The Sad Tale Of Alex Da Silva

 

The story of Alex Da Silva is a sad, horrible story. Once a dancer and choreographer with deep, significant ties to salsa dancing, Da Silva is now associated with something considerably different and absolutely monstrous.

On January 12th, 2012, Da Silva was sentenced by L.A. Superior Court to ten years in prison. The sentence stemmed from his 2009 arrest for four counts of forcible rape. However, in order to appreciate this story in its grim entirety, you are going to want to go back a few years.

 Alex Da Silva And So You Think You Can Dance

Born in 1968 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Alex Da Silva discovered salsa dancing at the age of twenty. From this point, Da Silva became an important figure in the ongoing story and evolution of salsa dancing. In particular, Da Silva specialized in what is known as the L.A. style of salsa dancing. It is important to remember that there are numerous styles of salsa dancing to be found throughout the world. While the L.A. style is one of the most popular, it is not the only approach to salsa by any means.

Nonetheless, Da Silva found a calling and career by focusing his attentions and energies on this particular style. From his career as a Salsa dancer and instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area, Da Silva eventually found his way to the FOX reality dancing competition known as So You Think You Can Dance. The show proved to be a hit, and Da Silver became a familiar face across four hugely popular seasons.

And then the scandal broke. This would be a scandal that would result in Da Silva being dealt a decade-long prison term, which in turn rocked the beloved FOX series to its core. The show is still on the air, and it remains popular, but it doesn’t change the fact that the show has been associated with scandal on at least two occasions.

The Arrest And Conviction Of Alex Da Silva

In 2009, Alex Da Silva was arrested and charged with the following:

• 4 counts of forcible rape.
• 2 counts of assault with intent to commit rape.
• 2 counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

Da Silva hit back at the claims by arguing that the sex was consensual. He further argued that the women in question were trying to get money from him. Claiming innocence to the bitter end, Da Silva pled not guilty to all charges. He also suggested that the women all knew one another, given that all of them came from the same small town.

Following Da Silva’s arrest, his bail was set at two million dollars. Unable to make bail, Da Silva had little choice but to remain in jail. Mistrials and other delays caused him to remain in jail for an additional two years.

On September 16th, 2011, Da Silva was found guilty of rape and assault with intent to commit rape. Following the decision of the jury, Da Silva received his sentence of ten years.  According to the DUI Lawyer in Santa Cruz, he will normally serve at least 85% of such sentence in California

Da Silva is currently serving out his jail sentence. While it is unknown what the future holds for the former instructor, there is little doubt that his career as a teacher and choreographer are likely over.

As mentioned earlier, the story above is not the only scandal associated with So You Think You Can Dance. Shane Sparks, another choreographer with the show, was arrested in 2009, and charged with 8 counts of felony child molestation. After pleading no-content to one of the counts, he received a jail sentence of 270 days.

As of this writing, So You Think You Can Dance remains a staple of FOX programming.

Salsa dancing is a form of social dance that has little chance of ever going out of style. There is something extraordinarily timeless about this singular marriage of movement and music. The history of salsa is a fascinating one. The people who celebrate and teach salsa are just as compelling. Taken as a whole, the history, styles, and people who showcase salsa can prove to be fascinating.

If you are just beginning to learn more about this remarkable form of dance, there are several different things about it that are worth studying.

To begin with, did you know the story of salsa is a fairly recent one? It’s true. Although salsa has a deep, varied array of influences, it really didn’t begin to shape itself into the dance style people around the world love until the mid-1970s.

Not surprisingly, salsa initially hit the scene in New York City.

 Salsa Dancing History

Giving salsa a concrete timeline is difficult. Although the dance and music associated with the movements first caught on in New York in the 1970s, the origins of salsa must also consider the numerous influences that shaped it into what people enjoy in the present.

In other words, while the name “salsa” can be traced back to New York City in the 1970s, the movements go back much further. You can look to Cuba in the 1920s for the true beginning of the story of salsa. Cuban dances like Son, Son Montuno, Cha-cha-cha, and Mambo became popular staples of the Caribbean, Latin American, and Latino communities that populated various parts of New York in the 1940s.

Salsa is a product of numerous influences, songs, music styles, movements, cultures, and ideals. While there is a certain measure of controversy over where the term “salsa” originated (some believe it is based on a cry musicians would throw out while playing, but others argue that the name is merely the product of record company marketing), the dance continues to take hold in locales all across the world. To appreciate salsa is to understand that this dance can be expressed in many forms.

One thing that is not controversial about salsa, which demands one leads, while the other follows, would be its popularity. In a general sense, the salsa beat remains fast and varied, no matter where you might be.

Salsa Styles

Many forms of salsa involve dancers shifting their weight by stepping. At the same time, they will keep their bodies level, as unaffected by the weight distribution change as humanly possible. The way the weight shifts will then cause your hips to move. Movements with your arms and shoulders are common, as well.

Nonetheless, while there are some similarities amongst the various forms of salsa, it is important to understand that the different types of salsa are distinguished from one another for a reason:

1. Colombian/Cali style: This style utilizes strong influences from the dances to Caribbean rhythms that appeared before salsa.
2. Cuban style/Casino: This style comes from Cuban partner dances.
3. Miami-style Casino: This style combines Casino elements with some significant influences from American culture.
4. Rueda de Casino: Developed in Havana, this style is characterized by pairs of dancers forming circles.
5. L.A. style: Combines Latin Hustle with dance styles like swing, Argentine tango, and even Latin ballroom.
6. New York style: There are two things about New York style that are quite interesting. In the first place, New York style is danced on the 2nd beat of the music. In the second place, New York style has the follower stepping forward for the 1st measure of the music, which is something the leader normally does.

Salsa has so much to offer.