Salseroblanko, Huntsville, AL

Today is a good day because I will be posting my first interview. I am so excited to have this opportunity to write about a fellow Salsero! His name is John Salseroblanko Morey of Huntsville, AL. When I was in Atlanta for the Hotlanta Salsa Congress I got to see this Salsero perform with his men's team. It was only three guys dressed as Cowboys, so it wasn't hard to remember their faces. After I was home from the Congress, I sat down to friend request everyone I could recognize from my weekend in Atlanta. Of the people I was able to find, Salseroblanko graciously accepted my request. Lucky for me, he quickly responded when I put the Facebook shout out looking for interested interviewees. So after doing some research on the guy, Salsera Elena (SE) asked the following questions and Salseroblanko (SB) provided the following answers.

SE: "Your bio says your first lesson was in 2000 in Dallas, TX. Was this your first ever encounter with dancing to Salsa? If not, when was?"

SB: "I was first exposed to Salsa dancing at a Latin club by a friend of mine when I was 30 but that didn’t get me excited to take lessons. I was enjoying the music and atmosphere but that was the extent of that. It was 10 years later in Dallas is when I saw two men passing a female back and forth taking turns dancing with her is what got me interested in taking lessons."

SE: "What was it about Salsa that inspired you to start taking lessons?"  

SB: "It was those two guys I saw dancing with one girl as I mentioned earlier. I found that really interesting. I wanted to learn the moves the men where doing."

SE: "How did you decide on DC as your first Congress location?"

SB: "The was the first congress I heard about and it was close to Greensboro, NC that I could just drive to."

SE: "How did you first hear about Congresses?"

SB: "It was from an instructor living in Greensboro, NC."

SE: "Which Congress has been your favorite so far?"  

SB: "Back in the day it was the Los Angeles Salsa Congress."

 

SE: "Which Congress has been the most memorable for you?" 

SB: "Right now it is still the LA congress. My team will be performing at the NY Congress in 2013 so I am hoping that will be very memorable."

SE: "Can you tell me about your experience with Super Mario? What was your dance relationship with him like? What about his style of dancing inspired you to learn from him?"  

SB: "I met Super Mario BEFORE he was even a big star. He stayed at my home every time he came to NC. We are close friends. We still email each other keep tabs not just on our salsa lives but our lives in general. He is a very smooth and fun dancer. I love that about him. He also exhibits great leading which has inspired me to be a specialist meaning I teach leading and following techniques. That is not the easiest to teach. Most don’t stress that. They just teach combos. I teach combos and stress leading and following techniques."

SE: "Was your move from Dallas, TX to Greenville, SC because of Salsa, or other life reasons? If because of Salsa, how did you decide on Greenville?"

SB: "It was because of work."

SE: "When did you decide you wanted to become a professional Salsero? What did that decision involve? Did you ever have to choose between Salsa and a different career?"

SB: "Being a pro came with the territory. I do not make a living on Salsa. It is my passion. I am fortunate I can enjoy this dance without having to worry about making a living out of it. I am an engineer by trade."

SE: "Tell me about your training? You’ve named your instructors, how did you go about learning from them? Did you take private lessons? Did you attend their classes regularly? What was your training schedule like? How much time did you commit to training?"   

SB: "I met most of my instructors at the congresses I attended early on. Edie the Salsa Freak and Super Mario have had the biggest influence. I took private lessons from them. When I was first learning I went dancing 6 nights out of the week, practiced every day at home and took 2-3 lessons a week and it was expensive then, $20 an hour!"

SE: "How did you get your first teaching gig in Illinois? How’d you end up there?"

SB: "I ended up there because of work. There was NOTHING there! Lol so I decided to each at the workplace which then expanded to a studio then ended up having a salsa night! That was fun!"

SE: "What was your experience in Greenville like? What methods did you use to bring the Salsa scene to Greenville?"   

SB: "When I arrived in Greenville, there was no salsa scene. They had Latin clubs. I looked for a studio and started teaching. I started with one class which grew to 4 classes in less than 1 year. We had socials at the studio but then the students wanted more. They wanted a place where they can buy drinks. I found a club called Dockers. I had to find a DJ which I did. I instructed the DJ as to what type to play and what format. That place was never in the red. We broke even the first night. We had salsa night every week average 80-120 people at this place that the max capacity is 160. It was so much fun!"

SE: "When did you start performing? How did you get recognized as a performer?" 

