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Vancouver Rueda Festival, April 9 - 11, 2010
The festival is finally here!!!
NOTE: Online sales are now CLOSED. Purchasing at workshop locations or events is CASH only. Full access pass wristbands can be picked up at the ...
Email: info@cubansalsavancouver.net
Vancouver Rueda Festival Instructors
Workshops: Afro-Cuban Movement, Cha-cha-cha
Chen Lizra was named in Havana "La Cubanita de Israel" for her ability to dance like a Cuban woman and live inside the culture as if she was one. Chen studies Cuban dance professionally each year with teachers from the National School of Arts (La ENA) and the National Folklore Group of Cuba (FNC). She trains in both modern Cuban dances and Afro-Cuban folklore, and travels to share her knowledge and transmit the sensuality and sabor. She dances Cuban Rumba, Son, Casino, Rueda, Reggaeton, Cha-Cha-Cha, Mambo and Afro-Cuban Movements.
Chen's first passion was gymnastics and as a child she trained and performed for ten year, earning her the amazing ability to dive into an art form making it her own. This was her first encounter with movement and dance. When she moved on, for years she searched for a new passion which would grab her the same way. It was only in 2000 that she discovered Cuban dance and fell in love with it. But it was only when she started traveling to Cuba and discovered all of the Afro-Cuban dance styles and the depth of the art form in Cuba that hooked her for life. Ever since she has devoted her life and passion, through her company Latidos Productions (www.latidosproductions.com), to promoting Cuban dance and exposing more and more people around the globe to the magic and art of seduction.
Workshops: Advanced Rueda, Body Movement and Footwork for Men and Women, Reggeaton
Born in Havana Cuba, Marcos Ravelo, owner and founder of Havana Cuban Dance Studio, choose to make Calgary, Alberta his home in 2001. The transition from Cuba to Canada took place with nothing but high hopes of carrying on the long standing family tradition of sharing the gift of authentic Cuban dance with others.
Marcos has taught Salsa, Rumba, Guaguanco, Cha Cha Cha, Casino Rueda, Reggaeton, Bachata, Merengue workshops across Canada in Cities like Montreal, Toronto, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver etc, He has brought his style of dance to cities in USA like Miami, San Francisco, Portland, Las Vegas and foreign countries like Mexico, Jamaica, Hawaii, and Bahamas. His latest work was at the Calgary’s International Salsa Congress 2010 and San Francisco International Rueda Festival 2010, where his lessons were taken by hundreds of students and dancers including the best Salseros and Casineros in the world.
Workshops: Advanced Rueda, Salsa Workout, Musicality
Ryan Mead is a co-director and co-founder of Rueda Con Ritmo, a Cuban-style dance school and performing group based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With more than five years' experience teaching Cuban and Miami-style salsa, Ryan has given workshops across the country, from Atlanta to Alaska, and in Mexico. Ryan also has nearly two decades of experience as a percussionist – he is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory, and has taken several trips to Cuba to study music (most recently on a grant from Stanford). Being both dancer and percussionist, Ryan is uniquely positioned to illuminate that most fundamental, yet seldom discussed, part of dance – its connection with the music. Most recently he has been innovating a vocabulary of rhythmic calls and steps to aid dancers in the understanding and interpretation of Cuban music.
Sidney Weaverling is a co-director and co-founder of Rueda Con Ritmo, a Cuban-style dance school and performing group based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a longtime contributer to the currently thriving Cuban-style salsa scene in the SF Bay Area, with more than 10 years of experience as a teacher, performer, and choreographer. She has given salsa and rueda workshops across the United States and internationally. She has studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (ENA) in Cuba with the Caribbean Music and Dance program, and hosted study trips for her students at myriad schools in Miami, notably SalsaLovers and Salsa Racing. A natural dancer and a thorough teacher, Sidney not only has a beautiful and fluid style of movement – she has the teaching experience and attention to detail that enable her to effectively and efficiently transform and inspire dancers at any level.
