News! 

5-6-2009: Information about New Salsa LA courses (Beginner & Intermediate) and Salsa Cuban course (Intermediate)

Dear salseros and salseras,

After returning from her holiday break, Frederique will offer you brand new Intermediate Salsa  Cuban course, starting on Tuesday, 7th of July, at La Habana Cafe. This course is for those who have accomplished the beginner level. 

Meanwhile, new Beginner and Intermediate Salsa course (LA style) will also start on Monday, 22nd of June at no.6 Mac Dinh Chi for those who missed our 19th May intake. 

Below is the information of these courses:


Salsa Cuban
Intermediate
(from 07/07/2009 to 11/08/2009 )		Salsa LA
Beginner & Intermediate
(from 22/06/2009 to 27/07/2009)
Location La Habana Cafe
6, Cao Ba Quat, Dist 1, HCMc		 Ben Thanh Theatre
6, Mac Dinh Chi, Dist 1, HCMc
InstructorsMs.Frederique BouilheresSalkat
(Duc Anh & Nga Chi)
Class time20:45-21:45 every Tuesday
(6 lessons)		20:00-21:00 every Monday - Beginner
21:00-22:00 every Monday - Intermediate
(6 lessons)
Rates
(different depending on the location)		350.000VND/person
550.000VND/couple(boy&girl) 		400.000VND/person
650.000VND/couple(boy&girl)
Max no. of Students/class 20 24

Note: Registering in advance via email is strongly recommended due to limited number of student above

For any information please write to info@salsaigon.com, we will reply you asap!


19-5-2009: New Intermediate & Advanced courses starting on the 25th of May at No.6 Mac Dinh Chi (Ben Thanh Theatre)

Dear all,

As we promised, time to bring you news about Urko's Intermediate and Advance lessons, after a long resting period (for him ^_^)

These new courses will take place at Ben Thanh Theatre - no.6 Mac Dinh Chi Street (refer to the map below). Lessons would start at 20:00 as followed.

20:00 ~ 21:00LA Style Intermediate level
21:00 ~ 22:00LA Style Advanced level
One course (4 lessons) 300.000 VND   
for 1 person
One course (4 lessons) 480.000 VND    
for 1 couple (boy and girl)

The room is located at the end of the theatre basement, next to the garage area

Please be there in advance for registration and get yourself a nice drink from the minibar

Bring your friends along!

Venue location (click to zoom in):



15-5-2009: New Beginner's course starting on the 19th of May at La Habana

Dear all,

To celebrate Ho Chi Minh's birthday, the new LA Style Beginner's course will start on the 19th of May!!

Lesson starts at the usual time of 19:30. Make sure you are there with some time in advance to do registration and payment, and of course, to make sure you have a spot!

Let all your friends know!

Regarding Urko's LA Intermediate and Advanced lessons, we will have some news very soon!


4-4-2009: New Beginner's course starting on the 7th of April at La Habana

Dear all,

The new LA Style Beginner's course will start on the 7th of April, at the usual time of 19:30. Make sure you are there with some time in advance to do registration and payment.

Let all your friends know!

Regarding Urko's Intermediate and Advanced lessons, well, life and fate have joined forces,  and we are still working on getting a location. Hopefully soon we will have good news. (Feel free to send us any useful tips!)


3-2-2009: Lessons will continue on the 17th of February

Dear all,

The new LA Style Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced lessons will continue on the 17th of February. Sorry for the long delay, but this will make it easier in the long run, by keeping all the courses on the same schedule.

La Fenetre will happen this week anyway, so make sure you go there to keep your dancing fresh! (As well as Au Lac Do Brazil and Cage Bar, of course.)
Some of us are attending the Hong Kong Salsa Festival this weekend, so hopefully we will have some new moves to share when we come back, all exhausted but extremely happy, no doubt.

If you have friends interested in Salsa, pass this along! Plenty of time for them to arrange their agendas to join the lessons!

See you!


6-1-2009: Happy New Year! Let's PARTY!!

Hello everyone!

This Saturday I hope to see you all at Alibi Club! We're having some special guests, all the way from Melbourne: Jose and Christina. The party starts at 20:00, at 11 Thai Van Lung, District 1.

