from Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman
Phone number: (720) 336-1239
Email: eric@salsaville.com
Class catalog
Levels of basic salsa classes are as follows:
Salsa, Level I – Introduction to Salsa
Salsa, Level II – Advanced-Beginner
Salsa, Level III – Intro to Intermediate Level
An in-between level:
Salsa, Level IV Prep – Salsa skills to get ready to join the Intermediate Salsa Class
Next come the higher levels:
Salsa, Level IV – Intermediate
(Never ending - to be taken at least 6 times -- material different each time.)
Salsa, Level V – Advanced-Intermediate
(Never ending -- material different each time -- but should take at least 3-6 times before attempting Level VI. This class is only rarely offered.)
Salsa, Level VI – Advanced
(Never ending -- material different each time. This class has never yet been offered.)
Cuban Salsa, Level IV Cuban Casino Fundamentals
(To be taken after completing at least Salsa, Level I and II, and preferably Salsa Level III as well.)
(Material will take two months to cover -- so to be taken twice before advancing onto Level V.)
Cuban Salsa, Level V Cuban Casino, Advanced-Intermediate
(Never ending -- material is different each time. To be taken several times before attempting Level VI.)
Cuban Salsa, Level VI Cuban Casino, Advanced
(Never ending -- material different each time.)
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This class will be taught at the introductory level. No previous dance experience at all is required! We will explain all of the basic and important elements of salsa dancing. After this class you will be prepared to go out and have fun dancing in the salsa nightclubs of Boulder and Denver. We will cover:
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We will continue to explain all of the basic and important elements of salsa dancing. After this class you will be prepared to go out and have even more fun dancing in the salsa nightclubs of Boulder and Denver. This class is intended for people who have successfully completed at least one month of introductory salsa, or for people who have danced before in nightclubs, but who haven't yet had any formal instruction. We will cover:
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In this class, you will learn all of the fundamental (but important!) elements that will help take your salsa dancing to the next level (intermediate). This class is intended for people who have successfully completed at least two months of salsa, or for people who have been dancing for several months, but who haven't had much formal instruction and want to really learn the key techniques for dancing at the intermediate level. We will cover:
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In this class, we will be reviewing the skills learned in the first three levels. However, there will be a big emphasis on exploring many more possibilities based on the moves learned in Level 3. With different hand combinations there are numerous ways of doing the cross body lead with left and right turns and at least a couple dozen ways of doing the sweetheart. We'll be exploring many of these possibilities of these, and making sure our turns, balance, and leading & following skills are ready for you to join the upper level 4 intermediate class! |
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Before enrolling in this class, you should have successfully completed Salsa, Levels I,II, and III, or be comfortable executing all the basic combinations in salsa dancing. This class should be normally taken at least about six times before advancing to Level V. Each month this class will be different, varying in content and presentation. We will cover:
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This class should be taken at least two to four times before attempting Level VI. We will learn several new turn patterns to dazzle you, your partner and others watching on the dance floor. This workshop will move quickly, so be prepared to be challenged!
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This class is intended for people who have successfully completed at least three months of regular salsa classes. This class will introduce you to all the basic concepts of partner dancing in Cuban style, also know as "Casino." Casino is very different from other salsa styles, and is more circular in nature and often more playful. Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman has traveled to Cuba 30 times spending over 32 months studying Cuban style salsa, and has produced the world's best known instructional video series on Cuban style dancing, "¡Salsa a la Cubana!" We will cover:
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This class is intended for people are familiar with the fundamentals of Casino. Casino is very different from other salsa styles, and is more circular in nature and often more playful. In this class we will continue with more complex Casino style turn patterns, and continue to explore concepts, feeling, etc. of what makes dancing Cuban style different than the other styles. Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman has traveled to Cuba 10 times spending over 15 months studying Cuban style salsa, and has produced the world's best known instructional video series on Cuban style dancing, "¡Salsa a la Cubana!" We will cover:
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This class is intended for people who have already taken Level V several times, and are ready for learning advanced casino. In this class we will continue with more complex Casino style turn patterns, and continue to explore concepts, feeling, etc. of what makes dancing Cuban style different than the other styles. Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman has traveled to Cuba 10 times spending over 15 months studying Cuban style salsa, and has produced the world's best known instructional video series on Cuban style dancing, "¡Salsa a la Cubana!" We will cover:
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Learn to move your body as most Latinos naturally do! We will focus entirely on the all-important "contra-body motion" that forms the basis for latin dancing (salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha and others.) In my opinion, this "contra-body" motion, along with keeping time with the music (rhythm), are the two most important aspects of latin dancing. Learning contra-body motion will help you with many aspects of your dancing, including naturally taking smaller steps, being able to move around the dance floor, spins, lead-follow connection, and dancing close to your partner. So please come join us, as I will break down exactly how to move with this "contra-body" motion. Over the two sessions we will cover:
This class is intended for people who have had at least some exposure to salsa, and want to learn how to properly move their bodies. I highly recommend this class to absolutely anybody who has not mastered this technique (which includes some people who regularly attend advanced-level salsa classes) or to anyone who does this naturally but wants to better understand the mechanics.
