March 30, 2007
For a change, someone other than Sergio reserved the table - or Mimi tried to. Of course almost everyone was late. Only Sergio and Natalie were on time. At 8:30, I was at home when Sergio called me to say that no one else was there yet and that the reservation was made for tomorrow (Saturday) rather than today.
I was about 10 minutes late. Mimi, Euvian and Zern were about 20 minutes late. Cyrille arrived around 9:05, after we were finally given a table and were in the process of ordering our food. Just like last time at Teri-Aki, we met other Salsa people - Pete and Cinzia. A cute coincidence was that I glimpsed Annetta later at Club Salsa for the first time since I saw her at Teri-Aki last time.
Sushi at Teri-Aki was disappointing. My expectations crashed to earth when I saw that the chef included a roast beef sushi as well as an egg sushi in the platter. The fish wasn't great either. Ditto for the rice. Euvian had the best dish - something she orders every time she comes here. The dish number 69 - it's something like rice bowl with eel (unagi).
A topic that came up a couple of times tonight involved a YouTube clip of Kermit singing "Hurt", which I had sent to Sergio earlier. The description of the video appalled Mimi and led to her asking me what kind of humorous stories/clips/etc I might send her - this was because I tried to cover myself by saying that I found the Kermit video interesting (rather than say stupendously funny) and thought Sergio would like it.
We didn't leave Teri-Aki until around 10:30. Pete and Cinzia were long gone by then - ahead of us to Club Salsa. When we finally arrived (sans Natalie and Zern), Vishal was DJing so I managed to get a couple of dances (one with Pauline and one On1 with Mimi) in before a long set.
Playlist
Ave Maria Lola - Conjunto Imagen (1)
Mujeres De Mayari - Cubanoson* (2)
La Cartera - Orchestra Harlow (Live In Quad)* (3)
Ven Tu - Domenic Marte (4)
No Me Resigno - Toke D Keda
Al Ver Sus Campos - Ray Barretto (with Adalberto Santiago)*
Mi Mujer Es Una Bomba - Oscar D'Leon (5)
Cuando Te Vea - Tito Puente (6)
El Pito - Isidro Infante (7)
Cuidate Compay - Eddie Palmieri* (8)
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo - El Gran Combo (9)
Campanero - Jose Mangual Jr
Nadie Se Salva De La Rumba - Celia Cruz-Ray Barretto-Adalberto Santiago* (10)
Picadillo - Tito Puente (70s Fania version) (11)
No Aguanto Mas - Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco (12)
Recordando A Cuba - Cubanoson*
Mi Charanga - SonSublime* (13)
Bongo Loco - Lebron Brothers (14)
Usted Abuso - Celia Cruz & Willie Colon (15)
Hacha Y Machete - Hector Lavoe (16)
La Quiero - Domenic Marte
Un Apretoncito - Toke D Keda
Vietnam Mambo - Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers* (90's version) (-2%) (17)
Gracias - El Gran Combo
Me Prendiste Velas - Oscar D'Leon
Es La Musica - Massimo Scalici (18)
Mira Ven Aca - Johnny Colon* (19)
Malanga Amarilla - Cachao (20)
La Muy Muy - Roberto Torres (21)
La Loma Del Tamarindo - El Gran Combo (22)
Aguacero - El Gran Combo*
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe (23)
Nadie Como Ella - Marc Anthony* (24)
Tocate - Toke D Keda (25)
Sientate Ahi - Oscar D'Leon
Perdoname - Gilberto Santa Rosa (26)
(1) This started too loud - good start! :p. Pete stared at me asking whether I was trying to bleed his eardrums. I picked this version of the song because I thought it fit better with the kind of songs Vishal was playing - including Suelta El Bongo (La 33), Lloraras (a cover version - sounded a bit like Tabaco Y Ron but not sure), Lindo Yambu (a version other than Cheo Feliciano). Sorry Pete.
(2) The DJ booth groupie Shila had asked me at the start of my stint whether I was going to play a lot of new music. I said sure.
(3) A longer version of a familiar classic.
(4) Euvian requested that I play a lot of Bachata during dinner - mentioning that Haihan will be there tonight also. Haihan was there alright - along with Rajiv.
(5) Another Rueda circle had started during the previous song - involving Pete, Cinzia, Johnny, Serap (or was it someone else?), Bodie and Mimi. I picked this song because I thought Pete liked it.
(6) I thought it was time to break up the Rueda a song with a few transitions. It didn't happen.
(7) Somewhat unexpectedly, this one did break up the Rueda.
(8) This one got a reaction from Shila. Slow and long Cha Cha - a big change of pace. The guy who likes Cha Cha stopped by at the end to ask for another one. I said later.
(9) First time I played this song, Vishal complained. No one said anything second time around. This time (third time), Shila exclaimed that this is a great song.
(10) The "Afro" sounding percussion bit at the start of the song (as well as the length of the song title) received a comment - again by the DJ booth groupie.
(11) Shila asked for Merengue. I said I'm going to play a fast song first. I think this one elicited some groans - too fast. Normally I would have slowed this song - not today. Some people (mostly ones I know) danced to this anyway.
(12) Shila still cannot get over the fact that I have only one playable Merengue.
(13) I debated with myself a great deal about it before playing it. I almost switched to something different except I couldn't think of anything else in time. It seemed to be received well enough.
(14) See (15).
(15) Shile commented that unlike the previous song (Bongo Loco), this is a difficult song to dance to. He said, "The last song wanted you to dance whereas you had to force yourself to dance to this song." My - how times have changed.
(16) Another fast one before Bachata.
(17) This one turned out to be another insider favorite. A friend of Natasha's stopped by to request more typical Salsa. Shila did a double-take when he heard the song title.
(18) I wanted to play something as ridiculously happy as possible before switching over to another long Cha Cha with melodramatic overtones. I tried to see if Rajiv was still around - I didn't find out until the start of the song. As expected, this song drew some ridicule from Sergio, Cyrille, etc. It's all fun.
(19) Shila commented that very few people dance Cha Cha earlier. I pointed out some exceptions (e.g. Sergio, Haihan … also Johnny, John, Pete, that guy I mentioned earlier… I like it and would dance it if given the opportunity … there are others).
(20) This one also drew "What the heck is this?" from Shila. Sergio went right back to the dance floor with Mimi when he realized which song this one is.
(21) Song choices are getting tricky now. Not many people left and it's getting late. I considered Meneame La Cuna by the same artist before settling on this slower song.
(22) I considered Se Me Fue by the same artist before using this song to prompt Cyrille to practice dancing On2.
(23) Two reactions. Shila - "You're playing this song - again?" Vishal - "Do I have this song? Can you give me a copy of this song? If not, then the name of the song and the artist?" I gave him the song/artist information.
(24) I considered playing this song a couple of months ago, but Vishal played it first.
(25) There was a Reggaeton request.
(26) I had my third dance of the evening - On2 with Mimi this time. We closed about 10-15 minutes early.
Total 36 songs. 4 Bachata. 2 Cha Cha (both new). 1 Merengue. 29 Salsa (including 9 new).
It was over in no time at all. Time to say goodbye to my best friend in the Cambridge Salsa scene for the past year - except I don't recall saying goodbye.
Couple of comments after some photos… "Your head is big." "You look like you're on drugs."
My laptop died finally when I arrived at home - after a little over 5 years of use. One less thing to pack for Madrid. Rajiv and Haihan wished me well on my trip.
Mark this on your calender
March 30, 2007
I thought this was interesting.
Latin Latinfest Salsafest Championship 2007
The competition format will be similar to that of Bacardi UK Salsa Championship 2000. The Pro champion that year were Leon Rose and Susana Montero. Other competitors that year included Irene Miguel & Dean Maynard, Lisa Anscomb and Saher Sidhom, Phillip Langlais & Vanessa and Giles & Rosa.
There will be two levels of competition: Amateurs (who do not make a living from dance tuition or performance) and Professionals (for whom dance tuition and performance provides a significant source of income – more than £5500 per annum (at least £100 per week)). Amateur can include a semi-pro (for whom dance tuition and performance provides only a small additional income – No more than £5500 per annum (less than £100 per week)).
There will be 16 heats across the UK between Sunday 8 April and Sunday 19 August. One couple from each heat goes to the semi-finals.
Only Amateurs must take part in the heats to win their way through to the finals. Professional couples will be invited to participate and will enter at the semi-finals stage.
All heats and the “semi-finals” will be based on a freestyle format. The semi-finalists will be whittled down to just 4 amateurs and 4 professional couples who will progress to the Grand-finals the next day.
12 heats have been scheduled thus far. The really neat bit…
Sunday 20 May
Club Salsa
1 Station Rd,
Cambridge CB1 2JB
call 07958 678 298
Should we expect an invasion from London and elsewhere?
For more information, go to the organizer's website.
I thought this was interesting.
Latin Latinfest Salsafest Championship 2007
The competition format will be similar to that of Bacardi UK Salsa Championship 2000. The Pro champion that year were Leon Rose and Susana Montero. Other competitors that year included Irene Miguel & Dean Maynard, Lisa Anscomb and Saher Sidhom, Phillip Langlais & Vanessa and Giles & Rosa.
There will be two levels of competition: Amateurs (who do not make a living from dance tuition or performance) and Professionals (for whom dance tuition and performance provides a significant source of income – more than £5500 per annum (at least £100 per week)). Amateur can include a semi-pro (for whom dance tuition and performance provides only a small additional income – No more than £5500 per annum (less than £100 per week)).
There will be 16 heats across the UK between Sunday 8 April and Sunday 19 August. One couple from each heat goes to the semi-finals.
Only Amateurs must take part in the heats to win their way through to the finals. Professional couples will be invited to participate and will enter at the semi-finals stage.
All heats and the “semi-finals” will be based on a freestyle format. The semi-finalists will be whittled down to just 4 amateurs and 4 professional couples who will progress to the Grand-finals the next day.
12 heats have been scheduled thus far. The really neat bit…
Sunday 20 May
Club Salsa
1 Station Rd,
Cambridge CB1 2JB
call 07958 678 298
Should we expect an invasion from London and elsewhere?
For more information, go to the organizer's website.
Nearing the end
March 29, 2007
Intermediate/Advaced with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R standard double right (clockwise) turn for follower with leader turning 1/2 clockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns further 3/4 clockwise and bring R-R down and offer L in front then allow follower forward on 5 (absorb) and then lead her back and turning full counterclockwise on 6,7 with connections ending above follower's shoulders
1,2,3,5,6,7 simple Mambo jazz - lead follower forward and traveling full counterclockwise turn with L-L across follower's stomach and R-R in front (low) - leader is positioned behind and to R of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 allow follower forward on 1 (absorb rather than move hands down and up or such nonsense) - lead her to turn around 1/2 clockwise on 2,3 - lead her to turn full clockwise on 4 and landing forward on 5 (absorb again with L-L in front and R-R across follower's stomach - note this position is essentially the same as 6 on the second part of this routine) and lead her to go back straight on 6,7 while leader moves into space in front of follower with counterclockwise turn with L-L connection intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into crucifix rather than Copa - follower's weight is on her L (back) foot on 5, R foot on 6 - lead her back where she came from on 7
1,2,3,5,6,7 1/2 counterclockwise turn for leader with L-L above leader's L shoulder and R-R low - step forward on 5 with R-R leading follower - then lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling left (inside - counterclockwise) turn with L-L (and letting go R-R) [I was doing this with leader turning counterclockwise at the same time - not sure if this is distracting or less graceful looking]
I had some free time today. There was talk of meeting Sergio, Cyrille and Mimi somewhat earlier than usual tonight at Club Salsa too. They arrived in that order. If we don't meet up tomorrow, this potentially will be the last gathering of the quartet. Tomorrow probably will be the last time the San Miguel Gang meet up - at least until June or July. This fact was highlighted when Vishal talked about his coach for the Scala on Easter Sunday (apparently it is nearly full - maybe 5 spots left). On Easter Sunday, I will be in Spain , Sergio in United States, Mimi in Sweden, and Cyrille in France. I will be the first one gone this time - on Tuesday.
The social part was a modest affair. I started off On2 with Mimi couple of times (definitely still going through serious growing pains). I then had a fairly long break from dancing while some unwieldy songs were played (Salsa Con Coco - artist unknown … too fast and too long, Sun Sun Babae - Tito Rodriguez Jr … too many breaks). Other songs played included El Pito (Isidro Infante), Dame Cinco, a vibe-heavy version of Muneca (sounded alright), La Llave, La Murga (Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe presumably), La Pantera Mambo, latter half of Ahora Quien.
My footwork is in some ways getting more used to doing On2. My hands are definitely way more attuned to On1. My overall dancing was a little on shaky side. My dance with Jane was one of the better ones; it has been alright with her lately and hopefully writing about it won't jinx it. I probably had most fun with Agnes, who has been away for nearly 3 weeks - Norway and London.
I rather like this list - the names of people who stayed to the end. Sally. Lindsey. Nicola. Agnes. Mimi. Nina. Sergio. Cyrille. Haihan. Rajiv. Ivan. Vishal and the new kid who seems to be an early favorite to become one of the new members of the Salsa team next year. Things got nicer as the place became emptier. At first there were way too many men standing around without girls to dance with. Other people who were there earlier included Sean, Annette, Caroline, Steve (not sure about his name), Adam.
Intermediate/Advaced with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R standard double right (clockwise) turn for follower with leader turning 1/2 clockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns further 3/4 clockwise and bring R-R down and offer L in front then allow follower forward on 5 (absorb) and then lead her back and turning full counterclockwise on 6,7 with connections ending above follower's shoulders
1,2,3,5,6,7 simple Mambo jazz - lead follower forward and traveling full counterclockwise turn with L-L across follower's stomach and R-R in front (low) - leader is positioned behind and to R of follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 allow follower forward on 1 (absorb rather than move hands down and up or such nonsense) - lead her to turn around 1/2 clockwise on 2,3 - lead her to turn full clockwise on 4 and landing forward on 5 (absorb again with L-L in front and R-R across follower's stomach - note this position is essentially the same as 6 on the second part of this routine) and lead her to go back straight on 6,7 while leader moves into space in front of follower with counterclockwise turn with L-L connection intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into crucifix rather than Copa - follower's weight is on her L (back) foot on 5, R foot on 6 - lead her back where she came from on 7
1,2,3,5,6,7 1/2 counterclockwise turn for leader with L-L above leader's L shoulder and R-R low - step forward on 5 with R-R leading follower - then lead follower into 1 1/2 traveling left (inside - counterclockwise) turn with L-L (and letting go R-R) [I was doing this with leader turning counterclockwise at the same time - not sure if this is distracting or less graceful looking]
I had some free time today. There was talk of meeting Sergio, Cyrille and Mimi somewhat earlier than usual tonight at Club Salsa too. They arrived in that order. If we don't meet up tomorrow, this potentially will be the last gathering of the quartet. Tomorrow probably will be the last time the San Miguel Gang meet up - at least until June or July. This fact was highlighted when Vishal talked about his coach for the Scala on Easter Sunday (apparently it is nearly full - maybe 5 spots left). On Easter Sunday, I will be in Spain , Sergio in United States, Mimi in Sweden, and Cyrille in France. I will be the first one gone this time - on Tuesday.
The social part was a modest affair. I started off On2 with Mimi couple of times (definitely still going through serious growing pains). I then had a fairly long break from dancing while some unwieldy songs were played (Salsa Con Coco - artist unknown … too fast and too long, Sun Sun Babae - Tito Rodriguez Jr … too many breaks). Other songs played included El Pito (Isidro Infante), Dame Cinco, a vibe-heavy version of Muneca (sounded alright), La Llave, La Murga (Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe presumably), La Pantera Mambo, latter half of Ahora Quien.
My footwork is in some ways getting more used to doing On2. My hands are definitely way more attuned to On1. My overall dancing was a little on shaky side. My dance with Jane was one of the better ones; it has been alright with her lately and hopefully writing about it won't jinx it. I probably had most fun with Agnes, who has been away for nearly 3 weeks - Norway and London.
I rather like this list - the names of people who stayed to the end. Sally. Lindsey. Nicola. Agnes. Mimi. Nina. Sergio. Cyrille. Haihan. Rajiv. Ivan. Vishal and the new kid who seems to be an early favorite to become one of the new members of the Salsa team next year. Things got nicer as the place became emptier. At first there were way too many men standing around without girls to dance with. Other people who were there earlier included Sean, Annette, Caroline, Steve (not sure about his name), Adam.
UK Congress to move to Bournemouth
March 28, 2007
Interesting news. The UK Congress is moving. The new date is 12-14th of October. The new venue is at Bournemouth International Centre. From what I see from the pictures and descriptions, it should be a vast improvement over reputedly smelly Bognor Regis. Presumably people will have to find their own accomodations. Follow the links below.
Halls at Bournemouth International Centre (Photos)
Bournemouth according to Wikipedia
The Official Bournemouth website
salsa-uk.com (the congress organizers)
Select sentences on Bournemouth according to Lonely Planet...
Bournemouth, founded in 1810, has lived most of existence as beach resort, and seems determined to keep it that way.
Bournemouth is noted for its beautiful chines (sharp-side valleys running down to the sea).
Bournemouth has hundreds of accommodation options, many clustered around Priory Rd in the West Cliff area and most offering a very similar standard, give or take levels of chintz.
Head away from the fish-and-chips shops and up Old Christchurch Rd and Charminster Rd for more interesting places to eat.
...which are perhaps a little more promising than what it said of Blackpool (I quoted these before)...
The unchallenged doyen of Britain's tacky seaside resorts, Blackpool has stubbornly refused to fade in spite of the challenge of budget holidays to southern Spain and other destinations where the sun is guaranteed to shine.
Blackpool is famous for its tower, its three piers, its Pleasure Beach amusement park and its Illuminations, a successful ploy to extend the brief summer holiday season.
Blackpool has over 2500 hotels, B&Bs and self-catering units, showing just how popular a holiday destination it is.
Forget gourmet meals - the Blackpool experience is all about stuffing your face with burgers, hot dogs, doughnuts, and fish and chips.
Interesting news. The UK Congress is moving. The new date is 12-14th of October. The new venue is at Bournemouth International Centre. From what I see from the pictures and descriptions, it should be a vast improvement over reputedly smelly Bognor Regis. Presumably people will have to find their own accomodations. Follow the links below.
