August 31, 2006
Advanced with Sally assisted by Lindsey
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold prepare and lead follower into a stationary double or triple turn ending with elbow-to-elbow (with slight change of hand position on the final turn) connection
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with R-R going over follower’s head – lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise Copa turn with over and under to get R-R behind follower’s L waist end with L hand showing in front of follower’s face to make L-L connection fairly early
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise with L-L high (temporarily disconnecting R-R) and lead follower into stationary clockwise turn with all connections intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold L-L on top, L-L hat for leader as leader gets into CBL position and reconnecting L-L underneath R-R and lead follower into 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 traveling clockwise turn touch-and-go (to end with crossed hold L-L on top)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise with L-L going over his head on 1,2,3 – then leader turns further 1/2 counterclockwise (minimize traveling) with 5,6,7 with emphasis on leading follower forward on 5 (I preferred slight pull with R-R) to effect or lead follower to do her CBL finish while R-R goes over leader’s head
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hat for follower and free hand goes to follower’s L shoulder while L-L hold is switched (make it so that both fingers are pointing up and convenient for blocking move) – lead follower forward on 5 and absorb/block her momentum and lead her back into counterclockwise turn with L-L going for an unusual neck wrap (also change hold if possible here so that leader’s palms are facing follower’s neck with thumbs down) and leader positions himself to R of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 stay in CBL position and unwrap follower with 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 clockwise traveling turn
I daresay Sally was quite pleased with my lead today although she still managed to make suggestions here and there.
Ivan arrived early (before the start of the second hour of classes) and was available for chat. Among other things, we talked about state of CBL style Salsa in Cambridge (e.g. No one except Johnny did CBL when Ivan arrived, which drove Ivan to go to London twice a week regularly. Even when I first learning Salsa in Cambridge, it was difficult to find many good partners for CBL. Now, it’s a lot easier although you still need to overcome quite a bit of barriers such as Club Salsa simply not having enough space to accommodate large number of dancers. If there are many good or decent dancers, newcomers have little room to practice and get intimidated. If there are not any good/decent dancers, it’s difficult to progress. More often than not, less experienced dancers (especially followers) get picked on by Cuban style dancers, which does little to help them progress on CBL style.)
In an interesting coincidence, a pair of girls from the absolute beginner class decided to pick on us (I think Cyrille was their first choice, and I happened to be standing right next to him) for extra lessons. Cyrille bowed out, but I decided to give it a try. I think my earlier talk with Ivan was foremost in my mind, as well as some experiences I had in giving instructions at one-on-one level with a number of people in the past. Bailamos’s guide to learning Salsa also came to mind. I also thought I would risk being seen as giving these girls a lesson mostly because they are good-looking, etc, but decided not to worry about it. It looked like they were given instructions on Mambo basic, back basic and pivot turns (both leader’s and follower’s) in the class. I added cross body lead to their repertoire. I tried CBL with turns briefly before abandoning the idea. After these basics was to get them to dance in time to the music while doing those steps from various positions. I’m guessing that I spent about 3-4 songs on each of them. I don’t exactly have much hope that they will stick with it. I suppose it’s somewhat likely that they might show up for next couple of weeks – perhaps even couple of months. While survival rate for followers is somewhat better than it is for leaders, it’s not exactly great. I tried to warn them that it would take at least few months to get comfortable with CBL style Salsa (of course, a few months is in fact a gross underestimate if we are talking about getting to something like advanced social dancer level). Even if they stay around and become pretty good, I am sure that I won’t get many thanks for my sacrificing large chunk of the highest level CBL Salsa night in Cambridge.
I tried to catch up on my normal social dancing afterwards, but I fell rather short of my usual quota and didn’t even manage to ask let alone dance with several people.
I suppose I also “wasted” some time at the end trying a “simple” shine Sergio showed Lindsey and me. See below.
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic ending with R foot crossed in front of L foot on 7 with L arm pointing forward
1 L foot to side L with R arm pointing forward (L arm tucked in now)
3 L foot cross over in front of R foot with R arm still pointing forward
5 R foot to side R with L arm pointing forward (R arm tucked in)
7 R foot cross over in front of L foot with R arm in something like haircomb (not quite) like movement
1 start of broken left with R arm coming down and pointing forward
2,3 continue with broken left
4 shoulder isolation movements
5,6,7 finish broken left turn
[Note: I think a good starting exercise may be to practice doing forward and back basic with R arm pointing forward on 1 and 5 and L arm pointing forward on 3 and 7. For me, this arm movement is exact opposite of what I am used to doing.]
I also spent some part of the second hour playing with follower’s footwork. Some minor footwork adjustments suggested by Sergio made staying in balance even easier (I didn’t think it was terrible to begin with). No real practice though.
Other items. Sam’s back and complained of getting dizzy couple of times (but she seemed to enjoy my leading more than ever). Sally played El Quinto de Beethoven – Cesta All-Stars/Charlie Palmieri version (as opposed to Markolino Dimond/Frankie Dante); apparently this track did not sound exactly like the one she heard elsewhere. Lindsey challenged me to do a triple, which I complied awkwardly with cheating. No debut of the penguin or the mime yet.
Neither unique nor the earliest
August 30, 2006
I knew for quite some time that I was not alone in blogging about Salsa. What I didn’t know for a fact was that there are some Salsa blogs written by normal Salsa dancers long before I started my blog in the UK - Cardiff in this case. One of the posts that caught my attention was "How to learn Salsa" written about two weeks after I started my first ever Salsa lesson.
I knew for quite some time that I was not alone in blogging about Salsa. What I didn’t know for a fact was that there are some Salsa blogs written by normal Salsa dancers long before I started my blog in the UK - Cardiff in this case. One of the posts that caught my attention was "How to learn Salsa" written about two weeks after I started my first ever Salsa lesson.
With Scala-induced exhaustion setting in
August 28, 2006
Intermediate with Tiz
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold Copa over and under so end with L-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and unroll follower (follower does 1 1/2 clockwise traveling turn – L-R is brought up on 6 if safe for follower of course) with leader turning clockwise to face away from follower with drop catch to end R-R by leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side offering L hand to connect L-L and R-R going over follower’s head and double windmill-like motion (or perhaps I should call it windmill with R-R and over and under with L-L) to bring L-L behind follower’s R waist with leader turning full clockwise in switching to R-L
1,2,3,5,6,7 back basic
1,2,3,5,6,7 half left turn (like broken left) for leader on 1,2,3 while leading follower to turn about 1/4 counterclockwise while switching to L-L (at this point the couple is back-to-back) and lead follower to continue turning a traveling counterclockwise double turn overall with an over and under move with L-L ending across follower’s stomach on her R side (it should go without saying that the lead for followers turn should be smooth and continuous (i.e. no pause) throughout)
There was no exit move taught in the class, which was not a problem for me. The first three moves were quite familiar because I have seen all of these moves (in fragments) at least twice previously. Because there was a shortage of followers in the class, I spent my extra time practicing follower’s role for much of the first hour. Possibly my biggest contribution to the class was to get Tiz to say, “Never use thumbs.”
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to a single stationary clockwise turn with both connections intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with L-R going over and fake and bring follower to step back together on 5,6,7
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo jazz followed by lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise to end with drop catch to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and resting just above her R shoulder with L-L brought up to her L shoulder – lead follower to do a cross walk with a slight twist to R on 5, to L on 6 and to R on 7 (with both connections – this like most things is tension based… perhaps more so than usual)
1,2,3,5,6,7 slight twist to L on 1 (think of it as leading slave shine for follower) and bring follower to straighten on 2,3 with L-L brought up and lead follower into a stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward basic into CBL as L-L hat is made, CBL for follower while leader turns 1 1/4 counterclockwise (using R foot crossing over technique on 5)
Nice review. It should be interesting to see how challenging it would be to try to lead some of the trickier moves on unsuspecting followers. Sad but probably true – I probably have better chance of following these moves than a third of the followers in class and possibly nearly half of the followers in social setting.
Instructors today were Joe (with his voice breaking from tiredness?), Tiz and Aiste. Tiz and Aiste must have been dancing together for quite some time, and their repertoire is quite varied and extensive. Watching them dance together, I wondered how much of their material is choreographed rather than being widely leadable.
Sometimes I suspect that some people attend these classes with little intention of using what they learned on the dance floor during social dancing. For many, taking part in classes seems to be the main social activity and entertainment.
It was somewhat quieter than usual because the Salsa team people were all off to Hitchin for some Salsa BBQ benefit event. I only saw one other person among people who attended the Scala last night. There was one new fairly experienced follower to couch their absence somewhat; I don’t know if this is someone just passing through. I was tired yet managed to stay until shortly past 11 PM.
Intermediate with Tiz
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold Copa over and under so end with L-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and unroll follower (follower does 1 1/2 clockwise traveling turn – L-R is brought up on 6 if safe for follower of course) with leader turning clockwise to face away from follower with drop catch to end R-R by leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side offering L hand to connect L-L and R-R going over follower’s head and double windmill-like motion (or perhaps I should call it windmill with R-R and over and under with L-L) to bring L-L behind follower’s R waist with leader turning full clockwise in switching to R-L
1,2,3,5,6,7 back basic
1,2,3,5,6,7 half left turn (like broken left) for leader on 1,2,3 while leading follower to turn about 1/4 counterclockwise while switching to L-L (at this point the couple is back-to-back) and lead follower to continue turning a traveling counterclockwise double turn overall with an over and under move with L-L ending across follower’s stomach on her R side (it should go without saying that the lead for followers turn should be smooth and continuous (i.e. no pause) throughout)
There was no exit move taught in the class, which was not a problem for me. The first three moves were quite familiar because I have seen all of these moves (in fragments) at least twice previously. Because there was a shortage of followers in the class, I spent my extra time practicing follower’s role for much of the first hour. Possibly my biggest contribution to the class was to get Tiz to say, “Never use thumbs.”
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to a single stationary clockwise turn with both connections intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with L-R going over and fake and bring follower to step back together on 5,6,7
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo jazz followed by lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise to end with drop catch to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and resting just above her R shoulder with L-L brought up to her L shoulder – lead follower to do a cross walk with a slight twist to R on 5, to L on 6 and to R on 7 (with both connections – this like most things is tension based… perhaps more so than usual)
1,2,3,5,6,7 slight twist to L on 1 (think of it as leading slave shine for follower) and bring follower to straighten on 2,3 with L-L brought up and lead follower into a stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward basic into CBL as L-L hat is made, CBL for follower while leader turns 1 1/4 counterclockwise (using R foot crossing over technique on 5)
Nice review. It should be interesting to see how challenging it would be to try to lead some of the trickier moves on unsuspecting followers. Sad but probably true – I probably have better chance of following these moves than a third of the followers in class and possibly nearly half of the followers in social setting.
Instructors today were Joe (with his voice breaking from tiredness?), Tiz and Aiste. Tiz and Aiste must have been dancing together for quite some time, and their repertoire is quite varied and extensive. Watching them dance together, I wondered how much of their material is choreographed rather than being widely leadable.
Sometimes I suspect that some people attend these classes with little intention of using what they learned on the dance floor during social dancing. For many, taking part in classes seems to be the main social activity and entertainment.
It was somewhat quieter than usual because the Salsa team people were all off to Hitchin for some Salsa BBQ benefit event. I only saw one other person among people who attended the Scala last night. There was one new fairly experienced follower to couch their absence somewhat; I don’t know if this is someone just passing through. I was tired yet managed to stay until shortly past 11 PM.
Three musketeers plus one ride to the Scala
August 27, 2006
Until Friday I was increasingly becoming unsure whether I would go to the Scala. Tide turned after Cyrille talked to me about going, and after some texts, etc our group was four with Sergio and Zhenzhi joining us. We met and left Cambridge shortly after 10 PM.
As expected, Scala was close to full by the time we arrived. I/We were greeted by friends and friend of friends, etc. There was some room on the stage but the main floor was packed and full of people unaware of their neighbors and taking up large amount of space. The floor quality was also poor - dirty and scummy. After two quick dances (or even before that), I was saying, “I hate it already.” There was a disagreement between what is 1 and 5. I thought I was right, but then again I almost always think I am right.
Because both Cyrille and Sergio expressed desire to leave early before the start of the trip, I naturally thought that was what was going to happen. Thus I kept a relatively low profile. I think I danced maybe two more times before the first set of performances.
Brazilian Lambazouk dance did not grab my attention – it seemed that the biggest requirement for the performers was that they have marvelous physique. I felt that watching the female performer for the same (it felt that way too much at times!) dance from last night was akin to watching a Barbie doll dance. Compared to them Salsa dance performers are mostly fat, old, ugly or scrawny – nothing special to look at when they’re not dancing.
I had two more dances between the first and second set of performances. One was to Periodico De Ayer (Hector Lavoe).
Sergio and Liam wanted to see a friend of theirs in performance (I think one of Manhattan Mambo Dancers) and wanted a better spot to watch it. I lost sight of them and ended up with the worst spot in the house – joined by Cyrille.
Another Brazillian dance – nice physique and uninspiring dancing again - yawn. A group from Dublin (Fusion Dance Company) drew some loud cheers (presumably because the girls were exceptionally cute by Salsa performer standards) – I was mainly amused to note that I danced with half of them last night at the Rocket. Sergio's comment about them later was, "It looked like they practiced a lot." Lee and Shelley – I like these guys, but it was difficult to see much of the action. They are popular here and seem quite down to earth and approachable in my opinion. Continuing on lookism topic (snark), I seem to recall hearing comments like Lee is the pretty one. I think Lee and Shelley’s piece was set to Cuban Fantasy, but I’m not sure which artist.
Tracy found me wandering around before the second set of performances and had me for couple of dances. The second one was really nifty because we found unexpectedly large amount of space (in straight line where 2 1/2 couples could have danced comfortably in and on the main floor no less) – I have never seen that at the Scala. It was fun making use of all that space and the music suited very well – I think people sitting in front of us were entertained. Next song was Descarga Cubana (Cachao), and I danced with one of the former spectators.
Third set of performances was notable for wisecrack comments.
Quote of the Day 1 – “My grandpa never wore those clothes.”
Quote of the Day 2 – “They are massacring whole eras of music. They are massacring whole genre of music.”
Crowding problem became considerably lighter after the last set of performances. It was also past 2 AM, so I thought the call for return home might come at any time. I was now in watching people dance mode – mostly people I know (one of whom gave me a friendly wink while dancing – cute). Liam’s dance with one of the Manhattan Mambo Dancers was quite cool also.
After one more dance, I went for a long stretch without one. This break was broken eventually when El Quinto De Beethoven (Markolino Dimond & Frankie Dante) came on – I thought the DJ might have done something to the song but I am not certain. I tried dancing once again on the main floor thinking that the crowding was not as bad – wrong. One time I tried this I was blocked from all ends thus making even simple CBL difficult. I fled back to the stage where I spotted yet another one of the Fusion dancers from last night – so now I have danced with 2/3 (or 4) of them. In the end, I had at least 16 dances – a lot more than I expected and many of them much better than I expected. Also it was past 4 AM by this time. We eventually made for the door around 4:30 AM where another Cambridge folk (William?) hitched a ride with us.
The only other (slightly surprising) bit was that I was stopped briefly by Lee for a short chat as we were leaving - just small talk about the night, etc. I talked about having been in a difficult spot to watch his performance. Just slightly surprising because I don’t know him very well at all – I might have had a short chat or two with him at the BritSalsafest but nothing since until now. I guess he’s just a naturally friendly guy. I had my glasses on too.
Probably the most amusing bit of conversation on the return trip involved baby food. Too much shop talk otherwise. Cyrille was knocked out cold within seconds of departure. Zhenzhi fell asleep too.
It was surprisingly pleasant night dancing-wise. I wouldn't call it great but having gone with low expectations probably helped.
Until Friday I was increasingly becoming unsure whether I would go to the Scala. Tide turned after Cyrille talked to me about going, and after some texts, etc our group was four with Sergio and Zhenzhi joining us. We met and left Cambridge shortly after 10 PM.
As expected, Scala was close to full by the time we arrived. I/We were greeted by friends and friend of friends, etc. There was some room on the stage but the main floor was packed and full of people unaware of their neighbors and taking up large amount of space. The floor quality was also poor - dirty and scummy. After two quick dances (or even before that), I was saying, “I hate it already.” There was a disagreement between what is 1 and 5. I thought I was right, but then again I almost always think I am right.
