Every Wednesday from 8pm @The Albert Club (The Hottest Night in Fleet!... on a Wednesaday)

Wednesday Night Classes @The Albert Social Club
47 Albert Street
FLEET
Hampshire
GU51 3RL

8pm -11:15pm

Wednesday night classes as The Albert cater for ALL levels, from absolute Beginner to advanced. All classes function on a drop in basis. So join us on a Wednesday for the hottest night in Fleet and see what Salsa is all about.

Join us on a Wednesday evening for our weekly salsa classes followed by club night and freestyle dancing. All levels of salsa class are taught & all classes are attended on a drop in basis. So come down and see what salsa is all about.

Our expert, friendly salsa teachers 'Jim & Jo' will guide you through the classes ensuring you learn the turn patterns well enough, so you can dance it free style later in the evening. NO partner is required...... All our classes use a rotation system where by everyone in the class moves on one partner after learning a move, in this way everyone gets to practice salsa with each other during the class. This also makes it easier in the free style part of the evening as you will already have met and danced with everyone from your class.

Doors will open at 7:45pm, classes will start at 8:00pm prompt.

SalsaFleet News letter September 2010

Hello Everyone,

Here's the latest happenings at SalsaFleet.....

Birthdays
We are having a birthday party for Mr Steve O. in a few weeks time on Friday 15th October. He's hired the Albert club and will be having a birthday party with a bit of a Latin theme for all his friends and family. I'll be helping the night along by organising a little bit of Latin dancing (salsa, Merengue, Bachata & Rueda etc). There will also be plenty of other types of music to dance to.

A party invitation is extended to all SalsaFleet dancers but you must contact Steve in advance to ensure your name is on the guest list and you have been allocated with an item of food to bring along - as is the tradition for birthdays at SalsaFleet.

Contact Steve on steveosbiston@hotmail.com

Barbecue Party

We provided the salsa entertainment at a Silver wedding anniversary recently. Everyone was very enthusiastic and they had a great time. I received a fantastic thank you email (read below)

Dear Jim and Jo,

This a rather belated but none the less heart-felt thank you to you both for coming to our Silver Wedding party and making it such a memorable occasion.

Tom and I are so grateful to you for simply putting the icing on the cake! You went down an absolute storm and I can't stop talking about you....in fact all the people such as the marquee hire and the lady who owns Kitchen Kit in Fleet have heard about you...in fact anyone who's willing to listen to me will hear about you!!!!! Even Sunrise care home where I do some work and know the activities lady have your number!!!

Most of our guests commented on not only your obvious talent but also your pleasing personalities...noone felt awkward...and nearly all of them had a go didn't they?

So you must feel very satisfied of a job well done and we only hope you enjoyed yourselves as much we did.

Hope to meet again in the future,

in the meantime, best wishes,

Tuesday Night Beginners Course at Harlington Centre
The first Beginners course at the Harlington centre will be completed soon, & the Beginners are looking forward to trying the Experienced Beginners class at the Albert club on Wednesday nights.The next SalsaFLeet Beginners course will be starting on Tuesday12th October. The course covers all the fundamental principles of Salsa in 5 structured lessons that repeat and build on each other sequentially. Its the ideal way to begin learning salsa.

Wednesday Night drop-in classes and club for ALL levels
Were running drop in classes for all levels on Wednesday night at the Albert. Jo has settled well into her role as the Salsa Beginners teacher, and she is also assisting in the other classes. So come on down to the hottest night in Fleet... On a Wednesday.

Happy Salsering

Jim Costello
SalsaFleet

SalsaFleet News letter August 2010

Hello Everyone

August has been a very busy month, a lot has happened & I've had to re-write my original August news letter which is why this is a bit late…

The first thing to mention is Su's departure from SalsaFleet. I tried my best to keep her on board but ultimately she felt it was time to move on. So I would like to take this opportunity to wish her well & thank her for the work she put into making SalsaFleet the hottest night in Fleet on a Wednesday!

I've spent a lot of time this month thinking about what's the best direction for SalsaFleet to take and have come to a few decisions.