Jose and Christina will give us all an Advanced Workshop in Partnering and Styling, at 20:30. It will be done for the very very very cheap price of 80.000VND per person, to show support to the blooming HCMC Salsa Scene.
(Just for the record, I'd like to mention that this workshop would normally be 25USD per person... so don't miss this chance! and make sure you thank them for supporting us!!)

Free entrance to the party, so even if you are not up for the workshop, come and have some fun with us! (and bring all your friends!) 

Also, a quick reminder: Advanced and Intermediate LA Style lessons continue tonight!

See you all soon.

PS: Happy New Year! Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!


19-11-2008: New Intermediate and Advanced courses at 25 NBK

Starting on the 25th of November, new Intermediate and Advanced courses, taught by me, Urko, at 25 NBK!
6 weeks, as usual.
Here are the details. ATTENTION! The Advanced class will start at 19:15!!! 15 minutes earlier to avoid delays in the second lesson!

19:15 ~ 20:15LA Style Advanced level
20:30 ~ 21:30LA Style Intermediate level
One course (6 lessons) 400.000 VND   
for 1 person
One course (6 lessons) 650.000 VND    
for 1 couple (boy and girl)


Salsa Clubs, and past mistakes...

Last week I had the chance, finally, to go and enjoy some very nice music and dancing at Au Lac Du Brazil. Since I know DJ Felipe, I talked to him for a little while, and what I heard made me quite sad. Apparently we don't learn from past stories...
Basically, he told me that the owner of Au Lac Du Brazil is thinking about stopping the Salsa evenings, because most of the dancers go there and have one drink, the cheapest possible, and nothing else for the rest of the evening.

This is exactly the same story that happened with Cage Bar, and before that, with Manna. We have already gone through the same story twice. And apparently, we will see it happen again.

I understand that when we are dancing, we are not very interested in drinking, and that if we can save some money, it's nice. But if we all do the same, having Salsa dancing at a club will never be interesting for club owners. And we will keep losing chances like this.

Please everyone, remember that having a club open until late is expensive, and that the owners need to cover their costs. If you can't afford it, well, it's understandable. But if you can, consider supporting the owners of the clubs that you go to, show them that having Salsa evenings makes sense, and that they should continue with it.

It's called "voting with your wallet". And if we don't make some effort, we will have to go looking for other venues soon. And someday bar owners will know very well that Salsa is not profitable, and not even consider doing it.

So... I am just saying. Now it's up to all of us.


13-11-2008: New courses start in the next weeks!

New Beginners course at La Habana
This next Tuesday, 18th of November, a new LA style Beginners course will start. Just like these last times, it will be with Ms. Han, and last 6 weeks.
Quick summary:
19:30 ~ 20:30LA Style Beginner level
One course (6 lessons) 350.000 VNDfor 1 person
One course (6 lessons) 550.000 VNDfor 1 couple (boy and girl)


New Intermediate and Advanced courses at 25 NBK
And the week after that, on the 25th of November, a new Intermediate and Advanced course, taught by me, Urko, at 25 NBK!
6 weeks, as usual, and here are the details:
19:30 ~ 20:30LA Style Advanced level
20:30 ~ 21:30LA Style Intermediate level
One course (6 lessons) 400.000 VND   
for 1 person
One course (6 lessons) 650.000 VND    
for 1 couple (boy and girl)


This Friday dancing at Au Lac Du Brazil!
This weekend, the (recently!) usual Latino Party at Au Lac Du Brazil will take place tomorrow, 14th of November, instead of Saturday. See you there!

16-10-2008: Schedule change in Advanced and Intermediate LA style courses

After some feedback from students, I have decided to swap the order of the Intermediate and Advanced LA style lessons. Starting next Tuesday, Advanced level will be at 19:30, Intermediate level at 20:30, at 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem.

To make it clear:
Time:
Advanced 19:30
Intermediate 20:30
Place: Dance Academy 25NBK, 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1
Instructor: Urko
Duration: 6 sessions, 1 session per week
Rates: 400.000 VND per person, 650.000 VND per couple (1 boy + 1 girl, second person in the couple almost 50% off!).

