Not inspired to come up with a title

January 15, 2007

As I started towards Club Salsa I thought, “I wonder if I should not have worn a light colored trousers. I hope tonight’s routine is not the type where I might get my sheen kicked often. Hmm. I’m probably overreacting. It was probably just freakish occurrence. It hasn’t happened for a while.” I didn’t arrive until about 7:50 PM and essentially missed the shine segment of the class.

The lineup today was Joe, Tiz and Danie.

Intermediate with Joe

1,2,3,5,6,7 R-L hold prepare and lead follower to a double right turn (stationary clockwise) with leader (optional) turning full left starting on 7 (so leader’s hands turn so that fingers point up for follower’s second turn) and ending with stepping back on 1
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward and into over and under counterclockwise turn (traveling) to get R-L across her stomach and on her R waist (a wrap) – follower is squeezed between leader’s R shoulder and R-L connection – make L-R connection in front of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo jazz and lead follower forward and into 1 1/2 clockwise turn (minimal traveling) keeping R-L low (this could end behind her R waist) and L-R temporarily high [note: possibly could start with the couple rotating counterclockwise as a unit]

1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold L-L on top start and lead follower to a double right turn (stationary clockwise) with leader (optional) turning ~full (or more likely 3/4) left starting on 7
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break (leader steps away from follower on 1 – this likely is not a straight backwards step because leader probably did not make a full turn) and bring follower forward and into over and under counterclockwise turn so that L-L is across follower’s stomach (but unlike in the previous segment, leader is positioned more behind follower so that follower is at level with leader’s L shoulder – as opposed to leader’s R shoulder in the previous move) – offer R hand in front to make R-R connection
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo jazz and lead follower forward and into 1 1/2 clockwise turn with all connections eventually ending together high
1,2,3,5,6,7 starting position here is crossed hold L-L on top (with L-L getting let go eventually) – leader starts to turn left on 1 so that by 3 R-R is behind leader’s L waist and leader is more or less in CBL position – apparently leader is leaning away from follower on 3 – leads follower forward on 5 for CBL finish with leader stepping back on 5 then leader turns 3/4 to right (clockwise) to face follower

Euvian arrived near the end of the first hour. She has not adjusted to time zone change yet so she didn’t stay very long. Rajiv and Sam arrived later – reprising their old role as each other’s chaperone. Supposedly Sam keeps Rajiv out of trouble and Rajiv drives Sam around. Does Rajiv ever get close to getting into a trouble? Maybe I don't know him well enough. Zhenzhi also arrived after the class ended, and I probably danced with her more than with anyone else tonight. Unfortunately, I was not in a very good form – I felt sloppy all around. I probably danced even less than I might have if they were not there, and I spent most of the evening chatting or watching Rajiv, Sam and Zhenzhi trying to remember the team routine from last year. Too bad there weren't any other leads from the usual circle, but then again Mondays has been really up and down so most people probably don’t see a reason to show up without assurances that their favorite partners will be there.

Sam revealed that she will be passing on the Brit Salsafest - after having done all the legwork for the hotel booking, etc. I had meant to bring up the topic of transportation, but her news made me forget all about it. With no one else among the San Miguel gang going, I had been exploring various options on my own whenever I felt like killing time. After last year's trip, I wanted to avoid driving - just too tiring especially for the return trip. I considered using Ryanair from Stansted to Blackpool - this could end up being the cheapest option. However, the most convenient option may be the train. Blackpool North rail station is fairly close to Winter Gardens (I think the distance is no greater than between Cambridge train station and OLEM Catholic Church). One amusing thing I discovered was that even though a train trip likely will involve a detour to London, it's cheaper to leave from Cambridge rather than London. Furthermore, the train fare is even lower if I leave from Whittlesford (which is more convenient from work) rather than Cambridge.

On a slightly different topic, Tony and Daniela are doing a Bachata Bootcamp in London on Saturday 20th of January. Beginners/Improvers from 9:30-1:30 and Intermediates from 2:30-6:30. A couple of people who read this blog asked me about the next Bachata date (there's none scheduled for the moment), and this seemed interesting enough given the number of hours involved. £20 for 4 hrs advanced (£25 on the door). £30 and £35 for all day. I haven't considered going but I could be talked into it easily. There is a party afterwards at the same venue.

http://www.salsa-uk.com/bootcamp/bachata.htm

In an evening filled with as much chats as dancing ended with a conversation with Danie - talking about dance performances (e.g. with Laith Sami's group), teaching dance (ballet when she was younger as well as Salsa). While she's fairly new to Salsa, she has an early start and takes dance as her main interest and profession (unlike most of us who treats it as a hobby - quite serious one for some). It could be interesting to see how far she goes.