Breaking Barriers | Creating Freedom
Join the first all-gender Role rotation Salsa Partnerwork class starting this Spring! Lead, follow & empower yourself & others beyond all borders. Learn to lead & to follow and be part of an amazing journey together, learning in a fixed group. Here is what we will do:
During this 5-month course, you will dive deep into Salsa & Mambo Partnerwork. The class is divided into two parts. The first half of the class we will dedicate to Partnerwork technique & Basics. We will learn how to connect in a fun and effective way, to make your Partnerwork more fluid and creative. The second half of the class is dedicated to combinations & improvisation techniques.
We aim to prepare you for both roles and to bring your social Partnerwork to the next level. For a more inclusive Salsa community and maximum fun on the dancefloor.
WHY ROLE ROTATION?
Yerba Buena wants to be an inclusive realm for all. Where we can thrive in creativity and support each other's talents in a way that helps us all to flourish. There are so many reasons to introduce role rotation into our study program.
EMPOWERMENT REPRESENTATION
By creating Role rotation Salsa partnerwork class, we provide a platform for everyone to showcase their talent and skills in a field that is often dominated by traditional gender roles. This representation should inspire and empower everyone to pursue their passion for dance, fostering a sense of community and confidence. It sends a strong message that everyone, no matter your gender or role preference, can excel in any field, breaking down stereotypes and promoting gender equality.
SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS
A supportive and encouraging environment for dancers to flourish. Everyone feels more comfortable expressing themselves, sharing ideas, and building strong relationships with their team mates when not put in a box by an outdated system. This can enhance the learning experience, boosting both personal and team growth. Moreover, it provides a safe space for everyone to address any unique challenges they might face in the dance community.
PROMOTING SKILL DIVERSITY
A Partnerwork class that focuses on role rotation, showcases the diverse range of skills and talents that dancers bring to the table. By giving the opportunity to learn both roles, we promote talent beyond the borders of the common stereotypes. We open doors to discover talents that otherwise would not have a space to thrive. This diversity enriches the Salsa community and brings a new approach to the world of Salsa dancing.
CHALLENGING NORMS
To establish role rotation in our Salsa Community challenges the conventional norms within the Salsa partnerwork realm. It's an opportunity to question assumptions and broaden perceptions of what is possible in dance. By breaking away from the traditional role, we will introduce innovative choreography, explore new dynamics, and contribute to the evolution of Salsa as an art form. This boundary-pushing approach will captivate audiences and push the boundaries of creativity for the individual.
THE STUDY PROGRAM
A Study Program is not just a normal class. Our Study Program is a 5-month class in a closed group for all dance enthusiasts of all levels and all genders to dive deep into the topic of Salsa & Mambo Partnerwork. The aim is to give you a structured program with a structured curriculum that leaves you with a sense of accomplishment and deeper understanding of the world of Salsa & Mambo Partnerwork. Creating lasting knowledge that your creativity can thrive upon is the goal of this program.
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PARTNERWORK TECHNIQUE
After a short warm-up, we will focus on building a strong foundation of partner work techniques for both roles. We will learn about gripping techniques, stepping techniques, and you will learn the most important skills that are necessary for both leading and the following role. You will learn basic turns and patterns and to act confidently in both roles. We will focus strongly on building connections with the partner, the music and the surrounding space. All the skills will get you ready for the social dance floor and for more complex patterns.
PART I
OF THE CLASS
19.30-20.30
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PART II
OF THE CLASS
20.30-22.00
LEARN NEW MOVES
The second half of the class is dedicated to bringing your repertoire to the next level. We will focus on building up the level over the course of 5-months together in the role rotation system. You will learn the basic blocks of Partnerwork, variations and free combinations, intensifying the difficulty slowly every month. By learning these patterns in a build-up system, you will embody them fully and will never again have the fear of forgetting all your patterns the minute you leave the studio after class.
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PRACTICA
We end the class with 30 minutes, in which we give time to practice, change partners and ask individual questions. Like this, we allow a focus on even more individual questions and the teacher gets the chance to dedicate a few moments to your individual needs. With this we repeat enough after every class, help to embody the learned material and give time to go in your personal speed.
PART III
OF THE CLASS
22.00-22.30
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YBA STUDY PROGRAM
YOU DON´T TRAIN TO BE PERFECT
YOU TRAIN TO BE FREE!
Do you want to feel confident, connected and joyful in your Salsa Partnerwork? This Study Program is built for exactly that reason! We want you to learn with a fixed curriculum that sees your individual progress and needs. We all learn best with a structure. We want you to learn how to create a great connection to your partner, be creative on the social dancefloor and within the music. Because that´s what we are here for. We want you to have all the skills to have the most beautiful experience when dancing with a partner.
€85 per month
+150€ upfront
THE COMMUNITY
Yerba Buena’s mission goes beyond mere movement, fusing the elegance of dance with profound personal growth. As a nurturing sanctuary, we unite individuals from diverse walks of life, fostering connections that fortify communities. Through our teachings, we illuminate the path to self-discovery, empowering each participant to embrace their inner artist and flourish. By democratizing professional dance education, we shatter exclusivity barriers, making the world of dance an inclusive realm for all. Yerba Buena Art Community isn't just a place to learn dance - it's a transformative journey towards enriched well-being and the cultivation of values that invigorate societies.