Because both Cyrille and Sergio expressed desire to leave early before the start of the trip, I naturally thought that was what was going to happen. Thus I kept a relatively low profile. I think I danced maybe two more times before the first set of performances.
Brazilian Lambazouk dance did not grab my attention – it seemed that the biggest requirement for the performers was that they have marvelous physique. I felt that watching the female performer for the same (it felt that way too much at times!) dance from last night was akin to watching a Barbie doll dance. Compared to them Salsa dance performers are mostly fat, old, ugly or scrawny – nothing special to look at when they’re not dancing.
I had two more dances between the first and second set of performances. One was to Periodico De Ayer (Hector Lavoe).
Sergio and Liam wanted to see a friend of theirs in performance (I think one of Manhattan Mambo Dancers) and wanted a better spot to watch it. I lost sight of them and ended up with the worst spot in the house – joined by Cyrille.
Another Brazillian dance – nice physique and uninspiring dancing again - yawn. A group from Dublin (Fusion Dance Company) drew some loud cheers (presumably because the girls were exceptionally cute by Salsa performer standards) – I was mainly amused to note that I danced with half of them last night at the Rocket. Sergio's comment about them later was, "It looked like they practiced a lot." Lee and Shelley – I like these guys, but it was difficult to see much of the action. They are popular here and seem quite down to earth and approachable in my opinion. Continuing on lookism topic (snark), I seem to recall hearing comments like Lee is the pretty one. I think Lee and Shelley’s piece was set to Cuban Fantasy, but I’m not sure which artist.
Tracy found me wandering around before the second set of performances and had me for couple of dances. The second one was really nifty because we found unexpectedly large amount of space (in straight line where 2 1/2 couples could have danced comfortably in and on the main floor no less) – I have never seen that at the Scala. It was fun making use of all that space and the music suited very well – I think people sitting in front of us were entertained. Next song was Descarga Cubana (Cachao), and I danced with one of the former spectators.
Third set of performances was notable for wisecrack comments.
Quote of the Day 1 – “My grandpa never wore those clothes.”
Quote of the Day 2 – “They are massacring whole eras of music. They are massacring whole genre of music.”
Crowding problem became considerably lighter after the last set of performances. It was also past 2 AM, so I thought the call for return home might come at any time. I was now in watching people dance mode – mostly people I know (one of whom gave me a friendly wink while dancing – cute). Liam’s dance with one of the Manhattan Mambo Dancers was quite cool also.
After one more dance, I went for a long stretch without one. This break was broken eventually when El Quinto De Beethoven (Markolino Dimond & Frankie Dante) came on – I thought the DJ might have done something to the song but I am not certain. I tried dancing once again on the main floor thinking that the crowding was not as bad – wrong. One time I tried this I was blocked from all ends thus making even simple CBL difficult. I fled back to the stage where I spotted yet another one of the Fusion dancers from last night – so now I have danced with 2/3 (or 4) of them. In the end, I had at least 16 dances – a lot more than I expected and many of them much better than I expected. Also it was past 4 AM by this time. We eventually made for the door around 4:30 AM where another Cambridge folk (William?) hitched a ride with us.
The only other (slightly surprising) bit was that I was stopped briefly by Lee for a short chat as we were leaving - just small talk about the night, etc. I talked about having been in a difficult spot to watch his performance. Just slightly surprising because I don’t know him very well at all – I might have had a short chat or two with him at the BritSalsafest but nothing since until now. I guess he’s just a naturally friendly guy. I had my glasses on too.
Probably the most amusing bit of conversation on the return trip involved baby food. Too much shop talk otherwise. Cyrille was knocked out cold within seconds of departure. Zhenzhi fell asleep too.
It was surprisingly pleasant night dancing-wise. I wouldn't call it great but having gone with low expectations probably helped.
What if the best has come and gone?
August 26, 2006
As I started my drive toward London on M11, I wondered if it’s possible that I would soon lose interest in Salsa or if such process has started already. I felt that I might be making a mistake in going to a London Salsa event – in a manner unlike my last London trip last weekend. I wasn’t sure what I wanted – Something new? Something familiar? Nice dancing? Fun socializing? Et cetera.
I must have arrived shortly after 11 PM. I saw that the downstairs Salsa room (Cuban) was fairly empty and that the upstairs Salsa room (CBL) was also sparsely populated although with more people. I also saw quite quickly that there were not many people I knew well from the London scene.
Meanwhile, there was a very large number of teachers, performers, etc. Teachers and performers I recognized tonight included in no particular order Leon Rose, Tamambo, Laith Sami, Mauro & Eva, Tiz, Aiste, Mushi, Emma Moore, Katrina Wiklund (and presumably Alex Amoroso), Mel C, Lee (and presumably Shelley). In addition, there were people from 3 shows I watched around 1 AM (and none of whom I would have recognized as teachers or performers prior to it – or afterwards in some cases) as well as people from 4 shows that must have happened before I arrived. Considering that the total number of people was rather small, it may be reasonable to guess that at least quarter of the couples on the dance floor included at least one teacher/performer.
The sound system upstairs was disappointing once again. I wonder if they will ever get it right. I wonder if I have the patience to wait for them to fix it. The sound system at the Rocket supposedly was never a strong point (according to Sean). Maybe the acoustics is just poor. What a waste of a very expensive sound system!
More familiar faces arrived later – although not very many – some from LDA and some from Cambridge (about half dozen from each). Many people are supposedly at the Colloseum (it seems to be the main competition for the Rocket – possibly with more people in attendance consistently). The Rocket is having hard time attracting many people.
I certainly did not think I was any better than 50th percentile at any time I was dancing tonight. It has been a while since I felt I was below average in the room, and I would have to say that I found the feeling unnerving. It could be nothing but my imagination, but I wondered if some of my dance partners felt more nervous or less sure of themselves than usual. I might have felt more conscious of mistakes major and minor and let them have more lasting effect on the evening than usual too. Having a less than completely enthusiastic attitude from the outset cannot have helped matters either.
My confidence certainly waxes and wanes over time – this is one of those times of dips. In the past I would have recover confidence by adding several new interesting moves. Now I begin to wonder if time is running out on such method of recovery considering that I see less value in leading complex moves after moves (and possibly becoming rusty with less used moves). In the past I would also take no more than few weeks to become supremely (and perhaps irrationally) confident again. It would seem that such thing is less likely this time, but perhaps I always thought the same whenever I was going through a down phase?
Generally speaking I don’t derive much pleasure from dancing with people who are or who think they are much better than me. Often I get nervous and become less confident. I usually avoid asking teachers or performers for a dance – often because I assume that they get plenty of dances (and become tired of) with people they perceive as not as good (or to put it nicer – still have much to learn). I may think the same of people who I think are “superstar” groupies. I suppose this hesitation lessens as I get to know to the person better and a certain level of trust and understanding develops. I cannot think poorly of “groupies” because most people gravitates toward people who stand out and want to become friends with "cool people"; I know I must do it with some people while sometimes other people do the same with me. Usually I think I’m probably right about not asking certain type of people (and thus am avoiding getting a no for an answer or having a lousy dance to avoid bruising my ego), but I am sure I am wrong sometimes. The best are the ones I liked instantly and was liked back in return from the earliest moment – they’re rare and wonderful.
The ramblings in the previous paragraph were inspired primarily by dancing with a fairly prominent teacher/performer tonight.
Am I becoming dependent on having good social backups at these Salsa events? Last night was mostly about socializing and it worked out well. Socializing part “rescued” SOS trip last weekend. Weird - because I used to thrive on going to a completely new scene (with caveat that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to go to a London event without seeing a very large number of recognizable faces (but not necessarily friendly and certainly not intimately familiar – by this I mean people I recognize but have not danced with before or in rare cases had very poor dances with)). Would I no longer consider a Salsa night a great night unless the social aspect was pretty good as well as dancing (or unless the dancing was out of this world)?
Is my expectation that things should always get better (with hard work, etc) going to ultimately disappoint? Should I be remembering the words “You only live once…”?
They closed the upstairs room at 2 AM once again (even though it was probably more crowded than ever at the time of closing). I stood around for about 10 minutes after coming downstairs but did not feel inspire to stay. After all, I might want to conserve some energy for tomorrow at the Scala.
Based upon sound quality and lack of people (floor was fine for me although I heard some complaints about it being too slippery), I wonder if I would want to come back again. It’s certainly no better than going to SOS (with caveat that my last SOS outing rated no better than just okay – like the Rocket tonight – and that much of the negativity may have been in my mind preceding the start of the evening).
I should end noting that it was far from a disaster. I did have some dances that I enjoyed a great deal. I would guess that at least 2 or 3 dances if not more ended with me and my partner feeling pretty good.
As I started my drive toward London on M11, I wondered if it’s possible that I would soon lose interest in Salsa or if such process has started already. I felt that I might be making a mistake in going to a London Salsa event – in a manner unlike my last London trip last weekend. I wasn’t sure what I wanted – Something new? Something familiar? Nice dancing? Fun socializing? Et cetera.
I must have arrived shortly after 11 PM. I saw that the downstairs Salsa room (Cuban) was fairly empty and that the upstairs Salsa room (CBL) was also sparsely populated although with more people. I also saw quite quickly that there were not many people I knew well from the London scene.
Meanwhile, there was a very large number of teachers, performers, etc. Teachers and performers I recognized tonight included in no particular order Leon Rose, Tamambo, Laith Sami, Mauro & Eva, Tiz, Aiste, Mushi, Emma Moore, Katrina Wiklund (and presumably Alex Amoroso), Mel C, Lee (and presumably Shelley). In addition, there were people from 3 shows I watched around 1 AM (and none of whom I would have recognized as teachers or performers prior to it – or afterwards in some cases) as well as people from 4 shows that must have happened before I arrived. Considering that the total number of people was rather small, it may be reasonable to guess that at least quarter of the couples on the dance floor included at least one teacher/performer.
The sound system upstairs was disappointing once again. I wonder if they will ever get it right. I wonder if I have the patience to wait for them to fix it. The sound system at the Rocket supposedly was never a strong point (according to Sean). Maybe the acoustics is just poor. What a waste of a very expensive sound system!
More familiar faces arrived later – although not very many – some from LDA and some from Cambridge (about half dozen from each). Many people are supposedly at the Colloseum (it seems to be the main competition for the Rocket – possibly with more people in attendance consistently). The Rocket is having hard time attracting many people.
I certainly did not think I was any better than 50th percentile at any time I was dancing tonight. It has been a while since I felt I was below average in the room, and I would have to say that I found the feeling unnerving. It could be nothing but my imagination, but I wondered if some of my dance partners felt more nervous or less sure of themselves than usual. I might have felt more conscious of mistakes major and minor and let them have more lasting effect on the evening than usual too. Having a less than completely enthusiastic attitude from the outset cannot have helped matters either.
My confidence certainly waxes and wanes over time – this is one of those times of dips. In the past I would have recover confidence by adding several new interesting moves. Now I begin to wonder if time is running out on such method of recovery considering that I see less value in leading complex moves after moves (and possibly becoming rusty with less used moves). In the past I would also take no more than few weeks to become supremely (and perhaps irrationally) confident again. It would seem that such thing is less likely this time, but perhaps I always thought the same whenever I was going through a down phase?
Generally speaking I don’t derive much pleasure from dancing with people who are or who think they are much better than me. Often I get nervous and become less confident. I usually avoid asking teachers or performers for a dance – often because I assume that they get plenty of dances (and become tired of) with people they perceive as not as good (or to put it nicer – still have much to learn). I may think the same of people who I think are “superstar” groupies. I suppose this hesitation lessens as I get to know to the person better and a certain level of trust and understanding develops. I cannot think poorly of “groupies” because most people gravitates toward people who stand out and want to become friends with "cool people"; I know I must do it with some people while sometimes other people do the same with me. Usually I think I’m probably right about not asking certain type of people (and thus am avoiding getting a no for an answer or having a lousy dance to avoid bruising my ego), but I am sure I am wrong sometimes. The best are the ones I liked instantly and was liked back in return from the earliest moment – they’re rare and wonderful.
The ramblings in the previous paragraph were inspired primarily by dancing with a fairly prominent teacher/performer tonight.
Am I becoming dependent on having good social backups at these Salsa events? Last night was mostly about socializing and it worked out well. Socializing part “rescued” SOS trip last weekend. Weird - because I used to thrive on going to a completely new scene (with caveat that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to go to a London event without seeing a very large number of recognizable faces (but not necessarily friendly and certainly not intimately familiar – by this I mean people I recognize but have not danced with before or in rare cases had very poor dances with)). Would I no longer consider a Salsa night a great night unless the social aspect was pretty good as well as dancing (or unless the dancing was out of this world)?
Is my expectation that things should always get better (with hard work, etc) going to ultimately disappoint? Should I be remembering the words “You only live once…”?
They closed the upstairs room at 2 AM once again (even though it was probably more crowded than ever at the time of closing). I stood around for about 10 minutes after coming downstairs but did not feel inspire to stay. After all, I might want to conserve some energy for tomorrow at the Scala.
Based upon sound quality and lack of people (floor was fine for me although I heard some complaints about it being too slippery), I wonder if I would want to come back again. It’s certainly no better than going to SOS (with caveat that my last SOS outing rated no better than just okay – like the Rocket tonight – and that much of the negativity may have been in my mind preceding the start of the evening).
I should end noting that it was far from a disaster. I did have some dances that I enjoyed a great deal. I would guess that at least 2 or 3 dances if not more ended with me and my partner feeling pretty good.
On the eve of Latinfest weekend
August 25, 2006
Cyrille asked, "Are you going to be here tomorrow?"
I thought for a second and replied, "Sure. If you are, why not?" At least I would have someone I can hang out with.
That was last night. As I made dinner, I thought to check and make sure he will hold his part of the bargain. He replied, "Yes we're going later."
We in this case turned out to be Cyrille, Euvian, Zern and a friend of Zern. No doubt some people were absent because of the Latinfest workshops. Cyrille et al also tried to get Sergio to show to humorous effect.
It would be fair to say that Euvian was the busiest one amongst us. Cyrille probably danced non-Salsa more than Salsa, but probably had more dances than me nevertheless. I had 4 dances between 11 PM and 1 AM - just enough to get noticed. I also thought that I should perhaps try to get better with Bachata (mmm…) and Merengue (urrr…) for nights like this.
No Johnny & Serap tonight - apparently they are on a vacation.
As far as I am concerned tonight met and arguably exceeded my expectations so I have nothing to complain about.
This weekend should be busy. I probably will go to the Rocket by myself, but I should have Cyrille for company (and possibly Sergio) for Scala. Euvian, Rajiv and many others from Cambridge probably will meet us there, and there should be someone from Cambridge everywhere I turn Sunday night. Not Zern though - he'll be in Spain (incidentally, he's getting quite good very quickly… as Sergio said the other day, he has good attitude for it, and it also helps a great deal that he's found himself a nice network of friends in the scene).
Quote of the Day - "I thought Cuban style Salsa dancers danced to have fun! … But I must say that it looks quite ballroom-y for Cuban."
Exchange of the Day - Q. "Is it any good?" A. "Yes, San Miguel is very good."
Word of the Day - "Chinese Style"
Whatever it means.
Cyrille asked, "Are you going to be here tomorrow?"
I thought for a second and replied, "Sure. If you are, why not?" At least I would have someone I can hang out with.
That was last night. As I made dinner, I thought to check and make sure he will hold his part of the bargain. He replied, "Yes we're going later."
We in this case turned out to be Cyrille, Euvian, Zern and a friend of Zern. No doubt some people were absent because of the Latinfest workshops. Cyrille et al also tried to get Sergio to show to humorous effect.
It would be fair to say that Euvian was the busiest one amongst us. Cyrille probably danced non-Salsa more than Salsa, but probably had more dances than me nevertheless. I had 4 dances between 11 PM and 1 AM - just enough to get noticed. I also thought that I should perhaps try to get better with Bachata (mmm…) and Merengue (urrr…) for nights like this.
No Johnny & Serap tonight - apparently they are on a vacation.
