Today's featured salsa snack is the song El Cantante performed by Hector Lavoe. This episode features the following music: Latin cha cha cha by Ramon Escale Bartumeus Esta Tierra by Sean Fischer --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisweekinsalsa/message

Today we have Richie Kirwan and Marlene Navarro joining us. Richie is based in Liverpool, England and you may know him from his blog, The Dancing Irishman. Marlene is a salsera from Tampa and a Koreaboo - more on that in today's show. Resources mentioned on the show: Sound of Salsa in Liverpool, England ZISC talent show Online Dance Music/Resources…

Today's episode is a strange one. After the Zoom International Salsa Congress, some friends stuck on and we talked about the congress. Guests: Rosana Castellucci Ratna Suthar Alexander Gonzalez Guerline Thomas Natya Hans Celi Gueoli Emmanuel Vila Danielle Mari Diane Castellucci Resources mentioned in today's show: Zoom International Salsa Congress …

The Zoom International Salsa Congress is happening Saturday, April 25th! Buy your tickets now! We are hosting a Talent Show for all attendees so if you want to show off your talent (dancing, singing, juggling, baton twirling, etc) submit here! --- Joel Dominguez is on a crusade to dance with feeling. He is a native of Mexico where he was raised in …

Our guests on today's show are Kathleen Matos and Michael Johnson Kathleen Matos is a salsera who lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a performer on the Mambo Elegancia performance team. Michael Johnson is a salsero, bachatero and kizombero who lives in Austin, Texas. He DJs in Austin as DJ Cognition and you can connect with him on Facebook and SoundCl…

Our guests on today's show are Hong Kwon, Andres Caicedo and Rosana Castellucci Hong Kwon has been a salsa DJ for 10 years, record collector, 8 years in the Bay Area, 2 years in Philadelphia. He recently teamed up with 4 other DJs to form CoBeatParty which is a worldwide salsa community with over 14k members. Andres Caicedo took his first salsa cla…

Our guests on today's roundtable are Salil Bavdekar and Will Boose. Salil is a PhD graduate from University of Florida where he also taught salsa classes and was vice president of The Gator Salsa Club. He has DJed socials and run Latin nights in Gainesville and is also the founder of the Facebook group Salsa Memes for Spicy Teens. Will is an MA stu…

Picking the right dance partner is crucial to a successful dancing career. There's so much more to consider besides dance skills. Partners spend a lot of hours practicing, teaching, competing and traveling together.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisweekinsalsa/message…

Eddie Torres also known as "The Mambo King" is a living legend in the Latin dance community. He has trained world-famous salseros like Adolfo Indacochea, Wilton Beltre and Eddie Torres, Jr. Along with June Laberta, Eddie developed what we call New York style salsa where dancers break "on 2". He danced alongside and collaborated with Tito Puente. Li…

Traveling out-of-state and overseas to teach is a dream that many young instructors have. But where to begin? And what steps should one take in order to fulfill that dream? On this Podcast, we asked Jose Santamaria how he accomplished his dream of traveling and teaching overseas. It's not easy, he says, but it isn't impossible either. For him, it a…

Eddie Torres also known as "The Mambo King" is a living legend in the Latin dance community. He has trained world-famous salseros like Adolfo Indacochea, Wilton Beltre and Eddie Torres, Jr. Along with June Laberta, Eddie developed what we call New York style salsa where dancers break "on 2". He danced alongside and collaborated with Tito Puente. Li…

Anybody want to be a dance instructor? Where to start? How does an average instructor become great? Apparently, it takes more than just being a great dancer! Mike del Campo and his wife Gina have been teaching dance for more than 20 years. They are the owners of "Del Campo Dance Studio", one of the most popular and highly rated dance studios in Sac…

The World Latin Cup is this month. Dancers from all over the world will flock to Miami Beach and attempt to impress the judges to come home with a title. How do champions train for a dance competition? The road to any dance contest is hard, but it involves more than just learning and practicing a routine. On this Podcast episode of LDC, dance champ…

Why does Michelle like to hijack the lead from her partner when she social dances? Because sometimes it's a good idea! Listen to Michelle Donehew talk about how she comes up with new choreography, the importance of teaching beginners and how to manage a dance team effectively in order to have a strong dance community. Michelle was born in Hato Rey,…

DJ Mario B has been mixing tracks for more than ten years in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area. He's currently the resident DJ for the new Latin nightclub "Millennium",and he keeps everyone dancing for hours. How? He does his homework, he pays attention to the crowd, but most of all, he loves music. So what does it take to be a DJ? Click on the player below…

Today's chat is with Richie Kirwan, LDC author of When Dancing Becomes Groping: Time To Clean Up the Dance Scene! Sadly, within the Latin dance community there are some shady characters. Richie sheds light on these guys and Rob gives some self-defense tips for the ladies. If you enjoyed Richie's post, you are going to love this interview! This week…