In Intermediate and Advanced levels, you are welcome to join also if the course has already started, since the disturbance of having new students is not like in a Beginner level.New students at these levels already know how to dance, and should be able to follow the lessons without affecting other students. So if you are planning to join, go right ahead!

I also want to quickly remind you that Au Lac Du Brazil is still having Latin nights every Saturday this month. Just a quick tip, no commitment, of where you can get some very needed dancing this weekend! :)

Latino Night with Dj Felipe Barillas
Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton
Saturday, October 18th, 2008 at 8:00pm
Au Lac do Brazil
238 Pasteur St, Dist 3, HCMC

See you all!


3-10-2008: New courses begin!

Hello everyone,
Sorry for all the delay, and the lack of information during these weeks. Things have been harder to organize and confirm than expected. In any case, we are now ready to get started again! Continue reading for the details...

Cuban style course: Frederique is on holidays
Most of the students in the course should know already, but just in case: Frederique is going on holidays for 2 weeks. Next week the lesson will be done by Ms. Han, so no problem!

New Beginners LA style course
Start date: Tuesday, October 7th
Time: 19:30 (please be on time, or even earlier if you want to register on that day!)
Place: La Habana, 6 Cao Ba Quat, District 1
Instructor: Ms. Han
Duration: 6 sessions, 1 session per week
Rates: 350.000 VND per person, 550.000 VND per couple (1 boy + 1 girl, second person in the couple almost 50% off!).

New course starts for Salsa, LA style, Beginners level. If you don't know where to start learning Salsa, Merengue and Bachata, this course is the one! Ms. Han will be taking over. Most of you already know her, and I am sure you will be totally satisfied. She has a lot of experience teaching dancing, and is patient and funny. You are in good hands!!

New Intermediate and Advanced LA style course
Start date: Tuesday!!!!, October 7th
Time:
     Intermediate 19:30
     Advanced 20:30
     Please be on time, or even earlier if you want to register on that day!
Place: Dance Academy 25NBK, 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1
Instructor: Urko
Duration: 6 sessions, 1 session per week
Rates: 400.000 VND per person, 650.000 VND per couple (1 boy + 1 girl, second person in the couple almost 50% off!).

Unfortunately, the rental for the location has gone up, and so we are forced to increase the price of our lessons. I hope everybody can understand that with all the increased costs, we finally had to adjust our prices, but we have done our best to keep them very reasonable. We also have to be more careful with the time, because any big delay in the lessons could mean increased payment, and that's... well, not nice. So please pre-register for the courses, and if at all possible, bring the money ready to make everything as easy and smooth as possible. This way we can all enjoy a full lesson!
NOTE: The lessons at NBK are now on Tuesdays!!!!

Female assistant needed for Intermediate and Advanced course!
Well, finally, as you can see, Ms. Han is not going to be available on Tuesdays. This means I have no assistant now, and it would be very nice to have one to prepare the lessons better. Some requirements:
- Female (sorry guys!)
- Experience in Salsa dancing.
- Must be patient and cheerful!
Basically, the assistant would meet with me some weeks, probably during the weekend. We would then prepare some figures and shines for the lesson, practice them, and then help me teach them during the course. The assistant would obviously not pay anything for the course (or the preparation sessions). In a way you could see it as getting free private lessons in exchange for your commitment and help. If you are interested, please contact me. And I can only choose one person, of course.

Weekend tips!
Apparently last weekend there was some nice atmosphere at Au Lac Du Brazil. While this is not an event organized by us, it is definitely a nice chance for the latin music lovers to get together, so... This weekend it will happen again:

Latino Night with Dj Felipe Barillas
Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton
Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 8:00pm
Au Lac do Brazil
238 Pasteur St, Dist 3, HCMC
http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=41158801116

That's all! See you around!

4-08-2008: A Unique "Salsa cool moves" workshop and party in Saigon

With renowned international  Instructor and Expert Dr. Roland (aka Dr.
Salsa), owner of "Salsa Concept" trademark.

Description of the workshop:

The objective of this workshop is to teach some of the coolest and
most interesting salsa footworks and combinations of the moment.

By the end of the workshop participants will :

-  Learn and practice very creative and innovative basic steps that
will help them improve their balance and attittude on the dance floor

- Explore exciting salsa combinations that will enhance their
confidence and better their interactions as leaders and followers.