Monthly Rueda Night
I've decided to stop the end of month Rueda nights. Although, I did enjoy these evenings. Cross Body Lead style salsa and Cuban style circular salsa do not mix well. They have the same rhythm and can be danced to the same music but are essentially different in terms of the rules for leading and following . I think it can be confusing to learn both styles at the same time. If there is enough interest then I will setup some separate classes to teach 'la Rueda'.

So from now on our focus for all Wednesday night classes will be Cross Body Lead salsa. I want to retain the fun, friendly atmosphere, but will be placing more emphasis on technique, especially in the beginners classes, as this is the foundation for dancing salsa up to musical speed in free style.

New Salsa Beginners teacher
I'd like to introduce you all to Jo Hutchinson. Jo is our new SalsaFleet Beginners teacher. She has been dancing salsa for several years now and has a background in ballroom Latin American dancing. In fact she is still competing in this field. Jo has great dance technique, posture and styling. Her background in ball room gives her salsa dancing a very elegant quality as she glides across the dance floor. Jo is fantastic to dance with and is great at improvisation. When she hears something in the music or I try a move that's very challenging she just goes with it, and never gets ruffled. You never notice any mistakes because she just makes it all seem like part of the dance.

New Class Assistant/Front Desk/DJ
Ashley is the youngest member of the SalsaFleet team. She's been dancing salsa since the age of 10 years old, when I would try my salsa routines on her. At this time she wasn't very enthusiastic, as anything Dad does just cannot be cool..... Ashley's role at SalsaFleet is to help out during the classes, meet, greet and take payments on the door & help with the DJing. She's a fantastic person and great fun to have around, she's also a very talented dancer and can follow just about any salsa move. Don't take my word on this, just ask the guys who take the classes!

Wednesday Night Classes @The Albert
The Beginners class at the Albert club will now be attended on a drop in basis, just like all the other classes. Salsa Beginners courses will be run on a different evening. This gives the Beginners a choice for the type of class they want to attend.



Tuesday Night Beginners Salsa Course @The Harlington Centre
Starting Tuesday September 7th, I'm running Salsa Beginners courses in Carnival Hall at the Harlington Centre in Fleet. The course will run for 5 weeks and will be taught by myself. I'm really keen to teach Beginners as it will mean I can coach people right from the start, teach them good dance habits and follow the persons development right the way through all the class levels.

Please feel free to email or speak to me about ideas for improving the format of the evening. I'm always open to suggestions.

Happy Salsering

Jim Costello
SalsaFleet

Welcome to SalsaFleet. Our goal is to provide quality salsa dance teaching in a relaxed friendly atmosphere that encourages beginner salsa dancers to socialise, make friends and ask people to dance.

Attending a salsa class is only the first part of the evening. We want you to take what you've learnt onto the dance floor.

By the end of your classes, we want you to feel confident and comfortable enough to social salsa dance with the other people from your class.

Part of the evening is dedicated to social dancing. We'll encourage you to get up and try, and it really is the best way to improve your dancing!

NEW SalsaFleet Venue Grand Opening! Tuesday 7th September 2010

Tuesday Evenings at:-
The Harlington Centre (Carnvial Hall)

Fleet Road,
Fleet, Hampshire,
GU51 4BX

Beginners Salsa Course Classes 8-9pm

FIRST NIGHT TUESDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2010

This is a fantastic venue and dance space, with an excellent dance floor. Were very excited about running salsa classes here and can't wait to get started

For more class information click here

To book the course click here

MEET THE SALSA FLEET TEAM

OLD BUY NOW

Starting on the first Wednesday of each month, our 4-week Beginners Course provides a comprehensive introduction to all the fundamentals of dancing salsa including salsa rhythm, the basic steps and foundation partner work such as simple turns and the cross body lead. This is a fun and friendly course and no dance experience is necessary.

Feel free to visit our club and meet the SalsaFleet team or email us via this link and we will answer your query.

Times: Lessons start at 8pm. Doors open at 7.45pm for registration.
Note: After the class there is 10 minutes practice dancing before the improver and intermediate classes start. Beginners are very welcome to watch the next classes and remain at the venue for a drink – from 9.50pm there is freestyle practice dancing for all.