This week's show features an interview with Jonathan Goldman. Jonathan plays trumpet for Spanglish Fly, a boogaloo bound based in NYC. If the name sounds familiar, that's because we had him on the show last year for his fantastic Fania 50-year anniversary tribute. He's back talking about the band's new album dropping on September 18th. Listen to th…

This week's show features an interview with Del Dominguez of Mixed Motion Art Dance Academy. Del is passionate about figuring things out and refining them to the best of his ability. This goes with his dancing, his art and his teaching. Known as a refined dancer and meticulous instructor, Del’s mission is to make MMA the go-to destination for highe…

Today's show features Michael Johnson, bachatero y salsero hailing from Gainesville, Florida. Mike is a wealth of knowledge on all things Latin dancing. This was a fun deep dive into the social dynamics side of the scene along with plenty of discussion about technique. Enjoy! This week's song is Fantasia by Quarter Street. I found this sweet tune c…

Over the past few days, one of our LDC posts has gone crazy viral! So naturally we turned it into a podcast episode :) Calling it Quits: Why Some Social Dancers are Hanging up Their Dance Shoes a powerful piece on the Latin dance community and why some dancers are opting out. And it has truly struck a chord with our readers. Hopefully it will do th…

This week's show is an awesome interview with Daniel Caicedo. It really just evolved into an awesome conversation about salsa dancing and the community. Denny's at it's best. Daniel is a native Colombian but a world traveler, currently living in Canada, eh. He's a salsero, teacher and salsa enthusiast and he shares his story and his views on the la…

Today on the show concludes my three part interview series direct from the Orlando Salsa Congress. This interview is with DJ Suave Beats who was the DJ in the bachata room on Saturday night at OSC. Ever want to get inside the mind of a DJ? Here's your chance! Enjoy :) This week's song is Hechicera Tú by Wuelfo and here's a beautiful social dancing …

Continuing our coverage from the Orlando Salsa Congress, I sit down with Leydi Barros of BAILA Society (BASo). She is an incredible dancer and performer up in NYC and we discuss how she got into salsa, her growth as a dancer and some of her experiences along the way. But mostly, it's just a fun conversation between two friends about something we bo…

Today's podcast was recorded at the Orlando Salsa Congress over July 4th weekend. It was a blast to record and epitomizes what I consider the congress experience. Hanging out, talking salsa and bumping into friends from all over. The conversation takes some twists and turns, starting out with Jonathan from Agape Dance Studio (Orlando) and Rey Colla…

Today's show is a little bit different. I go out on the mean salsa streets of Gainesville (aka University of Florida) to interview some of my students. Hear their stories about getting into salsa, how they have grown and advice for others. Today's closing song is A la memoria del muerto by Piper Pimienta Diaz. And don't forget to subscribe to the p…

Welcome to the podcast, live from my closet! Seriously, I think I just discovered how to improve the audio quality of this show 10x. All it takes is me sweating like crazy stuck in cramped quarters for the better part of an hour....or in some cases, my dog :) This week on the show, we are reviewing Rachel Cassandra's post, "So You Want to Be a Man?…

We're back!!!! On today's show, we cover all the new awesomeness happening on LDC including the following great reads: Joining the LDC Interview with Javier Padilla DanceInk But wait, there's more...did you know we have an event calendar? That's right, all the latin dance events coming up around the globe for you to check out. I go through some of …

Great post this week by Chilly Alisar on the different kinds of leaders. Check out my recap and some personal thoughts about leading! Oh and below is the Adolfo shine I'm currently learning :) Remember to leave us a review on Stitcher and iTunes and we'll give you a shoutout on the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/p…

For the past few months, I've been in a funk. I'm doing the same moves, over and over and over again, ad nauseam. But hey, that's what happens. None of us are strangers to the hated plateaus. But one way or another, we gotta get past them. Today on the show, I'll talk about my current plateau and what I'm going to try doing to get out of it ASAP! R…

Free Hugs. We get them every day in life and also when we dance. Today we explore the social etiquette around hugging and salsa as told in Free Hugs by Brisbane Salsero. Enjoy! Remember to leave us a review on Stitcher and iTunes and we'll give you a shoutout on the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisweek…

I came across a super cool technology this week, SoloShot, which follows you around and records you! I know, sounds creepy, but also super useful for salseros who want more video of their dancing. Today I discuss this tech (with myself), enjoy! Oh and here's the link to the prior episode I did on cool future technologies for the dance floor. Rememb…

Back in October of 2014, I met with the organizers of TEDxUF, the largest TEDx conference in the southeast, about an idea for a talk. Over the past six years, salsa dancing has completely changed my life and I wanted to share my experiences on stage. The organizers loved the idea and so did I, so I got the green light for A Brave New Salsa Dancing …

This week on the show we are revisiting Jason Haynes great post putting together his salsa congress dream team, entitled "The Greatest Salsa Congress....Ever!". I hope you enjoy the show and don’t forget to tell friends to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisweeki…

