Exclusive interview with International Salsa Instructor Sam Ganon

I had an exclusive interview for OnlineSalsa.com with the Salsa dance Instructor and performer Sam Ganon from Germany  during the second Holland Summer Salsa Congress 2010. I had just finished mastering my first Tango dance steps when I spotted him  sitting at a table near the dance floor.

A Small Biogaphy

Sam Ganon started dancing Salsa in the year 1997 in Groningen – located in the northern part of The Netherlands at the biggest Salsa school of the area: SalsaRoy, where Sam learned his first Cuban steps. His first Salsa Congress as a participant was coincidentally also the first European Salsa Congress organized by Club Asi Haarlem and held in the Netherlands in 1998. There he got his first LA Style Salsa classes from Luis Vazquez. Sam was studying Hospitality Management in Leeuwarden at the time. After he finished his bachelor degree he went to Scotland to do his MBA. In Edinburgh Sam taught Salsa to sponsor his studies under the name “Salsa con Sabor”.

One of his Salsa students in Edinburgh was a German guy named Knut. After Knut went back to Germany, he founded his own Salsa company: Salsa Con Sabor in Germany. So in a way Sam's school became an international franchise. Knut invited Sam to come to Germany and work with him after Sam finished his MBA, and so Sam found him self teaching in Germany as a lead teacher in www.salsa-macht-spass.de since 2002.

Sam teaches mainly LA Style Salsa, Dance to the music, Rueda de Casino, Bachatango, Salsa Footwork & Styling and slowly getting into Zouk as well.

Getting Personal

I asked Sam if he liked the congress and if there was something the organization could try “The congress is very well organized, and I really enjoy the people but I was missing the party atmosphere on Friday. You can see a lot of people practicing their latest dance moves, but the social dance floor is not meant for that. I see that people are missing the feeling when they're dancing Salsa.”

Sam continues, "The Saturday party was much better, but the Sunday party was amazing. I haven’t enjoyed myself as much for a long time, and I would like to thank Lilly and Randolf for inviting us - Ilona and yours truly - to teach and perform at their congress."

One of Sam’s best experience in his Salsa dance career is doing the “Kill Bill Show” with Ilona. Sam, “I am so happy to have found my perfect dance partner in Ilona. We are at the same wavelength dance wise and we harmonize completely.” He continues, “Our main goal is to entertain people. That's what we try to do during our workshops and with our shows. Ilona inspires me to excel in reaching this goal.” “We get a buzz when we make people laugh,” Sam added.

This is a clip of Sam and Ilona's freestyle Salsa dance on a social dance floor.

Sam's worst Salsa experience is one many men will recognize, “I am an on1 dancer. I started dancing Salsa with a woman on1 when she asked me if I could dance on2. I said that it is not really my thing. She told me 'this is not going to work' and left me standing alone on the dance floor.”

The Future of Salsa Dancing

Sam sees Salsa an evolving and becoming even more technical, but he is hoping for Salsa to get back to its roots. Sam adds, “Salsa is like an international language and Salsa dancers have the freedom of “speech”. At first, you have to learn the grammar – leading & following techniques – and then you can express yourself to the music”. He continues, “What I see now are dancers trying to copy their instructors or their favorite dancers/performers. These “Salsa Clones” can do much better if they find their own unique and individual dance styles.”

Sam finished the interview by illustrating his statement with another “Best Experience”, “I was in Paris when I met a girl from China. We didn't speak each others languages. As a matter of fact, we couldn't communicate at all, but we danced Salsa together all night long."

Sam Gannon's website: www.salsa-del-mundo.de