MAURITIUS – SMALL ISLAND, BIG WELCOME

When the plane landed in Mauritius, the passengers were told to remain seated as the health inspector needed to clear the plane first. Not even two minutes before the doors opened and the doctor had cleared the plane. Next, three checks that I hadn’t been to an Ebola infected country, and Welcome to Mauritius!

Driving from the airport to the capital Port Louis there was kizomba on the radio stations, and a hint of traffic. But the traffic was because of a road accident and cleared up just as quickly. The highways were easy to drive around.

Staying on the waterfront was amazing and the view from the balcony of the lights were stunning. Going shopping the next day I was talking to a shopkeeper around the waterfront who on hearing my occupation announced that there would be a salsa exhibition that day, right on the waterfront. He also said that the national dance of Mauritius was Sega.

Wandering around and back to the hotel, I was amazed that the event was indeed a salsa event right outside my window – The timing was amazing so I headed out to meet the salsa community of Mauritius which some of them I had met before in Berlin, Capetown & beyond. The world is small.

By the end of a sunny afternoon of salsa and bachata the community had become family and the week was nearly planned already. First a stop in the suburbs for a panini and then we stopped at a private party to kick on after the afternoon.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are at Atmospheres pub, a great place to have a cocktail and a dance, in the suburbs of Ebene. Great fun there teaching bachata and so thankful for everyone who came along, said hello and danced. I loved photographing the dancing and learning that was going on. Fridays were closer to the airport, at (insert place), Salsa Joe thank you for your invitation and the chance to see what you are growing and the encouragement in the community. Everyone we met (you know who you are!!) made a lasting impression on us and in one week only, I know we will meet each other around the world. Your hospitality and friendliness made a real impact to my visit and I will encourage others to visit your community as I know they will be welcomed with the same warmth.
I can’t recommend Mauritius as a tourist destination enough. Stunning beaches, beautiful people, amazing sunsets and great food. During the visit, I went to the rum factory in Chamarel, which was fantastic and discovered flavoured rum. So tasty. If you are going to Mauritius, you must go there. Also the lovely suburbs of Black River nearby the salt pans are worth a visit.

It was a great break in a great place – an important island in the sun, close to home. I had time to reflect, recharge and move forward with some decisions in my life. Mauritius – I will be back to see you all again soon. Leaving was just such a sad farewell.

RWANDA SALSA, KIZOMBA & BACHATA TOUR

It was a warm welcome back to the dance scene in Rwanda when I visited in late June. And the weather was also warm, escaping from a cool Nairobi. Kigali, the capital of Rwanda is the same distance by air as Nairobi to Mombasa but a completely different landscape. Kigali is a beautiful city with amazing people who love to dance. Known for so many things; gorillas, mountains, awesome scenic places, a nation rebuilding from genocide in our lifetime. A very special, moving place to visit in Rwanda is the Genocide Memorial Museum which is accessible to many with information presented in different languages.

During this trip I danced with a lot of people and arranged a number private lessons to help share some dance knowledge. I co-ordinated some additional salsa nights where we danced until very late and visited beautiful places.

I started my adventure in Pasadena which is owned by Virgile as it has been an important place for salsa in Rwanda, having been on board since it started. Thursday nights Pasadena were and is always the hosts for salsa On Thursdays, thanks to everyone at Pasadena for the support and it is excellent to see everyone connecting with their dancing.

This time, I travelled with others from Nairobi to share in the community. One of the newer places to dance is Club Next and we arranged a class there with Tandyss and Wangari. It’s a great venue, all painted white with ample room for dancing as well as fantastic lighting and a good platform for deejaying.

It was a slow warm up. I had forgotten that Rwanda has its own time schedule. When we did start, however, everyone was enthused to increase their kizomba, salsa and bachata skills. It was great to meet up with old friends, Cycy, Jimmy, Kassim, Rachel who are the pioneers of salsa in Rwanda and Ralf in particular who runs and organises some classes.
Club Next which is owned by Ever is coming up to be a great venue for dancing in Kigali. So we returned there the next night for another session.

I also took some time out to enjoy Rwanda. While many things are familiar from Kenya, some things are just typically Rwandan. My Kinyarwandan came back to me and cruising around on a motorbike at night it’s just a beautiful place to be. I love the places where you can eat late at night, after a long evening dancing, to be able to rest and eat great food is a perfect ending to the night.

