Rhythm Reminder by Dance In Time Productions

A. Dance shoes are best when they are not too slippery yet they move against the floor so you can do turns. The best shoes are ballroom dance shoes which have a suede surface on the bottom that works just right.

You can also take any pair of shoes you find comfortable and get a shoemaker to put suede on the bottom. If you want to stick with what you already own, loafers or something with that type of surface on the bottom works well enough. Sneakers are the worst, except for “dance sneakers” which are designed for dancing. For men, dress shoes usually have a bottom similar to a loafer which works pretty well.

Dance supply stores generally carry a variety of types of dance shoes. In the Rockville/Bethesda area for example, Repeat Performance carries a nice selection and also sells the suede that you can bring to a shoemaker. Also, there is a mail order company called Dance Distributors (1-800-333-2623) which puts out a complete line of dancewear including shoes for both men and women. If you are taking classes through DanceInTimeProductions, ask Barb about special discounts that some stores offer her students.

A. Slower music is much better for learning to dance. You want to get the movement and the rhythm into your “muscle memory” while you learn. Only then do you want to accelerate the tempo.

Think of it like throwing a bowling ball. You step forward for the release after a series of preparatory steps that have a certain rhythm. You always do it the same way so your body becomes accustomed to the movement. Similarly, when you dance, you drill the moves to slow music until they become automatic. Then you can do them to faster music.

By the way, Latin music has tempo changes more often than American music. This makes dancing to Latin music far more challenging. In swing and other American music, there is an occasional speed-up or slow-down, usually occurring at the end of a song. But Latin music has all manner of tempo and rhythm changes throughout, so you have to listen for this closely when you dance.

When considering which CD to use for “practice music,” there is a wide variety of musical styles and you should be guided by what you like. (Again, people often dance best and with more energy to something they like a lot.) But generally, you are looking for music with a very slow beat for practice. If you get a CD with a number of songs on it, use the slowest one. Practicing the steps you learn in class is best done to slow tempos so that you are doing the movements correctly and accurately. You can always speed things up later!

For salsa dancing, there is a CD titled “Heavy Salsa” which many people like. The song Micaela on that CD is fairly slow and particularly good for practice.

For swing, salsa, and other ballroom dances, Dance In Time Productions has recorded a CD titled “Rhythm Reminder” which has slow music with a steady tempo. A voice-over marks the beat for dancers. It has original music and is designed specifically for dance practice. You can get more information on that CD by clicking here.

A. This question is included because it is so common. However, the answer is that since it depends on the type of dance, where you live, and your dance experience, the question is too broad to answer here. In addition, nightclubs and dance studios often change hands, with new places opening and old ones closing.

Therefore, it is best to ask the question via email, giving all relevant information. Just contact BarbBtalks@aol.com. We’re always happy to help you find appropriate dance venues.

A. Here are some:

www.SalsaChicago.com: This has information on a number of dance-related subjects, including where you can dance Salsa in many cities in the world.

www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/salsa/salsa.html This has a number of sites listed with Rueda step descriptions and hand signs plus other Salsa dance information.

www.Salsapulse.com: This website has some key salsa studios listed in various US cities.

www.dancecollective.com: This site has a listing of opportunities for dancers such as auditions, etc.

www.time2dance.com: This is a very full and informative site which lists dance classes, events etc. etc.

www.SalsaNewYork.com: This website has some great material written by Steve Shaw which I highly recommend, in addition to a wealth of general Salsa information. It emphasizes New York style Salsa.

www.cruzy.org: This is a big site with lots of dance and other information. On the home page, click on the picture in the upper right for "Salsa Rueda Santa Cruz." You'll get into a page with loads of Rueda information.

www.stuckonsalsa.com: This has information on Salsa dancing in the D.C. area including some interesting articles.

www.stardustdance.com: This site is out of Philadelphia where parties and classes are held.

www.salsaracing.com: This is an excellent Rueda studio run by a fabulous talent named Henry Herrera whose style is something you have to see to believe.

www.worldsalsafederation.com: This site seems to promote among other things, building a standard syllabus of moves. Some of the moves are from Rueda.

www.borntosalsa.com: This site makes an effort to create a community around Salsa dancing, with information on partner searches, chat rooms, articles, videos, photo galleries, etc.

web.mit.edu/rueda/www/background.html This site is sponsored by a great Rueda group out of MIT in Boston which does some innovative work with Rueda. They have a great step list, too!

www.theclave.com This is a site where they have music you can purchase for $1.00 a track. I found out about it because they contacted me about selling the music on my CD. So you can purchase single tracks from Michele's and my "Rhythm Reminder" CD at this site along with other music.

www.dancerueda.com This is a site designed to publicize and inform the public about an annual Casino Rueda competition in Vancouver. The event is quite nice and the performances are dynamite!

www.latinmotion.com.au This is a Salsa site out of Australia that is excellent. It has information on where to dance, classes, clubs, and other resources both in Australia and around the world. It's a large site with a wealth of information, photos, etc.

www.salsaisgood.com The man who handles this website is very interested in recording dance moves from the point of view of studying different styles around the world. He is putting together a video on how Salsa moves are interpreted in L.A. style, Miami style, Cuban style, Casino style, etc. When this worthwhile project is done, the resulting video will be sold world-wide. DanceInTime and Hadar's Casino Rueda dancers from NY contributed together to a segment on Casino dancing for the video.

www.LatinMotion.com.au This is an elaborate website about Salsa Dancing in Australia---where to dance, what is going on, etc.

www.SalsaRueda.com This is a great site with lots of information on the Salsa Rueda classes run by Sidney, or Russ or Dawn in the San Francisco, CA. Russ originally brought Rueda to that area and this school remains strong with very able teachers and an enthusiastic group. Sidney trains a big women's team that is excellent..

www.BurntheDanceFloor.com This is a website run by a very talented young man named Raymondo whom I had the pleasure of dancing with at the Vancouver Rueda Competition. He has a dynamite style and he teaches as well as doing a lot with dance entertainment.

www.showtimedanceshoes.com If you want to buy shoes on line, this is a good source for dance shoes of all types. There are pictures so you know what you are buying.

www.Salsaweb.com This is the largest Salsa website in the world and there is an tremendous abundance of articles, shopping, and information on the site. Notably, they have a page on where to dance in all the major cities in the world! (Barb of DanceInTime writes the Northern Virginia page and the Baltimore pages for the site.)

www.SalsaCrazy.com This website has a good deal of information on dancing Salsa in the San Francisco area. They also have a nice links page for links to buy dance items on line, where to dance in other countries as well as the US, etc.

www.SalsaRoots.com This website out of California has material on the roots of Salsa music, as you might expect. It is an excellent source and there is an authentic feel to the site's information and photos.

www.socialgrid.com This website has info on dancing and social activities.

www.forrestvance.com or www.learn-to-dance.forrestvance.com This website offers instruction on learning to do ballroom dancing in the comfort of your home thorugh interactive dance videos. You can sign up for a free membership online.

www.rumbaycasino This is a site that has Salsa and Cuban music and information on dance in South Florida.

www.salsuba.com This is a site mainly with information on Salsa in and outside of the San Francisco area.

www.Salsaindy.com This is a very informative site in Indianapolis with lots of Salsa information and links, etc.

www.estebanconde.com This site deals with dance instruction in Orange County, which is in Southern California. The teacher is very dedicated and ambitious.

A. You can write to this email address and we’ll do our best to answer any questions: BarbBtalks@aol.com.

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