iSalsa2 Workshop Series: Carmen Guynn

As part of the ongoing workshop series that iSalsa2 puts forward, the very talented Carmen Guynn made the trip from St. Louis to the University of Illinois campus for a workshop this past Saturday at the CRCE multi-purpose room. This is not the first class Carmen has taught for us, and we were very pleased to have her return.

The three hour workshop, which was free for any UIUC students, covered a refreshing variety of material – we spent time first on basic technique, then moved on to some more advanced partner work, and finished by learning a bit of in-depth choreography (or “shines,” for those of you familiar with the term).

With a relatively small class size, we had the benefit of a great deal of personal attention from miss Guynn, which made the material quick to learn and a hell of a lot of fun. I’d say what I took most from the workshop was leading cues – Carmen paid a lot of attention to the guy’s hand placement and how to let our partners know where we needed them to be, which I feel is a skill of paramount importance that is sometimes glossed over in beginner classes.

All in all, we had a fantastic time, and learned a lot. I certainly hope to see miss Guynn here again, and remember, the workshops are free for UIUC students (and only $10 otherwise). A big thanks and high-ten to Carmen from all of us at iSalsa2.

Friday Night Salsa at Cafe Luna

Last Friday night was iSalsa2’s first outing to the new location of Café Luna in downtown Champaign for a night of salsa. Luna’s new place is in the old train station building (the south side, bordering University Avenue, immediately across the street from the Illinois Terminal), and has a lounge area suited perfectly to our purposes. Drinks, couches, and tables were on hand for everyone there, which made the venue quite comfortable. The night got going after 9:00- I didn’t get there until after 11:00, but everything was in full swing by the time I arrived.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, as this was the first time I had been to an event with the organization outside of classes. I was pleasantly surprised to find people not just from class, but from all around the community. Seeing experienced salsa dancers really for the first time was quite the experience- you see that they’re speaking the same language that you’re learning, but at the same time that they’ve made it their own. Each has their own style, their own inflection, and watching them come to common ground on the dance floor gave me some kind of perspective on why people love this dance so much. It seems to let them speak to their personalities in ways that words can sometime muddle up.

I have to say that as a beginner I was a bit intimidated (I’ve only been dancing for a couple months now), but the mood was incredibly genial, and people were happy to teach you a thing or two if you wanted it. So, I danced a little, watched a lot, and enjoyed every bit of it. The DJ catered to all tastes- there was plenty of merengue and bachata thrown in, and the selection was lively right to the end. All told, the night was a success, and lit a fire under me to get out and learn as much as I can so that next time around, I can do more dancing and less watching. I really hope to see some of you there the next time we go out- It’ll be a memorable night!

Wayne Gorbea in Concert

Hey hey hey!

This one is a great one. Check out the video of Wayne Gorbea y Salsa Picante in Concert. They are an icon of contemporary Salsa, and in particular Salsa Dura New York style.

Enjoy!

iSalsa2 Season Finale

Tuesday, December 4th

Join iSalsa2 for the Season Finale.

Dancing festivities at 9:30 everybody's invited!

Wear your iSalsa2 gear!

Michael Jackson and La Vida Es Un Carnaval

For the the 25th anniversary of Thriller, most probably the most sold album of all times, we found a video that pays a tribute to MJ dancing routines, but with the music of Salsa Queen Celia Cruz.

The video is also available on iSalsa2 TV.