious, social, and FUN! Not to mention a really good sweat. There were so many people participating and it is encouraged to switch partners without anyone giving it a second thought! I also made an abundance of business contacts and oodles of friends. Wow, getting involved with salsa was the all-in-one solution.

I teach salsa dance basics and soon bachata- a Dominican Republic dance taking the world by storm at Yoga Vallarta. I feel priveleged to have learned by some of the best salsa teachers and dancers in the world and from a few very talented people here in Puerto Vallarta as well. I often have local talent assist with my classes and soon-to-be workshops to encourage people to develop their own sense of style and not be clones of someone else’s fancy moves.  

When I first arrived to Vallarta two years ago, I was really hungry for information on where to go for dance classes, or where I could pop in for social dancing. It took me a while to navigate around town and figure out who teaches where, was there an upbeat live Cuban band playing somewhere, and on and on—Vallarta was lacking information in this area. I found it to be strange because salsa and Latin dancing in general attract people from all over the world; I was baffled that more businesses didn’t realize this opportunity. Since then, I have created a facebook page called Latin Motion PV. This is where people in the mostly salsa dance community post events, pictures, video, upcoming classes, etc.  so that locals, newcomers or people visiting can be informed and also post a comment or a bulletin to share their own  information on that theme. Latin Motion PV also prides itself on helping to raise awareness for social causes in the PV area.

I’m honored to be writing about a topic that I greatly enjoy and that I believe so many are interested in but may be shy about putting one foot in front of the other(no pun intended) to get started. Each week  you can look forward to me highlighting either a different Latin dance form, report on an upcoming or current event,  interview different instructors or dancers in the Puerto Vallarta area or talk about the do’s and don’ts of salsa dancing, as well as other educational articles. I hope to inspire and educate you to learn a dance form because I believe people are happier when they dance.  So the more you dance, the less grumpy you will be-just ask your partner.:)  See you on the dance floor!

A recipe for salsa

A Recipe for Salsa ….

If you’ve been swept up in the vibrancy and passion that envelopes you on a good night at La Bodeguita Del Medio or Candela Pura by merely watching good dancing, you may have wondered, where can I learn this hot Mexican salsa dance? The funny thing is, contrary to popular belief, it’s not Mexican.  Latin, yes…well kind of, but it also has roots from so many other countries including England and France. The origins and history of salsa dancing are as rich and complex as your next plate of chicken mole.

Let’s start with the basic ingredients of where it all started….

Salsa’s origins are debatable depending on who you ask and where they came from, but most will agree that we must give credit Cuba for the ancestry and origins of its inception. This is where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later known as Danzón was brought by the French who fled from Haiti.  Danzón is still alive and kicking as evidenced particularly in the plaza  in front of  La Iglesia de Guadalupe here in PV on Sunday nights, but I digress. Now in Haiti, Danzón then  begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Yambu, Colombia, Guaguanco).  Blend  in Són of the Cuban people, which was a combination of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and a  unique partner dance was born.

The Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and other countries also experienced this syncretism in smaller degrees. Soon bands of these countries such as the famous Perez Prado, the great Cuban influencer of mambo took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country. Not too long  after, a similar movement to New York occurred and this is where the music was first coined, ‘Salsa.’ There was a great deal of investment into the music that went on in these two cities and as a result, more and more promotion and syncretism occurred which commercialized salsa music even further and increased its popularity.

New York created the term ‘Salsa, but it did not create the dance. The term became a nickname to refer to a variety of different popular dances from several countries of Hispanic influence such as Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanc, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these styles  maintained their individuality, but at the same time many were mixed creating salsa dance.

If you are listening to modern-day salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and also hear Cumbia, Guaracha and maybe even some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. Almost always, you’ll hear many of the old styles infused within the modern beats. Salsa music and dancing varies from place to place.

Much like the salsa we eat, salsa dancing has many ingredients and many flavors, but one passion that unites us all.  The important thing is that salsa continues to play throughout the world and has received influences from several continents. No one place can take the credit for salsa music or its dance and not one style is better than the other. In fact, the more you individualize your own sense of dance style, the better. Variety is the spice of life. Viva la Salsa!

Marcella Castellanos has been dancing salsa for over seven years and teaches at Yoga Vallarta. You can contact her via Facebook or Twitter at Latin Motion PV or at www.latinmotionpv.com or visit her blog at

http://latinmotionpv.blogspot.com/.

First Puerto Vallarta Salsa Cruise

On an uncharacteristically nebulous Sunday evening  in Puerto Vallarta approximately 100 people congregated to move their bodies to the rhythm of the Banderas Bay  ocean waves on a white, two-level catamaran. This made Feb. 28^th, 2010 the official inauguration of the first salsa boat cruise in Vallarta. “This will be interesting. I’m excited to see how it turns out, “said Gustavo Camacho a new resident of Vallarta who is just starting to take salsa classes.

