sprite-bulb Info:

sprite-mb  About Mambalsa

About the dance:

Sat. 23rd November 2024 Mambalsa Dance Curious Event
Mambalsa is a fun, new partner dance that looks like a traditional smooth and stylish Latin partner dance with a little extra funk and groove where required! It also works in lines (grids) circles (ruedas) and even solo.

What makes Mambalsa different from the dances of previous centuries is that it works to almost any music at any speed, from a slow sensual Cuban bolero to rave anthem.
From the smartphone in our pocket we have almost instant access to every genre of music from anywhere in the world and Mambalsa allows us dance to it, exploring the connection between rhythm, movement and culture.

At its heart, Mambalsa has an ethos of fun, confidence, respect and well-being.
We dance to feel good and have fun. Expressing our inner confidence through empathy generates a playful creative culture of friendship and positivity.

Mambalsa is an easy dance to learn, the rules that define the dance are easy and clear. Typically you’ll be up and dancing Mambalsa within two minutes, just right for a society that expects things to work straight out of the box.


What are its Origins?
In 2014 My wife felicity was playing violin at a bolero concert and I realised that for all my salsa skills I couldn’t dance to a bolero. It just didn’t seem to fit. At the same time I was talking to some old school friends about reforming our band which brought to mind all those fabulous eighties songs and again I realized I couldn’t dance to it (beyond dad’s disco).
If only there was a dance that I could dance slow and sensually to and then bop to pop. Even the modern jives couldn't cope with slower songs, so I set about creating one.

The default global dance, a simple two step often called ‘Dad’s Disco’ or as I like to call it ‘The English Two Step’, seems to express anxiety. If someone stands in the cold for long enough they will inevitably start to shuffle this to keep warm. In both cases the body withdraws blood from extremities for self preservation. For anyone who is nervous at a beginners class this offers a completely congruent and natural movement.
A confident version of this is Mambo Cuban (tap step tap step)
Many Latin dances have three steps over four beats [:step step step pause:] e.g. salsa, son, bachata etc. At the moment of the pause, they seemed to offer a moment of extrovert expression, a ‘Ta Da’.
I combined them both to form Mambalsa [:tap step tap step tap step step step:]
What I hadn’t realised was how the combination of Mambo Cubano’s anxious congruence combine with salsa’s expressive triple step would speed the learning process. People learn it so quickly! Of course mastery takes a little longer :-)

Check out the [Mambalsa Blog]

sprite-mb  Mambalsa Dance Curious Event


Still Dance Curious?


Mambalsa® Dance Curious Event.



Sign Up Now!


In Brief:

Are you still dance curious? I hope so because I'd like to invite you to a very special FREE daytime event on Saturday 23rd November 2024 at London’s Salsa Soho. (10:30 - 4:30pm)

I'm looking for 30 volunteers to pilot a full day Mambalsa® workshop aimed at those who are interested in the intersection of Dance, Well-Being and Self-Development.
Using Mambalsa® as a platform, there'll be lots of dancing, moves, grooves, laughs and discussion, all wrapped around a heap of psychology.
I'm looking for 30 volunteers to pilot a full day workshop aimed at those who are interested in the intersection of Dance, Well-Being and Self-Development.
There'll be lots of dancing, moves, grooves, laughs and discussion, all wrapped around a heap of psychology.

Who's coming:
  • Anyone who wishes to explore social dance through this exciting lens and wish to connect with other like minded people.
  • Professional Dance, Fitness and Well-being practitioners who wish to enhance their practice.
  • Those who are interested in supporting the Mambalsa project and interested in the opportunities it will offer.
Aims:
No doubt we're all aware that dance is fun and great for physiological health, but dance can also be viewed as a well-being / self-development practice.
Whether you wish to nudge your dancing towards well-being / self-development or use the day to boost your dance or therapeutic practice, this unique day is just for you.

Content:
This event will explore four aspects of social partner dance psychology:
  • Fun and the psychological systems of pleasure.
  • Well-Being: The lifelong benefits of dance. (our primary focus is mental not physiological)
  • Self-Development: Building awareness, agency and control of emotional process, and developing empathetic communication.
  • Cultural exploration: Through the semantic experience of dance through world music.
  • Why is the Psychology Important?
Just by dancing we can achieve much of the well-being benefits of dance, but understanding of the psychology makes change more achievable.

A great example of this is fun. Understanding the psychological systems of fun allows us to have more fun, more intensely and more often! Uncomfortable aspects of learning become more tolerable and motivation is boosted. Fun is just one of several elements of long term well-being. We'll explore how we can bring more fun into dance, busting stress, building mental resilience and developing self-confidence.

