site.danscents.com Blog

OK, so Saturday was an awesome night at the Mambo Romero Halloween Social in San Francisco!  Studio Gracia on Heron Street hosted Couture Dance Alliance along with other hot teams in the Bay Area that threw down for a packed house of ladies and gentlemen dressed up like goblins and ghouls. Latin Symbolics directed by Ava Apple, Kanondonga directed by Katie Maloney, Afinkao directed by JC & Tellina, and Mambo Romero directed by Gabriel Romero were a few of the teams who performed and enjoyed the beautiful October night. Dj El de la Clave dropped beats all night long until the $100 Halloween costume contest which ended with drunk Snow White taking the prize. I myself was a Playboy Bunny but my white fuzzy tail wasn’t enough to win over the crowd to bring home a cool Benjamin bill. Awe, maybe next year, =) No worries! Luis Aguilar stood proud as his pro team performed Oye Mi Quinto dressed as Sailors, a Greek Goddess, a Playboy Bunny, and a Japanese Empress. What a night!  Now I prepare for Hot Salsa Friday in San Jose for the SF Congress Pro On2 semi-finals on November 6th!

Video: Couture Dance Alliance at the Mambo Romero Halloween Ball

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

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,

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