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Monday, June 29, 2009
The Santa Fe Salsa Rueda Festival makes its second appearance this weekend
By Emily Van Cleve
For the Journal
Latin dance involves a lot of hip action, but salsa instructor Carlos Mora says students shouldn't worry about their hips while learning the steps. Paying attention to your feet is the key to mastering the movements.
"The feet need to connect with the music," he explained. "Then, the hips will follow. I like to tell my students that if you can walk, you can learn Latin dance."
Mora is part of a group of salsa dance teachers from New Mexico, California and Minnesota who help make Latin dance accessible through workshops at the Santa Fe Salsa Rueda Festival, which takes place Friday and Saturday at Moving People Dance's Santa Fe studio.
Salsa Rueda is one of the dance styles taught during the festival. It involves two or more couples forming a circle, while a leader calls out steps and movements for the couples to do.
This is the festival's second year. Mora says he started it last year as a way of fulfilling a lifelong dream.
"One of my life's purposes is to share Latin dance with the whole world," he said. "I want to make Latin dance available to everybody."
Women should not be hesitant to attend the workshops without a partner. Mora says more men than women often take part in classes he has taught at Pomegranate Studio in Santa Fe and at other studios around the country. "Ladies might find true love on the dance floor," he said.
Women are given special attention during Haley Constable's Lady Styling workshops. These for-women-only classes provide a safe and comfortable environment for shaking hips and exploring provocative movements that are part of Latin dance.
"There's a sexy, feminine and fun quality to salsa dancing," Constable said. "In my classes, we'll explore footwork, arm styling, timing and following techniques."
Hip movement is also central to Bachata dancing, which is taught by Mora and Adam Metcalf. The dance form originated in the Dominican Republic, Mora's country of birth.
"There are two different styles of the dance," Mora explained. "There's the modern style, that the young people are doing, and the tango version. I'll teach a mix of the two styles so people get the flavor of both."
Classes are 50 minutes long, with a short question-and-answer session after the instruction. The Friday night dance party also includes informal performances by some of the festival's dance instructors.
If you go
WHAT: Santa Fe Salsa Rueda Festival 2009
WHEN: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4
WHERE: Moving People Dance, 1583 Pacheco St.
HOW MUCH: $15 for an individual workshop; $10 for Friday night dance party at Oddfellows, 1125 Cerrillos Road. For more information, call (505) 426-7471.
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