An exclusive interview with the undefeated Vegas Champion* Zulmara Torres: Chasing the Dream By Laureano Ralon Facchina

Zulmara Torres is a World Class Latin/Salsa dancer with experience in Bellydance, Jazz, Flamenco, Argentine Tango, Ballroom, and International Latin and Salsa. She owns the 2005 and 2006 ESPN World Salsa Championship titles and co-owns a studio in Lake Elsinore, California.

First of all, let me congratulate you on winning the 2006 Salsa Championship in Las Vegas. I’d say by now there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that you’re at the peak of your career as a dancer; however, at the same time, I am sure most people out there only see the tip of the iceberg – the end result and the big achievements – but fail to see the effort, the sweat, and the tears behind it all. In conducting this interview, I would like to give readers a sense of Zulmara Torres the human being, not the championship dancer. What did it take to get to where you are today?

You probably hear this from just about every competitive dancer, but it’s entirely true. It definitely takes a lot of sacrifice, commitment, and extra strength! During those times when you feel you can’t go any further, there’s no option but to gather up your strength and push yourself to the limit. It involves many hours of practice, sometimes from very early in the morning to very late at night. When you dedicate your life to dancing, you don’t realize at first how much time it takes to become a good dancer. But the worst realization is that even with all the hours of practice, there’s always room for improvement – at the end of the day there are still imperfections. That has been my problem; I am never satisfied with the end result, despite my wins and my achievements. In my experience, the more you succeed the less satisfied you become with yourself and with your work.

Now, don’t get me wrong: this can be both positive and negative. I always try to look at it in a positive way; as long as I don’t conform, there’s always room for improvement and that’s my ultimate goal. In addition, one of the hardest things is putting dance as your priority. This means that instead of going out for a movie or dinner, you find yourself in a hot studio practicing and breaking your head trying to put a routine together. It’s hardest during the weekends! So, not having enough time for your personal life becomes a true challenge.

Would you indulge us in telling us about your dance background?

I’ve been dancing since the age of 5 in the art forms of Ballet Folklorico (Regional Dances of Mexico) and Flamenco (Regional Dance of Spain). I trained in these two dance forms for approximately 15 years. When I was introduced to Salsa at the age of 19, I stopped dancing both Folklorico and Flamenco; however, in recent times, I’ve resumed my dance training in both, and I now offer flamenco and Folklorico classes to students who are interested. In between, I also have taken jazz training.

How did you get into Salsa?

I found Salsa by mere accident, believe it or not… Because of my background, I can’t say that I was surrounded by Salsa music, growing up in a Mexican household (laughs) [Editor’s note: Countries such as Mexico, Argentina or Brazil don’t have a tradition of Salsa like Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba or Venezuela]. However, on a trip to Cancun in the year of 2002, I came across a nightclub by the name of “Azucar” on the Cancun strip. There played an orchestra from Cuba and I fell in love with their music!

I wondered what this music was; it was unbelievable. Then when I returned to CA thinking I was going to a Spanish Rock night, I attended “JC Fandangos” in Anaheim and what I ended up coming across was a live Salsa band. I had no idea I would ever find something like that here. I’ve become a total fanatic and have never stopped learning and dancing salsa since. It all started as a fun pastime and now I dedicate my life to salsa dancing, who would have thought?!! I sure didn’t…

What were some of your achievements prior to winning the Vegas Championships?

Prior to the Las Vegas Championships, I participated with Abel Pena in the 2004 Club Mayan World Salsa Championship. This was my first mayor salsa competition at a professional level. Competing against such big names as Alex Da Silva, Ruby Karen, Liz Lira, Rony and Dinora (Rumberos Co), Christian Oviedo, to name a few, we surprisingly placed 3rd. The following year we decided to compete once again in the 2005-2006 Club Mayan Competition, and we luckily took first place that year, making us the first couple to beat Alex Da Silva in 3 years. It was an exiting accomplishment for the both of us. That same year we won the famous Conga Room Competition, again placing first.

We also participated in smaller competitions between 2004 and 2005, in which we did very well, such as The Granada Competition 2004, 2nd place; The Sevillas Café Riverside Salsa Competition 2004, 1st place; and The 2005 Summer Salsa Splash Competition, 1st place.

