Hola salseros y salseras! I have what you've been waiting all summer for.....fall quarter dance classes! Bachata classes start on October 6th, and salsa starts on October 10th. There will be classes each week until November 28th. Here's the schedule:
Bachata Thursdays starting October 6th:
**In the Ida Noyes Dance Studio**
Fundamentals: 7.30-8.30pm
Open Bachata: 8.30-9.00pm
Salsa Mondays starting October 10th:
**In the Cloister Club of Ida Noyes**
Beginners 1: 7.00-8.00pm
Continuing 1: 8.00-9.00pm
Intermediate: 9.00-10.00pm
Open Salsa: 10.00-10.30pm
We're doing something a little different this quarter and rotating salsa instructors within the same sequence. You get to pick up each instructor's style week to week instead of having to wait until the next quarter.
$16 for a four-week sequence with a UChicago ID; $20 without. You can try the first lesson without paying for the whole sequence up front.
We thought we might slate the thirst for Bachata / Salsa in Hyde Park this summer by offering the following awesome Monday workshops. We are taking a break from Seven-Ten until school starts back up, but we 'd still love to dance with you!
All sessions held in Ida Noyes Cloister Club from 7-8 pm, with Open Dancing until 8:30. As usual, it costs $4 with a UC ID and $5 without.
July 18 : Bachata : Erin + Dorian : Beginners / Body Isolations
July 25 : Salsa : Joy + James : Advanced Beginner/ Continuing Level
We're back after Spring Break, and boy do we have treats for you. The class schedule is as follows:
Starting Monday, April 4th -
Beginning Salsa 1: 7-8 pm with Silvia and Vishy. Covers the basics. If you have wondered how do I get her / him to do what I want or how do I do what he / she wants me to do this is the class for you. Musicality and the Salsa "beat" will be covered as well.
Continuing Salsa 1: 8-9pm with Olga and Sasha. Builds on Beginning 1. If you have experience with Basic Salsa and wish to fine tune your cross body lead and learn combinations to take you to the next level, this class is for you.
Intermediate Salsa 1: 9-10 pm with Joy and Antonio. More patterns for you to show off on the dance floor and styling for follows. Assumes you are comfortable with Continuing Salsa.
Open Salsa: 10-10:30, an informal dance with the instructors. Feel free to ask for clarifications!
If you are unsure where you fit in, one of the instructors can dance with you and "place" you. Please come in 15 minutes before your class to sign up.
Dancewear: We recommend 2-inch strap-on heels for follows and a comfortable leather-soled shoe for leads.
A quick reminder that Bachata begins April 14th! Dorian and Erin will be teaching all those hot delicious dips that you have been wanting to learn.
And finally, Seven Ten Salsa continues its monthly streak on Wednesday, April 13th, with more fresh Salsa, Bachata, and Cha Cha Cha. We'll be turning up the heat with a playlist that is vetted by the instructors before you get to dance to it.
leave your email and get our latest post! coming soon: more on lessons for the next quarter, more reviews of salsa places in Chicago, a new series on tips and advice in social dancing, pics and videos of our performing groups and much more!
They prepared and worked hard for five months. It was fun, but it wasn’t easy: there were moments of doubt, exhaustion, frustration and anxiety. But, the girls of SalsaChic (our salsa performance group) gave it all and rocked in their presentation in the 2011 Chicago Salsa Congress! Congratulations to Erin, Hannah, Joy, Madeline and Sarah!
They started learning the choreography created by George Alvarez and the Urban Vibe team by mid-October. Having all the previous dance numbers self-choreographed, having a pro creating and teaching the choreography meant raising SalsaChic’s dancing abilities and efforts to a whole new level.
And those were not the only challenges: In the first few weeks, Erin (SalsaChic’s artistic director) had to made the decision to go with a girls-only show, deal with the unpleasant job of turning away applicants, and welcome our new members, many of them with little or no experience in performing... little did they know that they would have their first sneak peek performance with only two weeks worth of practice!
Later in the quarter, the busy schedule of work and/or study, other obligations, tiredness and sometimes frustration of not going fast enough made our ladies’ lives more difficult. But their enthusiasm, hope from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and love of dancing made them persevere.
The first dance part to be mastered was the chacha, the slowest of the three dances of our number. However, slow does not mean easy at all: the slower the dance, the more precise, elegant and coordinated the moves must be. Next was the mambo, where girls need to radiate energy and enthusiasm along with fast-paced movements. Last was the reggaeton (latin hip-hop), where strength and sensuality was required. The result: an elegant, sexy and energetic display of movements by our SalsaChic ladies... in theory. Only with practice and determination would they be able to show all of these qualities of the choreography in a performance.