The day is led by myself, Alastair Sadler MBACP(Accred). For the past thirty years I've taught and innovated within the UK salsa scene as my full time profession. More recently I've achieved accreditation as a psychotherapist working in private practice.

I’ve spent much of the past few years researching the psychology of social dance and I’m the first to admit we’re only beginning to scratch the surface. What I’ve learnt has profoundly changed the way I teach and I would like to share that research and experience with you.

Together we can connect as a group of like minded people, start a conversation and nudge dance towards being a well-being practice that maintains all the fun, social benefits; plus the physiological benefits (fitness and physical health) and the well-being / self-Development benefits (Confidence, Mental Resilience and Empathetic Communication Skills).

About Mambalsa®:
How many people start to dance only to drop out after a short while? To explore this we need to re-experience dance as a beginner. To put us all on a level playing field I’ll be introducing you to Mambalsa.
Mambalsa is the newest partner dance of the 21st century designed with a host of U.S.P.s.
Mambalsa® is danced as a partner dance (like salsa, tango, jive etc.) but can also be danced in a grid (line dancing), a circle (La Rueda) or as a solo dance. Everyone learns to lead and follow and it’s danced to almost any music. At its heart is an ethos of Fun, Empathetic Communication, Emotional Intelligence and Respect. It’s easy to learn, but full of possibilities to explore!

Outcomes:
  • A useful insight into the psychology of social dance plus
  • The ‘why’ of social partner dance, it’s social uses and structure.
  • The ‘How’ of Mambalsa® (an additional string to your bow)
  • A fun day socialising with others of the Dance Curious tribe.

Opportunities:
To start a group conversation about Dance, Well-being and Self Development.
To join the Mambalsa® Project and use Mambalsa® to enhance your dance objectives.
To network others of a similar mindset.

Itinerary:
10:30 - 11:00 Check-in Meet and Greet
11:00 - 1:30 Mambalsa® outline and basics
1:30 - 2:30 lunch (Offer: All main courses half price!)
2:30 - 4:30 Mambalsa® Dynamic Potential
4.30 - onward Socialise (bar open with happy hour)

Location:
Salsa Soho (bar Salsa!), 96 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JG map link

Cost:
FREE!
I believe we can and I would like to invite you to this five hour course for FREE! ... and no, there won't be a sales pitch!





sprite-mb  Sign Up Form Dance Curious Event

sprite-mb  Daytime Dance Hornsey N8

Daytime Dance Hornsey N8
Daytime Dance is an exciting new project to bring people together for fun and friendship whilst learning a brand new dance Mambalsa, a new social dance that promotes well-being through confidence, empathy and respect.
Location: The Three Compasses, 62 High St, Hornsey, London N8 7NX [Map Link]
Times: Wednesdays 11am to 12.30pm from June 19th
Cost: First session FREE then pay what you want. (I don’t want cost to be a barrier)
Adults of any age welcome (18+)
also: Mondays 3pm Muswell Hill N10
Location: Stella’s Room Cafe Muswell Hill, Stella's Rooms, Opposite the cinema, 46 Fortis Green Rd, London N10 3HN [Map Link]

links:
[About Mambalsa]
[Mambalsa Blog]

sprite-mb  Mambalsa Kings Cross Lcation

Location:
Upstairs at the The Star of Kings,
126 York Way,
London N1 0AX
The Star of Kings location

sprite-mb  Corona Virus Statement

Corona Virus Statement update. (05/09/2021)
All courses are now booked on the basics that we will be swapping partners as before covid 19. This reflects salsa culture and improves the course in many ways.
Covid has not gone away so I ask that:
If you have any possible symptoms of Covid you postpone your course date. I will not charge transfer fees. Please let me know ASAP.
Anyone showing symptoms similar to covid 19 will not be admitted.
If you can test before coming please do. I will test myself before every course.
If your booking or gift voucher was affected by lockdown please note that I have extended gift vouchers and suspended booking indefinitely.
Restriction required by the government or venue may change at short notice. We will comply with all. This may lead to postponements or delays and I ask for your flexibility as I offer mine.
Course dates may have to be postponed at short notice.
Ultimately, the responsibility for our own safety and those around us rest with ourselves. I ask that we err on the side of reasonable caution.
Meanwhile stay safe :-)
Regards Alastair

sprite-mb  Mambalsa FAQ

Welcome to Mambalsa FAQ

sprite-mb  Mambalsa Blog

Follow the progress of the Mambalsa Project on the Mambalsa Blog.
[Mambalsa Blog]

