Tricia's favorite Salsa music, links, and videos - Oh..and a word about salsa shoes!

So..I'm gonna try to keep this updated with new information i'm learning as I try to learn as much as I possibly can about salsa dancing.  I hope to eventually add a little bit of history about salsa, bachata, and kizomba..and about the different styles..but that is for when I have more time.  For now..I will just post what I currently have.

If you're looking for salsa music, my favorite place is Soundcloud - just sign in with Facebook, or create an account, and you can search for salsa, bachata, kizomba.  If you don't want to have to search for music, you can go to my page.  I've got lots of my favorite mixes from different DJ's there:  https://soundcloud.com/tricia-terrones/likes


One of my new salsa friends in Croatia went to another festival there recently and posted this Bachata video..nice! 
The next 9 videos are from a salsa weekend workshop..I learned all of these steps!  They are easier than they look..with some practice :)  There are salsa moves, isolations, shines, Bachata, and Chaha.  I forgot how much I enjoy dancing Chacha!

Salsa1

Salsa Wkshp _Cuban

Salsa2

Advanced Salsa:

Salsa Isolations:

Salsa shines:

Salsa Tricks: 

Chaha wkshp:

Bachata Wkshp

The latest thing I'm working on is learning 'Musicality'.  This is not easy.  Here are a few videos that really explain musicality very well.  They aren't very exciting or entertaining, but this is about learning, right?

This first video is the base video..it's long, but detailed..very useful

I couldn't get the download for the code for the second video, but here's the link to it.  It's the instructor demonstrating how to dance to the Conga beat for salsa dancers who dance 'On 1'.
http://dancewithfeeling.com/video2-free-video-dance-with-feeling-conga-explanation/

This video is a little harder - he has an actual salsa band playing the beats and has the students trying to dance on the Conga, or on the Clave.  Oh..and again, I couldn't get the code, so here's the link
http://dancewithfeeling.com/video-3-now-lets-practice-with-this-video/

If you want to sign up directly to receive the videos to your personal e-mail, and other videos from Salsa Joel in New York, you can sign up at his website here:  http://dancewithfeeling.com/

Now..I find these Youtube videos really really helpful for deciphering instruments and what's happening in salsa songs -

This is my favorite - if you go to Youtube to the video and click under the title where it says 16 videos, you can watch others.  I think I've watched most of them.  There are some with dancing shoes, so that if you have problems with timing, you can listen, watch and practice at the same time`


..and very recently I just came across these videos for musicality..they don't allow me to embed the video, but here are the 2 links..they seem pretty useful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bilkeB5hELg&feature=share&list=RD25w_JHU_mr_I4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR48Cwh4ZS4&feature=share&list=RD25w_JHU_mr_I4

..and here are 2 other links - you can sign up to Melissa Rosado's e-mail list, and every once in a while she sends out new styling tips..here are 2 I've received so far:
This one is how to do a head whip:
http://melissarosadodvd.com/free-3-videos/how-to-do-a-head-whip/

This one is Contra-body motion..i think there's some good practicing tips here:  http://melissarosadodvd.com/free-3-videos/how-to-do-a-head-whip/

And this one is about using the wrist in arm styling:
http://melissarosadodvd.com/free-3-videos/video-clip-1-wrist/

Some simple shine patterns can be found here (it won't let me embed the videos) - there's 13 different simple but smooth looking shines.  The only problem is that he dances on 2..what I usually do, is I start with my basic ladies step back at the same time he takes his first step, and then the in between steps pretty much match up for the most part:
http://joelsalsa.com/practice-your-salsa-steps/

..and this link is to the 'Salsa Beat Machine'  ..but, it's a little confusing if you don't understand how to use it, so here is a Youtube video explaining it:

.

For Bachata..here are a few videos from my workshops in Istanbul:


..and here are
..and..for practicing KIZOMBA - my newest favorite dance I'm trying to learn - this blog lists 40 steps of Kizomba:
http://basilioaraujo.blogspot.no/2007/10/40-steps-of-kizomba-dance.html

..and, this website has lots of great Kizomba videos  http://www.kizombalove.com/Kizombalove-Bootcamps-Workshops,278
Here are 2 videos from the website to give you an idea of what Kizomba dancing is like:

A Beginners video:


A more advanced video:

Here is a Kizomba video of the class I attended recently..while I learned some of these steps, he's doing way more than we learned..

..and here are 2 more videos from workshops I attended in Istanbul..these instructors are 2 of my favorites!




..and one of the salsa workshops that I liked from Istanbul:



Oh..and about salsa shoes..here's some info I've sent other friends with questions about salsa shoes:

Here are a few websites you can order them from:

http://www.jjshouse.com/Dance-Shoes-c53/top-sellers/Latin_p2547i2549/Women-S_p2542i2543/
(another student, Nina, ordered her first salsa shoes here..they are very good prices, and so far, she is happy with the shoes she bought)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=salsa+shoes&sprefix=salsa+shoes%2Caps%2C302
(I always buy the brand ‘VeryFine’, and I have heard that the brand Capezio also makes good shoes)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D362357011&field-keywords=salsa+shoes&rh=n%3A355005011%2Cn%3A!362350011%2Cn%3A362352011%2Cn%3A362354011%2Cn%3A362357011%2Ck%3Asalsa+shoes
(I think there is a larger variety available on the US amazon.com than on this UK one)

Go to this link for help understanding what to look for when buying your salsa shoes..it’s a very easy and helpful website.
http://www.salsa-dance-shoes.net/salsa-shoes-for-women/

..and if you want to understand the differences about salsa shoes and other shoes, they explain that well here:
http://www.salsa-dance-shoes.net/

..and here are a few tips from another website about taking care of salsa shoes
http://ezinearticles.com/?Salsa-Shoes---How-to-Care-for-Salsa-Shoes&id=5062748

- Reserve Dance Shoes for Dancing Only. Do not use dance shoes for street or daily wear. The shoes are not made for constant use outside the dance floor.
- Air the Shoes After Using
- The dance footwear must be left to breathe on its own for a minimum of fifteen minutes before you store them in the room. This will allow the sweat to dry.
- Do not use direct sunlight, blow dry or radiator in drying the wet shoes. This will cause them to wear easily. Instead, let them dry in room temperature usually for 24 hours.
- Suede soles require shoe brush for the nap of the shoes. Brush in the toe to heel direction only. Suede shoes need tooth brush or suede brush. Use suede shampoo to remove stains. Brush shoe front to back then apply suede dressing.

..and from another website:
- Suede undersole: Suede brush, then Suede foam, then Suede brush again. (most people dont bother with Suede foam, but if its colour you want then its your best option) If its got wax or bubblegum, then cover with brown paper and iron! Then Suede brush again