I had a enquired a few years back, that who are the prominent players in the Salsa teaching scene in Thane. I was given 2 names Nakul and Dipaali. I had the pleasure of meeting Nakul several times, but never knew who Dipaali was, Until I stumbled on a video on Facebook, it was a dance sequence with Cornell. I was at once blown over by the video and asked Dipaali Manddavkkar for a interview. She was generous enough to indulge. Below is the interview and the video! Do check out the interview below and if you are in thane, go and learn a few moves from Dipaali.

• 

  How and when did you get introduced to Salsa?

A: While working with GOLDS GYM I came 2 know about Salsa Dance Style in 2002 through a Work Shop. and fell in Love with Salsa & started learning..

• How long have you been dancing Salsa?which is your “other” favorite latin dance?

A: I have been Dancing Salsa since 2002…

I Like all the Latin & Latin Ballroom Dances.. But I love “RUMBA” after SALSA…

• What difference has Salsa made to your life?

A: Salsa has actually changed my Life…as After learning Salsa & other Latin Ballroom Dance Styles, Contemporary, Hip-Hop & Belly Dancing I started my own Dance & Fitness Studio ” PACE & PASSION’” in Thane…

Salsa has made me more Open minded & Social person..
I just forget the world when I Dance & teach Salsa..

The Most Important to mention I got a Chance to Star as a Lead in a Marathi Movie named ” THE STRUGGLERS AMHI UDYHACHE HERO”

• 

  When did you decide to take to Salsa dancing as a profession by being a instructor and performer? what is your experience with the same till now.

A: After falling in Love for Salsa & Latin Ballroom Dances I decided to take Salsa dancing as a Profession… Since then I’m not only teaching only in my studio But in many other places also…

Me & my Team take Corporate Workshops, College & School Workshops & also Perform, Choreograph for different Events.
We also give Our students the Chance to Perform in our own Annual Shows or other Events..

• 
  

  Have you attended Salsa congresses or festivals in India or abroad , if Yes can you describe some of those experiences to us?

A: Couldn’t Yet attend Salsa Congress.. But would Love 2 attend in near Future….

But I have Won All India Dance Sports Championship for consecutive 3 years..

• What kinds of dances does your dance school teach and where are you located?

A:

We teach
SALSA
BACHATA
MERENGUE
WALTZ
TANGO
SAMBA
RUMBA
PASO DOBLE
BOLLYWOOD
HIP HOP
CONTEMPORARY
BELLY
CHA CHA
JIVE…………..
you name it n u get it…..
Add: Pace & Passion the Dance & Fitness
Lok Puram Federation Hall, behind Regal Plaza,
Opp Hiranandani Meadows, Thane w. Contact 9967277202

Check out the video below

She is one Indian Salsa dancer who has made it big abroad, I have been always fascinated by her beauty and the heady spins she can do. Here I am copy/pasting few excerpts from her interview she did for Salsa Vancouver. One day I might get a chance to interview her.

Tasleem – Where are you originally from?

Magna – I was born in New Delhi and I lived there for the first six years of my life. And then I moved to Toronto, Canada, with my family. And I lived there for about nineteen years. Now I’m based out of New Jersey.

People often find it unusual that I would choose to salsa dance if I’m Indian. I have been asked many times why I chose salsa and not Bharat Natyam or Bollywood dancing (laugh). Have you ever gotten those kinds of comments?

A lot of people have mistaken me for being from some Latin country. So when they find out I’m Indian, some people do ask why I never did any sort of Indian dancing. But I never actually studied any type of dancing at all. My interest in salsa came about when I watched the movie Dance With Me. That’s what drew me to salsa. Maybe if I had watched more Bollywood films, perhaps I might have gotten more into Indian dancing instead. But now that I’m at where I am with my dancing, I have a greater appreciation for other dances and would definitely like to study other forms of dance, but I just happened to fall into salsa first.

I am intrigued by the Facebook messages I often get from “Salsa India”. What is the salsa scene like in India?

I don’t know what year they’re in right now. But the first year I went, it was 2005 or 2006, and they were already in their 2nd or 3rd year there of the Salsa Indian Festival. They have two events over there. One of my friends Kaytee is the one who does the Salsa India Festival in Mumbai. And there are actually A LOT of dancers there. In every year that I’ve been there and seen them, they’ve progressed SO much. It was incredible and I was surprised. I mean, I was already surprised to go back to Delhi, where they first did the event. And it was just really surreal for me to go back to where I was born, to teach salsa, of all dances. And then in the few years I’ve been back, it’s been amazing. It’s just a really good scene, and the dancers are all very dedicated.