As far as I am concerned tonight met and arguably exceeded my expectations so I have nothing to complain about.
This weekend should be busy. I probably will go to the Rocket by myself, but I should have Cyrille for company (and possibly Sergio) for Scala. Euvian, Rajiv and many others from Cambridge probably will meet us there, and there should be someone from Cambridge everywhere I turn Sunday night. Not Zern though - he'll be in Spain (incidentally, he's getting quite good very quickly… as Sergio said the other day, he has good attitude for it, and it also helps a great deal that he's found himself a nice network of friends in the scene).
Quote of the Day - "I thought Cuban style Salsa dancers danced to have fun! … But I must say that it looks quite ballroom-y for Cuban."
Exchange of the Day - Q. "Is it any good?" A. "Yes, San Miguel is very good."
Word of the Day - "Chinese Style"
Whatever it means.
Hmm... I'm getting better at this...
August 24, 2006
Advanced with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into double hammerlock turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with both hands ending ahead of follower – leader steps into follower’s previous spot on 5 facing away from follower and turn full counterclockwise (R-L is briefly disconnected low during the turn while L-R goes high-low-high-low so that the hold is crossed behind leader at below waist level on 7/8
1,2,3,5,6,7 bring follower under arm on 1,2,3 and lead follower back into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn over and under with L-R (R-L is disconnected) – L-R ends behind follower’s L waist (follower can style with arm here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 show R hand in front to reconnect by 3 so that follower can be led into 1/2 clockwise turn on 4 (try to bring L-R high and close to follower’s head in near pizza waiter position early – Jane) – lead follower back into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise on 1,2,3 with switching from L-R to R-R – step back on 5 as R-R is pointed downward and slightly to R then use R-R to lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn over and under to end R-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 backward step on 1 and into CBL (more of open type) and lead follower into free traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn
It seems like the practice music is being speeded up a little. It was something I started noticing last couple of weeks. Now I would call it a definite trend. Of course, "Thinking of You" at normal speed is a fairly slow song – albeit a little faster than "Acid."
Chris was free during the second hour, and we talked about teaching, social dancing, Salsa in London and elsewhere, and joys of anonymity.
I tried giving myself a small challenge by doing warm-up on follower's timing. I also tried some other common follower's steps but did not get any meaningful practice otherwise. It's a good exercise and learning experience exchanging places.
Anastasia asked about the clave. Next song had a fairly obvious one.
It was another big dancer’s night with some surprising no-shows as well as a few people who elicited a thought, “hmm… where did they come from?” It made for nice dancing (aside from energy issue) and watching.
The best dances for me probably came earlier in the evening in part because I ran out of energy early – probably stemming from the fact that all my usual meals before dinner (breakfast, lunch and a light snack) were all slightly smaller than usual. I guess I could say I bonked again. I better remember to eat better next week and not make it 3 weeks in a row (and perhaps eat something more substantial after the class and before the club). Dancing on fumes is very exhausting and seems to require extra time for full recovery.
Luis was entertaining. He commented that I was dancing faster and more and more like a Latino - whatever that means. He also was making suggestions left and right about prospective dance partners I should be dancing with as usual - sometimes to comical effects.
I was probably playing with music much more than usual by my Cambridge standard. Perhaps one of the more amusing examples came up when a problem with skipping CD (player) came up. Overall, a good number of songs led to interesting dances - hopefully not too whimsical and confusing for my partners.
Sergio was doing more teaching than usual - this time involving fair amount of partner work (to wrong music but still effective). I had an excellent view.
Quote of the day - "Do that again. That wasn’t a real kiss."
Cool.
Advanced with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into double hammerlock turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with both hands ending ahead of follower – leader steps into follower’s previous spot on 5 facing away from follower and turn full counterclockwise (R-L is briefly disconnected low during the turn while L-R goes high-low-high-low so that the hold is crossed behind leader at below waist level on 7/8
1,2,3,5,6,7 bring follower under arm on 1,2,3 and lead follower back into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn over and under with L-R (R-L is disconnected) – L-R ends behind follower’s L waist (follower can style with arm here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 show R hand in front to reconnect by 3 so that follower can be led into 1/2 clockwise turn on 4 (try to bring L-R high and close to follower’s head in near pizza waiter position early – Jane) – lead follower back into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with L-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise on 1,2,3 with switching from L-R to R-R – step back on 5 as R-R is pointed downward and slightly to R then use R-R to lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn over and under to end R-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 backward step on 1 and into CBL (more of open type) and lead follower into free traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn
It seems like the practice music is being speeded up a little. It was something I started noticing last couple of weeks. Now I would call it a definite trend. Of course, "Thinking of You" at normal speed is a fairly slow song – albeit a little faster than "Acid."
Chris was free during the second hour, and we talked about teaching, social dancing, Salsa in London and elsewhere, and joys of anonymity.
I tried giving myself a small challenge by doing warm-up on follower's timing. I also tried some other common follower's steps but did not get any meaningful practice otherwise. It's a good exercise and learning experience exchanging places.
Anastasia asked about the clave. Next song had a fairly obvious one.
It was another big dancer’s night with some surprising no-shows as well as a few people who elicited a thought, “hmm… where did they come from?” It made for nice dancing (aside from energy issue) and watching.
The best dances for me probably came earlier in the evening in part because I ran out of energy early – probably stemming from the fact that all my usual meals before dinner (breakfast, lunch and a light snack) were all slightly smaller than usual. I guess I could say I bonked again. I better remember to eat better next week and not make it 3 weeks in a row (and perhaps eat something more substantial after the class and before the club). Dancing on fumes is very exhausting and seems to require extra time for full recovery.
Luis was entertaining. He commented that I was dancing faster and more and more like a Latino - whatever that means. He also was making suggestions left and right about prospective dance partners I should be dancing with as usual - sometimes to comical effects.
I was probably playing with music much more than usual by my Cambridge standard. Perhaps one of the more amusing examples came up when a problem with skipping CD (player) came up. Overall, a good number of songs led to interesting dances - hopefully not too whimsical and confusing for my partners.
Sergio was doing more teaching than usual - this time involving fair amount of partner work (to wrong music but still effective). I had an excellent view.
Quote of the day - "Do that again. That wasn’t a real kiss."
Cool.
Final week of second LDA cycle
August 22, 2006
LDA 3.3 week 6 with Mario and Kat Wiklund
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-L hold open break (forward basic is okay) on 1 and bring follower inwards to right and make L-R connection (offer L hand early - Donna?) – backwards step on 5 and keep connections low (and presumably past leader’s position) and lead follower into 1/2 counterclockwise turn (so this is very much like CBL footwork for follower) with all connections high to get around follower’s head and leader moves into follower’s previous postion and turn clockwise to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare (not much of preparation step is required though and certainly no last minute preparation as advised by Helen) and lead follower into stationary double turn (no touch-and-go here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break (I think) and bring follower in on leader’s R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise starting on 2 (follower’s turn should end on 3, I think) – do a windmill like motion with R-L temporarily disconnected (actually keeping R hand on follower’s L forearm for much of this windmill motion, which is in full counterclockwise motion – leader is in something like CBL position during this windmill) – leader then steps into follower’s previous position with slight counterclockwise turn to face away from follower with keeping R-L low and L-R over leader’s head to above his L shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 step in place as L-R is brought down first then leader turns 1/2 clockwise while bringing R-L straight up (avoid any signal for turn here – bring it straight up and position it so that follower’s in pizza waiter position) – lead follower into single stationary clockwise turn (slow!) starting on 4 with R-L and catch follower’s R shoulder after a full turn with free L hand – let follower recover and lead follower forward (past leader on his R side) for 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn (again just like end of CBL except now under leader’s arm) leading with both hands – switch from R-L to L-L (leader could end facing away from follower once again although it’s not necessary)
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL position (may entail leader turning as much as 1/2 counterclockwise first to face follower) and establish R-R underneath L-L and lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R kept LOW (not sideways but keep it straight down during her turn – also keep the lead continuous and smooth, says Kat) – end with R-R supporting follower’s L arm in a lower than a pizza waiter position (similar to a position seen in week 6 of last session) – R-R is positioned behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 could try what was done in last session (allow follower to step back on 1 then lead her into full stationary clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist and R-R in pizza waiter position) – what was done today was to lead follower into free clockwise turn (double, triple, whatever) – according to Kat, lead involved in this turn was extremely subtle – you can’t move any of the connections sideways (which will cause her to move towards it) – I think a slight downward lead is okay but even this should be minimal – end with L-L connection behind follower’s R waist
We had 11 men and 8 women today. I felt like I was always without a partner when a new part was being added. It caused a little anxiety but there was no ill effect, and I was able to replicate the moves reasonably and seemingly requiring only minor adjustments.
Once again I drew absolutely no corrections or comments from Mario about my lead. Then again aside from one or two instances in the first 6 weeks, Mario has done very little in terms of correcting my technique in person. Susana was more active in this regard, so without her most of the suggestions came from my classmates – Helen being the best example but not the only one. I guess Kat did a little but only at the end when I practically demanded that she find faults with the way I was leading the move.
I’m guessing that I won’t opt for a third 6-week course in a row. I might return at a later time, but I think my basketball buddies would really like to have me back for the Tuesday games as they have been struggling with getting enough people this summer. It sounded like level 4 may not start for at least two more cycles by the way. Even if I don’t come back, attending these classes have led me to become better acquainted with people based in London – in particular Helen, Justin, Imi, Tracy, Gin, Anna, Roger, Simon, Sean, Denis, Julian, Jana, Monica, Janet, Andrew, Donna, Che, Pablo (as well as others whose names I didn’t quite get to learn).
My journey back to Cambridge was delayed by one of those damned scheduled engineering works. In addition to a later departure time, we had to take a bus from Stevenage to Cambridge. I ran into Thomas at Kings Cross; he was returning from a work-related meeting in Wales. I learned that he is from Slovenia of all places! Much of the time on the train and bus was spent talking about my work and thread of inquiry stemming from my work; I would have been content to talk about his work or gossiping (which we did a little) but Thomas seemed more interested in talking about things related to my field of expertise instead. Woolly Mammoth was featured prominently.
[A side note: Although this never came up in my conversations with Thomas, I had done some reading on Slovenian and Croatian histories (which seemed to be written with propaganda in mind mostly against Serbia but also against each other) and about the life of Marshall Tito this afternoon. This was done on a whim earlier today; interesting coincidence!]
Quote of the day - "No worries. We are not going anywhere." - Mario
LDA 3.3 week 6 with Mario and Kat Wiklund
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-L hold open break (forward basic is okay) on 1 and bring follower inwards to right and make L-R connection (offer L hand early - Donna?) – backwards step on 5 and keep connections low (and presumably past leader’s position) and lead follower into 1/2 counterclockwise turn (so this is very much like CBL footwork for follower) with all connections high to get around follower’s head and leader moves into follower’s previous postion and turn clockwise to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare (not much of preparation step is required though and certainly no last minute preparation as advised by Helen) and lead follower into stationary double turn (no touch-and-go here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break (I think) and bring follower in on leader’s R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise starting on 2 (follower’s turn should end on 3, I think) – do a windmill like motion with R-L temporarily disconnected (actually keeping R hand on follower’s L forearm for much of this windmill motion, which is in full counterclockwise motion – leader is in something like CBL position during this windmill) – leader then steps into follower’s previous position with slight counterclockwise turn to face away from follower with keeping R-L low and L-R over leader’s head to above his L shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 step in place as L-R is brought down first then leader turns 1/2 clockwise while bringing R-L straight up (avoid any signal for turn here – bring it straight up and position it so that follower’s in pizza waiter position) – lead follower into single stationary clockwise turn (slow!) starting on 4 with R-L and catch follower’s R shoulder after a full turn with free L hand – let follower recover and lead follower forward (past leader on his R side) for 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn (again just like end of CBL except now under leader’s arm) leading with both hands – switch from R-L to L-L (leader could end facing away from follower once again although it’s not necessary)
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL position (may entail leader turning as much as 1/2 counterclockwise first to face follower) and establish R-R underneath L-L and lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R kept LOW (not sideways but keep it straight down during her turn – also keep the lead continuous and smooth, says Kat) – end with R-R supporting follower’s L arm in a lower than a pizza waiter position (similar to a position seen in week 6 of last session) – R-R is positioned behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 could try what was done in last session (allow follower to step back on 1 then lead her into full stationary clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist and R-R in pizza waiter position) – what was done today was to lead follower into free clockwise turn (double, triple, whatever) – according to Kat, lead involved in this turn was extremely subtle – you can’t move any of the connections sideways (which will cause her to move towards it) – I think a slight downward lead is okay but even this should be minimal – end with L-L connection behind follower’s R waist
We had 11 men and 8 women today. I felt like I was always without a partner when a new part was being added. It caused a little anxiety but there was no ill effect, and I was able to replicate the moves reasonably and seemingly requiring only minor adjustments.
Once again I drew absolutely no corrections or comments from Mario about my lead. Then again aside from one or two instances in the first 6 weeks, Mario has done very little in terms of correcting my technique in person. Susana was more active in this regard, so without her most of the suggestions came from my classmates – Helen being the best example but not the only one. I guess Kat did a little but only at the end when I practically demanded that she find faults with the way I was leading the move.
I’m guessing that I won’t opt for a third 6-week course in a row. I might return at a later time, but I think my basketball buddies would really like to have me back for the Tuesday games as they have been struggling with getting enough people this summer. It sounded like level 4 may not start for at least two more cycles by the way. Even if I don’t come back, attending these classes have led me to become better acquainted with people based in London – in particular Helen, Justin, Imi, Tracy, Gin, Anna, Roger, Simon, Sean, Denis, Julian, Jana, Monica, Janet, Andrew, Donna, Che, Pablo (as well as others whose names I didn’t quite get to learn).
My journey back to Cambridge was delayed by one of those damned scheduled engineering works. In addition to a later departure time, we had to take a bus from Stevenage to Cambridge. I ran into Thomas at Kings Cross; he was returning from a work-related meeting in Wales. I learned that he is from Slovenia of all places! Much of the time on the train and bus was spent talking about my work and thread of inquiry stemming from my work; I would have been content to talk about his work or gossiping (which we did a little) but Thomas seemed more interested in talking about things related to my field of expertise instead. Woolly Mammoth was featured prominently.
[A side note: Although this never came up in my conversations with Thomas, I had done some reading on Slovenian and Croatian histories (which seemed to be written with propaganda in mind mostly against Serbia but also against each other) and about the life of Marshall Tito this afternoon. This was done on a whim earlier today; interesting coincidence!]
Quote of the day - "No worries. We are not going anywhere." - Mario
La Pantera Mambo & Merecumbe
August 21, 2006
Intermediate with Tiz
The main theme today was wrap (and check?). These served mostly as reminders and elaborations of moves I have seen before (and as such were extremely good).