SB: "It was in Greenville SC. I did a Steve Urkel routine. It was funny! Here is the video"  

SE: "How did you end up in Huntsville, AL? What were some of your methods to bring Salsa to this town?"

SB: "Work brought me to Huntsville. As always I search out salsa nights or dance lessons. I found one person who was teaching rueda at University of Alabama Huntsville. The class was very small. I found a studio and started teaching. I decided to host a FREE SALSA SOCIAL on the 5^th Tuesday of the month to give the students a way to practice and it is my way to say thank you for taking lessons and telling others about Salsa. I still do it today (going on 5 years). Then I stepped it up and looked for a club. Found one (it is not easy to find a nice place for salsa in Huntsville). It was a newly opened club called CLUB RUSH. We started salsa nights there Aug 2009. We were there for 2.5 years. Change of ownership, we were gone. So we are in the process today of looking for a good home for our salsa nights. We are currently hosting our salsa night at a nice fitness center."

SE: "Which Congress has been your favorite to perform at?"

SB: "Right now the Hotlanta Salsa Congress."

SE: "Tell me about the flash mob. How often do you conduct a flash mob? What does it involve? Per the flash mob video on the homepage of the Salseroblanko website, did you know the people that were joining in or they were just joining in?"  

SB: "We did our first flash mob in Jan of 2011. That was fun. We have only done it another time. We do not do this very often but we plan to.  Doing a flash mob is not that difficult unless you want to turn it into a production. I pick a song, create a simple routine of about 13-15 eight counts, teach it to those interested and set up where to perform. I generally try to teach it in 3 hours and perform it that same day. So far it has worked. I set it up as if we do not know each other. As you saw in the video."

SE: "Tell me about the events you have going on in Huntsville?"

SB: "I have two “big” events, Salsalabama Jam (OCT) and the Spring Salsa Fiesta (APRIL). These are well attended. Not huge like the bigger cities. The Jam is about 250 and the Fiesta (two years old) is about 180. We are in Huntsville, it takes a long time to generate dancers and interest in the events."

SE: "Do you teach by yourself?"  

SB: "Yes."

SE: "Do you have a dance partner?"

SB: "No."

SE: "How many days and hours a week do you teach?"

SB: "I teach every Tuesday, beg I and beg II, one hour each class. I also teach a 4 hour boot camp once a month."

SE: "Do you have another job?"  

SB: "I am an Electrical Engineer."

SE: "How often do you get to travel around with Salsa?"

SB: "Not enough! Lol!!  I am allowed by my wife to attend two congresses a year. I travel once in a while to teach or dance in Nashville (visiting our salsa friends there)."

SE: "What is your favorite place you have traveled to? What other places have you traveled?" 

SB: "I have no specific place that is my favorite. As long as the music is good, I love it!"

SE: "How’d you get the name Salseroblanko? Did you name yourself or someone else named you?"

SB: "Well at first I was called salsero loco. I did some crazy wild moves early on then I decided that Salseroblanko was good for me. So I stuck with that."

SE: "What are your current and future goals as a Salsero?"  

SB: "Right now I just want to keep building the scene in Huntsville. We have a long ways to go. I compare the scene like a baby learning how to walk. The scene is born, now the baby just needs to learn how to walk and eventually be a marathon runner."

SE: "What advice do you have for training and aspiring Salseros?"

SB: "If money and time is not an issue, take as many lessons as one can afford, give yourself time to practice, practice often and concentrate on techniques and not the moves, and travel to experience other dancers."

SE: "Who are some of your favorite Salseros to dance with?"  

SB: "Joby Brava, Magna copal, Randi Pearson. I call these ladies Ferrari’s lol. Easy to drive."

So if you live in Huntsville, AL or happen to be passing through, I would highly recommend getting in touch with Salseroblanko. Clearly he can dance and he is your walking source of all things Salsa in Huntsville, AL. To Salseroblanko, thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. I could go on all day asking questions about your experience in the Salsa world, but I figure the interview has to end at some point. I do plan to get to Alabama sometime soon to check out for myself the Salsa scene. Until then let's keep on dancing! 

If you would like to get in touch with Salseroblanko, check him out at Salseroblanko.net or at www.alabamasalsa.com. Also check him out on Facebook or send him an email at salseroblanko@yahoo.com.

