July 29, 2005
open hold
1,2,3 R-L alarde (hat) on 1 and keep it there (follower could be facing slightly towards R of the line on 1) and get into cross body lead position – aim L-R slightly towards L of the line on 3
5,6,7 lead follower to a reverse or inside 1 1/2 turn (L-R is aimed towards R of the line on 5 and is raised while letting go with R-L) – facing each other on 8
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic and get back into open hold
1,2,3 R-L alarde (hat) again on 1 and keep it there and get into cross body lead position – similar to the first 1,2,3 except I think L-R can be more extended this time
5,6,7 lead follower to an inside 1/2 turn keeping all connection (optional: R-L can say on follower’s shoulder if we are to follow last week’s model) – facing each other on 8 with a twisted hold with R-L on top
1,2,3 open break on 1 (today’s version involved simply stooping slightly on 1) and overtake on 2,3 while turning follower about 1/2 turn counterclockwise (?) with R-L ending in front of follower’s R shoulder and L-R in front of follower’s L shoulder (we are both facing the same direction with follower on my R)
5,6,7 turn follower around in 1/2 counterclockwise walk (both are using crossing over step on 5 – the aim for the leader is to get out of the way and get into cross body lead position by beat 8 towards the direction the follower was facing on 1)
1,2,3 stylized slide on 1 then get into cross body position is probably the best here – R-L stays on follower’s R neck/shoulder while L-R is extended behind follower on her R side to achieve another twisting motion (with follower facing slightly towards the R of the line on 1) … aim L-R slightly towards L of the line once again
5,6,7 lead follower to a reverse or inside 1 1/2 turn (L-R is aimed towards R of the line on 5 and is raised while letting go with R-L) – on 7, leader does a pivot clockwise 1/2 turn while letting go L-R and catch follower’s R hand with my R hand – both facing same direction with leader in front and to right of follower on 8
1,2,3 this is a tricky bit – R-R is tossed (very gently) while the follower is led so that she does not do a free turn but instead step forward with her L hand in front of her so that I catch her L hand with my R hand to reconnect R-L -- I'm not at all sure that any kind of toss can be used here and I’m not totally sure that the last connection is R-L. Instead, it might be L-L [note added July 30 – there probably is open break start on 1 and then pulling follower forward on 2 and the toss probably happens on 2/3 to R forward direction of follower’s line. This is my best solution at the moment.]
5,6,7 lead follower to a full counterclockwise turn - R-L probably goes to R on 5 as follower is lead forward, then in counterclockwise motion at waist level so that R-L does a kind of waist wrap of the follower and is centered on follower’s R front waist – both facing same direction with follower in front and slightly (?) to left of the leader on 8
1,2,3 unwrap follower by leading follower to a 1/2 clockwise turn and switch to L-L [note added on July 30 – In my analysis, this unwrap is probably initiated on 1 and the follower probably wants to use a hook turn to turn, and switch to L-L can be done by 3.]
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and lead her to a free spin clockwise and do a spin myself (either direction would work although clockwise would entail waiting a little longer)
I suspect that such a long routine was completed in this class due to a multitude of factors including (1) reverse (inside) turn after cross body start, which is somewhat unusual and should have been difficult for new students (and there were many people in today’s class), was done three different times with very similar starting point so that even the newbies got a chance to get comfortable with it and (2) A well-regarded leader came to the class (for the very first time) and I think Johnny and Serap probably wanted to make sure that he got his money’s worth.
I got into a conversation about the UK Salsa congress with someone who already has booked. I’ve been thinking about it for couple of weeks but haven’t committed. I’m not sure if going to a congress would make it too big a deal for me; there’s interruption to work to consider; and there’s the L factor (this might be ovethinking it). Most of the competent leaders seemed pretty uninspired and left without dancing very much tonight. So somewhat like on Wednesday, I tried to pick on as many new faces as possible, many of them beginners but also few not-so-bad intermediate followers whom I found enjoyable to dance with. I think one particular cute-looking intermediate was picked as a target by some of the better leaders after they saw her dancing a couple of decent dances with me. One wild dance with an overly enthusiastic but completely un-lead-able woman was particularly memorable. I somehow ended up staying around to closing time (last song was a possibly unintentional jitterbug bonus for the ballroom crowd).
Casino Rueda with Helen & Rhona - week 14 over all - abbreviated and nothing new
July 28, 2005
Odd session. I originally thought that whole bunch of beginners apparently moved up to the intermediate level while a lot of the regular intermediate people were not in attendance today. Some of the beginners had been there as long as I had before I made the move to intermediates. Then again, I don’t think Rhona and Helen slowed down the class very much for me when I moved up. In any case, it turned out that a private party had been booked starting at 8 PM so that there was only one hour of class. Also, the beginners were still being referred to as beginners. It would seem that many of the people may have received an e-mail about today’s situation, which I did not get.
No new routines were learned today.
Apparently, Vishal is trying to get Helen and Rhona to move the class to Mondays (with a club starting after the Rueda class). This is another apparent power move to overtake Po Na Na as the premiere salsa destination on Mondays. I’m not sure what to make of it, especially considering that I dropped Mondays from my weekly salsa calender for the moment. I also didn’t think that I’d stay with Rueda for more than few months at most. I wonder if Vishal has another salsa teacher lined up or if he has a whole different plan altogether for Thursdays. It would be interesting to see if Rueda indeed moves to Mondays and if this would result in a direct competition with Peter and Cinzia (assuming they are still teaching on Mondays with Patricio).
Odd session. I originally thought that whole bunch of beginners apparently moved up to the intermediate level while a lot of the regular intermediate people were not in attendance today. Some of the beginners had been there as long as I had before I made the move to intermediates. Then again, I don’t think Rhona and Helen slowed down the class very much for me when I moved up. In any case, it turned out that a private party had been booked starting at 8 PM so that there was only one hour of class. Also, the beginners were still being referred to as beginners. It would seem that many of the people may have received an e-mail about today’s situation, which I did not get.
No new routines were learned today.
Apparently, Vishal is trying to get Helen and Rhona to move the class to Mondays (with a club starting after the Rueda class). This is another apparent power move to overtake Po Na Na as the premiere salsa destination on Mondays. I’m not sure what to make of it, especially considering that I dropped Mondays from my weekly salsa calender for the moment. I also didn’t think that I’d stay with Rueda for more than few months at most. I wonder if Vishal has another salsa teacher lined up or if he has a whole different plan altogether for Thursdays. It would be interesting to see if Rueda indeed moves to Mondays and if this would result in a direct competition with Peter and Cinzia (assuming they are still teaching on Mondays with Patricio).