- Bring their salsa dance and musicality to the next level.

Description of the Party:

Besides being a real "Doctor" in law and excellent teacher, Dr. Salsa
is also one of the best and knowledgeable Salsa DJs in the World.  He
created a true salsa life style with the Salsa Tea Party at Tamarind
Cafe in Bangkok. He is the guest DJ on a famous FM radio station in
Thailand.

Dr. Salsa's selection covers the past and present of salsa, and
features new trends of salsa music in all kinds of languages (Spanish
- Italian - French - Chinese - Japanese - Korean - Thai, African
languages and many more). Dr. Salsa knows better than anyone, how to
entertain the audience smoothly with irresistible salsa songs and
world music that tell stories. After the workshop, Dr. Salsa will play
his best selection for a wonderful party.

When  ?
Friday 8th of August, from 8pm

Where ?
Alibi (Thai Van Lung)

Cover charge
60.000 VND per person for the workshop (registration required)

15-7-2008: NEW LA style beginners course and  international DJ in town!

Dear salseros (of future ones),

I remind you that next beginners LA style session starts next tuesday (22nd July) so register if you want to be sure to have a place.
The fare for 6 lessons is 300.000 VND for single girls and 400.000 VND for a couple.

INTERNATIONAL DJ IN SAIGON: DJ Bosco, an international DJ from NYC who performed in  various salsa festivals this year (India and Malaysia) will be in town this week. Hopefully he'll come and play music and dance with us on Thursday at la Fenetre but if anybody has an idea of a venue that would accept to let him DJ on friday or saturday, please let me know as it would be a great opportunity for us to have someone of his talent playing for us (he's leaving on Sunday so Cage bar is not an option).

And for the few ones who still didn't train their dance shoes on the Cage dance floor, don't wait any longer, it's just what every salsero in town was waiting for. It's every Sunday evening from 9pm at Cage Bar, 3A Ton Duc Thang.

And stay tuned for a big salsa event to be held beginning of August...

27-6-2008: Thursday, July 3rd: Irene's Goodbye Salsa Party
Where: La Fenetre Soleil, 125 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, 1st Floor, D1
Time: Usual time, starting around 20:30

That's right. It is with a very sad heart that we all must say goodbye to Irene, who worked so very hard to make Salsa in Saigon what it is today. If it wasn't for her, I know that I would have not been able to get started so easily. Through her a lot of what we have achieved has been possible, and even though she may have taken a more secondary role lately, she has always been there to lend a helping hand and to support us in everything we have done.

She will be arranging sangria and finger food for the evening, and the atmosphere should be absolutely fantastic

People, come out to give her a proper goodbye!


9-6-2008: Urko's "See you later!"

Hey everyone,

The time has come. As some of you know, next Monday I am flying to Europe, and I expect to return in late August or early September.

This means, of course, that my lessons will stop for now, and today is the last one.

It also means I will be shaking it down at La Fenetre this Thursday, and I hope to see a lot of you there for a few dances!

When I am gone, the Salsa continues, of course! Frederique and the rest of the gang will be working really hard to keep bringing you lessons and salsa events to keep you happy during this couple of months. I will be cheering in the distance and still actively checking on everything through the wonders of the interwebtron.

So... Keep on dancing!!!

14-5-2008: SalSaigon 2nd Anniversary Party! Afro-Rumba Workshop this Saturday with Dr. Salsa!

SalSaigon 2nd Anniversary! also known as The Mega Hyper Party! (provisional name)

Time flies, it feels like it was just yesterday that on a crazy whim, I thought about putting "Salsa" and "Saigon" in one word...
And here we are, 2 years later!

This clearly deserves some celebrating, and that is exactly what we will do, SalSaigon style!
So do we have some plan? Hells yeah!

When?    Friday, 30th of May, 2008
What time?   20:00 until we are done! (Midnight usually things seem to turn into pumpkins around here, but we'll see!)
Where?   Alibi Club, 11 Thai Van Lung, D1, Sai Gon

So set that day in bold, golden letters in your agendas, because we are getting down to party!
More details to follow, but expect surprises!
Come to our online forum to share your extreme anxiousness to know more! ;)

Special Rumba-Guaguanco Workshop with Dr. Salsa this Saturday
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Trung Thanh Dance Academy, 54B Nguyen Thi Huynh St., Phu Nhuan District
Cover charge: VND 60.000 per person
Very recommended!