By the beginning of February things were 90% ready, but anxiety and nerves started to appear. Our girls almost did not have a sneak peek performance, an essential confidence builder before the big event. Luckily they fit one performance in after our Monday lesson, and though it was not perfect, it served its purpose: small modifications were made, and they could shake off their nerves to really focus in communicating with the audience and having a good time.
For the big day, Friday February 18th, they arrived early in the morning, sleep-deprived, anxious, but ready to dance! Between the long hours between tech rehearsal (where they were one of the favorite groups) and the showcase they had to find time to practice a little bit more, but without getting tired, change into their beautiful costumes, and try to have fun by doing relaxing things such as meeting the other performers, posing for fun pics, scream a little, have a burger, laughing lots and becoming over caffeinated, etc...
Once inside the dressing rooms, they realized that there’s no turning back, the excitement and adrenaline starts growing, time flies and suddenly it is their turn! After a nice introduction by the MCs, our girls took the stage, and they brought to life all the elegance, sensuality and energy required to make a great show. One needs to memorize a lot of steps in a show like this, therefore a minute can seem like an eternity. But for all the ladies the time dancing seemed so short! Maybe they felt it was like a dream, coming back to earth after the audience’s applause, multiple hugs and congratulations from the public and fellow BLDA members. It's after this that the many hours of work make sense: the recognition of their effort, the fact that they have grown as dancers, and have gained a deeper understanding on how to communicate emotions and concepts through dance.
What comes after this? First, a good and deserved celebration. Then, enjoy the salsa congress' workshops, performances and parties. And next week, get ready to work again! BLDA is preparing a new choreography to be presented in spring 2011, in the Chicago Latin Street Salsa Congreso, and in multiple venues and events around campus! don't miss it!
And now, enjoy the SalsaChic Girls's performance in the video below. If you have trouble watching, click here to to our BLDA YouTube video. Enjoy and congratulations again to our dancers!
1055 E 55th St (between Ellis Ave & Greenwood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60615
8-11PM
All Ages, and it's Free!
Come join us for another exciting night of Salsa, Bachata and more! We'll have new music to play with our brand new speakers--and access to the great facilities of Seven-Ten Bowling Lanes.
So come to practice the new moves you learned, or just to show off -- there will be dancers of all levels!
The ladies of SalsaChic are working hard to perfect their routine for the Chicago International Salsa Congress. Their performance will be Friday, February 18th, in the "Emerging Artist" Category. Go here for more info.
The team also performs at various events on campus and in the community. If you want to schedule a performance please email us at blda@uchicago.edu, or check out the dance team's facebook page.
Maybe you didn't know, but in a month Chicago will host its 10th International Salsa Congress (Feb 17th-20th)! it's a weekend of workshops, performances and dancing! BLDA's own SalsaChic will be performing on Friday the 18th, yay!
It is not a free event, but there are volunteering opportunities if you don't have the bucks! Below there is an email from the volunteer coordinator. If you are interested write to us or directly to Kellee (at salsakellee at gmail dot com).
If you have any questions send them our way and keep dancing!
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Hi Everyone! The Salsa Congress is only 4 weeks away!! Volunteer positions are still available! Volunteer shifts are 4.5hrs each and there are 4 shifts a day. If you are able to work 2 shifts in a row on the same day, you can attend the rest of the day for free (this has to be on the same day).
Here's a list of the schedule. Let me know what works for you! Spread the word!!!
Thanks if you have already responded to my original email! If you haven't, what are you waiting for! ;-)
Kellee
Thursday, February 17th
2-6:30 registration
6p-10:30pm evening performance
10p-2am concert
Friday-Sunday, February 18-20th
8a-12:30pm workshops and registration
12p-4:30pm workshops and registration and afternoon performance
Come start the new year right with our monthly Wednesday night Salsa! We'll be spinning salsa, cha cha and bachata all night, with a quick lesson at 8pm. To top it all off, we have a brand new, very fancy, top-of-the-line sound system that we'll be breaking in.
Seven Ten Lanes 1055 E 55th St (between Ellis Ave & Greenwood Ave)
We are the University of Chicago Ballroom & Latin Dance Association.
We promote awareness and appreciation of ballroom and latin dances on campus, as well as affordable weekly social dance classes for students and members of the University of Chicago and Hyde Park community.
We also organize social events such as parties, performances and dance workshops. Our Ballroom Team offers instruction, coaching, and practice space to all students interested in competitive ballroom dance. Finally, we reach out to South Side schools, bringing ballroom and latin dance instruction to kids of all ages.
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