There is a new dance fever hitting the streets of Panama and it is called Passa Passa also known as dance hall. Passa passa is an addictive energetic dance which worked its way to the streets of Colon and various places in the city of Panama. There are even people dancing to this popular Caribbean rhythm in the outskirts of Panama where the smaller towns are located.

Dance hall originally came from Jamaica and started in the late 70s. This dance and music initially came from reggae and like reggae; dance hall brings many different people across the globe together. Although dance hall or passa passa dancing came from Jamaica, it has moved on to different countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and now Panama. Passa passa involves a lot of movement and difficult steps, but it can be learned with practice. Once you got the passa passa riddim you can pretty much learn to dance all the steps. There are very popular parties such as dutty fridaze where many people go to dance passa passa. Usually men like women go to these parties to compete with their rivals. There are many popular dance hall steps like hot wuk, tek weh yuself, willie bounce, dutty wine, and wacky dip that they dance when competing. These dance hall moves are a more decent way of dancing passa passa.
Others dance passa passa in a more sexual way. This usually involves the man and the woman dancing erotically. Not everyone likes this type of dance so a lot of people in the Caribbean and Panama prefer to dance Passa passa in the more decent version. The general attire worn by women dancers for this kind of dancing is more revealing and sometimes even R rated. Others go dressed normally but this doesn’t stop them from busting a move on the dance floor.

Everyday more and more dance steps are being created for dancehall. Some very popular dancers of passa passa are Ding Dong and his crew. They dance passa passa steps like the badman pull up, wacky dip and many more. Ding Dong also makes popular dance hall music which Panama enjoys listening to. You get different themes and tones from this kind of dance and music. A lot of passa passa rhythms’ are influenced by religion, sex, violence, social issues, and issues like women’s rights.

Panama dancers are catching up with the rest of the Caribbean pretty fast. Soon all of Panama will be dancing the difficult but fun steps to passa passa. Next time you go out, look for your nearest dance hall parties and learn the steps to the most popular dance in the Caribbean. In passa passa for every song there is a dance.

Are you good at dance? Do you like dancing Salsa? If both answers are affirmative, then you have the chance to participate in the First Salsa Congress in Panama. This is the first time that an event like this takes place in the country. Panama Hot was given exclusive rights to represent the World Salsa Open. The festival will start on June 26th and will finish on June 29th.

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Israel Galván was born in a family of bailaores in Seville Spain in 1973.  Since he was five years old tablaos, parties, and flamenco have been part of his life.  But it was until 1990 that he discovered his passion for the dance.  In 1994 he became part of the Compañía Andaluz de Danza, under the direction of Mario Maya.  And since then he has been an important member of the world of flamenco.

Israel has won several important awards like: Premio Vicente Escudero in the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco in 1995, Premio El Desplante in the Festival Internacional de Cante de las Minas en 1996, and the  I Concurso de Jóvenes Interpretes in the 9th Flamenco Bienal, 1996.

In 1998 he presented his first show, with his own dance company, ¡Mira! /Los Zapatos Rojos.  And since them he had put in scene Metamorfosis (2000), Galvánicas (2002), Arena (2004), and Tabula Rasa (2006).

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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!

 Eleonora Dall´asta was born in Italy.  She was dancing ballet at the age of eight at the “Academy of Ballet Bertolla” in Parma, where she took her first ballet class.  Eleonora began her training in aerial silks in 2002 with Adriana Alvez.  Since then she has been learning and training her circus skills in different places such as: “La Taruma” Peru, “ESAC” Belgium, and “Escuela de Circo CARAMPA” Spain.  In 2005 she joined The Circus Space in London, where she specialized in tight wire.  Eleonora performed in many contemporary circus and dance shows in places like: England, Costa Rica, Denmark, Spain and Panama.

Today Eleonora lives in Panama City, Panama. Eleonora is co founder of the Panamanian circus company La Tribu Performance. La Tribu Performance is a group structured by different young artists that are professionals in different parts of art in general.  Their shows are characterized by the integration of physical theater, dances, movement, music and contemporary circus techniques.