There will be salsa dancing afterwards, of course. We know the place by now, right? If you want to join for the dancing only, and not the workshop, VND 30.000 per person. It usually finishes by 11:00pm. There are more fans now, but don't wear a sweater!

Here is some background information about the workshop:

Rumba dances in Cuba include three styles which are: Rumba Yambu (slow) - Rumba Guanguanco (fast) and Rumba Columbia (very fast).

Rumba-Guaguanco is a typical rural dance created during the 19th Century in Cuba by Afro-Cubans.
Each of them has a special pattern and different social purpose.
Particularly Rumba Guaguanco is a couple dance celebrating youth and procreation.

The dance features a seduction game between a man and a woman.
The man always tries to provoke the woman by touching her with explicit extension movements called (Bacuna or Vacuna).
The woman tries to avoid being touched by protecting herself gracefully and enticing the man to try again...

According to the legend "Rumba Guaguanco" was inspired by the seduction game between the Roaster and the Hen.

The purpose of this workshop is to introduce Rumba Guaguanco and Afro cool moves to the Latin and salsa dance community in Saigon.

Rumba Guaguanco should not be confused with the modern Latin ballroom dance called 'Rhumba"... The only thing the two dances have in common is the "seduction game" idea. But the dance expression and music of the two styles are totally different.

Why Rumba Guaguanco?
Rumba Guaguanco and Afro moves are part of the Salsa Concept and are becoming more and more popular around the world.
Knowing how to and when to rumba gives a lot of fun and spices up salsa social dancing.
It is also a very good exercise to develop freedom of body movements, communication and creativity in all kinds of dances.

The instructor, Dr. Roland (Dr. Salsa) is member of the International Dance Council "CID-UNESCO" and renowned international Expert in Salsa, Afro and Rumba culture, music and dances. He gave recent Guaguanco workshops in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand.

That's all for now!
See you all tomorrow at La Fenetre!

11-5-2008: New Forum! (and some other improvements in the website)

We have added a forum to our website. See the link to the right! To be able to post on the forum you will have to register. The most recent messages on the forum will show on the left side as well, below the Newsletter subscription.

We have also improved (that means: made easier) adding photos and videos to the website. This hopefully means that we will update those sections more often now :) There are already a few more photos and videos available, so check it out.


7-5-2008: Party this Saturday! New LA style Intermediate and Advanced courses

We were having a bit of a low season in special salsa events, so...
SalSaigon "This Is Not A Sauna" Edition!
This coming Saturday, 10th of Mayl, get your dancing shoes ready, and let's party!

We go back to the last place, which I hope now everybody knows. New, bigger fans, and the rainy season should help us to get a good dancing session going. From what I hear, the lights will be lower, giving it an extra romantic atmosphere. Definitely worth checking out!

Location:
Trung Thanh Dance Academy
54B Nguyen Thi Huynh St.
Phu Nhuan District

Here is the program, real simple:
20:30 - Open floor!

To access the party you will be expected to buy a ticket for 30.000VND, that you can then use to get drinks. There will be plenty of soft drinks and more available.

See you all there!

PS: See the attached map for the location. Yes, it is a 100% correct map!

New (Almost Last) Intermediate and Advanced LA style courses begin!

This next Monday, a new session starts. 19:30 for Intermediate Level, 20:30 for Advanced level.
Since I will be away from the 16th of June until mid-end of August, this will be the LAST option for you to join. It also means that the course will only be 5 sessions, so the price is slightly different:
300.000VND per person, 400.000VND per couple, for the 5 lessons.

Location:
Dance Academy 25NBK
25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Surprise, surprise...
And a surprise is on its way... around the end of this month, we will have an extra special event for the 2nd anniversary of SalSaigon!!!
Stay tuned! We have a great location, and the party will therefore be great.

Tell all your friends!

22-04-2008: New LA style beginners session

 For LA style a new and last session before summer break will start on the 6th of May at 7:30pm at la Habana (not on the 22nd of April).
As it is your last chance to join the fantastic salsa family before september and the space is limited, please register in advance.
The price is still the same: 300.000 for girls and 200.000 for a couple/session

Enjoy!

