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Find Mac:
Facebook https://facebook.com/latindanceclubnz
Instagram https://instagram.com/latindanceclubnz
Website https://latindanceclub.co.nz/
MAC SMITH brought his energy and passion for dance to the Cuban Salsa scene in Auckland 2023 when he moved back from Rotorua.
Mac is bringing a fast and fun Rueda to Salsa Tumbao 2024.
Don't miss this workshop - it promises to be awesome!
I chatted to Mac about his roots in Cuban dance and his journey to finding his sabor.
First and foremost, how do you take your coffee?
"It depends on the time of day, but my standard morning coffee is a V60 filter coffee using Supreme’s Ethiopia Guji beans. It’s crisp, acidic, floral, and fruity with a smooth chocolate body. Great for starting your day!"
Mac is a dedicated student and teacher of Cuban Salsa, passionate about both improving his skills and expanding the Salsa community. Having trained under some of New Zealand’s top instructors, he has been leading the AUT Salsa club since early 2023.
He has also taught at Viva Dance and North Shore Latin Dance. Now, Mac is focused on growing the Auckland Cuban Salsa scene through his new initiative, Latin Dance Club, where he hosts regular Thursday classes at the Mt Eden Primary School hall.
Cubans speak of sabor (flavour) when they talk about dancing. When and how did you find your own personal style in dance?
"I’ve been incredibly lucky to have some amazing teachers over my time dancing. Even before I started thinking about flavour, they were already injecting it into my dancing.
I think personally, I started to become more aware of adding flavour to my dancing when I started learning about the different Cuban dance styles.
I specifically remember learning about Rumba and Timba - which helped me add that unique Afro-Cuban flavour to my dancing. To me, that’s what defines Cuban Salsa and makes it so much fun."
Mac started learning Salsa in April/May 2021 with Greydis Dance in Rotorua. He went to his first class as a way to meet people in an unfamiliar town, but soon fell in love with the vibrant culture and people in the Latin dance community. (This sounds familiar!)
Over the next two year period, he took regular classes with Greydis Montero and Israel Ortiz, helping him develop a unique style by combining their teaching. As Israel's time in New Zealand drew to an end, Mac invested in several private classes with him.
Near the end of his time in Rotorua, Mac was helping Greydis to teach her regular Bachata classes.
Describe a move that you love / that is part of your typical style.
"The best moves are always those that are the most versatile. That you can take a single idea and implement it in many different fun and creative ways. It shouldn’t be too complicated or difficult to follow. Moves should be easy, fun, and full of flavour!
For me it’s always the unexpected moves that I enjoy the most, those that make the person I’m dancing with laugh or smile."
Mac had no previous dance experience besides a smattering of hip-hop from his youth. He always knew he enjoyed dancing, but never followed up on that. Mac enjoys the combination of the dance and the rich culture/history of Cuban Dance.
"There's so many layers. If I dedicated my life to learning Cuban, I feel that I'd only scratch the surface, there's always more to learn. I love that."
Since moving back to Auckland in 2023, Mac took regular classes with Vivio until his schedule became too busy to maintain that. His time learning from Vivio was valuable and allowed him to add additional style and flavour to his dance.
What tips do you have for students who are still trying to find their own sabor?
"There are a couple different approaches to finding your own flavour, depending on how patient you are.
It’s easy to say just focus on improving and the flavour will come – and that’s true. But sometimes we want to improve faster than that. In those situations I would recommend watching other people dance and trying to take notes of what it is you like about their flavour.
Practice what you see. Take other people styles and make them your own. But most of all, have fun!"
Mac moved back to Auckland to study finance and accounting. He discovered a Salsa Club at AUT and he was keen to get involved. He took on the presidency of the Club early in his studies and often teaches classes there.
Latin Dance Club is Mac's new project. The idea is to introduce new people to the Latin dance scene at an affordable price point. This is a passion project with all proceeds going towards growing the community.
Latin Dance Club have classes every Thursday at the Mt Eden Primary School hall.
Intermediate Cuban Salsa from 6:30 - 7:30pm
Beginners Cuban Salsa from 7:30 - 8:30pm
Open Bachata from 8:30 - 9:30pm
Classes are $5 for students and $10 for non-students.
But it's 3 for the price of 2 if you go to all three.
You can find Latin Dance Club on
Instagram https://instagram.com/latindanceclubnz,
Facebook https://facebook.com/latindanceclubnz,
and soon on their website https://latindanceclub.co.nz/
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