Halls at Bournemouth International Centre (Photos)
Bournemouth according to Wikipedia
The Official Bournemouth website
salsa-uk.com (the congress organizers)
Select sentences on Bournemouth according to Lonely Planet...
Bournemouth, founded in 1810, has lived most of existence as beach resort, and seems determined to keep it that way.
Bournemouth is noted for its beautiful chines (sharp-side valleys running down to the sea).
Bournemouth has hundreds of accommodation options, many clustered around Priory Rd in the West Cliff area and most offering a very similar standard, give or take levels of chintz.
Head away from the fish-and-chips shops and up Old Christchurch Rd and Charminster Rd for more interesting places to eat.
...which are perhaps a little more promising than what it said of Blackpool (I quoted these before)...
The unchallenged doyen of Britain's tacky seaside resorts, Blackpool has stubbornly refused to fade in spite of the challenge of budget holidays to southern Spain and other destinations where the sun is guaranteed to shine.
Blackpool is famous for its tower, its three piers, its Pleasure Beach amusement park and its Illuminations, a successful ploy to extend the brief summer holiday season.
Blackpool has over 2500 hotels, B&Bs and self-catering units, showing just how popular a holiday destination it is.
Forget gourmet meals - the Blackpool experience is all about stuffing your face with burgers, hot dogs, doughnuts, and fish and chips.
Lucky 7: The final On2 session?
March 27, 2007
A lot of driving today…
This one went from around 7:30 to 10:30.
The first hour was spent on body movements/isolations. It'd be better to watch the Frankie Martinez DVD again rather than spending time trying to write notes out of it. The second hour was on some footwork/turns and shines. Some of the shines were new but the rest was all review of previous material. As for the partner work, the new material involved raising follower's L hand with R hand for a turn (thumbs up and backwards charge!) and something akin to a broken right turn (my wording) for leader. Rest of it was reviewing and practicing old material.
Thus ended what might be the last On2 walkthrough session with Sergio. After 7 sessions and approximately 20 hours, our timing is better but far from impeccable. I have better grasp of how to lead some easy moves On2. If I could have spent about the same amount of time social dancing On2 as I did on doing these workouts, I might have reached a solid improver level - I suppose this is still possible with future practices. It would depend on what happens over next couple of months - mainly in terms of getting enough repetitions.
Among other things, I hope I will fix my spot turn for good at last while On1 and On2 with help from what we did over last month. I imagine that other improvements might show - sometimes in places I did not think about. No idea how it would be for others. I should think and hope that it was all positive (even the part about learning/deciding that we are crap and that we need whole lot of improvements and that these improvements are not easy to achieve).
A lot of driving today…
This one went from around 7:30 to 10:30.
The first hour was spent on body movements/isolations. It'd be better to watch the Frankie Martinez DVD again rather than spending time trying to write notes out of it. The second hour was on some footwork/turns and shines. Some of the shines were new but the rest was all review of previous material. As for the partner work, the new material involved raising follower's L hand with R hand for a turn (thumbs up and backwards charge!) and something akin to a broken right turn (my wording) for leader. Rest of it was reviewing and practicing old material.
Thus ended what might be the last On2 walkthrough session with Sergio. After 7 sessions and approximately 20 hours, our timing is better but far from impeccable. I have better grasp of how to lead some easy moves On2. If I could have spent about the same amount of time social dancing On2 as I did on doing these workouts, I might have reached a solid improver level - I suppose this is still possible with future practices. It would depend on what happens over next couple of months - mainly in terms of getting enough repetitions.
Among other things, I hope I will fix my spot turn for good at last while On1 and On2 with help from what we did over last month. I imagine that other improvements might show - sometimes in places I did not think about. No idea how it would be for others. I should think and hope that it was all positive (even the part about learning/deciding that we are crap and that we need whole lot of improvements and that these improvements are not easy to achieve).
One step backward, two steps forward?
March 25, 2007
Another three hours – from around 6 to 9. Total amount of time spent with these lessons thus far? Approximately 17 hours. If this were done as series of one-hour lessons one week, it would be almost 4 months. By such reasoning, I am well ahead of my pace for learning to dance Salsa On1. In any case, it definitely is not a piece of cake.
Barely over an hour was spent on partner work, and it felt as if I regressed a great deal at the start of it. Part of it was lack of practice, but at least a small part of it I think was because I had become too used to doing my footwork on follower’s timing. Learning footwork on follower’s timing by the way is the standard method – opposite of the way On1 classes are done.
The basic footwork and turns were done no differently than before – perhaps sometimes at higher pace and sometimes with a little more complexity. Some of the complications included doing Cha Cha shuffles only during 1 to 4 or only during 5 to 8. Another footwork exercise done involved stepping on 6.5 and sliding on 7 (the idea was to do this immediately after a 3 o’clock turn but we did not get that far).
Only one new element was added to the partner work. This was in part because everything learned to date had to be fixed and adjusted.
For me the spot turn was fixed extensively once again. Get out of the way on 7. Forward on 1. Hook on 2. Step forward on 5. A different ending involving backwards charge on 6 can be done instead of going into forward basic.
Adjustments to CBL and Copa were fairly minor. No big adjustments were made to getting into half crucifix and getting out of it. Same with open break with R-R followed by R-R toss over follower’s head and making L-L connection, etc – although this could be because we ran out of time. More adjustments were made for leading turns for the follower.
The new element – involving two options – started with the leader doing a right turn. I’m guessing that 3 o’clock into open cross body position would be the simplest and perhaps the optimal method. Keep fingers up and give follower a forward signal on 1. Then either lead follower into a cross body turn with a clockwise turn (perhaps this could be called anti-cross body – I don’t know). A second option is to give a signal for 12 o’clock turn for follower.
Turning on 7 to move as unit 1/4 (or 1/2) before CBL finish was discussed briefly but we did not get around to practicing it. I think the idea here is to get the R foot close to follower’s L foot (at a perpendicular angle perhaps?) on 7 and then turning as unit counterclockwise.
I think we need some extensive practice in more of a social setting – perhaps without supervision. After all, we’ll have to get used to it pretty soon – even if it means we start developing some bad habits that will have to be fixed.
Another three hours – from around 6 to 9. Total amount of time spent with these lessons thus far? Approximately 17 hours. If this were done as series of one-hour lessons one week, it would be almost 4 months. By such reasoning, I am well ahead of my pace for learning to dance Salsa On1. In any case, it definitely is not a piece of cake.
Barely over an hour was spent on partner work, and it felt as if I regressed a great deal at the start of it. Part of it was lack of practice, but at least a small part of it I think was because I had become too used to doing my footwork on follower’s timing. Learning footwork on follower’s timing by the way is the standard method – opposite of the way On1 classes are done.
The basic footwork and turns were done no differently than before – perhaps sometimes at higher pace and sometimes with a little more complexity. Some of the complications included doing Cha Cha shuffles only during 1 to 4 or only during 5 to 8. Another footwork exercise done involved stepping on 6.5 and sliding on 7 (the idea was to do this immediately after a 3 o’clock turn but we did not get that far).
Only one new element was added to the partner work. This was in part because everything learned to date had to be fixed and adjusted.
For me the spot turn was fixed extensively once again. Get out of the way on 7. Forward on 1. Hook on 2. Step forward on 5. A different ending involving backwards charge on 6 can be done instead of going into forward basic.
Adjustments to CBL and Copa were fairly minor. No big adjustments were made to getting into half crucifix and getting out of it. Same with open break with R-R followed by R-R toss over follower’s head and making L-L connection, etc – although this could be because we ran out of time. More adjustments were made for leading turns for the follower.
The new element – involving two options – started with the leader doing a right turn. I’m guessing that 3 o’clock into open cross body position would be the simplest and perhaps the optimal method. Keep fingers up and give follower a forward signal on 1. Then either lead follower into a cross body turn with a clockwise turn (perhaps this could be called anti-cross body – I don’t know). A second option is to give a signal for 12 o’clock turn for follower.
Turning on 7 to move as unit 1/4 (or 1/2) before CBL finish was discussed briefly but we did not get around to practicing it. I think the idea here is to get the R foot close to follower’s L foot (at a perpendicular angle perhaps?) on 7 and then turning as unit counterclockwise.
I think we need some extensive practice in more of a social setting – perhaps without supervision. After all, we’ll have to get used to it pretty soon – even if it means we start developing some bad habits that will have to be fixed.
When you were not playing songs you always play
March 23, 2007
Dinner was at Sergio's again - another take-out from Mai Thai - just the three of us - the San Miguel gang. There won't be many more of this - another one next week, but after that no more - at least not until the summer. It enabled us to watch Cyrille's favorite show - Ugly Betty. Oddest topic? Sergio's shoes. I ate too many crackers.
Vishal was DJing at some college until midnight, so I knew that I wanted to be there fairly early - before his CD runs out of songs. I thought we were going to leave at 10. It didn't happen until nearly 10:30. Ironing. Coffee. Shoes. The usual CD was on when I arrived. I let it play to the end of Tambo (Susie Hansen).
Playlist
Meneame La Cuna - Roberto Torres (1)
Sopa En Botella - Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Hablame - Frankie Ruiz (2)
Pegaso - Isidro Infante
El Abaniquito - Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo - El Gran Combo
Soy Dichoso - Ray Barretto
Merecumbe - Johnny Colon
Musica Ligera - Toke D Keda
Te Extrano - Toke D Keda
Avisale A Mi Contrario - Roberto Roena
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario (3)
Cubanoson - Cubanoson
La Lucha (featuring Shanny) - La Excelencia
Que Buena Baila Usted - Oscar D'Leon (4)
Descarga Lebron - Lebron Brothers (-4%)
No Aguanto Mas - Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco (5)
El Menu - El Gran Combo (6)
Abran Paso - Orchestra Harlow (with Ismael Miranda)
Muneca - Alfredo De La Fe (7)
Cinco A Diez - Azabache
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente (8)
break (9)
Mundy Baja - El Gran Combo (10)
Esas Lagrimas - Gilberto Santa Rosa (11)
Push, Push, Push - Joe Cuba Sextet (12)
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
Dejame Sonar - Tito Puente (13)
El Swing De Fruko - Fruko Y Sus Tesos (-4%)
Un Apretoncito - Toke D Keda
Lamento Boliviano - Toke D Keda
Azuquita Pal Café - El Gran Combo
Lloraras - Oscar D'Leon (14)
Agua Limpia Todo - Tito Puente (15)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Reggaeton request (name?) - ? (16)
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
Bailando - Frankie Ruiz
Revolucionando - New Swing Sextet
Ojos Chinos - El Gran Combo (17)
(1) Luis says, "You better play good music tonight," as soon as he sees me. Oh great.
(2) The word "Merengue" was mentioned couple of times already. How many choices do I have? Blame this and previous song partly on Luis too.
(3) I'm pretty sure I played this one here. Shila was spending a lot of time in the DJ booth again - getting in the way and making me forget to write down names of songs played in sequence.
(4) This nearly caused a riot.
(5) The Merengue card was played here.
(6) Vishal returned. He accidentally pressed the pause button. About a 1 second confusion ensued.
(7) Shila decides that this is a good song.
(8) Vishal ended this song prematurely - resulting in Sergio and Serap dancing a Merengue.
(9) Vishal played 2 Merengue (1 new and 1 old) and 2 or 3 Salsa before letting me back in again. His last song was La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba (Susie Hansen). He didn't get the dance he wanted.
(10) Sergio admits that he was wrong - Sally did not play Babarabatiri last night.
(11) Luis started complaining. And then he realized what this song was.
(12) I think I played this one here - I didn't write it down. Blame it on Shila again.
(13) I decided that at least one more round of fast songs would be worth trying.
(14) Another mini-surge.
(15) Hmmm. I think this was the only new song I played tonight.
(16) This request and the accompanying CD had been with me after I played the first Merengue. First Vishal took over. And then, I got a little confused about the song (second track in the 4 song CD) because it started like a bolero. And then the guy asked me to wait until after 1 AM to play it. Finally it came down to this spot. This song (about 4:15 long) has a ~50 second intro before it gets into Reggaeton. I considered chopping out the intro, but the guy asked me to play at least part of the slow part. There was no obvious starting point so I decided to ramp up the volume gradually and give it about 20 second intro. I screwed up. I had the controllers misdialled so there was no ramping up of volume. Oh well.
(17) Luis complains, "You play this when no one's here anymore... El Gran Combo del Puerto Rico..." I replied, "I played something like 5 songs by El Gran Combo tonight." (Note: I played six, not five)
Total 41 songs (1 request was not from my collection though). 4 Bachata. 1 Merengue. 1 Cha Cha (Boogaloo). 1 Reggaeton (not mine). 34 Salsa including 1 new.
Vishal followed it up with some Reggaeton, La Vida Es Un Carnaval (Celia Cruz), Playa No More (Crystal Sierra - I think it's like a reflex), then more non-Salsa. Maybe he remembered that Micaela was in his CD and thus avoided the trifecta. It looked as if I might end the evening without a single dance for the evening - I had asked someone during the first break and another person after finishing my second set, but they either gave me a rain-check or declined. Vishal put on another Salsa (something Romantica) and I found someone to dance with - so a night of zero dances was averted. This dance by the way was nice. Sergio (and Cyrille) watched me dance and later commented that it was nicely done - fit the music pretty well. His main criticism was that I should have made a little more eye contact.
Miscellaneous. According to Johnny (heard second-hand via Sergio), there was a couple (?) of SOS regulars tonight. I didn't look very hard although now that I think about it I think I remember the girl (I think I saw her at Cambridge before at SOS though). There was another couple both Sergio and I liked - they were a little goofy, but they seemed to be listening to the music and put their interpretation to it unlike most others.
Dinner was at Sergio's again - another take-out from Mai Thai - just the three of us - the San Miguel gang. There won't be many more of this - another one next week, but after that no more - at least not until the summer. It enabled us to watch Cyrille's favorite show - Ugly Betty. Oddest topic? Sergio's shoes. I ate too many crackers.
Vishal was DJing at some college until midnight, so I knew that I wanted to be there fairly early - before his CD runs out of songs. I thought we were going to leave at 10. It didn't happen until nearly 10:30. Ironing. Coffee. Shoes. The usual CD was on when I arrived. I let it play to the end of Tambo (Susie Hansen).
Playlist
Meneame La Cuna - Roberto Torres (1)
Sopa En Botella - Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Hablame - Frankie Ruiz (2)
Pegaso - Isidro Infante
El Abaniquito - Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo - El Gran Combo
Soy Dichoso - Ray Barretto
Merecumbe - Johnny Colon
Musica Ligera - Toke D Keda
Te Extrano - Toke D Keda
Avisale A Mi Contrario - Roberto Roena
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario (3)
Cubanoson - Cubanoson
La Lucha (featuring Shanny) - La Excelencia
Que Buena Baila Usted - Oscar D'Leon (4)
Descarga Lebron - Lebron Brothers (-4%)
No Aguanto Mas - Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco (5)
El Menu - El Gran Combo (6)
Abran Paso - Orchestra Harlow (with Ismael Miranda)
Muneca - Alfredo De La Fe (7)
Cinco A Diez - Azabache
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente (8)
break (9)
Mundy Baja - El Gran Combo (10)
Esas Lagrimas - Gilberto Santa Rosa (11)
Push, Push, Push - Joe Cuba Sextet (12)
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
Dejame Sonar - Tito Puente (13)
El Swing De Fruko - Fruko Y Sus Tesos (-4%)
Un Apretoncito - Toke D Keda
Lamento Boliviano - Toke D Keda
Azuquita Pal Café - El Gran Combo
Lloraras - Oscar D'Leon (14)
Agua Limpia Todo - Tito Puente (15)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Reggaeton request (name?) - ? (16)
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
Bailando - Frankie Ruiz
Revolucionando - New Swing Sextet
Ojos Chinos - El Gran Combo (17)
(1) Luis says, "You better play good music tonight," as soon as he sees me. Oh great.
(2) The word "Merengue" was mentioned couple of times already. How many choices do I have? Blame this and previous song partly on Luis too.
(3) I'm pretty sure I played this one here. Shila was spending a lot of time in the DJ booth again - getting in the way and making me forget to write down names of songs played in sequence.
(4) This nearly caused a riot.
(5) The Merengue card was played here.
(6) Vishal returned. He accidentally pressed the pause button. About a 1 second confusion ensued.
(7) Shila decides that this is a good song.
(8) Vishal ended this song prematurely - resulting in Sergio and Serap dancing a Merengue.
(9) Vishal played 2 Merengue (1 new and 1 old) and 2 or 3 Salsa before letting me back in again. His last song was La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba (Susie Hansen). He didn't get the dance he wanted.
(10) Sergio admits that he was wrong - Sally did not play Babarabatiri last night.
(11) Luis started complaining. And then he realized what this song was.
(12) I think I played this one here - I didn't write it down. Blame it on Shila again.
(13) I decided that at least one more round of fast songs would be worth trying.
(14) Another mini-surge.
(15) Hmmm. I think this was the only new song I played tonight.
(16) This request and the accompanying CD had been with me after I played the first Merengue. First Vishal took over. And then, I got a little confused about the song (second track in the 4 song CD) because it started like a bolero. And then the guy asked me to wait until after 1 AM to play it. Finally it came down to this spot. This song (about 4:15 long) has a ~50 second intro before it gets into Reggaeton. I considered chopping out the intro, but the guy asked me to play at least part of the slow part. There was no obvious starting point so I decided to ramp up the volume gradually and give it about 20 second intro. I screwed up. I had the controllers misdialled so there was no ramping up of volume. Oh well.
(17) Luis complains, "You play this when no one's here anymore... El Gran Combo del Puerto Rico..." I replied, "I played something like 5 songs by El Gran Combo tonight." (Note: I played six, not five)
Total 41 songs (1 request was not from my collection though). 4 Bachata. 1 Merengue. 1 Cha Cha (Boogaloo). 1 Reggaeton (not mine). 34 Salsa including 1 new.
Vishal followed it up with some Reggaeton, La Vida Es Un Carnaval (Celia Cruz), Playa No More (Crystal Sierra - I think it's like a reflex), then more non-Salsa. Maybe he remembered that Micaela was in his CD and thus avoided the trifecta. It looked as if I might end the evening without a single dance for the evening - I had asked someone during the first break and another person after finishing my second set, but they either gave me a rain-check or declined. Vishal put on another Salsa (something Romantica) and I found someone to dance with - so a night of zero dances was averted. This dance by the way was nice. Sergio (and Cyrille) watched me dance and later commented that it was nicely done - fit the music pretty well. His main criticism was that I should have made a little more eye contact.