Licensed Zumba Instructor

These days, who doesn't know what Zumba is?  If your answer is me, well you'll only find a brief description of everything the Zumba program has to offer in this post. Today I'm writing about my experience becoming a Zumba instructor. In a nutshell, Zumba is a dance fitness workout designed to tone, shape, and strengthen your body by moving and dancing to various international rhythms. Check out Zumba.com to find information about everything Zumba. There you can find out what Zumba is, where classes are offered near you, instructors near you, DVDs, apparel, and so on.

This summer, after having attended many Zumba classes, I finally decided to get licensed as an instructor. Becoming licensed to teach Zumba is pretty simple. The first step is to pick a date to take the Basic training. The earlier you register, the less you pay. The cost ranges from about $220-290 (all this is found on the website). The training class is a one day event, totaling about eight hours and includes a lunch break. During the course of the day you learn so much great information like the four basic Zumba rhythms (Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, and Reggaeton), the history and structure of the Zumba program, about the founder Alberto "Beto" Perez and his journey to making Zumba what it is today, how to grow and market yourself as an instructor, and so much more. 

Once you finish the basic training you can join the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN). The ZIN membership costs $30 a month and is meant to be an investment for your journey to becoming a top notch Zumba instructor. The membership gives instructors the tools necessary to continue to develop and grow as an instructor. As a member instructors can take more training classes like Zumba Gold, Toning, or Aqua training. Being a ZIN member allows you to receive marketing tips and tools to get the word out to new students that you are an instructor. 

If you or someone you know is looking for a Zumba instructor, look no further. I am available, ready, and licensed to show you how to party while working out. If you are new to Zumba, I can assure you that once you try it, you will love it! If you are looking for more Zumba, Salsa, or Latin dance information, you have come to the right place. Just ask and I will provide you an answer. As always, thank you for reading!

Frederick Salsa

It's Thursday and my favorite night of the week because the Frederick Salsa Meetup will be joining together for a full night of dancing. This evening the instructors will be teaching Bachata for all levels at Hinode, a Sushi restaurant along Carroll Creek in Downtown Frederick. I personally cannot get enough of Frederick Salsa. The organizers of this group, Sylvia and Alba, have done such a wonderful job of bringing Frederick together to create a Salsa community! I've been in Frederick since I was 16 when my family moved here from Gaithersburg, MD. I must say, never have I enjoyed Frederick and the downtown scene as much as I have the last couple months attending these socials. The crowd is a mix of all levels of dancers looking for the same thing, a nice place to get their Salsa on!

I first joined the Frederick Salsa fun in mid August when the meetup was being held at Bentz Street Bar on Bentz Street. The last month or so the location has moved around a bit from Cafe Nola and Hinode, to That Cuban Place. Sometimes Sylvia and Alba hook us up with an extra night of dancing at Mexicali Cantina. Both Nola and Hinode are located off Market Street in the heart of downtown Frederick. My favorite location was when we were at That Cuban Place located on Church Street, slightly in the cut of Frederick. For the Halloween festivities, the group enjoyed a night of dancing at Mistro, also located in downtown. No matter where the action occurs, you are sure to have a wonderful time when you hang out with Frederick Salsa!

The evening usually starts around 8:30PM with a Salsa or Bachata lesson from Alba and Nathaniel. I gotta say, it is quite a treat to get lessons from these two. Not only are they beautiful dancers, they are some of the areas most well versed Salseros, constantly training with the best in the DMV. No matter where you frequent the Salsa venues in MD, DC, or VA, these two are everywhere. When you do catch them out, be sure to grab them for a dance because they are experts in the Salsa field and will be sure to give you some useful pointers. I don't know if they are official dance partners, buy like many other Salsero and Bachatero pairs, they make for a stunning match. Together, Alba and Nathaniel have really helped Frederick Salseros improve their dance skills. They both exude confidence, are so kind and helpful as teachers, and they are just so fun to watch as dancers!

After the lessons, DJ Cuban takes over the spot light by spinning the best Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and everything in between. With DJ Cuban, there's never a dull night of dancing! Not only is he a cutie pie, he really knows how to cater to the crowd that Frederick Salsa attracts. The party usually is suppose to end around midnight, but DJ Cuban keeps us moving til well past some of or bedtimes!

If you are in or around the Frederick area, I highly recommend checking our Frederick Salsa. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a beginner, this is a great place to mingle and meet people. I have met so many wonderful dancers at this meetup. I look forward to what Frederick Salsa has for our Salsero future!

