olive Dance Theater Brings Breakin' to Cincinnati

I'm really enjoying writing for The Examiner about different dance topics from how to get started to events. Here is the current article about the olive Dance Theatre's performance "Swift Solos".

Top rock, down rock, power moves and freezes/suicides may not be in your everyday vocabulary but to break dancers, it's the language that drives the dance. To Ken Swift, re known B-Boy, choreographer and innovator these terms became his language of movement as he is credited with establishing the critical foundation of Breakin' with style and flair.

His legendary works are featured this weekend, March 19 and 20 at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater as the Contemporary Dance Theatre hosts the oLIVE Dance Theatre's performance of "Swift Solos". The Philadelphia group showcases Swift's works of solo and ensemble pieces from solo to battle and cipher that spans over thirty years bringing break dancing to the respected forefront of American dance styles with a tone that creates a higher level of emotional introspection that doesn't exist in a traditional "battle".

"Contemporary Dance Theater (CDT) decided to present olive Dance Theatre for several reasons and one of those was to further acknowledge what the NEA has done by granting the company an American Masterpieces grant to reconstruct the work of Ken Swift, thereby recognizing Breakin' as a legitimate and valuable art form and part of the national (and international) culture. olive Dance Theatre and Ken Swift are presenting a bit of dance history and the culture of urban expression when they dance this weekend." says Jefferson James, Artistic Director of CDT.

Founded in 2002, olive Dance Theatre's works incite social change and creativity through the folk art of Breakin' or B-Boying and B-Girling. Artistic Director Jamie Merwin expresses, "our mission is to validate indigenous American hip hop dance forms specifically Breakin' through the creation of new dance theater works and the performance of these works domestically and abroad."

The dance group visits schools and community out-reach programs educating students of all ages on the history and technique as they did this past week in Cincinnati. In addition, the legendary Ken Swift is collaborating with Elementz Hip Hop and Murder Rock Crew in a local battle at CDT's College HIll Town Hall location 1805 Larch Ave from 12p-6p on Saturday, March 20. Prizes will be awarded. More information can be found at http://www.cdt-dance.org.

Breakin' Becomes a Landscape of Pop-Culture: A bit of Breakin' History Imagine the setting of a steamy summer early evening with a skillful young dancer spinning on the ground to the funk rhythms. This vision emerged on the scenes of NYC in the South Bronx during the early 1970's when dancers formed street dance-offs. Winners of the "battle were determined by innovative maneuvers unmatched in difficulty from "toprock" or standing positions to the infamous "downrock" of spinning ground movements and arm balances. Now, Breakin' is considered the oldest form of hip hop.

Performers, such as James Brown, dance teams like Rock Steady Crew which included Ken Swift and media forms like MTV ignited Breakin' into a phenomenon. Ken Swift's career with movies, such as, "Style Wars (1982), Graffiti Rock (1983) and Flash Dance (1983) brought tours to Europe and Asia spreading the word on an international level. And, the phenomenon continues, as Cincinnati will see this weekend at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater.

Don't miss the show: When: March 19 and 20 Where: Jarson-Kaplan Theater Downtown Cincinnati Time: 8:30p Cost: $27 & $22; $17 students and seniors; ETA member benefits apply. Tickets may be purchased at the Aronoff Center Ticket Office at 513-621-2787. More information on Ken Swift at http://www.breaklife.com

Salsa Love,

Di

www.kamasalsa.com/www.examiner.com/www.kamasalsa.blogspot.com

Confessions of a purple leotard ballerina

How I started dancing or confessions of a purple leotard ballerina

I was three years old when the dance world came to me. Little did I know at the time that acting like a frog, jumping up and down, turning out my toes and tumbling in somersaults across the floor would lead to a lifelong journey of dance.

The dance school that started it all was Janet Carlton's School of Dance in Mt. Healthy, Ohio. Not a bustling town by any means, Mt. Healthy was fully equipped with tiny shops and businesses along quiet streets but Janet's place made Mt. Healthy exciting. Every Saturday morning, cars of little girls clad in black leotard and tights were dropped off to the studio on McKinney Street. This was my home away from home for years.

Janet practiced technique and form utilizing all of her teachings as a professional ballerina: stand up straight was her motto. To ensure every little bottom was tucked in, she came around the room and pinched and poked our bums to stay in place. I was no exception.