Does anything stand out to you about your travels to various salsa communities around the world?

I find that in a lot of countries where Latin dancing is not part of the culture, where people have not grown up with the music, those countries and those cultures tend to put a lot more effort into learning and mastering the dance. They don’t believe that they were born with it, so they take many classes, practise a lot, and put time into joining dance groups or teams. In particular, in many of the Asian countries I’ve been to, the dancers have been phenomenal, beyond my belief.

Do you think dancing can be learned at a high level even if a person doesn’t have a background in it or an environment in which they grew up in it? You learned it really quickly, without taking many lessons at all. Do you think it’s something that you either have or you don’t, or is it something that can be learned?

I would say that it’s a combination of both. I know people who are more dedicated than anyone I’ve ever met, but their level of progress is somewhat stinted. There’s just something that’s still missing, you know?
At the same time, growing up with the dancing or music doesn’t make you a fantastic dancer either.
The good thing about salsa dancing is that it’s not as rigid as other forms of dancing. It’s very social, it’s a dance that’s open to all ages, all body types, and for that reason, it’s very liberal in what it permits. And because it’s liberal in that sense, it doesn’t require the same kind of technique you’d need in ballet, for instance. As long as you have your basics, and you can follow decently, you could still have fun, and people would have fun with you, and you could progress on that level.

What do you think has helped you progress so quickly?

A lot of people tell me, “You just have it”. I think that comes from a very strong awareness of my body. And when you’re aware of your body, to the smallest fibers in it, you can manipulate it and create whatever you want. For the people who I know who still keep taking lessons all the time, and they’re still not there yet, at the level they want to be, it’s because they still don’t look comfortable in their body. If you’re not comfortable in your body, it’s probably because you don’t understand what it’s doing, or when it’s doing something. It still feels very awkward to you. When everything that you’re doing – all of your movements, how you got there, how you maintained it, how you got out of it – is something that you can comprehend, and you can also be in that moment instead of looking at your body from the outside in, then I think you progress much faster. That’s when the sky’s the limit.

What do you do to achieve this awareness?

I think one of my reasons for my personal progress has been because EVERYTIME I dance, it’s an active moment. EVERYTIME I dance, I’m thinking about what I’m doing, how my body is feeling. I ask myself, “Why did I lose my balance?” Or I experiment and say, “Let me try something different the next time I do that move and see how that works.” I am actively involved in every aspect of my dance. The more active you are, the more you can get out of it. It’s really a matter of being active. If you want something, go for it in every breath that you breathe.If you’re getting into the dancing passively, then you might not progress in every aspect of the dancing. Socially, I think you see that a lot. There are some dance teams that are FANTASTIC performers but not as good at social dancing. And there are some people who are awesome instructors but they can’t dance as well socially.

Art knows no barrier.

It comes to people, overstepping each & every border, overpowering each and every obstacle.

The beauty of an art form lies in its ability to enable people express themselves!

The art of Dance – always running through your different moods, trying to hunt for that one emotion, that one feeling you want to express most; it breaks through all your barriers, each & every inhibition, unifies emotion with action and voila – it’s self expression at its best.

What is the inspiration behind SE7EN – Mumbai`s 1st Latin Dance Theatre ?

Baile -de- Salón - Ballroom Academy, Mumbai is taking a whole new step in being the mediator between the art and your emotion.

There are those of you who love Dance. There are those of you who love Theatre. Many, love Dance & Theatre!

Baile -de- Salón - Ballroom Academy combines Dance & Theatre together for the first time in history of Latin Dancing in Mumbai!

What is the concept “SE7EN” ?

Since the beginning of time, there have been two sides fighting back and forth with each other. One side pushing for destruction, the other looking for peace.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride) have taken on human form and are working towards corrupting the world and destroying the 7 Virtues (Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility), who have also gained human forms.

They fight continually in an endless war; both sides have found themselves at a stalemate. The only way to end this war is by using humans. Since the sins and virtues are equally matched in power both sides must win over humans to help them fight the other.

Watch the sins and virtues face-off each other through Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Argentine Tango, Cha Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Latin Jazz, Casino Rueda, Brazilian Tribal, Malevos & Salsa Shines.

When is the show and where can we get the tickets ?

On Saturday, 28^th January at the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium, Breach Candy, 5pm onwards.

