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| From the 17th to the 20th century, the Americas and the Caribbean islands were colonized with an immense blending of race, language, religion and music. The Latin music we hear today mostly originates from the rhythms the African slaves brought to the new world.
Salsa emerged in the 1960’s in New York, arising from a large influx of Caribbean immigrants, mainly Puerto Ricans and Cubans creating a blend of rhythms to produce its distinctive sound.
Longing for their Caribbean roots, they continued to make Afro-Caribbean music but somehow adapted it to the metropolitan life-style. They mixed sounds from Son Montuno, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Guaguanco Guaracha, Aquilnaldos, Bomba, Plena and North American Jazz. |
At first confined to the audience of the Latin American community, Salsa grew in stature gaining mainstream acceptance after the release of Jerry Masucci’s film Salsa (1973) that featured a Fania All-Stars concert in New York.
The authentic salsa is a very spontaneous and intricate music and the dancing is spicy, sexy and lively. It can be quite slow or very fast and the rhythm can change within the same song.
During the seventies, thanks to many outstanding performers from Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Panama, Salsa music spread to the entire world becoming extremely popular amongst people of all walks of life. Nowadays, there are clubs and musicians playing Salsa music all over the world.
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Two bars of music
are required to complete one basic step, each bar is made up
of 4 beats.
Bar one: 1, 2, 3, pause
Bar two: 5, 6, 7, pause Beat
1
Men: With feet parallel and hip width apart, step forward
onto your left foot ensuring the ball of the foot makes first
contact quickly followed by the heel.
Ladies: With feet parallel and hip width apart, step back
onto your right foot ensuring the ball of the foot makes first
contact quickly followed by the heel.
Beat
2
Men: Without moving the right foot forward or back and keeping
the ball of the foot on the floor, slightly raise your right
heel then replace it.
Ladies: Without moving the left foot forward or back and keeping
the ball of the foot on the floor, slightly raise your left
heel then replace it.
Beat
3
Men: Move your left foot back parallel with your right
Ladies: Move your right foot forward parallel with your left
Beat
4
Men: Pause.
Ladies: Pause.
Beat
5
Men: With feet parallel and hip width apart, step back onto
your right foot ensuring the ball of the foot makes first
contact quickly followed by the heel.
Ladies: With feet parallel and hip width apart, step forward
onto your left foot ensuring the ball of the foot makes first
contact quickly followed by the heel.
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Beat
6
Men: Without moving the left foot forward or back and keeping
the ball of the foot on the floor, slightly raise your left
heel then replace it.
Ladies: Without moving the right foot forward or back and
keeping the ball of the foot on the floor, slight raise your
right heel then replace it.
Beat
7
Men: Move your right foot forward parallel with your left
Ladies: Move your left foot back parallel with your left
Beat
8
Men: Pause
Ladies: Pause |
| The
Team |
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Terry
& Yolande Lewis, co-founders
of Salsa
Chillout
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Terry
-
I should begin this with a thank you to one of my oldest
and most dependable friends Fola Ademoye, who persisted
in asking me to go to salsa with her for months during
1994 (despite my many excuses). I eventually went along
to La Finca in Islington, my 1 st club, where I met
Julian the Duke and Elder Sanchez who gave me my 1 st
salsa lessons, thank you guys for making it fun, and
a special thanks to Julian for all the DJ guidance from
back in the day until now!
My
1st night at salsa was brilliant, I couldn't differentiate
one song from the next or hear the count correctly but
I fell in love with the lifestyle, the music and the
dance. It made me want to be a Salsero, there and then.
There was a girl that night who patiently taught me
the basics for hours after class during the club – no
idea who you were but thank you too.
In
a heartbeat I changed my life to work – home – sleep
– eat – salsa – sleep then back to work for around 5
nights a week; OK maybe there were a few other things
in between that cycle but essentially, salsa became
my life. One of the clubs I went to was Bar Salsa, Leicester
Square where I met a girl called Yolande…we married
11 years later.
If
it were not for the help and support of our teachers,
friends and family, volunteers, promoters,
performers and students; and not forgetting all the
talented dancers who have personally taught me over
the years, we would not be where we are today so thank
you all, we love what we do and it's only because of
you that we are able to grow and develop salsa...