Miscellaneous. According to Johnny (heard second-hand via Sergio), there was a couple (?) of SOS regulars tonight. I didn't look very hard although now that I think about it I think I remember the girl (I think I saw her at Cambridge before at SOS though). There was another couple both Sergio and I liked - they were a little goofy, but they seemed to be listening to the music and put their interpretation to it unlike most others.
How to say A B C
March 22, 2007
Time of arrival – around 9:30. It’s a combination of many factors. I am trying to get some extra work done before heading off to Madrid. Also I think it might be good idea to concentrate on On2 instructions and in particular the method and logic behind leading technique advocated by Sergio. This is in part because there isn’t a lot of time left but more importantly because I find his approach to have a very solid and sound basis. Of course, it’s not like my On2 dancing is progressing very fast. As I told Ed early in the evening, there are not many people to practice with.
As for Madrid, I bragged to Cyrille about booking my accommodations last night. It was made interesting because the people at the hostal did not speak English. I decided to hang up the first time when I learned that the person at the other end of the phone did not speak English. Then I spent about half hour brushing up on my Spanish including finding out how to say A, B, C in Spanish before calling them back (because I figured that I would have to spell out my name). It was a bit of a struggle, but I got it done after about 5 minutes on the phone. Afterwards, I asked a native speaker to call the hostal to make a minor adjustment and to make sure that the reservation was made correctly – everything was correct except that I was apparently booked for one more night than I intended. Zhenzhi joked that this must be my first long vacation in 5 years. Ugh. It's not that bad.
I thought I would try to simulate how things might be in Madrid by asking only the people I don’t know (and people who have not seen me dance before) at the start of the evening. I ended up asking and getting no for an answer from the first five people I asked! Ouch. Perhaps it did not help that I tried not to look too confident or enthusiastic. I might add that I was a little apprehensive also because satisfying dances have become rare in recent months.
Nowadays I often find myself thinking along lines of “I don’t like this song” or “I don’t want to dance with most people here to this song because I think it’s going to be a mess (either because the song is too fast or because the song is going to make me want to lead moves which will overload most followers.” Also there’s the issue that I only dance at most once a night with most people, and I don’t want to waste a dance with good followers on a non-optimal song. There’s another issue that a particular follower I want to dance to might not be available when a good song comes on. Finally, the she may not like the song or think that dancing to a particular song with me may not be so fun for her even if she’s not dancing with anyone.
It was an okay night. It took a very long time for me to getting going. Lindsey told me to smile during dancing with her when I asked her for a dance. The song was Mambo Mongo and I found it easy to oblige her. I also liked a rare late-night dance I had with Sally to Merecumbe (Los Titanes version). Other songs played tonight include a couple of versions of Ran Kan Kan (including the one from Mamborama and another one Enrique used to play a lot but not the Tito Puente Jr version), Pico Swing, Mundy Baja, El Quinto De Beethoven (Cesta All-Stars – too fast and too long for my taste right now – it was on just before Mambo Mongo), Ahora Quien. Sergio thought Babarabatiri was played too, but I think he’s wrong.
Time of arrival – around 9:30. It’s a combination of many factors. I am trying to get some extra work done before heading off to Madrid. Also I think it might be good idea to concentrate on On2 instructions and in particular the method and logic behind leading technique advocated by Sergio. This is in part because there isn’t a lot of time left but more importantly because I find his approach to have a very solid and sound basis. Of course, it’s not like my On2 dancing is progressing very fast. As I told Ed early in the evening, there are not many people to practice with.
As for Madrid, I bragged to Cyrille about booking my accommodations last night. It was made interesting because the people at the hostal did not speak English. I decided to hang up the first time when I learned that the person at the other end of the phone did not speak English. Then I spent about half hour brushing up on my Spanish including finding out how to say A, B, C in Spanish before calling them back (because I figured that I would have to spell out my name). It was a bit of a struggle, but I got it done after about 5 minutes on the phone. Afterwards, I asked a native speaker to call the hostal to make a minor adjustment and to make sure that the reservation was made correctly – everything was correct except that I was apparently booked for one more night than I intended. Zhenzhi joked that this must be my first long vacation in 5 years. Ugh. It's not that bad.
I thought I would try to simulate how things might be in Madrid by asking only the people I don’t know (and people who have not seen me dance before) at the start of the evening. I ended up asking and getting no for an answer from the first five people I asked! Ouch. Perhaps it did not help that I tried not to look too confident or enthusiastic. I might add that I was a little apprehensive also because satisfying dances have become rare in recent months.
Nowadays I often find myself thinking along lines of “I don’t like this song” or “I don’t want to dance with most people here to this song because I think it’s going to be a mess (either because the song is too fast or because the song is going to make me want to lead moves which will overload most followers.” Also there’s the issue that I only dance at most once a night with most people, and I don’t want to waste a dance with good followers on a non-optimal song. There’s another issue that a particular follower I want to dance to might not be available when a good song comes on. Finally, the she may not like the song or think that dancing to a particular song with me may not be so fun for her even if she’s not dancing with anyone.
It was an okay night. It took a very long time for me to getting going. Lindsey told me to smile during dancing with her when I asked her for a dance. The song was Mambo Mongo and I found it easy to oblige her. I also liked a rare late-night dance I had with Sally to Merecumbe (Los Titanes version). Other songs played tonight include a couple of versions of Ran Kan Kan (including the one from Mamborama and another one Enrique used to play a lot but not the Tito Puente Jr version), Pico Swing, Mundy Baja, El Quinto De Beethoven (Cesta All-Stars – too fast and too long for my taste right now – it was on just before Mambo Mongo), Ahora Quien. Sergio thought Babarabatiri was played too, but I think he’s wrong.
On2 Session #5
March 20, 2007
There was a talk of starting tonight’s session as early as 6. In the end, it was more like 6:45, which was still earliest starting time yet. We ended at 10 PM, so it was another 3+ hour session.
The first hour was again spent doing basics and basic turns. We focused on 3 o’clock, 9 o’clock, and hook turns as well as right and left axle. Also done was to practice turning or spinning using shoulders only versus using hips only.
The second hour was all body isolations – probably in a manner similar to it is done in Frankie Martinez’s classes except with some explanations. It was quite tiring.
The third hour was spent on leading techniques. Refinements were made on spot turns, spot turn start ending with Apache/tornado (making up names here), CBL into half crucifix and getting out of it, CBL into open position, Copa, R-R open break into toss and L-L into crucifix (and getting out of it), turning (1/4 or 1/2) as unit before initiating CBL (in one case after leading a 1 1/2 CBL inside turn – free turn in this case.
There are too many details involved and writing it out would be something of a nightmare. Some of the salient details I want to remember in particular include the following.
For spot turn, use L-R between 7 and 1 (going outwards) to get follower to be positioned correctly. Also be sure to position self correctly (it seemed that shoulder positioning needed most adjustments).
For Apache, do not overtake.
For CBL into half crucifix, the downward lead on 1 is very small. Remember to absorb on 6 and don’t lower the connetion too low.
Absorbing and guiding with L hand after 1 was one of the newer details. Fingers up when starting.
Straight forward lead (less force!) on 2 for CBL.
A slight shake/nudge with shoulder on 3 to for CBL into open to singnal/allow follower to stylize.
For axles, turn fully before putting the other foot down (make sure to be balanced on the foot on which the turn was made rather than depending on the second foot to stay upright).
Turn on 7 to move as unit 1/4 (or 1/2) before CBL finish.
I have no idea if much of these notes are going to make sense to me. As for people who were not part of the workout (or even those who took part in it), I imagine all this will be gobbledygook.
Freaky weather today. Very cold, snow, etc. A curry outing to Golden Curry at Mill Road was made after the end of the session.
There was a talk of starting tonight’s session as early as 6. In the end, it was more like 6:45, which was still earliest starting time yet. We ended at 10 PM, so it was another 3+ hour session.
The first hour was again spent doing basics and basic turns. We focused on 3 o’clock, 9 o’clock, and hook turns as well as right and left axle. Also done was to practice turning or spinning using shoulders only versus using hips only.
The second hour was all body isolations – probably in a manner similar to it is done in Frankie Martinez’s classes except with some explanations. It was quite tiring.
The third hour was spent on leading techniques. Refinements were made on spot turns, spot turn start ending with Apache/tornado (making up names here), CBL into half crucifix and getting out of it, CBL into open position, Copa, R-R open break into toss and L-L into crucifix (and getting out of it), turning (1/4 or 1/2) as unit before initiating CBL (in one case after leading a 1 1/2 CBL inside turn – free turn in this case.
There are too many details involved and writing it out would be something of a nightmare. Some of the salient details I want to remember in particular include the following.
For spot turn, use L-R between 7 and 1 (going outwards) to get follower to be positioned correctly. Also be sure to position self correctly (it seemed that shoulder positioning needed most adjustments).
For Apache, do not overtake.
For CBL into half crucifix, the downward lead on 1 is very small. Remember to absorb on 6 and don’t lower the connetion too low.
Absorbing and guiding with L hand after 1 was one of the newer details. Fingers up when starting.
Straight forward lead (less force!) on 2 for CBL.
A slight shake/nudge with shoulder on 3 to for CBL into open to singnal/allow follower to stylize.
For axles, turn fully before putting the other foot down (make sure to be balanced on the foot on which the turn was made rather than depending on the second foot to stay upright).
Turn on 7 to move as unit 1/4 (or 1/2) before CBL finish.
I have no idea if much of these notes are going to make sense to me. As for people who were not part of the workout (or even those who took part in it), I imagine all this will be gobbledygook.
Freaky weather today. Very cold, snow, etc. A curry outing to Golden Curry at Mill Road was made after the end of the session.
The ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything
March 16, 2007
No usual Friday dinner this week with Sergio at Peterborough – because Cyrille can’t pick a restaurant and I cannot make reservations? Anyhow, this allowed me to get to Club Salsa before the lessons ended for the first time in a while. It was a quiet night – not many punters and not many students. I guess the kids are celebrating the end of Lent term elsewhere. I ended up playing a lot of songs tonight.
Playlist
Brujeria – El Gran Combo
Mandali – Africando
Lluvia – Eddie Santiago
Malanga Amarilla – Cachao
Ave Maria Lola – Sonora Carruseles
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Nunca Se Quedas – Frankie Ruiz*
Mambo Diablo – Tito Puente (70s Fania recording)
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Idilio – Willie Colon
Salsa Y Control – Lebron Brothers
Quitate La Mascara – Ray Barretto
Mi Desengano – Robert Roena Y Su Apollo Sound
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano
Cucala – Celia Cruz
Que Cosas Tendran – El Gran Combo* (1)
Cubanoson – Cubanoson
La Lucha (Feat. Shanny) – La Excelencia*
Casita De Margot – SonSublime
Disco Azucar – Los Van Van (2)
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Debo Pensar – Toke D Keda (3)
Mambo Mongo – Mongo Santamaria* (4) (-4%) (90s Chesky Recording)
break
No Hay Cama Pa’ Tanta Gente – El Gran Combo (5)
Tu Son – Oscar D’Leon (6)
Diamoule Mawo – Laba Sosseh
Cuando Te Vea – Spanish Harlem Orchestra* (7)
Se Me Fue – El Gran Combo (8)
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson (9)
Te Extrano – Toke D Keda
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence
This Moment – Azabache* (10)
Esta Cobardia – Frankie Ruiz (11)
La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo (12)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Sonando – Poncho Sanchez (13)
Abuelita – Hector Lavoe (14)
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Apretoncito – Toke D Keda (15)
Fragile – Massimo Scalici (16)
(1) The dance floor has been consistently full despite the crowd being fairly small. Up to this point I had played 16 Salsa by 16 different headliners.Nothing new up to this point (correction: I had not realized that I never played Nunca Se Quedas by Frankie Ruiz before). Idilio was the first medium-to-fast songs played. This song (Que Cosas Tendran) is a Cha Cha.
(2) This was a request. It went like, “Anything by Los Van Van. Make it two.” I opted to make it one. Twenty Salsa by twenty different headliners. I wasn’t going to break that trend with Los Van Van.
(3) This was the first time the dance floor was fairly thin more than half-way through the song. I am thinking that there aren’t very many Bachata dancers tonight.
(4) Vishal had came by just before I started Los Van Van to talk about taking over. I delayed him by saying that I was playing a request next. During the Bachata, I talked him into letting me play one song. This was done so that I pick a song I would want to dance to. I had played Mambo Mongo before (the 70s Fania version), but not this version. I danced with Serap. Up to this point I have played 21 Salsa, 2 Bachata, 1 Cha Cha.
(5) The only song I remember Vishal playing during the break was Pancho Cristal (Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz) and Ping Pong. Luis referred to this as a kind of song only I typically play – although I don’t have the song in my collection and thus never played it. He probably means old classics – perhaps the kind of music a critic referred to as Cuban shopping center music (although I have no idea of verifying this, I thought there was a cultural embargo between Cuba and United States, which would preclude most of these songs popular in Salsa clubs being played in Cuba. Los Van Van would be an exception.
(6) Vishal wants more “commercial” songs. I’m not exactly bombarding people with Mambo, especially with Oscar D’Leon. He followed it up with “You probably know what’s good. I’ll leave you to it.”
(7) Another request – by the same person who requested Los Van Van. People are allowed to like both Los Van Van (Timba) and Spanish Harlem Orchestra (Salsa Dura).
(8) This was something of a request (El Gran Combo – no song specification) by Luis.
(9) I danced with Cinzia to this one.
(10) I thought Vishal was going to say something about this. He didn’t.
(11) Another request by Luis. He started with Frankie Ruiz and later talked about Bailando. I concurred on the artist but not the song. Even before starting tonight, I was thinking about playing as many as 2 songs by Frankie Ruiz tonight.
(12) I think people are getting this song now. Initial reception when I played it first at Club Salsa was lukewarm. It was better second time around. It’s very good now (this is the third time at Club Salsa with me having played it at Pasion De Primavera - although I don’t think anyone from Pasion was here tonight).
(13) Less than half of the people danced Cha Cha to this – about the same as earlier tonight.
(14) I danced with Natalia to this one. Second time tonight.
(15) Some people wanted Bachata. I didn’t think Merengue or Bachata was really called for at this time given the small crowd and its composition.
(16) This song was followed up by Contigo before Vishal switched to Reggaeton after about 30 seconds – thus reducing the number of dancing couples from 3 to 1. No big deal – I was thinking that closing time might be called at any time for last 20 minutes or so. For this half, 15 Salsa, 2 Bachata and 1 Cha Cha.
Total 42 songs. 36 Salsa including 5 new songs (this includes 1 new remix). 4 Bachata. 2 Cha Cha including 1 new. A new record for total number of songs played in one night.
Tonight was also notable for the following songs not having been played. Micaela – Sonora Carruseles. Playa No More – Crystal Sierra. La Vida Es Un Carnival – Celia Cruz. Suavemente – Elvis Crespo. Obsesion – Aventura. Lamento Boliviano – Toke D Keda. Other fairly dependable Vishal staples failing to make an appearance included Me Libere, Lloraras, Caballo Viejo. Only two Merengue was played. Same for Reggaeton. This means the number of Cha Cha played was same as Merengue and as Reggaeton. I doubt that this will happen again next week (or next month).
I danced with 5 people for 6 songs. I was okay at best. I also brought a plane ticket to Madrid. Hmm. Nine more days in the Iberian Peninsula. After this trip, I will have spent 17 days in Spain (with 2 days overlapping in Portugal), 7 days in Germany, and 0 days in the rest of continental Europe.
No usual Friday dinner this week with Sergio at Peterborough – because Cyrille can’t pick a restaurant and I cannot make reservations? Anyhow, this allowed me to get to Club Salsa before the lessons ended for the first time in a while. It was a quiet night – not many punters and not many students. I guess the kids are celebrating the end of Lent term elsewhere. I ended up playing a lot of songs tonight.
Playlist
Brujeria – El Gran Combo
Mandali – Africando
Lluvia – Eddie Santiago
Malanga Amarilla – Cachao
Ave Maria Lola – Sonora Carruseles
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Nunca Se Quedas – Frankie Ruiz*
Mambo Diablo – Tito Puente (70s Fania recording)
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Idilio – Willie Colon
Salsa Y Control – Lebron Brothers
Quitate La Mascara – Ray Barretto
Mi Desengano – Robert Roena Y Su Apollo Sound
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano
Cucala – Celia Cruz
Que Cosas Tendran – El Gran Combo* (1)
Cubanoson – Cubanoson
La Lucha (Feat. Shanny) – La Excelencia*
Casita De Margot – SonSublime
Disco Azucar – Los Van Van (2)
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Debo Pensar – Toke D Keda (3)
Mambo Mongo – Mongo Santamaria* (4) (-4%) (90s Chesky Recording)
break
No Hay Cama Pa’ Tanta Gente – El Gran Combo (5)
Tu Son – Oscar D’Leon (6)
Diamoule Mawo – Laba Sosseh
Cuando Te Vea – Spanish Harlem Orchestra* (7)
Se Me Fue – El Gran Combo (8)
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson (9)
Te Extrano – Toke D Keda
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence
This Moment – Azabache* (10)
Esta Cobardia – Frankie Ruiz (11)
La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo (12)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Sonando – Poncho Sanchez (13)
Abuelita – Hector Lavoe (14)
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Apretoncito – Toke D Keda (15)
Fragile – Massimo Scalici (16)
(1) The dance floor has been consistently full despite the crowd being fairly small. Up to this point I had played 16 Salsa by 16 different headliners.
(2) This was a request. It went like, “Anything by Los Van Van. Make it two.” I opted to make it one. Twenty Salsa by twenty different headliners. I wasn’t going to break that trend with Los Van Van.
(3) This was the first time the dance floor was fairly thin more than half-way through the song. I am thinking that there aren’t very many Bachata dancers tonight.
(4) Vishal had came by just before I started Los Van Van to talk about taking over. I delayed him by saying that I was playing a request next. During the Bachata, I talked him into letting me play one song. This was done so that I pick a song I would want to dance to. I had played Mambo Mongo before (the 70s Fania version), but not this version. I danced with Serap. Up to this point I have played 21 Salsa, 2 Bachata, 1 Cha Cha.
