Performance Team
Overview
The Caltech Salsa Club runs a salsa performance dance team from September to April, breaking in the summer when many dancers are out of town. The team is relatively informal, with a mix of dancers from undergraduate freshmen to final year graduate students, and whose experience is equally varied. The main event of the year is the Caltech Dance Show, a student-organised showcase demonstrating the dance ability of the Caltech community, held annually every April. The team begins preparing for this in September and runs twice weekly rehearsals starting in December. Depending on opportunities and the time commitments of members, the team may perform at other events or club demonstrations during the year.
We always welcome new members to the team. The only requirements to join are a grasp of salsa basics, the ability to commit time to rehearsals, and most importantly, enthusiasm! Team experience is an excellent way to improve your dancing and meet lots of equally keen dancers. The choreography is designed by the team itself with the abilities of the team members in mind, and no matter your prior experience, you will have a lot of fun as part of a close knit group, not to mention the thrill of entertaining the crowds on stage. There is no membership fee, but dancers will need to purchase their own costumes (minimal cost).
The performance team is always looking to recruit more guys. In previous years we have had roughly twice as many females that wish to participate as males!
More information about the Caltech Dance Show can be found at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~dance/performance.html. For more information about the salsa team, please contact us.
2010
The performance dates are Friday April 9th, and Saturday April 10th. Please contact us if you would like to participate!
2009
Team Members (from left to right): Victor Beck, Radhika Marathe, Jelena Culic-Viskota, Jasper Chan, Vanessa Heckman, Dan Bower, Dani Brown, Mike Garcia.
Not Shown: Stassy Petkova, José Mendoza, Thanos Trezos, Lydia Dennis, Andy Yang, Kristin Phillips, Brian Porter, Katie Bassett, Lauren Kendrick
"Salsa fusion", choreographed by Arlene Santos and Brian Porter, was performed at the 2009 Caltech Dance Show. The routine was a funky fusion of L.A. style salsa with a reggaeton vibe. We also incorporated some tricks and flips into our routine, which added extra spice and unpredictability to the performance!
The Club is grateful to Thanos Trezos, Andy Yang, Brian Porter, and Mike Garcia for joining the performance team at late notice, thereby allowing more female students to participate.
Music credit: Solo Fue Una Noche by NG2.
2008
Team Members (from left to right): Stassy Petkova, Jasper Chan, Vanessa Heckman, Lauren Kendrick, David Young, Jelena Culic-Viskota, Maria Riolo, Dan Bower, Kristin Philips, Lydia Dennis, Steffen Brinckmann, Indira Wu.
Our piece for the 2008 Caltech Dance Show (April 25th-27th) was titled "Salsa seductions: too much of a good thing?". The storyline follows four guys in a bar, who cannot believe their luck when four luscious women stroll onto the dance-floor. The guys immediately begin dancing with the ladies, but they become distracted when they notice a second group of women enter the bar area. The piece proceeds with a cat-and-mouse style chase, in which the guys offer attentions to first one group of ladies, then the other, and so forth. Eventually each guy is being tugged on each arm by a lady from either group, leading to the penultimate scene where each guy dances with two girls simultaneously. [The audience went wild at this point!] Of course, the guys eventually get their comeuppance.
The 2008 team included many members who had not previously participated in a dance show. Nonetheless, the dancers stepped up to the plate with an intensive two months of rehearsing, in addition to which many members organised individual or sub-group practices to supplement the team rehearsals.
2007
Team Members: Sarah Knudson, Corinne, Gwyneth Card, Elena Hartoonian, Saina Ghandchi, Monica Barajas, Nanor Markarian, Patricia Foy.
2005
Team Members (from left to right): Stephane Lintner, Gwyneth Card, Elena Hartoonian, Daven Henze, Gonzalo Berro, Corinne, Theofilos Strinopoulos, Min Chen, Michelle Estuar, Romero Xing, Christie Canaria, Jasper M. Simon, Chinghang (Candy) Tong, Kevin Friday, Saina Ghandchi, Setthivoine You.
2004
Team Members: Stephane Lintner, Gwyneth Card, Christie Canaria, Corinne, Daven Henze, Timo Jacob, Carlos Romero, Theofilos Strinopoulos, Olga Bezryadina, Janine Jacob, Helena Kauppila, Endy Min, Michal Brown, Chinghang (Candy) Tong, Michelle Estuar, Sarah Farivar, Kevin Friday, Peter Oeschlager, Matti Samba, Romero Xing.