Yolande -
Yolande
Lewis was immersed in dance as a young child studying
ballet; tap modern, jazz ballroom and Latin American
as well as gymnastics. She was first introduced to salsa
in the mid 1990's when she trained with Elder Sanchez
of Salsateca in London . She was swiftly snapped up
as a performer, subsequently touring with various dance
companies around the UK. She has worked in various schools
and colleges in London and Essex as a teacher and choreographer
to children aged eight years to fifteen years.
Her
style, enthusiasm and genuine warmth attract people
of all levels to her classes and she teaches intricate
moves and techniques with flair and understanding with
the emphasis on practical application of styling for
the dance-floor at all abilities. She is an aesthetically
exquisite salsa dancer and a very popular instructor.
Yolande
runs the successful Salsa Chillout dance school based
in Essex with her husband Terry. They were nominees
for the UK Best Teacher Award & winners of the Top
Regional Salsa Promoter Award at the UK International
Salsa Congress 2005. Yolande teaches regularly throughout
Essex and does guest teaching around the UK and Ireland. |
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Nikki
Parker
The
Salsa Chick
Teacher |
Nikki’s
dancing started like so many – the usual ballet,
tap, modern and disco… (and a bit of ice-skating
too), finally giving up at 13 years old.
20 years later she walked into our Salsa Club in Chelmsford
as a one-off with a friend (with no intention of making
it a regular thing). However, going home that night she
was buzzing and couldn’t sleep. So that’s
it, she was hooked (heard that before?).
After 3 years of dancing with Salsa Chillout, Nikki, now
known as SalsaChick, began teaching for us – currently
at beginner and improver level.
“Salsa has really made my life complete. Unless
you have the Salsa addiction, like so many of us, you
can’t comprehend the feeling it gives you. And for
me, teaching has brought another dimension. It’s
sooooo rewarding when in just one hour you see someone
transform from a nervous, doubtful beginner, to a beaming,
hugely satisfied beginner!
And then at Level 2 (Improver) you have a different view,
where people who you taught at beginner level are now
regulars, friends even and more than that, they’re
dancers! And people are so nice. So often after a class,
people thank me for the lesson and say how much they enjoyed
it. That makes it extremely rewarding!
I spend hours preparing my lessons, using my lunch break
at work, and other spare time so that I can give as much
as possible to pupils. I plan to make my lessons fun.
Although I know sometimes the seriousness of the technical
detail can take some of fun away, the fact that most have
mastered the routine by the end of the lesson adds the
element of satisfaction and achievement, not just for
me but for my pupils. I am easily approachable and my
love of salsa is demonstrated in my teaching and when
I dance.
And finally, one of the things I love most about Salsa
is that it embraces everyone. It doesn’t matter
what colour, race, size, ability, disability, status or
age you are, everyone is made to feel the same and hopefully
seizes the opportunity to immerse themselves in an hour
or two of a world away from the stress of every day life. |
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Chris
Penhall
Writer |
Apart
from a bit of Country Dancing at school (I was the only
girl to have a male partner – he had been forced
to dance with me as he was a bit dodgy and I was supposedly
a good influence. Neither of us were happy about it, and
I have never forgiven him for letting me down at the Senior
School fete…..you know who you are D.H…..),
and a brief spell at a local dance school where I mastered
Me and My Shadow very swiftly and then got bored, I had
never had a proper dance lesson.
And as a result my adult dance years had been a desert
of self-conscious and not very attractive shuffling around
club floors to some fairly uninspiring music.
But I knew there had to be more. And there was –
as soon as I took my first salsa lesson I was absolutely
and completely hooked, and I haven’t looked back
Until I found salsa, I had never had a passion –
and now I’ve got one; it has enhanced my life, motivated
me, healed me, made me laugh, given me wonderful friends,
a sense of community, and a sense of freedom. It has also
given me blisters and Very Bad Hair (due to the sweat
and being flung about a lot….) not to mention the
Sweaty Knees. But I don’t care about that, because
it makes me feel wonderful!
Like everyone else who worships at the Salsa Church I
am evangelical about spreading the word, and do so at
every opportunity – hence I write about it, talk
about it and occasionally forget myself and do the odd
salsa step at work .
You see, you don’t have to be a teacher or performer
or choreographer to be involved in salsa, you just have
to love it and do what you can to help. And what I do
is communicate my love of salsa to anyone who will listen
(and if they don’t I make them…)
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Hollie
Hiles
Teacher |
Hollie’s
passion for the performing arts was clear from a young
age, by 8 she was singing publicly and by 10 had taken
up disco dancing. This continued to grow throughout her
teens where she got involved in various theatre productions
and radio performances and also took up playing the clarinet.
