by T. Tdot
24 February 2009
What's the deal, salsa people? Welcome to another edition of GGG Runnings. In this edition, my profile
will be on Jeff Martin, assistant instructor at Sonero Productions and owner of Mad Hot Shoes. I will also
be reviewing the Toronto Dance Salsa outing at Peridot lounge that I attended last Saturday.
First up, my profile on Jeff Martin.
T. - How did you get into salsa?
Jeff. - I was the best man at a friend’s wedding. For his first dance, he did a salsa number. The entire bridal party was shocked because we never knew the couple had taken lessons. During the wedding reception, the DJ played several sets of salsa, cha cha, and bachata. I was hooked from that point on. My friend and his wife took me out a couple of times to Ba ba luu’s and introduced me to a few Salsa schools in the GTA.
T. - What's your background in dance?
Jeff. - Salsa obviously, breakdancing / hip hop, an Intro to Ballroom course and some Filipino folk dance as a teenager.
T. - Where have you taken salsa lessons?
Jeff. - I started taking lessons at Sonero Productions in Missisauga with Eric Angel and have done most of my training there for the past 4 years. I have also taken a few courses at Mas Mambo with Mark Anthony, Manuel Dos Santos, 2Stylle with Lucky, and Korikoa with Young and Jen.
T. - What do you like in a dance partner?
Jeff. - Someone who has a lot of energy and has a friendly face. I think patience goes a long way on both sides of the table. Of course you want someone who follows well, but a when a move goes wrong you want someone who can just laugh it off. It’s all about good times!
T. - What’s your Salsa peeve? What don’t you like in a dance partner?
Jeff. - Let me think -- One, guys who don’t take care of their partner on the dance floor. Two, when couples don’t say sorry when they bump into you. It only takes a second to say sorry and see if your ok. Even if it was your partner that bumped into someone, apologize on her behalf, because your partner is your responsibility.
T. - Why should people get into salsa?
Jeff. - Amazing music, easy going/friendly environment, reduces stress levels, great workout and a way to meet new people.
T. - How did Mad Hot Shoes get its start?
Jeff. - I attended the Montreal Salsa Convention in April 2008. I picked up my first pair of Ballos in between workshops. I have tried various types of dance shoes. I started with an ordinary dress shoe, tried a ballroom shoe and jazz sneaker. I used my Ballos that weekend and was impressed with the product. I was suffering from a foot injury and after wearing the Ballo’s for a few times, I noticed a relief of pain in my foot. A couple of months later, talked to the founder of Ballo Shoes, Giuseppe Maiolo and asked if he had a distributor in the GTA. After several discussions with Giuseppe, I became an official distributor of Ballo.
T. - What kind of shoes does Mad Hot Shoes offer?
Jeff. - At the moment we carry the full line of Ballo Shoes. Ballo shoes are comfortable dance shoes but are stylish at the same time, created with the salsa lifestyle in mind.
T. - What are your future plans for Mad Hot Shoes?
Jeff. - Run this business and have fun doing it. We are planning on offering stylish, comfortable latin heels in the near future. My goal is just to provide the Salsa community with a service/product that they can depend on.
T. - What are your future plans in salsa?
Jeff. - Actually I’ve been an On1 dancer for about 4 years. I would like to develop my On2. Most of all, to keep having fun,
to continuously develop as a dancer and challenge myself.
T. - Thanks for the interview, Jeff.
Jeff. - Thanks, Bruh!
Peridot Lounge Salsa Fun
I attended the Toronto Dance Salsa outing at Peridot last Saturday. TDS has outings every two weeks and they usually have
them at Peridot once every month and a half.
There's two floors and three areas to dance as well as a patio. The music was a mix of salsa, merengue, and bachata. It was a very good turnout despite the unpredictable weather that has occured as of late.
At first, the floors are a little hard to spin on and move but after 10 minutes of dancing, the floors are pretty good for
dancing.
I will say that the staff at Peridot are extremely friendly. I've been to Peridot many times and I always have a good
time there. It was hot upstairs but when you sweating your booty off, you get use to the heat.
There were a lot of beginners practicing what they've learned and I got to see a few people that I haven't seen in a while.
Overall, the outing at Peridot lounge is a good way to socialize, dance, have a few drinks, and listen to some very good music.
Links and References:
MadHotShoes
Sonero
Peridot Resto Lounge
Toronto Dance Salsa
Facebook Pix below.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66814&id=552422478
You have just read another edition of GGG Runnings. You can reach me at tman160@hotmail.com, my facebook profile (Tyrone Ds), through the Salsa GGGs facebook group, or through SalsaTO.ca. Take care and until the next column, we'll see you on the dancefloor, salsa people! Also check out the new group, Flow 'N' Motion on facebook. Take care and until the
next column, we'll see you on the dancefloor, salsa people.