Join Clara Nieto, Shayna Grajo, and Korana Stipetic in a 4-week blend of Cuban Dance, body awareness and building connections! To register and save your spot, email Korana at koranastipetic@gmail.com or visit Korana’s webpage for the Cuban Dance Wellness Program. You can also visit the Facebook Event page.
About the Cuban Dance Wellness Program
The “Cuban Dance Wellness Program” is a four-week workshop that is blending learning Cuban Salsa and Rueda de Casino dances with exploring body awareness, and developing connections, not only with our dance partners, but with ourselves!
The program is designed for anyone who has never danced before, and for those who are focusing on building the strongest foundations in Salsa and Rueda.
Everyone is welcome!
We will start each session with the short “Body Awareness” practice, creating a space where we can consciously recognize and feel our bodies, and then bring that awareness to the movement during the dance lesson. This way, we can understand, accept, transform, and let go! At the end of each session, we will do a voluntary “Closing Circle” where we can share our experiences and reflect about that week’s intention.
The final interpretation of our dance is as important as the process that leads us to this dance.
The final interpretation of our dance is as important as the process that leads us to this dance.
Program schedule
Beginners: Tuesdays, July 5, 12, 19, 26 from 6:30 pm to 8:55 pm
Intermediate: Fridays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 from 6:30 pm to 8:55 pm
Social Dance Night Event: July 30, 2022 from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am
How are the classes structured?
6:30 pm – 6:40 pm Body Awareness
6:40 pm – 7:40 pm Cuban Salsa
7:40 pm – 7:45 pm FIVE MIN BREAK
7:45 pm – 8:45 pm Rueda de Casino
8:45 pm – 8:55pm Voluntary Closing Circle
How is the Social Night Event structured?
8:00 pm – 8:30 pm Cuban Style Salsa Class
8:30 pm – 8:45 pm Practice Break
8:45 pm – 9:15 pm Footwork Class
9:15 pm to 1 am Social Dancing
Location
Lansing Community Center
29 Auburn Rd, Lansing, NY 14882
Pricing
4-hour Classes
All classes: 4-hour class / 1 hour per week: $50 pre-registration – $60 at the door
8-hour Classes
All classes: 8-hour class / 2 hours per week: $95 pre-registration – $120 at the door
Social Dancing: $10 per night at the door
Clara Nieto
Clara is a professional Cuban dancer and teacher of traditional and contemporary Cuban Popular Dances with 9 years of professional experience, who believes that dance unites, transforms lives, and allows us to be an authentic version of ourselves.
Contact: claranieto227@gmail.com
Website: instagram.com/claridancer
Shayna Grajo
Shayna practices professionally as a yoga instructor and New York State licensed massage therapist based in Ithaca. Her wellness journey draws on dance, yoga, meditation and massage therapy, as well as special interests in equity and mental health.
Contact: shayna.grajo@gmail.com
Website: shojiarts.com/
Korana Stipetic
Korana shares teachings, healings and experiences with love, compassion, and gentleness in service of creating a world of balanced relationships and love. Her teaching and healing services draw from her veterinary and energy medicine backgrounds and experiences from professional programs focused on personal growth and collaboration.
Contact: koranastipetic@gmail.com
Website: munaykitraining.com
Program Details
Body Awareness
Shayna and Korana will lead us through practices that create a space where we can consciously recognize, acknowledge, and accept every part of our body and the feelings within us, so that we are able to externalize them by bringing them to the movement during the salsa class. Once visualized, obstacles can be understood, accepted, transformed, and let go.
Beginners Salsa Cubana
This class is deigned, for everyone who has had no or little dance experience and will allow you to develop a strong foundation in Cuban Salsa in a fun and relaxed environment. Learn the fundamentals including musicality, rhythm, and coordination. The advanced or intermediate dancers interested in polishing their basic techniques are all welcome and encouraged to join.
Beginners Rueda de Casino
Casino is the way salsa dance is called in Cuba. When the dance couples create a circle and combine synchronized steps in a random order, that is “Rueda de Casino”. A leader calls out the dance moves while the pairs in the circle execute them at the same time. It is a great way to improve your rhythm and coordination while you have so much fun!! You will be able to apply all the movements that you will learn in the beginner’s salsa class in Rueda, but with more dynamics, because one of the main characteristics of Rueda is the continuous exchange of dance partners.
Intermediate Salsa Cubana
Progressive class, perfect for those that have danced Salsa before, that will allow you to further solidify, fine-tune, and expand upon the basics covered in beginner lessons. Here is your chance to refresh all the beginning movements, while continuing to learn new, beautiful, and fun dance combinations at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Intermediate Rueda de Casino
This class is for the dancers who have danced Salsa and Rueda before and can already execute the basic patterns and movements such as Guapea, Dame, Enchufa and their variations. It is also an opportunity to keep learning new dance moves and Rueda dynamics in a very relaxed and fun environment.
Closing circles
The Closing Circles are the last part of the class. During this time, we will have an opportunity to reflect on the week’s intention, give support, encouragement, feedback. It is the time to build the community, connect express, share, and listen to each other.
Intentions for Each Week
FIRST WEEK
CONNECTING MIND AND BODY
Body awareness: Body scan technique to check in with every part of you, noticing where you hold discomfort, tension, or other sensations.
Dance lesson: Experience how dance awakens emotions and perceptions through movement and music, which facilitates the expression of these sensations, feelings, and moods in a natural and uninhibited way.
SECOND WEEK
RELEASE THE CONTROL AND NAVIGATE CHANGE
Body awareness: Train your mind to experience a greater sense of flow and be more comfortable navigating the change.
Dance lesson: Embrace the role of the leader and/or the follower, first recognizing that every dance partner is unique. Learn/practice leading and following technique, how to nurture our style to act and react, adapting ourselves to the person we are sharing the dance with.
For the leaders: create the space where the follower can also lead or propose dynamics into the couple dance and navigate into that change.
For the followers: experience how enjoyable it is, without stepping out of your follower role, playing with your partner.
THIRD WEEK
EMPATHY
Body awareness: Let go of your thinking mind and discover a natural place of compassion and empathy.
Dance lesson: Synchronization in movement makes the other an extension of yourself, as if you were one, with a larger and stronger appearance when dancing together.
FOURTH WEEK
APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE
Body awareness and dance: Discover a renewed sense of appreciation both for yourself, your dance and the world that exists around you, dancing around you. Embrace the power of gratitude and trust in your process.
