You’ll never catch Tony Duarte not smiling as he dances… He seems to enjoy every dance and it shows.  Women he dances with gush over his soft, yet clear lead.  He’s fun, he’s talented, & he’s patient.  A South Florida On2 icon , Tony has over 20 years of dance experience.  He is happy to explain the following philosophy that he prides himself on:

“Salsa should be danced smoothly with finesse, style, sensuality, and sometimes explosive when danced or performed in shows.  It should be fun for both the leader and the follower, and salsa dancing is for everyone, there is no age limit for dancing.”  It’s easy to see why people flock to his teachings, his activities, & his events.  Tony’s love for salsa is transparent as he answers the following questions.

Give a brief (3-5 sentences) description on your dance background, focus, & philosophy of salsa.

I’ve been dancing for over 20 years. My background includes Hip Hop, Jazz, Break Dancing, Ballroom, and Folk Dancing. My philosophy in Salsa/Mambo dancing is that it should be danced smoothly with finesse, style, sensuality, and sometimes explosive when danced or performed in shows. It should be fun for both the leader and the follower, and salsa dancing is for everyone, there is no age limit for dancing.

You dance and have taught a number of other styles of dance besides salsa, including professional ballroom.  How and why did salsa become the focus of your dance life?

When I was teaching Ballroom for a main venue ballroom dance studio, I used to travel and did some ballroom competitions and workshops around the U.S. and I was fortunate to go out night clubbing every time I visited a different state and that’s where I notice that people dance differently in N.Y., Los Angeles, Miami, etc. This is where Salsa/Mambo caught my attention and I decided to learn and research every salsa/mambo styles there was. I’m glad I did. I believe Salsa/Mambo can be a very simple but yet an intricate dance when taken to a higher level. It is a very popular dance. It is addicted once you try it and you know you can do it. It is fun to do. People of all races and ages want to learn how to do it. It releases stress. Most important it is Fun!!! .. These and many other benefits are the reason why salsa has become the focus of my dance life. I feel good when someone that doesn’t know how to dance comes to me and I’m able to give him/her the tools to reap all of these benefits of salsa dancing.

You are one of the few instructors in our area that dance On1, On2, & Casino-Rueda with equal ease.  You are known to prefer On2, can you explain why?

As I mentioned in the previous question I studied and research each style of salsa and there is no one style better than the other but it’s a matter of preference for each individual. I started to teach on 2 in Florida to offer something different than salsa/casino style. When I first started to teach on 2 there were a couple of other instructors teaching on 2, Jamie Josephson and Tony Pineiro, but they both moved out of the state. So I was the only instructor teaching on 2 salsa/mambo style in Florida.  It was tough for about two years. I started to teach it in Miami but the response was not good, so I moved to Broward County where the response was better. Now the reason I prefer on 2 is because when you dance or break on the second beat of the music the feel of the dance is different than when you break on any other beat. Also, when you break on 2, one has more room to play with the music and is able to pick and accentuate different instruments as you hear them in any salsa/mambo music arrangement. When someone dance or break on the first beat, he or she is dancing to the melody of the music, he or she is dancing on the music, on the other hand when someone dance or break on the second beat he or she is dancing and feeling the percussion part of the music. He or she is dancing with the music.

Your school, Salsabor Tropical, was one the first On2 schools to arrive in South Florida.  You are considered an On2 pioneer in our area.  How do you feel about having brought the On2 world to South Florida salseros?

Being one of the first to bring salsa/mambo on 2 dancing to Florida makes me proud because as I said before in the previous question, it was tough at the beginning when I first started to teach salsa/mambo on 2 style, I remember my first classes I only had 4 to 6 people in a group class, but I stuck to it. I could have taught salsa/casino or L.A. style which are other styles that I know how to dance or teach but I made the decision to stick to salsa/mambo on 2 style to bring something different for everyone in Florida, and I’m glad I did because I believe that salsa/mambo on 2 style is growing in Florida and many people is taking interest into it. 

Where do you think the future of salsa in South Florida lies?  Do you believe that it is just a matter of time before the majority of dancers have developed the ability to dance On2 or do you think there will always be a large community of exclusively On1 and/or Casino dancers?

