Is London any different?

June 6, 2006

This time I tried driving. It was much faster than expected – it took me only 65 minutes from work to finding a parking spot next to Cecil Sharp House. Traffic was generally light so this is probably the minimum amount of time needed for commute. Because I departed fairly early (6:30 PM) to insure against getting lost and having difficulty finding parking, etc., I ended up arriving more than half an hour early. Finding parking was easy. For future reference, I think departing between 6:45 PM and 7 PM will be sufficient. Also, this route may be better than using A12/A11 for future SOS and Scala trips.

LDA 3.3 with Susana & Mario

L-R open after CBL
1,2,3,5,6,7 straight around the world but with more crisp movements – open break on 1, get back to firm closed hold on 3 possibly with slight twist (clockwise), turn as a unit 1/2 clockwise on 5 (leader doing something of a backward possibly hook step), lead follower forward on 6 along reverse CBL lane and leading with R hand on follower’s lower back (think Sergio’s demonstration the other night) and turn her 1/2 clockwise on 7 still using R hand on follower’s back

this might have been followed by simple CBL (probably not – there may have been a simple transition away from closed hold at the end of last part)

L-R hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 R hand tossed (presumably on 2) for L-L connection (presumably on 3) with leader getting into CBL position and lead follower into full counterclockwise turn ending in crucifix position and with R hand on follower’s R shoulder to prevent further turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into 2 1/2 stationary clockwise turn with L-L and with leader turning 3/4 clockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 something like a Copa but with leader already in reverse CBL position to start with and a slight backwards step on 1 was used – L-L goes over and around follower on 3 – standard Copa finish (preferably with L-L led slightly downwards on 5)

R-L hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn with L hand on follower’s R shoulder by no later than 3 to initiate the lead – R-L is let go and R hand goes firmly to follower’s lower back – R foot is level or past follower on 7
1,2,3,5,6,7 weight on L foot on 1 (of course), transfer weight to R foot on 2 (no kidding – just being slightly sarcastic here) and turn as a unit 1/2 counterclockwise (keep L foot close to ground) and finish with simple CBL

1,2,3,5,6,7 R hand tossed (presumably on 2) for L-L connection (presumably on 3) with leader getting into CBL position and lead follower into full counterclockwise turn ending in crucifix position and with R hand on follower’s R shoulder to prevent further turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into 2 1/2 stationary clockwise turn with L-L over and under (the downward L-L motion should be enough of a lead for the final turn and proper positioning of follower’s L hand behind her back R waist) – leader turns full clockwise after the final lead at least 3/4 turn and reconnect R-L
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start and lead follower into 1 1/2 Copa counterclockwise traveling turn with R-L going high and with leader turning full clockwise on 7 (or after follower is nearly done)

I suppose the most interesting bits were the parts involving leads with R hand on follower’s lower back (a la Sergio). Everything else was little more than variations of things I have already seen, use and/or have tried to use (except I rarely bother with anything more than double turns and never 2 1/2 over and under).

My main point of taking this class was to work with followers who are fairly good with their balance, tension, and following technique. The abilities of followers varied a quite deal – perhaps a little more than hoped for, but no one was completely out of their league. I suspect this will be about as good as it gets unless I find a decent regular practice partner. An interesting aside was that I thought I recognized some people in level 3 and level 4 SOS class taking part in 3.1 or 3.2 class here. I think I recognized about half of the followers as people who took part in last week’s taster class.

Perhaps higher standards for everyone would have been nicer, but then I might not have qualified for the class or I might have ended up being the worst student in the class.

It’s a little more difficult to gauge the level of leaders (it always is as there is little reason to pay attention to them), but my impression for now was that I was not by far the worst in class. While I could be wrong about me not being one of the worst, I am pretty sure I am not the best.

Because there is no level 4 class in this 6-week session, there was an opportunity for practice. I considered practicing, but Phillip talked me into visiting a nearby pub instead with the argument that I could have a Coke if I didn’t want beer. Our little group also included Marilyn and Justin, and we had a bit of small talk for about an hour before disbanding. Since much of the conversation was not about Salsa, there’s little reason to elaborate on the small talks except for my observation that I found Phillip to be more efficient with direct questions compared to pretty much all other British people I have conversed with.

The drive back should have been easy, except for a rather lengthy delay caused by road works. Nothing new here – it’s one of great joys of living in England.