Dropped in on Weds club - still very crowded, still an intermediate
July 27, 2005
Whoa! Wednesdays are still very popular and packed at Club Salsa; on par with Fridays. This isn’t to say that the level of dancers on Wednesdays was exceptional. I have seen more top Cambridge salsa dancers both on Fridays at Club Salsa and on Mondays at Po Na Na over last year. Then again, I haven’t seen very many top LA stylists in large numbers anywhere in Cambridge very often this summer.
I saw Helen (of Rhona & Helen) for the first time at Club Salsa on any day aside from Thursdays and had a LA style dance with her shortly before she left. My dance with Rhona was made simplified because I was distracted (and was feeling trapped) by practically stationary couple “dancing” next to us. My last set of dances seemed to both entertain and amuse my dance partner, especially the first one, presumably because she was surprised by my progress in last month or so. In between all those dances, I made a conscious effort to dance with beginners whom I really didn’t know very well and largely avoiding or missing improvers and intermediates. I was doing this to “test” whether I was an intermediate – described as ones who love to dance with everyone by one Salsa Mafia treatise. Considering that I wasn’t finding my dances with beginners a total waste of time (yet), I guess I must still be considered an intermediate (say advanced intermediate as opposed to beginning advanced at least by Cambridge standard) by this definition.
Is there a Cambridge version of Salsa Mafia? If so, who would belong to it? This would be some of the teachers. I would also guess that there might be more female Mafs than males in Cambridge while the opposite is probably true in London. [Added October 1, 2005 - I'm not sure if I agree with previous statement at all now. I think that it is just as likely if not more for good leaders to line up to dance with best followers in Cambridge. Even more complete portrayal is that there are people of both gender who are thrilled to dance with someone who is at highest level or beyond of their usual circle of dance partners.] Who would be considered A-level or B-level dancers? How would they be graded if they danced in London (my guess would be that a solid A level in Cambridge might be considered B+ in London).
Whoa! Wednesdays are still very popular and packed at Club Salsa; on par with Fridays. This isn’t to say that the level of dancers on Wednesdays was exceptional. I have seen more top Cambridge salsa dancers both on Fridays at Club Salsa and on Mondays at Po Na Na over last year. Then again, I haven’t seen very many top LA stylists in large numbers anywhere in Cambridge very often this summer.
I saw Helen (of Rhona & Helen) for the first time at Club Salsa on any day aside from Thursdays and had a LA style dance with her shortly before she left. My dance with Rhona was made simplified because I was distracted (and was feeling trapped) by practically stationary couple “dancing” next to us. My last set of dances seemed to both entertain and amuse my dance partner, especially the first one, presumably because she was surprised by my progress in last month or so. In between all those dances, I made a conscious effort to dance with beginners whom I really didn’t know very well and largely avoiding or missing improvers and intermediates. I was doing this to “test” whether I was an intermediate – described as ones who love to dance with everyone by one Salsa Mafia treatise. Considering that I wasn’t finding my dances with beginners a total waste of time (yet), I guess I must still be considered an intermediate (say advanced intermediate as opposed to beginning advanced at least by Cambridge standard) by this definition.
Is there a Cambridge version of Salsa Mafia? If so, who would belong to it? This would be some of the teachers. I would also guess that there might be more female Mafs than males in Cambridge while the opposite is probably true in London. [Added October 1, 2005 - I'm not sure if I agree with previous statement at all now. I think that it is just as likely if not more for good leaders to line up to dance with best followers in Cambridge. Even more complete portrayal is that there are people of both gender who are thrilled to dance with someone who is at highest level or beyond of their usual circle of dance partners.] Who would be considered A-level or B-level dancers? How would they be graded if they danced in London (my guess would be that a solid A level in Cambridge might be considered B+ in London).
Salsa Mafia
July 25, 2005
I found a very amusing salsa website called Salsa Mafia thanks to elder John. There is a lot of (often amusing) content including helpful hints, commentaries on instructors from all over the world, a big section on complaints, and reasons for taking up salsa in the first place.
[note added July 30, Salsa Mafia site has been down for last 2-3 days. Hopefully, they'll return soon because I was hoping to use some of their material.]
I also found a potentially useful (fairly new) directory of salsa classes and clubs in London.
I found a very amusing salsa website called Salsa Mafia thanks to elder John. There is a lot of (often amusing) content including helpful hints, commentaries on instructors from all over the world, a big section on complaints, and reasons for taking up salsa in the first place.
[note added July 30, Salsa Mafia site has been down for last 2-3 days. Hopefully, they'll return soon because I was hoping to use some of their material.]
I also found a potentially useful (fairly new) directory of salsa classes and clubs in London.
Cutting down - Johnny & Serap Advanced
July 22, 2005
It looks like I'm cutting down number of salsa classes to about 2 per week - Johnny & Serap classes on Fridays, Casino Rueda on Thursdays if I have time to spare, and occasional trips to London on Sundays - at least for next month or so. I suspect I will be learning less and less from Casino Rueda class, which is still good deal of fun mostly because the participants are of reliable quality (ranging from fair to very good). There is plenty to learn from Friday classes, but unfortunately there are precious few who could follow the lessons in Cambridge to help me practice the routines from the class. The club scene on Mondays at Po Na Na has been quite atrocious for couple of months, which led to me to take a break from going there (even though Peter is informative and helpful and Cinzia is really nice to dance with - then again I'm not even sure if they're still there). I never liked Sundays at Greens, and Wednesdays lessons at Club Salsa are too inconvenient for me to be worth making effort to go every week.
