The Pregnancy Show
August, 2007
www.thepregnancyshow.com/salsababies.html

So you think your baby can dance?

Well, actually it’s the moms who do all the dancing during weekly Salsa Babies classes at the Body Mind Centre. But the tiny tykes, draped in front of their moms in papooses or carefully held in place with fancifully tied and colourful baby carriers, certainly know how to bounce around to the Latin beats that reverberate through the airy second-floor studio where the classes are held.

Mother Lindsay Nisula says it’s a great chance to come and listen to music, bond with their infant and get some exercise and learn how to dance.

'I really enjoy it,' she said, admitting she knew none of her fellow classmates – which most weeks number about 13.

'It is a good way for moms to meet. It’s a great way to open up doors to new things in town. There’s not much going on for new moms and this is one way to do something to do,' Nisula said.

New mom Diane Quintas learned of the program through a friend who taught it in southern Ontario, who thought it might fill a void in Thunder Bay. Sensing it would, she got in touch with program founder Jennifer Torres of Toronto and brought Salsa Babies to Northwestern Ontario.

'There are not a lot of programs for moms and babies that incorporate physical activity. I’ve been dancing for many years and thought it was a great fit. So I brought it up and here we are,' Quintas said, extolling the virtues of the program.

'Salsa Babies has a lot of benefits to it. There’s the bonding with the babies, the physical activities to it. After having a baby, a lot of moms want to get back into shape. So this is a good workout for them,' she added.

The classes teach the basics of several Latino-themed dances in easy-to-follow steps with Quintas leading the way at the front of the class.

'We start off with a warm-up, and then we move into a couple of different Latin dances,' Quintas said. 'We start with the merengue, which is a really easy step. Then we move into the salsa and do a couple of salsa songs. Then we go to the cha cha, which is fun, and cool down with a beat called the bachata movement.'

For more information about the Salsa Babies program, phone 766-9465 or visit www.salsababies.com.