Picking the right dance partner is crucial to a successful dancing career. There's so much more to consider besides dance skills. Partners spend a lot of hours practicing, teaching, competing and traveling together. So how do we pick the right one for us? On this podcast, Will and Contanza Orrock talk about some of the qualities to look for when choosing the right person. What's more important? Reliability or dance skills? How long do we have to train before competing? How do we resolve conflict? Tips on advertising as a couple When do know it's time to quit and go separate ways?

Eddie Torres also known as "The Mambo King" is a living legend in the Latin dance community. He has trained world-famous salseros like Adolfo Indacochea, Wilton Beltre and Eddie Torres, Jr. Along with June Laberta, Eddie developed what we call New York style salsa where dancers break "on 2". He danced alongside and collaborated with Tito Puente. Like we said, a living legend. Here is part 2 of our interview with Eddie at the Chicago Salsa Congress. If you haven't checked out part 1, do it!  

Traveling out-of-state and overseas to teach is a dream that many young instructors have. But where to begin? And what steps should one take in order to fulfill that dream? On this Podcast, we asked Jose Santamaria how he accomplished his dream of traveling and teaching overseas. It's not easy, he says, but it isn't impossible either. For him, it all comes down to learning the basics and the history of the dance, practicing and training very hard each week, networking and making contacts wherever one goes, using social media effectively and above all... loving and enjoying the dance. Jose Santamaria is the owner of the J.A.S. Latin Dance Academy in Santa Rosa, CA. He has been teaching Latin dance for more than ten years, and has taught in many festivals and congresses across the United States and Canada. His style and expertise have taken him to new and exciting places like Egypt, Japan, and several countries in Europe. According to Jose, anyone can become an international dance instructor. And while the experience might be different for each person, he shared the story about what worked for him and what he thinks takes to become one. Click on the audio player below to hear about Jose's story, his passion and knowledge for the dance, and his tips and opinions on how to stay on track to become an international instructor. If you live or plan to visit Santa Rosa, CA and wish to take lessons with Jose, contact the J.A.S. Latin Dance Academy at (707) 293-4292 or [email protected]. www.jasdance.com

Eddie Torres also known as "The Mambo King" is a living legend in the Latin dance community. He has trained world-famous salseros like Adolfo Indacochea, Wilton Beltre and Eddie Torres, Jr. Along with June Laberta, Eddie developed what we call New York style salsa where dancers break "on 2". He danced alongside and collaborated with Tito Puente. Like we said, a living legend. LDC caught up with Eddie at the Chicago International Salsa Congress. Luckily, we brought our microphones! Here is part 1 of our interview where we cover The Palladium, Tito Puente, how Eddie got into dancing and much more.  Show Notes: Augie and Margo dancing at the Palladium Eddie Torres website Eddie Torres YouTube page Eddie & Maria Torres with Tito Puente Eddie Torres and June Laberta at the studio

Anybody want to be a dance instructor? Where to start? How does an average instructor become great? Apparently, it takes more than just being a great dancer! Mike del Campo and his wife Gina have been teaching dance for more than 20 years. They are the owners of "Del Campo Dance Studio", one of the most popular and highly rated dance studios in Sacramento, CA. On this podcast, Mike shares his years of experience with us, and gives some tips and advice on how to teach beginners, how to deal with students who have a hard time and are clearly out of their element, what to look for in teaching assistants and even advice for people who want to open their own dance studio. For Mike,students are a reflection of their teachers, so he makes sure all his students are well taught.Click on the player below to listen to some useful information on how to become a great dance instructor. Even if you are an expert, I'm sure you will pick up a few pointers.

The World Latin Cup is this month. Dancers from all over the world will flock to Miami Beach and attempt to impress the judges to come home with a title. How do champions train for a dance competition? The road to any dance contest is hard, but it involves more than just learning and practicing a routine. On this Podcast episode of LDC, dance champions Will Orrock and his wife Constanza talk about how they prepare to compete. They spend hours at the dance studio, but they also train at the gym, they eat well and prepare mentally. Listen to the podcast to find out what else they do to train and win! Will Orrock studied dance and choreography at the University of the Americas in Chile. He's a two-time South American salsa, bachata and merengue champion and also national ballroom champion in Chile. He currently teaches in the South San Francisco Bay Area.  If you live in San Francisco and wish to train or take classes with Will and Constanza you may contact them at (408) 480-2769, or send them at e-mail: [email protected]. You can also visit their website: http://www.wevolvedance.com/

Why does Michelle like to hijack the lead from her partner when she social dances? Because sometimes it's a good idea! Listen to Michelle Donehew talk about how she comes up with new choreography, the importance of teaching beginners and how to manage a dance team effectively in order to have a strong dance community. Michelle was born in Hato Rey, PR, and she's been dancing since she was 9 years old. Her dance training is extensive, and includes ballet, tap, jazz musical theater, and Latin dancing. For nine years she was part of  "Salsamania", one of the most renowned dance teams in San Francisco. In 2015 she joined forces with her very talented partner Manny Villarreal to be the co-director of Sabor Latino-Oakland bachata team. She is known for her feminine, fierce, and sassy style which has helped her win many awards and championship titles in her career. Michelle and her partner Manny Villarreal plan to shock audiences and the judges at the World Latin Cup again this December. They need our help to pay for travel and lodging expenses, so click here to help them achieve their goal, and as always, thank you for supporting our community.

DJ Mario B has been mixing tracks for more than ten years in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area. He's currently the resident DJ for the new Latin nightclub "Millennium",and he keeps everyone dancing for hours. How? He does his homework, he pays attention to the crowd, but most of all, he loves music. So what does it take to be a DJ? Click on the player below to listen to "DJ Mario B's" story, including some great advice for new and aspiring nightclub DJ's.

Today's chat is with Richie Kirwan, LDC author of When Dancing Becomes Groping: Time To Clean Up the Dance Scene! Sadly, within the Latin dance community there are some shady characters. Richie sheds light on these guys and Rob gives some self-defense tips for the ladies. If you enjoyed Richie's post, you are going to love this interview! This week's song is 'Merecumbe' by Johnny Colon, aka the birthday song, as chosen by our guest, Richie. Remember to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. And I would REALLY appreciate you leaving a 5-star review so that more people can find out about us :)

This week's show features an interview with Jonathan Goldman. Jonathan plays trumpet for Spanglish Fly, a boogaloo bound based in NYC. If the name sounds familiar, that's because we had him on the show last year for his fantastic Fania 50-year anniversary tribute. He's back talking about the band's new album dropping on September 18th. Listen to the show to hear the story behind many of the songs as well as sneak peek listens of top tracks. And for those of you that listened to this episode, here's a link to the Cuarenta Dos video featured by the NY Yankees. Remember to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. And I would REALLY appreciate you leaving a 5-star review so that more people can find out about us :)