Eleonora is about to start her own aerial dance workshop in the beautiful Panama City. The workshop is for beginners at aerial dance.  You will learn many of the basic teachings of aerial dance such as: how to go up, learn basic falls, different knots, classic dances postures with aerial silks, etc. 

Eleonora counts with a safe procedure to guaranty you won’t get hurt and a vast diversity of classic music for her teachings of aerial dance.

In this aerial dance workshop, you will learn how to warm up your body; you will gain flexibility and physical fitness.  The aerial dance workshop will be on Saturdays and Sundays, starting on May 23rth to May 31rst, from 14:00 until 17.00.  The cost will be of: $150.00 for the whole workshop (pay must be the first day of classes).

The aerial workshop will be taking place at La Casona which is located in Plaza Herrera, Casco Viejo. The space is limited!  Learn the basic techniques of aerial dance. You don´t need any previous experience on circus training or aerial dance.

Don´t miss the chance to have fun working out with Eleonora Da´ llasta in Panama City!

Breakdance, breaking, b-boying is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among African American and Puerto Rican youths in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is normally danced to electro or hip hop music, often remixed to prolong the breaks, and is a well-known hip hop dance style. Breakdancing involves the elements of toprock, downrock, freezes, and power moves.

Breakdancing may have begun as a building, productive, and a constructive youth culture alternative to the violence of urban street gangs. Today, breakdancing culture is a remarkable discipline somewhere between those of dancers and athletes. Since acceptance and involvement centers on dance skills, breakdancing culture is often free of the common race and gender boundaries of a subculture and has been accepted worldwide.

The past Sunday 5 of April the super event Back 2 Da Scene was carried out in the gymnasium Yuyin Luzcando de Bethania, from 11:00 a.m. This event gets together the best dancers of break dances from Panama and the other provinces of the country. Competitions of 3 versus 3 were carried out, in which 3 of the best dancers of each enrolled group participated; also mini competitions of 1 versus 1 were realized maintaining active the attending public.

There was participation of MC’s/Rappers that animated live to the public with their rhymes. In short, the event filled the expectations of the public who attended hoping that these events repeat more often since it had a very good welcome by the fanatics of this dances.

An incredible mix of technique, stage presence, artistry, choreography, professionalism, costuming and star quality make up the dynamic performances of belly dancer Jillina. Jillina Carlano is the choreographer and artistic director of the Bellydance Superstars and Sahlala Dancers.

Jillina was a jazz and hip-hop dancer for most of her dance career, but one day she signed up for a belly dance class with Diane Webber and fell in love with the music, the movements, and the self-expression.  Jillina decided to concentrate in this dance and she began training more seriously in Oriental dance to further her career as a belly dancer. She studied with Oriental dance masters like Hallah Moustafa, Zahra Zuhair, Sahra, Feiruz, Angelika and at home she practice with instructional videotapes.

While performing her solos, Jillina becomes completely mesmerizing and you cannot take your eyes from her because you are fixating on each movement. Each hip shimmy, each torso contraction, each twirl and pirouette is worth individual attention. And Jillina is just so sexy!  With her beautiful, soulful, and passionate style, her dance becomes remarkable, soulful and absolutely dynamic.

Jillina Bellydance Superstar will be performing for one night only in Panama City, Panama, at the Ascanio Arosemena Theater on Sunday April 5, 2009.  Jillina will be teaching two workshops during the day: Oriental Fusion and Drum Solo at the Hotel El Panama.  I had the pleasure to enjoy her performances twice before, and all I can say is you cannot let the opportunity pass to watch on scene the most complete belly dancer of the 21 century.

For more information visit: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=48392513425 or www.jillina.com.

While watching an American dance show my mother many years ago said to me “these people really can´t dance at all, they should take lessons before making fools of themselves on TV.”  Thus began my induction into the world of dance schools in order to be prepared in the event I would one day have the opportunity to be on television.  Not exactly loftiest of goals, however it did lead to my training in a variety of dance styles and nuances and the pursuit of new variations and techniques.