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold start with open break into CBL position with R-L hold only – lead follower forward on 5 with slight downward lead and bring R-L towards leader’s stomach (as if to impale himself) on 6 to lead follower into a wrap position – this ends with R-L across follower’s stomach on her R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 bringing follower backwards (possibly for exchanging places or simply reorienting/exchanging positions) involves for follower a step across to L on 1 and backwards on 2 thus the lead needs to be to get follower to move to her left on 1 then to bring her backwards on 2 (as opposed to yanking her backwards which is no good) – for this class follower was simply led back on 2,3 and end with back basic – leader could turn towards follower on 3 in this case
1,2,3,5,6,7 similar kind of wrap could be done with both connections intact – again start with open break and into CBL position but with both holds intact – even in this case all lead is done with R-L (and L-R should be almost all decorative and maneuvered to avoid hitting follower in the head – in this case L-R goes above and around follower’s head) with lead forward on 5 and impale-like lead on 6 for wrap with R-L across follower’s stomach on her R waist L-R on follower’s L side (just above shoulder level)
1,2,3,5,6,7 for this class, follower was led to L on 1 and backwards on 2 with leader taking follower’s position and ending facing her (same idea as previous move)
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold with free L hand showing – open break into Copa with L-L connection made (R-R connection is broken and free R hand could go either to follower’s shoulder or hip with different ways of doing R-R leads) – lead follower forward on 4 (? weird…I think this might be 5… 4 might be more appropriate if it’s a fake – I’m not really sure) and into Copa turn (traveling counterclockwise) but with L-L low for wrap
1,2,3,5,6,7 follower is led to L on 1 and back to R on 2,3 and into stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn on 5,6,7 with L-L kept low for at least first 1/2 turn (I guess this may feel different than some other methods I have seen in part because R hand is not used here) (ended with L-L hat for leader)
1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold L-L on top – open break start and into CBL position and same lead as before (result is traveling full counterclockwise turn for follower) with L-L ending just above follower’s L shoulder and R-R just above follower’s R shoulder (with R hand ending on follower’s R shoulder) and in continuous motion…
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn around 1/2 counterclockwise on 1,2,3 in place (it’s a continuous lead with constant pressure for forward and turning movement – and I think follower’s footwork reflects this – the idea here is to keep follower stationary) – in this case, we ended with leading follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn with L-L high
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold – open break start into CBL position and lead follower into full traveling counterclockwise turn with same lead as before with R-R ending just above follower’s R shoulder (leader’s forearm is on follower’s R shoulder – also free L hand on follower’s L shoulder) and in continuous motion…
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn around 1/2 counterclockwise with leader positioned to R of follower and bring follower backwards on 5,6,7 with leader stepping forward and turning right (clockwise) with R-R high to face follower (could end with R-R hat for leader and continue to next move)
(continued from one of above)
1,2,3,5,6,7 hand toss on 2 to bring follower’s hands up and bring L hand to follower’s L waist across follower’s stomach on 3 – lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn (free turn) remembering that her turn does not start until 6 … I believe Tiz’s original intent was to finish this with around-the-world on next 1,2,3 with CBL finish)
I was almost 20 minutes late thus missed the shine section.
Not sure why, but the dancing tonight ended up being more satisfying in many ways than SOS last night. It could be that I was a little more focused and better tuned with the music tonight. This of course does not mean that I did not enjoy last night (far from it) or that tonight was an exceptional night (probably not true either). I just mean that I had more instances where I ended the dance thinking, “That was quite well done by my current standard.” or “That was one of my best dances with X, Y or Z.”
Quote of the day - "Sorry folks. I was playing it at -20%"
But it was still too fast. It was stopped after less than a minute. I Love Salsa - N'Klabe.
One detail about the Rocket and the Scala this coming weekend gave me a pause - 8 showcases at each event. Too many. Arguably 8 too many.
Intermediate with Tiz
The main theme today was wrap (and check?). These served mostly as reminders and elaborations of moves I have seen before (and as such were extremely good).
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold start with open break into CBL position with R-L hold only – lead follower forward on 5 with slight downward lead and bring R-L towards leader’s stomach (as if to impale himself) on 6 to lead follower into a wrap position – this ends with R-L across follower’s stomach on her R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 bringing follower backwards (possibly for exchanging places or simply reorienting/exchanging positions) involves for follower a step across to L on 1 and backwards on 2 thus the lead needs to be to get follower to move to her left on 1 then to bring her backwards on 2 (as opposed to yanking her backwards which is no good) – for this class follower was simply led back on 2,3 and end with back basic – leader could turn towards follower on 3 in this case
1,2,3,5,6,7 similar kind of wrap could be done with both connections intact – again start with open break and into CBL position but with both holds intact – even in this case all lead is done with R-L (and L-R should be almost all decorative and maneuvered to avoid hitting follower in the head – in this case L-R goes above and around follower’s head) with lead forward on 5 and impale-like lead on 6 for wrap with R-L across follower’s stomach on her R waist L-R on follower’s L side (just above shoulder level)
1,2,3,5,6,7 for this class, follower was led to L on 1 and backwards on 2 with leader taking follower’s position and ending facing her (same idea as previous move)
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold with free L hand showing – open break into Copa with L-L connection made (R-R connection is broken and free R hand could go either to follower’s shoulder or hip with different ways of doing R-R leads) – lead follower forward on 4 (? weird…I think this might be 5… 4 might be more appropriate if it’s a fake – I’m not really sure) and into Copa turn (traveling counterclockwise) but with L-L low for wrap
1,2,3,5,6,7 follower is led to L on 1 and back to R on 2,3 and into stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn on 5,6,7 with L-L kept low for at least first 1/2 turn (I guess this may feel different than some other methods I have seen in part because R hand is not used here) (ended with L-L hat for leader)
1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold L-L on top – open break start and into CBL position and same lead as before (result is traveling full counterclockwise turn for follower) with L-L ending just above follower’s L shoulder and R-R just above follower’s R shoulder (with R hand ending on follower’s R shoulder) and in continuous motion…
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn around 1/2 counterclockwise on 1,2,3 in place (it’s a continuous lead with constant pressure for forward and turning movement – and I think follower’s footwork reflects this – the idea here is to keep follower stationary) – in this case, we ended with leading follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn with L-L high
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold – open break start into CBL position and lead follower into full traveling counterclockwise turn with same lead as before with R-R ending just above follower’s R shoulder (leader’s forearm is on follower’s R shoulder – also free L hand on follower’s L shoulder) and in continuous motion…
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn around 1/2 counterclockwise with leader positioned to R of follower and bring follower backwards on 5,6,7 with leader stepping forward and turning right (clockwise) with R-R high to face follower (could end with R-R hat for leader and continue to next move)
(continued from one of above)
1,2,3,5,6,7 hand toss on 2 to bring follower’s hands up and bring L hand to follower’s L waist across follower’s stomach on 3 – lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn (free turn) remembering that her turn does not start until 6 … I believe Tiz’s original intent was to finish this with around-the-world on next 1,2,3 with CBL finish)
I was almost 20 minutes late thus missed the shine section.
Not sure why, but the dancing tonight ended up being more satisfying in many ways than SOS last night. It could be that I was a little more focused and better tuned with the music tonight. This of course does not mean that I did not enjoy last night (far from it) or that tonight was an exceptional night (probably not true either). I just mean that I had more instances where I ended the dance thinking, “That was quite well done by my current standard.” or “That was one of my best dances with X, Y or Z.”
Quote of the day - "Sorry folks. I was playing it at -20%"
But it was still too fast. It was stopped after less than a minute. I Love Salsa - N'Klabe.
One detail about the Rocket and the Scala this coming weekend gave me a pause - 8 showcases at each event. Too many. Arguably 8 too many.
A gratuitous trip to SOS
August 20, 2006
I told myself that I shouldn’t go this week about dozen times, but I couldn’t bear the idea of not being there for three weeks – at least not this week. I’m definitely not going next week because of the Bank Holiday.
I was socializing a lot more than usual both on and off the dance floor. I must have spent at least part of two songs talking to Liam about music (and also on the walk back to Kings Cross). Liam recommended Mambo Mongo (the album … which I had been considering getting for some time now), and a song called Vietnam Mambo (by Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers).
I think I only danced with 13 people or so for total of around 16 songs (including some bits where I tried following). Possibly because I went with not much of dancing mood, I didn’t feel very light on my foot. I certainly didn’t think I was dancing better than last week. I’m also convinced that SOS works better for me as once a month outing (maybe once every 3 weeks if I were to really push it).
Songs of note (or ones I recognized and remembered): Los Rumberos – Markolino Dimond y Frankie Dante, La Llave & Besame Mucho – both by Grupo Latin Vibe. Also Un Amor De Una Noche - N'Klabe (I'm hearing this too often for my liking now). After SOS on the train: El Quinto De Beethoven – Cesta All-Stars.
I counted ten people associated with Cambridge. Like last week, I caught up with some of them on the train back to Cambridge.
Quote of the day – “You’re a handful. You like to cause mischief. You’re a troublemaker.”
I told myself that I shouldn’t go this week about dozen times, but I couldn’t bear the idea of not being there for three weeks – at least not this week. I’m definitely not going next week because of the Bank Holiday.
I was socializing a lot more than usual both on and off the dance floor. I must have spent at least part of two songs talking to Liam about music (and also on the walk back to Kings Cross). Liam recommended Mambo Mongo (the album … which I had been considering getting for some time now), and a song called Vietnam Mambo (by Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers).
I think I only danced with 13 people or so for total of around 16 songs (including some bits where I tried following). Possibly because I went with not much of dancing mood, I didn’t feel very light on my foot. I certainly didn’t think I was dancing better than last week. I’m also convinced that SOS works better for me as once a month outing (maybe once every 3 weeks if I were to really push it).
Songs of note (or ones I recognized and remembered): Los Rumberos – Markolino Dimond y Frankie Dante, La Llave & Besame Mucho – both by Grupo Latin Vibe. Also Un Amor De Una Noche - N'Klabe (I'm hearing this too often for my liking now). After SOS on the train: El Quinto De Beethoven – Cesta All-Stars.
I counted ten people associated with Cambridge. Like last week, I caught up with some of them on the train back to Cambridge.
Quote of the day – “You’re a handful. You like to cause mischief. You’re a troublemaker.”
Salsa night at work
August 18, 2006
There wasn't much to lose. Tickets only cost me £5, which covered dinner as well as a live Salsa band. I didn't expect many great dance partners to be there, but I suspected that Cinzia would be there at very least (and she didn't disappoint). Also the venue is less than 100 meters away from my desk.
After finishing off some minor work, I stepped onto Murray's Restaurant, where the event was being held. I joined my colleagues for dinner, which turned out to be considerably better than their usual fare for lunch. Thus I felt like I had already gotten pretty good value with food alone. I probably would have stuffed myself with multiple helpings and desserts except I didn't think it wise to dance with too much food in me.
In addition to Pete and Cinzia, several core members of the Cambridge Rueda group headed by Helen showed up. I learned that the Rueda group would be doing a demonstration between two sets Cambiando was to play. I hadn't seen many of them for quite some time so it was nice to see them and say hello.
Pete told me that he couldn't find my blog using google. I guess that's good - it means it is not super easy to find. I also found it funny because to date I have told less than 10 people directly, and Pete was one of the first person to learn of this blog (probably third person overall). Meanwhile, I would estimate that over 300 people in Cambridge or in the UK Salsa scene learned of it by word of mouth - mostly via people I never told directly. Even now, I find someone new checking the site now and then - hopefully with no ill results.
[note added in correction: When I said I told less than 10 people about this blog, what I meant was that I gave the web address for this blog to less than 10 people. I had talked to whole lot of people about the blog, especially in October last year. Of course even then approximately half of the people already knew about it before I talked to them about it. After October, I have talked about it to very small number of new people, usually because they found it first and decided to talk to me about it. More often than not, I don't know who reads this blog. When I say 300 people, I mean that 300 people checked the site at least once - the number of regular readers (those who check the blog at least once a week or two) is no more than 30-40 people.]
Pete and Cinzia led a beginner class - attended by perhaps 100 people. They were able to teach forward basic step, enchufla/enchufe, and Kentucky. Not bad. Not bad at all.
The band sounded good - I liked the first set more than the second set.
The floor was pretty bad. I found the main floor very sticky - I think this was more because the floor was dirty rather than being naturally sticky. I found the adjacent kitchen floor (as opposed to dining area) to be considerably better so I stuck mainly to this area. It also meant I was more hidden from most of the people in attendance.
There was no CBL specialist as expected, but there were some nice dances nevertheless - including with Cinzia of course. Dancing with novice colleagues and one other colleague more familiar with Cuban style had it charm too. In all 8 dances - 3 consistently on time.
There wasn't much to lose. Tickets only cost me £5, which covered dinner as well as a live Salsa band. I didn't expect many great dance partners to be there, but I suspected that Cinzia would be there at very least (and she didn't disappoint). Also the venue is less than 100 meters away from my desk.
After finishing off some minor work, I stepped onto Murray's Restaurant, where the event was being held. I joined my colleagues for dinner, which turned out to be considerably better than their usual fare for lunch. Thus I felt like I had already gotten pretty good value with food alone. I probably would have stuffed myself with multiple helpings and desserts except I didn't think it wise to dance with too much food in me.
In addition to Pete and Cinzia, several core members of the Cambridge Rueda group headed by Helen showed up. I learned that the Rueda group would be doing a demonstration between two sets Cambiando was to play. I hadn't seen many of them for quite some time so it was nice to see them and say hello.
Pete told me that he couldn't find my blog using google. I guess that's good - it means it is not super easy to find. I also found it funny because to date I have told less than 10 people directly, and Pete was one of the first person to learn of this blog (probably third person overall). Meanwhile, I would estimate that over 300 people in Cambridge or in the UK Salsa scene learned of it by word of mouth - mostly via people I never told directly. Even now, I find someone new checking the site now and then - hopefully with no ill results.
[note added in correction: When I said I told less than 10 people about this blog, what I meant was that I gave the web address for this blog to less than 10 people. I had talked to whole lot of people about the blog, especially in October last year. Of course even then approximately half of the people already knew about it before I talked to them about it. After October, I have talked about it to very small number of new people, usually because they found it first and decided to talk to me about it. More often than not, I don't know who reads this blog. When I say 300 people, I mean that 300 people checked the site at least once - the number of regular readers (those who check the blog at least once a week or two) is no more than 30-40 people.]
Pete and Cinzia led a beginner class - attended by perhaps 100 people. They were able to teach forward basic step, enchufla/enchufe, and Kentucky. Not bad. Not bad at all.
The band sounded good - I liked the first set more than the second set.
The floor was pretty bad. I found the main floor very sticky - I think this was more because the floor was dirty rather than being naturally sticky. I found the adjacent kitchen floor (as opposed to dining area) to be considerably better so I stuck mainly to this area. It also meant I was more hidden from most of the people in attendance.
There was no CBL specialist as expected, but there were some nice dances nevertheless - including with Cinzia of course. Dancing with novice colleagues and one other colleague more familiar with Cuban style had it charm too. In all 8 dances - 3 consistently on time.
Nice smile!
August 17, 2006
Advanced with Sally assisted by Lindsey
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn for follower continued into…
1,2,3,5,6,7 keep going forward with L-R at about follower’s neck level to lead follower to turn another full counterclockwise turn with L-R ending behind follower’s neck on her right side (I can’t decide whether leader’s palm should be facing follower’s neck or be away from her neck – I think the former is probably preferable) by 3 and R hand is offered in front of follower’s face to reconnect R-L in front (and slightly to L) of follower’s face – lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns double stationary counterclockwise with (during which L-R goes high initially for drop catch and R-L goes high and then low with reconnected L-R going high again for drop catch again to end with R-L/R)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower into crucifix position with 1/2 clockwise turn on 2,3 – then lead follower into stationary counterclockwise turn with R-R high and L-L low (was this a double turn? if so then this would be something of touch-and-go with L-L to end with L-L positioned across follower’s stomach on her R side) – leader and follower faces same direction with leader positioned to R of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 with L-L coming up (and disconnecting R-R) – lead follower to turn 1/2 counterclockwise (in retrospect, I’m not sure if I ever led this properly – I think the lead may entail moving L-L towards follower between 1 and 2) while leader turns 1/2 clockwise – on 4 leader and follower are facing same direction again except opposite of 1 with L-L in front – lead follower into traveling clockwise turn (1 1/2 or 2 1/2 – whatever works) ending with L-L neck wrap
1,2,3,5,6,7 allow follower to step back on 1 with her R foot while reconnecting R-R in front – lead follower into traveling counterclockwise turn (touch-and-go if 2 1/2 or more) ending with pseudo-sombrero finish (continuing to next … see below)
1,2,3,5,6,7 pseudo-sombrero finish (R-R over follower’s head and L-L over leader’s head) and disconnect and reconnect R-R underneath while getting into CBL position – lead follower forward on 5 and into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R low and switching to L-R (so L-R ends behind follower’s R waist and R-L is connected at about follower’s eye level to her L)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower into stationary double clockwise turn probably starting on 2 with all connections intact through the first part in an over-and-under type of move – after placing R-L behind follower’s R waist (or perhaps shortly before) leader turns full counterclockwise (at some point all connections are disconnected) and end with L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL and lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn to unwrap
A low energy day. Substandard breakfast and insubstantial lunch did not help, and a snack before the class was not fulfilling either. I was feeling bonked by the night’s end.