I was no exception to any rule-but with all rules I somehow, even from an early age I always seemed to quietly break them. The other girls were always picture perfect with their clean black leotard, pink tights, curved ballet slippers to match their forming arches, thin bodies and neat buns pulled away from fresh faces. Then there was me. I mean ME!! On the other side of the room, I came in with my purple leotard, matching tights and, of course the famous pixie haircut...telling jokes and sharing stories. No one told me that a little girl with a budding body and not exactly a flat butt could not dance ballet. I kept going...and learning...and just trying to find my place on the dance floor.

Through performances, costumes and critiques I formed my love of dance. During college, it led me to study modern which accepted my body and craving for movement. Yoga straightened out my internal and external stuff (literally). But it was salsa that captured me.

I found salsa in Miami, Florida during a fashion design co op. During a night out, little did I know that I was at a salsa bar. As soon as I witnessed a sea of salsa dancers on the floor, I was hooked. It was their beauty and connection that struck me. Everyone as a dancer with salsa. This was home. This is it.

Soon after, my job opportunity in NYC fell through and I stayed in Cincinnati to find work and mold a career. Then, a friend and I went to The Corinthian and my salsa journey started. I found people from all over the world just like in Miami. I started dancing every night and soon started teaching with Ron Hamad at the Clifton YMCA.

Now, fourteen years later, I am still learning, teaching and dancing. I will never forget how I started, where I was and how dance made me feel. It took the first step and I hope to share it with others always.

Keep dancing and never be afraid to wear your own style.

Salsa Love,

Di

Celebrating Dance with The True Body Project


One of my missions in KamaSalsa is to reach out to people of all demographics and help them express themselves through dance. The chance came to me when Stacy Sims, Creator of The True Body Project and Owner of Pendleton Pilates asked me to teach a group of teenage girls who were brought together to learn about body image and find their authentic voices through music, movement, writing and theatre. This was in 2007, now three years later, I teach on a seasonal basis to women of all ages who come together for the open classes like the one on March 3rd at the Downtown Pendleton location.

The class starts with everyone sitting in a circle and listening to the True Body Constitution: We Believe in Breathing, We Believe in being a mother to all, We believe in healing ourselves through mind, body and spirit....... I'm always struck by the beautiful individuality of each woman with their unique presence and gifts to share. We start off by writing. This time it is about being good or bad which made me immediately go back to the power of dance and how we open ourselves up to the good and bad in each of us.

The good and bad of dancing can be taken literally like: "Wow! She is a good dancer!" or the bad- "Stay away from that guy...he can't lead." The other side of good/bad which comes from our emotion and expression. It's about rules(the good) and breaking them, too (the bad). We have to learn the rules to communicate the movement and know the lead and follow. The bad comes from expressing who we are as individuals and not getting so caught up in the mechanics. The balance brings out the true joy of movement..allowing each dancer to be connect, breath, be empowered.. be honest....and never forget how to laugh along the way.

Thanks to my friend Stacy for her vision. Thanks to all of the students who allow themselves to be free and know the balance of being good and bad at the same time. Check out the True Body Project at www.thetruebodyproject.org.

Salsa Love,

Di

I can't believe it's almost spring; time is really flying. Here are the goodies for this upcoming month including the new, hot Friday night Salsa Happy Hour class for beginners.

March Salsa Remedies:

Spring into Spring with Salsa Style:

KamaSalsa at True Body Project:
Every year I partner with The True Body Project teaching girls of all ages to embrace their inner beauty with dance and laughter. Last night, I was blessed to join the group again teaching and writing about Good Girl/Bad Girl. It was so much fun and a wonderful experience to be a part of an important organization.

KamaSalsa Joins the Cincinnati Recreation Commission!
Starting April 7th 6p-7p. KamaSalsa comes to Corryville Rec Center on Eden Ave for salsa fun.

Diana Joins The Examiner as Cincinnati's Dance Editor
Yep Guys, more dance in the future. I'll be writing about the dance scene from ball room to whatever gets people off the couch and moving. All articles will be posted on my blog.

Zumba with Amparo will return in April!!

New Level One Classes: Yes, more opportunities to spread the salsa love:
Tuesday, March 16 7p-8p
Friday Night New Happy Hour Class: March 12 7p-8p
and workshops: Level One Workshop: Saturday, March 6th 3p-5p

Workshops: All workshops are on Saturdays from 3p-5p. $20 with an rsvp
March 6: Level One
March 13: Rueda
March 20: Shines. Lead and Follow
March 27: Bachata


All other classes and practice sessions can be checked out on www.kamasalsa.com.

Thanks so much for your energy and love of dance. You are keeping our community growing.

Salsa Love,

Diana