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Edie, The Salsa FREAK – “The Instructor”
This is the interview of ALL interviews! I am proud to announce one of the best teachers of our time. She is not only a fabulous dancer but also a great person with a great heart! And of course I’m speaking of the famous “Salsa FREAK” – Edie Espinoza.
Before we get to her interview, I’d like to say a few things about Edie. When I first saw Edie at her Salsaweb Convention in Wash. DC, I was so impressed with how she had brought everyone together through her website and even more impressed with her workshop that she gave on “How to be a good instructor” with such great information. This was in 1998.
I was shocked not soon after that she had called me for a lesson when I was living in Florida. Here was a girl who knew a lot about Salsa dancing and she was calling me, a ballroom dancer, to learn more about technique and I thought to myself - how modest Edie was. I got to know Edie a bit more after she invited me to help with the S. Florida website for Salsaweb and found her to be one of the sweetest Salsera’s I have ever met.
Not only does she have the passion to learn as much as she could as a dancer and teacher, (even still to this day) she also has great passion to pass on this info to anyone who wanted know anywhere in the world.
Edie has always been helping instructors and now runs many instructors workshops to help those who need assistance. Edie is a true gem to the Salsa world… and I am excited at this time to be part of the interviewing of her, who has interviewed the Salsa world and has brought it out in the open. Now it is my great pleasure and honor to introduce to you the famous - Edie “The Salsa FREAK” Espinoza.
JJ: First of all, let me ask you: How did you get started teaching? And Did you ever have a mentor that sort of really got you involved with it?
Edie: I got started with Luis and Joby Vazquez in 1994. Luis was my first instructor. I helped him substitute his group classes while Joby was pregnant with their daughter Passion. For some strange reason, Luis had always encouraged me to teach. I believe he sensed that about me right away. However, when I was helping him out after a hard day at my high-tech stressful day job, teaching Salsa (of all things) was the last thing on my mind! He was my Salsa mentor and to this day, I still get a little nervous dancing with him! Because he was my first instructor, and Father in Salsa so-to-speak, he will always be one of the best leads, and instructors I’ve ever known. I will never forget how much he encouraged me and helped me. For that, I am forever grateful.
Within about a week of his fabulous instruction, the Salsa bug hit me VERY HARD. I was going out literally seven days a week! If there had been eight days in a week, I would have gone out that night too! I ended up teaching everyone I knew because I wanted them to be having as much fun as I was! I taught all my co-workers, my family, friends, and neighbors, my dog, the grocery store clerk… you name it, if ANYONE was in visual distance from me, they were learning Salsa within about ten minutes.
JJ: Do you believe that a really good dancer/performer doesn’t necessarily make for a really good teacher?
Edie: I completely agree. I am a perfect example of that. I don’t have natural stage presence. I really have to work hard at it. I also don’t consider myself a great dancer, but I do consider myself a great instructor. I can get so into teaching, that I catch myself becoming a tad militant – which can turn some students off. So I have to make a conscious effort to back off and let things go on occasion.
My husband Al, on the other hand is a natural-born dancer/entertainer with amazing stage presence. He’s an absolute clown and can get away with murder while teaching - because everyone can’t stop laughing at his antics. It’s taken some time, but through example, I’ve shown him how to be a bit more DETAILED with his instruction. Conversely, he’s shown me how to lighten up and have fun with teaching. I knew God put us together for a reason. We make a well-balanced team. As we get to know each other more and more each year, our shows and classes get better and better.
JJ: What does it take to become a great instructor?
Edie: I think being an excellent instructor involves mental training from a very early age. Discipline and hard work is also paramount. It takes a certain mental toughness to be a naturally great instructor. No matter what type of formal education you have in your field of endeavor, you must be mentally prepared to accept the responsibility of ensuring every student you teach understands the concepts you are trying to convey, making it their own, and natural for them.