I might have lost even more energy when I got involved in giving something of a private tuition for a pair of first-time female students (not counting however many lessons they took with Theodore), who were somewhat indignant about being pushed into the beginner class because they were not familiar with cross body lead. I don’t even remember how I got involved in this – at one point, I saw them complaining to Vishal and next I was explaining CBL, which then led to giving instructions for CBL (from both closed and open hold), pivot turns (dealing with several basic leads for follower’s turn as well as dealing with leader’s turns) and hats (and how they can be distinguished from signal for turns) as well as general tips about hand holds, closed holds, etc. Two major points which seemed to surprise this pair were that so little music was being used during the class (a difficulty when you have multiple classes going at the same time) and that classes moved very rapidly into partner work (as opposed to each person moving by himself/herself for large part of the class).
The club hours had even more feel of being a dancer’s night than last Thursday. Although there were not as many regulars, the numbers were more than compensated by people who usually show up less frequently as well as by some newcomers. There seemed to be fair bit of mixing too. Too bad I wasn’t feeling particularly energetic and the air was surprisingly humid and warm - also too many strained, awkward or questionable associations thanks to my writings. I did have some nice dances and dance fragments though, and I didn’t cause any injuries (wink wink). Total number of dances was a little over 12. Vishal decided to end club around 11:40 with there being fair number of people still dancing and milling about and with Sally making protests in jest.
I overheard that there was a third leader who danced on-2 although I did not see this with my own eyes. (In fact, when I had a brief glimpse at this on-2 candidate before I heard this talk (I am not even sure if I was looking at the right person), I assumed that he was simply off time because I thought I saw him stepping forward with his left foot on-2, which is not Eddie Torres on-2 ... although it matches with something I’ve heard referred to as Power-2 ... but what do I know anyway?).
Ivan was showing off his silly puppet shine – very modern (being snarky here). This might have led Sergio to get me to make up a shine. After a little, I suggested something lasting one bar. Sergio commented that what I suggested was rather difficult. Then he proceeded to make it easier with some changes in footwork. Then he decided to make it more difficult by adding arm movement elements, etc.
There were some trophies on display by the DJ booth (as a part of advertisement for an upcoming dance competition to be hosted by Cristian in October).
Quote of the day? – “She’s young. She’ll heal quickly.”
Maybe. I certainly didn't feel young tonight.
Advanced with Sally assisted by Lindsey
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn for follower continued into…
1,2,3,5,6,7 keep going forward with L-R at about follower’s neck level to lead follower to turn another full counterclockwise turn with L-R ending behind follower’s neck on her right side (I can’t decide whether leader’s palm should be facing follower’s neck or be away from her neck – I think the former is probably preferable) by 3 and R hand is offered in front of follower’s face to reconnect R-L in front (and slightly to L) of follower’s face – lead follower into traveling 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns double stationary counterclockwise with (during which L-R goes high initially for drop catch and R-L goes high and then low with reconnected L-R going high again for drop catch again to end with R-L/R)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower into crucifix position with 1/2 clockwise turn on 2,3 – then lead follower into stationary counterclockwise turn with R-R high and L-L low (was this a double turn? if so then this would be something of touch-and-go with L-L to end with L-L positioned across follower’s stomach on her R side) – leader and follower faces same direction with leader positioned to R of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 with L-L coming up (and disconnecting R-R) – lead follower to turn 1/2 counterclockwise (in retrospect, I’m not sure if I ever led this properly – I think the lead may entail moving L-L towards follower between 1 and 2) while leader turns 1/2 clockwise – on 4 leader and follower are facing same direction again except opposite of 1 with L-L in front – lead follower into traveling clockwise turn (1 1/2 or 2 1/2 – whatever works) ending with L-L neck wrap
1,2,3,5,6,7 allow follower to step back on 1 with her R foot while reconnecting R-R in front – lead follower into traveling counterclockwise turn (touch-and-go if 2 1/2 or more) ending with pseudo-sombrero finish (continuing to next … see below)
1,2,3,5,6,7 pseudo-sombrero finish (R-R over follower’s head and L-L over leader’s head) and disconnect and reconnect R-R underneath while getting into CBL position – lead follower forward on 5 and into traveling 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with R-R low and switching to L-R (so L-R ends behind follower’s R waist and R-L is connected at about follower’s eye level to her L)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower into stationary double clockwise turn probably starting on 2 with all connections intact through the first part in an over-and-under type of move – after placing R-L behind follower’s R waist (or perhaps shortly before) leader turns full counterclockwise (at some point all connections are disconnected) and end with L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL and lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn to unwrap
A low energy day. Substandard breakfast and insubstantial lunch did not help, and a snack before the class was not fulfilling either. I was feeling bonked by the night’s end.
I might have lost even more energy when I got involved in giving something of a private tuition for a pair of first-time female students (not counting however many lessons they took with Theodore), who were somewhat indignant about being pushed into the beginner class because they were not familiar with cross body lead. I don’t even remember how I got involved in this – at one point, I saw them complaining to Vishal and next I was explaining CBL, which then led to giving instructions for CBL (from both closed and open hold), pivot turns (dealing with several basic leads for follower’s turn as well as dealing with leader’s turns) and hats (and how they can be distinguished from signal for turns) as well as general tips about hand holds, closed holds, etc. Two major points which seemed to surprise this pair were that so little music was being used during the class (a difficulty when you have multiple classes going at the same time) and that classes moved very rapidly into partner work (as opposed to each person moving by himself/herself for large part of the class).
The club hours had even more feel of being a dancer’s night than last Thursday. Although there were not as many regulars, the numbers were more than compensated by people who usually show up less frequently as well as by some newcomers. There seemed to be fair bit of mixing too. Too bad I wasn’t feeling particularly energetic and the air was surprisingly humid and warm - also too many strained, awkward or questionable associations thanks to my writings. I did have some nice dances and dance fragments though, and I didn’t cause any injuries (wink wink). Total number of dances was a little over 12. Vishal decided to end club around 11:40 with there being fair number of people still dancing and milling about and with Sally making protests in jest.
I overheard that there was a third leader who danced on-2 although I did not see this with my own eyes. (In fact, when I had a brief glimpse at this on-2 candidate before I heard this talk (I am not even sure if I was looking at the right person), I assumed that he was simply off time because I thought I saw him stepping forward with his left foot on-2, which is not Eddie Torres on-2 ... although it matches with something I’ve heard referred to as Power-2 ... but what do I know anyway?).
Ivan was showing off his silly puppet shine – very modern (being snarky here). This might have led Sergio to get me to make up a shine. After a little, I suggested something lasting one bar. Sergio commented that what I suggested was rather difficult. Then he proceeded to make it easier with some changes in footwork. Then he decided to make it more difficult by adding arm movement elements, etc.
There were some trophies on display by the DJ booth (as a part of advertisement for an upcoming dance competition to be hosted by Cristian in October).
Quote of the day? – “She’s young. She’ll heal quickly.”
Maybe. I certainly didn't feel young tonight.
Kat steps in for Susana
August 15, 2006
3.3 with Mario assisted by Kat Wiklund
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead double hammerlock turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with both connections intact and pointed toward the direction of follower’s origin (so L-R goes over follower's head) – then leader steps into follower’s previous space and turn full counterclockwise (L-R is briefly disconnected at start of leader’s turn and reconnected and goes over leader’s head to end by leader’s L shoulder and R-L is kept low by leader’s waist level and ending behind leader around center of his back)
1,2,3,5,6,7 L-R is lowered (keeping follower’s arm straight throughout as much as possible) on 1 and goes over leader’s head as leader turns 1/2 clockwise on 2 and R-L is used to lead follower to turn 1/2 clockwise on either 2.5 or 3 (so that R-L ends about follower’s R shoulder with leader’s arm coming down and L-R by follower’s L waist) – then lead follower to step back on 5,6,7 with both hands leading this movement with leader moving into follower’s previous space with L-R going over leader’s head followed by drop catch to R-L/R by leader’s R waist – end with leader facing away from follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break (but leader could either step backwards or forwards on 1) with R-L/R coming up in front of follower’s face on 3 and to turn her 1/2 clockwise on 4 with free L hand stopping follower on her back then leading follower backwards into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with the lead coming from L hand (minimize lead with R hand – absence of lead could be ideal here) – look to switch hands early while R-L/R is still above follower’s head for next move
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns clockwise with double switch of hands to end back with R-L/R and lead follower into 2 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
Susana is apparently away in Russia for a family gathering of some sort. Kat Wiklund stood in for Susana, and I had a chance to chat with her a bit before the start of the class. I thought I had seen her a couple of times before – possibly once at the Rocket where I might have had a dance with her (I’m thinking less likely more I think about it) and definitely last weekend at SOS where I asked her for a dance (the song was Babarabatiri by Tito Puente – short 3:42 studio version). I had no idea she was a teacher – teaching partner with Alex Amoroso (Alex is Greek-Italian apparently but I have no idea what he looks like). Apparently Kat and Alex stood in for Mauro and Eva for level 3 (this is something I picked up in a Salsa chat forum) and will do so again next weekend. I’m beginning to wonder if most people who I thought were pretty good as dance partners have teaching experience (or soon will start teaching).
Justin told me that I seemed to have made nice progress with my lower body movement and being able to turn fast but thought that my upper body might be too stiff. I replied that have been making some modifications with some input from friends (mostly Sergio) but I have had almost no time to practice body isolations. I’m not sure if stiff upper body is desirable but it is also something of a deliberate exercise for the moment in response to the “posture” comments/suggestions from Ivan, Sally, Johnny and Serap.
I had a better look at the floor space at LDA; it’s definitely larger than Mary Ward Hall (for SOS). Apparently Mary Ward Hall is also used for Ceroc. Julian "The Duke" was the DJ at SOS last weekend.
There was a movement to get an e-mail list by Tracy. I almost wonder if this is going to end in starting a clique – I hope not. I wouldn’t want to join a clique that would have me.
Quote of the day – “Don’t you know you are supposed to be wearing white shoes?”
3.3 with Mario assisted by Kat Wiklund
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead double hammerlock turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start with both connections intact and pointed toward the direction of follower’s origin (so L-R goes over follower's head) – then leader steps into follower’s previous space and turn full counterclockwise (L-R is briefly disconnected at start of leader’s turn and reconnected and goes over leader’s head to end by leader’s L shoulder and R-L is kept low by leader’s waist level and ending behind leader around center of his back)
1,2,3,5,6,7 L-R is lowered (keeping follower’s arm straight throughout as much as possible) on 1 and goes over leader’s head as leader turns 1/2 clockwise on 2 and R-L is used to lead follower to turn 1/2 clockwise on either 2.5 or 3 (so that R-L ends about follower’s R shoulder with leader’s arm coming down and L-R by follower’s L waist) – then lead follower to step back on 5,6,7 with both hands leading this movement with leader moving into follower’s previous space with L-R going over leader’s head followed by drop catch to R-L/R by leader’s R waist – end with leader facing away from follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break (but leader could either step backwards or forwards on 1) with R-L/R coming up in front of follower’s face on 3 and to turn her 1/2 clockwise on 4 with free L hand stopping follower on her back then leading follower backwards into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn with the lead coming from L hand (minimize lead with R hand – absence of lead could be ideal here) – look to switch hands early while R-L/R is still above follower’s head for next move
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns clockwise with double switch of hands to end back with R-L/R and lead follower into 2 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
Susana is apparently away in Russia for a family gathering of some sort. Kat Wiklund stood in for Susana, and I had a chance to chat with her a bit before the start of the class. I thought I had seen her a couple of times before – possibly once at the Rocket where I might have had a dance with her (I’m thinking less likely more I think about it) and definitely last weekend at SOS where I asked her for a dance (the song was Babarabatiri by Tito Puente – short 3:42 studio version). I had no idea she was a teacher – teaching partner with Alex Amoroso (Alex is Greek-Italian apparently but I have no idea what he looks like). Apparently Kat and Alex stood in for Mauro and Eva for level 3 (this is something I picked up in a Salsa chat forum) and will do so again next weekend. I’m beginning to wonder if most people who I thought were pretty good as dance partners have teaching experience (or soon will start teaching).
Justin told me that I seemed to have made nice progress with my lower body movement and being able to turn fast but thought that my upper body might be too stiff. I replied that have been making some modifications with some input from friends (mostly Sergio) but I have had almost no time to practice body isolations. I’m not sure if stiff upper body is desirable but it is also something of a deliberate exercise for the moment in response to the “posture” comments/suggestions from Ivan, Sally, Johnny and Serap.
I had a better look at the floor space at LDA; it’s definitely larger than Mary Ward Hall (for SOS). Apparently Mary Ward Hall is also used for Ceroc. Julian "The Duke" was the DJ at SOS last weekend.
There was a movement to get an e-mail list by Tracy. I almost wonder if this is going to end in starting a clique – I hope not. I wouldn’t want to join a clique that would have me.
Quote of the day – “Don’t you know you are supposed to be wearing white shoes?”
To scattered applause
August 14, 2006
Intermediate with Tiz – first hour
Shines (names?) were all variation on a theme
1 L foot cross over R foot
2 R foot in place
3 L foot to normal (during 2,3 body is repositioned to face 10-11 o’clock)
4 R foot small kick
5 R foot back in place
6 L foot slide forward (10-11 o’clock) with R foot following
7,8 variation 1 – R foot simply follows then basic (probably moving to R to get back to original position)
variation 2 – R foot follows then L and R legs bends outwards slightly with body going down a little and recovering then basic
variation 3 – R foot follows then L foot slides further to L with lowered center of gravity and L foot crosses in front of R foot with no weight on it before getting back to basic
variation 4 – R foot follows then body roll then getting back to basic
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower to stationary clockwise turn with both connections intact high
1,2,3,5,6,7 keep this tight - Copa (with L-R going over follower’s head) ending with over and under to get L-R behind follower’s R waist (keep all connections intact til the end … L-R goes down while R-L stays high)
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL position (from open break??) lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn (keeping L-R low until it’s safe to raise it of course) with leader doing 1/2 clockwise turn at the end for drop catch to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and L-L connection made in front of follower – lead follower to full traveling clockwise turn (raising L-L and letting go) with R-R across follower’s stomach and by her L waist (leader’s palm facing away with nice tight connection for next move) – leader ends in position slightly to L of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn full counterclockwise stationary on 1,2,3 (lead R-R downwards and switch position) to end R-R behind follower’s L waist on 3/4 – then lead follower to turn 1/2 clockwise stationary on 5,6,7 with another downwards lead to get back follower to face leader
Intermediate with Tiz – second hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold – prepare and lead follower to clockwise turn with leader adjusting hand position (it ends up being positioned under follower’s hand during her turn) to end in drop catch for L-R with leader in position facing away from follower’s line (thus leader has turned about 1/4 counterclockwise)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward (behind leader) – get R elbow on follower’s R forearm to lead follower into 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn (like normal CBL finish) – I think L-R needs to go high first – to get back to open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into CBL position as R-L goes over follower’s head (to end like a neck wrap) – lead follower into 1/2 clockwise traveling turn ending with R-L right by follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward on 1 with L-R going down and 1/2 counterclockwise turn on 2,3 with L-R going over follower’s head (R-L stays at about the same level throughout) – at this point connections are crossed behind leader’s neck – leader turns full counterclockwise on 5,6,7 to bring follower around 1/2 counterclockwise (somewhat like CBL finish) [I think R-L is let go at some point]
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into double stationary clockwise hammerlock turn - to end with R-L behind follower’s R waist of course
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into reverse CBL position? – lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn with R-L coming up after initial 1/2 turn to end in neck wrap – make L-R connection in front
1,2,3,5,6,7 was there Mambo jazz? – I’m not sure how it finished – it may have been leading a simple 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower to get back to open position
Vishal had asked me to DJ again. I had been thinking about asking to do it today anyway so I accepted. Below is the result.
Playlist
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon (1)*
Que Pana – Lebron Brothers (2)*
Malanga Amarilla – Cachao (3)*
Brujeria – El Gran Combo (-4%) (4)*
Rumba Del Barrio – Luisito Rosario (-3%)
Mambo Mongo – Mongo Santamaria (-4%) (5)
Un Verano En New York – El Gran Combo (-4%) (6)*
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon (-4%) (7)*
Get It Up – Eurocuban Project (-4%)
Juana Pena – Willie Colon (-4%)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (-4%)*
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano (-2%)
El Cantante – Hector Lavoe (8)*
(1) I think this one brought a smile to Joe, who proceeded to dance to this one before departing. Sergio later translated part of the lyrics to me (it’s better not to know), and it’s possible that Joe was amused by lack of political correctness of this song.
