Panama Salsa Congress II

For the second time, Panamanians will have the opportunity to participate in the Panama Salsa Congress II. The event will be in Fiesta Casino from June 25 to June 27 2010.

All couples and dancers are getting ready for this exciting event. All the participants will have the opportunity to show their salsa skills. The winner couple will have the opportunity to represent Panama in the XIV Puerto Rico Salsa Congress.

All couples should train hard and polish their salsa moves for this great contest. The winner couple will receive $1500 cash, two way plane tickets from Panama to San Juan Puerto Rico, lodging, dress, shoes and plenty of gifts.

The runner up will receive $800 cash plus gifts and the third place will receive $500 cash. The bylaw and regulations from World Salsa Open will be the one to determine who the winner couple will be.

The Panama Salsa Congress II will have salsa dancers from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, United States and Panamá and salsa workshops. Inscriptions currently are open and you can go to panamahotsalsa@yahoo.com to subscribe.

Muevelo dance contest

On May 26 2010, TVN channel 2 will show the second season of Muévelo. This is the dance contest in which 10 Panamanian schools will show their choreographic skills.

Muévelo means move it and these teams will definitely be showing off their best dance moves.  A relentless panel will be judging them by discipline and dancing skills to know who will be the next champion of the Intercolegial de Coreografías.

Most of the evaluation will depend on the judges, and they’ll focus most likely on the team’s discipline.  The public will have also the opportunity to participate by voting on TVN’s website for their favorite dance team. The two schools with fewer amounts of votes will have to face a challenge against each other. The panel will then decide who is the one that continues in the competition.

Muévelo 2009 judges were:

• Yael Bern: Professional Dancer and choreographer, founder of Tempo Dance Academy.
• Edwin Cedeno: Artistic, scenic and corporative  projection adviser.
• Moyra Brunette: Professional Dancer and choreographer, she belonged to the Venevision International Great Ballet in Caracas Venezuela.

The three finalist schools of Muévelo 2009 were, in third place taking home B/5000 “Bilingue La Academia”, in second place “El Instituto America” and the great champion “San Judas Tadeo,” who took home B/12000 and other awards. The final score was a very close call; the third and second place had a punctuation of 72.10 and 73.40; the first place got a final punctuation of 76.30.

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A much waited performance in Panama is almost here! From professional championships to performing on stage, the tango dancer Carmen Tarsi has always given the public an astonishing tango experience.

Now she will be working her magic on a stage in Panama!
Tango has always been a sensual but elegant dance that always leaves people amazed and wide-eyed.

Every twist, turn and dip that is done by a dancer is sure to get you excited and wondering how they did that. The professional dancer Carmen Tarsi practices day in and day out to always give us a show that we will never forget! All citizens and visitors of Panama can come together to enjoy a night of Tango Passion de Carmen Tarsi! She will reveal to us exactly what this sensual dance is all about.

Many dancers and tango fanatics around Panama City and other countries will be present at this affair. You can also be part of this spectacle by attending the Tango Passion de Carmen Tarsi February 4, 2010 at the Teatro Anayansi, ATLAPA Convention Center at 8:00PM. The tickets are starting at $38.85 for balcony 2, $59.85 for balcony 1, $91.35 for rows X to DD, $117.60 for rows O to W, and $143.85 for rows A to N. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this fascinating performance. So come join us and the dancer Carmen Tarsi for a night of Tango Passion in Panama!

Salsa music is one of the popular types of music in Panama, like its name implies (literally: sauce) is a mixture of flavors made for dancing. Descendant from Cuban music, salsa encompasses many different rhythms, like mambo, chachachá, son and even rumba. Being a tropical rhythm, Panama has engraved its name in the history of Salsa music and it’s one of most mentioned venues after Cuba and Puerto Rico. Famous singer Ruben Blades and composer Omar Alfanno are Panamanians.

Many songs internationally acclaimed also mention this country, as homage. Salsa dancing is practically requirement for club goers, most clubs will play a long Salsa mix for couples to dance. The change of rhythm and style is an aid for meeting partners, because it’s danced in close proximity. This is a perfect chance to be a little intimate and overcome the touch barrier. For the skilled tourist, there are plenty of places where to show off their best moves. For the novice or those interested in learning, there are many dancing schools in Panama with affordable prices and flexible schedules.

There are many reasons why you should join a Panama dancing academy. You’ll need the training for when you meet a guy/girl from Panama. Take this example for instance: You are in a dance club in Panama, and you see someone of the opposite sex that interests you. But the problem is that there is a language barrier. You speak English and he/she doesn’t. So, how are you supposed to communicate? Well, one of the most expressive ways of communication is through song and dance! When you are strutting your stuff on the dance floor, you don’t have to talk, so that automatically solves the language problem!

Learning how to Latin dance from a dancing academy allows you to get to know your partner while having fun. I say this because a lot of tourists that arrive in Panama don’t speak Spanish. So when they meet a person from Panama, it is difficult to find out what that person likes to do for fun. Well, one thing you must know about Panamanians is that they love to dance. So taking that someone from Panama to a night club is a good idea! But if you don’t know which dancing academy to go to learn to Latin dance, then don’t worry! There are many schools that you can go to in Panama that can help you with that problem like: Alina’s Dance Academy, Panama Hot Salsa dancing academy, Academia Artiste and many more. These dance schools from Panama will teach you how to move your body like a pro! Learn to dance Salsa, merengue, bachata, rumba, chachachá, tango, típico (tradicional dance from Panama), and many others at a dancing academy!