I saw old friends and I made new ones. There was great participation in the classes and social dancing afterwards. Rwanda keep it up, keep on dancing and be part of this dance movement in Africa. So great to see things coming along, I will be back and teaching again soon. Hopefully a bigger event, so stay tuned.
The salsa scene is growing and we wish it to continue onwards and upwards with more more more great dancing. See you soon.

AFRICA SALSA CONGRESS ABIDJAN (CASA) - 23 AU 25 MAI 2014

Finally, here is my update from Abidjan, capital of the Ivory Coast for the festival there. The first thing was that the trip was long. Travelling from East Africa to West Africa is a trip of 6 hours. It becomes a trip of 13 hours when airline delays keep you sitting in the airport all day. On the plus side, I met up with Angus and Leigh who were heading to the same festival and we passed the time in the coffee house. We found a quiet place where we could rest our heads and play songs… We were tempted to dance at times but the music also made a good lullaby and passed the time we needed to kill. What another crazy delay from Kenyan airways.

When we finally got up in the air, it was straight to sleep. Then when I arrived in Ivory Coast it was a great welcome then directly to the dancing and the shows for the night. There were cultural shows and the costumes were out of this world. In Kenya we don’t have such costumes, it was an interesting and enlightening show. Then a local DJ kept us up and dancing until late.

The next day was workshops, workshops, workshops which I enjoyed teaching. Not only was I teaching but I was learning from the other international teachers as well (Knowledge is power). On this day there was a competition, shows in the evening and then I took to the decks for a while. After the competition & shows we danced late into the night. The lighting was amazing with the photographs I took and everyone had a great time. The venues were quite far from the accommodation, and all of the artists travelled around in a shuttle bus together from place to place, making noise, singing in the bus. I loved the energy of the Cubans and the food we ate late at night.

The next night there were some formalities and the fantastic concert by the Cuban band - Tentacion De Cuba, extraordinary bachata and salsa show. I have the CD of Tentacion De Cuba which I play in the car and it reminds me of the great live music they played – thanks guys!

The hospitality of the Tourism board of Ivory Coast and Komando was good. They arranged for the artists to see the beautiful sights on the coast at the beach, a great way to see the beautiful attractions of Ivory Coast. A cool way to end a great weekend of salsa, bachata, kizomba and more in West Africa. Group photos then farewell everyone, back to Nairobi until next time we meet, 2015 2nd Africain Salsa Congress it is… It’s time for Africa!!!

MAY DAY IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Recently returned from Istanbul, what a crazy city. This time, just a visit for a short holiday. Direct flights from Nairobi at the time of 0340 am, so tired waiting for the Turkish airlines plane to board. Loads of Kenyans, tourists, everyone, full plane to Istanbul but easy to sleep due to the timezones being the same.

Arrived by taxi to the outskirts of Taksim, on May 1, not knowing about the historical protests on this day, the streets were shut down, barricaded by police. The taxi driver’s early warning “Police. Problem” should have been an indicator that something was up, and we were sent out to the side of the road to find our own way with nothing but the hotel address. Comforting was the fact we were not the only tourists dragging our bags up and down the cobbled streets of Istanbul, unsettling was the distance to cover on foot. Luckily a kind Turkish man was able to act as a translator between the hotel and dropped us a kilometer up a steep hill. Surrounded by cats and garbage, one of the hotel staff came to the rescue and ushered us back to the hotel.

Dinner that night was a similar event, the main streets blocked and only small alleyways were open. We stumbled upon a tourist hotspot with a lady making bread in the window. Turkish food was no doubt a highlight of this trip. From doner to kebab to Turkish rice, there was not a bad piece of food devoured and Turkish coffee appeared the end of every meal.
Touring around Istanbul, discovering the Metro – quite like Berlin but a bit different. Took a cruise on the Bosphorous and saw many historical castles and mosques.

Salsa in this country was pioneered by the late Imu, a good friend of mine. Arriving in the Tiyatro café, loved the idea of a jukebox for people to pick their own music and chatted with Tolga, the resident DJ. I was humbled and honoured that many people who saw me dancing or danced with me commented that Imu was in the house. The extent of the hospitality of Turkish people was amazing. But mostly it was very emotional for me because of my memories of Imu. You know someone’s gotta share some dance knowledge too; managed to go share Kizomba knowledge at the studio where Imu was teaching which is now called DANSORIUM. I as well met Ozlem, Diego & Yassin who run ONE DANCE STUDIO. All this experiences was really touching, moving and lovely. Was very good to meet Funda, Isabel, Abdalla who took us to a very beautiful place that we were eating way back and then we went out salsa dancing together. Met Yallin a very famous salsa dancer, promoter and a serious addict.