(2) I wasn’t quite sure how people would dance to this song, which is a little too slow for Salsa … I think it’s best described as Boogaloo, and some danced Cha Cha to it, which probably works well.
(3) I need to play this even louder next time – volume on the CD is quite weak. It definitely will be played again. Often.
(4) I guess I haven’t played this before, but this should have been very familiar to Club Salsa regulars unlike the other songs played to this point.
(5) I really like this tune. This was my second time playing this song. Joe used this song during practice, but he played it much slower.
(6) Back to playing new stuff.
(7) Another song I haven’t played before but it is an old Club Salsa favorite.
(8) I danced to this one for my second dance of the evening (the first one was in between two classes). To make the story a little longer – the bouncer guy came down to let me know that we should close the club at 11 PM (there never was very many people to start for the club hours). I checked the time, and it was 10:50 PM with about two minutes left on Anacaona. I made a snap decision to play El Cantante, then made a reservation for the dance with Mimi. At the end of Anacaona, I yelled that the next song is the last song of the evening before starting the song and then starting my dance with Mimi. Few others started dancing to this song but gave up after about 2/3 way through it, so I was the only one still dancing to the very end. At the end, someone or some people decided to give applause - genuine or sarcastic? - who cares? My best guess is that this was something of a congratulations for having a chutzpah to play such song and dance from start to end of it. Someone also asked how long the song was, to which I replied, “10 minutes and 35 seconds.” Contrary to Agnes’s prediction couple of months ago, no one tried to kill me.
Summary - 12 songs. 11 Salsa. 1 Boogaloo (Cha Cha). 8 new songs into my playlist. I had a blast.
Quote of the day – “Well if that’s not temptation … don’t know what is.”
Flatterer!
Intermediate with Tiz – first hour
Shines (names?) were all variation on a theme
1 L foot cross over R foot
2 R foot in place
3 L foot to normal (during 2,3 body is repositioned to face 10-11 o’clock)
4 R foot small kick
5 R foot back in place
6 L foot slide forward (10-11 o’clock) with R foot following
7,8 variation 1 – R foot simply follows then basic (probably moving to R to get back to original position)
variation 2 – R foot follows then L and R legs bends outwards slightly with body going down a little and recovering then basic
variation 3 – R foot follows then L foot slides further to L with lowered center of gravity and L foot crosses in front of R foot with no weight on it before getting back to basic
variation 4 – R foot follows then body roll then getting back to basic
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower to stationary clockwise turn with both connections intact high
1,2,3,5,6,7 keep this tight - Copa (with L-R going over follower’s head) ending with over and under to get L-R behind follower’s R waist (keep all connections intact til the end … L-R goes down while R-L stays high)
1,2,3,5,6,7 into CBL position (from open break??) lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn (keeping L-R low until it’s safe to raise it of course) with leader doing 1/2 clockwise turn at the end for drop catch to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and L-L connection made in front of follower – lead follower to full traveling clockwise turn (raising L-L and letting go) with R-R across follower’s stomach and by her L waist (leader’s palm facing away with nice tight connection for next move) – leader ends in position slightly to L of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to turn full counterclockwise stationary on 1,2,3 (lead R-R downwards and switch position) to end R-R behind follower’s L waist on 3/4 – then lead follower to turn 1/2 clockwise stationary on 5,6,7 with another downwards lead to get back follower to face leader
Intermediate with Tiz – second hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold – prepare and lead follower to clockwise turn with leader adjusting hand position (it ends up being positioned under follower’s hand during her turn) to end in drop catch for L-R with leader in position facing away from follower’s line (thus leader has turned about 1/4 counterclockwise)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward (behind leader) – get R elbow on follower’s R forearm to lead follower into 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn (like normal CBL finish) – I think L-R needs to go high first – to get back to open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into CBL position as R-L goes over follower’s head (to end like a neck wrap) – lead follower into 1/2 clockwise traveling turn ending with R-L right by follower’s R shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward on 1 with L-R going down and 1/2 counterclockwise turn on 2,3 with L-R going over follower’s head (R-L stays at about the same level throughout) – at this point connections are crossed behind leader’s neck – leader turns full counterclockwise on 5,6,7 to bring follower around 1/2 counterclockwise (somewhat like CBL finish) [I think R-L is let go at some point]
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower into double stationary clockwise hammerlock turn - to end with R-L behind follower’s R waist of course
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into reverse CBL position? – lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn with R-L coming up after initial 1/2 turn to end in neck wrap – make L-R connection in front
1,2,3,5,6,7 was there Mambo jazz? – I’m not sure how it finished – it may have been leading a simple 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower to get back to open position
Vishal had asked me to DJ again. I had been thinking about asking to do it today anyway so I accepted. Below is the result.
Playlist
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon (1)*
Que Pana – Lebron Brothers (2)*
Malanga Amarilla – Cachao (3)*
Brujeria – El Gran Combo (-4%) (4)*
Rumba Del Barrio – Luisito Rosario (-3%)
Mambo Mongo – Mongo Santamaria (-4%) (5)
Un Verano En New York – El Gran Combo (-4%) (6)*
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon (-4%) (7)*
Get It Up – Eurocuban Project (-4%)
Juana Pena – Willie Colon (-4%)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (-4%)*
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano (-2%)
El Cantante – Hector Lavoe (8)*
(1) I think this one brought a smile to Joe, who proceeded to dance to this one before departing. Sergio later translated part of the lyrics to me (it’s better not to know), and it’s possible that Joe was amused by lack of political correctness of this song.
(2) I wasn’t quite sure how people would dance to this song, which is a little too slow for Salsa … I think it’s best described as Boogaloo, and some danced Cha Cha to it, which probably works well.
(3) I need to play this even louder next time – volume on the CD is quite weak. It definitely will be played again. Often.
(4) I guess I haven’t played this before, but this should have been very familiar to Club Salsa regulars unlike the other songs played to this point.
(5) I really like this tune. This was my second time playing this song. Joe used this song during practice, but he played it much slower.
(6) Back to playing new stuff.
(7) Another song I haven’t played before but it is an old Club Salsa favorite.
(8) I danced to this one for my second dance of the evening (the first one was in between two classes). To make the story a little longer – the bouncer guy came down to let me know that we should close the club at 11 PM (there never was very many people to start for the club hours). I checked the time, and it was 10:50 PM with about two minutes left on Anacaona. I made a snap decision to play El Cantante, then made a reservation for the dance with Mimi. At the end of Anacaona, I yelled that the next song is the last song of the evening before starting the song and then starting my dance with Mimi. Few others started dancing to this song but gave up after about 2/3 way through it, so I was the only one still dancing to the very end. At the end, someone or some people decided to give applause - genuine or sarcastic? - who cares? My best guess is that this was something of a congratulations for having a chutzpah to play such song and dance from start to end of it. Someone also asked how long the song was, to which I replied, “10 minutes and 35 seconds.” Contrary to Agnes’s prediction couple of months ago, no one tried to kill me.
Summary - 12 songs. 11 Salsa. 1 Boogaloo (Cha Cha). 8 new songs into my playlist. I had a blast.
Quote of the day – “Well if that’s not temptation … don’t know what is.”
Flatterer!
Comparing SOS and the LDA social
August 13, 2006
I had been toying with the idea of going to SOS again this week because I was hoping to run into some people and because I wanted to get a comparison of the LDA social with SOS. In the end, it was a last minute decision, and I opted to take the train (for ~8:15 PM arrival) once again.
Comparing SOS and the LDA social, total dance space is comparable. It was on crowded side at SOS tonight, but the LDA social would have been considered less crowded than any of the SOS nights at Mary Ward I have been to. I would say that average level of dancers is comparable except at the highest end, which would favor SOS. I would also guess that LDA social would appear friendlier. I think the sound at the LDA social was better than at SOS because SOS still has some dead spots. I wonder if placing the loudspeakers at higher elevation at LDA social made it better (or if they simply have better acoustics). Music selection at SOS is definitely more adventurous although I can’t say I had any major problems with the selections at the LDA social.
Songs played tonight included Azuquita Pa’l Café – El Gran Combo, La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe, Swing La Moderna – Ray Barretto, Babarabatiri – Tito Puente, La Palomilla - Joe Cuba, My Favorite Things – New Swing Sextet, Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony, Periodico De Ayer – Hector Lavoe. For some reason I thought Que Bueno Baila Usted might have been played but I am not entirely sure. I recognized about 30% of the songs. I only heard one non-Salsa (Bachata in this case).
Miscellaneous. Total number of Cambridge-associated contingent was 9 (if I were to believe Johnny and count one person I did not spot with my own eyes). I ran into “Diane”, who was delightful as usual; she tried to twist my arm to attend the UK Congress. Hmm. As expected, fair number of people (11 from 3.3) from the LDA was there too. I also recognized some LDA instructors like Inaki and Mario; I think this is the first time I saw either at SOS. Total number of dance partners for me tonight was 15 or more for at least 17 dances altogether. I ran into a small contingent of Cambridge folks (4 including me) on the train back to Cambridge.
Quote of the day – “You only live once. You should enjoy it as much as you can. You should work hard and play hard.”
Cliché. But it also was about as strong an argument that reasonably could have been given.
I had been toying with the idea of going to SOS again this week because I was hoping to run into some people and because I wanted to get a comparison of the LDA social with SOS. In the end, it was a last minute decision, and I opted to take the train (for ~8:15 PM arrival) once again.
Comparing SOS and the LDA social, total dance space is comparable. It was on crowded side at SOS tonight, but the LDA social would have been considered less crowded than any of the SOS nights at Mary Ward I have been to. I would say that average level of dancers is comparable except at the highest end, which would favor SOS. I would also guess that LDA social would appear friendlier. I think the sound at the LDA social was better than at SOS because SOS still has some dead spots. I wonder if placing the loudspeakers at higher elevation at LDA social made it better (or if they simply have better acoustics). Music selection at SOS is definitely more adventurous although I can’t say I had any major problems with the selections at the LDA social.
Songs played tonight included Azuquita Pa’l Café – El Gran Combo, La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe, Swing La Moderna – Ray Barretto, Babarabatiri – Tito Puente, La Palomilla - Joe Cuba, My Favorite Things – New Swing Sextet, Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony, Periodico De Ayer – Hector Lavoe. For some reason I thought Que Bueno Baila Usted might have been played but I am not entirely sure. I recognized about 30% of the songs. I only heard one non-Salsa (Bachata in this case).
Miscellaneous. Total number of Cambridge-associated contingent was 9 (if I were to believe Johnny and count one person I did not spot with my own eyes). I ran into “Diane”, who was delightful as usual; she tried to twist my arm to attend the UK Congress. Hmm. As expected, fair number of people (11 from 3.3) from the LDA was there too. I also recognized some LDA instructors like Inaki and Mario; I think this is the first time I saw either at SOS. Total number of dance partners for me tonight was 15 or more for at least 17 dances altogether. I ran into a small contingent of Cambridge folks (4 including me) on the train back to Cambridge.
Quote of the day – “You only live once. You should enjoy it as much as you can. You should work hard and play hard.”
Cliché. But it also was about as strong an argument that reasonably could have been given.
iFest
August 10, 2006
Advanced with Sally assisted by Lindsey
1,2,3,4,5,6 L-R hold prepare and lead stationary clockwise double turn for follower with leader doing 1/2 counterclockwise turn at the end (7) and do a drop catch to end with R-R [amusing note: Sally thought I might be turning a little too sharply here. That’s a first.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and L-L connected – block follower on 5 and lead her forward again on 7 with 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 standard Copa with L-L going over and free R hand on follower’s R hip end with open position L-L [note for myself: lead follower forward on 5 with R hand and initiate follower’s turn on 6. I still sometimes rush this now and then.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward on 1 & L-L hat for leader – around the world on 2,3 and finish with simple CBL for follower and hook turn for leader to turn clockwise and end facing follower with free R hand on R side of L-L (L-L is behind leader’s R waist)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and get R hand underneath L-L and against follower’s back (leader’s R forearm is locked against follower’s L arm and her back – R hand, which need not contact anything should have palm facing away from follower’s back – same should apply with follower’s L arm against leader’s back and R arm) and get together – walk around as unit clockwise on 5,6,7 – end with R hand sliding down slightly and holding follower’s L arm above her elbow
1,2,3,5,6,7 a Copa variation here – open break and bring follower to Copa position with both free hands ending on follower’s shoulder – lead follower into traveling clockwise traveling turn – turning lead is on 5 [note: This could easily be modified to lead follower into normal Copa counterclockwise traveling turn with turning lead on 6 instead.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL start with L-R high and R-L low and lead follower into traveling clockwise turn with R-L being something of a touch-and-go (enough of lead is done to place follower’s L hand behind her R waist while R-L is on leader’s L side and then after the connection is broken, R hand reconnects with follower’s L hand but from his R side) – L-R is also brought down as well. It may be best for leader to keep facing away from follower although a peek may be necessary or okay to ensure proper reconnection of R-L
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower on leader’s R side (leader should be able to make this easier by moving slightly to L side during 1,2,3) with L-R disconnected after open break – lead follower into double counterclockwise turn with R-L low to end with wrap for follower with R-L across follower’s waist and on her R side
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to L then behind as leader moves to R and to front to essentially exchange places with follower (or with both moving in counterclockwise motion) – then lead follower forward and into free 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn
During some lulls or in between partner changes, I managed to get some practice of Tuesday LDA routine (the end bit) with many of my partners in the class. It cheered me up a fair deal that this worked fairly well much of the time.
As I expected, he who could be named made his return, which predictably made the evening exceedingly bustling. It seemed fairly reasonable to guess (and somewhat amusing) that some came specifically because of it.
I had at least 16 and as many as 20 dances tonight and didn’t leave until 12:30 AM. Great number of them was really good – sometimes making me think that I should have asked for more but ultimately not doing so simply because I didn’t feel like pushing my luck. In particular, I enjoyed my dances with Sylvia – in part because I could convince (or delude) myself that she might have gotten more enjoyment out of dancing with me (although probably not as much compared to dancing with Sergio) than with Cyrille.
Quote of the day – “When are you going to start that on-2 class of yours?”
Yeah! I’ve been asking the same question for – over a year. For my money, these days I find Sergio the only lead in Cambridge (or for that matter in most of the UK) I could watch for more than a minute at a time and be fairly sure that I would be engaged and not be bored.
Some notable songs played tonight include Un Verano En New York (unfortunately before the class only) and Azuquita Pa’l Café – both by El Gran Combo (Fair number of El Gran Combo tonight in fact … Ojos Chinos was played also). Others included Mambo Diablo, Ahora Quien, Playa No More (different version?), Merecumbe??? (not by Johnny Colon, I think), La Pantera Mambo, Me Voy Pa’ Cali, Hacha Y Machete.
I might consider making requests for some songs – except I have too many – over 20 songs merely from songs I could but have not played yet. I think it’s more than possible that I could make one new request per week and not run out of requests for at least half year (or much longer given I’m still buying new CDs). I guess this means I still have a great deal to look forward to.
I wonder if Ivan is going to tell me that I misquoted him. Is there any other mistakes or problems? Bring it on.
Factoid of the day – There apparently is a Ghost Tour of Cambridge. Apparently, there are some 60 (66?) ghosts in various parts of Cambridge University.
