Reminisce on VIS- Interview #2

James and Alex8James and Alex

(Interview #2 of 5.  To read interview #1- Giana and Nery- click here)

I walked into James’ and Alex’s cha cha workshop a little low in energy. I was tired and wasn’t sure I would make it through the class.  But it turned out to be one of my favourite workshops because Alex and James were so fun. In fact, the combination of the music they chose, the playful choreography they put together for us, and their own charisma, made me forget about my sluggishness earlier.  Instead, I found myself laughing and enjoying myself all the way through, and I also left reenergized!

I really enjoyed your cha cha workshop today.  Is it one of your favorite dances? You seem to have a lot of fun with it.

James: More and more now, it almost seems like we prefer cha cha over salsa (smiles).  And it helps that because of our cha cha performance, we are getting asked to do more and more cha cha workshops.  You can play with the timing a little more. You can put your own routines together for it in a way that can be a bit more interesting and more unique than the regular old patterns. But really, we like both.

Alex: But the energy does often seem to be much higher in cha cha workshops. It’s fun. You can have a laugh with it. Cha cha is very loose. As long as you feel it, you can do whatever you want in it, really.

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Dance Floor Diary- by Joan de los Reyes

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“Dance and Hip Hop have been my constant saving graces.  Dance is the best way I can communicate.  Hip Hop is the language that my soul speaks. The marriage of the two on the dance floor is where I feel most “myself”.

In my recent exploration of expressive art therapy, I have discovered even more about dance and movement and its ability to heal. Before I even knew what this therapy was, I was already doing it, without even realizing it.  Spending countless hours alone in the studio in my own thoughts, I was expressing- through dance- what I cannot say in words.

The dance floor is my diary, my confessional, my haven.”

                        – Joan de los Reyes

Dance feels like a different dimension

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“Ever since I was a child, I have loved to dance. I had a very modest and humble lifestyle growing up.  My family could not afford music or dance lessons at the time.  My music was the radio, the living room my studio, and TV screen my mirror.  I love the freedom in dance.  My body moves with the freedom to express the music in any way the music takes me. …  This world of dance really does feel like a different dimension. … I love how how dancing teaches me about the heart of humanity, the beauty of life and the lives of those around me.”

– Jemini Abides

Photo by Jeff Mendoza of Commence Vision Studios