(5) The only song I remember Vishal playing during the break was Pancho Cristal (Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz) and Ping Pong. Luis referred to this as a kind of song only I typically play – although I don’t have the song in my collection and thus never played it. He probably means old classics – perhaps the kind of music a critic referred to as Cuban shopping center music (although I have no idea of verifying this, I thought there was a cultural embargo between Cuba and United States, which would preclude most of these songs popular in Salsa clubs being played in Cuba. Los Van Van would be an exception.
(6) Vishal wants more “commercial” songs. I’m not exactly bombarding people with Mambo, especially with Oscar D’Leon. He followed it up with “You probably know what’s good. I’ll leave you to it.”
(7) Another request – by the same person who requested Los Van Van. People are allowed to like both Los Van Van (Timba) and Spanish Harlem Orchestra (Salsa Dura).
(8) This was something of a request (El Gran Combo – no song specification) by Luis.
(9) I danced with Cinzia to this one.
(10) I thought Vishal was going to say something about this. He didn’t.
(11) Another request by Luis. He started with Frankie Ruiz and later talked about Bailando. I concurred on the artist but not the song. Even before starting tonight, I was thinking about playing as many as 2 songs by Frankie Ruiz tonight.
(12) I think people are getting this song now. Initial reception when I played it first at Club Salsa was lukewarm. It was better second time around. It’s very good now (this is the third time at Club Salsa with me having played it at Pasion De Primavera - although I don’t think anyone from Pasion was here tonight).
(13) Less than half of the people danced Cha Cha to this – about the same as earlier tonight.
(14) I danced with Natalia to this one. Second time tonight.
(15) Some people wanted Bachata. I didn’t think Merengue or Bachata was really called for at this time given the small crowd and its composition.
(16) This song was followed up by Contigo before Vishal switched to Reggaeton after about 30 seconds – thus reducing the number of dancing couples from 3 to 1. No big deal – I was thinking that closing time might be called at any time for last 20 minutes or so. For this half, 15 Salsa, 2 Bachata and 1 Cha Cha.
Total 42 songs. 36 Salsa including 5 new songs (this includes 1 new remix). 4 Bachata. 2 Cha Cha including 1 new. A new record for total number of songs played in one night.
Tonight was also notable for the following songs not having been played. Micaela – Sonora Carruseles. Playa No More – Crystal Sierra. La Vida Es Un Carnival – Celia Cruz. Suavemente – Elvis Crespo. Obsesion – Aventura. Lamento Boliviano – Toke D Keda. Other fairly dependable Vishal staples failing to make an appearance included Me Libere, Lloraras, Caballo Viejo. Only two Merengue was played. Same for Reggaeton. This means the number of Cha Cha played was same as Merengue and as Reggaeton. I doubt that this will happen again next week (or next month).
I danced with 5 people for 6 songs. I was okay at best. I also brought a plane ticket to Madrid. Hmm. Nine more days in the Iberian Peninsula. After this trip, I will have spent 17 days in Spain (with 2 days overlapping in Portugal), 7 days in Germany, and 0 days in the rest of continental Europe.
On2 session #4 or a beginner once again
March 15, 2007
Tonight’s session was the shortest one by far – only about 2 1/3 hours. This was in part by design so that we could attend the social hour at Club Salsa later. We started around 6:50. We were going to focus on partner work, but it still meant that well over half hour was spent on doing basic steps, turns, axles, etc. A tiny bit of styling and body movement was done too – no more than 5 minutes – miniscule.
Partner work started with doing preparations for leading spins – in on 5, out on 6, in on 7, then up (with follower not depending on leader to lift her hand/arm). A key here is to keep tension in finger but keep wrist loose (a.k.a. dead wrist). We also worked on changing finger positions (without causing a turn signal for follower) and then altering arm positions while leader is doing a right turn (3 o’clock).
Spot turn was a review more or less, but doing this in time to music was new. Or at least it seemed to bring additional challenge. Another new element covered was Copa. A signal to bring follower in is given on 6. The version used as primary exercise today involved starting with R-R hold and getting R hand on follower’s hips (absorbing follower’s momentum) to lead her back on 1 (with a light touch with free L hand on her shoulder right after 2).
Although we stopped around 9:10, it took almost 20 minutes to get into my car to first find something to eat before heading off to Club Salsa. We ended up at Café Adriatic once again. We got done with the food with more efficiency than usual. Dinner topics included bull fighting (brought upon because of a suggestion by Sergio to go to a Frankie Martinez Abakua dancers performance as a part of a Salsa festival in Madrid over Easter - Simposium Internacional Salsa 2007), poo and pee (college class experiences).
We arrived at Club Salsa around 10:30. I did not get to dance with many people, but I had more fun than I had in quite some time. Every dance was either pretty good or informative.
I started with Mimi On2 to La Llave (Grupo Latin Vibe). I felt pretty lucky to start with a slower song although there were mistakes galore – I felt like to total beginner once again. I followed it up with a dance On1 with Mimi. A couple of dances On1 with Euvian and Laura followed thereafter. I danced with Jane to Mambo Mongo (Mongo Santamaria – Fania recording) – pretty cool. Then I let loose On1 with Charlotte. Finally, I danced On2 with Mimi two more times to medium paced songs (Pa Bravo Yo – Pupy Santiago (?) and Ojos Chinos – El Gran Combo). Three Salsa dances On2! The latter two felt better although the pace of the songs was faster than the first one. Anyhow that’s at least 3 times more than what I expected going in! I was expecting maybe one Salsa and one Cha Cha at most. It’s not so bad being a beginner all over again.
Other songs played tonight include Tu Tu Ta Ta II (Eddie Palmieri), Merecumbe (Los Titanes – came right after Mambo Mongo), Ritmo Pa Borinquen (Grupo Latin Vibe). Merecumbe (a different version??) was on again when we left at 11:45.
I did not get a chance to dance with Sam, Nicola or Lindsey among others. I don’t think I was disappointed about it as much as I normally would have. I don’t know why. I suppose I was simply in a pretty good mood – happy-go-lucky and not liable to be bothered by anything. Perhaps having 3 days away from Salsa dancing (not counting the practice session on Tuesday) after 8 days in a row helped too.
A couple of announcements for Vishal - Vishal definitely is organizing a coach for the Easter Bank Holiday Scala. So I won't need to give him directions again. I might add that I could be doing the Madrid trip and thus miss the whole shebang. Vishal is also dealing directly with Tony and Daniella to have them return to Club Salsa for Bachata and Reggaeton classes on June 19th. I will have absolutely no stakes in this so it may be worth noting especially for the people who were avoiding taking the classes because of my involvement (if it was a factor at any point).
Tonight’s session was the shortest one by far – only about 2 1/3 hours. This was in part by design so that we could attend the social hour at Club Salsa later. We started around 6:50. We were going to focus on partner work, but it still meant that well over half hour was spent on doing basic steps, turns, axles, etc. A tiny bit of styling and body movement was done too – no more than 5 minutes – miniscule.
Partner work started with doing preparations for leading spins – in on 5, out on 6, in on 7, then up (with follower not depending on leader to lift her hand/arm). A key here is to keep tension in finger but keep wrist loose (a.k.a. dead wrist). We also worked on changing finger positions (without causing a turn signal for follower) and then altering arm positions while leader is doing a right turn (3 o’clock).
Spot turn was a review more or less, but doing this in time to music was new. Or at least it seemed to bring additional challenge. Another new element covered was Copa. A signal to bring follower in is given on 6. The version used as primary exercise today involved starting with R-R hold and getting R hand on follower’s hips (absorbing follower’s momentum) to lead her back on 1 (with a light touch with free L hand on her shoulder right after 2).
Although we stopped around 9:10, it took almost 20 minutes to get into my car to first find something to eat before heading off to Club Salsa. We ended up at Café Adriatic once again. We got done with the food with more efficiency than usual. Dinner topics included bull fighting (brought upon because of a suggestion by Sergio to go to a Frankie Martinez Abakua dancers performance as a part of a Salsa festival in Madrid over Easter - Simposium Internacional Salsa 2007), poo and pee (college class experiences).
We arrived at Club Salsa around 10:30. I did not get to dance with many people, but I had more fun than I had in quite some time. Every dance was either pretty good or informative.
I started with Mimi On2 to La Llave (Grupo Latin Vibe). I felt pretty lucky to start with a slower song although there were mistakes galore – I felt like to total beginner once again. I followed it up with a dance On1 with Mimi. A couple of dances On1 with Euvian and Laura followed thereafter. I danced with Jane to Mambo Mongo (Mongo Santamaria – Fania recording) – pretty cool. Then I let loose On1 with Charlotte. Finally, I danced On2 with Mimi two more times to medium paced songs (Pa Bravo Yo – Pupy Santiago (?) and Ojos Chinos – El Gran Combo). Three Salsa dances On2! The latter two felt better although the pace of the songs was faster than the first one. Anyhow that’s at least 3 times more than what I expected going in! I was expecting maybe one Salsa and one Cha Cha at most. It’s not so bad being a beginner all over again.
Other songs played tonight include Tu Tu Ta Ta II (Eddie Palmieri), Merecumbe (Los Titanes – came right after Mambo Mongo), Ritmo Pa Borinquen (Grupo Latin Vibe). Merecumbe (a different version??) was on again when we left at 11:45.
I did not get a chance to dance with Sam, Nicola or Lindsey among others. I don’t think I was disappointed about it as much as I normally would have. I don’t know why. I suppose I was simply in a pretty good mood – happy-go-lucky and not liable to be bothered by anything. Perhaps having 3 days away from Salsa dancing (not counting the practice session on Tuesday) after 8 days in a row helped too.
A couple of announcements for Vishal - Vishal definitely is organizing a coach for the Easter Bank Holiday Scala. So I won't need to give him directions again. I might add that I could be doing the Madrid trip and thus miss the whole shebang. Vishal is also dealing directly with Tony and Daniella to have them return to Club Salsa for Bachata and Reggaeton classes on June 19th. I will have absolutely no stakes in this so it may be worth noting especially for the people who were avoiding taking the classes because of my involvement (if it was a factor at any point).
On2 session #3
March 13, 2007
The session was supposed to start at 6:30, but did not get underway until 6:45. We started with the timing again with emphasis on Conga drums (esp. with ‘Pah’ on 2 and on 6 and on ‘du-doom’ or ‘goo-goong’ on 4 and 4.5 and on 8 and 8.5) and on the Clave (assuming 2-3 Clave, on 2, 3, 5, 6.5 and 8). In addition to Mike Bello timing CD, the Larry Harlow track Descarga (from Live at the Quad) was used to show layers of instruments and how they sound in confines of a Salsa song and how they all act within the rhythmic structure. Approximately 20-30 minutes.
Basic footwork (mambo basic, backward charge, forward charge, side-to-side, 3 o’clock, 12 o’clock, 9 o’clock turns and hook turn (6 o’clock) were reviewed again. For me the biggest adjustment involved pivoting properly on R foot between 8 and 1 during the hook turn. Right and left axles were done – with a major improvement for me coming from squeezing the thighs right after initiating the turns (as the foot in front (after preparation) is brought together). The other major introduction to the turning exercise was follower’s preparation for right turn (more of a spin than a 3 o’clock turn) – with a more useful variation involving stepping in place on 6 as opposed to stepping back on 6 in order not to create unwieldy gap between the partners. Also discussed was traveling during 3 and 9 o’clock turns. Approximately an hour.
Some cha-cha step from last week was reviewed again. This was done in part to get quicker feet. It gave me an opportunity for additional practice although I probably would need a lot more practice on my own to switch back and forth between several variations given. A couple of additional stylization was discussed (with additional possibilities mentioned in passing). Approximately 30 minutes.
Final hour or a little over an hour was spent on partner work starting with cross body lead and right turns again. Leading of 3 o’clock turn was distinguished from leading 12 o’clock turn and then from a right turn done by a spin. Leading technique for different turns as well as preparations (especially for spins but could be changed later to turns instead) was discussed. Finger tension issue came back – it’s something I need a lot more work on. Near the end, we arrived at CBL with inside turn (it’s similar to broken left turn for follower or so Sergio thought) with lead for the turn coming after 3 (although the hand is raised by 3). Also done was CBL with full right turn into half crucifix (R-R is pointed downwards on 1 to mark the spot) and finishing with a stationary 1 1/2 turn. In between the two was the spot turn (name?) (Adios-like). Key here includes facing partner (in body position too) by 1 with R hand/arm firmly positioned across follower’s back before hook on 2 (all the lead to get follower to turn along with leader comes from R hand/arm). Approximately an hour or maybe slightly longer.
We finished shortly after 10 after a short bit on body movement. I was flabbergasted to see someone else get many of the parts done right after just one try. Whoa. I have seen some of this over 6 months ago and I still don't have it.
A dinner at Golden Curry (Mill Road) followed – lasting until about midnight. Next session might happen as early as on Thursday.
The session was supposed to start at 6:30, but did not get underway until 6:45. We started with the timing again with emphasis on Conga drums (esp. with ‘Pah’ on 2 and on 6 and on ‘du-doom’ or ‘goo-goong’ on 4 and 4.5 and on 8 and 8.5) and on the Clave (assuming 2-3 Clave, on 2, 3, 5, 6.5 and 8). In addition to Mike Bello timing CD, the Larry Harlow track Descarga (from Live at the Quad) was used to show layers of instruments and how they sound in confines of a Salsa song and how they all act within the rhythmic structure. Approximately 20-30 minutes.
Basic footwork (mambo basic, backward charge, forward charge, side-to-side, 3 o’clock, 12 o’clock, 9 o’clock turns and hook turn (6 o’clock) were reviewed again. For me the biggest adjustment involved pivoting properly on R foot between 8 and 1 during the hook turn. Right and left axles were done – with a major improvement for me coming from squeezing the thighs right after initiating the turns (as the foot in front (after preparation) is brought together). The other major introduction to the turning exercise was follower’s preparation for right turn (more of a spin than a 3 o’clock turn) – with a more useful variation involving stepping in place on 6 as opposed to stepping back on 6 in order not to create unwieldy gap between the partners. Also discussed was traveling during 3 and 9 o’clock turns. Approximately an hour.
Some cha-cha step from last week was reviewed again. This was done in part to get quicker feet. It gave me an opportunity for additional practice although I probably would need a lot more practice on my own to switch back and forth between several variations given. A couple of additional stylization was discussed (with additional possibilities mentioned in passing). Approximately 30 minutes.
Final hour or a little over an hour was spent on partner work starting with cross body lead and right turns again. Leading of 3 o’clock turn was distinguished from leading 12 o’clock turn and then from a right turn done by a spin. Leading technique for different turns as well as preparations (especially for spins but could be changed later to turns instead) was discussed. Finger tension issue came back – it’s something I need a lot more work on. Near the end, we arrived at CBL with inside turn (it’s similar to broken left turn for follower or so Sergio thought) with lead for the turn coming after 3 (although the hand is raised by 3). Also done was CBL with full right turn into half crucifix (R-R is pointed downwards on 1 to mark the spot) and finishing with a stationary 1 1/2 turn. In between the two was the spot turn (name?) (Adios-like). Key here includes facing partner (in body position too) by 1 with R hand/arm firmly positioned across follower’s back before hook on 2 (all the lead to get follower to turn along with leader comes from R hand/arm). Approximately an hour or maybe slightly longer.
We finished shortly after 10 after a short bit on body movement. I was flabbergasted to see someone else get many of the parts done right after just one try. Whoa. I have seen some of this over 6 months ago and I still don't have it.
A dinner at Golden Curry (Mill Road) followed – lasting until about midnight. Next session might happen as early as on Thursday.
Pasion de primavera
March 11, 2007
Other than having to skip lunch, work didn’t need to be done in tight schedule once again. After a quick dinner, I arrived at University Arms Hotel around 8:30 PM. The classes were over by then. It did not seem as crowded as it did last time. Air conditioning was working much better this time too. The stage and the DJ booth were at different spot.
I had my doubts about my enthusiasm for dancing being especially high so I was mostly standing by the sidelines. Funny thing is that one girl asked me for a dance. Then another. Then another. Five girls asked me for a dance before I initiated anything. It’s not like I can say no, right? I considered keeping the same approach for the rest of the evening, but I decided not to press my luck.
The first girl I asked for a dance was Sam. As usual, she took her time getting to the dance floor after saying yes. The next girl I asked was – Natasha (not sure about her name). This was followed by a pair of girls asking me for a dance in succession. 2 vs 7 to that point and counting. Quite amusing.
By the time Palenke came on, I still was asked more often than I asked. Stephanie got me for the first dance to live music. I started doing more asking and probably ended up asking more girls than vice versa – I am not far from certain though. Among girls I sought out, asked and danced with were Zhenzhi, Jane, Agnes, Charlotte, and Euvian. I danced Salsa more than once with only one girl - only because she asked me for a second one. No need to list names of girls who declined my request - only one for Salsa ;p.
Both Sally and Ivan seemed to be trying hard to stretch the kind of music being played - meaning there were a lot of songs I did not recognize. Among Sally’s songs, the songs I can recall are Mundy Baja (El Gran Combo), La Banda (Spanish Harlem Orchestra maybe?), two different versions of Muneca. Ivan played Paraiso De Dulzura and El Todopoderoso (both by Hector Lavoe), Merecumbe (Johnny Colon), Mi Ritmo Es Bueno (Bobby Valentin), Nina Y Senora (Tito Puente), Rumbon Melon (Joey Pastrana), and a version of Cao Cao Mani Picao I didn’t recognize.
Covers played by Palenke included Me Libere, Hips Don’t Lie, Micaela, and there were couple other Colombian-sounding ones I recognized but cannot recall anymore.
I finally got a decent look at the Salsa team performance. It seemed well done. Five couples participated – Sam and Mark, Agnes and Haihan, Stephanie and Young-Joon, Zhenzhi and Rajiv, Phyllis and Richard. I didn’t like the music though.
I was originally told that I would have 45 minutes to DJ starting at 11:15, and I prepared a playlist based on that assumption. At 11:10, it looked like the band was going to go extra long (I assumed so because they hadn’t played a Cha Cha yet). I asked Mark whether the plan was to finish promptly at midnight. He said yes (meaning I would have to rethink my playlist). I started doing some cuts in my head while waiting for the band to play a Cha Cha.