One of these particular nuances is the hybrid combination, the Hot Dancing Yoguini.  Developed by instructor Nelly Gallardo, it is a high energy mixture of Latin dances, yoga techniques, Arabic belly, and free flowing dance movements in a heated room.  Nelly describes Hot Dancing Yoguini as a new form of harmony for your mind, body and spirit and I would have to agree.

Lasting an hour and half, the classes are divided into three sessions with two instructors for personalized attention and expertise.  The first session is a warm up that prepares your body for the impending contortions and gyrating movements.  This is followed by a vigorous dance session, which includes a variety of coordinated dance steps chiefly of high energy Salsa, Arabic and Free flow dancing.  Finally, a relaxing yoga and meditation session winds down the training, leaving you both relaxed and invigorated at the same time.

Classes are held on Thursday nights from six to seven thirty.  Salsa Panama´s studio is conveniently located next to the Chalet Suizo Restaurant in the heart of El Cangrejo not far from hotels such as the Vento and El Panama.  Classes cost an economical $15 per session or $50 for the month.  However, make your reservations early, as space is limited to only five participants per class.  You can reserve your space by calling 6657-5319, 264-2742 or visiting by visiting www.salsapanama.com for more information.

Dance therapy uses movement to improve mental and physical well-being. It is a recognized form of complementary therapy used in hospitals and comprehensive clinical cancer centers, Down syndrome patient, Cerebral Palsy, and others. Here in Panama City, Panama, Taller de Arte Guilde teaches dance therapy at the Children’s Hospital for kids waiting for a kidney transplant.

Dance Therapy can help patients the following ways:

• Dance develops positive body image
• Dancing improves self-concept and self-esteem
• Dance reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
• Dancing decreases isolation, chronic pain, and body tension
• Dance increases communication skills
• Dancing encourages a sense of well-being

or some cancer patients, dance therapy is an effective form of exercise. However, dance therapy has not been studied enough to know if there are any unique health benefits to cancer patients, or to confirm the effects on prevention and/or recovery of illness.

The benefits of dance therapy come through physical activity are known to increase endorphins, which create a general state of well-being on the body.  And total body movement such as dance enhances the functions of other body systems, such as circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Dance therapy not only helps you to stay mentally and physically fit but it also gives you pleasure by creating rhythmic art with your body and express them dancing.

A nice surprise for your lover and for you to express your inner self can be a lap dance. Not only you can keep your clothes on (or not) and enjoy some extra closeness with your man, but a lap dance can also boost the level of confidence you have in yourself.   Lap dances can be a fun way to spice up the bedroom life while you can control how much or how little you show of your body and, at the same time, you bring another aspect of yourself that has been hidden in self doubts.

First, think about the music you want to use. Do you preferred something soft and romantic? Or maybe you like something more sensual? Music is an important thing to create a good atmosphere for the lap dance and give you some extra confidence when you strip. Some choices in music can be: Let’s get it on by Marvin Gaye,I touch myself by The Divinyls, Promiscuous girl by Nelly Furtado, Wicked Games by Chris Isaak, Baila pa mi by Wisin & Yandel.  Second, create a sexy and inviting atmosphere. You can do the lap dance on a chair, couch, or bed. But, choose a place where you are going to feel secure and comfortable. I recommend the bedroom or living room. You can set candles around the room and turn off the lights. You can place a mirror and see how you move. And if you are going to be using a chair, try to get one without arm rests, it’ll give you more space to move around.

Third, you need to dress for success. Depending if you are dancing with your clothes on or if you are preparing to strip, you need to choose something appropriate for the lap dance. For a striptease you need to layer into several pieces of sexy clothing to pump the experience. Lingerie always works well. If you are going to do the lap dance fully clothed, you can dance wearing a sensual dress and end in your underwear. Fourth, review your moves. You can get some lap dances videos on the internet or buy an instructional DVD. Remember you need to feel sexy; you need to feel the dance. Practice in front of a mirror and watch how you dance.

All it takes to give a lap dance to your man is the will to do it. Practice being and feeling sexy and the rest would come along naturally. Remember you don’t need to have the perfect body. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Go wild and enjoy your lap dance tonight.