How to Start a Salsa Dance Team

"How to Start a Salsa Dance Team"

In the beginning, starting a salsa team may seem like an impossible task. There are many ways to begin and each have its advantages. Here are some ideas for you to consider.

Build Community Support

While you may be able to circumvent the community building steps and begin by offering classes, there will be consequences to that action .

Community building is as important for public school groups as it is for non-profit and other community organizations.

In a low economic neighborhood, ti will nearly impossible to find parent volunteers-a couple is all you need.
Look for leadership in your community hospital, banks, and businesses.
Build relationships with community leaders (elected officials, school board, philanthropists) by inviting to special events.

My Experience

I developed a nationally recognized dance program at Molina High School with a couples salsa team, a parade salsa team, a folklórico and a hip hop group.

It was easier for me to do the work myself and so I did. When I made the decision to retire, I made a national search to find my replacement.

A certified teacher with knowledge of folklórico and Latino popular dance forms was not found. The teacher applicants were proficient in drill team and modern dance.

During the interview the teacher that was hired indicated that she was willing to study folklórico and popular Latin dance. Within the first two weeks of school, the teacher announced, "there will be no cultural dance this year."

Had a support group been in place, the teacher would have found it difficult to renege on her promise. Instead the cultural program at Molina High School developed for and by the students came to an abrupt end.

While on the surface it appears, that you are creating a dance organization, in actuality you will be creating a community. The more sensitive and aware you become on how the community functions, the more successful your organization you become. The following table is taken from http://www.communitycollaboration.net/id53.htm

Without the bonding, shared values and leadership a few persons will struggle to keep the
organization going.

Indicator	Strong Sense of Community	Weak Sense of Community
Sense of membership	The active participants proudly display symbols of membership in the community	The active participants do not view themselves as a community.
Mutual importance	The active participants recognize, cherish, and support the contributions of each other.	Participants are active only because one or a few powerful persons are involved.
Shared world views	The active participants hold common beliefs and promote shared values important to them.	The active participants hold fundamentally different beliefs and values and cannot reconcile their differences.
Bonding/networking	The active participants enjoy one another and look forward to time spent together.	The active participants have no affinity for each other, and relationships are formal or superficial.
Mutual responsibility for the community	The survival and health of the community is a primary concern of all its active participants.	One or only a few persons struggle to keep the group together.

It takes time and leadership and nurturance to build a community. Find individuals with diverse talents.