By this point, I decided that my high point of the evening could be the opportunity to dance Cha Cha to live music On2. It finally came around 11:20. I scrambled. I think I asked Nina first and then maybe Jane. I finally got Agnes to agree, but she gave up after a minute or so (she apologized later). I then asked Zhenzhi and managed to get to the end of the song with her. The order I asked was mostly by whom I spotted nearby.
During the next song, I spotted another girl who I thought would be worth dancing with. However, the opportunity did not arise while the band was playing. I wasn’t going to dance to Hips Don’t Lie or Micaela. I suppose another reason to skip on Micaela was that it was the last song by the band – meaning I needed to cue up a song. I think I heard Nina groan when Micaela came on – it made me smile.
Here’s my playlist. I started playing at 11:35 or about 20 minutes later than expected.
Babarabatiri – Willie Rosario (1)
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence (2)
Sun Sun Babae – Celia Cruz (3)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (4)
Musica Ligera – Toke D Keda (5)
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo (6)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz (7)
Abuelita – Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon (8)
Picadillo – Tito Puente (a version probably from the 40s or maybe the 50s) (9)
(1) One of the band members wondered if the volume was too low. I didn’t think it was too bad – I didn’t want too much distortion anyway. He commented that he remembered me dancing from last time – at the Winter Salsa Ball. Unlike last time, I danced near the band only once or twice tonight. 1984
(2) Mark had requested “a selection of new music and some different stuff [not heard from other DJs]… a couple of Bachata and a Cha Cha - it's always nice to get some variety...” I had to cut things down, and this song is a bit on the long side – longest one tonight by more than a minute. However, I decided that at least one new song had to be played. 2005
(3) Another possibility was Cao Cao Mani Picao, but Ivan played another version of this song earlier. For tonight, I liked this song better anyway. I liked the reaction from Adriana and Nina. 1940s-1950s
(4) A band member (balding with glasses and mustache) likes my songs. 1995
(5) It was a toss-up between this and Lamento Boliviano. Sam and Rajiv came by to make sure that I play a Bachata. It was cued before either of them stopped by. 2006 (promo) official release 2007 or tba
(6) The lead singer came by to compliment me on the music. probably late 1980s or 1990s
(7) It was 11:59 when I started this song. I thought at least one Salsa Romantica needed to be played. I did not cue another song. Instead I grabbed the girl I was eyeing earlier for a dance. I learned later that I must have seen her before either at SOS or at Scala. 1993
(8) Several people in the crowd called for more songs. The room seemed to be agreement. I skipped over to the best song on the only CD already loaded (Grandes Soneros De Ayer Y Hoy). Haihan stopped by to make a song request (no specific version stated). A hotel personnel also came by to ask that this or next song be the last song. I make an announcement to the effect before starting the next song. 1970
(9) I obtained this song from a 3 CD Tito Puente compilation album called King of Timbales. I suspect that the same version of the song could be obtained from other albums also. 1940s or 1950s
The original planned playlist was as follows.
Babarabatiri
Es La Musica – Massimo Scalici (another new music)
La-La-La
Push, Push, Push – Joe Cuba Sextet (Cha Cha / Boogaloo)
Sun Sun Babae
El Pito – Isidro Infante (or El Swing De Fruko – Fruko Y Sus Tesos. Either would have been the only Salsa that I know Ivan/Sally had played previously.)
Musica Ligera
Revolucionando – New Swing Sextet
Asia Mood
Lamento Boliviano – Toke D Keda (Bachata) (Sally played this once.)
Gotas De Lluvia
Luna Negra
Total played in reality. 9 Songs. 1 Bachata. 8 Salsa. It would have been 5 or 6 Salsa if I ended promptly at midnight. No new songs.
Total songs originally planned (‘final’ version). 12 songs. 2 Bachata (1 not played). 1 Cha Cha (not played). 9 Salsa (3 not played). No new songs.
My dancing form? I would give it a C minus. Timing and musicality feel very off. Maybe it's because of all those On2 practice. I had 15-20 dances altogether – many with beginners/improvers.
Other than having to skip lunch, work didn’t need to be done in tight schedule once again. After a quick dinner, I arrived at University Arms Hotel around 8:30 PM. The classes were over by then. It did not seem as crowded as it did last time. Air conditioning was working much better this time too. The stage and the DJ booth were at different spot.
I had my doubts about my enthusiasm for dancing being especially high so I was mostly standing by the sidelines. Funny thing is that one girl asked me for a dance. Then another. Then another. Five girls asked me for a dance before I initiated anything. It’s not like I can say no, right? I considered keeping the same approach for the rest of the evening, but I decided not to press my luck.
The first girl I asked for a dance was Sam. As usual, she took her time getting to the dance floor after saying yes. The next girl I asked was – Natasha (not sure about her name). This was followed by a pair of girls asking me for a dance in succession. 2 vs 7 to that point and counting. Quite amusing.
By the time Palenke came on, I still was asked more often than I asked. Stephanie got me for the first dance to live music. I started doing more asking and probably ended up asking more girls than vice versa – I am not far from certain though. Among girls I sought out, asked and danced with were Zhenzhi, Jane, Agnes, Charlotte, and Euvian. I danced Salsa more than once with only one girl - only because she asked me for a second one. No need to list names of girls who declined my request - only one for Salsa ;p.
Both Sally and Ivan seemed to be trying hard to stretch the kind of music being played - meaning there were a lot of songs I did not recognize. Among Sally’s songs, the songs I can recall are Mundy Baja (El Gran Combo), La Banda (Spanish Harlem Orchestra maybe?), two different versions of Muneca. Ivan played Paraiso De Dulzura and El Todopoderoso (both by Hector Lavoe), Merecumbe (Johnny Colon), Mi Ritmo Es Bueno (Bobby Valentin), Nina Y Senora (Tito Puente), Rumbon Melon (Joey Pastrana), and a version of Cao Cao Mani Picao I didn’t recognize.
Covers played by Palenke included Me Libere, Hips Don’t Lie, Micaela, and there were couple other Colombian-sounding ones I recognized but cannot recall anymore.
I finally got a decent look at the Salsa team performance. It seemed well done. Five couples participated – Sam and Mark, Agnes and Haihan, Stephanie and Young-Joon, Zhenzhi and Rajiv, Phyllis and Richard. I didn’t like the music though.
I was originally told that I would have 45 minutes to DJ starting at 11:15, and I prepared a playlist based on that assumption. At 11:10, it looked like the band was going to go extra long (I assumed so because they hadn’t played a Cha Cha yet). I asked Mark whether the plan was to finish promptly at midnight. He said yes (meaning I would have to rethink my playlist). I started doing some cuts in my head while waiting for the band to play a Cha Cha.
By this point, I decided that my high point of the evening could be the opportunity to dance Cha Cha to live music On2. It finally came around 11:20. I scrambled. I think I asked Nina first and then maybe Jane. I finally got Agnes to agree, but she gave up after a minute or so (she apologized later). I then asked Zhenzhi and managed to get to the end of the song with her. The order I asked was mostly by whom I spotted nearby.
During the next song, I spotted another girl who I thought would be worth dancing with. However, the opportunity did not arise while the band was playing. I wasn’t going to dance to Hips Don’t Lie or Micaela. I suppose another reason to skip on Micaela was that it was the last song by the band – meaning I needed to cue up a song. I think I heard Nina groan when Micaela came on – it made me smile.
Here’s my playlist. I started playing at 11:35 or about 20 minutes later than expected.
Babarabatiri – Willie Rosario (1)
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence (2)
Sun Sun Babae – Celia Cruz (3)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (4)
Musica Ligera – Toke D Keda (5)
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo (6)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz (7)
Abuelita – Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon (8)
Picadillo – Tito Puente (a version probably from the 40s or maybe the 50s) (9)
(1) One of the band members wondered if the volume was too low. I didn’t think it was too bad – I didn’t want too much distortion anyway. He commented that he remembered me dancing from last time – at the Winter Salsa Ball. Unlike last time, I danced near the band only once or twice tonight. 1984
(2) Mark had requested “a selection of new music and some different stuff [not heard from other DJs]… a couple of Bachata and a Cha Cha - it's always nice to get some variety...” I had to cut things down, and this song is a bit on the long side – longest one tonight by more than a minute. However, I decided that at least one new song had to be played. 2005
(3) Another possibility was Cao Cao Mani Picao, but Ivan played another version of this song earlier. For tonight, I liked this song better anyway. I liked the reaction from Adriana and Nina. 1940s-1950s
(4) A band member (balding with glasses and mustache) likes my songs. 1995
(5) It was a toss-up between this and Lamento Boliviano. Sam and Rajiv came by to make sure that I play a Bachata. It was cued before either of them stopped by. 2006 (promo) official release 2007 or tba
(6) The lead singer came by to compliment me on the music. probably late 1980s or 1990s
(7) It was 11:59 when I started this song. I thought at least one Salsa Romantica needed to be played. I did not cue another song. Instead I grabbed the girl I was eyeing earlier for a dance. I learned later that I must have seen her before either at SOS or at Scala. 1993
(8) Several people in the crowd called for more songs. The room seemed to be agreement. I skipped over to the best song on the only CD already loaded (Grandes Soneros De Ayer Y Hoy). Haihan stopped by to make a song request (no specific version stated). A hotel personnel also came by to ask that this or next song be the last song. I make an announcement to the effect before starting the next song. 1970
(9) I obtained this song from a 3 CD Tito Puente compilation album called King of Timbales. I suspect that the same version of the song could be obtained from other albums also. 1940s or 1950s
The original planned playlist was as follows.
Babarabatiri
Es La Musica – Massimo Scalici (another new music)
La-La-La
Push, Push, Push – Joe Cuba Sextet (Cha Cha / Boogaloo)
Sun Sun Babae
El Pito – Isidro Infante (or El Swing De Fruko – Fruko Y Sus Tesos. Either would have been the only Salsa that I know Ivan/Sally had played previously.)
Musica Ligera
Revolucionando – New Swing Sextet
Asia Mood
Lamento Boliviano – Toke D Keda (Bachata) (Sally played this once.)
Gotas De Lluvia
Luna Negra
Total played in reality. 9 Songs. 1 Bachata. 8 Salsa. It would have been 5 or 6 Salsa if I ended promptly at midnight. No new songs.
Total songs originally planned (‘final’ version). 12 songs. 2 Bachata (1 not played). 1 Cha Cha (not played). 9 Salsa (3 not played). No new songs.
My dancing form? I would give it a C minus. Timing and musicality feel very off. Maybe it's because of all those On2 practice. I had 15-20 dances altogether – many with beginners/improvers.
St. Edmunds and Siegfried
March 10, 2007
Finally a relaxing day a work. For a change no rush to get things done. Before heading off to St. Edmunds College, I turned on the television. Possibly for the first time in over a week. BBC two was broadcasting Richard Wagner’s Siegfried from the Covent Gardens. Near the end of Act 1. I watched it for a while and considered staying home.
11:45 PM. I arrived at St. Edmunds College Common Room. I signed in as a guest – just in case I turn out to be or become a celebrity. When I entered the main dance area, I spotted immediately Rajiv, Stephanie and Haihan. Haihan said, “I didn’t think you’d come to this place.” I can be masochistic sometimes.
11:50 PM. I spotted Tamaryn at the other end of the room. Vishal was playing La Pantera Mambo. I walked over to her. She had her head out the window – presumably to cool down. She said she had only gone out to dance Salsa only twice this year - very busy with school presumably. We had a short dance. I won’t see her tomorrow.
11:55 PM. Next song was Merengue. I said a brief hello to Olivia, who took Tamaryn with her out the main room. As I made my way back to Haihan’s group, A Ballroom dancer I remember from my first year of Salsa dancing spotted me. I danced Merengue with her briefly. Next song was R & B.
12:00 AM. I was standing by Stephanie when Vishal started Mambo No. 5 (not the original of course but the one by Lou Bega). Stephanie muttered, “I was going to request a Mambo.”
12:20 AM. Stephanie left. See you tomorrow. Zhenzhi arrived. Among other songs played was Hips Don’t Lie.
12:25 AM. Two Bachata – Obsesion and the new R & B Bachata – were played.
12:30 AM. Third “Salsa” of the evening (while I was here anyway) was played. Playa No More.
12:35 AM. Haihan left. See you tomorrow. I’m getting hot and sweaty just sitting still.
12:40 AM. Otra. Otra. Otra something, something else, whatever.
12:45 AM. Okay, I can say that I was here for an hour – maybe a little over an hour. Let’s say one Salsa dance and one Merengue dance. I had very little expectations anyway. Shila says tomorrow is going to be the big night and that it’ll be good. I imagine it will be – whether I have a good time or not.
Back to Siegfried - Part 3 of the Ring Cycle, which left as a profound and indelible mark (perhaps a curse) on me as any work of art and literature. No doubt not in a way Wagner intended.
Finally a relaxing day a work. For a change no rush to get things done. Before heading off to St. Edmunds College, I turned on the television. Possibly for the first time in over a week. BBC two was broadcasting Richard Wagner’s Siegfried from the Covent Gardens. Near the end of Act 1. I watched it for a while and considered staying home.
11:45 PM. I arrived at St. Edmunds College Common Room. I signed in as a guest – just in case I turn out to be or become a celebrity. When I entered the main dance area, I spotted immediately Rajiv, Stephanie and Haihan. Haihan said, “I didn’t think you’d come to this place.” I can be masochistic sometimes.
11:50 PM. I spotted Tamaryn at the other end of the room. Vishal was playing La Pantera Mambo. I walked over to her. She had her head out the window – presumably to cool down. She said she had only gone out to dance Salsa only twice this year - very busy with school presumably. We had a short dance. I won’t see her tomorrow.
11:55 PM. Next song was Merengue. I said a brief hello to Olivia, who took Tamaryn with her out the main room. As I made my way back to Haihan’s group, A Ballroom dancer I remember from my first year of Salsa dancing spotted me. I danced Merengue with her briefly. Next song was R & B.
12:00 AM. I was standing by Stephanie when Vishal started Mambo No. 5 (not the original of course but the one by Lou Bega). Stephanie muttered, “I was going to request a Mambo.”
12:20 AM. Stephanie left. See you tomorrow. Zhenzhi arrived. Among other songs played was Hips Don’t Lie.
12:25 AM. Two Bachata – Obsesion and the new R & B Bachata – were played.
12:30 AM. Third “Salsa” of the evening (while I was here anyway) was played. Playa No More.
12:35 AM. Haihan left. See you tomorrow. I’m getting hot and sweaty just sitting still.
12:40 AM. Otra. Otra. Otra something, something else, whatever.
12:45 AM. Okay, I can say that I was here for an hour – maybe a little over an hour. Let’s say one Salsa dance and one Merengue dance. I had very little expectations anyway. Shila says tomorrow is going to be the big night and that it’ll be good. I imagine it will be – whether I have a good time or not.
Back to Siegfried - Part 3 of the Ring Cycle, which left as a profound and indelible mark (perhaps a curse) on me as any work of art and literature. No doubt not in a way Wagner intended.
Long week grinds on
March 9, 2007
The Friday dinner with the San Miguel gang is often haphazardly put together and sometimes leaves me dismayed. I don’t plan on missing one, however, and I will miss it when it is no more.
Planning (or lack of it) started last night with Sergio saying that he’ll try to get in touch with Cyrille about it. He changed his mind by early afternoon, however– Cyrille would not get back to him until 5-6 anyway. So maybe we’ll skip the “dinner option.”
Come 5:30 or so, Cyrille wrote, “Hey, what is the plan for tonight?” Oh yes, another last minute scramble. I told him, “Call Sergio.” Cyrille wrote back, “Sergio agreed to go out for dinner." I wrote, “Where are we going this time?” Cyrille replied, “I like this question.” Uh oh. "Mimi's coming as well." "That's great!" "Curry?" "Fine with Me."
Around 7 or so, I get Cyrille on the phone. Which restaurant? Mill Road. Golden Curry? One that’s close to the “Salsa Bar.” Tandoori Station? Don’t know the name of the restaurant. The one over the bridge. Bridge Street? Maharaja? Don’t know. Okay. We’ll meet at Mill Road at 8:30.
I go home to pick up my CDs, etc. I head towards Mill Road a little early – leaving from home around 8 – so that I could stop by a cash machine. As I am about to turn onto Mill Road, my phone rings. It’s Sergio.
Where are you? Already? I just got home. Let’s do a takeout instead and eat at my place. [Instead of turning onto Mill Road, I head towards Sergio’s.] Where are you now? Could you pick up Cyrille on the way? [I turn around and drive back towards Mill Road.] I don’t think he’s left home yet. You know Mimi cancelled? I’ll call Cyrille and say that you are picking him up.
At least I did not get lost this time.
Rule #3. Cyrille is not allowed to pick the restaurant.
The litany goes like this. Cyrille can’t make a decision – about the restaurant or the dish (in the case of the dish, both of us vetoed Cyrille’s choice… just as we did at Charlie Chan couple of weeks ago. It was easy because he chose to pick the same dish when we were going to share the dishes). I cannot make reservations. Sergio vetoes everything.
Sergio made one last attempt at enticing Mimi. Curry. Vodka. Tonic. Beer. Cyrille saw the text and said that it’s very good – a much better attempt than the one he made. I piped in, “At least you tried. I didn’t even make an effort. It’s not in me.” Mimi’s too tired and is half-asleep.
Mai Thai delivered within 35 minutes. Conversation was limited to domestic affairs and Salsa. Natalie returns tomorrow.
I arrived at Club Salsa more than an hour later than I expected – but not atypical by recent standard.
Playlist
Linda Cubana – Sonora Carruseles (1)
Lindo Yambu – Cheo Feliciano (2)
Caballero Y Dama – Celia Cruz & Willie Chirino
Con Eso – El Gran Combo*
Felices Horas – Hector Lavoe
Apretoncito – Toke D Keda (3)
Te Quiero – Oliver (4)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (5)
break
Babarabatiri – Willie Rosario
Cao Cao Mani Picao – Celia Cruz* (6)
El Cayuco – Tito Puente (older version)
Cinco A Diez – Azabache
Mundy Baja – El Gran Combo* (7)
(1) This is an okay song. But when playing only about dozen songs, it almost seems like a waste of time. A slow-ish Africando song was on when I came in.