Today on the podcast we are recapping a great article written by Jazley Faith entitled "Bailando! College Students Get Their Salsa On". I dance salsa in a college town and teach for the Gator Salsa Club here in Gainesville so this recap of a night out salsa dancing at college definitely sounds familiar. Enjoy! I hope you enjoy the show and don’t fo…

Today on the LDC podcast, we are doing a recap of one of the posts from this week, When your non-dancing spouse doesn’t support your dance life. It's a very relevant and timely post for me since I just got engaged last week! I hope you enjoy the show and don't forget to tell friends to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher! --- Send in a …

Daybert Linares Diaz is a contributor to LDC and recently published a post entitled "CUBAN MUSIC: TO BE OR NOT TO BE PLAYED FOR SALSA DANCERS?". Today on the podcast, we are speaking with Daybert about this post and elaborating on the current lack of Cuban music in the salsa scene and why this music should be reintroduced at socials and congresses.…

2013 GRAMMY® Winner the Pacific Mambo Orchestra (aka the PMO) is a 20 piece musical group leading the rebirth of the Latin Big Band Sound. The PMO uses the traditions of the classic mambo-craze orchestras of the 1950s to deliver their original music and clever, modern arrangements of hit songs. Currently the only fully active Latin Big Band on the …

Soldiers Who Salsa is on a mission to enhance and enrich the lives of active and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families through a unique program incorporating therapeutic and social dancing with a variety of music and professional instruction. Today on the LDC podcast we are interviewing founder Jennifer Ables and former patien…

Today on the LDC podcast, we are doing a recap of one of the posts from this week, How do I tell him - he smells??? by Chilly Alisar. Some resources mentioned in today's show include: Thompson Tee w/ reinforced arm pits 10 foods that make you smell We hope you enjoy the show and don't forget to tell friends to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and…

Today on the show I am chatting with Richie Kirwan, contributor at LDC and The Dancing Irishman, about some of his latest posts including The Best Salsero You Can Be and What to do when you FK up while dancing. If you read Richie's stuff (and really who doesn't), this is a must-listen where we take a deeper dive into the ideas behind these posts …

Today's episode is a re-post from an excellent article on LatinDanceCommunity.com written by Richie Kirwan of The Dancing Irishman. It is a great read and the takeaway for me is that even though we are inspired by watching other dancers, only measure your progress against your former self, not against others. Remember to subscribe to the podcast on…

What will the future of salsa dancing look like? What technologies will change the way we dance and interact in the salsa scene? Today on the podcast, Rob plays Nostradamus and predicts new technologies that will impact our salsa community. From drones to Ironman suits and much more, prepare for your mind to be blown! Remember to subscribe to the p…

Last week, there was a thought-provoking blog post on RitmoySaborsalsa.com discussing the downsides of recording a move after you learn it from an instructor. It's a great post and everyone should read it. I do think that like many things in life, it depends and is not a black and white answer. I've gained enormous value out of recording patterns a…

Happy 2015! If there is one thing I love about the new year it's that it's resolution time! Today on the podcast we are talking all about setting your salsa goals for the year using the SMART apporach. Enjoy! Remember to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. And I would REALLY appreciate you leaving a 5-star review so that more people ca…

On December 2nd, the latin dance community lost Juan Flores at the age of 71. Mr. Flores was Director of Latino Studies at NYU and an expert on Latino culture. His research focused on Puerto Rican culture as well as the ethnographic unearthing of blackness in Latin music. If you want to check out some of his work, the book From Bomba to Hip Hop is …

Rachel Cassandra has come a long way since her first exposure to dancing (folk dancing to be precise). She is a true dancing journeyman (ok, woman) having danced salsa, bachata, swing, lindy and more. But then she found her love of kizomba which completely suited her body and preferences. She is founder of Kizomba Community and an instructor in Kiz…

Today on the show we are talking about all the ways that will never get you great at salsa. From signficant others to an aversion towards social dancing, listen in for the pitfalls towards becoming the next salsa dancing phenom. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisweekinsalsa/message…

Today on the show, we have some of LatinDanceCommunity's top writers talking about the latest and greatest articles about salsa dancing along with some random latin dancing topics. Listen in for a fun conversation! Resources mentioned in today's show: What Makes a Salsa Champion An Introduction to the Orishas…

Today on the show, we are talking about how to support your salsa community. If you don't, it may just not be there next month. In other news, I'm growing a mustache! Specifically, Movember is upon us and I'm raising money for men's health. Donate to my page here or join my team, The Stacheros, and raise money for the cause! Don't forget to check o…

Joining me today on the show is Rosana Lastra, my beautiful girlfriend! We talk about our connection as a couple on the dance floor, issues we've identified for improvement and about dating in the salsa scene in general. Enjoy! Don't forget to check out our other podcast episodes by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher and like us on F…