Get ready for some dance, everyone! This month has a whole lot going on.

I would like to start off by sharing the first AltDaily Dance mini-lesson, taught by Mambo Room Lead Salsa Instructor, Leroy Windfield. Here’s a sneak peak into beginning salsa.

After the lesson, I had a chance to sit down and chat with Leroy, and find out more about his adventures with salsa.

Originally from Mississippi, Leroy came to this area while he was in the Navy, and decided to stay. Leroy has been teaching salsa for over 7 years, and began dancing almost 10 years ago. A friend helped Leroy get started.

“The main dances are merengue, bachata, and salsa. At that time, my best friend was Dominican, and he taught me how to dance bachata. So I thought, ‘Oh, I can dance bachata and merengue, so I can dance salsa too.’ I was in the reserves at that time, and I would go to Puerto Rico and see people doing salsa, but I just could not get it. I would be like ‘One, Two — Oops! That step just messed me up.’ Then I came back [to Hampton Roads] and I took every lesson I could. I was taking lessons 3-4 times a week, and dancing 5-6 nights a week. So that’s pretty much what we call getting bit by the salsa bug.”

Leroy studied with everyone possible and learned everything that he could learn here. He then began traveling to other cities and was amazed at the skill he found in the salsa dancers.

“I went to Washington DC and I was totally blown away. I was one of the best dancers here, and when I went to DC and saw the dancers there … I was like, ‘Oh I heard there were some good dancers up here,’ and I was about to go on the dance floor. I watched for a split second before I went out there, and I said ‘Okay, I’m not going.’ I was like Wow!”

Seeing the difference in the level of salsa in other places inspired Leroy to study even more, and also inspired him to start teaching. He wanted to share what he was learning and experiencing elsewhere.

“I try to go [other places] and bring things back here. That’s what happened; I started traveling, and I started teaching, and I would tell people ‘You need to travel, you need to travel.’ Because usually what happens is people get caught up in the microcosm of their local vicinity.”

He feels that traveling helps dancers to see what’s out there, and stay current with what’s happening in the world of salsa.

Leroy told me about the Salsa Congresses that happen in various cities across this country, and around the world. In the United States, they occur most frequently in the summer and into the end of the year. Salsa Congresses are essentially a long weekend (or week) packed with salsa workshops, lessons, dances, and performances. And they are very intense.

“When you first start, it’s hard. If you think about it, you’re dancing from 10am to 4pm, and then you’re dancing all night.”

But it’s worth it.

“When you go, you get so much information,” he said.

I asked him how he’d like the dance world to change here, or what he’d like to see more of in this area.

“I’d like to see people take salsa more seriously, as opposed to just something fun to do. People [in the salsa world] are starting to take notice of us. Way back when I started, [this area] didn’t exist on the salsa map of the East Coast. The salsa map of the East Coast goes: Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philly, DC, skips over us, and goes down to North Carolina, South Carolina — then you have Atlanta, then Florida.”

He would love for Hampton Roads to be on that map. I was thrilled to find out that Leroy is in the process of putting together a Dance Team in this area that would train, rehearse, and perform. He had a dance team last year that performed locally at the Mambo Room Summer Bash, as well as at the DC Salsa Congress. I am really looking forward to seeing the Dance Team come together, and I can’t wait to see their performances.

The salsa lesson was a terrific experience, and I am definitely motivated to learn more. And with Leroy’s positive energy, tremendous drive, talent, and expertise, I think he’ll certainly help get Hampton Roads on that Salsa Map.

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EVENTS

(Pic | Ferguson Arts Center website)

Tango Buenos Aires starts off the performance line-up for this month. This dynamic company from Argentina will be at the Ferguson Center for Performing Arts in Newport News on Friday, March 4^th. The ten dancers and five musicians will be presenting their show, Fire and Passion of Tango.

The Mambo Room is holding a twelve hour Dance-a-thon on Saturday, March 5^th to raise funds for CHKD. The teams have already raised over $12,000.00. (!!!) The Dance-a-thon, which includes lessons, performances, DJs, contests (and more), will be from 11am to 11pm. The after party continues with the Tumbao Salsero Latin Orchestra until 2am.

On March 5^th and 6^th (Saturday and Sunday), the TRDance Ensemble will be holding the In Concert performance at the Benjack Studio Theatre in the TRDance Center.

Saturday, March 19^th marks this month’s Southside Stomp, held at the Mambo Room from 6pm-1:30am. This high-energy event includes lessons and a night full of swing, lindy hop, and blues.

The Russion National Ballet will be performing two full length ballets at the Ferguson Center for Performing Arts on Sunday, March 20^th; Sleeping Beauty in the afternoon and Romeo and Juliet in the evening. An entire day of ballet; sounds great to me!

Viver Brasil (Pic | The American Theatre website)

The TRDance Company will continue their 5^th Anniversary Season with their Studio Concert Series at the Benjack Studio Theatre March 25^th through April 3^rd.

At The American Theatre in Hampton, Viver Brazil will be performing Feet on the Ground Tuesday and Wednesday, March 29^th and 30th. As it says on their website, “The company specializes in bringing to life the beautiful and complex stories of the orixa, African sacred energies that are the engine of Afro-Brazilian culture in addition to presenting jubilant samba, contemporary Afro-Brazilian dance and carnival.”

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SCHEDULES

Mambo Room

Elbert Watson

TRDance Center

Beginner (7pm-8pm) and Intermediate (8pm-9pm) Argentine Tango lessons, taught by Ernest Williams, will be held at The American Theatre in Hampton March 1^st and March 15^th.

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Happy March! DYBO!

If you would like to chat dance, or if you have any dance info to share, please email jaime@altdaily.com.