As a child, I had a rather militant upbringing. My father was a product of the French army and managed to survive the Second World War. When my brother and I were young, my dad held weekly White-Glove Inspections of our “spotless bedrooms”. My dad would come into our bedrooms and smear his white glove along the tops of our cabinets and windowsills, checking for dust and dirt. He would look in our chest of drawers to make sure our clothes were folded tight and in color-coordinated order. He would check our closets to make sure our shoes and clothes were aligned straight and hanging perfectly. My dad wore white gloves on both his hands. My brother’s was the left, and mine was the right. Whichever glove was the cleanest at the end of the Inspection, won. I believe this little ritual taught us how to be competitive at a very early age. Our White-Glove Inspections were fun, and we laughed a lot, but underneath the laughter, White Glove Inspections taught us the importance of discipline and personal responsibility.
So while growing up, I took virtually everything I did extremely seriously, in a militant, perfectionistic fashion. I joined every sport and every school activity imaginable – from track to band to speech class. I competed at everything I took on. I have always been considered a Type-A, Over-Achiever, work-a-holic. If I wasn’t number one, it pissed me off, so I would try harder to figure out why. I learned at a very early age, that if you end up teaching something you just learned, you figured it out faster, executed it better, and mastered it more quickly – no matter what it was. So I strove to teach, to constantly improve, to become better and better at everything I felt was important. If I don’t work at something, it’s obviously not that important to me. I choose my endeavors, and choose my battles.
I’m a natural competitor and love challenges. When I started Salsa, I was 30 years old. It was so late in life that I did everything possible to try and catch up with everyone else. I studied, studied, and practiced, till I finally got it. Because I knew that we learn a subject faster and more solidly if we teach it, I started teaching – to master the technical “how’s” and “why’s” of this dance. There is still so much to learn. I still take privates from virtually everyone I know to this day, and will never stop learning. Salsa is a never-ending wellspring of ideas and concepts. It fascinates me.
JJ: What’s the hardest thing to teach a beginner student?
Edie: It's tough if they can’t get the timing. To be honest, some people simply will never get it – but that should never hinder them from the dance. These are special people that simply enjoy dancing to any beat – people who need the dance, just as those who understand the beat. We need to be sensitive and aware of these types, as they love Salsa just as much as you and I. Most are tone deaf, which is a defect that one is born with. Be sensitive to them, and never discourage them. Some are quite extraordinary dancers. An example of this was my first dance partner of two years. We won many competitions together, but he could never understand where the “One” or “Two” beat of the music was. He still doesn’t know to this day. He simply hit every break in the music, perfectly – because he knew when they came, and knew his music very well. Come to think of it, he was dancing Millennium Style way back then! (Millennium Style is dancing lyrically to the music, and hitting every break, swing and pause within the song, no matter what timing you fall back into). He was such a great dancer, and such a fabulous lead, but simply could never stay on beat! He hit all the breaks though! I would back-lead him into the beat when we competed. I believe that’s part of what helped us win all the time.
I was a musician for 16 years, and played in many orchestras as a child as a first-chair flutist. Trust me, I know and understand music and its beats from a technical standpoint, but not many of my students do. To make it simple for them, I teach Timing based on phrases in the music. I do not teach timing based on the Clave instrument. Paying attention to the Clave can be done as well, and is important, however based on my analysis, 15 to 20 percent of Salsa music does not contain a clave instrument in the song. 15 to 20 percent of the Clave rhythm starts on the One rather than the Two, which is what others who have not taken the time to truly study and analyze the music normally teach. There will be certain instruments that mimic the Clave pattern, but I found the Conga slap on count 2 is more prevalent. This concept however, can, and has been the subject of very heated arguments for many years.
Since we can all relate to reading paragraphs in a book, my Salsa Timing analogy is that each eight-count phrase (called a Bar) is like a sentence of a story. Each sentence creates a paragraph. The paragraphs make up the chapters of the Salsa story (song). The beginning of each sentence is normally the One beat. Most can recognize where the One begins, once I demonstrate it in those simplified terms. The One may be when the vocals start. It may be the first hit of the cowbell, it may be the base violin, or it may be the Clave. The natural repetitive pattern is the clue – not any particular instrument. If you start following particular instruments, you’ll get all screwed up if the next song doesn’t have your favorite instrument in it.
