Which workshop with Shaka Brown?

S

smiling28

Moderator
Ok, So I am going to Singapore and staying a couple of days almost only for workshops with Shaka Brown.

Now, I have enrolled in two body movement classes. LOVE body movement. But there is a deal for 3 classes so that the third is much cheaper if I get it.

Wanted Bachata. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Bachata, how I love thee. But the class is full :( They put on a second session but that session I will be in Thailand. I asked if anyone would swap but no.

So, my choices for a third workshop are:


a) none. Be happy with the two I want to do and save my energy and money for more social dancing. I will definitely watch the other classes though.
b) On1 Salsa Intermediate Partnerwork (I have only done cuban rueda style, never any on1)
c) On1 Salsa Advance Partnerwork (I have only done cuban rueda style, never any on1)
d) Introduction to Fundamental of On2 - (I have only done cuban rueda style and not very long) No one where I live dances on2 that i know hence no opportunity to continue learning or developing after really. I have not done cuban rueda that long either. Hence am reluctant to try other salsa styles until I am comfortable and have committed the style I am learning to muscle memory so as not to confuse myself.


Right now I am leaning towards just watching the other classes. Bachata would have been perfect :(

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated though as I may have incorrectly assessed my situation.

thanks!

　
 
Hey Smiling,

I have another option for you. Save your money for a Bachata DVD from a specialist Bachata teacher.

See w w w.ilovebachata.com/ and click on 'Bachata teachers'.

I've done Tony Lara and Daniela Francesco's Bachata workshop before and they're great! Co-incidentally they're doing another workshop here on Saturday as part of their Bachata tour.

Gotta say I'm getting to the point where I could just dance Bachata all night and be happy!

Regarding the workshops you'll certainly learn something from either the Intermediate class or Introduction to on 2 but you won't get a whole new dance out of it! If you're on a budget and can stretch to one DVD I'd say you'll get more from that.

I'm guessing you're gunna be like :shock: this all weekend anyway, so two workshops should be enough. I leave it up to you.
 
On the other hand.. you could learn some useful tips for leading and non-verbal feedback from followers in either workshop (assuming the Intro to on2 involves partnerwork) which you could apply to any style. It's also a very good way to meet followers and setup dances for later.

I'm in two minds - a Bachata mind and a Salsa mind. :lol:
 
smiling28 said:
Ok, So I am going to Singapore and staying a couple of days almost only for workshops with Shaka Brown.

I have not done cuban rueda that long either. Hence am reluctant to try other salsa styles until I am comfortable and have committed the style I am learning to muscle memory so as not to confuse myself.
Click to expand...


Perhaps I misread what you wrote, but it sounds like you are going to Singapore to take classes with Shaka Brown, but you only dance Rueda and don't want to learn other styles? What is Shaka Brown teaching and/or what do you think you will get from Shaka Brown that will help you with Rueda?
 
salcero2005 said:
smiling28 said:
Ok, So I am going to Singapore and staying a couple of days almost only for workshops with Shaka Brown.

I have not done cuban rueda that long either. Hence am reluctant to try other salsa styles until I am comfortable and have committed the style I am learning to muscle memory so as not to confuse myself.
Click to expand...


Perhaps I misread what you wrote, but it sounds like you are going to Singapore to take classes with Shaka Brown, but you only dance Rueda and don't want to learn other styles? What is Shaka Brown teaching and/or what do you think you will get from Shaka Brown that will help you with Rueda?
Click to expand...

Do not want to learn other styles of SALSA just yet as do not want to confuse myself. Want to learn casino rueda first (still very new).

My classes with Shaka would be body movement. Fun and helpeful for everything. Even when bored waiting for the bus :)

Plus, just being exposed to such a high intense level of salsa will help and be fun. Furthermore, salsa people have GREAT positive energy which will inspire me further and add to my life.


Should be great!
 
Learning Body Movement from Shaka is definately a plus and u would come across things which u would not have seen before...its an eye opener really. Having said that i suggest u try privates on1 with Gary or Jason. Both are amazing dancers and instructors.
Keep an open mind and try to learn as much as u can. Just in case you dont repent later for having travelled all the way and not learning enougg.
Just give it a shot and who knows we would see another on1 or on2 dancer converted from Casino :lol:
 
azzey said:
I have another option for you. Save your money for a Bachata DVD from a specialist Bachata teacher.

