Baila Room

My name is Ilias and I have owned a Latin dance school in Laval for 16 years now (another one in the West Island and Ile-Perrot ). We manage to operate with restrictions, at 20% of our pre-Covid sales. For the moment, I have no salary and my business is struggling to survive because of the measures put in place. 

I am now afraid of losing my well-established business for which I have given everything; and I am writing this to express my despair that it is slowly dying. By closing us down  you are putting the nail in the coffin at my session and I have to reimburse all of my clients, who despite their desire to dance are more afraid than ever. And they won't come back until they are reassured by the same people who scared them, so I guess not anytime soon.

An experienced dancer, tango teacher, performer and dj.  We made a deep dive in the Tango world… So much to learn about that world… especially how to  ask someone to dance only by using this Tango eye technique: The Cabaceo ;)  Please welcome Carol Horowitz.

1. Intense Dance Training in Cuba
2. Striking a balance between communism and capitalism
3. No one from the outside should criticize the ways of a nation
4. Cuba USA rocky relationship
5. Don't come to my house and tell me what to do
6. Her Amazing Cuban Immersion 
7. A bit of Cuban Embargo History 
8. Covid in Cuba 
9. Afro Something 

Some Covid Thoughts

1. Comment elle a réglé ses douleurs chroniques
2. Comment apaiser l'autocritique et développer de la bienveillance envers soi
3. La méditation en mouvement
4. Les défis du "marketing" de son approche : La Danse Pleine Conscience
5. L'importance de la respiration en danse 

How he got in the Salsa World
Coaching techniques and approach
His experience in the Philippines with his husband
Dealing with hard family issues

Today I had a chance to talk to one of the best jazz-blues guitarist in Canada. 
He holds a Jazz Performance degree from McGill University and has accompanied many renown artists. In this podcast You’ll learn about what it takes to be a full time professional musician! 

In this podcast I go down memory lane with an accomplished musician and teacher. My next guest and I have something in common: We both love playing guitar and we both spent time working in Taiwan. 

He recently came back from Taiwan so I was eager to talk to him about his journey abroad.

Here are some subjects discussed:

Challenges of Working Abroad 
A Canadian's perspective on learning Chinese 
Pollution in Taiwan
Reverse culture shock is real
Being a musician in a foreign country 
Living with S.A.R.S. (10% death rate)
Taiwan VS Covid-19
Mask wearing situation

A lovely conversation with Belinda Roche. High school teacher, amazing salsa dancer and very very good friend.

Dealing with Isolation
Sending Our Kids to School During Covid
Salsa Dancing Post Covid-19
Stigma of Masks
Salsa dancing do's and don'ts

Initiated to the universe of dance at age 4, Sonia graduated in Classical Dance at the Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1989. She is also certified in superior studies in the management of cultural projects, with a specialization in inner city youth outreach and intervention, obtained in Lyon (France) in 1994.

We discussed her Grands Ballets Canadiens Training,  What kind of person becomes a pro dancer, the challenges of teaching online, the Impact of Covid-19 on the dance world, the problems of dance competitions and much more.