Development of Salsa in Romania - would you be interested?

[salsero-Romania]

Dear friends on Dance Forums,

I am taking the liberty of writing to you, on behalf of myself and my dance partner, to resort to your help. Why do we need this help? Because we are isolated here, with not much connection to the Salsa World but the Internet. This is due to the following:
- lack of professional trainers - we learned 'word of mouth' more or less... by watching the small videos we can find on the Internet mostly.
- lack of access to information, impossibility to attend international events due to very scarce financial resources, complete lack of local events

What I'm trying to tell you is that we would need your help to improve and help to the development of Salsa in Romania. We have already made a few steps in this direction, by asking any foreing dancer that happened to visit our country to teach us anything (trust me, there weren't many coming). So, what we actually would need from you is any kind of material that you want to spare. I mean, at present we dance LA style here, but would be very interested to learn NY, Cuban, Puerto-Rican and Rueda de Casino (we have some Rueda, we know the basic step, but use locally conceived patterns, not the international ones). Of course, if any of you guys want to visit our country, just write to one of us and we'll tell you anything that you need to know about Romania and see you to the best dance venues here. We would love to have you visit our country.
If you think you can and want to help us, we're waiting for feedback from you, to let us know how to proceed from now on.

We were fortunate enough these days to have here two dancers, one of them a member of DF, who have taught us many new and very fascinating things, especially shines and styling (which we don't have much here). We are very grateful to them and want to take this opportunity to thank them again.

If any of the DF members is interested in paying us a visit, please do not hesitate: Romania is a beautiful country!

Thank you very much.

Dragos

[SDsalsaguy]

Heya DFers... if you have any older or spare videos this would be a great thing to do with them. I've checked with Dragos and he actually has access to equipment to view any format of Videos or DVDs so, if you have anything you'd be willing to contribute, you'd actually be helping develop a national salsa scene... :D :D :D

[salsero-Romania]

Thanks for help SDsalsaguy.......
and we hope many people read this post and maybe ....want to help us

[youngsta]

I've got a salsa brava beginner video I'm more than willing to donate!

[SDsalsaguy]

Way to go youngsta! That's one!

[salsero-Romania]

wowwwww.....salsa brava...i hear many good things about they....thanks youngsta.....you are a good men!

[DanceMentor]

Chances are really good I will be coming to Romania before the end of the year. I would be happy to show you what I know.

[salsero-Romania]

wow....good news for us ....we will expect u here .....and if u need something about/from Romania for tour travel ....just ask me and squirrel

sorry for my english

[DanceMentor]

I actually have 3 different friends who are living in Romania right now. My closest frined lives in Constanta. I also have a friend in Bucharest and a friend in Drajna. I'm hoping to go this fall. I would be happy to teach a few classes for free. I've been teaching salsa for about 10 years here in Atlanta. I can't promise that I'm coming, but it will make it easier knowing that I will have friends that can help me around when I get there. :wink:

[squirrel]

:) DanceMentor, this is great news! Wow! I might get to meet another fellow salsero from the dance forums! SUUUUUPER!
When you come, if you do, please let us know and we'll try and help as much as possible... with any info you might need... and give you a tour of the city... and take you with us to our clubs! We would be honoured if you joined us!

[Lofland]

I may visit Bucharest this summer, sorry I'm just a beginner at salsa myself. Do you dance on1 or on2 there?

[squirrel]

hi lofland! does it matter that you are a beginner? not to us...

we would be most happy to meet you and make new salsa friends...

let us know when you come and we'll help you with the info you might need and we'll go out together...

we dance on 1 but we wanna learn on 2. any style is interesting... and beginners are our friends also...

write if and when you come... and even if you don't come... we hope we become friends...

[salsero-Romania]

Lofland ...welcome to DF! and we will expect you in our country!

[Pacion]

I just saw something that suggests that Luis Vazquez and Melissa Fernandez, ex Salsa Brava will be doing a mini tour to Russia and Poland, amongst other places. If you contact them for details, perhaps you might be able to arrange something with them, seeing as they will be 'in the region' already?

[SDsalsaguy]

[Tangent]

She's fun to dance with! :D

[End tangent]

OK, what else can our DF family do to help out? Enquiring minds want to know... :wink:

[Pacion]

Who is fun to dance with? :? :lol:

[SDsalsaguy]

Melissa you silly goose! :lol:

[Pacion]

quack, quack! :twisted: :lol:

Just thought I would clarify, for Enquiring minds :wink:

[squirrel]

Super news, Pacion... we'll try and contact them and maybe they can make a short 'detour' for us...

[Anette]

Hello!
My name is Anette, and I'm from Sweden. I've been dancing salsa for 1,5 years. I dance LA and rueda. Last summer I was in Buenos Aires dancing and studying for 5 weeks, excellent! This summer I'm coming to Romania for a month and I'm planning to travel around a bit. Thinking of Moldova...Belgrad or maybe Sofia... and of course Bukarest, don't know yet. I have a hotelroom the last two weeks in Mamaia but the first two are not planned. Do you have any hot salsatips for the area? Would you like me to teach you what I know? Can I join you dancing??
Are there any salsotecas in Constanta?
Please contact me on mail:
astromfors@hotmail.com
:D Hope to hear from you!

[Lucretia]

Welcome to DF Anette!

I don't have any tips for your trip to Romania. But if you go to Gothenburg some other time I can help you.

/luc

[squirrel]

Heloo Anette! I guess we found each other! :)

[Sagitta]

Heloo Anette! I guess we found each other! :) Cool. Hope you two can hook up. :D And welcome to df Annette. :)

[azzey]

Unfortunately I'll not be in Romania any time soon, but I could donate my complete video clip collection. Currently over 1200 high quality video clips of professional dancers of LA and NY styles.

You say you've learnt from video clips on the internet? I just downloaded your SalaGalaxy DVD video clip - Nice dancing. I'd say your technique is closest to NY/PR with the merest hint of Cuban at the moment, apart from the neck drops of course. ;)

Since you're both already good dancers I'd say you should be able to change your style to whatever you like using video clips and filming yourself for comparison. Most of the essential technique has already been discussed in this forum but I'd be happy to answer any questions about LA style if that will help. Would be easier if we were refering to the same video source material for illustration.

I have some additional video material on Cuban and Rueda which I could send your way also, given some time. A Cuban friend of mine has promised to bring back some Rumba video next time he is in Cuba, which I am looking forward to as even here it's hard to get.

Send me an email to sort out the details if you're interested.

[squirrel]

Thank you azzey, you are nice!