I believe understanding the rhythms of Salsa is a gift from God. We are either chosen to understand them, or not. How can you explain someone being addicted to Salsa, and his or her best friend or brother is not. We are all different, and each of us learns in a different way. Some instructors may tell you to listen to the start of the piano to find the “One” beat. Why? Because they may be accomplished pianists. Some may tell you to listen to the peak of the vocals. Why? Because they are singers. I use the sentence and paragraph analogy because I am a writer. Does this make sense to you? To me, finding the “One” in a piece of Salsa music is a mystery beyond comprehension. It is a gift. Be thankful if you have been blessed with this gift.
JJ: What advice can you give a beginner teacher?
Edie: Don’t quit your day job! I taught for about four years part time until it became full time. You’ve got to have at least six months of income stashed away someplace before you take on a career in dance as your ultimate endeavor. I suggest you sign up for as many Instructor Training courses as you can. Take group and private classes from as many instructors as you can. It’s a good idea to purchase quality instructional DVDs from as many different instructors and dance styles as you can. I believe Al and I have more DVDs from other instructors than anyone I know. We learn so much from other instructor’s videos and DVDs. Taking private lessons from other dancers – whether they are instructors or not - is one of our secrets. DVDs and taking private lessons is a continuous fountain of moves and ideas for our routines and classes.
JJ: How do you create a good student? And what I mean by that is, I’ve been told that when someone gets a student and you want to be able to maintain them, you want them to stay interested; so what is it that teachers can do or should do to create someone who’s a student that will learn well and get them to stay consistent? Are there any tricks or certain things that we should know?
Edie: I have created a unique Salsa syllabus that has worked wonders for my students. It is completely typed out, simple, and very well organized. It took a several years to perfect, but I think I’ve finally found what works. It gets beginning Salseros (guys) leading on the dance floor within one hour – without boring your (female) partner! My syllabus is based entirely on the women’s familiar step patterns. The leader understands from the beginning that HE is the one maneuvering around the woman, and that it is HIS responsibility to place her in footwork that she is familiar and comfortable with – without her realizing it. You’ll have to see and experience my syllabus to fully understand it. We teach this syllabus in our Instructor Training seminars.
JJ: Can you give any advice on how to teach a group class?
Edie: The best and largest group classes I’ve seen that have been consistently packed with the same students over a period of months and years are all syllabus-based, series classes. The student goes in knowing exactly what the instructor will be covering that week, or month (because it is written down on a syllabus board, or book someplace). This gives the student something to strive for, perfect, and accomplish. If you just teach “move of the week” classes, your attrition rates are high, and it is difficult to maintain faithful students. “Move of the week” classes should be saved for your more advanced clientele.
JJ: How important do you think it is to count as a student? Then as a teacher?
Edie: I think counting the beats of the music you dance to, is one of the most important aspects of learning how to dance. All music has a beat, and that beat is interpreted to numbers, or repetitive counts. In Salsa, we have bars of eight-counts. Technically, a bar should be a single measure (four counts) however, because Salsa “is the way it is”, most Salsa professionals consider two measures of Salsa music a single Bar. People who dance other dances have told me this is “dead wrong”, but hey, it works for Salseros who teach and perform! Some theories say that the first measure is the female side of the bar, and second measure is the male. Now you can study this concept as deeply as you’d like, but for most of us who teach Salsa, a Bar of Salsa music is simply two measures in a four/four rhythm, plain and simple. If you want to dance to a number-based song, you’d better know the counts! As an instructor, it is your obligation to teach your students the counts. You are doing them a severe disservice if you don’t. We also teach how to read music in our Instructor Training Courses.
JJ: What are some pointers on how to be a successful dance team and can you give us the positive side as well as the negative side?
Edie: I have been on numerous dance teams, and have formed my own in the past. After years of experience, I have come to the conclusion that I will never ever form a dance team myself, or be a part of one - but that’s just me.
You see, I have no TIME. Time is the most critical factor in running a team. The only thing you get out of being on a team is learning new moves, some styling, performing, repeating the same moves over and over again (this makes you real good!) and the comradery that comes with it. Monetarily… well let’s just say, “You gotta luv it!”.