By the age of 17 she now had an A* in both G.C.S.E drama
and music behind her and embarked on journey to become
a classically trained singer! Throughout her 20’s
she used both her singing and dancing skills to help others,
including becoming the vocal & dance coach for a local
school. In August 2005 Hollie found Salsa……and
the rest as they say is history!!
“To me dancing and singing is my therapy –
there is nothing that even comes close to the feeling
it gives you. I’ve always loved performing and Salsa
gives me the perfect platform from which to do this. I
love the fact that you never stop learning and growing
as a dancer and the fact that I am now lucky enough to
be teaching something that I love to other people, is
just amazing! I still feel really proud when I stand back
at the end of the night and watch the people from my class
put what they’ve learnt in my lesson to good use
on the dance floor!!”
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Sharon
Asquith
Teacher |
My
passion for dance started at the age of 5 when my Mum
took me to my first Latin American & Ballroom class
(not feeling the need here to say how many years ago
that actually was!). Whilst I was made very welcome,
it was pointed out to me that medal tests
were in the next couple of weeks and as everyone had
been practising very hard for the last 6 months I would
clearly not have the time to prepare for this exam so
therefore I would not be included! I went home &
practised my Cha Cha very hard all week. The following
Thursday I went back to class showed my teacher what
I could do and took the exam the following Sunday, passing
with a Highly Commended (not being clever here, but
do feel it was worth a mention)! :-)
I continued to take exams, compete and then teach in
Latin & Ballroom throughout my teens; I was also
in a formation team (which triggered my other passion:
sequins and all things sparkly). I had a break for a
few years when Graham & I got married. When my daughter
was two and a half I took her along to a local theatre
school to learn tap, ballet & jazz. They had an
adult tap dancing troup, which yes you guessed I joined.
For the next ten and a half years I performed on stage
in local theatres sometimes sharing the stage with my
daughter.
When all that finished I found Salsa Chillout (story
too long to go into)!
But find it i did. As my roots were in partner dancing
I absolutely loved
it and was instantly hooked. The rest is history. I
took my UKA teachers exam in 2004 and have been teaching
at all levels for Terry & Yolande ever since. It's
so satisfying to see someone who did their first class
with you now taking part in the top class. People always
seem to be very impressed or think that the higher level
teachers are better than the lower level. I feel it's
worth pointing out here, that people start at the beginning,
if they are not inspired or motivated by that teacher,
they do not come back. Therefore never
underestimate a level 1 teacher, he or she is very important!!
See you on the dance floor x |
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Jan
Swain
Teacher |
I
have been dancing Salsa for just over 7 years.
I started to learn just for a hobby – but was
hooked the first week.. After three years I trained
to become a teacher for Salsa Chillout, and took the
UKA exam a year later. I love watching others
get the bug, and then progressing to become accomplished
dancers themselves. I attended a stage school
for 14 years, (from aged 3 – 17), where we did modern
dance, tap, ballet, singing and acted in panto at Christmas
time. |
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Katherine
Parker
Teacher |
I
started salsa in 2004 at a local Salsa Chillout venue
and danced my way through the (grueling!) UKA examination to
become a teacher in 2005.
I've always known that I wanted to dance, my feet would
itch to move whenever I heard music. They just didn't
know which way!
When I first started salsa I would practice enthusiastically
in the kitchen (not recommended for health and safety
reasons!) presumably much to the amusement of my neighbors.
I really wanted to be good at it.
I've met so many diverse people and friends through salsa,
it's definitely been life-enhancing. There are so many
styles of salsa and genres of music, and it's the variety
that make salsa so much fun. You can't help but enjoy
it!" |
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Graham
Asquith
Teacher
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Unlike
most of the other teachers I have no dance background.
My interests were Golf, Circuit Training and
Thai Boxing until a couple of years ago when
I was badly injured and unable to continue to train.
So as not to sit at home and go stir crazy I went
along to Marconi one night and took part in my first
ever salsa lesson and surprisingly loved it! (thanks
Lisa, my teacher). After that I was pulled about weekly
by Sharon, my wife, whilst she prepared her weekly
routines. However most of the time I found myself
dancing the ladies steps! This I think helped
me to understand and appreciate how difficult it can
be for the lady to follow the man's lead and it made
me try harder to make sure I got the leads as clear
as possible.