See w w w.ilovebachata.com/ and click on 'Bachata teachers'.

I've done Tony Lara and Daniela Francesco's Bachata workshop before and they're great! Co-incidentally they're doing another workshop here on Saturday as part of their Bachata tour.
Click to expand...

There are also DVDs from Jorge Elizondo on bachatarueda.com. So far haven't met him or been in his workshops. But his DVDs are explaining the move well and I like them.
 
smiling28 said:
Wanted Bachata. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh Bachata, how I love thee. But the class is full :( They put on a second session but that session I will be in Thailand. I asked if anyone would swap but no.
　
Click to expand...

Ya i think that would be ideal. Gary has nice bachata movements and his class is always full ;) . Well.. why not try to see if u can slot in Gary's workshop or something when your there.
 
Lol, smiling, you go to Singapore when I'm not there. Sheesh. Enjoy yourself at Shaka's workshops though - he's one of my favourites and sadly I can't be back for the classes.

As for bachata, do try Gary's lessons, as recommended by sac and fallenangel. Gary is a lady's bachata dream come true, and learning from him will get you far in the bachata world. You could try asking him for a private schedule if possible..
 
narcosis said:
As for bachata, do try Gary's lessons, as recommended by sac and fallenangel. Gary is a lady's bachata dream come true, and learning from him will get you far in the bachata world. You could try asking him for a private schedule if possible..
Click to expand...

yup yup yup :)
 
Sac,

I believe Shaka is coming to a city near me very soon. Would you say Shaka's body movement class is better than that of Sekou or Seaon Styling? Just curious ...

sac said:
Learning Body Movement from Shaka is definately a plus and u would come across things which u would not have seen before...its an eye opener really. Having said that i suggest u try privates on1 with Gary or Jason. Both are amazing dancers and instructors.
Keep an open mind and try to learn as much as u can. Just in case you dont repent later for having travelled all the way and not learning enougg.
Just give it a shot and who knows we would see another on1 or on2 dancer converted from Casino :lol:
Click to expand...
 
Salsamakossa said:
Sac,

I believe Shaka is coming to a city near me very soon. Would you say Shaka's body movement class is better than that of Sekou or Seaon Styling? Just curious ...
Click to expand...

I've taken classes from each of the instructors you've mentioned and it's really like comparing apples and oranges (and grapes!). Seaon I love because I believe that out of any male instructor, he relates to followers the best in terms of styling and body movement. That said, he is an excellent instructor for leads as well! He's been dancing for quite a long time and really focuses on dancing to the music. Sekou's style is very jazz-focused--and his body movement is off the hook! I enjoy Shaka's footwork classes. I'm not sure if his body movement class involves footwork, but I think this is a great strength of his. He really focuses on interpreting the music with interesting rhythms and syncopation. I believe his style, love it or not (and I do!) is also quite unique.

Hope this helps!
 
Smiling: Back to your original question about your three options. I'd do this. Keep trying for the bachata workshop that you really want. Even if you decide to sign up for something else, keep trying - even up til the class itself. You never know. As far as the three classes you listed as options, the intermediate On1 class seems like the best fit for you. Your casino style timing is on 1 so it'll be much less confusing than the On2 class.
 
hmm body movement and rueda, :shock:

the body movement from Shaka is great but is designed and used for slot dancing (on1 or on2), he is the epitome of an on2 dancer, soft, smooth and his body movement reflects that.

Body movement is always a good thing to learn, I am just having a bit of a hard time thinking about how would you incorporate shaka stuff in the typical rueda dancing.

I have his footwork and styling dvd ( it has a chapter in body movement) and he sure moves incredible.

I still think you should take his class, if you don't want to learn other styles yet I think you will be better off taking these generic classes, as on1 and on2 are beasts that will take you years to master, and unless you start training on them you will probably forget everything you learned in the classes ( not saying you should close your mind to this dances, because i would love to have you in my on2 side :) ) but just talking from the money/time point of view.

I also second the idea of getting DVD, the classes can be quite fast depending on your level, and a DVD allows you to take " the class" a 100 times... which some of us need it

as naturallove said, those 3 guys ( Shaka, Seaon, Sekou) stand on their own in body movement. They each emphasize a different element in dancing.