The link above opens a new window.
I've hosted the blog on Blogger for ease of use.

sprite-mb  Salsa Soho location

Salsa! Soho
96 Charing Cross Rd
near Leicester Square
London WC2H 0JG

Map Link

Tube: Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road (It's half way between them)

Courses are held different locations depending on the date.
Other locations and date's can be checked here: Locations in London
If you are unsure please text me 07939012231 but I cannot reply after 10am on the day of the course :-)

sprite-mb  Itinerary

The course runs 11am until 5pm
Doors open at 10.30am.
We'll start as soon as we can so please be on time.
Lunch break typically 1hr (Offer: All main courses half price)

sprite-mb  Mambalsa Mondays in Kings Cross

Classes return on Jan 9th 2023
Mambalsa Free tasters classes on Monday Jan 9th 2023 and Monday Jan 16th.

Monday's in Kings Cross just got exciting!
I’m running the first ever weekly classes in Mambalsa and I’d like to invite you to come.
It's a fun, friendly and supportive space where you can try Mambalsa dance.

Mambalsa:
You may not have heard of Mambalsa but it’s a new stylish partner dance similar to salsa but with a little extra funk and groove.
It's designed to work with any music from anywhere at any speed!
It’s easy to learn and in no time you’ll be surfacing a wave of style, complexity and expression.
So whether you’re a seasoned dance pro or totally new to dance, give it a go!
Your first class is Free whenever you like and if you've been before Mon 9th and 16th of Jan 2023 are also free.

When it comes to teaching dance, I've ripped up the rule book (which was pretty out of date!) so everyone leads, follows and learns through play.

Well-Being
Mambalsa has an ethos of confidence, respect and well-being, so prepare to be inspired and uplifted as you find your moves ‘n grooves.
Mambalsa combines the fun of dancing with positive psychology and psychodynamic theory to meet all the well-being goals of Seligman’s PERMA model, the NHS’s Five Steps to well-being and WHO’s 10 Core Life Skills of self-development. Phew that the sciency bit over!

And it’s taught by award winning dance teacher Alastair Sadler MBACP, salsa teacher since 1995, integrative counsellor and creator of Mambalsa.

As I mentioned, Mambalsa is New. There’s no slick videos or celebrity endorsed merch. Just a bunch of people having fun at the cutting edge of something new and exciting. Join us
If you’re interested please join the contact list to let me know you're coming at Join the contact list (Meetup's great but the contact list is the one to be on)

Times:
6.15 Meet and greet
6:30 to 7.30 Introduction to Mambalsa (Absolute beginners most welcome)
7:45 - 8.45 Level two Mambalsa (aimed at those who've done some before or have picked things up really quickly)
Location:
Upstairs at the The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, London N1 0AX
Location:
Upstairs at the The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, London N1 0AX The Star of Kings location

I hope to see you there,
Alastair - The Streetbeat Salsa Co.
mambalsa.com

sprite-mb  Daytime Dance Muswell Hill N10

Daytime Dance Muswell Hill
Daytime Dance is an exciting new project to bring people together for fun and friendship whilst learning a brand new dance Mambalsa, a new social dance that promotes well-being through confidence, empathy and respect.
Pop in a give it a go. It's a genuine start any week format.

Times: Mondays 3pm- 4pm from Sept 30th
Location: Stella’s Room Cafe Muswell Hill, Stella's Rooms, Opposite the cinema, 46 Fortis Green Rd, London N10 3HN [Map Link]
Cost: First session FREE then just £5 (I don’t want cost to be a barrier)
Adults of any age welcome (18+)

also: Wednesdays 11am at The Three Compasses, 62 High St, Hornsey, London N8 7NX [Map Link]

info:
[About Mambalsa]
[Mambalsa Blog]

sprite-offer Offers:

Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive Gift Voucher Offer
From Sept 1st 2024 to End December 2024
Gift Vouchers for couples will be £79 and Singles £49
No offer code required.
Please spread the word!
All vouchers valid on any course date booked within for six months!

sprite-news Events:

Dance Curious is currently a Free full day event held at London’s Salsa Soho on
Saturday 23rd November 2024
I need 30 volunteers for this second Dance Curious Event.(Sorry it's 18+ only). Its aim is the development of the Mambalsa® workshops.
It's aimed at those who are interested in the intersection of Dance, Well-Being and Self-Development.
Using Mambalsa® as a platform, there'll be lots of dancing, moves, grooves, laughs and discussion, all wrapped around a heap of psychology.
There's lots of dancing, moves, grooves, laughs and discussion, all wrapped around a heap of psychology.

sprite-news News:

The Thames Salsa Cruise returns in Spring 2025.
At the moment we have a proposed date of 18th May 2025 which will be confirmed before tickets go on sale in Jan 2025.