open hold
1,2,3 pivot turn 1/2 clockwise with R-L high and L-R low – R-L goes over my head to end on the R side while L-R is at my back R waist and both facing same direction – this is essentially another way to start cross body lead meaning I need to clear space on my R side so that the follower can pass through on 5,6,7
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and lead follower to a full counterclockwise turn with R-L high and follow follower near the end of the turn for a 1/2 counterclockwise turn of my own and end with both arms outstretched (essentially reverse Titanic or Titanic with leader in front)
1,2,3 continue L-R in a counterclockwise motion over follower’s head, then L-R comes towards my head and over it (while keeping L-R at my R neck as my L arm goes over my head) and get into another cross body lead position
version 1
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and then lead follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-R high and letting go R-L and end with open hold
version 2
5,6,7 R-L makes a hat for the follower as follower is lead forward on 5, then when hat is completed, lead follower to a reverse turn (clockwise) while keeping R-L on follower’s R shoulder throughout (and through the next 1,2,3,5,6,7 as well)
1,2,3 open break then move forward while keeping R-L on follower’s R shoulder, which ends up being a neck wrap
5,6,7 lead follower backwards
1,2,3 cross body lead (slide to R or a.k.a. future forward direction for follower on 5,6,7)
5,6,7 lead follower to a 1 1/2 reverse (clockwise) turn with L-R high and letting go R-L
Some of the followers for the lesson were decent, so I more or less learned the routine okay. There wasn’t all that much opportunity to practice it much afterwards except with a small number of people from the class and with Serap and one other from outside the class. There were some good dances, one in particular stood out, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had been another half a dozen like it (a la SOS the other day) so that I could really get into the groove. When I tried today’s routine with Serap during the club hours, I (intentionally) did the first version first, which led her to think that I made a mistake, and things degenerated as usual; it’s always difficult to please your instructor. Despite Johnny's (encouraging although not quite accurate) comment couple of weeks ago, "your technique is perfect," dances like ones with Serap is a good reminder that there is still a lot of work to do. By the way, Serap asked about this blog, and I’ll e-mail her the address tomorrow; hopefully nothing here will offend her sensibility. Although she didn’t reveal her source, it’s an easy guess as there are only ~5 others in all of Cambridge who are aware of this blog - hi Peter! There was a deflating but thought-provoking dance where my dance partner seemingly wanted my arms absolutely still except for minimum movement needed for leading. This is not exactly an unfamiliar sentiment because I also think that too many followers, who swing their arms wildly and unnecessarily to the point of distraction. I was trying my “act as I am having a great time” routine I used at SOS with most people I danced with, but this did not help with everyone. Rest of the dance was passable to laughable; I initially thought that one woman I danced near the end might have been drunk but her later dance with another good leader seemed to indicate that she simply had no idea how to follow simplest LA style moves. I received a ribbing from one of the regulars that I had become too good when I told him that I wasn’t feeling especially inspired to dance. I mentioned possibility of getting a regular dance partner and the same regular asked/joked from where I would be importing this person. Ha ha. Several of the regulars commented that salsa scene in Cambridge is not as good during summer; we shall see what autumn brings forth.
It looks like I'm cutting down number of salsa classes to about 2 per week - Johnny & Serap classes on Fridays, Casino Rueda on Thursdays if I have time to spare, and occasional trips to London on Sundays - at least for next month or so. I suspect I will be learning less and less from Casino Rueda class, which is still good deal of fun mostly because the participants are of reliable quality (ranging from fair to very good). There is plenty to learn from Friday classes, but unfortunately there are precious few who could follow the lessons in Cambridge to help me practice the routines from the class. The club scene on Mondays at Po Na Na has been quite atrocious for couple of months, which led to me to take a break from going there (even though Peter is informative and helpful and Cinzia is really nice to dance with - then again I'm not even sure if they're still there). I never liked Sundays at Greens, and Wednesdays lessons at Club Salsa are too inconvenient for me to be worth making effort to go every week.
open hold
1,2,3 pivot turn 1/2 clockwise with R-L high and L-R low – R-L goes over my head to end on the R side while L-R is at my back R waist and both facing same direction – this is essentially another way to start cross body lead meaning I need to clear space on my R side so that the follower can pass through on 5,6,7
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and lead follower to a full counterclockwise turn with R-L high and follow follower near the end of the turn for a 1/2 counterclockwise turn of my own and end with both arms outstretched (essentially reverse Titanic or Titanic with leader in front)
1,2,3 continue L-R in a counterclockwise motion over follower’s head, then L-R comes towards my head and over it (while keeping L-R at my R neck as my L arm goes over my head) and get into another cross body lead position
version 1
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and then lead follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-R high and letting go R-L and end with open hold
version 2
5,6,7 R-L makes a hat for the follower as follower is lead forward on 5, then when hat is completed, lead follower to a reverse turn (clockwise) while keeping R-L on follower’s R shoulder throughout (and through the next 1,2,3,5,6,7 as well)
1,2,3 open break then move forward while keeping R-L on follower’s R shoulder, which ends up being a neck wrap
5,6,7 lead follower backwards
1,2,3 cross body lead (slide to R or a.k.a. future forward direction for follower on 5,6,7)
5,6,7 lead follower to a 1 1/2 reverse (clockwise) turn with L-R high and letting go R-L
Some of the followers for the lesson were decent, so I more or less learned the routine okay. There wasn’t all that much opportunity to practice it much afterwards except with a small number of people from the class and with Serap and one other from outside the class. There were some good dances, one in particular stood out, but I would have enjoyed it more if there had been another half a dozen like it (a la SOS the other day) so that I could really get into the groove. When I tried today’s routine with Serap during the club hours, I (intentionally) did the first version first, which led her to think that I made a mistake, and things degenerated as usual; it’s always difficult to please your instructor. Despite Johnny's (encouraging although not quite accurate) comment couple of weeks ago, "your technique is perfect," dances like ones with Serap is a good reminder that there is still a lot of work to do. By the way, Serap asked about this blog, and I’ll e-mail her the address tomorrow; hopefully nothing here will offend her sensibility. Although she didn’t reveal her source, it’s an easy guess as there are only ~5 others in all of Cambridge who are aware of this blog - hi Peter! There was a deflating but thought-provoking dance where my dance partner seemingly wanted my arms absolutely still except for minimum movement needed for leading. This is not exactly an unfamiliar sentiment because I also think that too many followers, who swing their arms wildly and unnecessarily to the point of distraction. I was trying my “act as I am having a great time” routine I used at SOS with most people I danced with, but this did not help with everyone. Rest of the dance was passable to laughable; I initially thought that one woman I danced near the end might have been drunk but her later dance with another good leader seemed to indicate that she simply had no idea how to follow simplest LA style moves. I received a ribbing from one of the regulars that I had become too good when I told him that I wasn’t feeling especially inspired to dance. I mentioned possibility of getting a regular dance partner and the same regular asked/joked from where I would be importing this person. Ha ha. Several of the regulars commented that salsa scene in Cambridge is not as good during summer; we shall see what autumn brings forth.
Casino Rueda with Helen & Rhona - week 13 over all - 7th week in intermediate
July 21, 2005
Siete loco
1,2,3 Siete start – make R-L connection at my L shoulder
5,6,7 two-handed unwrap and more (this ends up being about 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn for the follower) and move to the R side via inside the Rueda circle and rolling counterclockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead with twisted-open hold (R-L on top???)
1,2,3 full turn counterclockwise (???) for both …
5,6,7 … ending with a wrap for the follower down to waist
1,2,3 exhibela start
5,6,7 exhibela end with another wrap where R-L in on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 exhibea start
5,6,7 exhibela end with hat for the leader
1,2,3 all let go and start Dile que no
5,6,7 finish Dile que no
From Tuma Francessa
Se fue (or some call other than Arriba)
on next R-R connection
5,6,7 move follower behind on the outside of the Rueda circle (instead of moving to the outside) and change to L-R on 8
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 accomodating steps?
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
From Siga may
in line
there is no change of partner in enchufe
there is change of parter in enchufe doble (after accommodating + Dile que no)
Rhona made an adjustment for Kentucky with me (to end with more of an angle than 180) on beats 4 and 8 during the first bar.
