Hello Cambridge

September 6, 2007

Work is slow – still recovering from Portland – so I partook in the lessons to pass time.

Intermediate with Sally and Chris

1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL high overpass and switch to R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break R-R over follower’s head – connect L-L in front – lead follower to travelling full counterclockwise turn – reconnecting R-R at the end in crucifix position
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower to stationary 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L low and touch-and-go to end in hammerlock position
1,2,3,5,6,7 [I think the next move involved getting into R-R low hammerlock for follower, but I can’t recall how this was achieved. One way is to go into CBL and lead 1 1/2 travelling clockwise turn with a switch. One could also lead a double clockwise stationary turn as well. Neither of these moves really rings a bell though.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hammerlock, Copa fake keeping R-R low and lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn leaving follower’s R behind her L waist and reconnecting R-R (hammerlock) after leader does a counterclockwise turn on 6,7
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead into Titanic – lead to R on 5 and to left on 6,7 (half clockwise travelling turn for follower)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader does 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn to get into CBL position switching from R-R to L-R and going under L-R for the final full turn – then lead follower to 1/2 clockwise travelling turn

I spent the next hour on beyond beginner class – it had the biggest imbalance between the three concurrent classes.

Beyond beginner with Sally

1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL into open
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL into full counterclockwise turn ending with L-L wrap and R-R higher
1,2,3,5,6,7 prepare and lead follower to stationary 1 1/2 clockwise bringing all connections together high
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader does a simple broken left turn to get back to open position
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead simple in-and-out to closed hold

I thought this was going to be a slow-ish night, it turned out quite busy. At the class were Rajiv, William, Steve, Annette, Sharon, Hayden, Richard, Charlotte, Jane, et al. People who showed up for the social include Ivan, Zhenzhi, Chris, Lindsey, Jay, Euvian, Zern, Mimi, Nicola and Dani. Many of these showed up after I already had 3-4 dances. There were more surprise guests once again – the big gentleman from SOS/Bar Latina for the second week in a row and an even bigger surprise - Emma Moore. The dance floor was full until well past 11 PM.

Cambridge has become a lot more hospitable place to work on cross body style On1 over past few years, and given current settings it’s difficult to foresee the conditions getting any better without a stable and bigger regular venue than Club Salsa. In my opinion it is now pretty easy to get quite good staying in Cambridge without venturing to London because Cambridge now especially on Thursdays is often similar to London (e.g. Scala) in quality except at the top of professional level. Venturing outside Cambridge, especially to top London venues and major Congresses, is still useful because mostly because it helps to dance with many different people and also because it provides additional perspective about what is possible, etc. However, given additional travel times and expenses, it makes little sense to skip any of the Cambridge weekly nights and make a long trek to London instead (possibly unless your name is Liam). In order to better assess the state of Cambridge Salsa, I probably will have to re-examine Wednesday social dancing scene.

Songs played were mix of familiar and less familiar and included Vasos De Colores, Fuego A La Jicotea (both Marvin Santigo), La-La-La (DLI), Contigo (Cache), Lluvia Con Nieve (Mon Rivera), Pico Swing (New Swing Sextet), Hustler (Willie Colon), Hacha Y Machete (Alfredo De La Fe), Para Ochun (Hector Lavoe – courtesy of Emma Moore?), Alabanciosa (Manny Oquendo), Ave Maria Lola (Conjunto Imagen), Se Formo La Rumbantela (Javier Vazquez), Noche De Salsa (Louie Ramirez), Esto Es El Guaguanco (Cheo Feliciano). Oh and I am back next Thursday with many more backlog of songs to play.