So if you are new to Panama and you want to make some new friends, then I suggest you start learning the Latin dance moves that bring many people from different countries together at a dancing academy! And once you got your Latin rhythm, you can hit the clubs in Panama!

Are you looking for belly dance summer classes? Here in Panama City, you have multiple options.

Academia de Danzas Arabes Ruh has a class focus on dance technique, artistic expression, esthetic, and femininity. Any Chen will be teaching this class. Registration fee is $5 and monthly payment is $30. For more information you can call Miss Chen at: 6792-7874, or email her at anyccf@yahoo.com.

Leyla Salam is also offering summer classes. Beginner classes start on February 20 and Intermediate classes on January 19. Starting April 1, Leyla Salam will be teaching a new class: Stage Performance, especially for those belly dancers who want to improve their performance on stage. Special elements workshops will be hold. On February 6 is an outdoor class with cane and swords and on February 27 is a zills class. Auditions for their annual show are on March 13. For more information you can call: 6683-1497 or 6491-6579

Bellydance & Yoga in Casco Viejo are ongoing now. Every Monday and Wednesday at FRITARTE, Av. Central San Felipe, is belly dance classes with Claudia Castillo. They are from 6:30pm to 7:45pm. You can pay $5 per class or $35 for 8 classes per month. You can email Miss Castillo at: ccastillo_pty@yahoo.com.

Toning your body has never been as fun as with belly dance classes. Enroll now and enjoy bellydance summer classes in Panama!

Congratulations to all the dancers!

The belly dance show Apocalipsis was a great success! Leyla Salam interpretation of the end of time through belly dance was very innovative and interesting. They captured the audience from the opening to the last dance. Aryadh, Malak Farrah, Dana, and Afet of the Desert took the leading roles as the four horsemen. They represented sickness, violence, war, and hope, a reflection of the times we are living.

Something very shocking was the sketch of violence. Roseta Bordane and Randy Dominquez interpretation of violence against women was spine chilling. And everyone felt her pain.

There was a belly dance school that came all the way from San Jose, Costa Rica, to be part of this event. The group Noura gave the tribal belly dance touch of the night. And they were representing darkness. They incorporated sword dancing and Isis wings to their dances.

Also, the school Alondra danced in Apocalipsis as souls in hell. The dancers were so flawless and they looked to be reaching out from the fire.

The Leyla Salam troupe was amazing interpreting the different emotions need it to give Apocalipsis the mysticism it had. For some of the girls, it was their first time in belly dance and dancing in front of an audience.

Next year, a new belly dance show will be put on scene with a complete different concept from Apocalipsis. I think the name says it all: Aqua! Auditions will be in March 2010.

Tangolates is an innovative fusion of the Pilates methods with fun and dynamic Tango choreographies. The cardio element found in Tangolates is what differences it from Pilates.

With Tangolates you will learn to control your whole body using a combination of accessories like de T-DiTella, reformers, box, etc, while working in couples. Also, you can acquire flexibility, great balance, good posture, and improve coordination. And of course, you lose weight in an efficient way.

Tangolates is a creation of Tamara Di Tella in 2004, who found her inspiration in Parkinson patients. She noticed that people with neurological disorders do not lose the capacity to move, but how they imagine the movement. She watched an instructor working with patients using reformers, machines used in Pilates. On her own, she added rhythms like Tango, which improved the mood of the patients, and Tangolates was born!

Now Panama dancers have the opportunity to try Tangolates. The studio Tamara Di Tella is located in Costa del Este, and they are open Monday through Saturday. Take a step forward into a better you!

Come witness an amazing modern dance competition at the University of Panama in Curundu. Danza Activa 2009 (which has been organized by Neysi de Sturlesi and Hannia Alfu from K-dance Productions) is the first competitive event in Panama that involves schools, companies and dance groups. The competition will be held on October 24, 2009 at 9am & October 26 at 7pm. Watch talented individuals of all ages strut their stuff by performing your favorite dances on stage such as Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Salsa, Belly Dance, Break Dance, Folklore and much more! You will get to see trios, groups, duos, solos, you name it! This is your chance to view the new dance moves that are being performed at shows and on the streets of Panama.

Learn how to Belly Dance, move to a hip hop rhythm and many others. Join the modern dance workshop on October 24th. Anyone who is ready to wiggle their hips to popular rhythms and dances can register at the University of Panama the same day of the workshop. Tickets to see the competition are now available at Super Deportes in Albrook Mall, Super Centro El Dorado and Multiplaza in Panama City. They will be sold at $10.00 and if you are interested in the modern dance workshop you can attend for only $30.00. For more information, go to www.glintsartspanama.ning.com. Don’t miss out on this chance to get to know the Panamanian culture through music and dances. We`ll see you there!

Belly dance and other dances can work for weight loss success. In fact, you can burn as many calories belly dancing as you can walking, swimming or riding a bike. That means you can burn from 200 to 500 calories for an hour of belly dance depending of the intensity of your moves. With a healthy diet and constant work on your belly dance technique you can really shape up your abs while having fun. Bottom line: The more you move the more calories you’ll burn.

And here is an opportunity for you to start a belly dance fitness program. Once again Projeccion Leyla Salam and Sandybell Start Your Fitness Right Studio bring you the BellyDance Cardioton. In this third version you will find out how to incorporate belly dance into your cardio routine and you will be learning the folkloric dance step Saidi Jump Jump. Saidi is a traditional dance rhythm from the south of Egypt.

The Belly Dance Cardioton will take place on Saturday May 30th at Power Club of 12 of October Avenue. For more information you can call 6683/1497, 6794/0498.

Next week we will be posting pictures of the cardioton, don’t miss it!