Siete loco
1,2,3 Siete start – make R-L connection at my L shoulder
5,6,7 two-handed unwrap and more (this ends up being about 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn for the follower) and move to the R side via inside the Rueda circle and rolling counterclockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead with twisted-open hold (R-L on top???)
1,2,3 full turn counterclockwise (???) for both …
5,6,7 … ending with a wrap for the follower down to waist
1,2,3 exhibela start
5,6,7 exhibela end with another wrap where R-L in on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 exhibea start
5,6,7 exhibela end with hat for the leader
1,2,3 all let go and start Dile que no
5,6,7 finish Dile que no
From Tuma Francessa
Se fue (or some call other than Arriba)
on next R-R connection
5,6,7 move follower behind on the outside of the Rueda circle (instead of moving to the outside) and change to L-R on 8
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 accomodating steps?
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
From Siga may
in line
there is no change of partner in enchufe
there is change of parter in enchufe doble (after accommodating + Dile que no)
Rhona made an adjustment for Kentucky with me (to end with more of an angle than 180) on beats 4 and 8 during the first bar.
What a treat! - SOS
July 17, 2005
open hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with R-R
1,2,3 open break L-L underneath R-R lead follower to in place 1/2 clockwise turn into Titanic
5,6,7 follower should take a step forward on 5 – let go of L-L and with R-R high lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R ending on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 reconnect L-L in front of follower (in her cross body lead path) and prepare for cross body lead
5,6,7 lead follower to a reverse turn (clockwise) for 1 1/2 turn with L-L high and R-R let go (could try for 2 1/2 but this will be difficult … might even have to settle for 1/2 turn) – on 8, do a clockwise 1/2 turn myself with L-L going over my head and at the end R reaching for follower’s R waist
1,2,3 I think this is another open break with follower overtaking on my back side (meaning I need to clear this space)
5,6,7 lead L-L forward on 5 (along follower’s path so that she gets to the right place) then lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L kept low (thus ending behind follower’s back R waist)
1,2,3 R hand goes to follower’s R shoulder – forward on 1 (try to overtake for effective twisting) and then get into cross body lead position
5,6,7 lead follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L starting low to unwrap then ending high – on 7, do a full clockwise(?) turn with L-L low so that it ends behind my R waist
1,2,3 make R-R connection in front and cross body lead start
5,6,7 lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn and turn myself at the same time so that I end up unwrapping myself – hat is given to the follower on next 1 (I think with L-L)
For night that ended wonderfully, the start of it all was quite unpromising. It wasn’t until around 4:30 PM that I was sure of going to SOS. Dinner was taken care of with fish and chips on Tavistock Place. Around 6:50 PM, I found myself in front of a barricade and being informed that Mary Ward House (and the whole area) was closed because of 7/7 bombing that destroyed a bus in Tavistock Square. Only a small hesitation and lingering around allowed me to find that SOS was moved temporarily to a nearby Hotel. The lesson was fairly difficult and the followers were not very good. This problem was exacerbated because the lessons were done on carpet. The first 3-4 dances were quite terrible and I was getting quite discouraged. Then things improved steadily and by the end I was very happy. Especially towards the end, I felt like I was doing an excellent job of connecting with my partners by first acting as if I’m enjoying dancing with them and then go on to really enjoy dancing with them (eye contact and smiling is very useful for this). I also ran into a familiar face from Cambridge, who apparently likes SOS. Even though this was only my fourth visit to SOS (once each in January, May, June and today), the SOS staff members (e.g. cashier and some of the instructors) are beginning to recognize me.
open hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with R-R
1,2,3 open break L-L underneath R-R lead follower to in place 1/2 clockwise turn into Titanic
5,6,7 follower should take a step forward on 5 – let go of L-L and with R-R high lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R ending on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 reconnect L-L in front of follower (in her cross body lead path) and prepare for cross body lead
5,6,7 lead follower to a reverse turn (clockwise) for 1 1/2 turn with L-L high and R-R let go (could try for 2 1/2 but this will be difficult … might even have to settle for 1/2 turn) – on 8, do a clockwise 1/2 turn myself with L-L going over my head and at the end R reaching for follower’s R waist
1,2,3 I think this is another open break with follower overtaking on my back side (meaning I need to clear this space)
5,6,7 lead L-L forward on 5 (along follower’s path so that she gets to the right place) then lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L kept low (thus ending behind follower’s back R waist)
1,2,3 R hand goes to follower’s R shoulder – forward on 1 (try to overtake for effective twisting) and then get into cross body lead position
5,6,7 lead follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-L starting low to unwrap then ending high – on 7, do a full clockwise(?) turn with L-L low so that it ends behind my R waist
1,2,3 make R-R connection in front and cross body lead start
5,6,7 lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn and turn myself at the same time so that I end up unwrapping myself – hat is given to the follower on next 1 (I think with L-L)
For night that ended wonderfully, the start of it all was quite unpromising. It wasn’t until around 4:30 PM that I was sure of going to SOS. Dinner was taken care of with fish and chips on Tavistock Place. Around 6:50 PM, I found myself in front of a barricade and being informed that Mary Ward House (and the whole area) was closed because of 7/7 bombing that destroyed a bus in Tavistock Square. Only a small hesitation and lingering around allowed me to find that SOS was moved temporarily to a nearby Hotel. The lesson was fairly difficult and the followers were not very good. This problem was exacerbated because the lessons were done on carpet. The first 3-4 dances were quite terrible and I was getting quite discouraged. Then things improved steadily and by the end I was very happy. Especially towards the end, I felt like I was doing an excellent job of connecting with my partners by first acting as if I’m enjoying dancing with them and then go on to really enjoy dancing with them (eye contact and smiling is very useful for this). I also ran into a familiar face from Cambridge, who apparently likes SOS. Even though this was only my fourth visit to SOS (once each in January, May, June and today), the SOS staff members (e.g. cashier and some of the instructors) are beginning to recognize me.