As I said, being a non dancer for most of my life,
I know how it feels when people come to
learn to dance for the first time (usually very nervous
and self conscious). Therefore when I teach
my beginners classes I will always try not to be too
technical, so that hopefully my pupils will understand,
have fun and enjoy their evening.
If asked to give a tip, mine would be to the guys
: Don't try to rush through the levels, take
your time to really understand the leads and especially
the timing; complicated moves are only good when they
are comfortable to the lady and on time with the music.
Be the one that's on the 1!
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Leighanne
Phillips
Teacher |
Leighanne
Phillips A.I.D.T.A , A.U.K.A has been teaching dance
professionally for the past seven years and is a professional
performer and full Equity member of ten years.
She qualified as a dance teacher with the I.D.T.A in
between playing the role of Prince Charming in Cinderella
and the Fairy in Mother Goose for Qdos entertainments
in 2001. Leighanne has been professionally trained with
the I.S.T.D in Modern Theatre styles and is currently
updating her qualifications by obtaining their new F.D.I
and C.D.E teaching certificates. The practical modules
of which, she has already obtained.
Leighanne started dancing at the age of 2 years.
Her repertoire includes numerous styles such as Latin
American, Ballroom, Rock’n’Roll, Salsa,
Line Dance, Jive, Tap, Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Street
/ commercial Dance, Lindy Hop, Ceroc and other popular
dance crazes.
Her love for dance went on to inspire a professional
career in performing.
After years of training as a junior at Performers Dance
college she went on to full time training at Masters
Performing Arts College. From here, she auditioned and
got her first professional contract as a Dancer in the
production shows at Butlins which led on to a career
spanning 10 years to date.
During this time, Leighanne has performed alongside
numerous celebrities in Theatres throughout the UK including
London’s West End. In addition to this she has
toured holiday centre's and appeared on TV on several
occasions. One of which being on Channel 4’s “Wakey
Wakey Campers” where she adopted the persona of
a 1960s Ballroom Dance Teacher. This led to a guest
performance with the Jive Aces at the Famous "100
club" on Oxford Street. Other Television credits
include, Channel four ,"H side Story", BBC
One "Adam wides Fame factory and various news items
for ITV and BBC.
She was also a singer and dancer in the cast of “Pop
in the Parc” The first entertainment ever brought
in at a Center Parcs, Elvedon Forest (after the big
fire!)
Choreographic work took her to the Lakeside club ( Home
of T.Vs “Bullseye”) with “Rockin on
Heaven’s Door” as well as the Towngate Theatre,
Basildon “The Young Americans” and of course
the 100 Club.
Performing and Teaching on cruise ships has taken Leighanne
to Mexico, Texas, Florida, The Bahamas and New Orleans.
She most recently returned from the M.S. Fantasy with
Carnival Cruise lines (on which she qualified as a Lifeboat
Pilot! And mysteriously passed through glass in an illusion
show!).
These days Leighanne teaches in Primary and secondary
schools, private dance schools and clubs around Essex
as well as running her own Adults and Children's Latin,
Balllroom, Salsa and Line dance classes in Basildon
and Pitsea.
“ A visit to Cuba first brought my attention to
Salsa at the Famous “Tropicana Nightclub”
where we were dragged up in the aisles by the performers
to dance. I decided to learn when I got back home. It
was then that I found Salsa Chillout!
I began at the Belvedere and eventually took my U.K.A
teaching exam and went on to teach at the Bell and Marconi.
Today I am back where it all began , teaching where
I myself first learnt, The Belvedere.
It gives me great pleasure to pass on the knowledge
and enjoyment that I have gained to others that I teach”. |
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Kevin
Weller
Sound & Lights |
Some
years ago my wife and I took up classic ballroom dance
classes for about two years. We got acquainted with
the Waltz, Tango, Quick step, Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot,
Rumba, Samba and Jive. Due to unfortunate circumstances,
classes were no longer available. As salsa has become
more and more popular I decided to give it a go. So
I decided to take up Salsa classes, and that was two
years ago. During that time I have been helping Terry
and Yolande with setting up their lights and sound
systems. I also help out as a taxi dancer for beginner
classes. Out of all my hobbies, I regard Salsa as
my favorite.
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