Cost: £24 per person

What you will learn:
Learning and understanding the basics is very important as everything else you learn in salsa will be built on top of these foundations. The basics include: Salsa timing, Basic salsa footwork forward & back, side to side, breaking back, single turns, basic salsa partnering, correct partner hold, correct arm tension, cross body lead.

Learning Time = 4 weeks. After the course has finished, you can either repeat the course to reinforce your learning or join our experienced beginners classes that also run at 8pm on a drop-in basis.

PLEASE BOOK IN ADVANCE TO SECURE YOUR SPACE

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

BOOK ON YOUR OWN, WITH A PARTNER OR WITH FRIENDS!

GET FIT - MAKE NEW FRIENDS - GAIN CONFIDENCE - HAVE FUN!

Jim Costello (Director)

Jim has 12 years of salsa dancing experience, he has trained in Cuba, New York, and Spain, has been involved in several dance companies (Manhattan Mambo, Salsa Diva Dance Co.) and to broaden his understanding of dance has also trained in several other dance forms (Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Tango). He has performed on Television and in 2002 he came third in the professional category of the Scalatina championships. In 2007 Jim formed Ignite Dance Company with fellow salsa dancers Giles and Rosa from Oxford. Their first choreography (Bendita) has been show cased at congresses and party nights across Europe and in the UK, and has been well received by promoters and salseros. Jim has a relaxed informal teaching style that takes note of the progression of the students, altering routines to suit the students level when required. The attention to detail with a touch of humour has made him popular teacher.

Jo Hutchinson (Teacher)

Jo is our new SalsaFleet Beginners teacher. She has been dancing salsa for several years now and has a background in ballroom Latin American dancing. In fact she is still competing in this field. Jo has great dance technique, posture and styling. Her background in ball room gives her salsa dancing a very elegant quality as she glides across the dance floor. Jo is fantastic to dance with and is great at improvisation. When she hears something in the music or I try a move that's very challenging she just goes with it, and never gets ruffled. You never notice any mistakes because she just makes it all seem like part of the dance.

Beata Smal (Class Assistant)

Beata Smal began her adventure with dance in 2004. She started by dancing in clubs in Warsaw, Poland where she first came across Salsa. In the following years she practiced other Latin - American dances such as Cha-Cha and Rumba. In 2009 she joined the club in Fleet. Beata has impressed everyone at SalsaFleet. She is very passionate about the dance, pays attention to every detail and has very good dance technique, she is also a pleasure to dance with, and is a very warm and endearing person. Beata can also dance 'The Waltz' and 'Tango'. At SalsaFleet Beata is a class assistant and helps myself and Jo with our classes, she is currently learning to dance as a leader so she will gain an understanding of every aspect of Salsa dancing

Ashley Fulham (DJ + Class Assistant)

Ashley is the youngest member of the SalsaFleet team. She's been dancing salsa since the age of 10 years old, when I would try my salsa routines on her. At this time she wasn't very enthusiastic, as anything Dad does just cannot be cool..... Ashley's role at SalsaFleet is to help out during the classes, meet, greet and take payments on the door & help with the DJing. She's a fantastic person and great fun to have around, she's also a very talented dancer and can follow just about any salsa move. Don't take my word on this, just ask the guys who take the classes!

SalsaFleet News letter July 2010

Hello Everyone,

Just a brief mail to outline whats going on this month(July) at SalsaFleet.

Cheers
Jim

Beginners Course/Classes
At this time of year its difficult for people to commit to a 4 week block of classes given its the holiday season, so for now the beginners classes will work the same way as the regular class i.e. on a drop in basis. It is better if you can do the whole course from start to finish as its structured this way and it works out cheaper, but at least you now have the choice to do either.

Bachata Party Night
We'll be having a Bachata party night at the end of this month. So its a change from our usual Rueda party night... All levels of class will be Bachata based so don't worry if you haven't danced it before.

Birthday NEWS....
Special thanks and congratulations to Julie. We celebrated her birthday last week, a great opportunity to mix and socialise and get to know every ones names. We have another birthday later this month... so reserve Wednesday 21st July for a traditional SalsaFleet birthday celebration. I'll leave the person unnamed at this time and only say that its a he. I'll provide the cake, You bring the nibbles ;-)


NEW Regular Classes (block booking scheme)
A couple of weeks ago someone asked me if they could pay for a block of four classes (because if they've already paid for the class, this would encourage them to get off the couch & go). this seemed a good idea to me... I get a guarantee of attendance and the money up front and the customer saves £1 pound on every class they attend. So, I'd like to extend this idea for everyone.

