Shaking up the international salsa scene

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This article was published 24/03/2015 (4077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two local dancers are setting the stage for Canada in the Latin dance circuit.

Regan Hirose and Harold Rancano recently competed at the World Latin Dance Cup where they finished in the top 10 of the salsa division and placed sixth for their performance in bachata.

It was the second time the couple participated in the international dance competition in Miami, Fla. and according to Hirose they are the first Canadians to make it to finals in the bachata category.

“We’re very, very proud to make it that far,” Hirose, 30, said.

In their first year of competition at the World Latin Dance Cup, the River Heights duo made a bold statement for Canadian dancers, finishing ninth in the cha-cha and seventh in salsa.

“We’re really lucky to be in the top 10 in our first year competing,” Hirose said. “Anyone else in the top 10 are like the biggest names in salsa. And as much as we come from a little city, I don’t think people outside of the salsa world understand what a great level we have here. So coming from Winnipeg and getting top 10 was a big deal.”

The World Latin Dance Cup, held early in December, is one of the largest salsa competitions in the world with top dancers from across the globe coming to compete. Just 30 couples make it through to semi-finals.

Described by Rancano as featuring beautiful patterns and footwork, the bachata is a romantic, mid-tempo dance incorporating lifts and aerial tricks.

“Bachata is the dance that comes from the countryside of the Dominican Republic,” Rancano, 27, explained. “With time it’s become more commercialized and people have taken it to a level of combining it with ballet and tricks and stuff like that.”

The routine that secured Hirose and Rancano the sixth-place finish was meticulously choreographed by the couple over the course of a year. The two secured the help of former Olympic figure skater Burt Lancon as their lift coach to assist with the intricate aerial work that characterized their performance.

Rancano says incorporating complex lifts into the routine was something new for the couple that they were proud to be able to execute in competition.

“To be honest I never thought I’d be able to do them,” Rancano said, “but with the proper training and dedication it came out.”

Rancano, who is originally from Cuba, has been dancing for most of his life but only started dancing competitively since moving to Canada. Hirose, who admits she has no Latin blood in her though that hasn’t weakened her commitment to the culture, has been dancing salsa since university. In competition the two proudly represent their home countries, dancing for both Canada and Cuba.

The two also balance a rigorous training schedule with full-time jobs and directing their own Cubanisimo Dance Company out of Ted Motyka Dance Studio, 460 Main St., and Theatre Dance Centre (618 Arlington St.). The couple also organizes an annual salsa festival each fall.

Rancano and Hirose have their sights set on breaking the top three in the bachata category at the next World Latin Dance Cup in December and hope to make a full-time career out of their passion.

And importantly for Hirose, she hopes to inspire other Canadians to take up Latin dance along the way.

“Even though you’re not Latin, with hard work and dedication and immersing yourself, you can be one of the best,” Hirose said. “But don’t get me wrong, Latins have an advantage, those Latin girls — their hips just move in a way that I can’t explain,” Hirose joked.

Go to cubanisimo.weebly.com for more information on Cubanisimo Dance Company.

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