Workshop: Connection, Musicality and Creativity in Social Dancing
Michael Gabriel Rosen (Más Movement) fell in love with Cuban Salsa in 2002 in Santiago de Cuba. In 2004, he was then trained as an instructor by Dos con Dos dance school in Quebec City. As a dancer, Michael has danced in the Dos con Dos dance troupe, is currently dancing with Estilo Cubano and has recently co-created the Más Movement Manifestation. Michael´s extensive training in facilitation (Power of Hope, Check Your Head, Safeteen) contributes to the positive and inclusive learning environment in his classes. He is particularly skilled at giving precise feedback and balancing group and individual needs. Michael, who came to salsa as a foreigner (or yuma), is grateful be working with this powerful form of cultural expression. He sees Cuban salsa as a way to experience joy and connection as well as an avenue for social change and personal development.
masmovement@gmail.com
604-729-1935
WARNING: Classes may cause temporary increases in heart rate, extreme enjoyment and bouts of laughter. Possible long-term effects may include: addiction (to Cuban Salsa), increased sense of rhythm, grounding, increased body comfort and confidence, higher fitness levels, increased happiness and presence, increased sexual activity and growth of friendships.
Workshop: Rumba
Growing up in Cuba, I was accepted into the Escuela Nacional de Arte (National School of Art) in Havana when I was 12 years old, and I graduated when I was 17. I trained in Latin, contemporary, & traditional African & Afro-Cuban styles. I also had training in acting, gymnastics, & choreography. When I graduated (2003), I won a position with the dance company, Compania Contemporanea Nacional de Cuba,(National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba) and performed in many settings around Cuba. I continued working with this company until I came to Canada in January, 2007. After 3 months here, I won a spot on the first season of the television show, "So You Think You Can Dance Canada." I made it to the Top 8 (top 4 females). After the show finished, I joined the Top 10 touring across Canada with a show featuring a variety of performances from our program.Since them i've been working with wonderful choreographers such as Paul Becker (choreographer on SYTYCDC) on a couples of film,including "Serority Wars"shot in Victoria bc, and more recently "Sucker Punch" directed by Zack Snyder which will be released in 2011.I'm currently teaching and performing in Vancouver, working with a variety of schools and dance studios, and participating in concentions, workshops,fstivals,and other events all around Canada.I can't wait to meet you and chare with you my passion for dance!
Workshops: Rumba, Casino with Two Follows
Dancing for 31 years, Alexis was trained in the Gaviota Company, where he learned mambo, son, cha cha cha, rumba and Afro-Cuban movement. Afterwards, he danced in the Tropimar Dance Company for one year, then trained in the 7 Potencias folkloric company for 4 years and the Circulo de Fundadores del Extilo Rueda de Casino with Juan Gomez in Havana, Cuba. He won his first championship at the age of ten and went on to win numerous others including the Festival of Bailes Populares (a combination of all Cuban dances) in Havana. Throughout Alexis' professional career he has performed with some of the finest Cuban dance companies. His dancing has taken him worldwide, performing at Expolatino 2008, Edmonton Salsapalooza 2008, Vancouver's Cuba Baila 2008, Calgary Salsa Congress 2008 and 2009. Alexis has taught at various studios and companies within Calgary such as Habana Cuban Dance Studio, Mambo Production, Decidedly Jazz Company, and Latin Corner Dance Studio.