Advanced with Sally assisted by Lindsey
1,2,3,4,5,6 L-R hold prepare and lead stationary clockwise double turn for follower with leader doing 1/2 counterclockwise turn at the end (7) and do a drop catch to end with R-R [amusing note: Sally thought I might be turning a little too sharply here. That’s a first.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and L-L connected – block follower on 5 and lead her forward again on 7 with 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 standard Copa with L-L going over and free R hand on follower’s R hip end with open position L-L [note for myself: lead follower forward on 5 with R hand and initiate follower’s turn on 6. I still sometimes rush this now and then.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 forward on 1 & L-L hat for leader – around the world on 2,3 and finish with simple CBL for follower and hook turn for leader to turn clockwise and end facing follower with free R hand on R side of L-L (L-L is behind leader’s R waist)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and get R hand underneath L-L and against follower’s back (leader’s R forearm is locked against follower’s L arm and her back – R hand, which need not contact anything should have palm facing away from follower’s back – same should apply with follower’s L arm against leader’s back and R arm) and get together – walk around as unit clockwise on 5,6,7 – end with R hand sliding down slightly and holding follower’s L arm above her elbow
1,2,3,5,6,7 a Copa variation here – open break and bring follower to Copa position with both free hands ending on follower’s shoulder – lead follower into traveling clockwise traveling turn – turning lead is on 5 [note: This could easily be modified to lead follower into normal Copa counterclockwise traveling turn with turning lead on 6 instead.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL start with L-R high and R-L low and lead follower into traveling clockwise turn with R-L being something of a touch-and-go (enough of lead is done to place follower’s L hand behind her R waist while R-L is on leader’s L side and then after the connection is broken, R hand reconnects with follower’s L hand but from his R side) – L-R is also brought down as well. It may be best for leader to keep facing away from follower although a peek may be necessary or okay to ensure proper reconnection of R-L
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower on leader’s R side (leader should be able to make this easier by moving slightly to L side during 1,2,3) with L-R disconnected after open break – lead follower into double counterclockwise turn with R-L low to end with wrap for follower with R-L across follower’s waist and on her R side
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to L then behind as leader moves to R and to front to essentially exchange places with follower (or with both moving in counterclockwise motion) – then lead follower forward and into free 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn
During some lulls or in between partner changes, I managed to get some practice of Tuesday LDA routine (the end bit) with many of my partners in the class. It cheered me up a fair deal that this worked fairly well much of the time.
As I expected, he who could be named made his return, which predictably made the evening exceedingly bustling. It seemed fairly reasonable to guess (and somewhat amusing) that some came specifically because of it.
I had at least 16 and as many as 20 dances tonight and didn’t leave until 12:30 AM. Great number of them was really good – sometimes making me think that I should have asked for more but ultimately not doing so simply because I didn’t feel like pushing my luck. In particular, I enjoyed my dances with Sylvia – in part because I could convince (or delude) myself that she might have gotten more enjoyment out of dancing with me (although probably not as much compared to dancing with Sergio) than with Cyrille.
Quote of the day – “When are you going to start that on-2 class of yours?”
Yeah! I’ve been asking the same question for – over a year. For my money, these days I find Sergio the only lead in Cambridge (or for that matter in most of the UK) I could watch for more than a minute at a time and be fairly sure that I would be engaged and not be bored.
Some notable songs played tonight include Un Verano En New York (unfortunately before the class only) and Azuquita Pa’l Café – both by El Gran Combo (Fair number of El Gran Combo tonight in fact … Ojos Chinos was played also). Others included Mambo Diablo, Ahora Quien, Playa No More (different version?), Merecumbe??? (not by Johnny Colon, I think), La Pantera Mambo, Me Voy Pa’ Cali, Hacha Y Machete.
I might consider making requests for some songs – except I have too many – over 20 songs merely from songs I could but have not played yet. I think it’s more than possible that I could make one new request per week and not run out of requests for at least half year (or much longer given I’m still buying new CDs). I guess this means I still have a great deal to look forward to.
I wonder if Ivan is going to tell me that I misquoted him. Is there any other mistakes or problems? Bring it on.
Factoid of the day – There apparently is a Ghost Tour of Cambridge. Apparently, there are some 60 (66?) ghosts in various parts of Cambridge University.
Win passes to the UK Congress
August 10, 2006
There's a contest at londonsalsa.co.uk to win a pair of full passes to the UK International Salsa Congress on 22-24 September.
To enter, e-mail info@londonsalsa.co.uk with subject heading "UK Congress Competition" and the answer this week's question "Where in the UK is the UK Salsa Congress held?" by Sunday, 13 August. The answer is Bognor Regis.
Every week for the next five weeks they'll be asking another question and drawing three lucky winners to be entered into the final draw for 2 full passes.
The final lucky winner will be announced on Monday, 11 September.
Full details here
There's a contest at londonsalsa.co.uk to win a pair of full passes to the UK International Salsa Congress on 22-24 September.
To enter, e-mail info@londonsalsa.co.uk with subject heading "UK Congress Competition" and the answer this week's question "Where in the UK is the UK Salsa Congress held?" by Sunday, 13 August. The answer is Bognor Regis.
Every week for the next five weeks they'll be asking another question and drawing three lucky winners to be entered into the final draw for 2 full passes.
The final lucky winner will be announced on Monday, 11 September.
Full details here
In the land of blind
August 8, 2006
LDA 3.3 with Susana and Mario
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn for follower end with R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead double stationary turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R to in front of leader’s R shoulder as leader gets into CBL position then away from follower on 5 to lead follower into normal CBL with leader turning clockwise (after follower passes through) with temporary switch to L-R and back to R-R as leader is facing away from follower again by 8
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader’s footwork is as follows – to L on 1, forward on 2, turn clockwise as step back sideways (try for about 2 o’clock) – follower is brought forward with toss (on 2) for switch to R-L (except it’s more like going for her wrist) – lead follower into free counterclockwise traveling turn (it’s like a big toss backwards… on 4) – and leader turns counterclockwise to get back to open position after follower goes through
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic (get into open hold)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader walks clockwise 3/4 to get into open CBL position with both connections intact and lead follower into 2 1/2 counterclockwise turn (keep hands together!) – lead comes on 4and and 5and?
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader’s footwork is as follows – 1,2 as if doing clockwise walk to get into CBL and L foot crossed (more like forward into 12 o’clock – away from follower) and step across to R on 5 – keep connections together above R shoulder and lead follower into stationary clockwise turn on 4(!) before stepping on 5 with L-R landing on leader’s R shoulder and staying there throughout with R-L moves across leader’s head to his L and down to waist and move R hand to R waist to reconnect R-L
I asked about a song they were playing a lot tonight. No one including Shaan and Mario knew the artist. The song is called “La Llave.” I found the song/artist/album next day.
Everyone in the 3.3 class who went to the LDA social professed to have enjoyed it a great deal. No disagreement here.
Quote of the day – “You must be like …”
No. Not really. Far from it.
LDA 3.3 with Susana and Mario
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn for follower end with R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead double stationary turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R to in front of leader’s R shoulder as leader gets into CBL position then away from follower on 5 to lead follower into normal CBL with leader turning clockwise (after follower passes through) with temporary switch to L-R and back to R-R as leader is facing away from follower again by 8
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader’s footwork is as follows – to L on 1, forward on 2, turn clockwise as step back sideways (try for about 2 o’clock) – follower is brought forward with toss (on 2) for switch to R-L (except it’s more like going for her wrist) – lead follower into free counterclockwise traveling turn (it’s like a big toss backwards… on 4) – and leader turns counterclockwise to get back to open position after follower goes through
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic (get into open hold)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader walks clockwise 3/4 to get into open CBL position with both connections intact and lead follower into 2 1/2 counterclockwise turn (keep hands together!) – lead comes on 4and and 5and?
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader’s footwork is as follows – 1,2 as if doing clockwise walk to get into CBL and L foot crossed (more like forward into 12 o’clock – away from follower) and step across to R on 5 – keep connections together above R shoulder and lead follower into stationary clockwise turn on 4(!) before stepping on 5 with L-R landing on leader’s R shoulder and staying there throughout with R-L moves across leader’s head to his L and down to waist and move R hand to R waist to reconnect R-L
I asked about a song they were playing a lot tonight. No one including Shaan and Mario knew the artist. The song is called “La Llave.” I found the song/artist/album next day.
Everyone in the 3.3 class who went to the LDA social professed to have enjoyed it a great deal. No disagreement here.
Quote of the day – “You must be like …”
No. Not really. Far from it.
Packed like sardines
August 7, 2006
Intermediate with Tiz – first hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold, Copa over and under – end with L-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower with leader turning clockwise to face away from follower for drop catch end with R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and connecting with L-L ending with 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower with L-L hat for leader keeping connection
1,2,3,5,6,7 normal CBL (keeping L-L connection) ending with 1 1/4 counterclockwise turn for leader to get into semi-open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 L-L Copa start – keep L-L low for wrap (follower does only 1 1/4 counterclockwise turn here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to left and backwards as leader steps in front of follower on 1,2,3 and leader turns 1/2 clockwise with some flourish to get back to open or closed position
Intermediate with Tiz – second hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold, stationary double turn for follower to end with hammerlock (R-L behind follower’s R waist)
1,2,3,5,6,7 let go L-R and Copa start (keeping R-L straight) and lead follower into Copa turn with R-L high with leader turning at the end clockwise to face away from follower with R-L above leader’s R shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 tricky bit here – keep R-L above leader’s shoulder – open break and bring follower forward as leader turns away (1/4 counterclockwise) from follower’s line – lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn over and under to bring R-L behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start (keeping R-L straight again) ... I think we ended with simple exchange of place (I'm feeling a bit disinterested - I don't think it was anything special)
It was fascinating to see how quickly the place emptied after classes ended. Where do all these one-time visitors come from?
Many of the core group was back. Hooray.
Otherwise it was a perfectly dull and uninspiring day. Hopefully this loss of enthusiasm is temporary.
Quote of the day - "I knew you were going to start complaining."
Intermediate with Tiz – first hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold, Copa over and under – end with L-R behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL with 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower with leader turning clockwise to face away from follower for drop catch end with R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward with R-R going over and connecting with L-L ending with 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn for follower with L-L hat for leader keeping connection
1,2,3,5,6,7 normal CBL (keeping L-L connection) ending with 1 1/4 counterclockwise turn for leader to get into semi-open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 L-L Copa start – keep L-L low for wrap (follower does only 1 1/4 counterclockwise turn here)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower to left and backwards as leader steps in front of follower on 1,2,3 and leader turns 1/2 clockwise with some flourish to get back to open or closed position
Intermediate with Tiz – second hour
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold, stationary double turn for follower to end with hammerlock (R-L behind follower’s R waist)
1,2,3,5,6,7 let go L-R and Copa start (keeping R-L straight) and lead follower into Copa turn with R-L high with leader turning at the end clockwise to face away from follower with R-L above leader’s R shoulder
1,2,3,5,6,7 tricky bit here – keep R-L above leader’s shoulder – open break and bring follower forward as leader turns away (1/4 counterclockwise) from follower’s line – lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling clockwise turn over and under to bring R-L behind follower’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start (keeping R-L straight again) ... I think we ended with simple exchange of place (I'm feeling a bit disinterested - I don't think it was anything special)
It was fascinating to see how quickly the place emptied after classes ended. Where do all these one-time visitors come from?
Many of the core group was back. Hooray.
Otherwise it was a perfectly dull and uninspiring day. Hopefully this loss of enthusiasm is temporary.
Quote of the day - "I knew you were going to start complaining."
Inaugural LDA social
August 4, 2006
The first LDA social. What to expect? A deserted party possibly given that it’s a brand new undertaking and that I have noticed very little promotion for it? In any case, it was not worth dragging anyone but myself to it. The only thing I was fairly sure about was the dance floor (nice and spacious) and music (should be almost all Salsa). Also I thought I could look forward to not having this blog affect my interaction with people there.
At the train station, I recognized someone familiar, who I ended up accompanying to Kings Cross. She asked me about good places to learn on-2 in London. I suggested Manhattan Mambo (Wednesdays) and Special Tee (Saturdays).
When I arrived at 8:45 PM (the event was supposed to have started at 8 PM), they were doing a Bachata class with Inaki Fernandez – a minor surprise. It seemed like a beginner class, and it was difficult for me to gauge Inaki’s style from what little I have seen. This class was followed by some sort of line dancing, which lasted to nearly 9:30 PM.
I think the total number of people in attendance was approximately 150. From the level 3.3 class, I spotted only seven others. I think the attendance level from other level of classes was about the same (no better than 50%). I am guessing that more than half of the people at the social have not taken classes at LDA. Level of dancers was similar to SOS if you take out almost all teachers and superstars from SOS. For me this worked out fine because I tend not to dance with teachers or superstars at SOS whereas I did dance with teachers and assistants here.
Song selection was for my taste a bit on too familiar side. For better or worse, I recognized one third to nearly half of the songs. These included: La Noticia, Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch; Lloraras, Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon; Brujeria, Viva Puente – El Gran Combo; Betece, Sey – Africando; Lovely Day – Rudy B; Playa No More - Crystal Sierra; Avisale A Mi Contrario – original artist?; Obsesion – Aventura; Ran Kan Kan – cover artist unknown (disco-like). During a little over 2 hours I was there for the party proper, all but two Bachata songs played were Salsa.
Sound level was comfortable – about the same as SOS (possibly louder???). It didn’t seem handcuffed like upstairs at the Rocket or thumping like downstairs at the Rocket.
I think I must have danced with at least 20 people tonight – I can definitely recall 18 for sure. I only had one dance with someone from my 3.3 class; this dance worked much nicer than my last 2 or 3 with her (or during warm-ups). I recall 5 people asking me for a dance – nice again – including one for Bachata (hmm… it has been something like 3 months since I tried dancing Bachata). I thought I was going to go all night without getting a no for an answer, but I got one near the end.
I tried to do my best to fit the dance to the music and generally keeping the dances relaxed (meaning not reaching my top speed 99% of the time). This was more difficult when I was dancing with less poised partners, but it worked more often than I expected and most people seemed pretty receptive to what I was doing (whether they were aware or not).
I had a great time and would consider coming to another one. I have no idea how others felt though, and I am unsure about bringing anyone else to the next social – at least not yet. I would not be surprised if I had better time than 95% of people there (possibly because of differences in expectations). Music might be too conventional for some. The level of dancers although fine may not seem spectacular enough for others. It might be not crowded enough for yet others.
Quote of the day – “I’m following you. I hope you don’t mind.”
The first LDA social. What to expect? A deserted party possibly given that it’s a brand new undertaking and that I have noticed very little promotion for it? In any case, it was not worth dragging anyone but myself to it. The only thing I was fairly sure about was the dance floor (nice and spacious) and music (should be almost all Salsa). Also I thought I could look forward to not having this blog affect my interaction with people there.
At the train station, I recognized someone familiar, who I ended up accompanying to Kings Cross. She asked me about good places to learn on-2 in London. I suggested Manhattan Mambo (Wednesdays) and Special Tee (Saturdays).
When I arrived at 8:45 PM (the event was supposed to have started at 8 PM), they were doing a Bachata class with Inaki Fernandez – a minor surprise. It seemed like a beginner class, and it was difficult for me to gauge Inaki’s style from what little I have seen. This class was followed by some sort of line dancing, which lasted to nearly 9:30 PM.
I think the total number of people in attendance was approximately 150. From the level 3.3 class, I spotted only seven others. I think the attendance level from other level of classes was about the same (no better than 50%). I am guessing that more than half of the people at the social have not taken classes at LDA. Level of dancers was similar to SOS if you take out almost all teachers and superstars from SOS. For me this worked out fine because I tend not to dance with teachers or superstars at SOS whereas I did dance with teachers and assistants here.
Song selection was for my taste a bit on too familiar side. For better or worse, I recognized one third to nearly half of the songs. These included: La Noticia, Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch; Lloraras, Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon; Brujeria, Viva Puente – El Gran Combo; Betece, Sey – Africando; Lovely Day – Rudy B; Playa No More - Crystal Sierra; Avisale A Mi Contrario – original artist?; Obsesion – Aventura; Ran Kan Kan – cover artist unknown (disco-like). During a little over 2 hours I was there for the party proper, all but two Bachata songs played were Salsa.
Sound level was comfortable – about the same as SOS (possibly louder???). It didn’t seem handcuffed like upstairs at the Rocket or thumping like downstairs at the Rocket.
I think I must have danced with at least 20 people tonight – I can definitely recall 18 for sure. I only had one dance with someone from my 3.3 class; this dance worked much nicer than my last 2 or 3 with her (or during warm-ups). I recall 5 people asking me for a dance – nice again – including one for Bachata (hmm… it has been something like 3 months since I tried dancing Bachata). I thought I was going to go all night without getting a no for an answer, but I got one near the end.