Let me ask you a very specific question related to dance training. I believe I’ve never seen anyone execute the “coffee grinder” or “tornado” type spin as fast as you. Specifically, for all the women out there with aspirations of becoming a trained dancers: What does it take to be a good multiple spinner in Salsa? Would you share a couple of secrets with our readers?

Practice, Practice, Practice! Practice and determination make a good spinner, anyone can do it, you just have to put your mind to it and give it time to acquire a good spinning technique. I also can’t stress enough the importance of having a good spotting technique. Without proper spotting, there is no balance and without good balance there will never be a good spin. There are several exercises that can improve your overall spinning, spotting and balance technique, and they are taken from ballet exercises (look into that, it really helps). I highly recommend that both male and female dancers look into getting a spinning technique lesson from a dancer you like and admired for his or her spinning. They can go over weight transfer from one foot to the other depending on the direction of the spin, along with all of the other elements which I mentioned already: balance, spotting, and of course spinning on the balls of your feet.

Lady’s styling: how much is too much?

I personally don’t think there can ever be too much styling as long as it’s done gracefully and tastefully, and always in sync with the choreography and the music. Styling is like the icing on the cake! And therefore it is essential and important. Moreover, styling can be that which defines you.

Where should styling come from, or what should it respond to? Is it something that stems from the music or does it emerge strictly from your interaction with your partner?

I think styling is a combination of self-taught, self-expressive creations that simply come out sometimes when we are social dancing and or rehearsing. However, it is also a compilation of movements we have either seen or learned from someone else, although the idea is to have your own unique style! And that alone will give you styling. There are no rules or regulations when we speak of styling, and that is the beauty of salsa dancing in general, that we are free to interpret and express our feelings on the dance floor!

As I mentioned before, styling is mostly a response to the music and to your partner but more so to your inner feelings at that particular moment in time. Whether you find yourself social dancing, rehearsing, and or performing, styling is and should be a way self expression.

I see a lot of men and women who break apart for minutes at a time and get consumed by their shines. Women just stand there, bored, waiting for the guy to finish his little show. By contrast, I also see a lot of women mesmerized by their own styling who pay absolutely no attention to their partners. I guess the question I want to ask you is: what is social dancing all about really?

TO ME, social dancing should be respectful to both dancers, at times we do disrespect each other on the dance floor: guys sometimes become careless of their partners and throw us all over the place, not taking into consideration if they are hurting our arms, or hurting our feet! On the other hand, ladies sometimes do get carried away with their own styling, and back lead to the point where we are leading ourselves! All in all, one of the best ways one can be respectful of each other is by paying attention to the partner in front of you. But most of all, social dancing should be a time to enjoy yourself and have fun, to express yourself to the music. Many of us do indeed get carried away with flashiness and push people out of the way to have center stage! Bottom line, whether you are an amateur or professional dancer, the dance floor should be left for what it is meant for: social dancing! Both male and female dancers should learn to play of each other, instead of trying to outshine the other. However, showing off isn’t necessarily wrong as long as it is done respectfully to your partner and to those around you.

Let’s elaborate on this question a little. Is social dancing about connecting to your partner, is it about interpreting the music, is it about looking good and showing it to the world, or is it all of the above…?

It’s definitely a combination of all of the above: partner connection, interpretation of the music, and looking good. We all want to look good dancing, that’s why we spend money taking classes and workshops, learning new moves, and so there is absolutely nothing wrong with that; however, as I mentioned before, we need to be respectful to one another and to those around us, especially when we are going to be flashy. Certain moves are hard to follow, and other moves might hurt your partner and/or those around you!

What do you think the role between a man and a woman should be in Salsa?

Lots of connection! Eye contact and flirtatiousness, as if one were an actor or an actress taking on the role of being in love. In a way it’s all pretend, but both audience and judges like to see a good connection between the couple. Now, if we are getting technical, the role of a man is as simple as being a proper lead and the women’s role is to follow. It’s nice to see both couples give each other time to shine, but all in all the men should be like the stem and the women the flower!