After the jamboree with mind warped - Johnny & Serap Advanced
July 15, 2005
1,2,3 pivot 1/2 turn (counterclockwise!) with L-R high ending on R shoulder
5,6,7 side to side as L-R goes high and around in counterclockwise motion ending by R waist so that both of follower’s hands end up in my R hand
1,2,3 open break (both facing same direction with follower in the back) and bring follower to R side
5,6,7 lead follower forward and then to a full counterclockwise turn with R-R ending on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 prepare follower (twisting motion – my stance opens up then closes)
5,6,7 lead follower to clockwise turn (1 1/2 or 2 1/2) with R-R high
1,2,3 cross body lead (ready for R-R hand lead)
5,6,7 finish cross body lead
1,2,3 prepare follower (side to side) with both hands
5,6,7 lead follower to single, double or triple turn depending on the follower end with crossed hold with L-L on top
1,2,3 pivot 1/2 turn (counterclockwise!) ending in reverse Titantic (leader in front)
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 with R-R and release R-R and do a full counterclockwise turn to get back face-to-face with follower ending with another crossed hold with L-L on top
1,2,3 open break then ending with outstretched arms position (reverse cross body)
5,6,7 either let follower do a shine with arms outstretched for X number of bars as follower desires or finish reverse cross body lead by leading follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn
Annotation jamboree left my mind somewhat dazed and I felt like a zombie during the lesson. Things got better afterwards. I had fairly good number of dances (possibly made better by digging up and using older easier Cuban style routines), but it felt as if I was begging for half-dances with “better” followers. At least it wasn’t as bad as last week as some dances worked fairly well at decent level with both partners seemingly getting enjoyment out of it (notably including a dance with someone whom I remember mocking me claiming that I was making up routines several months ago when I was still trying to get to intermediate level). Perhaps I’ll change my mind later but having a regular partner could make this a lot more fun. Thus I am very much looking forward to, impatient for, and a bit apprehensive (what if it doesn’t work out?) about the end of August. Until then, I probably will have to resort to using (or abusing) London Salsa scene to practice LA style satisfactorily.
1,2,3 pivot 1/2 turn (counterclockwise!) with L-R high ending on R shoulder
5,6,7 side to side as L-R goes high and around in counterclockwise motion ending by R waist so that both of follower’s hands end up in my R hand
1,2,3 open break (both facing same direction with follower in the back) and bring follower to R side
5,6,7 lead follower forward and then to a full counterclockwise turn with R-R ending on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 prepare follower (twisting motion – my stance opens up then closes)
5,6,7 lead follower to clockwise turn (1 1/2 or 2 1/2) with R-R high
1,2,3 cross body lead (ready for R-R hand lead)
5,6,7 finish cross body lead
1,2,3 prepare follower (side to side) with both hands
5,6,7 lead follower to single, double or triple turn depending on the follower end with crossed hold with L-L on top
1,2,3 pivot 1/2 turn (counterclockwise!) ending in reverse Titantic (leader in front)
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 with R-R and release R-R and do a full counterclockwise turn to get back face-to-face with follower ending with another crossed hold with L-L on top
1,2,3 open break then ending with outstretched arms position (reverse cross body)
5,6,7 either let follower do a shine with arms outstretched for X number of bars as follower desires or finish reverse cross body lead by leading follower to a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn
Annotation jamboree left my mind somewhat dazed and I felt like a zombie during the lesson. Things got better afterwards. I had fairly good number of dances (possibly made better by digging up and using older easier Cuban style routines), but it felt as if I was begging for half-dances with “better” followers. At least it wasn’t as bad as last week as some dances worked fairly well at decent level with both partners seemingly getting enjoyment out of it (notably including a dance with someone whom I remember mocking me claiming that I was making up routines several months ago when I was still trying to get to intermediate level). Perhaps I’ll change my mind later but having a regular partner could make this a lot more fun. Thus I am very much looking forward to, impatient for, and a bit apprehensive (what if it doesn’t work out?) about the end of August. Until then, I probably will have to resort to using (or abusing) London Salsa scene to practice LA style satisfactorily.
Horrible week continues – Johnny & Serap Advanced
July 8, 2005
There was nothing wrong with the lesson. The problem was no one was competent enough to follow it well to give me proper feedback. I wonder if I will be able to retain this. Johnny quipped later that this type of routine is common in London.
R-R hold
1,2,3 open break, then overtake with R-R slightly outstretched (towards my front and to left) – leader and follower are more or less next to each other shoulder-to-shoulder
5,6,7 circular motion with R-R to lead follower to a clockwise walk – ending behind the leader and slightly to right (R-R goes under my raised L arm)
1,2,3 open break on 1, L hand (L arm is arched) is offered at about armpit level very close to body and follower is led forward under L-L
5,6,7 follower is led (with R-R) to right and behind under arched R-R
1,2,3 let go L-L and do a half pivot counterclockwise turn and reconnect L-L high (R-R is behind my back at waist level)
5,6,7 lead follower to counterclockwise walk for half turn – pull L-L backwards first then raise it over follower’s head to have it land behind follower’s head on her L shoulder
1,2,3 lead follower to the R side and letting go L-L (follower is moving counterclockwise again going bend me)
5,6,7 lead follower forward to reverse turn (1 1/2 clockwise turn) – so lead follower forward on 5 with R-R then turn on 6,7 – preferably after the first turn, get L-L low and have it follow R-R to end with crossed hold with L-L over R-R
1,2,3 pivot turn (half counterclockwise turn) ending with reverse Titanic (men in front) – probably best to keep hands pointing up
5,6,7 step forward on 5 while drawing R-R closer to body (neck really) and let go while doing a full counterclockwise turn (idea is that follower ends up with half counterclockwise walk to end in open position)
Club scene looked promising at start but was ultimately a big let down with very little satisfactory practice of today’s lesson. I’m already looking desperately forward to the end of August (but it's still long away and it may not lead to any improvement). I figured out who Crystal (Angelique’s sister with stitches) is. Dancing with Nancy (predominantly Rueda based) was the most successful to date.
One suspicion I have (hopefully just paranoia) is that I'm developing a reputation for leading too many difficult moves indiscriminately. Some people seemed a little wary or even scared. I don't know if Crystal tells everyone who she dances with about her stitches (so as not to overstrain her). Even Angelique seemed to need a break before dancing with me (and ultimately left without a single dance together). Or maybe my lack of confidence or irritation (brought upon by a poor week followed by a rather frustrating lesson) showed through. Even though Serap commends me for smoother leads (thanks to Sergio, Ivan, Dee and other LA style instructors) and improving timing (thanks mostly to Rueda - Rhona, Helen, Cinzia, Peter, etc), these improvements are not universally appreciated (or seemingly even liked sometimes). Towards the end of the evening, I was looking at some people who were using medium fancy moves but with poor timing - not differenciating between dancing on-1 and on-5; however they seemed not to notice and seemed to have had a great time.
This was the day of the great frog escape in the car park. 19/20 recovered.
There was nothing wrong with the lesson. The problem was no one was competent enough to follow it well to give me proper feedback. I wonder if I will be able to retain this. Johnny quipped later that this type of routine is common in London.