On the other hand, my husband Al is obsessed with his dance team and loves it to death. He has no time either, but somehow by God he’s made it work. You see, he is the team choreographer – and only that. Because we are gone so often traveling, he has had to assign duties and responsibilities to various members of his dance team. For example, he has a team captain for the girls, and a captain for the guys. He has someone in charge of collecting dues and late fees, another responsible for costumes, another responsible for booking gigs, another in charge of rehearsals… he’s been able to delegate virtually every job a dance team has to the members themselves. This gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership. Al’s sole responsibility is choreography. As the owner of the team, he has the final say on every decision the captains’ make. He comes up with about 7 routines per year for all of us – including the routines that he and I do on the road. I am not a member of his team, and don’t wish to be involved in any way. I already have WAY TOO MUCH on my plate! It’s nice for us to do things separately anyway. We get a break from each other for a while. Every couple needs that.
JJ: There are a lot of Salsa congresses these days, can you give some advice how one could get involved with performing or teaching at these events?
Edie: Come up with a fabulous routine, videotape it, send it to the promoter, and then pray. Many people have been discovered this way! And by the way, just because you’ve won a competition doesn’t mean you’re good enough for a Congress. Don’t get it in your head that you are “too good” to send the promoter your tape. I’ve spoken to many promoters who have passed up amazing couples because they refused to send a videotape because of “who they were”.
Oh, and some words of advice to the ladies… WEAR FISHNET PANTYHOSE ON STAGE!!! This is Albert Torres’ BIGGEST PET PEEVE. Mine too. There is nothing worse than seeing women’s cellulite jiggling around up there. If you think you don’t have cellulite, trust me, YOU DO ON STAGE UNDER LIGHTS. I don’t care how ripped you think you are, I don’t care how many people tell you have beautiful legs. Put those fishnets on, and your non-thong underwear over them if you’re in a flair dress! Nobody needs to see your flabby, flappy butt!
JJ: Being someone who travels a lot to other congresses you see a lot of other teachers teach. Is there any advice you can give or anything that you would like to see teachers do that you don’t see often?
Edie: YES. What a great question. I see many instructors who THINK they are still teaching their group classes at home. Many don’t realize that there are literally hundreds of students now, and their vocabulary must be VERY CLEAR. My trick is to teach as if I am instructing an entirely BLIND AUDIENCE. There are people WAY in the BACK who literally cannot see you, or your hands. For example, don’t say, “Take her hand and put it here.” You need to change your vocabulary to, “Take her right hand and gently place it on your left rib cage without pulling it.” You see what I mean? Just pretend your audience is as blind as a bat, and you’ll do just fine.
JJ: A lot of dance teachers are coming up with there own dance groups these days … I’ve heard some teachers feel it’s now necessary to have a dance group in order to be seen and get students… do you feel this is true or at least necessary?
Edie: If you feel you are not good enough to perform on your own, yes, blend in with as many people on stage as you can, so you can become part of the strength of this Borg you’ve created.
On stage lately, I have no idea who is the instructor, and who are the students…. I think it’s classier if the instructor does the choreography, and lets his / her students perform. For example, Al rarely performs with his team. I’ve also found that because the instructor is so worried about his team all the time, when it comes to performing, the instructor is usually the one that is off, or messes up because they were so busy looking back and coaching the routine during rehearsal, he or she rarely rehearsed it repetitively enough with their own team!
It is my belief, that when an instructor choreographs the routine, and lets his team perform it without him, it truly shows the instructor’s confidence and professionalism in himself, and his team. On Broadway, rarely does the choreographer perform – if ever. You would never see a football or baseball coach out there playing with on his own team, now would you? The choreographer usually makes a token appearance on stage afterward… now that’s something I’d really like to see at Congresses. It would push these events up to a different standard.
JJ: Here’s a good one. – I get a lot of questions, people write to me all of the time and I’ve had several of this particular question from other teachers; and they basically have said, “Jami, I love teaching my advanced students, I have such a great time and I’m really comfortable with it, but then I get someone who’s a really slow beginner, and I have a tough time teaching them. What can I do to make it better?” Because it’s like, they find themselves either getting frustrated themselves or whatever. So are there any tips that you may have or things that --?