Passes available on BookmyShow.com — http://in.bookmyshow.com/events/SE7EN-Mumbais-1st-Latin-Dance-Theatre/ET00008711

Tito Puente Jr., who’s father put both salsa and mambo music on the world map, says the hip-swiveling, arm-swinging dance can be a great alternative to the gym.

“Salsa dancing is a very healthy way to stay in shape — and enjoy the company of different people,” Puente, son of the legendary Tito Puente, told Fox News Latino’s Dr. Manny.

Puente Jr., a musician who performed at the official after party of the Academy Awards last month, released “Got Mambo?” last year. This week, he released a new album called Tito Puente Jr. “Greatest club remixes.”

Watch him speak about why salsa dancing is better than step aerobics, and even merengue.

Salsa Dancing as Fitness? Tito Puente Jr. Touts It

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF DANCE

“Let’s say Salsa is a language. You first learn the alphabets then the words and then the basic rules of grammar. Then we teach you to form sentences to express yourself. And finally you learn to think in the language so that you can write your own story.” These are the words of Vineet Bangera who has recently co-founded The Dance Factory with Sahiba Sawhney. Dance cannot be learnt by rote as mere steps and it is this belief that has pushed them to set-up a company that aims at giving its students quality dance education. The Dance Factory is about creating artists and not just dancers. It’s about understanding music, communicating with dance, developing your personality and allowing your own personal style to emerge and therefore making dancers a complete package. While setting up dance classes in Mumbai is the first step, it’s far from the last. The Dance Factory will eventually launch apparels and products related to dance. But above these plans, Vineet and Sahiba want to make The Dance Factory into an institute that nurtures quality artists whose talent and skill are their own certificate in dance. The Dance Factory is also going to provide a platform to all talented dancers in the country to make a career of this art form. If you have the passion we will show you the way.

An engineer by qualification, technique and detailed understanding of the subject is a way of thinking for Vineet. A fashion designer by qualification, style and grace is Sahiba’s forte. Together they are technically sound, stylish, fast and precise. With deep love for music, they make sure that their students dance to the music and not on counts and therefore maintain a strong harmony between dance and music. The duo have been teaching salsa and dancing together for a decade now. They have taught and performed at various events in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa, Pune and Surat within India and in festivals across the globe including Istanbul, Antalya, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Paris, Malaysia, Bangkok, Bali, Sydney, Dubai, Slovenia, Croatia.

The Dance Factory has started its first batch at Sparks Centre in Grant Road. Classes are conducted on Mondays and Thursdays (8-9pm Basics and 9-10pm Improvers). The first class was held on Thursday, 10^th February. To join the current batch, drop in on Monday, 12^th February. For further information call on (98200-**-TDF) i.e. 98200-97-833 or 98200-59-833.

The Dance Factory - Rethinking Dance….

Watch this video below of Vineet Bangera and Sahiba Sawhney at the II International Turkish Festival.

Lourd Vijay (founder –Director of LVDS) is a phenomenal dancer, an innovative choreographer and a very able instructor. Of his most recent accomplishments, Lourd Vijay counts being invited to conduct Salsa workshops at the World Salsa Congress, Italy and thrilling workshops conducted by him in Colombo and Bangkok, and at Salsa Festivals in Hong Kong. He also has fond memories of choreographing and working in many theatre productions and Bollywood Production including the Jackie Chan starrer ‘The Myth”

• Can you tell us how and when did you get in to salsa? Who inspired you?

Ans: Got into salsa in 1996 after getting enamoured by the form while watching the movie Dirty dancing and My first tryst and physical experience with Salsa happened in Toronto, Canada during about the same time.

• Richard and sneha are the most successful dancers to conme out of lvds? How has thier success changed you and lvds?

Ans: Yes they are the most famous Indian salsa dancers on the international scene. After having won the European open salsa masters, the australian salsa classic, being the first indians to qualify for the ESPN world salsa championship n reaching the finals of India’s got talent….Yes their success has made us popular on the Indian entertainment scene and people have begun to recognize us as a premier dance insitution in the country with many international titles to our credit. I have also been appointed the Ambassador of the Hong kong salsa festival n judge of the Asia pacific salsa open championship, the fact that I brought salsa to India is another feather to our cap,  So these achievements have been brought to the fore in the main stream.

• what are the plans this year for 5th Annual India International Salsa congress? Can you give us a preview on what we can expect?

Ans: Will send it in the next mail…Click here for details

• I understand you have spread out lvds in Bangalore, chennai and also in Delhi? When can we see a great dance school like yours in Mumbai?

