Cyber-Interview of the Month: Minnie Ruiz
- by Manny Siverio This Month we interview Hawaii Mambo Instructor Minnie Ruiz.
How long have you been dancing mambo and what got you into it?
I have been dancing mambo for about 20 yrs now. when I was 15 I use
to go to la Villas in upstate NY with my family & I would watch this guy
name Lenny dance. He was fabulous. He noticed how I stared at him so he asked
me to dance & my legs were shaking but I wanted to learn so bad that I can
taste it. He lives in the Bronx.
Where did you originally learn how to dance mambo and who was (were)
your mentors?
I learned to dance mambo in NYC, the place was the Palladium. My mom
was a mambo dancer along with the Tito Puente Orquestra so I learned from the
best.
How long have you been teaching mambo and what made you decide to
teach mambo?
I have been teaching for about 15yrs. & now I teach here in Hawaii. I
started with the Hustle. I learned the Hustle from the Dance Dimensions
& I followed the yellow brick road into tMambo. Mambo is in my blood,
What do you like most about teaching?
The fact that I am introducing salsa to another human being. Letting
them know how passionate & exciting this dance is.
Why do you think people come to learn from you?
They are learning from the best here in Hawaii. ex: I give free dance
lessons at Acqua Lounge & some of my students go for the free lessons.
The comments that I received are very positive. They say "wow! you are a very
good teacher". I let them know how to lead & how important it is because if a
guy can not lead, his partner will not be able to follow. I show them the way
you hold your partners hand, the footwork, style, how graceful you make it.
Are most of your students men or women? and why is that?
I have more men than women only because they feel comfortable with
me & from my side they ask what the female partner loves to do on the dance
floor the most. I help them & inform them that the ladies love to have fun on
the dance floor.
Do you still like to go to clubs and dance socially?
I do sometimes only because I love salsa with a passion & I like to
hear the music. When you understand what the song is saying it is more fun to
dance. I don't go dancing every week like I did when I lived in NY.
How about performing? Do you still perform and who have you
performed for or with?
I've done a few performance here but mostly solo palladium style.
Here we have good dancers but I have not found the perfect-perfect partner. I
performed for the Miss Latin Hawaii Pagent along with Rolando Sanchez &
Salsa Hawaii. They play the best in Latin music.
Name your favorite on stage performance?
My favorite performance was when I performed at Eurasia's here in
Waikiki. I danced to Son Con Clave (live salsa band). It was hot!!
What got you into performing and what was your first time on stage?
When I started teaching ballroom dancing at Murray Kossover School of
Dance on 29th & B'way. My first show was at the Manhattan Center. I did
a Paso doble.
What did you feel when you first performed live on stage?
I was very nervous but so excited that i would dance in front of so
many people.
Have you ever choreographed a routine?
Yes.
What do you like about being a dance choreographer?
The fact that my student is performing something that I put together &
we worked hard at it. And they are out in front of the salsa lovers giving
everything they got.
What do you look for in a song when you are putting choreography
together for it?
I look for passion & music that gives me chicken skin (Hawaiian term
for goose bums).
Have you traveled to teach workshops and seminars? If so where have
you gone?
I have not traveled far to conduct a workshop but on may 13 I will be
going to an elementary school to introduce them to salsarobics & salsa
dancing along with Rolando Sanchez (producer, band leader & one of the
best musican in Hawaii). He will let the kids know about music, playing
an instrument and staying in school.
Which gives you the best joy? Teaching, performing or putting
together choreography?
All of them, of course.
What advice would you give those just getting into mambo? How can
they work at getting better at dancing?
Practice & I would tell them you have to love & feel the dance.
How best could you describe your way of dancing? of teaching? and
of performing?
First, my style is different from the people here in Hawaii, I am
very New Yorker. when I teach I let my students know how to lead,
follow, & the way you hold your partner & just flow with the music.
I don't get too technical. I tell them play with their partner & just have
fun. So what if you make a mistake.
How is New York Mambo Dancing different from mambo dancing in other
parts of the country?
Well, mambo is the same all over. The only difference is the style & rhythm.
NYC is the base of the mambo, the seed from where is was born.
What would you like to see happen to mambo within the next few
years?, next decade? within your lifetime?
Grow! grow! grow! Here the Japanese people love salsa as much as the
local Hawaiians, Mexicans, etc. | 