 The day began with a salsa workshop given by Lucho Giraldes, Argentinian salsa champion and his new competitive partner, Barbie Marianne. The two-hour workshop given in a cardio kick-boxing studio  devoid of mirrors in the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood consisted of  general body mechanics  and  foot placement fundamentals essential to any kind of dance form.  “I thought it was probably the best workshop I have taken, right up there with Giselle Ponce [ a world renowned dancer]. I give it a 10, “said Nina Janik a local resident of Vallarta and ballet instructor who got the salsa dancing bug about two years ago.

The day progressed with a three hour break before the crowd embarked on the ready to party salsa boat as Latin tunes were booming from afar and awakening the senses. People in their twenties to late seventies occupied the boat as they were entertained by games being played progressively through the night many of which involved tequila and rum. Beginners to advanced levels were represented on the water vessel  as people laughed, danced and tried to maintain their balance on a rocky boat.  Yasmin Servin a local resident who has been dancing for over five years said, “I would do this again because it changes the ambience . It’s different.”

The first-ever salsa boat cruise was organized by Edwin Rodriguez Ovalle of the Latin Brothers  Dance Co. here in Puerto Vallarta, Anel Panpoja Alarcon,  German  Sanchez  and Lucho Giraldes of Elite Center in  Guadalajara.  They began organizing and promoting the event  a month ago and all agree that they would do it again. When asked why they decided to organize this event, Lucho Girades commented, “ I liked the idea because it’s original. It was a risk to do in PV because not too many people support these types of projects, but I wanted to collaborate so that I could support the cause wherever I can.”

The original plan was to have the event one and a half years ago but the influenza scare forced the group to postpone their plans according to Alarcon who just starting dancing a little over a year ago. “ I would like to see more workshops and more salsa events. Viva la Salsa.”

Candela Pura Salsa Social

Candela Pura was insane on Saturday. This salsa event was organized by Dulce, Carlos and Ricardo of PV.  We had many salsero friends visit us here in Puerto Vallarta from Guadalajara. DJs Mambo, Salsa Vice, Brus and Tony Salsero were playing some hot, rhythmic salsa and bachata songs and keeping the vibe going.
Ricardo Zaragoza  was great as an MC and Cocoache as always never disappoints. There must have been approx. 400 people in one infectious room getting really sweaty to Latin beats. If any nightclub doubts that salseros and bachateros can be good business, this was the best evidence that they're wrong. Viva la salsa!

Candela Pura fue una locura el sabado. El evento de salsa  fue organizado por Dulce, Carlos y Ricardo de PV.  Muchos de nuestros amigos salseros nos visitaron aqui en Puerto Vallarta de Guadalajara. DJs Mambo, Salsa Vice, Brus y Tony Salsero tocaron musica caliente y ritmica   de salsa y bachata para que la vibra siga con fuerza.
Ricardo Zaragoza fue el MC y el grupo Cocoache nunca nos decepciona.  Fueron casi 400 personas  para estar en un cuarto infeccioso sudando con los ritmos latinos. Si algun club duda que los salseros y bachateros no son buen negocio esa noche fue evidencia que estan equivocados. Viva la salsa! 

Salsa and El Dorado

I'm so excited to be collaborating with El Dorado on Los Muertos Beach for Salsa nights on Friday!
It's a beautiful, beachfront restaurant with a lot of potential to be the SPOT for Latin Dancing. Every Friday from 9p.m. to 1 a.m. we'll be playing Latin rhythms and people can dance the night away or eat dinner and have drinks while they watch some of the most amazing dancers in Puerto Vallarta show off their talents. The goal is to have salsa, bachata, cha cha competitions, performances, and live music events. We also want to collaborate with charity organizations to help raise awareness for their causes. So excited about all of this coming together!

Salsa at El Dorado

I was sick as a dog on our first Salsa Social at El Dorado on Friday. I wanted to start that Friday ongoing series with a bang, but had been battling the flu or some but that knocked me onto my bed all week. The place needed better lighting and sound, but we're working on improving those two areas. El Dorado is a casual, fun, beach club-like restaurant with a lot of potential. I'm hoping to make our Fridays socials  fun, salsa, bachata, cha cha cha dancing   something people look forward to. Our first night attracted about 35 people. Not bad for a first night...

The Salsa EWW Factor

So... I'm going to skip all the rambling today about starting out with Latin Motion and it's progression.What I do want to mention  today is how unsettling people's egos and attitudes can be in the salsa world. Salsa, bachata and all of the other Latin dances evoke sensuality, passion , a joie de vivre-if you will- but then it's unfortunately  peppered with unsavory people that just want to show-off, think they're the best- and their style is the best because all the rest are out of style or not worthy of mention. They think that our lives are suddenly glorified because they SHOWED UP  on the dance floor or area where we reside. These are the people that give salsa that EWW!!! factor (will not ever mention names here). Dance, salsa dance specifically--call me am idealist-- should be about getting together, having a good time, and learning from each other's styles. Some that become very enamored with the dance will choose to go on and compete in local or national competitions, some will  perform and train to do exhibitions and shows, and some simply want to social dance  and enjoy the infectious music with their friends or significant others. All are valid reasons and really should there be a reason to dance?!.  It's so much nicer when we don't have to say, EWW!!