In the past Dr. Usukuma Ekuere has represented Canada in the World Salsa Championships in Miami, Florida. Ekuere has come a long way since he first set eyes on the seductive dance as a graduate student in England. He was working on his PhD when he took a break from his studies, went to a party and saw couples dancing the salsa. "I looked at them and thought, 'wow, it's absolutely beautiful'," said Ekuere, who originally hails from Nigeria. "I had never even heard of salsa--it was a total shock. I just needed to dance and now it's what I love to do." He signed up for lessons and soon became addicted to salsa. When he arrived in Edmonton, his passion for the Latin number did not quit. A number of years ago, someone from University of Alberta Campus Recreation approached a campus group called SALSA (Spanish and Latin Student Association) about finding a dance teacher. "Everybody looked at me because I was, supposedly, the dancer," said Ekuere. Since then he has spent most Sunday nights turning beginners into salsa pros. "The greatest joy is to see the difference from day one--where a lot of people don't know much about the dance at all and they really struggle--to the next classes where they get better and better. By the sixth class, I'm just blown away by how much they learn." When he's not teaching, he's choreographing and practicing for international competitions. And just what is it about the salsa that Ekuere finds so appealing? "It's very intimate, very sensual and it just looks so sexy when you watch it. I thought it was beautiful to watch, but when I got to dance it--it's just so fun. You almost don't know what is going on around you. You get lost in it. It's amazing."
Workshops: Beginner Bootcamp I, Afro-Latin Melange
Julio Montero is an Afro-Cuban dance instructor who has an intricate knowledge of salsa. He was born into a family that is completely obsessed with music & dance. He grew up in the charming city of Santiago de Cuba, and was raised in the neighborhoods renowned for their musical wealth and strong Afro-Cuban traditions of Conga, Rumba, Son, Afro-Haitian beats, as well as Caribbean influences.
In Vancouver, his main goal is to build a solid community through dance, creating a welcome environment where people of all types of backgrounds can be united by one premise: the joy of life!
Workshops: Salsamatics, Advanced Rueda de Casino from Santiago de Cuba
For over 14 years, Nick was a martial arts and movement instructor. Partner dancing and salsa were a natural progression. For the past 10 years, Nick has been teaching Salsa and in particular, Cuban style Salsa, bringing to it his existing concepts of connection, balance, and fluidity. Nick combines decades of Cuban tradition with modern movement concepts of space, timing, and flow. Presently, he teaches club-style Salsa, Rueda de Casino, cha cha cha, son, and several martial arts. Nick has trained and taught all over the U.S., including extended periods in Miami, New York, and Texas. Most recently Nick returned from intensive study with Yanek Revilla in Santiago. He has also taught in Hawaii, and all over California. He has taught at numerous Salsa Congresses, Festivals and Cruises and is the co-star of "The Quick And Dirty Guide To Salsa vol. 4". Nick is the co-director of Salsa Vale Todo and the co-producer of the SF Salsa Rueda Festival.
Nick is available for private lessons, workshops as well as special events, video projects and film. Contact Nick at 510-207-4289, casinosalsa@yahoo.com. ---www. salsanick.com
Workshops: From Rueda to Social Dancing, Beginner/Intermediate Rueda
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Alejandro Bouza moved to NY in 2002. Upon arrival, he began his dance education at Dance New York. It was there that he focused on the American and Latin ballroom curriculum, both as a student and shortly afterward, as an assistant Instructor. In 2004 he started teaching his own Ballroom classes in Westchester, NY.
Later, Alejandro chose to focus more specifically on Salsa, eventually coming to adopt Cuban Style Salsa as his own through Casino and Rueda. Over the past several years, he has studied nationally and internationally, and he continues to learn every day.
Alejandro performed for 2 years with the NYC based Rueda de Casino group Fuakata. Notable appearances with this group include performances at the San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival and Columbia University, as part of an annual Latin heritage festival.
Alejandro is currently an instructor at Salsa International, a DJ and promoter of Salsa and Casino events in NYC and beyond, and is additionally booked at various events throughout the year.
For scheduling of private lessons during the weekend of April 9-11, 2010, please contact Alejandro Bouza:
cell: (917)-684-8584 or
email: alebouza@gmail.com
Workshops: Bootyology, Beginner Bootcamp 3, Intermediate Casino Salsa - Turn Patterns
From Portland to Philadelphia, to Honolulu to Houston - Mike and Simona are spreading their love of Casino Salsa.
They started Rumbanana Salsa Group (www.rumbanana.org) in January 2000 as a way to promote Cuban Salsa dancing in the Pacific Northwest. Both have been dancing, performing, choreographing and teaching Salsa for more than 12 years. Their focus for the past 8 years has been Casino Style Salsa. By carefully studying Cuban dancers, as well as key dancers from Miami, Mike and Simona have brought true Casino Salsa to hundreds of people around the world.
