Ido is the prime teacher and the owner of La Candela. He has been dancing and teaching Cuban Salsa since 2008. He is a certified teacher by the top school for Cuban Salsa in Israel – Latingate. He developed his knowledge and skills by studying with several Cuban Teachers in Israel and Europe and expanded his knowledge of the Cuban culture and dances even further by practicing with the Folklore Group “Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba” in Havana, Cuba. In Israel, he was teaching as a senior teacher in “Latingate” and instructed in regular classes, workshops, and festivals. When he arrived in Berlin he decided it was finally his time to open his own school so we could “teach students the way that we want with all our passion”.
Ido is an avid salsa dancer with a passion for social dancing stressing personal connection, clean movement, musicality, and deep knowledge of the Cuban culture and dances. His teaching style is known for being very methodological and detailed. He teaches Cuban salsa at all levels, folkloric dances, traditional Cuban dances, body movements, and newer fusions such as Reggaeton and Salsa-Hip-Hop fusions.
Additionally, he created and owns the Salsayo project which acts internationally as the number-one source encyclopedia for Cuban Salsa moves. He also dabbles in DJing as DJ FLY and is a constant explorer of other types of dances from Ballet to Urban dances.
Notable Certifications & Education:
- Certified Salsa teacher by Latingate class 2011
- Certified Son Moderno teacher by Danger & Yunaisy.
- Intensively trained in Afro-Cuban dances with Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba in Havana under the tutelage of Miriam Izquierdo.
- His notable Cuban teachers among others: Miriam Izquierdo, Richard Dancer, Nano Manuel Hecheverria, Danger & Yunaisy, Yorgenis Danger Garcia.
- Head of the Salsayo project – The International Salsa Cubana Figure Encyclopedia
- Writer and developer of Teaching Methodology for Social Dance Teachers.
What do you enjoy most as a dancer?
As a dancer, I pursue these rare moments of being totally enthralled by the music, and the connection to my partner. These moments are making it all worth it – it’s nothing short of Nirvana for me.
What do you love most about teaching?
It took me a long period of time to gather the knowledge and skills, and it has never been a straightforward pursuit. Dance is mostly an art passed orally and rarely one stops to think about it. I love analyzing the dance, and what it means to become a great dancer. Because I stop to do that, we are able to pass down knowledge & skill in a rather simple manner. It gives me pleasure when I teach them in a moment what it took me over a decade to understand, and when my students appreciate it – it makes it all very much worth it.
What is your secret sauce in dancing?
I’d say I have three ingredients to the sauce. The first is that I know my basics well. Good structure opens the way for the dance to become more than just a casual dance. The second is that I don’t consider myself a talented dancer – everything I have was because of practice and time spent, I always say “Commitment trumps Talent”. I feel like these two things allow me to dance freely and use my trump card – when I meet the right dancer and the mood is right it’s all about my undivided attention to her and our dance because when that happens I turn our dance into a story we both create, an experience that is beyond a normal dance.
Do you have any other passions aside from dancing?
Philosophy, Bubble tea, Travels & foreign cultures, and living a good healthy life, lately a bit of surfing.