We wish to invite as many groups of salsa dancers from across the land to come on this iconic event that's been running every year (except lockdown) since 1998! Music is mainly classic salsa with a small dash of bachata etc. presented by DJ Felicidad (The UK's longest running female salsa DJ)
Groups are formed mainly by dancers and teachers who want to add something special to their dancing year.
We never have classes on board as we don't wish to clash with anyone's style or method. It's just a salsa party for lovers of salsa and non dancers wishing to see the sites and enjoy the vibe.
We make it as easy as possible to bring a group.
We think of a group as five or more but if that doesn't happen no problem. We're grateful you've made the effort.
We set up a discount code word for your group so no one has to gather the money and everyone gets a discount.
Tickets will be £20 or less with the group discount and I'll add detail as soon as I have it.
Please message me on 07939012231 Alastair and I'll set a group up for you.
regards Alastair
I’ve just finished another six week Mambalsa course at the Nightingale Cancer Support Centre in Enfield and what a lovely group it was.
I was aiming for a gentle introduction to Mambalsa without too much emphasis on the well-being aspects of Psych. Ed. but they came up anyway.
Often the classes would end in a group discussion about recovering from cancer and I have to admit it was great to share those stories and feel a paid up member of that club.
Every group teaches me something about dance and life. This group showed me that like a hummingbird, beauty has no relationship to size. We took the lid off our creativity and relaxed and moved freely within the ethos of Mambalsa dance. I’m being deliberately cryptic but confidentiality prevents me from sharing any detail.
I will take the chance to share the last two tracks we danced as a way to illustrate that Mambalsa is danced to any 4:4 time music:
- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen - complete with head banging and Zimbabwean Wellington Boot dance! (I’ll just leave that to your imagination)
- Would You Be Loved by Bob Marley - A perfect song to end on.
I’m already missing all my Mambalsa Dancers from the Nightingale and can’t wait for the next group.
Alastair
I’d like to offer my sincere apologies to all my clients affected by this.
Some courses have been cancelled including the next Mambalsa Dance Curious event and some courses will be smaller than usual (which is not a bad thing).
All bookings are secure as they are made on the Stripe platform and no data has been lost or breached.

Full explanation:
This Autumn’s bookings have not started well with a host of I.T. problems slowing down and eventually stopping the booking process.
In late August my web host (the company where my websites reside) decided, as part of their preparations to be bought out by a bigger company, to ditch many of their accounts that weren't easy to transfer to their new host. I received a polite email saying streetbeat etc. would be switched off on Sept 12th. Why they had to choose the height of the holiday season to do this is quite beyond me. No doubt I wasn’t the only one, because as hundreds of companies backed up / down loaded or shifted their sites, I noticed that my web pages would often take over two minutes to load. This effectively interrupts the booking process as new visitors lose confidence in the booking process.

I found a new host 34sp.com who offer excellent customer support via telephone which is a rare thing these days. The only drawback was that their minimum version of PHP (effectively the operating system of the host) was PHP 8.1 and my site was PHP 7.4. This meant many of my pages didn’t work and none of my back end worked. It was time to stop whatever I was doing and dive deep into upgrading first my IT skills and then the site!
I know it’s a cliche, but I like the phrase ‘build back better’. This I have done and the new streetbeat and mambalsa sites are near completion. The booking confirmation system is fixed and the connection to the Brevo email platform is up and running.

I’ve learnt a lot through this process such as IT is like a sand dune of ever shifting upgrades and technologies that need to be constantly navigated. I’ve also revisited an old debate of whether to delegate or self code. Assuming a developer was available at short notice, the cost would have been considerable and the time taken arguably longer than self coding.
My I.T. department is slow, under skilled, overwhelmed and unsure of himself, but that’s OK because it’s me. So maybe the best lesson learnt is to be kind to yourself.
By the way, if you’re reading this, it’s working!
In my latest blog post "Me and Bar Salsa!" I write about why this long standing venue is very special to me on the eve of my thirtieth wedding anniversary.
There's also a potted history of London's salsa scene.
Me and Bar Salsa!
Yesterday I received an email from TripAdvisor informing me that I had been awarded a Certificate of Excellence.
I had no idea that there was such a thing but now I've got one I'm a big fan.
It's the chance to thanks to everyone who's taken the time and trouble to say some kind words about my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive course.