£24 for a block of 4 classes, which means if your a regular attender you save £4 over the block booking period.

NOTE: The four classes in a block booking can be taken at any time, there's no expiration date, they don't have to be taken in consecutive weeks (i.e. you can have your holiday or other break and you wont miss out out on any classes you've paid for. The only proviso I'll make is that the booking has to be for an individual (i.e. 4 people can't make a booking then use it all in the one night between them ;-)).


Credit where credit is due - Part1... (musings from Jim)
No body develops their own salsa style, movement, technique, turn patterns, shines etc without help and influence from other salsa dancers and teachers.

I always said that if I ever ran my own salsa venue, I would list the people who have influenced me the most in salsa. Just to give a little back to the people who have shaped the way I dance. Ultimately we are all individuals and we all move in our own unique way. Developing your own style, that you feel comfortable with, is part of the salsa learning experience. Maybe this re-cap of how my salsa dancing developed will influence you ;-)

Part1: Salsa Beginnings
-----------------------------------
I started learning salsa in the late 90's at Bar Mambo in Guildford. Carlos Paz ran the venue and the advanced class was taught by William Dash. Everybody danced Cuban style salsa in those days and William was an incredibly smooth dancer. I loved the way the guy never looked rushed. He was great to watch and a nice guy too.

Then I went to Cuba with Kerry Ribchester. She introduced the idea of dancing from the heart, feeling the music, connecting with your partner and Afro-Cuban movement (something I still struggle with). Kerry's a fantastic person, great fun, and well respected in the salsa scene and beyond. She appeared on a TV program called 'Confidence lab' using music combined with afro-cuban body movement to help people regain confidence and improve their lives.

The next big thing on the salsa scene was 'Cross Body Lead' (XBL) style salsa. Imported from the USA, suddenly everybody was dancing lots of complicated moves. I attended various salsa classes Robert Charlamagne, Chandy David, Super Mario, Susanna Montero, but of all these XBL teachers Leon Rose had the biggest influence. I loved his classes because he not only danced this style superbly well, he also danced it with a huge amount of style and grace. A special mention to Super Mario here, as although I didn't attend many of his classes. The moves he taught, spread from his classes and everybody danced them. They didn't call him the 'million moves man' for nothing.

Enough ramblings from me, I'll add part 2. next month.....

Happy Salsering
Jim

Bachata Party Night Wed. 28th July 2010

We'll be having a Bachata party night at the end of this month. So its a change from our usual Rueda party night... All levels of class will be Bachata based so don't worry if you haven't danced it before.

NEW SalsaFleet Venue Grand Opening

Tuesday Evenings at:-
The Harlington Centre (Carnvial Hall)

Fleet Road
Fleet, Hampshire
GU51 4BX

Beginners Salsa Course Classes 8-9pm

FIRST NIGHT TUESDAY 7th SEPTEMBER 2010

This is a fantastic venue and dance space, with an excellent dance floor. Were very excited about running salsa classes here and can't wait to get started

Credit where credit is due - Part1... (musings from Jim)

No body develops their own salsa style, movement, technique, turn patterns, shines etc without help and influence from other salsa dancers and teachers.

I always said that if I ever ran my own salsa venue, I would list the people who have influenced me the most in salsa. Just to give a little back to the people who have shaped the way I dance. Ultimately we are all individuals and we all move in our own unique way. Developing your own style, that you feel comfortable with, is part of the salsa learning experience. Maybe this re-cap of how my salsa dancing developed will influence you ;-)

Part1: Salsa Beginnings
-----------------------
I started learning salsa in the late 90's at Bar Mambo in Guildford. Carlos Paz ran the venue and the advanced class was taught by William Dash. Everybody danced Cuban style salsa in those days and William was an incredibly smooth dancer. I loved the way the guy never looked rushed. He was great to watch and a nice guy too.

