Dance
We'll be offering four hours of classes each day, plus a two hour salsa party. You can elect to take one or both classes in the morning, one or both classes in the evening, some combination of morning and evening classes, or all of them!

In the morning, we start out with Ryan's Rhythm and Listening for Salsa Dancers. Immediately afterwards is Sidney's invigorating Salsa Workout / Body Movement class, which will energize you for the rest of the day. You can choose either class, or come to both to start your day with the perfect combination of intellectual stimulation and heart-pumping exercise. Then, in the evening we'll teach two hours of Salsa and Rueda classes. In the first hour we'll teach two levels of our Essential Casino-style Moves and Turns and develop a common set of moves to call during the parties. The second hour will be unique – every night we'll focus on a different skill or aspect of Cuban dance that is essential to being a great salsa dancer. (See the calendar and descriptions below for what we'll cover each night.)

Sidney teaching her Workout Class at ZAMAS in July 2009. Each morning was a nearly ecstatic experience, dancing while gazing out of the open windows onto the Caribbean, which refreshed us with its gentle breeze.

Unique Class Schedule (Evenings, Second Class)

SATURDAY January 23	SUNDAY January 24	MONDAY January 25	TUESDAY January 26	WEDNESDAY January 27	THURSDAY January 28	FRIDAY January 29	SATURDAY January 30	SUNDAY January 31
Salsa Suelta	Dancing the Rhythms of Timba	Roots of Salsa: Son	Roots of Salsa: Cha-cha-chá	Dancing with Clave	Rueda Con Sorpresa	Fun Group Moves for the Rueda	Review and Conga Finale!	No evening classes - Morning classes only

Cost
All packages include the evening dance parties at ZAMAS.

DANCE PACKAGE	Price	10% Discount (before Jan 1)
1 Daily Class (8 total classes)	$100	$90
2 Daily Classes (16 total classes)	$150	$135
3 Daily Classes (24 total classes)	$200	$180
All 4 Daily Classes (32 total classes)	$225	$202.50

If you are only available for a portion of the workshop, please CONTACT US. We may still be able to arrange for you to participate.

Class Descriptions

Ryan's Rhythm and Listening for Salsa Dancers (Every Morning) - This class will explore the structure of Cuban music, the roles of different instruments and vocalists, the different sections of a song, and how to dance to these different sections. We'll learn the fundamental rhythmic patterns that make up Cuban music's percussive, polyrhythmic texture. We'll internalize these rhythms such that you understand them fully, physically and intellectually, and know how to incorporate this understanding into your dance. Each day we'll look at a different song in-depth – please bring your favorite music to share and/or songs you have questions about! TOP

Practicing a clapping exercise from the Rhythm Class at the Tulum Ruins.

Sidney's Salsa Workout / Body Movement (Every Morning) - In this highly energetic, full body workout, we explore the roots and relatives of salsa. Through isolations we gain strength, flexibility and articulate expression throughout the entire body beginning with the core. We warm up with the basic salsa footwork and move on to explore more complex rhythmic variations, stylistic embellishments and related dance styles building towards completing the class with a dynamic and fun choreography. TOP

Essential Casino-style Moves and Turns (Every Evening) - In this class we'll show you essential moves and techniques for dancing Cuban and Miami-style Salsa. We will progress throughout the week, each night reviewing and building upon what we learned the night before. We may split up into two groups (one taught by Ryan and the other taught by Sidney) at different levels if it suits the needs of the group. TOP

Dancing to the timba rhythms of a live band in Tulum.

Dancing the Rhythms of Timba (Sunday) - Cuban salsa (sometimes called timba) is incredibly rich and rhythmically layered, offering us a great abundance of musical material to draw upon as dancers. This class will help you unlock the wealth of rhythms present in timba and show you how to express these rhythms with your body, particularly through changes in footwork. This rhythmic understanding will enhance your enjoyment of the music and invigorate your dancing, both in the rueda and with a partner. TOP

Salsa Suelta (First Saturday) - In Cuba salsa is not only danced in a couple with a partner, but also alone, without a parter, "suelta" (meaning "loose" or "free" from anyone else). Salsa suelta, the Cuban equivalent of line dancing, is a ton of fun and incorporates body movement, footwork, and styling that can be used in your partner dancing as well. TOP Roots of Salsa: Son (Monday) - Salsa is just the latest in a long lineage of Cuban dances, including Danzón, Son, Cha-cha-chá, and many others. Just as the best Cuban bands include references to these older styles in their music, many of the best dancers incorporate elements of these older styles into their salsa dancing. In this class, we'll teach the fundamental steps, body movement, and turns of son. TOP

Dancing salsa suelta during our "field trip" to the clubs of Playa del Carmen.

Dancing son ("on 2") during our class at ZAMAS.

Roots of Salsa: Cha-cha-chá (Tuesday) - Salsa is just the latest in a long lineage of Cuban dances, including Danzón, Son, Cha-cha-chá, and many others. Just as the best Cuban bands include references to these older styles in their music, many of the best dancers incorporate elements of these older styles into their salsa dancing. In this class, we'll teach the fundamental steps, body movement, and turns of cha-cha-chá. TOP Dancing with Clave (Wednesday) - Has anyone ever asked you if you dance 'on 1' or 'on 2'? We answer, "both, and on 3, as well!" We think it's important to be able to dance on any beat and to be able to switch between them based on what's happening in the music. This class will emphasize how to use the clave – the rhythmic foundation of salsa and timba – as a guide to switching time. Using this rhythmic awareness, we'll show you practical partnering techniques that to enable you to fluidly and seamlessly switch time. TOP

Rueda Con Sorpresa (Thursday) "Surprise!" (or "sorpresa") a follower might say when 'stealing' the lead from their partner. This class is about understanding Cuban-style salsa from both perspectives – all dancers learn to switch between leading and following. Leaders lead more clearly when they experience the follower's part, and followers become more receptive when they understand how to lead. In this class we will show you moves that enable partners to change the lead fluidly and seamlessly, without changing footwork or missing a beat. TOP

Fun Group Moves for the Rueda (Friday) To dance group moves is to dance rueda in the truest sense. In this special workshop we will be teaching moves that incorporate all the dancers in the rueda, dancing not as a series of individual couples but as an entire group together. TOP Review and Conga (Final Saturday) For our final class we'll review your favorite moves and techniques from the full workshop, and finish with a conga (also called comparsa). This is the up-tempo and highly infectious Cuban-style carnival dance that inspired the conga line. We'll have a blast on our last night! TOP

The full group of dancers at the party on our last night at ZAMAS. We had such a great time!