A Diamond in the Rough of Colorado... I have had the honor of spending quite a bit of time with Eric Freeman during my Colorado tour. Eric, is what you would call a Salsa/Mambo Diamond in Boulder, Colorado. Before I knew who he was, he asked me to dance at Bentley's. I was quite shocked that he automatically led me into the "2 beat", New York style. I was thinking to myself, "What? I'm dancing the New York "2" in COLORADO? I must be dreaming." We then danced a second song, and he beautifully placed me on the "one"! Things started REALLY getting scary when he did moves that I was TOTALLY familiar with, both from Los Angeles, AND New York. What have I found? A Salsero, right smack in the MIDDLE of the continent, knowing complicated footwork and moves not only from both coasts, but also from CUBA!!! Later, after he made me GUESS who he was, I realized that Eric was one of our chief World Correspondents who has given us priceless information from Cuba. He has also provided valuable and controversial insight on "dancing on clave". Eric has studied Salsa/Mambo from some of the best instructors in the world from Los Angeles, New York, Cuba, Toronto, and Costa Rica. He showed me on paper, some of his moves that were literally typed-out, single-spaced, in a thirty-page document!!!! I could not believe my eyes at the amount of detail. I have had the honor of having him help me instruct the "LA Style and Hollywood Moves" workshops I usually give each year in Colorado. He's been to Cuba now five times, and is planning additional trips. He says he still has a lot to learn, and wants to incorporate Columbia (a form of Afro-Cuban Rumba) into his Salsa. This is commonly done in authentic Cuban-style Salsa. He recently finished writing a book of his Cuban adventures - A View of Cuba: Uncensored. The book is an amazing information manual that is a "must read" prior to visiting Cuba. It's about forty pages long, and is very quick and easy reading. I believe this is one of the few, if not the only book in the world that "tells it like it is". He was not afraid to explain certain customs and peculiarities of the people, in a "fore-warning" sense to unsuspecting travelers to this very unique and forbidden country. He has a phenomenal collection of authentic Cuban Salsa music and as far as I'm concerned, is one of the most educated and well-versed people on Latin Rhythms and dance that I've ever met. The wealth of knowledge between that man's ears is phenomenal. We talked for hours on his travels to New York, Los Angeles, his bike trips from San Francisco to Costa Rica, and across Cuba, the history of Salsa, the history of Cuba, the life, the people, the music, the political challenges, EVERYTHING! Eric is now teaching classes at the Broker Inn, in Boulder Colorado. His detailed instruction has students coming every week by the dozens. His popularity as a Salsa instructor is increasing the overall interest in Salsa throughout Boulder, and Denver. He's appeared in local newspapers, radio, the Salsa Freak's "Cool Moves" video, and is responsible for many new Salseros in the area. I've heard numerous comments from his students about his thoroughness and consistency as an instructor. I had the pleasure of observing some of Eric's classes. His teaching style reminded me of taking a class with some of the famous instructors of New York, like Eddie Torres, and Nelson Flores. He is very detailed with each movement, and ensures each student "gets it" to their satisfaction. He takes time out to help individuals, and does not "rush" the class. He is extremely patient with beginners, but is not at all afraid to face the toughest timing and execution moves with the more advanced. Every time I visit Eric, I always learn something new. He is extremely thorough at explaining rhythm, timing, steps, and style. As far as I've seen so far, Eric is probably the only instructor in the United States that teaches the "one", the "two", the "three", and authentic Cuban style, plus Casino Rueda. Eric can also dance the "four", and the Mambo style "two" (5,6,7), however as of this writing, he hasn't started teaching this yet. Colorado is very lucky to have such a quality instructor in their midst. Eric helped me with what is now the World Famous Salsa Steps page - that has since been copied, faxed, and argued about throughout the entire world. I had no idea this would be so helpful to so many different instructors across the globe! He is now our Denver and Cuba Cityguides World Correspondent, and has provided us with insider information about Cuba that is unmatched, and has never before been revealed to the outside world. Anyway, I just want the world to know that Eric Freeman has been a big part of Salsaweb Magazine, providing you valuable insight into the culture and history of both the music and dance we all know and love.
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