Ans: Very very soon…

• what are you future plans to promote salsa? Any more TV shows happening?

Ans: Oh there are a lot of plans to promote salsa and dance…

But something big is underway on a mass media platform… Which the whole country will witness soon.a lot of work has been carried out under the “B a star” project which was initially called the street kids dance initiative. About 600 kids from socio economically weaker sections have benefitted from the program… And we are looking forward to taking dance to each n everyone of them thru this initiative.

• How and when did you get introduced to Salsa? Who were your teachers who helped you hone your dancing Skills?

I was studying in a small university town- iowa city, USA -where i went our dancing and saw this soulful dance which looked like jiving. Though I managed to pick up the steps, i realised that i was quite offbeat. I resolved to learn the dance asap. We had a student who was conducting salsa workshops in the university and I learnt my basics from him- Modei – a mix of Latin and African parents. Hanging out at the local salsa pubs with Latin students helped me add finesse and passion to the steps. Later on i went to learn other forms of Latin ballroom in Washington DC from world champions- Maria and Martin- and was an instructor in their studio there.

• What difference has Salsa made to your life?

Besides making me a more social person Salsa has immersed me in a new culture- that of Latin Americans. This dance has helped me keep fit- physically and mentally. It has won me many friends around the world . I have also been able to help absolute newcomers to learn dancing and this has boosted the confidence of many aspiring salseros. I also learnt Spanish to understand Salsa better.

My students have varied from teenagers to those leading a busy corporate life to senior citizens. It gives me immense pleasure to see someone happy while dancing. And of course salsa has given me an alternate profession- Two Left Feet – a dance group that we started to teach dancing to people who are short of time and want to learn it in a fun and fast manner.

• How long have you been dancing Salsa? which is you “other” favourite Latin dance?

Its been 12 years since I first danced salsa. After that it has literally been a way of life. Brazilian Samba and Argentine tango are my other favorite Latin dances. The fun and footloose Samba is exactly opposite to the passionate and disciplined Tango.. yet they mesmerise the soul and body alike.

• What do you think about the Salsa Parties happening in Mumbai?
  

It is heartening to see more salsa parties in Mumbai after I first started dancing with Devika Shahani at Liquid Lounge in 2002.  Now there are atleast 4-5 places in a week to dance salsa. I look forward to seeing more live music salsa parties and maybe open air parties too.

• How many Salsa congresses in India and around the world have you attended?
  

I have attended one each in Bangalore and Bombay.One of the first things that I do when i travel is to go dancing at a salsa club. i have danced in more than 25 cities across more than 15 countries in the world.  I enjoyed the Salsa congress the most in Amsterdam and Berlin.

• How does your family react to your passion for Salsa? Do they support you?

When I first started to dance, it was an uphill task convincing my parents as the perception of the dance was very negative in India. Over the years they have seen me perform and the dance has also received rave reviews. Now they are proud to inform people about my passion for dancing.

Q: What do you think is your biggest contribution to dance scene in Mumbai in particular?

ANS: Giving the people in Mumbai to see quality work and an opportunity to see world class Dancers / Teachers from different parts of the World. Keeping Dance alive and taking it to another level to some extent. Not to forget giving people an opportunity to travel around the world and perform too.

Q: Tell us how you manage to run your dance school, when you are virtually travelling all over the world participating is Salsa congresses, isn’t it time you concentrate at home?

ANS: If I get invited across the Globe as an Artist to teach and perform and spread my knowledge, Why not? I am honoured to be one of the few Asians who gets invited across the world every single month to teach at Big Dance Festivals. I feel like a Dance Ambassador of India and this helps me promote India across the World. It helps me put India in the Map.
As far as India is conscerned I give equal importance to my 25 Studios across Delhi, Bombay, Kolkata and Pune. I am happy to have a team who I can trust and are super talented. There is a bigger picture for India which I am working on and people will see it for themselves when time comes.

Q: Why are you promoting other dance forms like hip hop? When clearly you are a Salsa specialist?

ANS: I am a Salsa specialist and thats why I teach Salsa. As a promoter I have the source to get down teachers for other dance forms, so why not promote other dance forms as well? My background in Dance started with Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary and so on. I still love those dance forms, infact for me a dancer needs to be versatile. As a dance promoter its my duty to promote as many dance forms as I can. As a specialist I teach only the forms I excel in.

Q: Can you tell our readers 5 reasons they shouldn’t miss the Ist bachata festival?

