December 18, 2005
More and more people from Cambridge showed up as night went along. Our group was only 3 because we were without Sean, who had a prior commitment. However, we spotted a couple at the door as we were checking in. Another showed up just as the lessons were about to begin. Another couple arrived in the middle of the lesson (so they did not participate in the lessons). Finally another regular arrived well after the lessons as usual. So that made it 5 men and 4 women from Cambridge thus beating the previous best record by 4; there were two other occasions where I saw 5 people total including me from Cambridge.
I’m going to do something a little different because I came up with some sequences of my own, practiced them once or twice with Serap, then used (most of) them throughout the evening. The sequences are not totally new; they are more of a small variation and/or compilation of routines I learned in various classes.
routine 1 (key component is entry into lasso) – level of difficult (pretty easy)
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with leader turning 3/4 clockwise on 7 while letting go R-L and switching to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 connect with L-L for crossed hold with L-L on top while getting into cross body lead and end with full traveling counterclockwise turn for follower to end in Titanic
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare on 1,2,3 (usually going down and sometimes with L foot crossing behind R foot for styling effect) and lead follower to stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L high and letting go R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 full pivot clockwise turn for leader on 1,2,3 so that L-L ends up behind leader’s R waist and break connection with back of R hand with 3 counterclockwise rolling motion
1,2,3,5,6,7 walk underneath raised R-L and turn 1/2 clockwise to end in open cross body lead position and lead follower to a wrapping full counterclockwise turn for lasso with R-L kept low (waist level wrap)
1,2,3,5,6,7 walk around follower (while leading follower to do the same) with both rotating around in counterclockwise motion during 1,2,3 to get back into open cross body lead position and lead follower to a R-L at shoulder level for shoulder wrap (optional: another waist level wrap can be done and repeat the sequence instead to make this routine longer)
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare follower on 1,2,3 and lead follower to 1 1/2 stationary clockwise turn on 5,6,7 and get back into open (optional which I didn’t use but could have done easily – rotate with follower as a unit for 1/2 turn counterclockwise to end in open cross body lead position with R-L still on follower’s shoulder followed by traveling full or double clockwise turn for follower)
routine 2 (this is more challenging but I still managed to do it alright few times during the evening – it’s a slight variation of a SOS routine from this summer)
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with open hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and get behind follower with both hands on follower’s hip during 2,3 and lead follower back on 5,6,7 and leader does a free full counterclockwise turn on 7,8
1,2,3,5,6,7 get both hands on follower’s hips again by 1 and get into cross body lead position and lead follower to a free traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with leader following behind to get his R hand on follower’s L shoulder on 8
1,2,3,5,6,7 standard cross body lead
routine 3 (Serap took a little while to get used to this, which discouraged me from using this tonight – maybe another time … this is also from a SOS routine and I’m not sure if there is a big change from the routine taught except for couple of different possibility for the ending)
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead ending with crossed hold with R-R on top
1,2,3 lead follower to Titanic (half clockwise stationary turn for follower)
5,6,7 lead follower back while moving to left to get into cross body lead position with R-R on follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3 stylized cross body lead start or twist follower slightly clockwise on 1 with leader’s L foot pointing forward along follower’s line
5,6,7 lead follower forward on 5 and then into a half clockwise traveling to end in open position with crossed hold with L-L on top (alternative would be to lead follower forward on 5 and then into a full traveling counterclockwise turn (R-R high) for Titanic)
1,2,3,5,6,7 follow with Copa or a variation of Copa starting from reverse cross body lead position
Now back to SOS. Leon Rose taught level 4, and Tamambo taught level 3 (my class).
SOS partner routine by Tamambo
L-R hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead with 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn for follower with L-R high
1,2,3 prepare with L-R (continue moving to R on 1 and then back on 2,3 with R hand showing)
5,6,7 lead follower into double stationary turn for follower with L-R disconnected and R-L high
1,2,3 open break and lead follower forward towards me on 2,3 while moving to follower’s R side and getting hold of follower’s R hip with my L hand and tossing R-L over leader’s head
5,6,7 lead follower to traveling (but not too much) free 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn and get hold of follower’s shoulder with R hand by 8 in open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 cross body lead standard into open position (L-R hold)
1,2,3 open break on 1 and lead follower forward on 2,3 while reconnecting with R-L, which goes over follower’s head
5,6,7 lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-L going down immediately to end with R-L positioned behind follower’s R waist (this worked really/surprisingly well – like magic)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa – move R-L forward on 1 and back on 2,3 so that follower turns around 1/2 counterclockwise to get into open cross body lead position by 4 and lead follower into a traveling free 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn on 5,6,7
Tamambo got into quite long explanation about how to lead and follow etc. during partner work. Tamambo asked leaders to lead as if he were moving water and to get timing right for double turn (starting on 4) and try to stabilize follower but otherwise allow followers to provide power for doing her turn. For followers, he stressed importance of keeping her upper arm forward (as opposed to having them point sideways). Towards the end of the class, I had an eye contact with Tamambo, who looked at my leading and nodded seemingly in approval. At the end of the class, he told the class to come find him later if they are interested in moving up to level 4. I had an impression that he might have been talking to me (and possibly some others), but I decided not to approach him at this time.