Then I went to Cuba with Kerry Ribchester. She introduced the idea of dancing from the heart, feeling the music, connecting with your partner and Afro-Cuban movement (something I still struggle with). Kerry's a fantastic person, great fun, and well respected in the salsa scene and beyond. She appeared on a TV program called 'Confidence lab' using music combined with afro-cuban body movement to help people regain confidence and improve their lives.



The next big thing on the salsa scene was 'Cross Body Lead' (XBL) style salsa. Imported from the USA, suddenly everybody was dancing lots of complicated moves. I attended various salsa classes Robert Charlamagne, Chandy David, Super Mario, Susanna Montero, but of all these XBL teachers Leon Rose had the biggest influence. I loved his classes because he not only danced this style superbly well, he also danced it with a huge amount of style and grace. A special mention to Super Mario here, as although I didn't attend many of his classes. The moves he taught, spread from his classes and everybody danced them. They didn't call him the 'million moves man' for nothing.

Alex Costello (The Brains behind SalsaFleet)

Alex is my other half and its fair to say that without her help advise and hard work behind the scenes SalsaFleet would not exist. Alex gets involved in all the things that make a Salsa venue run smoothly. The marketing and advertising, fliers, publicising, web site layout and design, book keeping and much more. Thanks to Alex I can concentrate on what I think I do best, teaching salsa dancing. She even helps me with class preparation. An all round multi-talented lady.

Looking for Salsa Classes in your local area?

SalsaFleet is located near the centre of Fleet (Hampshire). its within 15 minutes drive of Farnborough, Farnham, Aldershot, Camberley, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Church Crookham. We teach Bachata, Rueda, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha Cha and more...

Drop in and visit us this Wednesday evening at 8pm:-

The Albert Social Club
47 Albert Street
FLEET
Hampshire
GU51 3RL

Rueda Party Night Wed. 30th June 2010

The Rueda de Casino is a circular Cuban group dance where a leader calls moves in quick succession and everyone follows. It is danced by couples on lively, up-beat, salsa music. The couples stand in a circle. During the dance there is a constant changing of partners, which makes it a vivid and very fun dance! The Rueda can be danced with a minimum of two couples. However, three or more couples is advisable.

We run monthly Rueda classes at SalsaFleet on the last Wednesday of every month... so why not come along and join in the fun!

SalsaFleet News letter June 2010

Hi Everyone,

This is the first of the new SalsaFleet monthly news bulletins. Something to keep you up to date with whats happening at the club.

Happy Salsaring
Jim

Videoing Classes

A lot of people have asked me about videoing the classes. The main reason is because people can't remember the class that was taught a few days later and so can't practice the routine at home.

I can understand people's frustration & remember having exactly the same issues when I was learning..... many years ago.

So, I will reserve a small slot at the end of the class (couple of minutes) and at this time I'll demonstrate the class with Su to music and you can video it.

The only restriction I'll ask is that you only video the demonstration at the end of the class, its to be used for your own personal practice, its not shared with people who don't attend the classes and not uploaded to youtube.

I've added a couple of the recent classes to the video section of the SalsaFleet website. Click on this link to view.


FREE salsa class (if its your birthday)

At SalsaFleet we take birthday celebrations seriously. Click on this link to view some of our more recent birthday celebration pictures...

Some people aren't so keen on letting us know its their birthday, so to encourage the reluctant ones, I'm offering a free salsa class to anyone whose birthday week it is. All you have to do is let me know as you enter the club and you can come in for free.

If you have any pictures of SalsaFleet birthday celebrations please send them to me at salsa.fleet@gmail.com and I'll create a special birthday page for them on the website.

PS:- If you let me know the week before, I'll provide a cake.... with candles & some balloons and a 'happy birthday' sign and a Bachata 3 some with Angie & Lynn. What more could you want!


Angies 'salsa' Ironing service

Did you know Angie runs a mobile ironing service. Now, I know its not exactly salsa related news... but she did say she would wear a salsa outfit and dance to salsa tracks while ironing your clothes....

Almost worth hiring just to see!








About SalsaFleet
SalsaFleet is located near the centre of Fleet (Hampshire). its within 15 minutes drive of Farnborough, Farnham, Aldershot, Camberley, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Church Crookham. We teach Bachata, Rueda, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha Cha and more...