ANS:

1: Its the 1st Bachata Festival in India
2: An opportunity to learn different Dance forms from well known International Instructors like Dom, Marion, Vanessa, James and so on.
3: Its cheap as compared to other Congresses around the world.
4: An opportunity for people to perform and participate on a plat form like this
5: Its time to increase your vision as a dancer or as a choreogrpaher.

Q:  Whats your vision about the festivals, are we going to have a Salsa festival also, or you are sticking to bachata festival?

ANS: The Festivals I organize in India are the Salsa India Festival, Delhi Salsa Get Away, Goa Salsa Festival and Bachata Festival in India. These festivals will keep happeninig along side other Big Salsa Congresses I co-organize and promte like Turkey International Salsa Congress, Salsa Cruise Asia, Dance Cruise Asia, Berlin Salsa Congress, Rome Salsa Festival, Bologna Salsa Festival and so on.
It looks easy to organize such festivals but only I know and those who do similar events know how difficult it is to organize just one such event, specially when we have no sponsors.

I promice this. As long as my passion remains I will keep doing such festivals and keep giving people in India to see, learn and interact with the best in the field of dance without having to leave India for it.

As a part of the new series, every month I intend to do one interview with one of the leading Salsa Instructors, we could do with a bit of a perspective from the instructors point of view, here is kick starting this series with the celebrity Salsa Instructor Sandip Soparrkar.

Q- How can you describe yourself? A dancer/choreographer/instructor/celeb? Can you elaborate on the same?

A- i am a dance teacher and a choreographer… coz i feel that dance is an art and its learnt over a period of time… instructor are ment for things which are not subjects… and teachers are for subjects and dance is surely a subject… that needs dedication and devotion..

Q – We are very interested in the styles of latin dancing you teach, particularly Salsa? Where & whom have you learned Salsa from?

A – i have done my training as a dance teacher from.. ballroom dance training school, bonn, germany… its an ISTD institute… salsa was one of my special subjects along with the greek dance the zorba…

Q – As per my records, you teach at only at 2/3 locations while other instructors have 7/8 minimum location, is teaching dance your only vocation, or what is the reason you have not opened more centres like say Shiamak Davar?

A- yr information is old… we have many branches in mumbai… chowpatty, worli, prabhadevi, bandra, santacruz, andheri, goregaon and navi mumbai… apart from mumbai we have classes in two place in pune (koregaon park and MG road), a’bad, surat, h’bad and an international branch in kathmandu… we are not opening our next branch in delhi from feb…

Q – Your students have always complained that you are very strict while teaching. Is this kind of high handed behaviour necessary?

A- ha ha now thats funny… i do not think we are strict at all.. we teach dance… coz we feel that… dance is fun but at the same time its serious fun… it is an art form that needs to develop respect in india and has not reached that level yet… in indian classic classes the respect for dance and the form is tremendous… so why not for western forms too… indian must look at western form not just as a hobby and a thing for spending time…but an art that will develop then as a human being…

Q – As per my knowledge you are essentially a ballroom dancer, who also teaches Salsa, many people who have watched your students perform Salsa, complain that the style is very ballroomised? (if that can be term).So the question is, do you focus more on teaching Ballroom that Salsa?

A – yes i am essentailly a Ballroom and Latin dance teacher… I learnt salsa as a special subject… to me salsa is a great mix of different forms and cultures too… many studios teach salsa with lot of hip hop and jazz mixed too… their salsa is not termed as hip hopish salsa… so why is what i teach called ballroomish….

Q – I have heard you don’t like to mingle with students from other dance schools, so your parties are closed? Can we expect some big event from your Studio which will set the bench mark for other dance schools?

A- you have lot of wrong informations about our studio… our stuido parties are always open to all.. many other studio people and many other siders who arenot a part of any studio and are just dance lovers … do come for our gathering… every yr we celebrate the international dance day in a big way… where all my students, troup dancers, celebrity students and me.. we all dance..

thanks
regards
sandip soparrkar

Salsa Classes @

waves gym
opp infinity mall,
morya estate,
andheri west

shivai gym
poonam nagar
andheri east

Eco FitnessS,V road,
opp MTNL
Goregoan West

Body Attitude
chincholi bandar road
malad west

RImbiius Spectra Club
link road
kandivali west

Pro – Fit fitness centerthakur village
kandivali east

xplore dance company
will be soon starting in pune………

salsa party

tuesday @ vie lounge 9pm to 12
thursday @ H2O  9 pm to 12
saturday @ Soda 8pm to 11
–
Ravi Akhade
Xplore Dance Company
+91 9820988025