Shaka, has this mesmerizing and lovely body movement, for lack of better sample, say combine ballet and African movements and you get this soft, gentle, full of range motion the he exudes.

Sekou, as mentioned before is all about the jazz, very elegant, very creative and very clean which is nice to watch and of course execute.

Seaon, sometimes I think he probably closest represent the mambo, Caribbean, original movements, his moves are closer to his body than Shaka and Sekou, agil but elegant, and just incredible flowing gorgeous movement.

When talking about body movement you have to add Frankie, he has this mesmerizing ability to combine his moves to the music, this moves can be so fast, that you wonder how is possible they can be done, even thought they are fast, once again, you will noticed the cleanliness of the execution, and elegance. his range of motion is aslo incredible, everything moves with frankie, shoulders, arms, torso, feet, neck, even his hair would isolate if it could. and when he moves is not just an overwhelming display of body parts moving rather, he seems to choreography the music by using his body sequentially to hit different beats of the music.


I have dvds by all these guys, and have taken classes with all of but Seaon. and I plan to learn them all, I think they all have something to offer and salsa needs them all.
 
naturallove said:
Salsamakossa said:
Sac,

I believe Shaka is coming to a city near me very soon. Would you say Shaka's body movement class is better than that of Sekou or Seaon Styling? Just curious ...
Click to expand...

I've taken classes from each of the instructors you've mentioned and it's really like comparing apples and oranges (and grapes!). Seaon I love because I believe that out of any male instructor, he relates to followers the best in terms of styling and body movement. That said, he is an excellent instructor for leads as well! He's been dancing for quite a long time and really focuses on dancing to the music. Sekou's style is very jazz-focused--and his body movement is off the hook! I enjoy Shaka's footwork classes. I'm not sure if his body movement class involves footwork, but I think this is a great strength of his. He really focuses on interpreting the music with interesting rhythms and syncopation. I believe his style, love it or not (and I do!) is also quite unique.


Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

agree with naturallove here. I had the privelege of taking workshops from both Sekou and Shaka at the recent India Salsa Festival. Sekou's style is very jazz-focused--and his body movement is off the hook! Cant say it any better :)

As for Shaka he does involve lot of hip movement in his footwork classes as well as some body movement.Theres not much difference between Body Movement and Footwork classes that i have seen of...But again i maybe wrong.

All in all both are very different instructors so its like comparing apples to oranges. But i would suggest you take classes from both of them if u get the chance...They are awesome instructors and you might find that u can pickup few things from both of them which will go a long way:)[/b]
 
THANKS EVERYONE!!! I wish you could see the MASSIVE beaming smile I have now. VERY EXCITED!!!



PielCanela said:
hmm body movement and rueda, :shock:

the body movement from Shaka is great but is designed and used for slot dancing (on1 or on2), he is the epitome of an on2 dancer, soft, smooth and his body movement reflects that.

Body movement is always a good thing to learn, I am just having a bit of a hard time thinking about how would you incorporate shaka stuff in the typical rueda dancing.

I have his footwork and styling dvd ( it has a chapter in body movement) and he sure moves incredible.

I still think you should take his class, if you don't want to learn other styles yet I think you will be better off taking these generic classes, as on1 and on2 are beasts that will take you years to master, and unless you start training on them you will probably forget everything you learned in the classes ( not saying you should close your mind to this dances, because i would love to have you in my on2 side :) ) but just talking from the money/time point of view.

I also second the idea of getting DVD, the classes can be quite fast depending on your level, and a DVD allows you to take " the class" a 100 times... which some of us need it

as naturallove said, those 3 guys ( Shaka, Seaon, Sekou) stand on their own in body movement. They each emphasize a different element in dancing.

Shaka, has this mesmerizing and lovely body movement, for lack of better sample, say combine ballet and African movements and you get this soft, gentle, full of range motion the he exudes.

Sekou, as mentioned before is all about the jazz, very elegant, very creative and very clean which is nice to watch and of course execute.

Seaon, sometimes I think he probably closest represent the mambo, Caribbean, original movements, his moves are closer to his body than Shaka and Sekou, agil but elegant, and just incredible flowing gorgeous movement.

