site.danscents.com Blog

OMG!  Yesterday sucked so bad on the Bay Bridge. My dance partner and I were on our way to practice at Mobu dance studio in SF when we encountered a hellish experience due to high winds on the bridge. The story? A cable snapped and dropped on the upper level. Supposedly there was even a 3 car accident too. The result?  A 3 hour wait and ride from the toll plaza to the bride. Sigh! But it’s over now. No telling when the bridge will be open again. The worst part is that my partner and I were so hungry! Dude, as soon as we got over the bridge it was time for food, practice, and a bio break! Regardless we turned up ok and ready to dance. =)  You never know what can go down when you’re in the Bay!

TTYL!

The Salsa Socialite - Ashanti Altovese

Last night was so awesome! It was a night of dancing from the Bay area’s best amateur and pro teams all in one place.  Salsa Mania threw a Wicked party to celebrate Halloween in style! There were 12 performances in total with 6 alone from Salsa Mania. Other performers included Enrique & Elly’s all ladies ChaCha team Rumba Cha, Montuno, and of course Couture Dance Alliance. Mikko, Shahla, Dakin, Kayono, Eric, and myself all gave a kick ass performance of Oye Mi Quinto in dedication to our team member’s mother who recently passed. We were energized and received a lot of love from the audience.  The ladies took a picture to capture our glamor after the performance. Now we are preparing for a private party on November 15th. We’ll be performing a new choreography by our talented director, Luis Aguilar. So I’m keep my mind, body, and spirit in shape for all the things to come in the future!

Ashanti, Shahla, and Kayono of Couture Dance Alliance

How awesome is this? I mean, I’m living my dream of professional dancing and not only that, my life is buzzing with other personal projects that help me explore, expand, and develop my creative side. Well, there’s the pro dance team, Couture Dance Alliance.  We’re practicing hardcore for the World Salsa Championships in December. Then there’s Scene in the City. I’m the West Coast Editor for food, fashion, fitness, beauty, lifestyle, you name it for the West Coast. And of course there’s Examiner.com. I snagged a gig as the San Francisco Dance Fitness Examiner. And other stuff, The Salsa Socialite, Danscents!, Be A Mentor…the list goes on. So busy! But life is good.

I wake up in the morning, eat my oatmeal with fruit marmalade, check my Facebook page, add my daily Erotic InnerG video to my profile, and begin writing for the day. And I almost forgot my lastest job as a Sales Exec for Bay Area Exotic Cars. Yeah, luxury cars and hot chicks go hand-in-hand. Sigh…what else, oh yes, and then dance practice, practice, practice. Eat some fruit, drink some water, and write some more. Take  a little break, maybe a nap, eat and sandwhich and watch a little tv. And finish the day with some social dancing at night to relax. Yes, it’s a great life, =)

Dancing is awesome, the food, fashion, fitness, and of course drama. Nothing to report to date but it’s life you know. With people there’s drama, but this is drama i’ll take eveyday until I peace out of here. Such love! Ok peeps, I’m heading to sleep. Check you all out later.

Ashanti Altovese

Dance is a way of life for many as it is a form of artistic expression and a fitness solution. Diet is an important element of maintaining a dancer’s sleek and strong physique. Here is a great recipe with a savory and sweet balance. After a class with Kellita Maloof at the Hot Pink Feather Showgirl Academy or circuit training with Kristen Nolan at Kristen Fitness, enjoy this tasty meal with protein and carbohydrates to stay fit and lean.

If your ready to devour a tasty dish that will satisfy, increase your energy, and get you pumped to dance, then here is a dish that will spoil your palette with Asian flavors, lean protein, and seasoned veggies.

Ingredients
- 4 Salmon filets with skin off
- 1 cup white rice
- ½ cup of sliced white mushrooms
- ½ cup baby carrots
- ¼ cup of diced white onion
- ¼ cup of diced green peppers
- 2 Tsp of chopped garlic
- 1 tsp of sliced orange rind
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 orange squeezed
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- Crushed red pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste

Preparation
Under refrigeration, marinate salmon filets in soy sauce and freshly squeezed orange juice for an hour. Chop garlic, slice mushrooms and orange rind, and dice green peppers and white onion. In a saucepan, add half of olive oil, salmon filets, and marinate juice over a medium high heat. Cook for 15 minutes until salmon is cooked thoroughly. In a separate saucepan, add remaining olive oil and add carrots and vegetable medley. Add crushed red pepper, black pepper, and salt to taste to the veggies. Over medium high heat, sauté veggies for 10 minutes.

Presentation
Once cooked, place veggies and salmon filets over a bed of white rice. Add a light salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber for a side dish. Compliment your meal with soy sauce as desired. Enjoy your meal and remember, it’s not just a dance, it’s a lifestyle! Go out for a night on the town in city.

Dance Fitness Cuisine: Orange Soy Salmon

Dance is a perfect way to improve the body’s tone, flexibility, and core strength. Adding different genres of dance challenges the muscles to perform in ways that build power. Hot Pink Feathers offers women a chance to shake and shimmy with a mix of Samba, Cabaret, and Showgirl dance elements for a well-rounded dance fitness experience.