Drop in and visit us this Wednesday evening at 8pm:-

The Albert Social Club
47 Albert Street
FLEET
Hampshire
GU51 3RL

FREE Salsa Class (if its your birthday)

At SalsaFleet we take birthday celebrations seriously. Have a look at some of our recent birthday celebrations pictures...

Some people aren't so keen on letting us know its their birthday, so to encourage the reluctant ones, I'm offering a free salsa class to anyone whose birthday week it is. All you have to do is let me know as you enter the club and you can come in for free.
Happy Salsering
Jim

PS:- If you let me know the week before, I'll provide a cake.... with candles & some balloons and a 'happy birthday' sign and a Bachata 3 some with Angie & Lynn. What more could you want!

Videoing Classes

A lot of people have asked me about videoing the classes. The main reason is because people can't remember the class that was taught a few days later and so can't practise the routine at home.

I can understand people's frustration & remember having exactly the same issues when I was learning..... many years ago.

So, I will reserve a small slot at the end of the class (couple of minutes) and at this time I'll demonstrate the class with Su to music and you can video it.

The only restriction I'll ask is that you only video the demonstration at the end of the class, its to be used for your own personal practise, its not shared with people who don't attend the classes and not uploaded to youtube.

I've added a couple of the recent classes to the video section of the SalsaFleet website.
Click this link to view


Happy Salsering
Jim

LAUNCH *PARTY* NIGHT at Salsatomic.co.uk - MON 17TH MAY 2010

Come and join us for this fun, exciting and explosive evening of SALSA by Salsatomic.co.uk!

We are launching a new salsa venue on Monday nights in Worplesdon (just outside Guildford, Surrey) and kick off with a fantastic launch PARTY night on Monday 17th May 2010.

Doors open at 7.45pm and classes run from 8-9pm with lessons for all levels including complete beginners, intermediate and advanced. These are all on a drop-in basis so there is no need to book in advance and no need to bring a partner - just turn up!

Guest ADVANCED TEACHER Dean David G will be joining us for the evening and there will be freestyle salsa dancing until 10.45pm afterwards.

There is a licenced bar at the venue, plenty of dance space for all classes and great music and atmosphere. This is a superb venue and an exciting new salsa evening that is not to be missed!

After our launch night we will run EVERY MONDAY evening from 8pm onwards. So do come and join us.
Further details can be found at www.salsatomic.co.uk or feel free to call or email us with any queries!

GET FIT - HAVE FUN - MAKE FRIENDS - LICENCED BAR - NO NEED TO BRING A PARTNER - FRIENDLY TEAM OF TEACHERS - GREAT MUSIC - JUST TURN UP!

See you on the 17th!

Further Details:
www.salsatomic.co.uk
tel: call Susan on 07930 856 581
email: info@salsatomic.co.uk

venue: Worpelsdon Place - near Guildford, Worplesdon Place Hotel, Perry Hill, (on the A322 Worplesdon Road), Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 3RY

Bachata class this Friday 5th March in Woking

I'm teaching a Bachata class this Friday evening for Zia of salsa soul in Woking. It's just one of the classes on offer at this monthly party night.

The event is being held at:
Woking Leisure Centre
Woking Park
Kingfield Road
GU22 9BA

The class starts at 8:00pm. See you there!
Jim

Find out more from Zia's web site salsa soul

Sandy & Roy Salsa Performance for charity

Two of our SalsaFleet regulars Sandy & Roy gave a Salsa cabaret demonstration as part of the entertainment at a charity event recently. It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a large group of strangers and strut your stuff so well done.

The performance was captured by Angie on her mobile phone & I've uploaded it to our video section so you can all see how well they did.

NOTE: I've uploaded it exactly as it was sent to me so we can all enjoy Angie's unique videoing technique.

TLC's Salsa, Swing & Tango Ball Sat. 20th Feb 2010

This fantastic annual event is held at the Guidhall in Winchester. Myself (Jim) and Su will be there & it would be fantastic to see some of the SalsaFleet regulars.

For more detailed information about the event and how to book tickets follow the link to Tracie's web site.

NOTE:- Tickets are sold in advance and they always sells out!