Click the image to visit TridAdvisor


Reflection: (You may prefer to read this on the Salsa Rapido Blog)
When I embedded TripAdvisor into my site I was hoping for praise but open to the possibility of harsh and unfair criticism, and in fairness I've received a one star review from someone who wasn't on the course and a two star review from someone who enjoyed the class but didn't enjoy the fajitas at lunch! May I just add that fajitas are not compulsory and anyone can eat wherever they wish. Lunch isn't even part of the deal so bring a packet of crisps in if you wish but don't blame my course if they didn't have your favourite flavour! (I'm so over it now)
Anyway, I overcame my fears and gave it a go, realising that feedback is good and TripAdivsor offers a third party review that's useful for the pubic when booking.
Many months later and I've received mainly five star reviews.
This tells me that:
My presentation is engaging and entertaining.
People are way nicer than I deserve.
Salsa Rapido is a mature enough method to stand comparison to traditional classes.
I'm really good at asking for five star reviews.

On the last point my hobby of stand up comedy led to five shows at the Edinburgh Fringe where at the end of a show we would have a 'bucket speech' to encourage the audience to give a tip (our only source of income)
Cliched line like "Take some change, fold it and put it in the bucket" were common.
One time I got a waif-like act to kneel down holding the bucket while looking as mournful as a Dickensian child.
Another time a showed the audience picture of my cats on my phone and asked "which one should I 'economise' first?" Well it works for charities!
The result was seldom any different. It was the show that counted.
Dance school says ballet is racially problematic and too gender binary!
I saw this article in the news and throught I'd offer a few thoughts so here's my latest Mambalsa blog blog posts titled: Dance school says ballet is racially problematic and too gender binary

I've decided to share my recent experience of cancer in a personal blog.
This may be upsetting for many people and I advise caution as to whether you read on.
First I need to address the question: why blog about cancer on a salsa dance website?
Like so many brands on the salsa scene, behind the Streetbeat/ Rapido/ Mambalsa brand is an individual person, who made the jump from dancer to dance teacher. My treatment will affect every aspect of my life including the Salsa Rapido courses and Mambalsa Project. I may physically change as a result of chemotherapy and when someone asks a question about these changes I'd like to answer in a brief and polite way with an invitation to read my blog to get my personal insight if they wish. In other words cancer affects me but it doesn't define me!

Follow this blog: Use this link to add you email to my blog following list:

The blog is a continuation of my 2022 Brighton Marathon blog hosted on Blogger.

24/01/2024 The Last Post

05/11/2023 Round Five Biddy Beep

18/10/2023 Round Four Round Up

01/10/2023 Round 3/4 Review

30/09/2023 Happy birthday Homewood School

05/08/2023 Round Two Update

26/07/2023 Would You A&E it!

26/07/2023 Labels, Trauma, PTSD and Self-diagnosis

21/07/2023 Sepsis vs Sadler A Week in Hospital

06/07/2023 Icky

02/07/2023 Day Three Sitrep (Situation Report)

26/06/2023 Three days to Chemo C-3

24/06/23 Capitano Chemo
In the run up to treatment starting I find myself getting silly to offset the anxiety.

07/06/2023 Scanaxiety
When the prospect of chemo becomes a reality.

24/03/2023 Who's Lynne and what's she FOMO about?
A catch up post from 2019 to 2023. Probably the best place to start :)
I'm delighted to release the Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive dates for August to December 2024.
They are almost weekly on Sundays and I strongly recommend you book ASAP to save disappointment.
Notice there's also some Mambalsa workshop dates. Mambalsa is not salsa so please click here for details

Here's a permanent link to the dates page so you can check them at any time:
https://www.streetbeat.co.uk/dates

The i.2.i. Knock the Rust Off is the Salsa Rapido Improvers course.

There may well be a few adjustments to the schedule as 2024 comes into focus.
I haven't confirmed dates out side of London yet!
Summer's a great time for a wedding and this wedding was a wonderful fusion of dance styles.

Here's my latest Mambalsa blog blog posts titled: mambalsa-wedding

Well I did it! I ran the Brighton Marathon 2022
Here's my latest marathon/ lockdown blog posts titled: Alastair's Marathon
If you want to sponsor me here's the link to the charity fundraising page (open until end May 2022): www.justgiving.com/alastairsadler
Salsa Rapido Method has it's own blog at Salsa Rapido Method
and not forgetting Mambalsa at: Mambalsa
I've set up a new section on the site for Tripadvisor reviews of the 1-Day Intensive Course.
If you've been on the course recently and would be kind enough to review it please go to
link
Thanks in advance :-)
For suggestions and suggestions please email me at salsa@streetbeat.co.uk

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