Danseklubben

en UiT-danseklubb for hele Tromsø

Hei everyone!

Here is a vid that has some of the steps we will be doing. (The other vid posted has it as well.) The 2nd position step we learnt last Monday is the second step shown. He crosses in front instead of coming together because they are working on shines but it gives you a good example of where the step starts. Now the vid is in Spanish, they are using On2 timing but they step forward on the right and then rock forward, instead of stepping back on the left and rocking back first. But it is really the same. (But you’ll notice when they start couple dancing at the end he steps back first

- by the way – it is hard to find clear steps on YouTube – most of them are combination steps or are very poor quality – so I put up the first vid that I think is a good enough example

Hey everyone!

Ok – Here is a very quick instructional video of Salsa On2 below. Now, in class, we have learnt the basic movements but next week we will be learning the special Salsa/Mambo On2 timing. Even though we have been starting ‘on 2′ the timing really comes from which step is being held. On1 holds in the middle of the basic step (as we have been doing at the moment in class) but On2 holds on the ‘back’ of a rock-step. This makes the On2/NY Salsa more rhythmical. So… have a look at the timing and see if you can pic it up before class .

You might have noticed that he is naming a step wrong…lol. The guy calls a ‘crossover’ but he is actually doing a 5th position break.

One thing that will help you with the timing is by calling the step differently. In the Salsa industry it is common to count to 8 leaving out the numbers that you hold on. I find this confuses people when learning so to help you with the On2 timing think to yourself while you practise “1-rock-hold2. 1-rock-hold2″. We will use this call in class next week.

Practise! Practise! Practise!

Wanna be famous?

On our first dance night (feb 8. in case you were wondering) we have three German film students coming to class to shoot us (with a camera…lol) for a ‘non-verbal’ documentary they are making about Tromsø.  I’m sure they won’t be too intrusive and you might need to sign release forms.  But this is a great opportunity for us to publicise the club internationally .

If you are particularly film-shy just dance behind the camera .  I’m sure we will be able to see the film when finished too.

Hei alle sammen!

We know you have been waiting such a long time for dance classes to start.  As we need to work with DRIV we can’t work around them…lol.  The Nordlys festival has stolen our normal times because they had the ‘dosh’ to do so.  But anyways… we are starting tomorrow night!  Whoo hoo!

This semester we are concentrating on dances for the No Siesta Fiesta festival – meaning the dances that we are teaching, you will be able to dance at the fest.  The fest will certainly have a Samba band, a Bossa band, a Cumbia band and a Salsa band.

So first up we’ll have a Samba and Bossa Nova class from 19:30.  We will be throwing in some Cumbia too.

Then we will have a Mambo/Salsa class from 20:30.  We will have a beginner and level 1 class for those who already know the basics.

Both these course will run for 4 weeks.

****Even though these classes are open to drop-ins they are designed to be a short progressive course.  That means we will not have time to re-teach new people the basic steps that everyone has already learnt two nights ago!  Please don’t show up to the last night expecting us to re-teach everything that you have missed – this is not fair to the regulars.  L-Jay teaches the group as a whole, her time cannot be consumed in re-teaching individual late comers.

Need to be a member to get tuition for free!!
The first night is a sign up night – please come early as we want to start on time rather than waiting for everyone to fill in forms.  We have been very relaxed about sign ups in the past but this year we need to toughen up.  Only members of the club get tuition for free. All other people must pay kr50,- per night of dancing.  This is still an amazing deal!!!

To become a member of the club you need to sign up to be a member of the student union first.  It costs kr100,- for the first semester and kr50,- for following semesters.  When you are a member you will get a card with a membership number.  On the dance night you need to give us your details as well as your student number.  We need to keep records so we can get more support money for our events and parties.

Dance Opportunities!
This year we have many dance opportunities in Tromsø.  Firstly, we are working towards the No Siesta Fiesta festival.  As a student club we are supporting this event.  On the week of the festival we are providing tuition in various Latin dances for Tromsøværinger to sample.  You will also have many opportunities to volunteer in different capacities for the festival, in particular the Samba parade.  This volunteer work will of course give you benefits to festival events.  But you have to give before you can receive.  We also have Dansens dag coming up which we will take a major role in organising.  And for those who are a little more adventurous we will have some opportunities for dance showcases.  What we do is all up to you!!!

So be brave – Remember a life lived in fear is a life half lived!!!!

Hey guys,

Remember that we start on Monday 8. Feb.  Can’t wait!!!

The Hipster pics are in the Gallery section – you can find the link on the sidebar.

Enjoy!

Just a reminder that Casino Royale (Nikolai and Svetlana) have invited you guys to join a speed learning short course next week.  You need to contact Nik ASAP if you want a place on the course.

The rueda guys are a great bunch and are involved in all the Latin happenings around town.  Their site is: casinoroyale.no

Tromsø Swingklubb has a Boogie Woogie course starting next week on Wednesday.  Check out their website for more details.

Maria, Inger, Åse, Mats and Svetlana (from Casino Royale) – Thank you so much for all your hard work and Hipster performance. I must say you certainly added (much needed) colour and energy to the opening of TIFF. Well done on the performance – the pics from the media look great.

Also thanks to all our dance-starters! We certainly made an impression. The performance was very fun and we hoped you enjoyed being in the spotlight. It was great to be able to see everyone use their dancing and I think it emphasised what a great dance club we have in that we don’t just teach one dance, but all dances. Well done!!

See more pics on Tromsø Internasjonale Filmfestival Facebook, itromsø.no, nordlys.no

More photos to come in gallery!

cheers
Erlend and L-Jay

(On a side note – we are aware that the papers have got our club’s name entirely wrong. We are very disappointed about this and have been doing what we can to rectify it. Unfortunately the papers said they will only make a retraction (in an obscure corner of the newspaper tomorrow) about their mistake. I presume that this unfortunate outcome was because the arrangers didn’t inform the press, let alone having a press kit for the media – very unprofessional. Even the director of the festival got ‘egg on her face’ – she had no clue of anything. No matter how unprofessional last nights fiasco was – the Hipster dancers were certainly the shining stars!)

Those who are dance-starters can you please arrive between 20:30 and 20:45 – your names will be on the door. I will also be at the door to make sure you get in without a hitch.

Make sure to wear bright coloured clothes – it will add to the other performers and we will be able to know you are from the club and therefore can dance with you . Of course, you are welcome to dance with strangers too .

Cool! See ya all tomorrow.