(2) There was no clear agenda as far as what I wanted to play tonight.
(3) Some new guy asked for song information.
(4) Same again.
(5) Good reception from wide range of people. Vishal followed it up with all-instrumental song. I remember singing along to Quitate La Mascara by Ray Barretto. His set was fine and ended with two Merengue.
(6) Sound balance was rather scrambled – on both sides. This and the last song probably sounded less than optimal because of it.
(7) Luis called for Puerto Rico just before the start of this song. I figured that El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico would do. He didn’t get it. Vishal came in saying he wanted to play two requested songs. I dislike that line. By the way, I had this song since August last year. I have way too many El Gran Combo songs I have yet to play except I have so little time. The songs yet unplayed include Lirica Borinquena, Aguacero, Asi Son, Quince Anos, Que Cosas Tendran.
The first song was Me Libere by El Gran Combo. I was not happy. Luis exclaiming, “That's what I am talking about” did not help matters. The next two songs were Lloraras by Oscar D’Leon and Caballo Viejo by Roberto Torres. I had considered playing Lloraras tonight so this should have been okay except I was still recovering from Me Libere / Gran Combo / Puerto Rico debacle. Caballo Viejo on top of it just made me loss a great deal of will to dance. In the middle of Caballo Viejo, I decided upon which song to play next if I get back to the DJ booth. Next songs were Obsesion and an R & B Bachata.
Up to this point, I had only one dance – with Euvian during my first break. It was not great in large part because of too many unpredictable Cuban dancers moving in large circles. In fact, Sergio, Cyrille, Haihan, Rajiv, Zhenzhi, Stephanie, Euvian moved to the corner by the DJ booth and danced there - it made me think of the days of the old Salsa team. After a while, I started wondering if there was any song Vishal would play that would get me to the dance floor.
After the R & B Bachata, Vishal played songs like Caravan (Eddie Torres Orchestra) in what might have been an effort to make me pleased. He followed it up with more songs likely to drive non-Salsa dancers away from the club. I appreciated and disliked the gesture. The fact that Vishal was playing songs like these was simply making it more difficult for me to play songs he probably would not like.
After failing to get me to the dance floor, Vishal followed it up with more conventional stuff. Ahora Quien. Contigo. Micaela. Reggaeton. At one point, Stephanie tried. I brushed her off by asking whether she wanted to dance to the song being played. She danced with Cyrille instead. She left around 1.
It was pathetic. Maybe I should say I was pathetic. Not only was I not dancing, but I wasn’t moving at all – a dead weight - a little annoyed but mostly uninspired. I didn't feel like doing anything.
What almost worked was a slow Cha Cha. Not a good Cha Cha, but it was the right idea. My first choice would have been Zhenzhi but Haihan already had her. I asked Euvian instead. She claimed she didn’t know Cha Cha. Worse she didn’t try. It was pretty late I suppose. We gave up after a minute or so.
That was it. A mediocre Sunday at SOS. A tame Monday. A lame Tuesday. A deflating Wednesday. A disappointing Thursday. An all-time low Friday with 1 1/3 or 1 1/4 dance for the evening. I suppose I will make a brief appearance Saturday although it is close to certain that I won’t enjoy it. What I really dread is this Sunday.
When I went back to the DJ booth to pick up my stuff, Vishal asked if I wanted to play one more song. I told him that he wouldn’t like it. He brushed it off and told me to play one anyway. I cued it up. I thought about dancing to it. While I was contemplating, Vishal came by again and asked to play one Merengue request before my song. Sure. I took my CD out of one player and placed it on the other one after starting the Merengue.
After readjusting controls once again, I decided that I didn’t want to dance to it. According to the log in my iTunes, I have listened to this song more than any other. I have danced to it once before (at Scala). I am not sure if there’s anyone in Cambridge I would want to attempt to dance with to this song.
As I was about to start the song, Vishal said this is going to be the last song. Double whammy. I started the song. Vishal stopped it and announced to crowd that this was going to be the last song. He switched to the other channel and signaled to me to put something else on. There’s nothing else. Vishal still had his fingers on the fader. I pushed it back to the other side and started the song again.
What was the alternative anyway? At least 20-30 seconds of dead air while picking something different? He also told me to pick anything I liked (even after I stated that he won’t like it).
Viva Cepeda – Cal Tjader (-4%)*
Total 14 songs. 2 Bachata. 1 Cha Cha. 11 Salsa including 4 new.
I had told Sergio to dance to this song. He didn’t. He said it was too fast. Ideally (relatively speaking), this song should have been played about the time Caravan was played.
Next time, I am going to have to get Vishal to give me more advanced warning before taking over so that I would have a decent chance to dance to the last song I play for each of my mini sets. It might be the best way to prevent me from getting into a rut.
An amusing bit at the end. Sergio told Vishal that I was very tired. I suppose. I owe him £10. I never got to a cash machine. Ditto for Cyrille.
The Friday dinner with the San Miguel gang is often haphazardly put together and sometimes leaves me dismayed. I don’t plan on missing one, however, and I will miss it when it is no more.
Planning (or lack of it) started last night with Sergio saying that he’ll try to get in touch with Cyrille about it. He changed his mind by early afternoon, however– Cyrille would not get back to him until 5-6 anyway. So maybe we’ll skip the “dinner option.”
Come 5:30 or so, Cyrille wrote, “Hey, what is the plan for tonight?” Oh yes, another last minute scramble. I told him, “Call Sergio.” Cyrille wrote back, “Sergio agreed to go out for dinner." I wrote, “Where are we going this time?” Cyrille replied, “I like this question.” Uh oh. "Mimi's coming as well." "That's great!" "Curry?" "Fine with Me."
Around 7 or so, I get Cyrille on the phone. Which restaurant? Mill Road. Golden Curry? One that’s close to the “Salsa Bar.” Tandoori Station? Don’t know the name of the restaurant. The one over the bridge. Bridge Street? Maharaja? Don’t know. Okay. We’ll meet at Mill Road at 8:30.
I go home to pick up my CDs, etc. I head towards Mill Road a little early – leaving from home around 8 – so that I could stop by a cash machine. As I am about to turn onto Mill Road, my phone rings. It’s Sergio.
Where are you? Already? I just got home. Let’s do a takeout instead and eat at my place. [Instead of turning onto Mill Road, I head towards Sergio’s.] Where are you now? Could you pick up Cyrille on the way? [I turn around and drive back towards Mill Road.] I don’t think he’s left home yet. You know Mimi cancelled? I’ll call Cyrille and say that you are picking him up.
At least I did not get lost this time.
Rule #3. Cyrille is not allowed to pick the restaurant.
The litany goes like this. Cyrille can’t make a decision – about the restaurant or the dish (in the case of the dish, both of us vetoed Cyrille’s choice… just as we did at Charlie Chan couple of weeks ago. It was easy because he chose to pick the same dish when we were going to share the dishes). I cannot make reservations. Sergio vetoes everything.
Sergio made one last attempt at enticing Mimi. Curry. Vodka. Tonic. Beer. Cyrille saw the text and said that it’s very good – a much better attempt than the one he made. I piped in, “At least you tried. I didn’t even make an effort. It’s not in me.” Mimi’s too tired and is half-asleep.
Mai Thai delivered within 35 minutes. Conversation was limited to domestic affairs and Salsa. Natalie returns tomorrow.
I arrived at Club Salsa more than an hour later than I expected – but not atypical by recent standard.
Playlist
Linda Cubana – Sonora Carruseles (1)
Lindo Yambu – Cheo Feliciano (2)
Caballero Y Dama – Celia Cruz & Willie Chirino
Con Eso – El Gran Combo*
Felices Horas – Hector Lavoe
Apretoncito – Toke D Keda (3)
Te Quiero – Oliver (4)
Asia Mood – Tito Puente (5)
break
Babarabatiri – Willie Rosario
Cao Cao Mani Picao – Celia Cruz* (6)
El Cayuco – Tito Puente (older version)
Cinco A Diez – Azabache
Mundy Baja – El Gran Combo* (7)
(1) This is an okay song. But when playing only about dozen songs, it almost seems like a waste of time. A slow-ish Africando song was on when I came in.
(2) There was no clear agenda as far as what I wanted to play tonight.
(3) Some new guy asked for song information.
(4) Same again.
(5) Good reception from wide range of people. Vishal followed it up with all-instrumental song. I remember singing along to Quitate La Mascara by Ray Barretto. His set was fine and ended with two Merengue.
(6) Sound balance was rather scrambled – on both sides. This and the last song probably sounded less than optimal because of it.
(7) Luis called for Puerto Rico just before the start of this song. I figured that El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico would do. He didn’t get it. Vishal came in saying he wanted to play two requested songs. I dislike that line. By the way, I had this song since August last year. I have way too many El Gran Combo songs I have yet to play except I have so little time. The songs yet unplayed include Lirica Borinquena, Aguacero, Asi Son, Quince Anos, Que Cosas Tendran.
The first song was Me Libere by El Gran Combo. I was not happy. Luis exclaiming, “That's what I am talking about” did not help matters. The next two songs were Lloraras by Oscar D’Leon and Caballo Viejo by Roberto Torres. I had considered playing Lloraras tonight so this should have been okay except I was still recovering from Me Libere / Gran Combo / Puerto Rico debacle. Caballo Viejo on top of it just made me loss a great deal of will to dance. In the middle of Caballo Viejo, I decided upon which song to play next if I get back to the DJ booth. Next songs were Obsesion and an R & B Bachata.
Up to this point, I had only one dance – with Euvian during my first break. It was not great in large part because of too many unpredictable Cuban dancers moving in large circles. In fact, Sergio, Cyrille, Haihan, Rajiv, Zhenzhi, Stephanie, Euvian moved to the corner by the DJ booth and danced there - it made me think of the days of the old Salsa team. After a while, I started wondering if there was any song Vishal would play that would get me to the dance floor.
After the R & B Bachata, Vishal played songs like Caravan (Eddie Torres Orchestra) in what might have been an effort to make me pleased. He followed it up with more songs likely to drive non-Salsa dancers away from the club. I appreciated and disliked the gesture. The fact that Vishal was playing songs like these was simply making it more difficult for me to play songs he probably would not like.
After failing to get me to the dance floor, Vishal followed it up with more conventional stuff. Ahora Quien. Contigo. Micaela. Reggaeton. At one point, Stephanie tried. I brushed her off by asking whether she wanted to dance to the song being played. She danced with Cyrille instead. She left around 1.
It was pathetic. Maybe I should say I was pathetic. Not only was I not dancing, but I wasn’t moving at all – a dead weight - a little annoyed but mostly uninspired. I didn't feel like doing anything.
What almost worked was a slow Cha Cha. Not a good Cha Cha, but it was the right idea. My first choice would have been Zhenzhi but Haihan already had her. I asked Euvian instead. She claimed she didn’t know Cha Cha. Worse she didn’t try. It was pretty late I suppose. We gave up after a minute or so.
That was it. A mediocre Sunday at SOS. A tame Monday. A lame Tuesday. A deflating Wednesday. A disappointing Thursday. An all-time low Friday with 1 1/3 or 1 1/4 dance for the evening. I suppose I will make a brief appearance Saturday although it is close to certain that I won’t enjoy it. What I really dread is this Sunday.
When I went back to the DJ booth to pick up my stuff, Vishal asked if I wanted to play one more song. I told him that he wouldn’t like it. He brushed it off and told me to play one anyway. I cued it up. I thought about dancing to it. While I was contemplating, Vishal came by again and asked to play one Merengue request before my song. Sure. I took my CD out of one player and placed it on the other one after starting the Merengue.
After readjusting controls once again, I decided that I didn’t want to dance to it. According to the log in my iTunes, I have listened to this song more than any other. I have danced to it once before (at Scala). I am not sure if there’s anyone in Cambridge I would want to attempt to dance with to this song.
As I was about to start the song, Vishal said this is going to be the last song. Double whammy. I started the song. Vishal stopped it and announced to crowd that this was going to be the last song. He switched to the other channel and signaled to me to put something else on. There’s nothing else. Vishal still had his fingers on the fader. I pushed it back to the other side and started the song again.
What was the alternative anyway? At least 20-30 seconds of dead air while picking something different? He also told me to pick anything I liked (even after I stated that he won’t like it).
Viva Cepeda – Cal Tjader (-4%)*
Total 14 songs. 2 Bachata. 1 Cha Cha. 11 Salsa including 4 new.
I had told Sergio to dance to this song. He didn’t. He said it was too fast. Ideally (relatively speaking), this song should have been played about the time Caravan was played.
Next time, I am going to have to get Vishal to give me more advanced warning before taking over so that I would have a decent chance to dance to the last song I play for each of my mini sets. It might be the best way to prevent me from getting into a rut.
An amusing bit at the end. Sergio told Vishal that I was very tired. I suppose. I owe him £10. I never got to a cash machine. Ditto for Cyrille.
Onion
March 8, 2007
Is it 1 AM already? It did not seem as if I stayed extra long. I did fall down on my couch after coming home and had no will to move for a very long time. I sure did not dance much – 3 times all night? I only asked 4 people. I think Sergio danced more than me – this has to be a first in a very long time – over 2 years probably. In fact I am pretty sure Sergio danced at least 4 times or maybe even more. This number is not particularly high for him. And I thought I danced very little on Tuesday. I think I’ll count the dances for tonight again. There was one with a complete beginner – probably with no more than 2-3 lessons under her belt and as few as 1 lesson. I danced with Lindsey to Mundy Baja – a rather sedate affair. After a long hiatus caused in part by a brush with arguably the worst song ever heard at Club Salsa (see below), I forced myself to dance much later with Annette, but it was too fast and I was totally uninspired. It was not a very good night compared to most Thursdays at Club Salsa.
There was one truly awful Salsa song played tonight – so devastating that I could not tell if the next several songs following it were no good or if this song left an extremely bad aftertaste – Sergio called it an onion. Until that excruciating song, the music was fine - not much worse than average by Thursday standard (Mundy Baja, Pico Swing and Tu Tu Ta Ta II had been played up to that point). A disclaimer – I might have been uninspired to start with because there were so few people to dance with (the male to female ration might have been 2 to 1 or worse). In any case, I think there were 5 couples dancing to this horrible song. One of the five couples on the far side might have been dancing more or less respectively, but the other four couples looked atrocious. By the way, I’m not calling anyone a bad dancer here because some of those 10 people can be quite good in other circumstance. I just think it was a really unfortunate mix of a stupendously bad song possibly combined with poorly matched couples. I would not be surprised if most if not all Salsa dancers in the know who danced to this song tonight left the dance floor feeling unsatisfied about their dance. Maybe their dancing was fine, but I was unwilling to admit that any dance to that song could be any good. I think this song made me lose what little will I had to dance tonight (although I did try once with very poor results). To me nothing sounded any good afterwards – including Ritmo Pa Borinquen (Grupo Latin Vibe), Manos Duras and Arrepientete (both by Ray Barretto). Sergio on the other hand seemed quite recovered by the time Ray Barretto songs came on and looked quite nifty dancing solo as well as dancing with Nina.
Sergio said he liked what sounded like an older version of a Joe Arroyo song he knew, but as a first pass I was lukewarm (this was before the worst song in memory). He called it bam bam song.
Postscript. Perhaps because of my invective against this now- or to-be-infamous song, people would become curious and ask to have it be played again. With my luck, some and possibly many people will say it’s a great song and it will become one of all-time favorite at Club Salsa. What a nightmare…
Post-postscript. I was so disheartened that I forgot to write a description of the routine/choreography. Maybe I’ll do it later. Any afterglow leftover from SOS is long gone. Maybe it's all part of the up-and-down swings.
Post-post-postscript. Shila et al are apparently organizing some party involving Salsa music among others at St. Edmunds College on this Saturday. 8 days in a row??? This is getting insane. Maybe it's time to cut down.
Is it 1 AM already? It did not seem as if I stayed extra long. I did fall down on my couch after coming home and had no will to move for a very long time. I sure did not dance much – 3 times all night? I only asked 4 people. I think Sergio danced more than me – this has to be a first in a very long time – over 2 years probably. In fact I am pretty sure Sergio danced at least 4 times or maybe even more. This number is not particularly high for him. And I thought I danced very little on Tuesday. I think I’ll count the dances for tonight again. There was one with a complete beginner – probably with no more than 2-3 lessons under her belt and as few as 1 lesson. I danced with Lindsey to Mundy Baja – a rather sedate affair. After a long hiatus caused in part by a brush with arguably the worst song ever heard at Club Salsa (see below), I forced myself to dance much later with Annette, but it was too fast and I was totally uninspired. It was not a very good night compared to most Thursdays at Club Salsa.
There was one truly awful Salsa song played tonight – so devastating that I could not tell if the next several songs following it were no good or if this song left an extremely bad aftertaste – Sergio called it an onion. Until that excruciating song, the music was fine - not much worse than average by Thursday standard (Mundy Baja, Pico Swing and Tu Tu Ta Ta II had been played up to that point). A disclaimer – I might have been uninspired to start with because there were so few people to dance with (the male to female ration might have been 2 to 1 or worse). In any case, I think there were 5 couples dancing to this horrible song. One of the five couples on the far side might have been dancing more or less respectively, but the other four couples looked atrocious. By the way, I’m not calling anyone a bad dancer here because some of those 10 people can be quite good in other circumstance. I just think it was a really unfortunate mix of a stupendously bad song possibly combined with poorly matched couples. I would not be surprised if most if not all Salsa dancers in the know who danced to this song tonight left the dance floor feeling unsatisfied about their dance. Maybe their dancing was fine, but I was unwilling to admit that any dance to that song could be any good. I think this song made me lose what little will I had to dance tonight (although I did try once with very poor results). To me nothing sounded any good afterwards – including Ritmo Pa Borinquen (Grupo Latin Vibe), Manos Duras and Arrepientete (both by Ray Barretto). Sergio on the other hand seemed quite recovered by the time Ray Barretto songs came on and looked quite nifty dancing solo as well as dancing with Nina.
Sergio said he liked what sounded like an older version of a Joe Arroyo song he knew, but as a first pass I was lukewarm (this was before the worst song in memory). He called it bam bam song.
