How did you feel about being part of the Show?
Addie: I was thrilled to be part of the first Off-Broadway Mambo Musical. It was great working with my fellow dancers, some of whom I've known for most of my dance career. I believe this type of exposure is what we've needed to bring an awareness of Mambo dancing to others outside of our community. After the show, many people recognized our style of dancing Mambo as an Art. It was truly exciting that we got to show the public the different ways we express ourselves through our dance.

Would you do it again?
Addie: Absolutely, why not? I welcome the opportunity and hope I can be part of the
cast for as long as my services are needed.

What would you change, if anything?
Addie: Since it was the first time this type of project has been put together by Mambo dancers, there were a few honest mistakes made a long the way. But the experience has been an educating one so I believe that things will definitely improve as we go. A show of this capacity is not an easy thing to pull off but I think that the people on the production side did an excellent job. Especially considering they had no experience putting a musical together which included organizing a staff of about 34 dancers.

How long have you been dancing? Is it your full-time job?
Addie: I've been performing for eight years. I'm currently working at Sony Music as an Executive Assistant so like most of the dancers who have a day job, I rehearse and perform in the evenings or on weekends when required.

Who did you train with in the past?
Addie: Evelyn Leon, she passed on about 6 years ago. She gave so much to me in the time she trained me. Evelyn saw me at a dance contest and approached me. She offered to train me to become a member of her professional dance company. I was so flattered, thrilled and ready to take on this opportunity, not knowing that Mambo would change my life in a such positive direction. I was fortunate enough to be paired off with "Mario Diaz" (no relation) who had already had many years of dance experience. Mario and Evelyn both worked with me and shared much valuable technique and advice that I carry with me and utilize today.

Do you have any other types of training (i.e. jazz) that you utilize in your
choreography?
Addie: Most of my training comes from Mambo. But I took a few Ballet and Hip Hop classes, I also took several Jazz classes. I really love Jazz so my style leans towards the Jazzy side. I've always liked to mix in order to give my numbers an interesting look.

What was the background or inspiration for your piece?
Addie: The directors of Latin Madness used three of my numbers: Love for Sale, Shinning Knight and Hustler.Love for Sale and Shinning Knight are part of a Medley that I put together. I wanted to choreograph a sexy number for the girls and thought Love for Sale was pretty provocative, so I chose it for the ladies part of the Medley. I was asked by the producers if they could use "Love for Sale" as a drag number to add a comedic section in the show. I agreed it would be pretty funny so I broke down the choreography and styling tips to our Macho cast of men. We had a lot of fun at rehearsals -- they really worked hard to learn the intricate styling and enjoyed dressing up more than we expected. The greatest thing was seeing alot of the top mambo male dancers (who are usually so macho) come out in drag and feel comfortable enough to pull it off!! They were such good sports, It was just great working with them.

Shinning Knight is a Cha-Cha / Boogaloo song with cool tough guys in zoot suits, so its a very masculine song, therefore I picked that one for the guys part. Although it was a bit challenging to choreograph a number that featured men, it was cool to prove that a woman can come up w/ something interesting enough for a male dancer to perform to. I showed the guys moves that called for a cool and suave attitude with much style.

Hustler is a song by Willie Colon. It has a really aggressive sound with strong horn and percussion sections that made it perfect for what I had in mind. So we themed it as an outdoor scene that takes place at a park. I wanted to do a tough number with action and fighting. My husband, Manny Siverio is a martial artist and knows all types of fighting styles so I took advantage of his skills and worked with him to put Hustler together. I had the girls dance with jackets - putting it on, zipping it up etc... We did our partnerwork with chairs in between as our prop which was extremely challenging. The guys get into a really intese fight section using partnerwork techniques, its pretty awesome to watch. It was definitely different from anything I've ever worked on before.

Where do you see Mambo/Salsa in the next 10 years?
Addie: I've seen mambo over the last years start off from local shows with simple turn patterns, people getting to do music videos and showcases at clubs. Dancers have toured to convention and congresses with people exchanging ideas.

Now, Latin Madness has definitely taken us towards a positive direction. We're experiencing Off-Broadway then hopefully "Broadway". I certainly wouldn't be surprised if other Mambo/Salsa dancers did a similar type of show, but its nice to know that Latin Madness will always be the first to come up with the concept. I'm just glad I was a part of the development of this stage of Mambo dancing.

To help Toronto and other dancers who learned to dance Salsa "on 1", can you give me your thoughts on why you prefer dancing "on 2".
Addie: Its really what you like doing the best. Like ice cream, some people like vanilla some people like chocolate. So for me its Mambo on "2". Living in New York has offered me the "On 2" timing and I'm just sold on it and totally love it. In New York a large amount of the professional dancers dance on "2". It's definitely a benefit to know the timing whenever we're at social dances and gatherings in NYC.

Anything you'd like to add that I didn't think of?
Addie: I really have to thank the promoters for inviting me to be part of Latin Madness and also allowing me to show some of my choreography. I've worked very hard not to be classified as someone who choreographs just for women. Its nice to have been given the opportunity to break that mold.

I'd also like to congratulate and acknowledge dancers, choreographers and directors that contributed. As well as all the people not mentioned in the background that participated to help make Latin Madness a success. The efforts of various different dance companies offered different looks for every performance. It was the vision of 1 or 2 people, but the result of the work of many.

Click here to contact Addie for more information or to sign up for lessons. 

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