                                 

     
   

A Salsera's Trip to Hotlanta

I went to Hotlanta, aka Atlanta, GA, for the 3rd Annual Hotlanta International Salsa Congress. It was the end of September, my second Latin Dance Congress in just two months, and my first time in the ATL. I had a very wonderful time. Not only did I get to meet and enjoy local and out of town Salseros, I was able to experience a wonderful city.

The trip began Thursday evening as my mom and I set out on our twelve hour Megabus ride to downtown ATL. I know, you are probably wondering, "why the heck would you Megabus it to ATL from DC when flights are quicker and more comfortable?" Though it would have been much easier to fly, I chose Megabus because it fit my budget. The round trip was $100 even. 

Early Friday afternoon, after changing buses in Charlotte, NC, we arrived at the Civic Center MARTA station located along Peachtree Street in downtown ATL. We made our way to our lodging at the Hotel ATL, located a brisk ten minute walk from the bus station at the corner of Spring and Baker Streets. Though the Congress was being held at the Hyatt right up the street from Hotel ATL, I chose here because it was just as nice as the Hyatt, but a more compromising price. For two nights, Mom and I split the $150 total.

After checking in and getting settled, we headed out to explore the town. We walked East along Peachtree Street past numerous restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and Hooter's, the Mall at Peachtree Center, and many visually stimulating structures and attractions as well as shops and dining. We ended up at the Underground ATL. There we found your typical, inexpensive, working class friendly shops. I was able to pick out a cute outfit for the evening's dancing at a little boutique called Bonnie's. After lunch in the food court, Mom needed to stop by the Computer store, so we rode the MARTA (ATL's metro system) as well the Georgia Tech Trolley to arrive at our destination.                                                  

Upon returning to the room, and after resting for awhile, Mom and I grabbed dinner at a Sushi spot. After dinner, we parted ways for the evening as I made my way to the real fun, the Salsa Congress. Friday evening opened with wonderful performances by many local and out of town, talented dancers! A night full of live music, dancing, and socializing followed the performances. I stayed out as late as I could, but made sure I got to bed early enough to rest up for more dancing the next day.

Saturday morning started with a scrumptious, filling, continental breakfast courtesy of the hotel. This gave me plenty of energy as I would need it to take full advantage of the day's workshop options. One of the perks about these Congresses is the opportunity to take dance classes from top instructors and performers from around the nation. I arrived at the Hyatt around noon to attend as many workshops as I could fit in. My favorite class was conducted by Jay Stylz out of Dallas, TX and Leah Patterson, my new Salsera friend out of Arkansas. They taught a very informative Bachata footwork class that I really enjoyed. 

After dinner and another trip to the Underground for another cute outfit for the evening, I made my way to the Hyatt for my last evening at the 2012 Hotlanta Congress. Not only did I get to dance the night away, I shared many dances, laughs, and stories with new Salsero friends that I plan to revisit with for more Salsa adventures. I met people from all over, like DJ Stephen Greene from Richmond, VA. There's Luther from New Jersey and Kelley from Salsa Essence Dance Academy out of West Palm Beach, FL. These people will be in my memories for as long as I am a Salsera! Though I didn't realize it at the time, through facebook research (or stalking, whatever term you prefer) I became acquainted with Paso Fino Dance Academy, the hosts and hometown Salseros at Hotlanta. 

Sunday, our last day in ATL involved less dancing and more site seeing. We had a few hours before our bus left, so Mom and I made the eight minute walk from our hotel to where the Aquarium, Coke World, and Centennial Park is located. Upon arriving just outside the Aquarium, we ran into a Congero named Anthony. The heavens above must have read my desires because when we set out Friday afternoon to explore, all I wanted to find was someone on the streets playing Congas. Anthony was very insightful and inspiring and both Mom and I felt it was more fate than luck that we ran into him. I took the opportunity to freestyle to our new friend's music. It was a very memorable, humbling experience. After parting ways with Mr. Conga man, Mom and I were gonna stroll the Aquarium, but we felt it was a little over budget. Mom had toured the Coke World the day before while I was attending workshops. She enjoyed the history, facts, and tasting the coke products, however, she felt there could have been more freebies considering the obvious message of, drink Coke presented to the public. Before heading to the bus to make our way home, we had lunch at a place called Stats, a sports bar about a mile from the Falcon's stadium. This particular Sunday the Carolina Panthers were in town, which made for an entertaining game.

I had such a wonderful time in ATL as a learning Salsera. My experience at Hotlanta makes me more anxious and excited for Congresses to come.