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INSTRUCTOR REVIEW 
(Originally posted on Salsaweb NY on 11/98)

Few people are aware of Evelyn Ramos in New York. Though she has been teaching for quite some time she rarely receives the recognition which I think she deserves. Evelyn has been teaching 8 out of her 9 years of mambo dancing. She has the distinction of not only being the first female instructor reviewed in Manhattan, but is also one of the longest teaching lone female instructors in the New York area. You can say that she has helped paved the way for many of the current women now teaching in New York. She started taking classes with David Melendez and later with Eddie Torres. She began to teach for David after attending his school for a year. A year after that (1995) she opened up her own class and has been teaching on her own ever since. Evelyn has formed part of the Starlite Dance Company, The Eddie Torres Dancers and is currently the Director of the Salsabor Dancers. She has performed at Madison Square Garden (1994 Salsa Festival), The Apollo Theater (1994 Tribute to Mario Bauza), Puerto Rican Theater Fundrasier with Eddie Torres and at the First Congreso Mundial de Salsa in Puerto Rico. She has also appeared on several music videos like the Tito Puente/Hilton Ruiz "Hand On Percussion" (Mambo Vibe), Eddie Palmieri’s "Al La Ba Lucy" and the Mambo Kings’s "Dance City". 

I recently was able to visit Evelyn’s Saturday Level I & II Beginner/Intermediate class over at the Boy’s Harbor Community Center. From the get go I could tell that Evelyn was a gem of a woman who radiates a warm and friendly atmosphere. She is very supportive to her students and watches over them much like a mother does over her offspring. Even the causal observer could tell the great sense of pride and joy she derives from watching her student progress.

Evelyn’s Saturday class is broken down into 2 main segments. The first half of the class focuses on drilling students with floor shines. She provides her students with a list of shines hanging on the wall in front of the class. During class, Evelyn calls out each shine one at a time and carefully breaks them down so that everyone can understand how to properly perform them. After a couple of practices she’ll asks if everyone has got it. If there is any doubt that someone may be having trouble, she’ll review the whole shine over again just to make sure. Even if no one claims to have a problem she’ll review the shine again anyway. Evelyn will drill each shine without music and later do them to music to make sure that students understand how to execute them according to the count and tempo of the clave.

The remaining half of the class centers on turn patterns (partner work). Students are asked to partner up and form a circle around Evelyn. Evelyn chooses a couple of turn patterns for the class to practice and master for the day. Each pattern is gradually reviewed so that students remember the sequence of moves in the turn pattern first before learning to break it down to the timing of the clave. Students periodically rotate to get use to dancing with different partners and to help pair stronger dancers with weaker ones.

I’ve mentioned in the past how difficult it is for female mambo instructors to get the credit, respect and recognition they deserve. Evelyn has fought against the tide, is still afloat and refuses to sink. Only her passion for teaching and dancing has allowed her to overcome the many obstacles which she has faced over the years. Her ability to exist has only benefited her students. The women in her class have gained the opportunity of emulating her female styling moves (something that even the best of male teachers can’t do); while their male counterparts have gained the opportunity to practice with a caliber dancer that most would not dare approach at their current stages of leading. It was evident that the men in her class respected and admire her as much as her female students do.

Evelyn's Style in a nutshell
If I were to sum up and compare Evelyn’s style to other Mambo instructors I would say that she has a very clean, simple yet sensual style of mambo dancing. She has the years of experience, the enthusiasm and the pure determination which most other female instructors are lacking. Her love of mambo is stamped on everything she does. She is simple, down to earth, easy to approach, has a lovely sense of humor and a smile which tells people how much she really enjoys what she is doing. Its this combination of traits that puts her students at ease and relaxes them even when learning what may seem to be difficult dance skills. So if you live or work in Upper Manhattan or are looking for another choice in weekend classes then Evelyn Ramos may be the instructor for you.

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Contact Info:

• Phone (347)739-0590
• e-mail:   BxLady171@yahoo.com