Edie: Sure! Put yourself in your beginner’s shoes. If you’re having a rough time with beginners, GO TAKE A DANCE CLASS IN SOMETHING YOU ARE COMPLETELY UNFAMILIAR – LIKE VIENNESE WALTZ, AGENTINE TANGO OR CAPOETA. Get yourSELF in “beginner mode” and get YOUR MIND back to what it’s like being in THEIR SHOES for a while.
Teaching advanced students is EASY and a natural HIGH. Because they are so good anyway, they get your instruction quickly, and it looks awesome. This gives you the FALSE impression that you are an amazing instructor. As an instructor, your true colors show when you look at the results of YOUR BEGINNERS. There is nothing more rewarding than taking a beginning student who knew absolutely NOTHING and watching them grow into amazing dancers.
Remember, where you earn your MONEY is with the beginner crowd. Beginners are your bread and butter, so if you want to eat, you’d BETTER learn apathy, compassion, comfort, and most importantly HUMOR. Rehearse with music you truly enjoy. Never, never, NEVER show in your face that you are bored or frustrated with beginners. I’ve seen instructors do this, and I can’t tell you how bad I feel for the student. It’s an abuse of power, and monetary rip-off for the student. Make it your goal in life to be the BEST beginner instructor in your STATE. Because when they get good, trust me, they will recommend hundreds of new students to you, keeping your business flourishing and alive. Beginners never forget fabulous instructors.
My very first instructor was Luis Vazquez. I’ll never forget his humor and EXTREME patience with me. I’ve always considered him to be one of the best instructors in the world, even to this day. I was 30 years old when he taught me my first basic, and I’ll never forget how he made me laugh, and kept going over the same damn step about twenty times till I perfected it. He was always willing to help and encourage me, no matter how many times it took. I remember thinking to myself that I would never get this stupid dance, and Luis would put my head back on straight by repeating things over and over again. He never showed any sign of frustration or boredom. His encouragement and enthusiasm helped me get through Beginner’s Hell. We all went through it. There are no shortcuts to this. Patience is the only antidote.
JJ: Edie, you have been running an Instructors Training Course for a while now, how can an instructor take this course and what are its benefits?
Edie: The benefits of taking our Instructors Training Courses are incredible. In a group setting, questions are asked by your peers that you would never think of, or that you have been dying to ask, but were always afraid to. Al and I teach what we’ve seen works throughout the world, both from personal experience, and the experience of other instructors in different countries. We’ve seen flourishing schools, and we’ve seen dying schools. We’ve experienced incredible instruction, and some of the worst.
We hold various levels of Instructor Training classes in different cities throughout the world. You can learn about our courses at www.DanceFreak.com/instructor. We have several levels, some lasting several hours, and even days. We plan on starting our complete “intensive” course every March and October here in Los Angeles. This will start March, 2005.
JJ: I have placed this question in many places about an official certification for Salsa. Many respond that we should not have certifications and syllabus as it would ruin Salsa and its street style or some even say adding structure would eliminate the freedom and spontaneity of the dance. What do you think? And do you think it’s necessary to have certified instructors in Salsa?
Edie: I think students have a right, and deserve to be taught by qualified instructors. I’ve run across many students who have come up to me after one of my classes telling me that they learned more in my single class than months of training in another. This is sad. Yes, I feel we need to establish some sort of basic qualification to become a Salsa instructor. Instructor Training certification classes from world-renowned instructors is becoming more and more important.
JJ: Last but not least… Are there any sayings that you have, that you always say to your students? Is there a motto that you’ve run through? I have a little column, and it has “Advice from the Legends,” just little blurbs that someone can read and say, “Oh yeah, that’s a typical Edie “The Salsa FREAK” saying.” Is there anything that you have?
Edie: Yes, depending the student and the situation, I usually say things like…
“Remember, it’s not how you feel, it’s how you LOOK.”
“Four simple words to remember when you’re out on that dance floor:
MAKE - IT - LOOK - EASY”.
“It’s not what you do, but HOW you do it.”
“Surround yourself with possibility thinkers, and watch your life blast off like a rocket!”
“As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17 from the Old Testament Scriptures
Thanx Edie for all your great advice and insights...you are truly a gem in our Salsa world!
- Jami