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Ashanti Altovese Griffin & Mikko Kemppe - Professional Dancers & Instructors

Flexibility is a great asset to have. It adds complexity to dance and fitness activities and brings an awe factor to performances and competitions. But if you’re not a dancer, how can flexibility spice up your life? Well for one, it brings heat to the bedroom.

If we’re lucky, sex occupies a high percentage of our many lifetime activities. We do it for fun and for building a family. Regardless of the reason, it should be an enjoyable experience that lasts and leaves us feeling loved and satisfied. Flexibility, like in dance, can bring a wow factor to sex, allowing both partners to try new positions in new locations.

Dance is a great way to increase flexibility. From Ballet, to Erotic InnerG, to Belly dancing, these dances offer various way for the muscles to stretch, lengthen, and bend, creating more oxygen flow to the body and brain which lowers stress. If you’re looking to increase your flexibility through dance, visit Danscents! online for class offerings that fit your personality and schedule.

Hola Salseros!

Dance is going to transform your body in the New Year! The Salsa 100 Challenge is the latest combination of Salsa food and fitness that will enhance your current lifestyle and fitness level. Imagine, 100 days of Salsa dance fitness and Salsa recipes for a new you! Wonder if such a challenge can improve your life? Welcome to The Salsa Socialite, the lifestyle guide to Salsa food, fashion, and fitness.

Pineapple Sunshine Salsa

100 days to transform your body, diet, and lifestyle with Salsa. It can happen with true commitment and dedication. With a journal at your side, music, and energy, Salsa will be your salvation to empowerment and self-development. Pineapple Sunshine Salsa with diced pineapple, tomato, jalapeno pepper, and onion is a great compliment to eggs, chicken, fish, and of course tortilla chips! In addition, 10-15 minutes a day of Salsa moves will shape, tone, firm, and add allure to your persona. The Suzie-Q with shoulder rolls and arm styling is a great fun move that works the body from head to toe.

The Salsa Socialite: The Salsa 100 Challenge (Suzie-Q)

If you’re ready for something different in 2010 then subscribe to San Francisco Dance Fitness at www.Examiner.com and take the Salsa 100 Challenge! It’s more than just a dance, it’s a lifestyle!

Email: ashanti.griffin@gmail.com to submit your recipe for delicious Salsa. Please include Salsa name, ingredients, a photo of the Salsa, and photographer credit to be considered in an Examiner.com article via The Salsa Socialite!

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

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