I wanted to let you know that Carlos Lazo, the nice gentleman (and Great dancer) who you may have met or seen at Selena’s Saturday Night Salsa parties, is teaching dance classes in Kirkland.  I have put his CONTACT info up on the INSTRUCTORS & CLASSES section of this blog, so you can reach him for more info.

ahi nama!

Roberto Borrell Cuban Dance Weekend March 26-28

Friday night
Timba: Dancing in Time
Lecture/demo at Spitfire Grill in Belltown
Music and video from Roberto’s collection along with live dance demonstration in his fluid, effortless style!
7:30 pm

Saturday
At My World Dance and Fitness Studio
1-2:30 Folkloric dance class
4-5 Lecture-style listening class
5-6:15 Popular dance

Sunday
At My World Dance and Fitness Studio
1-2:30 Folkloric dance class
3-4 Listening class
4-5:15 Popular dance

Timba: Dancing in Time
7 pm at SLAB Georgetown (south branch of Seattle Drum School)

Folkloric Dance $18
Popular $15
Listening $12
Friday lecture demo: $5
Sunday lecture demo: pay what you can!

The Cuban Bootcamp Special!
Folkloric + Popular $28
Listening + Popular $24

Locations:

My World Dance and Fitness Studio
849 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA 98144

Spitfire Bar and Grill
2219 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121-2058

Seattle Drum School Georgetown
1010 S. Bailey
Seattle, WA 98108

Description of classes

Folkloric: mostly Yoruba (Lucumi) dance with emphasis on footwork and its correspondence to the rhythms of the batá drums. Great foundational class for beginners and experienced dancers alike.

Popular: Dance traditions from early twentieth century to the sixties (mas ó menos): danzón, danzón-cha, son, son montuno, cha cha cha. Emphasis on footwork and proper body mechanics along with Roberto’s unique perspective on historical and social contexts. Again, a great foundational class for beginners and experienced dancers.

Listening class: lecture-style class with detailed explanations of popular dance song structure and musical cues for dancers. This is a rare opportunity to learn about the evolution of Cuban musical styles from danzón to son and son montuno through cha cha cha from Roberto’s unique perspective as a dancer and musician for fifty years. Great for both musicians and dancers.

Roberto is also available for private lessons, and can be reached at duquesne1@hotmail.com

Questions? 206/353-3527
Email mowimbale@yahoo.com

Updates on Facebook group Roberto Borrell in Seattle: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=167304009898

Bio from the Roots of Timba Project in San Francisco:
Roberto Borrell learned traditional and popular Afro-Cuban dance, percussion, and song from master musicians and dancers while growing up in la Havana Vieja, Havana, Cuba. He is a respected dancer and percussionist of Afro-Cuban Yoruba, Abakua (Calabar), Rumba, Arará (Dahony), and Palo (Congo). He also is an expert in pronunciation of the non-Spanish languages one must use to sing these Afro-Cuban genres, as well as being a master dancer and teacher of Cuban popular dance styles such as son montuno, danzón, and cha cha cha.
Roots of Timba Project
http://www.creativeworkfund.org/modern/bios/roberto_borrell.html

Bio from Boogalu Productions:
http://www.boogalu.com/generic_roberto.borrell.html

Roberto’s Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/robertoborrell

I woke up this morning to Daylight Savings Time. Remember to reset your clocks … or you’ll be late to practica!

Kyra

• Jose Carrión, former lead dancer/choreographer with Cuban dance troupe, Cutumba of Santiago de Cuba.
• Freila Merencio, from Havana, Cuba, folkloric/modern dancer and former dancer of Raices Profundas.
• Michael Spiro, Grammy-nominated recording artist, educator, and percussionist with San Francisco’s  La Moderna Tradición.
• Pedro Vargas, former percussionist with Buena Vista Social Club artist Barbarito Torres.
• Carlos Cascante of Tumbao and Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
• Elspeth Savani and Miguel Muñoz of Orchestra Zarabanda.
• And one of the people who has nutured Cuban music and dance in Seattle for so many years, Roberto Borrell.

$15, starts 7:30pm

http://www.directflightcuba-seattle.com/

http://www.thetripledoor.com/Calendar/Events/March-2010/Direct-Flight–Havana-Seattle.aspx?date=2010-03-27

We are so excited! We’ll be up from San Francisco, visiting Seattle and teaching for a few days after the Vancouver Rueda Festival (April 9-11).

We’ll be teaching in Seattle on two nights:

Tuesday, April 13th (8 – 10pm at My World Dance Center – click for map)

Wednesday, April 14th (6 – 10pm at Crown Hill Arts/Elementary – click for map)

Stay tuned for more details about class descriptions and information about pre-registration. (Sidney’s Body Movement / Salsa Workout class will definitely be in the lineup!) Please email us at ryanandsidney@gmail.com if you would like to request a specific type of class. We’d love your input!

We will also be available for private lessons April 12th – 15th.

And just for fun, you can check out our performances from the 2010 SF Salsa Rueda Festival:

(Saturday Performance with 4 couples) (Sunday Performance with 12 couples)

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Ryan and Sid

www.RuedaConRitmo.com

301-775-6142