	Neighborhood Level Find out what kind of interest there is your community. Talk to people. You will have to be like the music man and drum up the idea. Take time to view this film: The Music Man (Special Edition) (1962) starring Robert Preston is Available on www.Amazon.com. Determine how many children, teens, adults, and parents are interested. Visit with school PTA’s, take names, phone numbers and Emails Arrange with church pastors to set up table at end of services Set up a table at neighborhood events, celebrations
	Community Level Determine interest among members of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Lions Club, area churches, City Park and Recreation Department See what kind of interest you can create among School Board, principals, and other area leaders.
	Organize separate meetings at the various levels. Parent meetings Find a place where you can hold a meeting of interested parents, perhaps at a church or school. Use the media especially radio stations to let people in your community know that there is going to be a meeting. Community Meetings Organize a meeting of community minded people of all ethnicities-emphasize the long term benefits to the community. Organized physical activities for our youth pay dividends in the future. A hotel with a breakfast buffet or a local restaurant with a private room will work well. You do not need to provide meals. Look for individuals with diverse skills and connections in the community. (CPA, attorney, realtors, doctors, psychologist ) Meet with any philanthropists in your community, foundations in your community that give to arts, culture, and education, school board to feel the waters of support.
	Official Non-Profit It is most important to go through the organizational development to become an official non-profit organization. Hispanic families can only pay $20-$30 a month. If you go up to $40 you put the classes out of reach of many of your children and it is still not enough to pay for quality instruction. The gap will have to be filled in by other funding sources. Teachers need to be adequately compensated. The more people involved on levels of the community the more energy and possibility for success. The tax exempt status is necessary to qualify to apply for most grants. Working with the selected members of a board of directors. (Public School groups have tax exempt status by virtue of the school district. However, it is important for every organization to have a support group. From my experience, I believe school parent organizations should have non-profit status. Write by laws in keeping with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. There are books to help you with this process. Begin with the end in mind. Obtain information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to learn the rules/ regulations and procedures for nonprofit corporations requesting exemption. Identify the appropriate federal tax classification that you will be applying for. http://www.irs.gov/index.html File articles of incorporation with the secretary of state in accordance with the legal codes in your state. Acquire Employer Identification Number, EIN. This can be done on line http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=136198,00.html or call (800) 829-4933. Hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. See EIN Toll-Free Telephone Service for more information. To request an EIN via fax, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, dial the fax number at the location accepting applications from your state. The instructions on the Form SS-4 indicate which location will accept your faxed request. Organizations are required to apply for exemption within 27 months from the date of their formation. Organizations should have gross receipts of at least $5,000 for 501(c)(3) status.
	Necessary Supplies Once you have your board working. It is time to find a place to hold instruction and to purchase the necessary supplies. Most recreation centers do not have adequate dance facilities. Sometimes it is possible to find free space. Back of the Yards in Chicago has free space above a bank. Mirrors along one wall Floating floors are not a luxury. Wood is best for salsa. 10 square feet per dancer (National Standards for Dance) 10 square feet per couple More than one studio if possible Sound system and portable sound system Costume closet
	Continue to Build Community Now that you have a support group, instructors, and a support group. The community building process is never complete. You will need to continue to build relations in the community. Remember to invite supporters, community groups, and elected officials to all important performances. Invite the media, elected officials, and supporters Send out Press Releases Make follow up phone calls Give VIP visibility and photo opportunities-like MC or award presenter
	Building the Program A teacher pupil ratio 16X1 (8 girls and 8 boys) and one teacher Offer work scholarships (fair exchange, no free ride) Teach more than dance. What worked in Mexico back in the day may not be the same strategies that teachers need to use with our students today. Evaluate each class and each performance to determine what it is your students need to learn. When they fail and miss the mark that is the perfect time to teach. Establish the values and the expectations It is a good idea to give everyone a voice in the process. Prominently display the expectations and refer to them frequently. Have a group song, cant or rhythm step. Parents will need instruction Plan to have formal and informal parenting workshops. Plan event with a Church Pastor or community psychologist. Remember all adults do not read. Be aware and respectful. I had students when I was on staff at Molina High School that were not allowed to go on a school filed trip in a school bus with parent chaperones to Southern Methodist University across town to see a dance performance. Getting parents involved in making decorations, setting up for performances, fund raisers will help create opportunities to develop trust in the teachers and staff. Offer transportation Do not expect or depend on parents to drive students to performances. There were many occasions where students missed performances because they depended on parents to drive. One story stands out in my mind. One of the most talented actresses on the Molina campus worked for weeks preparing for the Shakespeare competition at Southern Methodist University. One the day of the competition with a map in her hand, her father who drives all over town with his work, said, " I don't know where it is." He refused to look at the map. He didn't say she couldn't go. At the last minute it was to late to look for transportation. So she missed the competition. Be prepared for students to be absent Plans rarely work out as designed. Making demands on students prior to the big event, will let determine who is going to follow through on their commitment. Working part-time and full time is a deterrent to your program. Teach students to plan days off work. Write a letter to the manager at the beginning of the semester informing them of the required performance dates. Require only the most important events. Try to schedule one day each semester. Have students keep track of days they request to be off. Two weeks prior have a second letter to be signed and returned to you. Pay for everything just like football Fund raise and pay for everything. We were invited to perform at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, for Fine Arts Day. All students had to provide was money for lunch and dinner. Some students did have the money so they stole from their peers. Work for the Future of Dance Lay the foundation for some students to become state certified teachers. Nearly all folklórico programs offer only folklórico classes. I feel this is a great disservice to the children and their parents. This is also a reason why we do not have dance teachers in our public schools who can instruct folklórico. A successful program should provide for future success. This means introducing the children to classical ballet during the formative years (especially 8-12 years). Form a relationship with your regional ballet company. Increase the Number of Male Students Enrolled in Dance Offer incentive programs that bring in male students such as capoeira, Cadet Training or salsa. Require folklórico to receive classes at reduced rate. Carlos Rodriguez director of Ballet Folklórico Huehuecoyotl in Dallas, Texas has a male partner for every female because he hooks them into the program with salsa and reggaeton. Evaluate and improve. Teachers assess methods, students reflect on participation, parents on support, and board members on fund raising. Changing individual behavior through the process of reflection is the most powerful part of the community process. Thought needs to be given to this important step. Travel Create opportunities for travel especially to colleges/universities and historical locations. When my students performed inside the Texas state rotunda, they were in awe. Many students never even leave their neighborhood. I always wanted to take a group of students to Washington D.C. Competitions and festivals are also fund events that spark incentives to practice and excel. Have Fun. Dance is for a lifetime of fun and well being.