Shine of the day (Tamambo again)
1,2,3,5,6 basic
7,8,1,2 crazy steps - syncopated (R foot cross over L foot and to L, L foot slightly to R and essentially behind R foot, R foot slightly to R, L foot slightly to R and essentially behind R foot, R foot to L to the first position of crazy steps, L foot slightly to R, R foot slightly to R)
3 L foot forward
5 R foot behind and L of L foot and
6 slide back with R foot while keeping weight on balls of feet (NOT heels!!! – Tamambo stressed this point and it was very useful to use this hint)
7 L foot step in place
8 R foot cross over L foot
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic
After one or two dances in which I successfully incorporated new routines including SOS’s and one or two of my own, I decided find a toilet to remove a layer of clothing. On my way back to the club, I ran into Tamambo at the Hotel lobby (more on the explanation of the venue later). There he complimented me on my leading technique and said I led as if I were moving water – which was the metaphor he used for his recommended leading method. Needless to say, I was very pleased to hear such a compliment. I suspect that I was supposed to ask him if I could try level 4, but I chose not to do so. Instead, I told him a story about my first encounter with him, which summarize below (but expanded compared to what I told him – with what I said to Tamambo in bold).
[Flashback]
[In] My first visit to SOS was probably January 16th of this year (2005). As a still rank beginner I took a level II class after being directed to a level I class by Johnny; this by the way was also the first time I saw Johnny & Serap at SOS. I tried to leave immediately after the class and several times thereafter because I was still not very comfortable about partner dancing, and each time Tamambo refused to let me leave at least until I stayed around to dance with people and watch a show scheduled later in the evening. Thanks to his persistence, I did manage to dance with 3-4 times before finally he allowed me leave but only after much protest from me about having to go back to Cambridge and not having had a dinner by that time (around or after 10 PM). I’m not sure if I even watched the show by the way.
[The end of flashback]
Tamambo commented then, “Well… you seem to have really gotten into it [Salsa dancing] since then,” before I thanked him and went back into the dance hall.
[Flashback]
We made really good time getting to SOS tonight; for a change there was no traffic accident slowing traffic on our way to London for Salsa. With extra time in hand, we decided to experiment with our food venue, which was a little disappointing for Johnny & me because of small portions so we resorted to having desserts, etc. While we were waiting for the main meal (Lasagna), I took a quick walk to Mary Ward Hall to see if it was going to be used tonight. I found the doors closed and locked but did not find a sign that referred to an alternate site. As I was about to turn back, a guy who must have been about 10 steps behind me asked me whether I was here for Salsa. He told me that SOS will be at the Hotel again, this time on the North side, which has a larger wood floor compared to the room on the South side. I asked him what the issue with Mary Ward Hall was and when they expected to return to it. His answer was that there were complaints from 3-4 residents across the street (facing the Hall entrance) about the volume of music so that they were working on soundproofing the Hall. This soundproofing work apparently has not started yet but he was thinking that it shouldn’t take long once the work is started. My guess is that because of the holidays, the work may not be completed one or two weeks into 2006. Apparently, no problem exists for the rear side (where they keep a door open with a fan on for cooling purposes) of the hall because all the buildings on the other side are office buildings. While I was having my inquiry answered, a woman came by looking for SOS as well. Because the eatery was on the way to Hotel, I offered to direct her to it and I walked with her past the eatery (because I spotted that our food was not ready yet) and to the North side entrance of the hotel. Our food was not ready when I got back to the eatery, but even with desserts etc. we arrived at SOS at 6:50 PM with a lot of time to spare.
[The end of flashback]
Tonight’s dancing was brilliant. There were two dances with apparent complete beginners, which were unusual by SOS standards, and maybe one dance in which I thought I might have detected slight boredom from my dance partner, but it was really good otherwise. Oh – and there was one dance that lasted 10-20 second – presumably because my partner was feeling very tired and because the song ended 10-20 second into it. I had assumed that we were going to start another one but no. I was really disappointed about this one because I really wanted a nice dance with her – it might have not helped that I was being unenthused about that 10-20 seconds because I knew that there was no time left on that song. Okay but other than those, it was really great – a big contrast from last week and also better than many other recent nights including Club Salsa Christmas party, which I enjoyed greatly. There often was a lot of traveling room especially at the beginning of the song while many people were scrambling to find a partner. I mentioned in the post regarding the last SOS outing that there was only one really enjoyable dance last week; tonight’s dance with the same person was again really nice and was a highlight (and I told her as much). However, there were many highlights tonight. I imagine that my conversation with Tamambo plus me being able to incorporate fair bit of new material helped a great deal.
Top conversation topics in the car –
To London – My blog and SalsaBravo website, in particular about StatCounter and Site Meter. A Salsa party in Peterborough (is this the one being organized by Cristian???). About my selectivity in asking people for dance in Cambridge. Examples of extremely appalling following techniques and poor etiquettes. Private lessons (and possibly as a project).
At the eatery – Why blog or what are the advantages of using a blog?
From London – The performance by Leon & Tamambo (with another guy who was with us part of the walk back to Johnny’s car). Serap being asked by few people for her availability in entering Salsa competitions. Cambridge contingent at SOS tonight. Cambridge Salsa team. Softness/sharpness of leaders and light/heavy touch of followers: Serap says I have a softer lead than Johnny – this means very little because softness or sharpness of lead doesn’t say anything about how good the leader is. However, because I had been making efforts to make my lead softer all the time, I was pleased to hear Serap’s comment. By the way, I don’t have the softest lead in Cambridge; I think there are at least two others with softer lead – Sergio probably has the softest lead of them all.
We left SOS at 10:45 PM. Tamambo again tried to stop me from leaving as I was retrieving my coat – just like last time. I love the symmetry between the first week of SOS this year (second overall – I don’t know for sure if they were closed on Jan 2) and the last week of SOS this year (SOS will be closed on Dec 25 and will reopen on Jan 1). Tonight by the way was the first time I saw (or at least recognized) Leon Rose in person.
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