2015 - École de Danse Salsa Baila Productions

Irish Salsa Dancers

Ive been dancing and performing for the last 15 years. My goal was to always create original choreographies. I try to follow my heart and passion when I create. Never in my life did I expect people to stand up after this performance. It was a gift straight to heart. Here’s an insight on how I proceed when I create a new piece. First I have a flash… It could be a song I heard, a costume I imagined, a movie I saw, a discussion I had… this creates the initial idea. If it sticks in my head I know I’m onto something. For this choreography, on my way out of our studio, I heard the song Correla (Salsa Celtica) that one of our teachers was playing. I said right away: what is that? Irish and salsa music together? It got my attention… but at that time I was intimidated by that song and the idea of learning the basics of Irish dancing. I knew Irish dancing was hard… really hard… so I dropped the idea… Then one day, I was playing the song and my partner turned around and said… you have to do and Irish Salsa choreo on this tune. At that moment, I knew that I had to do it… the stars were aligning ;) Next step : Presenting the idea to our troupe ;) You should’ve seen the eyes of our salsa troupe when I told them that we are gonna do a Irish inspired salsa dance performance and that we are going to take Irish dance lessons. Those moments I love … cause it always starts with a feeling of this is impossible and ends with a feeling of we [...]

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2015-11-16T14:28:19-05:00November 16th, 2015|video|0 Comments

Excellence Grant for a Dancing Rising Star
Gallery
Excellence Grant for a Dancing Rising Star

articles

Excellence Grant for a Dancing Rising Star

Baila Productions Salsa School is proud to be an active participant in our community by offering a 1000$ donation to the "Fondation du Collège Montmorency". We had the privilege to give this grant to Alexandra Caron for her excellence in the College's dance program. Congrats to all for you hard work! Ilias Benz www.bailaproductions.com

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2017-02-17T12:15:38-05:00October 26th, 2015|articles|0 Comments

My biggest mistake in dance
Gallery
My biggest mistake in dance

articles

My biggest mistake in dance

When I started dancing it wasn’t long until I started performing on a stage. I don’t know if it’s due to talent or because there weren’t a lot of great male dancers back then. Anyway, I quickly started to enjoy my time on stage. This was truly partly as a result of spending most of my life playing instruments in a music group and putting on shows. I therefore felt at home on a stage. When I started performing, I was rarely satisfied after leaving the stage. I used to criticize myself a lot, thinking it was normal not to feel satisfied in order to continue to improve. At the end of a show, I highlighted every bad moment. In short, I was hammering myself without even noticing it. I then had an experience that changed my perception of things. I had the chance to choreograph and dance a piece with my friend Audrey Gaussiran; to me she was – and still is – one of Montréal’s best salsa dancers. We performed our routine about ten times. As usual, from the very first performance, my old habits kicked back in; I was barely off of the stage that I was already obsessing with what went wrong. Not forgetting, above all, that I was afraid to make mistakes. I went on like this during 8 performances. I knew we had 2 last performances before the end of our collaboration, and something magical happened on the 9th show. Just a few seconds before going on stage I told myself, “I’m very lucky to be dancing with a dancer of that caliber, and this time I’ll be dancing for her”. Well, this is one of the performances I [...]

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2017-02-17T12:15:38-05:00August 31st, 2015|articles|4 Comments

Baila Productions Salsa school supports Faith and Light

Baila Productions Salsa School Dancing in support of Faith and Light, a movement in support of families having members with intellectual disabilities - Dinner and Dance fundraiser! This is a great cause and this event is organized by outstanding people. We like to support charitable events in our community. Feel free to contact us with a request

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2017-02-19T10:46:01-05:00June 11th, 2015|Uncategorized|2 Comments

7 things all Male Salsa Dancer’s should know
Gallery
7 things all Male Salsa Dancer’s should know

articles, Tips

7 things all Male Salsa Dancer’s should know

1. Listen before you speak Something I heard once in a Frankie Martinez Salsa class that I took… this goes a long way if you try your best to be sensitive to your partner. Feel out how she reacts, how she does her basics, what level she is… before starting your moves. 2. Candles are better than fireworks Don’t be too concerned with the amount of moves you can pull off, what your dance partner really wants is a smooth and cool dance. I often hear ladies say " he almost ripped me apart doing tons of moves more than anything else". So remember, small precisely led simple moves go a long way. 3. Don’t get discouraged after your first no We all go through this.. we walk up to a girl and she turns us down… we all handle rejection differently… some are more sensitive than others but not to worry… keep the big picture in sight : you love salsa dancing then keep on going to socials and ask away… It’s not a sprint it’s a marathon! 4. We are not saving the world Don’t take yourself too seriously.. at some point you’ll get real good and a bunch of ladies will want to dance with you… so keep your head in check… its not brain surgery and were not saving the world. It’s just dance… 5. Smile As simple as it sounds, many dancers don’t do it because they are shy, nervous maybe or worse snobs…not smiling almost always gives bad vibes to your partner… she might think that you’re not enjoying the dance... therefore you should always have a bit of eye contact and a smile… this relaxes your partner and [...]

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2017-02-17T12:15:37-05:00February 24th, 2015|articles, Tips|0 Comments

What makes a great dance teacher?
Gallery
What makes a great dance teacher?

articles

What makes a great dance teacher?

For me a great dance teacher is someone who studies teaching like a science… do things that work to assist your students get through and find solutions. The art of teaching becomes very complex when you think about all the different kinds of personalities out there and all the kinds of ways of learning. Teaching is a mind set, a vocation. You have to do it with passion. I always said that for me Salsa is just the vehicle. I could be teaching pottery classes with the same passion and energy. I always try to find for my students the shortest path to their learning challenges without giving them the solution all cooked up ready to go. I try to understand how their brain works. Also one main aspect in our school is that we approach teaching as a feel good science. Our goal is to make you feel good while you learn a couple of salsa dance moves. No need to be an olympic athlete ;) I always attend to students learning frustrations with care, compassion and jokes. To make sure the brain is well aligned I make certain that the person feels good first then I transfer the knowledge… working like that is way more demanding but way more effective because people have fun while learning and therefore continue to love Latin dances longer. Ultimately, I believe that a brain learns faster when there’s fun and smiles rather than whips and frowns. And on that note, I salute every teacher from every field for their passion and dedication in making people move forward. Ilias Benz Baila Productions Director West-Island - Laval - Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (Photo Jerry Joseph)

By Ilias - Baila Productions|2017-02-08T13:50:21-05:00January 20th, 2015|articles|0 Comments

Yearly Archives: 2015