Postscript. Perhaps because of my invective against this now- or to-be-infamous song, people would become curious and ask to have it be played again. With my luck, some and possibly many people will say it’s a great song and it will become one of all-time favorite at Club Salsa. What a nightmare…
Post-postscript. I was so disheartened that I forgot to write a description of the routine/choreography. Maybe I’ll do it later. Any afterglow leftover from SOS is long gone. Maybe it's all part of the up-and-down swings.
Post-post-postscript. Shila et al are apparently organizing some party involving Salsa music among others at St. Edmunds College on this Saturday. 8 days in a row??? This is getting insane. Maybe it's time to cut down.
On2 workout week 2
March 7, 2007
Tonight's session lasted from shortly after 7 to 10. There were some doubts as to whether tonight's On2 session would proceed in part because of some last minute news.
The session started with timing exercise followed by reworking of how to step and press into the ground (I'm hopelessly bad at this). Some turning (as opposed to spinning) exercises (3 o'clock, 12 o'clock, "9" o'clock, broken left, hook (normal and other variations), right axle, left axle) too. Also done were Cha Cha steps, shines (with Sergio's usual annoying habit of switching to something different immediately after getting the previous one right for the first time). I am leaving out a lot of details in large part because I don't fully understand them. Also, I am running short on free time.
A little under an hour at the end was used for leading technique - done almost exclusively On1. Things like CBL into crucifix, CBL with inside turn, CBL into wrap, etc. These were simple stuff but done with a lot of adjustments. I took a smaller role in this one. The general philosophy might be described as assume that the follower is competent (in terms of tension of course but also in things like follower not needing a nudge forward on 5 when leader is in CBL position) and avoid unnecessary and potentially destabilizing movements in leading. I suppose another underlying approach used here is to build things from ground up (basic components such as timing, walking, turning, maybe spinning in the future, tension, leading and following are covered first while learning moves take a back seat - at least initially).
I am told that things I would want to work on most is stepping and staying in balance.
Tonight's session lasted from shortly after 7 to 10. There were some doubts as to whether tonight's On2 session would proceed in part because of some last minute news.
The session started with timing exercise followed by reworking of how to step and press into the ground (I'm hopelessly bad at this). Some turning (as opposed to spinning) exercises (3 o'clock, 12 o'clock, "9" o'clock, broken left, hook (normal and other variations), right axle, left axle) too. Also done were Cha Cha steps, shines (with Sergio's usual annoying habit of switching to something different immediately after getting the previous one right for the first time). I am leaving out a lot of details in large part because I don't fully understand them. Also, I am running short on free time.
A little under an hour at the end was used for leading technique - done almost exclusively On1. Things like CBL into crucifix, CBL with inside turn, CBL into wrap, etc. These were simple stuff but done with a lot of adjustments. I took a smaller role in this one. The general philosophy might be described as assume that the follower is competent (in terms of tension of course but also in things like follower not needing a nudge forward on 5 when leader is in CBL position) and avoid unnecessary and potentially destabilizing movements in leading. I suppose another underlying approach used here is to build things from ground up (basic components such as timing, walking, turning, maybe spinning in the future, tension, leading and following are covered first while learning moves take a back seat - at least initially).
I am told that things I would want to work on most is stepping and staying in balance.
A surprise outing on a Tuesday
March 6, 2007
Zern’s birthday was almost a week away, but the surprise gathering came about this evening. Blame it on Euvian. Or perhaps blame it on his upcoming surgery two days from now. In the end, it was not a surprise. Euvian had to tell Zern to stop playing Warcraft and come to Club Salsa instead.
This being the re-launch of the Monthly Tuesday Cuban night, music played predominantly was – Cuban. Considering the people who were there, it was a bit of waste of large number of leads (of CBL persuasion). Among others, there were Rajiv, Cyrille, Sergio, Haihan, Ed and Zern. Of the girls, the only ones we knew well were Euvian, Zhenzhi and Mimi.
Other than Zern (especially during his birthday dance with Euvian, Zhenzhi and Mimi), no one among men in our little group danced more than once for the first hour or so. I think there might have been as many dancing done by Zern’s other friends from his water polo team. Nothing wrong with it – I suppose. No one was really up to dancing Cuban – except maybe Raj and Mimi. No effort was made to start Rueda either. I tried Cuban (using Rueda moves) with Mimi – badly.
As a parting gift of sort, Sue the instructor/DJ put on Merecumbe by Johnny Colon followed by another CBL friendly song and then Obsesion. So I danced with Zhenzhi, then with Euvian. I think Sue and the Cuban crowd left shortly thereafter. More CBL friendly songs came on. I did an On2 dance with Mimi – I considered stopping and switching to On1 after couple of minutes, but Mimi suggested that we stay On2 so I did (I might add that some instructions were given out by Sergio towards the end).
Sergio got Mimi (and I followed along) to do more On2 footwork as La Cura by Frankie Ruiz came on. I decided to switch to my mixed CD to continue the exercise. Songs used were Asia Mood, Hong Kong Mambo, Japan Mambo all by Tito Puente, Lluvia Con Nieve by Mon Rivera and Lo Tuyo Llegra by the Lebron Brothers. All in all, a little over 20 minutes of On2 footwork was done.
This is going to be an interesting week. Salsa Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (On2 workout having been moved this week to Wednesday), Thursday, Friday, probably not Saturday, but again on Sunday (according to Mark, I got the third from the last ticket available this afternoon).
Zern’s birthday was almost a week away, but the surprise gathering came about this evening. Blame it on Euvian. Or perhaps blame it on his upcoming surgery two days from now. In the end, it was not a surprise. Euvian had to tell Zern to stop playing Warcraft and come to Club Salsa instead.
This being the re-launch of the Monthly Tuesday Cuban night, music played predominantly was – Cuban. Considering the people who were there, it was a bit of waste of large number of leads (of CBL persuasion). Among others, there were Rajiv, Cyrille, Sergio, Haihan, Ed and Zern. Of the girls, the only ones we knew well were Euvian, Zhenzhi and Mimi.
Other than Zern (especially during his birthday dance with Euvian, Zhenzhi and Mimi), no one among men in our little group danced more than once for the first hour or so. I think there might have been as many dancing done by Zern’s other friends from his water polo team. Nothing wrong with it – I suppose. No one was really up to dancing Cuban – except maybe Raj and Mimi. No effort was made to start Rueda either. I tried Cuban (using Rueda moves) with Mimi – badly.
As a parting gift of sort, Sue the instructor/DJ put on Merecumbe by Johnny Colon followed by another CBL friendly song and then Obsesion. So I danced with Zhenzhi, then with Euvian. I think Sue and the Cuban crowd left shortly thereafter. More CBL friendly songs came on. I did an On2 dance with Mimi – I considered stopping and switching to On1 after couple of minutes, but Mimi suggested that we stay On2 so I did (I might add that some instructions were given out by Sergio towards the end).
Sergio got Mimi (and I followed along) to do more On2 footwork as La Cura by Frankie Ruiz came on. I decided to switch to my mixed CD to continue the exercise. Songs used were Asia Mood, Hong Kong Mambo, Japan Mambo all by Tito Puente, Lluvia Con Nieve by Mon Rivera and Lo Tuyo Llegra by the Lebron Brothers. All in all, a little over 20 minutes of On2 footwork was done.
This is going to be an interesting week. Salsa Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (On2 workout having been moved this week to Wednesday), Thursday, Friday, probably not Saturday, but again on Sunday (according to Mark, I got the third from the last ticket available this afternoon).
Afterglow
March 5, 2007
About an hour after using a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to put out an ethanol fire, I was back at Club Salsa listening to Joe dividing the classes and trying to determine which one was the largest, etc (what a geeky starting sentence, no?). After some shuffling, the intermediates with Joe ended up by the DJ booth while the beginners with the new girl (I remembered her from the Sunday workshop a little over a week ago) took over the main floor. Danie had the improvers by the staircase. Because the numbers were skewed towards men for the intermediate while the opposite was true for the improvers (and also because I figured that I was unlikely to see too many new things in the intermediate class), I decided to partake in the improver class. Among other things it gave me an opportunity to check out Danie teaching the improver level class for only her second time. Overall I thought the way Danie taught the class was closer in content to Joe than either Tiz and (especially) Russell are to Joe.
Improver with Danie
The material itself was nothing new – not surprising at this point. The classes started with some shines (typical) followed by some turning exercises (less typical). Partner work done were as follows.
CBL
CBL with inside turn (1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling) for follower (optional haircomb for follower when ending in closed hold)
CBL with inside turn for follower ending in L-R hold for back-to-back basic
Leading follower to right turn on the spot (full clockwise stationary turn) followed by a right turn by leader or followed by a broken left turn for the leader
On second thought, I am not sure if I ever ran into a class where leader performed a full broken left turn On1 – especially with appropriate timing. Possibly Sergio used it at CDC couple of years ago, but I don’t have any notes to show this. In any case, I ended up using broken left turn a lot tonight.
It was quite relaxing.
I didn’t know what was going to happen with the social hour after the classes. No one from the usual group was there. However, I found that I was in a pretty good mood – with no built-up frustration of not being able to lead more difficult moves (perhaps because I got this out of my system by going to SOS last night). I felt patient and content to lead whatever was going to be easy for my partners. In the end I probably did some things most of them did not expect, but things were quite under control most of the time.
Speaking of SOS, one of the guys there last night was here for the social hour. We greeted each other and made mention of seeing each other last night. I’ll have to ask him his name next time though. Somewhat later in the evening, Raj made an appearance too.
I danced with about 10 people altogether. Most were singletons – with more than one dance for the evening with only two people.
Vishal was using the same old CD again. However, this time he played the CD through Montuno Street and Tambo. When Temba Tumba Timba came on, I started wondering if we’ll get to the end of the CD for a Cha Cha (Chin Chon Chow by Louie Ramirez – I like this one). To stack things in my favor, I approached Vishal and asked if he was going to play the CD to the end for the Cha Cha. And he did. I figured I didn’t need to pick a partner based upon knowing a lot of moves or being able to spin well, so I picked an elegant-looking girl with pretty good sense of timing. Supposedly she had a couple of Cha Cha lessons before, but I don’t know if it came into play much. Another decent On2 practice (Cha Cha)! Nice...
About an hour after using a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to put out an ethanol fire, I was back at Club Salsa listening to Joe dividing the classes and trying to determine which one was the largest, etc (what a geeky starting sentence, no?). After some shuffling, the intermediates with Joe ended up by the DJ booth while the beginners with the new girl (I remembered her from the Sunday workshop a little over a week ago) took over the main floor. Danie had the improvers by the staircase. Because the numbers were skewed towards men for the intermediate while the opposite was true for the improvers (and also because I figured that I was unlikely to see too many new things in the intermediate class), I decided to partake in the improver class. Among other things it gave me an opportunity to check out Danie teaching the improver level class for only her second time. Overall I thought the way Danie taught the class was closer in content to Joe than either Tiz and (especially) Russell are to Joe.
Improver with Danie
The material itself was nothing new – not surprising at this point. The classes started with some shines (typical) followed by some turning exercises (less typical). Partner work done were as follows.
CBL
CBL with inside turn (1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling) for follower (optional haircomb for follower when ending in closed hold)
CBL with inside turn for follower ending in L-R hold for back-to-back basic
Leading follower to right turn on the spot (full clockwise stationary turn) followed by a right turn by leader or followed by a broken left turn for the leader
On second thought, I am not sure if I ever ran into a class where leader performed a full broken left turn On1 – especially with appropriate timing. Possibly Sergio used it at CDC couple of years ago, but I don’t have any notes to show this. In any case, I ended up using broken left turn a lot tonight.
It was quite relaxing.
I didn’t know what was going to happen with the social hour after the classes. No one from the usual group was there. However, I found that I was in a pretty good mood – with no built-up frustration of not being able to lead more difficult moves (perhaps because I got this out of my system by going to SOS last night). I felt patient and content to lead whatever was going to be easy for my partners. In the end I probably did some things most of them did not expect, but things were quite under control most of the time.
Speaking of SOS, one of the guys there last night was here for the social hour. We greeted each other and made mention of seeing each other last night. I’ll have to ask him his name next time though. Somewhat later in the evening, Raj made an appearance too.
I danced with about 10 people altogether. Most were singletons – with more than one dance for the evening with only two people.
Vishal was using the same old CD again. However, this time he played the CD through Montuno Street and Tambo. When Temba Tumba Timba came on, I started wondering if we’ll get to the end of the CD for a Cha Cha (Chin Chon Chow by Louie Ramirez – I like this one). To stack things in my favor, I approached Vishal and asked if he was going to play the CD to the end for the Cha Cha. And he did. I figured I didn’t need to pick a partner based upon knowing a lot of moves or being able to spin well, so I picked an elegant-looking girl with pretty good sense of timing. Supposedly she had a couple of Cha Cha lessons before, but I don’t know if it came into play much. Another decent On2 practice (Cha Cha)! Nice...
Thinking of you? I will survive? Where am I?
March 4, 2007
“Mind if I sit here?”
“No. Go right ahead.”
I went right back to Conrad’s The Secret Agent, which I found under the bed after misplacing it for 2 months or so ago. She put down the tray table and placed her purse and a book there. After messing about her purse, she started reading also. Because I had gone through one and a half book after misplacing The Secret Agent, I was having a difficulty getting back into it. I thought about getting my earphones back on to listen to old Machito recordings again. I noticed that she stopped reading and put her tray table back up again. I glanced at her again. She turned towards me.
“I am too cold. Sorry.”
Then she got up and moved to a different seat about ten rows back.
I moved my hand to where she was seated to see if there was anything unusual about the temperature there. I didn’t feel anything at first, and then I felt a slight breeze caused by the ventilation system. Okay. Maybe it really was the cold air rather than the way I looked or smelled or such. The ventilation system seemed to shut down when the train started moving about 2 minutes later.
It was raining at Kings Cross – in a way not unlike the way it did Friday night. Nasty. At least I brought my umbrella with me this time. Not exactly an inauspicious start.
The song being played when I entered Mary Ward Hall was – “Thinking Of You” by Lenny Kravitz. Wow. This was unexpected. It was surprisingly crowded, but it was full of people I didn’t recognize. Many of the people I hoped to see were nowhere to be found. I decided to lower my expectations a great deal.
By the way, I do not mean to denigrate people who were there. I enjoyed my dances with people I know – including Natalie. From Cambridge, I saw Johnny and Serap as well as Laura and a few others whose names escape me for the moment. A guy I remember seeing last Thursday was here as well. I felt better as okay to good dances accumulated steadily.
Other songs played included a version of “I Will Survive” (What’s with the music tonight??? Not Celia Cruz according to my dance partner). Better songs among the ones I recognized included – “Para Ochun” by Hector Lavoe, “Japan Mambo” by Tito Puente, “Babarabatiri” by Willie Rosario and “Tu Tu Ta Ta” by Eddie Palmieri (a guess – possibly the original version). As for dancing to those songs, Japan Mambo, Tu Tu Ta Ta and I Will Survive were better (probably more dependent on whom I was dancing with more than the song). I think the DJ slowed down some songs because I noted that he speeded up one song right after starting it.
As for dancing, there was nothing earthshaking. I would say that quantity was what rescued the evening. It was what I needed considering the fact that I have not had much dancing in terms of quantity for past 3 weeks or so. I could say that it was a nice if not great pick-me-up. Another highlight was dancing Cha Cha On2 – I had not danced Cha Cha in well over a year. For a change, I felt a little tired after a night of dancing.
Reading was easier on the way back.
“Mind if I sit here?”
“No. Go right ahead.”
I went right back to Conrad’s The Secret Agent, which I found under the bed after misplacing it for 2 months or so ago. She put down the tray table and placed her purse and a book there. After messing about her purse, she started reading also. Because I had gone through one and a half book after misplacing The Secret Agent, I was having a difficulty getting back into it. I thought about getting my earphones back on to listen to old Machito recordings again. I noticed that she stopped reading and put her tray table back up again. I glanced at her again. She turned towards me.
“I am too cold. Sorry.”
Then she got up and moved to a different seat about ten rows back.
I moved my hand to where she was seated to see if there was anything unusual about the temperature there. I didn’t feel anything at first, and then I felt a slight breeze caused by the ventilation system. Okay. Maybe it really was the cold air rather than the way I looked or smelled or such. The ventilation system seemed to shut down when the train started moving about 2 minutes later.
It was raining at Kings Cross – in a way not unlike the way it did Friday night. Nasty. At least I brought my umbrella with me this time. Not exactly an inauspicious start.
The song being played when I entered Mary Ward Hall was – “Thinking Of You” by Lenny Kravitz. Wow. This was unexpected. It was surprisingly crowded, but it was full of people I didn’t recognize. Many of the people I hoped to see were nowhere to be found. I decided to lower my expectations a great deal.
By the way, I do not mean to denigrate people who were there. I enjoyed my dances with people I know – including Natalie. From Cambridge, I saw Johnny and Serap as well as Laura and a few others whose names escape me for the moment. A guy I remember seeing last Thursday was here as well. I felt better as okay to good dances accumulated steadily.
Other songs played included a version of “I Will Survive” (What’s with the music tonight??? Not Celia Cruz according to my dance partner). Better songs among the ones I recognized included – “Para Ochun” by Hector Lavoe, “Japan Mambo” by Tito Puente, “Babarabatiri” by Willie Rosario and “Tu Tu Ta Ta” by Eddie Palmieri (a guess – possibly the original version). As for dancing to those songs, Japan Mambo, Tu Tu Ta Ta and I Will Survive were better (probably more dependent on whom I was dancing with more than the song). I think the DJ slowed down some songs because I noted that he speeded up one song right after starting it.
As for dancing, there was nothing earthshaking. I would say that quantity was what rescued the evening. It was what I needed considering the fact that I have not had much dancing in terms of quantity for past 3 weeks or so. I could say that it was a nice if not great pick-me-up. Another highlight was dancing Cha Cha On2 – I had not danced Cha Cha in well over a year. For a change, I felt a little tired after a night of dancing.
Reading was easier on the way back.
Quarter century mark (+1)
March 2, 2007
I have been here before. We ended up here for a meal before Pasion de Invierno (CDC Winter Salsa ball) last year. According to the map provided by the restaurant, where I parked my car should have been placed me right by the restaurant (about where Man on the Moon is located). In reality, CB2 Bistro was more than 100 meters down the road close to East Road.
