Vancouverites can get the New Year off to a great start with sexy, sultry Latin dance classestaught by Latidos Productions. Latidos’ January term features classes in Cuban Salsa, Afro-Cuban Movement, Sabor, and Reggaeton, to warm anyone up this winter.
Chen Lizra, owner and instructor, says: “I was driving home with one of my Cuban friends who just moved here and started attending Latidos classes, and he said to me, ‘I love the classes - they make me feel like I am back in Cuba.’ That’s a big compliment! I’m proud that Latidos is giving people an authentic piece of Cuba - the sense of playfulness,teasing, seduction and energy that lifts you up. We need this here, especially in the winter season.”
Lizra is the only instructor in the city who travels each year to Cuba to train with professional dancers. She returns with new knowledge that she fuses into each class, so that no term is ever thesame. Latidos’ teaching method is of high quality with a focus on breaking down movements and coordinating the whole body. Students at any level are taught the raw flavour of the dance, andget a high-energy workout after each class. Former Latidos instructor includes Arassay Reyes, who made the Top 8 finals on CTV’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada.
New programs for 2009 include Reggaeton for men, Cuban Salsa Styling for women, and Sabor. Students are encouraged to take a combination of classes, and discounts are offered for multiple enrolment. Private classes and special event performances are also available by demand.
For the travel-oriented, registration is open for Latidos’ exclusive summer trip to Cuba on July 13-27, 2009. For a $1000 CDN service fee per person, Lizra will guide 10 people on a two-week adventure of sightseeing in Havana and visiting the breathtaking countryside inVinales and Trinidad. Lizra says, “Cuba is full of art, music, dance, and warm, open people. The Latidos trips allow people to get straight into the culture, as if their trip was organized by a best friend living in Cuba. I want people to get below the surface, to the depth of places that really touch us from within, so that it will be a life changing experience to remember forever.”
Travellers can fly from anywhere in Canada and may stay at a hotel or private home with a Cuban family. The trip offers the flexibility to do activities that interest each person – a service rarely offered to travel groups. Travellers get a 15% discount if they register before Dec. 31st, 2008.
Chen Lizra founded Latidos Productions in 2005 after two years of teaching dance and producing the Arab-Latin Fiesta events in Vancouver. She left an eight-year career as an animator to study business and follow her dream of bringing Latin sabor (flavour) to the lifestyles of people in Vancouver, and now throughout Canada. She was the 2008 BC Student Entrepreneur Champion, awarded by Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE Canada). The number of students each term has grown to 100 and Chen has taught more than 1,000 students across the globe in her career. She graduates with herBachelor of Business Administration degree with excellence from CapilanoUniversity in the summer of 2009.
To register for a class or for the trip to Cuba, please visit www.latidosproductions.com or call 604-708-2170. To read about the 2008 Cuba trip, see photos andvideos, or learn about the dances offered by Latidos, please visit Chen Lizra’s blog at www.chenlizra.blogspot.com.