When talking about body movement you have to add Frankie, he has this mesmerizing ability to combine his moves to the music, this moves can be so fast, that you wonder how is possible they can be done, even thought they are fast, once again, you will noticed the cleanliness of the execution, and elegance. his range of motion is aslo incredible, everything moves with frankie, shoulders, arms, torso, feet, neck, even his hair would isolate if it could. and when he moves is not just an overwhelming display of body parts moving rather, he seems to choreography the music by using his body sequentially to hit different beats of the music.


I have dvds by all these guys, and have taken classes with all of but Seaon. and I plan to learn them all, I think they all have something to offer and salsa needs them all.
Click to expand...

WOW! Brilliant Post!!!
 
naturallove said:
Salsamakossa said:
Sac,

I believe Shaka is coming to a city near me very soon. Would you say Shaka's body movement class is better than that of Sekou or Seaon Styling? Just curious ...
Click to expand...

I've taken classes from each of the instructors you've mentioned and it's really like comparing apples and oranges (and grapes!). Seaon I love because I believe that out of any male instructor, he relates to followers the best in terms of styling and body movement. That said, he is an excellent instructor for leads as well! He's been dancing for quite a long time and really focuses on dancing to the music. Sekou's style is very jazz-focused--and his body movement is off the hook! I enjoy Shaka's footwork classes. I'm not sure if his body movement class involves footwork, but I think this is a great strength of his. He really focuses on interpreting the music with interesting rhythms and syncopation. I believe his style, love it or not (and I do!) is also quite unique.


Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

agree with naturallove here. I had the privelege of taking workshops from both Sekou and Shaka at the recent India Salsa Festival. Sekou's style is very jazz-focused--and his body movement is off the hook! Cant say it any better :)

As for Shaka he does involve lot of hip movement in his footwork classes as well as some body movement.Theres not much difference between Body Movement and Footwork classes that i have seen of...But again i maybe wrong.

All in all both are very different instructors so its like comparing apples to oranges. But i would suggest you take classes from both of them if u get the chance...They are awesome instructors and you might find that u can pickup few things from both of them which will go a long way:)[/b]
 
PielCanela said:
hmm body movement and rueda, :shock:

the body movement from Shaka is great but is designed and used for slot dancing (on1 or on2), he is the epitome of an on2 dancer, soft, smooth and his body movement reflects that.

Body movement is always a good thing to learn, I am just having a bit of a hard time thinking about how would you incorporate shaka stuff in the typical rueda dancing.

I have his footwork and styling dvd ( it has a chapter in body movement) and he sure moves incredible.

I still think you should take his class, if you don't want to learn other styles yet I think you will be better off taking these generic classes, as on1 and on2 are beasts that will take you years to master, and unless you start training on them you will probably forget everything you learned in the classes ( not saying you should close your mind to this dances, because i would love to have you in my on2 side :) ) but just talking from the money/time point of view.

I also second the idea of getting DVD, the classes can be quite fast depending on your level, and a DVD allows you to take " the class" a 100 times... which some of us need it

as naturallove said, those 3 guys ( Shaka, Seaon, Sekou) stand on their own in body movement. They each emphasize a different element in dancing.

Shaka, has this mesmerizing and lovely body movement, for lack of better sample, say combine ballet and African movements and you get this soft, gentle, full of range motion the he exudes.

Sekou, as mentioned before is all about the jazz, very elegant, very creative and very clean which is nice to watch and of course execute.

Seaon, sometimes I think he probably closest represent the mambo, Caribbean, original movements, his moves are closer to his body than Shaka and Sekou, agil but elegant, and just incredible flowing gorgeous movement.

When talking about body movement you have to add Frankie, he has this mesmerizing ability to combine his moves to the music, this moves can be so fast, that you wonder how is possible they can be done, even thought they are fast, once again, you will noticed the cleanliness of the execution, and elegance. his range of motion is aslo incredible, everything moves with frankie, shoulders, arms, torso, feet, neck, even his hair would isolate if it could. and when he moves is not just an overwhelming display of body parts moving rather, he seems to choreography the music by using his body sequentially to hit different beats of the music.


I have dvds by all these guys, and have taken classes with all of but Seaon. and I plan to learn them all, I think they all have something to offer and salsa needs them all.
Click to expand...

agree with pc here
 
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