R-R hold
1,2,3 open break, then overtake with R-R slightly outstretched (towards my front and to left) – leader and follower are more or less next to each other shoulder-to-shoulder
5,6,7 circular motion with R-R to lead follower to a clockwise walk – ending behind the leader and slightly to right (R-R goes under my raised L arm)
1,2,3 open break on 1, L hand (L arm is arched) is offered at about armpit level very close to body and follower is led forward under L-L
5,6,7 follower is led (with R-R) to right and behind under arched R-R
1,2,3 let go L-L and do a half pivot counterclockwise turn and reconnect L-L high (R-R is behind my back at waist level)
5,6,7 lead follower to counterclockwise walk for half turn – pull L-L backwards first then raise it over follower’s head to have it land behind follower’s head on her L shoulder
1,2,3 lead follower to the R side and letting go L-L (follower is moving counterclockwise again going bend me)
5,6,7 lead follower forward to reverse turn (1 1/2 clockwise turn) – so lead follower forward on 5 with R-R then turn on 6,7 – preferably after the first turn, get L-L low and have it follow R-R to end with crossed hold with L-L over R-R
1,2,3 pivot turn (half counterclockwise turn) ending with reverse Titanic (men in front) – probably best to keep hands pointing up
5,6,7 step forward on 5 while drawing R-R closer to body (neck really) and let go while doing a full counterclockwise turn (idea is that follower ends up with half counterclockwise walk to end in open position)
Club scene looked promising at start but was ultimately a big let down with very little satisfactory practice of today’s lesson. I’m already looking desperately forward to the end of August (but it's still long away and it may not lead to any improvement). I figured out who Crystal (Angelique’s sister with stitches) is. Dancing with Nancy (predominantly Rueda based) was the most successful to date.
One suspicion I have (hopefully just paranoia) is that I'm developing a reputation for leading too many difficult moves indiscriminately. Some people seemed a little wary or even scared. I don't know if Crystal tells everyone who she dances with about her stitches (so as not to overstrain her). Even Angelique seemed to need a break before dancing with me (and ultimately left without a single dance together). Or maybe my lack of confidence or irritation (brought upon by a poor week followed by a rather frustrating lesson) showed through. Even though Serap commends me for smoother leads (thanks to Sergio, Ivan, Dee and other LA style instructors) and improving timing (thanks mostly to Rueda - Rhona, Helen, Cinzia, Peter, etc), these improvements are not universally appreciated (or seemingly even liked sometimes). Towards the end of the evening, I was looking at some people who were using medium fancy moves but with poor timing - not differenciating between dancing on-1 and on-5; however they seemed not to notice and seemed to have had a great time.
This was the day of the great frog escape in the car park. 19/20 recovered.
Casino Rueda with Helen & Rhona - week 12 over all - 6th week in intermediate
July 7, 2005
Ponle sabor
R-R hold
1,2,3 break or turn hand and exchange places as is done in Once
5,6,7 return to original position
1,2,3 exchange places like Once again
5,6,7 come back under the arm with a small clockwise turn to get into open position
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 hook turn (Ronde)
1,2,3 exhibela start (into the center and back – raise R-R on 3)
5,6,7 lead follower into the center and back with clockwise turn (exhibela)
1,2,3 exhibela start
5,6,7 lead follower into the center and back with clockwise turn (exhibela) – walk into the other side (to follower’s right side)
1,2,3 Siete moderno (use back of L hand to push follower’s R arm outwards to spin follower clockwise but only for quarter turn by catching follower’s L hand with palm of my L hand
5,6,7 Coca cola – lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn (follower does all the traveling getting back to my right side)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
Parada Enchufe (or Enchufe Parada)
with first partner, enchufe con fassa
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 leave partner with a counterclockwise spin with L-R at waist level
with second partner,
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 doble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 leave partner with a counterclockwise spin with L-R above head
with third partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 doble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 treble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 Ronde (hook turn=clockwise) then move to fourth partner
with fourth partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 parriba (thus going back to third partner)
with third partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no followed by…
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dame (thus back to fourth partner and do another Dile que no) – next would be guapea unless another call has been made
Setenta complicado (not sure)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Setenta start
1,2,3 slide back to back
5,6,7 hook turn ?? (someone turns)
1,2,3 Enchufe two-handed
5,6,7 over follower’s head – let all go?
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
Pulpo
1,2,3 Enchufe start and switch to R-R
5,6,7 keep R-R high and walk along Rueda circle in clockwise manner (to left) and go underneath the raised R-R of next couple
keep walking clockwise along the Rueda circle
on next call (Se fue??)
get L hand on R wrist of next follower (whose R-R you just went under)
R hand goes behind my back R waist meanwhile
1,2,3,5,6,7 your L-R follower moves outside of the Rueda circle and gets in front
1,2,3 leader moves to outside while follower goes inside? – only L-R is going up and down
5,6,7 leader moves to inside while follower goes outside? – only L-R is going up and down
upon next call (todos??)
1,2,3 leader moves to outside while follower goes inside? – both arms going up and down
5,6,7 leader moves to inside while follower goes outside? – both arms going up and down
upon next call
all hands are placed on L shoulder (L-R on follower’s shoulder and R-L on leader’s shoulder)
During al medio (after Dame al medio or Enchufe al medio)
con manos can be called – usually followed by pasan los manos
Ponle sabor
R-R hold
1,2,3 break or turn hand and exchange places as is done in Once
5,6,7 return to original position
1,2,3 exchange places like Once again
5,6,7 come back under the arm with a small clockwise turn to get into open position
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 hook turn (Ronde)
1,2,3 exhibela start (into the center and back – raise R-R on 3)
5,6,7 lead follower into the center and back with clockwise turn (exhibela)
1,2,3 exhibela start
5,6,7 lead follower into the center and back with clockwise turn (exhibela) – walk into the other side (to follower’s right side)
1,2,3 Siete moderno (use back of L hand to push follower’s R arm outwards to spin follower clockwise but only for quarter turn by catching follower’s L hand with palm of my L hand
5,6,7 Coca cola – lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn (follower does all the traveling getting back to my right side)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
Parada Enchufe (or Enchufe Parada)
with first partner, enchufe con fassa
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 leave partner with a counterclockwise spin with L-R at waist level
with second partner,
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 doble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 leave partner with a counterclockwise spin with L-R above head
with third partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 doble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 treble (go back)
1,2,3 Enchufe
5,6,7 Ronde (hook turn=clockwise) then move to fourth partner
with fourth partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
1,2,3 enchufe
5,6,7 parriba (thus going back to third partner)
with third partner
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no followed by…
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dame (thus back to fourth partner and do another Dile que no) – next would be guapea unless another call has been made
Setenta complicado (not sure)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Setenta start
1,2,3 slide back to back
5,6,7 hook turn ?? (someone turns)
1,2,3 Enchufe two-handed
5,6,7 over follower’s head – let all go?