With classes located at The Ballet Studio on Tuesday nights, creator Kellita Maloof, the San Francisco Queen of Carnival, provides students with variety in dance that broadens the body’s movement. Members who enroll in classes get instruction in dances such as Samba, Mambo, Ballet, and Burlesque all with a Showgirl flare. Develop skills in foot articulation, poise, grace, turns, and fan kicks. Get into the groove and learn to express your body through fun choreography at the Hot Pink Feathers Showgirl Academy.

Kellita conducts privates, workshops, and holds auditions for women looking to become future feathers after training at her performance academy. After building your confidence and technique you could end up on stage at a professional showcase entertaining audiences and pleasing happy fans.

No matter what your fitness regiment, circuit training with Kristen Nolan at Kristen Fitness, sensual workouts with Sheila Kelley’s S Factor, or Zumba® at 24hr Fitness, celebrate your health with a night on the town in San Francisco’s one of a kind city life.

Dance Fitness by dancer Ashanti Altovese

Dance does the body good and the S Factor is a super sexy way to indulge in an intense workout. Located at 2159 Filbert Street in San Francisco, creator Sheila Kelley offers participants an 8-week series to get their curves in shape. The studio offers classes in pole work, strip tease, dance, and the famed S Factor workout as seen on Oprah.

Students interested in participating are required to be at least 18years of age. The studio has a private and intimate ambiance and no nudity is allowed. With proper workout attire, bottled water, and a sensual mind-set you can wind and grind your way to a fit body. S Factor promotes classes for Levels 1 through 7 with each session building on the previous one.

For merchandise and an extensive look into the S Factor lifestyle, Sheila provides an online store and magazine for patrons to get the look and live the life of a woman with confidence. Current sessions, Satchel and Spicy, are running from September 11th through to December 3rd. The next sessions, Peppermint and Stardust, run November 6th through January 28th.

After a sultry workout, at S Factor, 24-hr Fitness, or Kristen Fitness, celebrate your confidence by dressing to impress for an evening of food and fun in the San Francisco social scene.

Dance Fitness by dancer Ashanti Altovese

Dance is a great way to condition the body and lose weight. Latin style dancing is fantastic for sculpting and creating muscle tone. Adding dance to a regular fitness regime of weight lifting and aerobic exercise assists in building endurance, stamina, and a delicious physique. The 24hr-Fitness® at the Potrero Center in San Francisco offers classes for those looking to include dance in their fitness repertoire.

Latin Spice is a one-hour class for all levels that offers a cardio workout with authentic Latin style dance moves. Zumba® is a fun one-hour class that combines high energy and motivating music with synchronized dance movements designed for any fitness level. The routines feature aerobic fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms. Visit 24-hr Fitness online for more information on class times.

Increase your fitness level with personal trainer Kristen Nolan of Kristen Fitness as you condition your body with dance movements. Kristen offers intense circuit training with monthly assessments. Now with a sexy body and a hot attitude, you’re ready for a night on the town to enjoy culture, entertainment, and the cool San Francisco nightlife. Keep motivated, stay fit, and let dance bring your fitness to another level.

Dance Fitness by dancer Ashanti Altovese

Hola Salseros,

Were you at the club, dancing the night away, and you encountered a person that surprised you with their presence? Maybe it was an old flame, a former business partner, or even an ex-colleague from work that reminded you of a past offense or bad experience. The moment your eyes met, you felt a flood of negative emotion rising up from deep within you and then in a flash, your Salsa high was gone. No dancing, just red-hot blood full of fire and ice; your mind remembering all the reasons why you broke ties with that person. Looking for absolution from that feeling? Well welcome to The Salsa Socialite©, the lifestyle guide to Salsa food, fashion, and fitness.

It’s not a pretty site or sensation when resentment, anger, or pure hate take over your persona. Your whole physical being harbors that negative energy and the manifestation takes the form of depression, disease, or death. Why are you holding all that energy? What good is it doing you to keep that experience so close to your heart with no benefit? Is there some reason that you desire to continue reliving that fateful time when that person held the lock and key to your happiness? Of course now you’re in a different time and place but somehow just one quick look turned your world upside down and brought you back to a place where life held no joy. What does this mean? You are masquerading. Your freedom is on loan and you are behind on your payments. Stop living the lie and start the life, because it’s passing right before your eyes.

You can feel it. The negativity creeps up inside of you and before you know it, you’re passing it on to friends, family, co-workers, and strangers. This tension creates an environment of disrespect and distrust, feeding violence and retaliation without care or concern, and for what? Is it because you haven’t gotten over the ill treatment that was dealt to you? You think you need payback but what you really want is peace of mind. Where do you find it? Freedom from negativity is found in forgiveness; it is the formula for inner peace and living a fulfilling life without regression into the past.