CURRICULUM: STUDY PROGRAM
We will focus on developing the following skills:
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THE TRAINING & DURATION
The Study Program has a duration of 5 month and is divides into two parts: Technique & Repertoire. All techniques are based in helping you to improve your Partnerwork for social dancing but also build the backbone for the Stage. The classes follow a curriculum that is based on 20 years of experience in the industry as well as on our pedagogical and artistic education.
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WHEN & WHERE
The Study Program starts April 17th and will take place every Wednesday from 19.30-22.00 at Vivace Dance Studio Berlin or via our online Academy from wherever you are.
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THE LEVEL
All levels are welcome!
You do not need to have any leading experience. Together we will build up from where you are now. You will be guided through a set curriculum that builds skills from the ground up.
WHY A STUDY PROGRAM?
Why take part in a study program if dance is just my hobby?
We believe that professional dance education is a great way to equip yourself with amazing tools that will enrich your life in many ways. Here are some of the tools you will collect that are applicable to everyday life and its challenges:
Improving attention span
Expressing yourself non-verbally and improving body awareness
Create a loving relationship with your body and celebrate your body and its abilities
Learn to name, identify and direct emotions and feelings
Moving in time and space with more awareness and therefore creating better relationships with our surroundings
Awareness at every level
Solving complex problems and how to approach them
Getting to know yourself and creating self-esteem and agency through mastering challenging tasks
Professional dance education vs. usual hobby dance classes
- Often, we don’t get the real deal in a hobby class. They are often centered around entertaining and not educating. Hundreds of students are learning a combination that is beyond or below their level and that leaves them with a slight feeling of dissatisfaction in the long run instead of a sense of joy and accomplishment. Instead of picking you up where you are and guiding you from there, they water down the art form to a "try out" instead of "deep experience". You stay with an admiration for the teacher but never feel like you could ever do this yourself. You find yourself in the position of a visitor instead of a participant.
- Professional dance education, on the other hand, as its aim is to create material, in the form of trained dancers, for the dance industry, is often exclusive to certain body types and uses "one technique for all" kind of teaching to make that happen. This mentality and the lack of psychological and pedagogical education from the teachers often leads to damage to the body and the soul that overshadows the love for dance.
We don't agree with these formats!
They are both exclusive in their own way.
We want to create something better!
We want to democratize professional dance education.
- We approach dance education with a loving attitude towards the body. The goal is to master our instrument, the body, through acceptance and with creativity. Celebrating its unique ways and abilities. Taking your process seriously and not watering down the path but instead guiding you through challenges in a loving way to feel agency, grow your self-esteem and empower you to love your body.
What makes this class so special? What will we learn?
Normal hobby dance classes often do not follow a thought-through curriculum. The result is that we find ourselves searching in the dark for a long time learning without structure and accompanied only by corrections that we don’t really understand. And while it’s important to do your own personal search, it still helps a lot to get guidance on what I can work on during my practice, in order to make it a fruitful experience and to leave my class with a sense of accomplishment.
The study program focused on this. It introduces concepts that are the building blocks of partnerwork and helps you to understand it in your own body and from both leading and following perspectives. The class is based on many years of detailed research and experience in professional dance education as well as work with many different body types throughout the years. It does not focus on "one technique for all" solutions and instead celebrates the unique ways bodies can create art. It’s not just about talent, everyone can, with the right strategies and a professionally crafted curriculum, learn to find these concepts in their bodies.
This process will not just transform your dancing, but will change the way you approach life in general.
The benefits are too many to name them all here.
THE QUICK FACTS
Partnerwork Study Program for all dance enthusiasts that wish to explore Partnerwork in bothe roles in depth, no matter the age or previous experience with dance.
5 month intense training
April 17th - August 22th
Every Wednesday
7.30-10.00 pm + 30min Practica
Berlin time
Our classes are located at Vivace Dance Studio in Berlin-Schöneberg.
Or online from wherever you are.
Hi! I'm
Sarah K. Balzat
Dancer | Teacher | Philosopher | Psychologist
Dance has touched my life with its artistic power and intense healing potential. A Bachelor's degree in classical and contemporary dance and a Master's degree from Palucca School Dresden in choreography and dance education helps me to build a bridge between the arts and education. I dedicate my life to the study and analysis of different dance techniques. While my professional education was focused on Ballet, Contemporary and Modern forms of expression, Afro-Cuban Movement culture has been my focus since 1999. I've had the honor of working next to many inspiring artists during my career, such as Karel Flores, Franklin Diaz and performing internationally with Eddie Torres, the Mambo King, between 2016 and 2019.
Through my studies in Educational Science, Psychology and Philosophy at Humboldt University Berlin, I had the chance to explore the depth of the triangle between education, psychology and philosophy which finds its place in educating dancers and Dance Teachers all over the world and helping them to become equipped with all the tools that make them live their full potential as leaders in the industry.
Being part of transforming peoples' understanding of their bodies is the greatest honor of my life. Every student's unique journey is the focus of my work.
sarah@yerba-buena.de
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Berlin, Germany