1,2,3,5,6,7 Dile que no
Pulpo
1,2,3 Enchufe start and switch to R-R
5,6,7 keep R-R high and walk along Rueda circle in clockwise manner (to left) and go underneath the raised R-R of next couple
keep walking clockwise along the Rueda circle
on next call (Se fue??)
get L hand on R wrist of next follower (whose R-R you just went under)
R hand goes behind my back R waist meanwhile
1,2,3,5,6,7 your L-R follower moves outside of the Rueda circle and gets in front
1,2,3 leader moves to outside while follower goes inside? – only L-R is going up and down
5,6,7 leader moves to inside while follower goes outside? – only L-R is going up and down
upon next call (todos??)
1,2,3 leader moves to outside while follower goes inside? – both arms going up and down
5,6,7 leader moves to inside while follower goes outside? – both arms going up and down
upon next call
all hands are placed on L shoulder (L-R on follower’s shoulder and R-L on leader’s shoulder)
During al medio (after Dame al medio or Enchufe al medio)
con manos can be called – usually followed by pasan los manos
Wednesday practice - way too crowded
July 6, 2005
This was a horrible night for salsa dancing – too crowded, too many non-salsa dancers on the dance floor, flooding problem. I was in bad form. I was especially bothered by mistakes in my Apache note (now corrected – I was using R-L and L-R inappropriately for large part of the description instead of correct R-R and L-L). I made wholesale change of the entry without signs of there ever being a mistake because the alternative would have made it difficult to read. I almost felt as if my skills have regressed in last 7 days (at least with LA style) with lack of proper partners (or hardly any for that matter) on Friday and Monday and too many non-dancers tonight.
A big saving grace for the night was the return appearance of Lucie, who was my first salsa dance partner who made me enjoy dancing salsa. I was really disappointed when she stopped showing up after New Year’s without any explanation (not to say there was any great reason for her to have told me back then). Apparently, she went back to Germany after Christmas and is here just for one day. It was great to see her again, and even better news is that she’ll be back at the end of August (presumably for longer amount of time). Even though she claimed to be out of practice (and she may not be as experienced as other followers tonight – not that there were many good followers (Sally and Rhona were by far the best, and there was no room when I danced with Sally and I only danced Rueda with Rhona)), it was great to have danced with her again and it was better than with anyone else tonight.
This was a horrible night for salsa dancing – too crowded, too many non-salsa dancers on the dance floor, flooding problem. I was in bad form. I was especially bothered by mistakes in my Apache note (now corrected – I was using R-L and L-R inappropriately for large part of the description instead of correct R-R and L-L). I made wholesale change of the entry without signs of there ever being a mistake because the alternative would have made it difficult to read. I almost felt as if my skills have regressed in last 7 days (at least with LA style) with lack of proper partners (or hardly any for that matter) on Friday and Monday and too many non-dancers tonight.
A big saving grace for the night was the return appearance of Lucie, who was my first salsa dance partner who made me enjoy dancing salsa. I was really disappointed when she stopped showing up after New Year’s without any explanation (not to say there was any great reason for her to have told me back then). Apparently, she went back to Germany after Christmas and is here just for one day. It was great to see her again, and even better news is that she’ll be back at the end of August (presumably for longer amount of time). Even though she claimed to be out of practice (and she may not be as experienced as other followers tonight – not that there were many good followers (Sally and Rhona were by far the best, and there was no room when I danced with Sally and I only danced Rueda with Rhona)), it was great to have danced with her again and it was better than with anyone else tonight.
Return of Patricio - Simple Rueda - Peter & Cinzia
July 4, 2005
Very small crowd for both the class and club. Heinz had his first taste of Rueda and apparently enjoyed it. Routines tried were:
Dame
Enchufe
Enchufe doble
Croquetta
Evelyn
Sacala
Sientala
Pimienta
Vacilala
All the routines have been described in my first Rueda entry (except for Pimienta, which was done on the second week) and were used previous (some unrecorded) Peter & Cinzia classes (usually not changing partners with enchufe or enchufe doble).
I tried using Rueda for partner dancing again to see if this works well with followers who are used to Cuban style. It worked fabulously with some but not others. It's possible that ones with whom this didn't work (aside from obvious beginners) are just not very good or that this would work only with people somewhat familiar with Rueda. Right now, I'm leaning towards the former guess because some followers whom I expected to know only Cuban style did very well following my LA style lead.
Patricio returned from wherever he was. I never took a class with him, but apparently he is the first salsa teacher in Cambridge and has been teaching since around 1994 (or 1995). Apparently the salsa scene in Cambridge started in 1994 in some restaurant near Parkers Piece on Hills Road in 1994, and Patricio arrived as a teacher several months afterwards. Apparently, everyone danced on-2 in the beginning. Ballroom crowd was blamed for moving it to on-1; even self-dubbed Godfather of UK Salsa Nelson Batista (who moved to England in 1988 and is currently teaching at Greens on Sundays) has been forced to move to on-1 supposedly because of the ballroom crowd.
I had an amusing conversation with Peter afterward the class. I think he looked at this blog again recently and came across few confusing/misleading items. He asked about reverse cross body lead, which was mentioned very (and a little too) casually on July 1 entry (which I expanded more today). Peter also thought that I had a fallout with him based on my May 19 entry (now expanded to clarify the situation) whereas I merely meant to convey difficulty of the routine/lesson that day. There are only a handful of people (I can count them with my two hands with fingers to spare) who is aware of this blog, and I hadn't really expected anyone to be interested in it. I think maybe I should be more careful about what I write, but that could become too time consuming. An alternative is to avoid writing anything but description of routines, but I'll just write whatever I want to for now.
Very small crowd for both the class and club. Heinz had his first taste of Rueda and apparently enjoyed it. Routines tried were:
Dame
Enchufe
Enchufe doble
Croquetta
Evelyn
Sacala
Sientala
Pimienta
Vacilala
All the routines have been described in my first Rueda entry (except for Pimienta, which was done on the second week) and were used previous (some unrecorded) Peter & Cinzia classes (usually not changing partners with enchufe or enchufe doble).
I tried using Rueda for partner dancing again to see if this works well with followers who are used to Cuban style. It worked fabulously with some but not others. It's possible that ones with whom this didn't work (aside from obvious beginners) are just not very good or that this would work only with people somewhat familiar with Rueda. Right now, I'm leaning towards the former guess because some followers whom I expected to know only Cuban style did very well following my LA style lead.
Patricio returned from wherever he was. I never took a class with him, but apparently he is the first salsa teacher in Cambridge and has been teaching since around 1994 (or 1995). Apparently the salsa scene in Cambridge started in 1994 in some restaurant near Parkers Piece on Hills Road in 1994, and Patricio arrived as a teacher several months afterwards. Apparently, everyone danced on-2 in the beginning. Ballroom crowd was blamed for moving it to on-1; even self-dubbed Godfather of UK Salsa Nelson Batista (who moved to England in 1988 and is currently teaching at Greens on Sundays) has been forced to move to on-1 supposedly because of the ballroom crowd.