Their teaching ranges from small classes to 100+ people workshops. Not only are their workshops and classes filled with meaningful information, but they also make it fun and exciting to learn.
Daiana Moy Sanchez is co-founder and director at Salsaddiction Dance Company. Daiana's diverse heritage includes an exotic mixture of beautiful cultures. Her mother is a mix of Colombian, Greek and Afro-Brazilian and her father Chinese. From early on Daiana has been involved with her Latin community performing and teaching Salsa all over Edmonton as well as organizing fundraisers and festivals. She has been dancing since the age of 3. Daiana won the 2002 World Salsa Championship in Miami with Usukuma and performed around the globe including Puerto Rico, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Daiana also founded Star Brasil in 2007 to share the beauty and grace of Brazilian culture in Edmonton. On her first trip to Brazil, to discover her roots, Daiana fell in love with Brazilian Samba and has since danced in Carnival at the infamous Samba Drome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Workshop: Intermediate-Advanced Rueda
Karlos Reyes was born in Cuba where music and dancing is as important to life as food and water! From the early age of 12 it was already evident that Karlos not only loved to dance but that he was exceptionally good at it.
"Like family and friends, DANCING is food for the soul! No one can be unhappy and dance at the same time!" says Karlos. His students and friends find it almost impossible not to be caught up in his infectious energy for dancing.
Karlos regularly returns to Cuba to visit family and friends. While there he always sets aside time to connect with key figures in the music and dance industry to update his repertoire of moves and for inspiration.
Workshops: Salsamatics, Advanced Rueda de Casino from Santiago de Cuba
Serena has been dancing professionally since 2000. She has been trained in many styles of dance including ballet, tap, and jazz. Most recently she feel in love with salsa and Brazilian dance. Serena has trained in New York, Brazil, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. Recentaly she has returned from intensive study with Yanek Revilla in Santiago. Currently she performs in local samba and salsa dance companies and teaches dance at the YMCA. Serena is the co-director of Salsa Vale Todo and the co-producer of the SF Salsa Rueda Festival.
Serena is available for private lessons, workshops and special events. Contact Serena at:
415-608-6180
Workshops: Intermediate Rueda, Advanced Salsa
Salsaddiction (SA) is the premier salsa dance school in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, promoting Cuban Salsa and Rueda de Casino and was founded by Dr. Usukuma Ekuere. His teaching is well known as a fast vehicle to learning & dancing salsa plus have enormous fun while doing it. Almost unheard of in Edmonton until the last decade, Edmonton is now seen as a salsa and rueda de casino city! Countless students have taken the many salsa classes. The most recent SA Rueda Team is comprised of students who worked their way up to performing. They have performed at numerous events from weddings to fundraisers to festivals. Salsaddiction's rueda de casino performances were well received at the Vancouver provincial Cuba Baila Festival 2008, the Alberta Salsapalooza Festival 2008 as well as at the Salsa Rueda Festival in San Francisco 2009. Salsa dance observers, who have seen Usukuma's Rueda Team in action, have been heard to say it's style is original & exciting to watch.
Workshops: Phraseology and Body Movement
My dance background is varied and began at my mother’s side as she did the dishes. I have danced all my life but I began studying Salsa in 1996 in Buenos Aires and continued in the same vain in Seattle. In 2000, a chance trip to Cuba, prompted me to begin studying various Cuban forms of dance. I also add my deep interest in dancehall, reggaeton, and hip-hop dancing to the body movements that are exhibited in all of my playful classes.
My style of teaching is designed to help students become better dancers. To that end, the various exercises that we do in classes provide students a better understanding of their body mechanics and how they relate to dance. I also strive to provide an introductory platform to the varied music and dances that hail from the beautiful island of Cuba.
Come and stretch your limbs and your mind and experience the fun of Cuban dance!