Forgiveness, the word alone connotes a sense of light, divinity, and peace. On both sides of the coin, forgiveness holds unimaginable value. How much would you pay for forgiveness? To wrong or to be wronged makes no difference. All that matters is the resulting emotions that come from the experience and your reaction to it. It’s fight or flight in every since and the decision time is now. Do you remain in limbo forever like a ghost trapped in time, or do you set yourself free from the cycle of destruction? Ultimately the choice is yours, but to live the lifestyle of a Salsa socialite, it takes full commitment in mind, body, and spirit. Forgiveness is the only path to living this life of luxury, opulence, decadence, and glamour. Your Salsa high is the currency that makes up your millionaire status. Don’t let pain from the past rob you blind.

Now you hold the key to absolution, The Forgiveness Formula is at your feet. See the past before you and respond with a smile because in the past is where you leave it. You do this because you have crossed from the darkness into the light, with the sweet scent of peace filling your lungs, and reminding you that life is here and now. Dance the night away with no worries because it’s more than just a dance, it’s a lifestyle.

Ashanti Altovese

The Salsa Socialite - Ashanti Altovese

Hola Salseros,

Have you ever woke up in the morning with that queasy feeling in your stomach from round after round of Cuban Mojitos and your body and feet are sore and tender from 5 hours of non-stop Salsa dancing? Maybe it wasn’t your intention to dance all night long, but you had a long day, your friends called you up, and the next thing you knew, you were in Salsa heaven with live Latin music and sexy people. Why worry? You deserve a night on the town and should sleep in because you’re living the life of The Salsa Socialite©, the lifestyle guide to Salsa food, fashion, and fitness.

It all started with a conversation gone wrong at work. It’s the same story, your boss doesn’t appreciate the work you do, he or she continually asks for more accountability without a new title to your credit or a raise, and the freaking copier just keeps jamming. Your frustration builds and during your lunch break, you pray for a power outage, a sudden case of the Swine Flu, or even World War III to break out! You need anything to get you out of here. But no luck, the clock keeps ticking and so is your patience. Finally it’s time to go home but the rush hour traffic keeps your 7-mile away home within a 2-hour reach. Oh the humanity! What’s next, a traffic ticket from a cop who gets you for going 3 miles over the speed limit because the state is bankrupt and in serious need of funding from cash strapped taxpayers? This is bananas, retarded, and stupid crazy! You need a Salsa fix.

At last your home, tired, and want to collapse into a coma. You decide to check what’s going on for the night on your local online Salsa community. While seeing what’s on the calendar, you begin to move your head to the rhythm and music of Tito Puente’s Triton, a smooth selection of up-tempo Latin Jazz. Your tiredness starts to fade and now you’re up dancing, breaking out into basics, broken left turns, and body styling. Your cell rings and you answer it while humming to the beat of the song. It seems that a group of friends are going out tonight to celebrate a birthday party and you’re invited. You know that your mind and body can’t take it but the sound of friends laughing, birthday cake, and the Salsa birthday dance makes you reconsider. You say yes to a night of Salsa meditation and prepare to free your mind, body, and spirit from stress and negative energy. At the club, friends, Mojitos, and dancing flow through you like blood running through your veins. This is home and you forget the hellish day that preceded the heavenly night.

Now it’s morning and somehow everything from yesterday is a minty green blur. All you know is that you’re not moving a single bone in your body except to call off work and roll over in bed. Oh, the headache, the stomachache, and the foot ache. Is it really already eight o’clock in the morning? Crap…I need a vacation. Yes you do, and preferably one that involves Salsa, sand, and bikinis. No matter if you’re sleeping in, cranky at work, or planning for a Salsacation, remember that Salsa is your relief from the repetitive agony that is corporate America, because it’s more than just a dance, it’s a lifestyle!

Ashanti Altovese

Ashanti Altovese - The Salsa Socialite

Hola Salseros!

Kristen Nolan, a personal trainer and professional dancer with 15 years ballet and 6 years Salsa dance experience, is ready to personally instruct you to ultimate fitness with circuit training, motivating words, and fun workouts. Since she can remember, dance and fitness have been a passion of hers and now you can experience her expertise in body movement and exercise at www.KristenFitness.com

With a new business venture in progress, Kristen is inviting 21 lucky people to train with her for 11 months at virtually no cost starting in mid November. If you’re body is sick and you need a taste of her medicine, check out MyHiTechTrainer.com/KristenFitness for a look at her online training sessions where posture and core strength exercises are a dancer’s foundation in strong technique and flawless execution. Email Kristen at kristenfitness@gmail.com to get more details on her programs and prices.

No matter your fitness level, Kristen enforces that consistency in workouts and a nutritious diet is the key to reaching your goals to a healthier you. When she’s not training or dancing, Kristen enjoys wine tasting and sampling various cuisines. Her greatest success story is that of Tereasa Montano, a client who never worked out a day in her life and lost 40lbs with a 3-day a week circuit style session. Kristen explains that the holidays are the hardest times for people to stay motivated, but with monthly reassessments and reminders of why they’re there to improve their health, she keeps her clients on track and physically fit.

I’m Ashanti Altovese, a professional dancer and your SF Dance Fitness Examiner. Email me at ashanti.griffin@gmail.com for more info on this topic and other dance fitness related activities. Because it’s more than just a dance, it’s a lifestyle!

Ashanti Altovese

Kristen Nolan demonstrating dancer fitness