21-04-2008: No lesson tonight in 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, due to sickness

Hello everyone, Urko is feeling quite sick, so no lesson tonight.

See you all next week. Please warn everyone that you know!

06-04-2008: New LA style beginners session and Cuban style hour change

First of all, reminder for the cuban salsa group (tuesday 8:30 pm): exceptionnally this week, the class will be held at 7:30pm.
Then we'll have a break due to public holiday on the 15th and we'll  resume at 8:30pm on the 22nd of April. 

 For LA style a new and last session before summer break will start on the 22nd of April at 7:30pm at la Habana.
As it is your last chance to join the fantastic salsa family before september and the space is limited, please register in advance.
The price is still the same: 300.000 for girls and 200.000 for a couple/session

Enjoy!

06-04-2008: New website!

Salsaigon.com is live! It is still very much a work in progress, so be a bit patient with us...


29-3-2008: SalSaigon One More Time With Feeling!

This coming Saturday, 5th of April, get your dancing shoes ready, because we're at it again!

The location is different, the dancing the same, the space much bigger, and the music much louder! We are going to rock, I mean, salsa the house down!

Location:
Trung Thanh Dance Academy
54B Nguyen Thi Huynh St.
Phu Nhuan District
Click on the map above to see it bigger.

Here is the program:
20:00 - One hour workshop with Dr. Salsa
Intermediate level.
This workshop will focus on jumps, lifts and drop moves that can be used in social dancing and in performance. Should be great!
60.000VND per person.

21:00 - Open floor!

To access the party you will be expected to buy a ticket for 30.000VND, that you can then use to get drinks. There will be plenty of soft drinks and more available.

See you all there!



17-3-2008: Salsa by the Park on March 30th, with international instructor!

On Sunday, March 30th, join us for a very special party:

Zain Khandwala, an experienced salsa dancer, performer and instructor from San Francisco, will be in town!
Active in Salsa since the late 90s, he has been performing since 2001, with dance companies PB&G, Tribu Nueva, Mambo Romero and currently RicaSalsa.

He will be in Ho Chi Minh City only during Sunday, unfortunately. Still he would like to check out our blooming salsa scene, and share some of his skills with us, in a workshop of Intermediate-Advanced level Shines and Partnering Combinations. Usual price of 60.000VND per person! And again, a unique chance for all of us.
Please pre-register by contacting us at salsaigon@gmail.com or through FaceBook.

Also important is that we will be trying out a new location for salsa events: Restaurant Au Parc
23 Han Thuyen
District 1, HCMC
Very close to the Notre Dame Cathedral
A beautiful location, and we expect great atmosphere.

Being Sunday, we will start a bit earlier, to give everybody plenty of time to enjoy some dancing and still be decent on Monday morning.

19:00 - Opening, workshop starts. Be there on time!

20:30 - Open floor until 23:30 (or even Midnight if the mood is right!).

Hope to see you all there!


8-3-2008: Monday Lessons: Good News and Bad News

I have some good news and some bad news about the Monday lessons.

First the Good News:

I have found a place that is great for lessons.
It is at 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1, very close to the Zoo.
It is in the Nguyen Binh Khiem swimming pool and sports centre, and the dance floor is just perfect. Big room, with mirrors, with plenty of fans, big windows to open up for fresh air flowing through the room...

This is not a bar, it's a proper dance school, and so if you want to drink anything, it works differently: there is a drinks machine where you can get Coke, Fanta, 7up, water... all very cheap. So you better bring some loose coins.
As far as I know, it's no problem if you bring your own bottle of water, but I am not 100% sure.

It is a bit tricky to find, but not that bad. For those who know it, it is quite close to Saigon Yoga as well.

Now the Bad News:

I have to increase the prices, because this room costs more money than any bar, but our lessons need more space than any bar that I know. I am going to split the extra costs between me and you, so the prices don't go up so much:

340.000VND per person for 6 weeks.
480.000VND per couple (boy and girl) for 6 weeks.

I hope everyone understands, and hope to see you all there this Monday, 19:30 and 20:30, to check out the location!