Frank Hugelmeyer: "Eric's Latin Body Motion class is a revelation. After two years of building my skills in various salsa courses, this was the class that made me feel like I was finally moving the right way." Denny Thompson: "Hey Eric, I wanted to tell you that of all the great Salsa classes I have taken , your Latin Body Motion class was by far the most rewarding. It showed me something that I have always wondered about which was precisely how can those latin guys move like that. What are they doing? Well now I know. I can't do it quite yet but I am practicing. It was a very special class and you are a superb teacher." Richard Salm: "I really enjoyed the Latin body motion workshop and now have to unlearn a year and a half doing it wrong. It is really refreshing to see an instructor offering technique in a group format instead of only just teaching patterns. Judging by the sell out last Tuesday, it appears that there is a great demand for technique instruction. I’ll definitely be coming to any future technique class you offer." Suzanne Crawford: "Although I've been dancing for a while, contra body motion didn't come naturally to me. My dancing has improved a lot after taking Eric's class." Brian Otte: "I was tired of dancing like a gringo ... Over time I had learned a bunch of Salsa moves but still didn't feel like I was dancing. About half way through Latin Body Motion I was dancing with a gal I'd danced with...I don't know...a hundred times. We looked at each other and said 'Wow, this is better. This is way more fun.'" Marcus Kurek: "The Latin Body Motion class was just wonderful. It helped me to develop the sensory motor awareness to move with passion with each step! The class offered a level of refinement that is often seen with well seasoned and professional dancers. I can't wait until the next class!" Brian Otte (the next time he took the class): A great class, Eric. A lot of instructors discuss this motion but few, I bet, teach it systematically. How many places, worldwide, could a person find such lessons? Rarefied air, indeed. Repeat the class as you are able, I'll take it. |
Learn more about the music we all love, while improving your timing and musicality. This is one of the two most important topics in salsa dancing. Understanding the music, feeling it, hearing the beat, and being comfortable staying on beat. Understanding the music, along with Latin Motion, gives you the main tools towards becoming a real latin dancer. This class will help you to indentify the "one" of the music and hear the rhythm much better while learning about all the important instruments in salsa. Instead of just hearing salsa music as a "wall" of complex sounds, we will learn all about what makes up this polyrhythmic sound. We will listen to various audio tracks of all the main instruments in salsa:
This class is intended for people who have had at least some exposure to salsa. It will be useful for everyone from near-beginners to dedicated salseros. This class will change the way you hear and think about salsa music forever.
Martha Gustafson: "I love the class. Everyone should take it. I listen to everything so much differently now -- I can hear so many more things in each song." Jeanne Petrick: "I thoroughly enjoyed the first Salsa Music Workshop. As advertised, it provided a whole new element to my understanding and future enjoyment of salsa music. Thanks for the positive experience."
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We will learning a combination of Traditional Bachata and Bachata Moderna in this course. No knowledge of salsa is necessary, although background in other latin dancers will make it possible to learn faster. We will learn the basic steps, body motion for Bachata, open and closed positions, basic turns, a few not-so-basic turns, and how to put it all together on the dance floor. Also, we will listen to some Bachata music, so that you will have no trouble identifying and distinguishing Bachata from Salsa, Merengue, and others.
Amina Knowlan: "I have been dancing bachata for years, but always felt like I was kind of "faking it." Eric's teaching of different basic steps and turns takes everything to another level. And, it's fun!" Yasko Endo: "For dancers fairly new to Latin, I felt the pace was just right, the basic rhythm and step exercises were helpful, useful, and fun. Even in the first class you had everyone feeling like they could go on the floor and dance." Nikhil Bajoria: "I enjoyed the Bachata Intro class a lot. The content was meaningful for beginners and also for those who have been dancing salsa for a while now. Please continue these classes and may be a couple of months down the line, you can play some Bachata music as well in the monthly dance practice meetups." Colton Hoerner: "I've had a great timing learning the basics of Bachata. It's a big boost to my confidence and enjoyment for going out and doing salsa to be able to stay out on the floor when a Bachata song comes on." Dr. Gannon: "I recently started in the Latin dances (Salsa, Bachata etc...) in my home state but as a regular summer visitor to Boulder I searched for classes here and in hind sight, made the right choice with Salsaville! The classes were challenging but designed in a manner to progressively learn from complete beginner to advanced! I also took regular private lessons and for the first time things really started clicking...moves were cleaned up, patterns started flowing more seamlessly, confidence in my developing skill grew! Can't say enough good things about how my dancing skill progressed in the 3 months I was with Salsaville. Can't wait till next summer!"
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This class is intended for people who have successfully completed at least three months of salsa classes. This class will introduce you to the basic concepts of partner dancing in Colombian-style salsa, also known as Cali-style salsa (from the city of Cali, Colombia's capital of salsa), or just "Caleño." Caleño is very different from other salsa styles, can be a little faster, and has more footwork. We will cover:
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