I was more than 20 minutes late, but the birthday girl had not left her house yet. At the restaurant were Zhenzhi, Raj, Haihan, Stephanie and Cyrille. Mimi and Song arrived shortly thereafter. Euvian and her housemates (sans Zern, who wasn't feeling well from too much drinking) arrived a bit later. Last to arrive was Sergio.
Probably the thing that struck me most was the number of cameras used during the dinner. At least four different cameras came out of people's pockets - Rajiv's, Haihan's, Mimi's, mine and possibly Euvian's. They were used a lot too - my camera alone took over 30 photographs.
The other topics of amusement included people's reactions to last night - including that of Ivan (the childe). Sergio dug deep into his bag of sardonic humor. Also there was plenty of Salsa gossip galore. Chances are if you are reading this, you were probably talked about whether you were there or not. Taking care of the bill took a long time too.
The weather was lousy. With chilly air and rain, it took a while to get the large group to move to the cars to get to Club Salsa next. Many people were not well prepared - Sergio complained of getting wet feet while Stephanie ended up dancing on heels. A couple of bicycles were left abandoned. Euvian needed some convincing to go dancing.
I arrived well past 10:30 once again. Some new guy was DJing - using surprisingly little Salsa music. I don't ever recall hearing Hips Don't Lie so early in the evening at Club Salsa. My sets were very short.
Playlist
Es La Musica - Massimo Scalici (1)
Cubanoson - Cubanoson (2)
Casita De Margot - SonSublime
Sun Sun Babae - Celia Cruz* (3)
Abran Paso - Larry Harlow (con Ismael Miranda)
Ven Tu - Domenic Marte
No Me Resigno - Toke D Keda
Anacaona - Cheo Feliciano
break
Picadillo - Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri (4)
Lagrimas Negras - Cubanoson
Campanero - Jose Mangual Jr*
Tu Son - Oscar D'Leon
Vitamina - Sonora Carruseles (5)
(1) This seemed like a reasonable way to transition from the previous DJ's music.
(2) I'm continuing my effort to keep playing music by new artists.
(3) Moving from 2006 to early 1950's.
(4) This was a request from Stephanie - she danced with Haihan to good effect. Vishal had played an off-beat Cha Cha, Bachata and Merengue immediate before this. As I was getting ready, a new girl requested that I play Salsa next. That's … new. Usually the requests are for Merengue or Reggaeton. As for Salsa segment of his set, Vishal was playing rather large number of new-ish songs including No Pueden Vivir by Celia Cruz.
(5) Vishal took over again for the rest of the evening.
Total 13 songs. 11 Salsa including 2 new. 2 Bachata. I wanted to play at least one Cha Cha, but no such opportunities arose. As I was telling Vish at the ending of the evening, I played 40 songs last week and only 13 this week. It's quite random.
I hit someone's mouth with my forearm (close to the elbow) - but in some ways it felt like my arm was hit with her teeth. I feel rather sore - I hope she's not hurt any more than me. I think I only danced with 6-7 people, including the companion of the visiting DJ. I had one On2 dance with Mimi - she was practicing quite a lot with Sergio earlier. I accidentally tickled Mimi during the middle of the dance. Afterwards, I was able to tickle Mimi twice more without even touching her.
Probably my other dancing highlight involved the following sequence of events. Vishal put on a song lasting over 7 minutes. I started with Stephanie while Euvian started dancing with either Haihan or Rajiv next to us. After a little while, I noticed that Haihan and Rajiv were switching places during the dances. After a quick consultation with Stephanie, I hijacked Euvian away from Rajiv while Stephanie took Rajiv. After a little while, I changed places with Haihan. Afterwards, Rajiv, Haihan, Euvian and Stephanie started doing Rueda until the end of the song.
I felt like my form was off once again. Although I was socializing with large number of people and perhaps more so than usual - I also felt like I was being quieter than usual too. I guess I was in one of those moods - feeling detached, etc despite being surrounded by many friendly faces. The weather outside was still horrible when we left at closing time - it seemed fitting somehow.
I have been here before. We ended up here for a meal before Pasion de Invierno (CDC Winter Salsa ball) last year. According to the map provided by the restaurant, where I parked my car should have been placed me right by the restaurant (about where Man on the Moon is located). In reality, CB2 Bistro was more than 100 meters down the road close to East Road.
I was more than 20 minutes late, but the birthday girl had not left her house yet. At the restaurant were Zhenzhi, Raj, Haihan, Stephanie and Cyrille. Mimi and Song arrived shortly thereafter. Euvian and her housemates (sans Zern, who wasn't feeling well from too much drinking) arrived a bit later. Last to arrive was Sergio.
Probably the thing that struck me most was the number of cameras used during the dinner. At least four different cameras came out of people's pockets - Rajiv's, Haihan's, Mimi's, mine and possibly Euvian's. They were used a lot too - my camera alone took over 30 photographs.
The other topics of amusement included people's reactions to last night - including that of Ivan (the childe). Sergio dug deep into his bag of sardonic humor. Also there was plenty of Salsa gossip galore. Chances are if you are reading this, you were probably talked about whether you were there or not. Taking care of the bill took a long time too.
The weather was lousy. With chilly air and rain, it took a while to get the large group to move to the cars to get to Club Salsa next. Many people were not well prepared - Sergio complained of getting wet feet while Stephanie ended up dancing on heels. A couple of bicycles were left abandoned. Euvian needed some convincing to go dancing.
I arrived well past 10:30 once again. Some new guy was DJing - using surprisingly little Salsa music. I don't ever recall hearing Hips Don't Lie so early in the evening at Club Salsa. My sets were very short.
Playlist
Es La Musica - Massimo Scalici (1)
Cubanoson - Cubanoson (2)
Casita De Margot - SonSublime
Sun Sun Babae - Celia Cruz* (3)
Abran Paso - Larry Harlow (con Ismael Miranda)
Ven Tu - Domenic Marte
No Me Resigno - Toke D Keda
Anacaona - Cheo Feliciano
break
Picadillo - Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri (4)
Lagrimas Negras - Cubanoson
Campanero - Jose Mangual Jr*
Tu Son - Oscar D'Leon
Vitamina - Sonora Carruseles (5)
(1) This seemed like a reasonable way to transition from the previous DJ's music.
(2) I'm continuing my effort to keep playing music by new artists.
(3) Moving from 2006 to early 1950's.
(4) This was a request from Stephanie - she danced with Haihan to good effect. Vishal had played an off-beat Cha Cha, Bachata and Merengue immediate before this. As I was getting ready, a new girl requested that I play Salsa next. That's … new. Usually the requests are for Merengue or Reggaeton. As for Salsa segment of his set, Vishal was playing rather large number of new-ish songs including No Pueden Vivir by Celia Cruz.
(5) Vishal took over again for the rest of the evening.
Total 13 songs. 11 Salsa including 2 new. 2 Bachata. I wanted to play at least one Cha Cha, but no such opportunities arose. As I was telling Vish at the ending of the evening, I played 40 songs last week and only 13 this week. It's quite random.
I hit someone's mouth with my forearm (close to the elbow) - but in some ways it felt like my arm was hit with her teeth. I feel rather sore - I hope she's not hurt any more than me. I think I only danced with 6-7 people, including the companion of the visiting DJ. I had one On2 dance with Mimi - she was practicing quite a lot with Sergio earlier. I accidentally tickled Mimi during the middle of the dance. Afterwards, I was able to tickle Mimi twice more without even touching her.
Probably my other dancing highlight involved the following sequence of events. Vishal put on a song lasting over 7 minutes. I started with Stephanie while Euvian started dancing with either Haihan or Rajiv next to us. After a little while, I noticed that Haihan and Rajiv were switching places during the dances. After a quick consultation with Stephanie, I hijacked Euvian away from Rajiv while Stephanie took Rajiv. After a little while, I changed places with Haihan. Afterwards, Rajiv, Haihan, Euvian and Stephanie started doing Rueda until the end of the song.
I felt like my form was off once again. Although I was socializing with large number of people and perhaps more so than usual - I also felt like I was being quieter than usual too. I guess I was in one of those moods - feeling detached, etc despite being surrounded by many friendly faces. The weather outside was still horrible when we left at closing time - it seemed fitting somehow.
A full yet barren Thursday
March 1, 2007
Advanced/Intermediate with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL 1 1/2 turn counterclockwise for follower with L-R high and R-L low for wrap is dragged into 2 turn counterclockwise with leader adjusting his position at the end to get the last 1/2 turn with wrap intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 follower is led to leader’s L side on 1,2,3 (L-R goes down while R-L comes up during this exchange) and led into double stationary counterclockwise turn with L-R doing the lead (and good luck with this and the next move) and R-L released – leader turns ~1/4 clockwise and make R-L connection low by leader’s R waist at the end
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower back on 1 (starting position is close to back-to-back or leader facing away from follower’s line – I usually ended level with follower … I’m not sure that open break is the best move here – then again, I don’t think I managed to lead this move very well at any point this evening) probably with L-R straight back towards follower’s direction on 2 and L-R coming up straight over the line between leader and follower on 3 (with leader and follower now facing same direction – leader has turned about 1/4 clockwise while follower would have turned about 1/4 to 1/2 clockwise) and lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn into another wrap (R-L low)
1,2,3,5,6,7 turn as unit 1/2 counterclockwise on 1,2,3 then lead follower forward and into 1 1/2 clockwise traveling turn with L-R high with leader turning 1/2 clockwise and switching to R-R (this could be like a slam dunk)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side with R-R going over and L-L connection made in front and going high early – lead follower into over and under to get follower’s L hand behind her R waist with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise at the end and switching to R-L – make L-R connection in front
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and lead follower forward into 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn (going by leader’s R side again) with L-R high – leader steps into follower’s previous spot and turns full counterclockwise and switches back to R-R by leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and lead follower forward by leader’s R side with windmill lead to get follower to turn 1 1/2 clockwise while keeping finger pointing up for the final turn to get both R elbows pointing up at the end – leader turns full counterclockwise on the spot and switches to L-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward and close
This routine seemed … a bit ambitious - perhaps overambitious. I could do the second and third part only with select people who were primed and to very slow music. If I were a much better lead, I might be able to do those parts with high intermediate level follower by what I would consider London standard while social dancing. Then again, I noticed that the improver level during the second hour with Mark and Charlotte had followers doing a double right turn and leaders doing a 1 1/2 left turn – worth a raised eyebrow. I thought more emphasis could be placed on technique, tension and timing and getting people to flail about less - I don't know what is best though - my opinion and method change all the time anyway.
Did Sally download whole lot of new songs? Songs played included Mundy Baja (El Gran Combo), Mambo Mongo (Mongo Santamaria – 70s version), some Afro-Cuban music used in Frankie Martinez Isolation DVD (not really suitable for dancing Salsa), My Favorite Things (New Swing Sextet), Philly Mambo (Cal Tjader – Live at Funky Quarters), Hacha Y Machete (Alfredo de la Fe), La Salsa Nunca Se Acabo (Susie Hansen), Pa Los Bravos (Grupo Latin Vibe), another familiar sounding Latin Jazz (familiar to me as more straight Jazz), Sun Sun Babae (Tito Rodriguez Jr?), etc. It was generally rather Mambo and Latin Jazz heavy.
The lineup of people in attendance was - somewhat unusual. The lessons were packed - a record high. A fellow student (Olu) from LDA last summer was present tonight. Yet dancing afterwards was a little below norm. It felt like there were more men than women – or at least more unexpected men and less expected women. Ivan was seen giving his jaw an ice treatment after an elbow blow - too much same gender dancing - more male than female. No On2 partner work practice for me. I did some On2 footwork with Sergio pointing out that I seem to be too fast on the beat 1 and too slow on the beat 2. There’s weight transfer issue to be resolved as well. It could be worse – I could have forgotten most of the instructions. There were other people dancing to On2 count.
Some of the dances tonight were alright although none were thoroughly satisfying – I suppose I never or rarely have thoroughly satisfying ones – with better ones tonight were danced to Mundy Baja, Mambo Mongo and Pa Los Bravos. More than anything else, I was disappointed with lack of imagination on my part foremost and imperfect control being another sore point sometimes. Probably the best bit of dancing was done during a 30 seconds segment during the break between the first and second hour of the classes. Otherwise, simply staying in time was a struggle for a large part of the evening.
It was frustrating not being able to find suitable dance partner for many songs. I was especially disappointed to miss Philly Mambo because I have never heard it get played anywhere – with caveat that there are not many people in Cambridge I would want to try to dance with to Philly Mambo. I also missed My Favorite Things (although this is not so bad because I have heard this many times in many places), Hacha Y Machete (only consolation of a sort was that my last dance to this song at SOS was a bit crappy), La Salsa Nunca Se Acabo (this gets played fairly often by Sally) and couple of other rare (for Salsa clubs) Jazzy tunes. If I heard these songs in London (SOS for instance), I doubt I would have missed out on even one of them.
Out of top 7 songs I wanted to dance to tonight, I managed only 2 - Mundy Baja and Mambo Mongo. Mundy Baja and Mambo Mongo would have been in top 4 also so I could say 2 out of top 4 too. It could have been worse – I thought I was going to miss out on Mambo Mongo as well because I initially misheard Danie. I’m not sure what’s more frustrating - not having many songs I want to dance to or missing out on a lot of dancing when something I like gets played?
Advanced/Intermediate with Sally and Chris
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL 1 1/2 turn counterclockwise for follower with L-R high and R-L low for wrap is dragged into 2 turn counterclockwise with leader adjusting his position at the end to get the last 1/2 turn with wrap intact
1,2,3,5,6,7 follower is led to leader’s L side on 1,2,3 (L-R goes down while R-L comes up during this exchange) and led into double stationary counterclockwise turn with L-R doing the lead (and good luck with this and the next move) and R-L released – leader turns ~1/4 clockwise and make R-L connection low by leader’s R waist at the end
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower back on 1 (starting position is close to back-to-back or leader facing away from follower’s line – I usually ended level with follower … I’m not sure that open break is the best move here – then again, I don’t think I managed to lead this move very well at any point this evening) probably with L-R straight back towards follower’s direction on 2 and L-R coming up straight over the line between leader and follower on 3 (with leader and follower now facing same direction – leader has turned about 1/4 clockwise while follower would have turned about 1/4 to 1/2 clockwise) and lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn into another wrap (R-L low)
1,2,3,5,6,7 turn as unit 1/2 counterclockwise on 1,2,3 then lead follower forward and into 1 1/2 clockwise traveling turn with L-R high with leader turning 1/2 clockwise and switching to R-R (this could be like a slam dunk)
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward on leader’s R side with R-R going over and L-L connection made in front and going high early – lead follower into over and under to get follower’s L hand behind her R waist with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise at the end and switching to R-L – make L-R connection in front
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and lead follower forward into 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn (going by leader’s R side again) with L-R high – leader steps into follower’s previous spot and turns full counterclockwise and switches back to R-R by leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and lead follower forward by leader’s R side with windmill lead to get follower to turn 1 1/2 clockwise while keeping finger pointing up for the final turn to get both R elbows pointing up at the end – leader turns full counterclockwise on the spot and switches to L-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and bring follower forward and close
This routine seemed … a bit ambitious - perhaps overambitious. I could do the second and third part only with select people who were primed and to very slow music. If I were a much better lead, I might be able to do those parts with high intermediate level follower by what I would consider London standard while social dancing. Then again, I noticed that the improver level during the second hour with Mark and Charlotte had followers doing a double right turn and leaders doing a 1 1/2 left turn – worth a raised eyebrow. I thought more emphasis could be placed on technique, tension and timing and getting people to flail about less - I don't know what is best though - my opinion and method change all the time anyway.
Did Sally download whole lot of new songs? Songs played included Mundy Baja (El Gran Combo), Mambo Mongo (Mongo Santamaria – 70s version), some Afro-Cuban music used in Frankie Martinez Isolation DVD (not really suitable for dancing Salsa), My Favorite Things (New Swing Sextet), Philly Mambo (Cal Tjader – Live at Funky Quarters), Hacha Y Machete (Alfredo de la Fe), La Salsa Nunca Se Acabo (Susie Hansen), Pa Los Bravos (Grupo Latin Vibe), another familiar sounding Latin Jazz (familiar to me as more straight Jazz), Sun Sun Babae (Tito Rodriguez Jr?), etc. It was generally rather Mambo and Latin Jazz heavy.
The lineup of people in attendance was - somewhat unusual. The lessons were packed - a record high. A fellow student (Olu) from LDA last summer was present tonight. Yet dancing afterwards was a little below norm. It felt like there were more men than women – or at least more unexpected men and less expected women. Ivan was seen giving his jaw an ice treatment after an elbow blow - too much same gender dancing - more male than female. No On2 partner work practice for me. I did some On2 footwork with Sergio pointing out that I seem to be too fast on the beat 1 and too slow on the beat 2. There’s weight transfer issue to be resolved as well. It could be worse – I could have forgotten most of the instructions. There were other people dancing to On2 count.
Some of the dances tonight were alright although none were thoroughly satisfying – I suppose I never or rarely have thoroughly satisfying ones – with better ones tonight were danced to Mundy Baja, Mambo Mongo and Pa Los Bravos. More than anything else, I was disappointed with lack of imagination on my part foremost and imperfect control being another sore point sometimes. Probably the best bit of dancing was done during a 30 seconds segment during the break between the first and second hour of the classes. Otherwise, simply staying in time was a struggle for a large part of the evening.
It was frustrating not being able to find suitable dance partner for many songs. I was especially disappointed to miss Philly Mambo because I have never heard it get played anywhere – with caveat that there are not many people in Cambridge I would want to try to dance with to Philly Mambo. I also missed My Favorite Things (although this is not so bad because I have heard this many times in many places), Hacha Y Machete (only consolation of a sort was that my last dance to this song at SOS was a bit crappy), La Salsa Nunca Se Acabo (this gets played fairly often by Sally) and couple of other rare (for Salsa clubs) Jazzy tunes. If I heard these songs in London (SOS for instance), I doubt I would have missed out on even one of them.
Out of top 7 songs I wanted to dance to tonight, I managed only 2 - Mundy Baja and Mambo Mongo. Mundy Baja and Mambo Mongo would have been in top 4 also so I could say 2 out of top 4 too. It could have been worse – I thought I was going to miss out on Mambo Mongo as well because I initially misheard Danie. I’m not sure what’s more frustrating - not having many songs I want to dance to or missing out on a lot of dancing when something I like gets played?
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