Very interesting question. If you had ask me the same question about 8 years ago I would had say that there was only on 1 and salsa/casino dancing in Florida, but now there is more salsa styles where people can choose from which is a good thing. I believe that Salsa Dancing in Florida will always have on 1 salsa/casino and on 1 L.A. style dancers but you will see more people learning salsa/mambo on 2. I have a lot of students who already dance on 1 L.A. or Salsa/Casino style, and they are coming to learn salsa/mambo on 2. Salsa/Mambo on 2 is now becoming more exposed in Florida and it’s gaining popularity as salsa/casino have had for many years in Florida. I also believe that many of the people that dance on 1 will eventually learn to dance salsa/mambo on 2, and again is a good thing because knowing more than one style of salsa dancing will automatically make anyone a better educated salsa dancer. 

What advice would you give to a student who wants to learn how to “transition” from On1 or Casino to On2 & is having difficulty with hearing the beat?

I would suggest anyone that wants to learn how to transition on 1 or casino to look into taking on 2 salsa/mambo classes to learn the technique, timing, and style of the dance. Also, practice, practice, practice, and the more practice someone put into their dancing the better he or she will become. Also, look into taking time and rhythm workshops when ever available. Buy a timing CD and practice listening and dancing salsa breaking on 2.  

Your style of leading is regarded by most women as pure fluidity.  How do you teach and transfer your easy, smooth lead to your male students?

In all of my classes we concentrate on proper leading and following. I teach my philosophy in my classes that the man does not need to push or pull the lady around to lead her into any pattern. I always say to all my male students that leading is like having a conversation, a conversation where one wants to whisper which would be equal to a smooth lead, not yell which would be equal to rough lead. To get a smooth lead one requires lots of practice because leading is basically guiding your partner into any pattern with no effort thus making your dancing smooth and fluid, for anyone to be able to this, he must have the understanding of connection, movement or body motion, and proper timing. 

Do you have any recommendations to the girls for becoming lighter, softer followers?

Following seems to be hard on a lot of ladies, and it must be because a lot of ladies are very independent and they have trouble with their following. Ladies must understand that to be a good follower she must give in, trust, and respond to every move and direction the leader tries to execute. To accomplish this task, ladies need to be relax but attentive to the lead, and most important wait to be led, do not assume or try to guess what the leader is trying to lead, instead connect and feel the lead. 

You direct several performance dance teams, including a Kids Team, but rarely still perform.  Can you explain how it feels to see your students perform at large events and why you tend to stay behind the scenes?

I started dancing and performing since I was 9 years of age back in my country. When I moved to Florida in 1985, I started to do hip hop a lot, and I also got into ballroom dancing at the age of 16. I performed for many years all the types of ballroom dances until when I was 28 years of age. I stop performing because it requires lots of time and dedication. I’ve always been a perfectionist within my dancing, always striving to do well, and when I started my own dance school “Salsabor Tropical”, I knew that I had to either do and concentrate on the teaching and the growing of the dance school or performing, and I chose the teaching because it is what I love the most. It gives me a sense of pride to be able to give my students all the knowledge I have acquire through the years. On the other hand, I’ve been able to train an adult and kids dance team, and they perform representing Salsabor Tropical, and I must say, I’m bless to have them be part of Salsabor Tropical. I really enjoy seeing my adult dance team perform, and I love to see the kids perform, they are the best. When I see all of them perform it gives me a sense of accomplishment which I share with all of them because we all did it together. All the hard work they put into is now a complete performance ready for a show.

If someone wanted to become a part of one of your teams, what steps would they need to take?

Very simple, I like to work with open minded individuals who like to learn and apply what they learn. The individual must be a Team player. He or she must be on time when we have schedule practicing. He or she must feel equal as everyone in the dance team, there is no one better than anyone, and most important he or she must have the desire to do his or her best to strive for unity and synchronization for the whole dance team.  

Who (if anyone) in the salsa community do you admire and why?

The one person I admire is Mr. Eddie Torres because he is a pioneer, he has spread the art of mambo and he is very accomplished in doing it, and most important he stills teach and keeps training and creating good dancers. On the other hand, I also admire anyone that makes the decision to learn how to dance salsa because it is a decision that will change their life for the better. 

The South Florida scene is considered rather fickle when it comes to consistency in attendance to socials and clubs.  You host a lot of events (socials, workshops, etc.) in South Florida.  How do you keep people coming back and getting new people to attend your events?

Well I must say that I’m a people person, I think. So people come to either my socials or workshops because they feel comfortable with the environment of either the social or the workshop. I tried my best to make sure that people have fun whether when they come to a dance social or a dance workshop. The most important ingredient is that everyone has Fun. 

Where do you teach group and private lessons and where on the net can the community stay connected with your school, teams, and the events you’re planning?

The information about Salsabor Tropical class schedule for private or group classes, locations, events, articles, and dance tips can be found on line at our website at: www.salsabortropical.com 

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