Here is the map, click on it to see it big:

5-3-2008: Yes, we finally went on Facebook...

As it seems like it's the next best thing after the invention of the bed, we finally had to give in and create our own FaceBook group.

Check it out here.

3-3-2008: Small update: Lessons in Arena still suspended, and photos for the Valentine's Salsa Party are online

Great party on Saturday, and a great way to say goodbye to Arena. As
most of you know, as of yesterday Arena is closed down, and we need to
find a new place for the Monday lessons. Unfortunately that takes
time, and today we need to cancel the lesson.

I am going to do my best to find a place for next week. As soon as
something is ready, you will be the first to hear.

In the mean time, go to our (new!) photos page to see the photos of the Valentine's Salsa Party. And send us any other photos you want to add!


26-2-2008: Party "Spring Edition" this Saturday, with Int./Adv. Workshop. Lessons in Arena suspended!

Pre-register now for the workshop with Roland, Dr. Salsa on March 1st

This Saturday, March 1st we will celebrate a Salsa party at Arena.
20:30 to Midnight, as previous parties.

On that same day, 19:30 to 20:30, we will arrange a workshop for Intermediate-Advanced dancers, with Roland, Dr.Salsa.
You all know him from the last party, so by now you all know this is definitely worth it.
Here is the planned content for the workshop:
- Salsa cool moves including / Mambo shines / hand shines / shoulder shines /
- Multiple turns and Spins
- Dips and drops

60.000VND per person.
Please send us an email if you want to register. You can always simply come to Arena around 19:20, but it could be full!

Lessons in Arena suspended

Unfortunately, yesterday I was told that Arena will close down on Sunday, so our party is the last event to happen there.
The bar is on sale, so if anybody is interested in taking over, you can go there and ask about how much they are asking for it.

The bad news for us, of course, is that we need to find a new place to do the lessons. Since we found out just yesterday, I can't say how long it will take to find any possible option, but it is very likely that we will not have a lesson this Monday.
Please let us know if you have any ideas! And please warn anybody that you know about this (if you think they are interested).

So... a challenge for us in these times! We will keep you informed! (Make sure you sign up for the Newsletter here on the left side, or contact us if you have a problem signing up.)

1-2-2008: Parties and Lessons update!

Lessons
We will resume our regular lesson schedule on the week of the 18th of February. So far, no changes in the schedule, so check the webpage to see it.
http://salsaigon.googlepages.com/lessons

La Fenetre Soleil, Valentine's Day!
Well, look at the coincidence! Next 14th of February happens to be a Thursday!
To celebrate a little, the dresscode will be: red, pink and full of hearts!
You don't need to fulfill all the requirements, but the closer you get, the better!
There will be a prize for the best matched couple!
And of course, the 20:30 workshop will be... Bachata!

SalSaigon Party Spring Edition!
On the 1st of March, if nothing changes, we will have once again a party at Arena.
Just like previous times, we will start around 20:30 until Midnight.

Great news is that Roland, Dr. Salsa, due to further professional commitments, will be in HCMC again that weekend, so we will once again be lucky to enjoy his presence. I am sure that everyone was impressed with his skills and friendly personality. Let me tell you that the feeling was mutual, as you can read here in his own words:

"Saigon, the Next Salsa Capital in Asia

It is difficult to explain the reasons why a country stands out for an activity. Sometimes the factors are very surprising. For example, Thailand has become a world destination for the manufacture of salsa and latin music percussion instruments such as bongos, congas, maracas and claves. The reason? Abundance of gum trees and skilled wood carvers. India is emerging as a power house of salsa dance. The reasons? Influence of bollywood and a culture of creativity and inovation. Korea is making the difference as a country of salsa talents. The reasons? The natural grace of Korean women and the ability of Korean people to take artistic challenges. I gave a workshop in Saigon last week. I was surprised. So many young people were capable of performing the art of salsa dance with elegance and ease. There was something special in their capability to absorb the essence of salsa. With their great leaders working together, there is no doubt, Saigon is the next salsa capital in Asia.

Roland"

We will organize a workshop with him again. This time it will be Intermediate/Advanced level, so if you want to join, keep that in mind. If you already know how to dance, this is definitely worth your time!
Stay tuned for more details!!