I had an amusing conversation with Peter afterward the class. I think he looked at this blog again recently and came across few confusing/misleading items. He asked about reverse cross body lead, which was mentioned very (and a little too) casually on July 1 entry (which I expanded more today). Peter also thought that I had a fallout with him based on my May 19 entry (now expanded to clarify the situation) whereas I merely meant to convey difficulty of the routine/lesson that day. There are only a handful of people (I can count them with my two hands with fingers to spare) who is aware of this blog, and I hadn't really expected anyone to be interested in it. I think maybe I should be more careful about what I write, but that could become too time consuming. An alternative is to avoid writing anything but description of routines, but I'll just write whatever I want to for now.
Revisiting Greens
July 3, 2005
Because of an enticement of doing more Rueda, I went to Greens once again. We only had three couples for Rueda and did it only for half a song. I disliked the acoustics (too hollow) of Greens. I tried practicing both LA-style and Rueda-style partner dancing while I was there. I thought Rueda without calls worked well enough initially with Laura, so I tried this again with a new partner with decent results. Maybe I'm onto something here. However, I don't think there's enough reasons for me to want to go back to Greens any time soon. [Added Oct 2, 2005: One of my real reservation is that I felt uncomfortable doing LA style Salsa in front of the Cuban style Salsa legend Nelson Batista. While doing Rueda without calls could pass for Cuban, I don't find it satsifying.]
Because of an enticement of doing more Rueda, I went to Greens once again. We only had three couples for Rueda and did it only for half a song. I disliked the acoustics (too hollow) of Greens. I tried practicing both LA-style and Rueda-style partner dancing while I was there. I thought Rueda without calls worked well enough initially with Laura, so I tried this again with a new partner with decent results. Maybe I'm onto something here. However, I don't think there's enough reasons for me to want to go back to Greens any time soon. [Added Oct 2, 2005: One of my real reservation is that I felt uncomfortable doing LA style Salsa in front of the Cuban style Salsa legend Nelson Batista. While doing Rueda without calls could pass for Cuban, I don't find it satsifying.]
Alternate start for reverse cross body lead and a block - Johnny & Serap Advanced
July 1, 2005
1,2,3 cross body lead start
5,6,7 finish cross body lead and turn clockwise three quarters (or half from beat 5) on 7/8 and change to R-R
1,2,3 essentially a reverse cross body lead ending with L hand on follower’s L shoulder and R-R extended to point to R to direct follower to right on 5,6,7 - a slight difference is the starting position (follower is to right and slightly behind as opposed to open position), which requires a half clockwise turn (as opposed to quarter turn when starting from open position)
5,6,7 lead follower to do a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn free (no hands), do a hook turn
1,2,3 stylized cross body lead (L foot to pointing to L)
5,6,7 finish cross body lead
1,2,3 prepare follower for a pivot turn
5,6,7 lead follower to a pivot turn with L-R high initially, release L-R, do a hook turn to face away, make R-R connection at waist level
1,2,3 R-R goes over follower’s head, L-L connection is made under R-R at about chest level and in cross body lead position (body facing away from follower)
5,6,7 block follower’s forward movement, R-R comes back over to in front of follower’s head
1,2,3 pivot turn forward to get into open cross body lead position (facing same way) – this leads to L-L on top of R-R
5,6,7 cross body lead finish ending with Titanic position
1,2,3,5,6,7 (indefinite) used for follower’s shine
5,6,7 involves follower turning around to get back into open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead or whatever (never settled on the ending)
For some reason the usual good dancers were absent tonight. Last hour was spent standing around mostly (except for some Rueda). Maybe I’m getting too good with LA style for most Cambridge dancers who mostly dance Cuban style. [Added Oct 2: More likely explanation is that I think I'm better than I really am. Some of the more experienced followers I asked for a dance declined politely, most likely because they are suffering fatigue from too many not-so-great dances with me.] I tried partner dancing with Rueda calls, which I thought worked pretty well. Also a two-couple Rueda was tried later in the evening as well.
Rueda routines done during partner dancing –
Dedo
Dedo saboreado
Enchufe (no change)
Enchufe doble (no change)
Adios con la hermana (sentada)
Ponle sabor
Besito
Beso
Pimienta
Vacilala
Enchufe y coca cola
Enchufe y coca cola por atras
Siete
Siete y coca cola
Setenta
Roca
Para mi para ti
Sombrero
Balsero
Ajo y perejil
Habana
Sientala
Evelyn
1,2,3 cross body lead start
5,6,7 finish cross body lead and turn clockwise three quarters (or half from beat 5) on 7/8 and change to R-R
1,2,3 essentially a reverse cross body lead ending with L hand on follower’s L shoulder and R-R extended to point to R to direct follower to right on 5,6,7 - a slight difference is the starting position (follower is to right and slightly behind as opposed to open position), which requires a half clockwise turn (as opposed to quarter turn when starting from open position)
5,6,7 lead follower to do a 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn free (no hands), do a hook turn
1,2,3 stylized cross body lead (L foot to pointing to L)
5,6,7 finish cross body lead
1,2,3 prepare follower for a pivot turn
5,6,7 lead follower to a pivot turn with L-R high initially, release L-R, do a hook turn to face away, make R-R connection at waist level
1,2,3 R-R goes over follower’s head, L-L connection is made under R-R at about chest level and in cross body lead position (body facing away from follower)
5,6,7 block follower’s forward movement, R-R comes back over to in front of follower’s head
1,2,3 pivot turn forward to get into open cross body lead position (facing same way) – this leads to L-L on top of R-R
5,6,7 cross body lead finish ending with Titanic position
1,2,3,5,6,7 (indefinite) used for follower’s shine
5,6,7 involves follower turning around to get back into open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead or whatever (never settled on the ending)
For some reason the usual good dancers were absent tonight. Last hour was spent standing around mostly (except for some Rueda). Maybe I’m getting too good with LA style for most Cambridge dancers who mostly dance Cuban style. [Added Oct 2: More likely explanation is that I think I'm better than I really am. Some of the more experienced followers I asked for a dance declined politely, most likely because they are suffering fatigue from too many not-so-great dances with me.] I tried partner dancing with Rueda calls, which I thought worked pretty well. Also a two-couple Rueda was tried later in the evening as well.
Rueda routines done during partner dancing –
Dedo
Dedo saboreado
Enchufe (no change)
Enchufe doble (no change)
Adios con la hermana (sentada)
Ponle sabor
Besito
Beso
Pimienta
Vacilala
Enchufe y coca cola
Enchufe y coca cola por atras
Siete
Siete y coca cola
Setenta
Roca
Para mi para ti
Sombrero
Balsero
Ajo y perejil
Habana
Sientala
Evelyn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)