Should Salsa be a 50-50 relationship like West Coast Swing, or should the roles between men and women be clearly delineated and distinct?

There is never a 50-50 relationship even if we wanted there to be. As I mentioned before, men are the stems and women the flowers. I know most men complain that the women are always the ones to get the attention, but a follower cannot shine without a proper lead. Although it might not seem like it, men have it hard as leads; they need to be strong and supportive! There is definitely a distinction and delineation between men and women.

Let’s change the subject slightly. Talking about relationships, I’m curious to know how you met Abel Pena, your current dance partner?

Social Dancing! We meet at the “Granada” in Alhambra, CA; we had never danced before and it only took one dance to know that we would have a good partnership…

When one decides to take Salsa to the next level (competition, performance, etc.), how should one pick his/her dance partner?

Connection. I think this is the most important element when partnering. There needs to be a good connection. Styles also need to match, so if styles are different then they need to be properly fused to make things work.

What makes a good dance partner in the first place?

Trust! There needs to be trust between both, whether it’s on the dance floor or off. Secondly, you need commitment and responsibility; it’s extremely hard to work with someone who does not share your same ambition and commitment. Both need to have one vision and one same goal. Respect: there needs to be respect between the two; I actually should have mentioned this first, because it an essential factor to a successful partnership! If all of the above are existent, then the rest is easy. Good dancing comes with quality training and practice. And I truly believe that anyone can be a good dancer if they set their minds to it. It’s about how bad you want it!!!

A girl approached me the other day and said that I was very lucky to have a girlfriend who shares my passion for dance and who is also a decent dancer. By and large I feel very fortunate, but it can also be a source of tension from time to time. What’s your advice on keeping a healthy dance and personal relationship with the same partner?

As I mentioned in the previous question: respect one another, especially when your dance partner happens to be your actual significant other. It’s even harder when one decides to partner up with your significant other, because you feel you have more freedom to say whatever you want whether you have something good or bad to say. So, respecting each other as people, respecting each other’s ideas, the willingness to share ideas, and having equal input to choreography and projects is important.

Communication is key just like in any other relationship.

Scheduling: the ability to combine each others’ personal lives and careers is significant to a successful relationship. As you may know, putting dance in front of everything else is part of the sacrifice one has to make.

Lastly, understanding and loyalty towards one another. After all, it is a second relationship!

Let’s talk about you: is teaching your full-time job in L.A.?

Yes, it has become my full time job this year….

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Traveling!!! I plan on taking a lot of job opportunities in Europe, Japan and China and early next year between January and March there is a tour to India, for which I am very excited about! I also have big plans in resuming my singing career and dedicating a big chunk of my time and life to that, since that is my true passion and always has been.

What would you like to accomplish with Salsa in the next 5 years?

Wow, that is a big question! I’ve been living the moment and taking things as they come; however, I would like to continue dancing as much as possible, since it’s a great form or exercise and to stay rejuvenated! I would love to continue teaching and sharing my experience with others, and I hope that in the next 5 years I manage to travel the world dancing salsa.

As for competitions, there is one competition which my dance partner and I are missing the title for, and that is the Miami WSF. We have plans to compete in it this year in November, followed by the 3rd ESPN World Salsa Competition which we hope to win for a third year in a row. I truly hope we can be considered undefeated champions after our third year. If we can accomplish that I will no longer compete, but instead travel and teach salsa to the world.

I also have plans of getting a clothing line on the market, and our very first DVD will be out for sell next month, which I’m very excited about. We will continue to participate in instructional DVD’s, as well as organizing and starting our own salsa events here in California; however, my ultimate plan is resuming my singing career. As it is, I’m currently working on finishing recording my CD. I have a few songs completed (3 so far), but the CD will have 12 songs altogether. I definitely want to focus on that, so if that works out, I would love to switch careers and dedicate my life fully to singing. Don’t be surprised if you hear of me auditioning for American Idol or for “Objectivo Fama” next year! (laughs).

* Zulmara Torres and Abel Pena placed first in the ON1 category of the Las Vegas Salsa Championships (2005 & 2006).

For more information about Zulmara, visit her website zulmara.com