I tried to do my best to fit the dance to the music and generally keeping the dances relaxed (meaning not reaching my top speed 99% of the time). This was more difficult when I was dancing with less poised partners, but it worked more often than I expected and most people seemed pretty receptive to what I was doing (whether they were aware or not).
I had a great time and would consider coming to another one. I have no idea how others felt though, and I am unsure about bringing anyone else to the next social – at least not yet. I would not be surprised if I had better time than 95% of people there (possibly because of differences in expectations). Music might be too conventional for some. The level of dancers although fine may not seem spectacular enough for others. It might be not crowded enough for yet others.
Quote of the day – “I’m following you. I hope you don’t mind.”
Goodbye tension, hello musicality
August 3, 2006
Advanced with Sally & Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL end with open hold or L-R hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s L side with follower’s R hand being placed on leader’s L shoulder for a drop – leader does 1 1/2 clockwise turn on the spot (hook turn is okay here) – follower is supposed to drop her R hand along leader’s rotating body while doing a simple CBL finish to face leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side and at least even at body level and with R-R behind leader – lead here onwards was described as lasso-like keeping the hand on same horizontal level and circling … also leader is better off facing the same direction without turning his body on 1,2,3,4,5 – follower is led into 2 1/2 clockwise turn while leader turns full counterclockwise and end with drop catch to end L-R. I found this exceedingly difficult. In the intermediate class, this move was simplified apparently so that follower does 1 1/2 clockwise turn while leader does not turn at all. Leader still does something of a lasso-like movement for the lead but instead of having R-R behind leader on 3, R-R is across in front of leader’s body at about his L shoulder level on 3. End position is leader facing away from follower and slightly to her right with L-R connected by (behind) leader’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward and lead her into free 1 1/2 (or optional 2 1/2) traveling clockwise turn – with leader preparing on 5 and doing a quick L turn with R foot going forward across follower’s position on 7 for around the world move next
1,2,3,5,6,7 initiate around the world move on 1,2,3 (Sally suggested to me that I should be more firm with my R hand – I would not be surprised if I am in the minority for being at fault for having too-relaxed R hand as opposed to being too forceful) – L hand on follower’s R hip by 3 – lead follower forward on 5 and into free 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn (this move can be led with L hand on follower’s R shoulder just as easily I think – not sure which lead would be preferable for followers). The intermediate class did this move without an extra turn on 6,7 for follower.
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead “touch-and-go” from normal open hold (as opposed to a more typical touch-and-go from crossed hold) for stationary double clockwise turn for follower with leader doing a full counterclockwise turn – get follower’s R hand in pizza waiter position before leader turns if possible so that it ends with follower’s L hand in pizza waiter position at the end of the turn for easy hat on next 1,2,3. Intermediate class led a single turn for both follower and leader but ending with a hat for leader.
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-L hat follower follower as leader gets into CBL position – lead follower into 2 1/2 clockwise turn with L-R ending under leader’s L arm (keep it as low as possible to make it more comfortable for follower) – again it’s better if leader does not turn towards follower at any point during this move – follower ends to L of leader and slightly behind
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower forward (like marriage ceremony) – leader’s suggested footwork was to step on 1 (L foot forward), on 3 (R foot forward), on 5 (leader now turned somewhat toward follower while L foot is crossed behind R foot) – lead follower forward on 5 and lead her backwards on 6 (with straight backwards lead with a definite follow-through for a toss) for free traveling (backwards) 1 1/2 clockwise turn (here some leader should be able to do counterclockwise turn – this was not a part of the class but I found it fairly easy for me)
I spent some part of the second hour of class taking a look at the intermediate class version of the routine – as an observer, coach, leader and follower. I also played with being led into a double stationary clockwise turn.
As for the club hours, I tried to put into practice things talked about at the LDA couple of days ago. Some of the objectives included doing more basic and trying to keep it easier for the follower (less spins, etc). Also I continued to try to fit the dance better with the music (this is something I have been more consciously trying to do for some time even before the LDA lecture – although now with additional emphasis on reacting to breaks in the music among others now).
I knew that fitting dance to the music was going to be difficult. However, I had not realized that keeping things more basic and easier for followers was going to be so difficult as well. Doing basic steps (forward and back) satisfactorily turned out to be exceedingly difficult too often tonight. Placing more basic and simple fillers in between turns did not seem to make turns any easier. In fact, building up the pace, easing up on the pace and going up and down with level of difficulty seemed to throw most people off. I wonder if this is caused by people (including me) being too used to dancing at a constant speed (at same level of difficulty) throughout a given dance.
I would not call any of my dances tonight as being very good in terms of having interpreted the music appropriately (except in some instances where the music was very undemanding – doing a casual easy-going dance to an easygoing tune is pretty easy for me, especially with competent dance partners – at least I like to think so – I might think differently in another several months). I suspect that it will be a while before I could do this satisfactorily even occasionally, so this in itself was not a surprise. What was more disappointing was that I felt that the number of opportunity to try to make a decent effort for it was exceedingly small (and that simply lowering the level of difficulty of moves for the followers seemed to do very little to remedy this situation).
At one point, I exclaimed that things are just getting more and more difficult – by this I wasn’t referring to learning more difficult moves but rather using the set of moves which I considered “easy” and using them in more satisfactory manner to dance to the music. I suspect that learning to lead new difficult move satisfactorily and getting pleasure out of it is going to be considered a piece of cake compared to being able to incorporate musicality well (I might add that until now I had been considering simply struggling to try to incorporate musicality to my dances as a cool and interesting thing to be tried only with some songs and some partners).
Songs played tonight included – La Pantera Mambo, La 33, My Favorite Things, Mambo Diablo.
Quote of the day - "Please stop molesting my hand."
I can’t wait for some people to reappear. Hopefully no later than next week – maybe Thursday?
Regarding the title, I don't mean that tension is unimportant - just that it's now of less concern because it's not much of mystery ... at least at subconscious level.
Advanced with Sally & Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL end with open hold or L-R hold
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s L side with follower’s R hand being placed on leader’s L shoulder for a drop – leader does 1 1/2 clockwise turn on the spot (hook turn is okay here) – follower is supposed to drop her R hand along leader’s rotating body while doing a simple CBL finish to face leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side and at least even at body level and with R-R behind leader – lead here onwards was described as lasso-like keeping the hand on same horizontal level and circling … also leader is better off facing the same direction without turning his body on 1,2,3,4,5 – follower is led into 2 1/2 clockwise turn while leader turns full counterclockwise and end with drop catch to end L-R. I found this exceedingly difficult. In the intermediate class, this move was simplified apparently so that follower does 1 1/2 clockwise turn while leader does not turn at all. Leader still does something of a lasso-like movement for the lead but instead of having R-R behind leader on 3, R-R is across in front of leader’s body at about his L shoulder level on 3. End position is leader facing away from follower and slightly to her right with L-R connected by (behind) leader’s L waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward and lead her into free 1 1/2 (or optional 2 1/2) traveling clockwise turn – with leader preparing on 5 and doing a quick L turn with R foot going forward across follower’s position on 7 for around the world move next
1,2,3,5,6,7 initiate around the world move on 1,2,3 (Sally suggested to me that I should be more firm with my R hand – I would not be surprised if I am in the minority for being at fault for having too-relaxed R hand as opposed to being too forceful) – L hand on follower’s R hip by 3 – lead follower forward on 5 and into free 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn (this move can be led with L hand on follower’s R shoulder just as easily I think – not sure which lead would be preferable for followers). The intermediate class did this move without an extra turn on 6,7 for follower.
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead “touch-and-go” from normal open hold (as opposed to a more typical touch-and-go from crossed hold) for stationary double clockwise turn for follower with leader doing a full counterclockwise turn – get follower’s R hand in pizza waiter position before leader turns if possible so that it ends with follower’s L hand in pizza waiter position at the end of the turn for easy hat on next 1,2,3. Intermediate class led a single turn for both follower and leader but ending with a hat for leader.
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-L hat follower follower as leader gets into CBL position – lead follower into 2 1/2 clockwise turn with L-R ending under leader’s L arm (keep it as low as possible to make it more comfortable for follower) – again it’s better if leader does not turn towards follower at any point during this move – follower ends to L of leader and slightly behind
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower forward (like marriage ceremony) – leader’s suggested footwork was to step on 1 (L foot forward), on 3 (R foot forward), on 5 (leader now turned somewhat toward follower while L foot is crossed behind R foot) – lead follower forward on 5 and lead her backwards on 6 (with straight backwards lead with a definite follow-through for a toss) for free traveling (backwards) 1 1/2 clockwise turn (here some leader should be able to do counterclockwise turn – this was not a part of the class but I found it fairly easy for me)
I spent some part of the second hour of class taking a look at the intermediate class version of the routine – as an observer, coach, leader and follower. I also played with being led into a double stationary clockwise turn.
As for the club hours, I tried to put into practice things talked about at the LDA couple of days ago. Some of the objectives included doing more basic and trying to keep it easier for the follower (less spins, etc). Also I continued to try to fit the dance better with the music (this is something I have been more consciously trying to do for some time even before the LDA lecture – although now with additional emphasis on reacting to breaks in the music among others now).
I knew that fitting dance to the music was going to be difficult. However, I had not realized that keeping things more basic and easier for followers was going to be so difficult as well. Doing basic steps (forward and back) satisfactorily turned out to be exceedingly difficult too often tonight. Placing more basic and simple fillers in between turns did not seem to make turns any easier. In fact, building up the pace, easing up on the pace and going up and down with level of difficulty seemed to throw most people off. I wonder if this is caused by people (including me) being too used to dancing at a constant speed (at same level of difficulty) throughout a given dance.
I would not call any of my dances tonight as being very good in terms of having interpreted the music appropriately (except in some instances where the music was very undemanding – doing a casual easy-going dance to an easygoing tune is pretty easy for me, especially with competent dance partners – at least I like to think so – I might think differently in another several months). I suspect that it will be a while before I could do this satisfactorily even occasionally, so this in itself was not a surprise. What was more disappointing was that I felt that the number of opportunity to try to make a decent effort for it was exceedingly small (and that simply lowering the level of difficulty of moves for the followers seemed to do very little to remedy this situation).
At one point, I exclaimed that things are just getting more and more difficult – by this I wasn’t referring to learning more difficult moves but rather using the set of moves which I considered “easy” and using them in more satisfactory manner to dance to the music. I suspect that learning to lead new difficult move satisfactorily and getting pleasure out of it is going to be considered a piece of cake compared to being able to incorporate musicality well (I might add that until now I had been considering simply struggling to try to incorporate musicality to my dances as a cool and interesting thing to be tried only with some songs and some partners).
Songs played tonight included – La Pantera Mambo, La 33, My Favorite Things, Mambo Diablo.
Quote of the day - "Please stop molesting my hand."
I can’t wait for some people to reappear. Hopefully no later than next week – maybe Thursday?
Regarding the title, I don't mean that tension is unimportant - just that it's now of less concern because it's not much of mystery ... at least at subconscious level.
Dancing etiquette and dancing to the music
August 1, 2006
LDA 3.3 week 3
The class started with about 30-40 minutes of lecture delivered by Susana with some interjections from Mario.
Some of the things said included…
Be cordial when asking for a dance (or when accepting or refusing a dance – men do not have much choice in this matter of course when he’s asked).
Be attentive to your partner (i.e. don’t spend all of dance facing away from your partner).
Enjoy or at least pretend to enjoy the dance regardless of your dance partner’s abilities.
Finish the dance once you accept the dance (the only exception is to avoid risk of injury).
Listen to more Salsa music, more the better. Recognize variety of sounds (e.g. Cuban, Columbian, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, New York, etc).
Listen to all instruments in music. Ask musicians about music. Maybe learn to play instruments. Mike Bello's CDs were recommended also.
Don’t try to fit everything you learned in a year into a single dance.
There’s no shame in repeating moves. Your partner won’t know anyway (or if not care or remember).
Fit the dance to the music – Start the dance gradually in intro. Build complexity as music becomes more complex. Be aware of breaks in the music. Lead the most complex moves when the music is appropriate (generally most complex). Do shines or footwork for very complex percussion section or unusual segment. Learn to slow down after a bout of complexity when music demands it.
Some vignettes...
Mario does not like English Salsa songs (e.g. "Thinking of You" and "Lady" were named) because he finds them too one-dimensional (and generally entirely melody driven). Mario does not like Africando for the same reason. Susana pointed out artists such as Willie Colon and Joe Cuba as playing music with more depth.
Susana’s favorite place she visited for Salsa – Singapore! She loved it there and recommended all women to give it a try. Susana’s least favorite place – Switzerland! Everyone dances completely bonkers there seemingly not caring about injuries – it’s all spins all the time! I hadn’t quite realized that this was a general problem in Switzerland.
Mario’s favorite social dance venue? It used to be SOS – fabulous music, fabulous dance floor, fabulous people to dance with, but their sound system is problematic. He couldn’t name a venue he especially liked – he even pointed out that Bar Salsa is not satisfactory because of it being too crowded. He also mentioned that they stayed there only after getting the management to replace the floor and take over as DJ (and he might have mentioned replacing of the AC as well). He thought continental Europe had much nicer venues.
Practicing what was being said in the lecture involved dramatically reducing complexity of moves, especially in the beginning and towards the end. Listening for breaks in the music and reacting to them were also emphasized.
LDA is becoming a great place to figure out (or at least trying to guess) who’s who in the forums. I think I figured out identities of some of the contributors and know of one other (but without knowing the forum handle). For better or worse, I think most of them know or suspect who I am too.
Quote of the day - "Fingertips have extra nerve endings."
LDA 3.3 week 3
The class started with about 30-40 minutes of lecture delivered by Susana with some interjections from Mario.
Some of the things said included…
Be cordial when asking for a dance (or when accepting or refusing a dance – men do not have much choice in this matter of course when he’s asked).
Be attentive to your partner (i.e. don’t spend all of dance facing away from your partner).
Enjoy or at least pretend to enjoy the dance regardless of your dance partner’s abilities.
Finish the dance once you accept the dance (the only exception is to avoid risk of injury).
Listen to more Salsa music, more the better. Recognize variety of sounds (e.g. Cuban, Columbian, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, New York, etc).
Listen to all instruments in music. Ask musicians about music. Maybe learn to play instruments. Mike Bello's CDs were recommended also.
Don’t try to fit everything you learned in a year into a single dance.
There’s no shame in repeating moves. Your partner won’t know anyway (or if not care or remember).
Fit the dance to the music – Start the dance gradually in intro. Build complexity as music becomes more complex. Be aware of breaks in the music. Lead the most complex moves when the music is appropriate (generally most complex). Do shines or footwork for very complex percussion section or unusual segment. Learn to slow down after a bout of complexity when music demands it.
Some vignettes...
Mario does not like English Salsa songs (e.g. "Thinking of You" and "Lady" were named) because he finds them too one-dimensional (and generally entirely melody driven). Mario does not like Africando for the same reason. Susana pointed out artists such as Willie Colon and Joe Cuba as playing music with more depth.
Susana’s favorite place she visited for Salsa – Singapore! She loved it there and recommended all women to give it a try. Susana’s least favorite place – Switzerland! Everyone dances completely bonkers there seemingly not caring about injuries – it’s all spins all the time! I hadn’t quite realized that this was a general problem in Switzerland.
Mario’s favorite social dance venue? It used to be SOS – fabulous music, fabulous dance floor, fabulous people to dance with, but their sound system is problematic. He couldn’t name a venue he especially liked – he even pointed out that Bar Salsa is not satisfactory because of it being too crowded. He also mentioned that they stayed there only after getting the management to replace the floor and take over as DJ (and he might have mentioned replacing of the AC as well). He thought continental Europe had much nicer venues.
Practicing what was being said in the lecture involved dramatically reducing complexity of moves, especially in the beginning and towards the end. Listening for breaks in the music and reacting to them were also emphasized.
LDA is becoming a great place to figure out (or at least trying to guess) who’s who in the forums. I think I figured out identities of some of the contributors and know of one other (but without knowing the forum handle). For better or worse, I think most of them know or suspect who I am too.
Quote of the day - "Fingertips have extra nerve endings."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)