News & Events

Summer 2010

Winter/Spring 2010

Last winter the studio was buzzing like a bee’s nest as the students prepared and rehearsed for the coming events. From exam prep to showcase rehearsals, everyone was busy working away at their craft. Also, as a special treat, a professional photographer came to the studio and took snapshots as dancers struck their best poses.

Highlights: Edgar and Olga performed at the Old Mill Inn.

Valentine's Showcase February 12th - as always, there was music, dance, passion, performance and FUN!

Acrobat Lounge and the Hungarian Cultural Centre hosted the Latin Star 2009 event, which saw a lot of FrancoDance - Olga and Yared and Kean and Yulia performed, and Olga even sang in Spanish (Russian is her mother-tongue), and all in all it was an amazing event. Thanks to family and friends who came out to support the dancers!

Steamy "Dirty Dancing" theme Salsa social at the school with DJ Nilson!!

Ecuador

On a recent voyage with our students we visited one of the Seven Wonders of The World, "The Galapagos Islands". These islands, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at the equator, are where Charles Darwin formulated the theory of evolution as described in his famous book "The Origin Of Species". It was great to meet the people that come from all over the globe to experience this unique place, and the staff on our boat and the guides were excellent, sharing great stories with us about the history, culture and the wildlife of the islands. The turtles from the different islands have amazing qualities; not only do they possess the secret of longevity, but they also share their environment with the other species there in a very special way. It is sad that some of the unique species found only in the Galapagos are in danger of extinction, such as "Lonesome George", the last giant tortoise of his kind, while some of the others are clearly flourishing. 97% of the islands are under the protection of the "National Park Galapagos", which restricts visitors to guided boats and pathways and requires unregistered vessels to stay away from the delicate waters surrounding this unique series of habitats. Very few people actually live on the islands (you must be born there in order to live there), for example Isla Santa Isabela, the largest island in the archipelago known for it's five active volcanos, has only 130 inhabitants. On the other hand, who wants top wake up with a tremor for breakfast? For some amazing reason Mother Nature spared the Galapagos Islands from the Tsunami. In fact, the sea floor off the islands' coast drops deep into the open sea making it nearly impossible for a wave the proportions of a tsunami to reach the vulnerable coast.

Galapagos Islands "Napping with sea lions"

Quito. Our dancing experience was unbelievably fun! The night clubs we visited were full of people that wanted and knew how to enjoy the good tunes of the latin and pop, rock, jazz, and alternative twisted music we enjoyed, and our intimate group made lots of noise on the dance floor! The people at the workshops were so nice and did very well learning everything the FDS teachers taught them. We are looking forward to coming down again for more"talleres", as they call the workshops.

"Talleres" - Workshops in Quito

Student Showcase

September 24th, Bloor Street Studio, 7pm

Congratulations to our students for the courage and effort they put into their performances in this in-house event. The night kicked off with a free lesson, and there was an open dance floor throughout the evening. Friends and family were welcomed and the party was a great success.

Maple Leaf Competition

November 9th, Toronto Ontario

Congratulations to all those who competed at the Maple Leaf Competition this year! Eight students from Franco Dance braved the adrenalin, high heels and tight pants (guys!) to conquer the tango, cha-cha and everything in between, and conquer they did!!! Well done everyone!

Past Events

Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis, October 2006

We had the great pleasure of introducing our students to one of the world's best Latin dance couples, who performed at Famme Furlane in October. The couple placed 2nd at the world's most prestigious competition in Blackpool, England, and it was a great opportunity to see dancers of this caliber live here in Toronto. The event was sold out, and of course, was followed by an evening of dance enjoyed by everyone!

Las Vegas Dance Camp, June 2006

Hosted by Dance Vision (DVIDA), Las Vegas Dance Camp has become a must for any Ballroom or Latin dance enthusiast. Classes for all levels are taught by the best instructors, competitors and choreographers currently working in the Dance industry.

In 2006, Edgar Franco and Melinda Deines attended the Teacher's Course (a new addition to the camp) and were extremely impressed by the quality of the event. Not only were the classes exceptional, but the entire event was fun, well-organized and exciting.

There are evening dance parties and classes for those who just can't get enough, private instruction is available for those looking for an extra challenge, and every level gets the chance to perform at the final ball. We made great new friends and had a blast wearing ourselves out with non-stop dancing!

If you are interested in going to Dance Camp in 2007, please contact us for more information.

Winter Salsa Carnival, January 2006

In January, 2006, Franco Dance participated in the first Winter Salsa Carnival in Toronto, hosted by Toronto's MamboTribe. The weekend event was packed with classes taught by local instructors as well as world-class salsa dancers from New Jersey, the Dominican Republic and Montreal.

After dancing all day, learning everything from shines to turns to complicated patterns, there were evening performances and a masquerade ball. The event was enthusiastically received, and well worth taking part in.

Aside from the exposure to extremely different styles of salsa, it was fun to have a little escape from the grey Toronto winter without the cost of a plane ticket!

Look out for an announcement of next year's event on our website.