I danced at the Point Hotel on Saturday amongst some great mambo dancers as well as a place with a balcony and a beautiful view. Dj Orhun was on fire that day and I also got a chance to see some great shows from different groups.
During this trip I discovered cocktails and the 360 degrees restaurant with wide ranging views of Istanbul, a beautiful city at night.

I felt overwhelmed at the Turkish festival that celebrates the coming of the spring. Random drumming, dancing, singing and jumping over fire. A spontaneous and joyful way to see in the spring, but so so many people all together at once in the tiny lane-ways, eating, drinking and celebrating.

Overall, a great trip with the overall goal achieved, spoil someone special, meet up with old friends and make some new ones, centred of course, all around dance. It’s a great city that you would love to visit every time you think about travelling.

CONNECTION

To all salsa girls... when a guy goes crazy with turn patterns and through his one thousand moves... and you don't feel like it or get nervous.... just open your hands...he then looses the hook...
The doche bag can learn then...
You're not obligated to force follow this lunatic.... bitch him out...
What the hell!!!

#Sezar Duran

INTENSIVE AFRO LATIN WORKSHOP PART 2 - LATIN FUSION

FOR ALL LEVELS ...

Even if you are a beginner, intermediate, advanced... This workshop is suited for you...

How good can you fuse your dancing??? like west coast swing + cha cha + dominican bachata, salsa (On 1 & On 2) + pachanga, kizomba+ argentine tango + zouk???

Here is your chance this love season!!!

Come learn and share some fun new social dancing patterns, musicality,footwork and stying of Cha cha, Kizomba, Pachanga, Dominican Bachata and Salsa (On1 & On 2).

Saturday 25th February, 2011.
1.30pm Till...

Great Body Gym On top of Heartz Restaurant, Moi Avenue.

Pricing:
Kshs.1000

SCHEDULE:-
1.30pm - Arrival

1.40pm - Workshop opens with a warm up

2.00pm - Salsa (On 1 & On 2) partnering, posture, footwork and styling

3.00pm - Cha cha partnering, posture, footwork and styling

4.00pm - Workshop opens with Kizomba partnering, posture, footwork and styling

5.00pm - Dominican Bachata partnering, posture, footwork and styling

6.00pm onwards - Fusion concepts of west coast swing, pachanga, pop/Questions Time/practice done in the workshop

Description
Partnering, musicality, footwork and styling workshop.

The partnering will be focused on social dancing
Learn the importance of tension, resistance, counter balance.
Lead and Follow Technique.
Learn to play around with the music... to be one with the music...
Learn to shine and as well add style into your dance either you are a man or a lady...
Learn to also fuse the latin dances with style...

Come take advantage of this opportunity and allow yourself to improve your dancing regardless of your hectic life schedules :))

For more information and signing up for the workshop contact Stan - +254 (0) 20 8007058 or email us on info@mutati.com

If this day/hours still does not fit into your schedule, but you would love to improve...
consider this...

Private lessons with us!
A great fast way to learn! Allows us to work one-on-one on specific needs and goals.
Take advantage of our Holiday Specials!
Schedule at http://www.mutati.com/

Please tell all your friends and family members.

Thanks,

Stan & Mutati.

7 Mistakes Most Salsa Dance Instructors Are Making Right Now That Will Make Your Learning So Difficult, It Actually Helps THEM Instead Of You!

7 Mistakes Most Salsa Dance Instructors Are Making Right Now That Will Make Your Learning So Difficult, It Actually Helps THEM Instead Of You!
And What You Can Do About It...

MISTAKE #1:
Not understanding the dynamics of salsa dancing
Here's the deal. Most instructors can only teach you what is common in a particular region. And, for the most part, that's ok. But the thing is this... Your salsa dancing will be at a more advanced level, you will have more dance partners, and you will be at the center of all the attention, if... If you understand that it is by FAR more important to know how to go with the flow then it is to be rigidly stuck in only one way of dancing. Now it's not that most instructors don't WANT to teach you that, it's just that it's hard to do it in a class. There's just too many other people for the instructor to concentrate on only you.
And that's just for starters.
You see, even if your instructor could do it, many don't know HOW to do it. It's not easy to go from one style to the other...unless you learn from someone that is able to teach you how... If you ask an instructor how you can apply what you learn to other styles, and they don't have an answer for you...
...TURN AROUND AND RUN!!

MISTAKE #2:
Not giving specific and direct instruction on how to lead and how to follow
I know what you're thinking...
How could this be? This seems so obvious that there's no way this could be happening. Well, I thought the same thing, until... I saw it with my own 2 eyes! Listen here. Salsa dancing is a partner dance. So in any partner dance, there has to be a leader and a follower. The problem is that most instructors really don't get into the little details of how to lead and how to follow.
Yeah they'll teach you steps and where to be and where to go, but that's just superficial. They hardly ever give it to you straight.

MISTAKE #3:
Not giving enough information on Timing and why it's so important
Do you know what "Timing" is when it comes to salsa dancing?
Timing is basically dancing TO THE BEAT... Do you think this is important? You bet it is!! Nothing will make you look better, out-shine, out-dance, and flat-out win the hearts, respect and admiration of the people around you. NOTHING.
The problem is, most instructors don't talk about it. And if they do, they don't teach it!

MISTAKE #4:
Thinking that you are in class, or watching their video because of how "great and wonderful" they are
Correct me if I'm wrong.
When you pay for something, you do want to get something in return, right?
See, one thing that I notice is this: a lot of instructors think they are such "good dancers" that the mere fact you are in the same room with them makes you a better dancer. And of course, what happens is you get a level of training that's way less than what you deserve.
No!
You are in class, or watching that video TO LEARN!!
Not to be wowed or amazed or entertained or to admire the instructor. You are there to learn. Plain and simple. If you wanted to be entertained, you would go to the movies, or to a show! The problem is, many instructors just don't get it.

MISTAKE #5:
Giving better treatment to "private pay" students
This one really gets to me.
Please make sure you understand what I'm about to say:
"It does NOT matter if you are taking private lessons or not. You still deserve and should expect to receive the same top-notch, high-quality instruction your hard-earned dollars are supposed to be buying you."
Listen, this is a no-brainer.
If you were at the supermarket, or at any other establishment, and you noticed that other clients were getting better service than you, for no apparent reason, wouldn't you be upset?
I'd be down-right pissed off!!
You would probably not put up with it, so...
...why expect anything less from your instructor?

MISTAKE #6:
Teaching the mechanics, but not showing you real-world application
There's no doubt about it.
There's theory, and then there's the real world.
And something that most instructors haven't figured out yet is that you will not always be inside the class, or in your home. You will have to go out and dance at some point! With real people, in a real party or club.
And I can guarantee you one thing:
Unless your instructor has prepared you, chances are you will not know what's about to hit you!

MISTAKE #7:
Thinking that ANYONE can dance
I know this one is going to get some people mad...
...but I don't care!
Listen, I personally feel that anyone can learn, but...
...only if THEY REALLY WANT TO.
And this is the biggest mistake an instructor can make. Thinking that everyone in the class is going to want to learn.
You may be saying: "But Fernando, if they're paying for the class, or if they're paying for the videos, that must mean they want to."
Bull.
Be honest, how many times have you started to do something that you really wanted to do, only to leave it halfway. I don't know, maybe it was a new hobby, or quit smoking, or drinking, or whatever.
The point is, you THOUGHT you wanted to, but at that time you REALLY did not want to.
Otherwise, you would have done it!
But how does this affect you?
Simple.
Unless your instructor is good at this, he/she will be wasting time on tire-kickers, and wannabe's...time he/she could be spending with you! As soon as there is a negative force in that classroom, the instructor should immediately refund the person's money and get them outta there! But the truth is, most instructors would NEVER give a refund to anyone, much less ask them to leave. Think about it, if they do, that's money they are losing out on.
And Finally...
You think I'm lying, don't you?
Listen, you can go and see it for yourself, this is not just made up.
But, I will tell you this.
It's not that the instructors are bad, or that they may have bad intentions...far from it. In fact, most of the instructors that I have met are actually very nice, awesome people, and good dancers too.
The thing is, just because someone is a good dancer, or a good person, does not mean they are a GOOD INSTRUCTOR. Make sure you understand that.
There are thousands of great dancers out there, and many more that are truly good people, but the bottom line is that unless that person can teach, you will not be getting true value.
It's not that teaching is extremely difficult, but it does require someone that can take certain concepts and translate them in a way that you can understand...that takes practice and a very unique personality. The Note is an extract from salsa-rhythms.com.