Wednesday refresher

September 12, 2007

I went because I wanted a refresher on how different people run their classes in Cambridge and get a sampling of DJing - this week seemed like an opportune time. Of all nights, I had been away from Wednesday the most. There's no need to do anything special for Thursday since I'm familiar with how things are run - also I'm the DJ tomorrow. Friday could be an interesting challenge if I want to make it to the class and the social.

The line up was Cristian, Jay with Dani, who is substituting for Dee apparently away until October.

Intermediate with Cristian with Dani

1,2,3,5,6,7 standard double turn for follower with L-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break CBL inside turn (1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling) for follower with leader stepping forward and to left on 7 with L-R kept high (important for safety reasons or so I discovered afterwards)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns/walks counterclockwise (ends up being about 1 1/4 to end facing away from follower) during 1,2,3 – get follower’s R hand under leader’s R arm and lead her into CBL with leader turning full counterclockwise
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R hold open break R-R going over follower’s head and L-L in front – lead follower into full counterclockwise turn with L-L low for wrap
1,2,3,5,6,7 back break to lead follower to fully turn around 1/2 clockwise on 2,3 – lead follower to 1 1/2 counterclockwise turn travelling and continuing to turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 follower continues to turn about 1/2 more – forward on 5 (facing away on 5) L-L low then lead follower back and turn counterclockwise on 6,7 and switch to R-L (wrap for follower)
1,2,3,5,6,7 connect L-R in front and Mambo jazz – lead follower to 1 1/2 travelling clockwise turn with leader turning 1/2 clockwise with L-R high
1,2,3,5,6,7 facing away from follower open break and bring follower straight forward – get behind follower and lead her straight back on 6,7 (lead coming shortly after 5) – leader is to R of follower and overtakes
1,2,3,5,6,7 L-L connection made and leader moves in front of follower under L-L and turn 1/2 counterclockwise during 1,2,3 – absorb follower’s forward movement on 5 and lead her straight back for 6,7 with leader turning full counterclockwise and facing follower again
1,2,3,5,6,7 (I'm probably making this bit up) lead follower straight forward - get around behind in clockwise fashion (from her R to behind to L) bringing follower to walk straight back with a shoulder lead (both shoulders okay - R shoulder alone is okay) - spin clockwise (?) to get into CBL position
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL and lead follower into free counterclockwise travelling turn with R-R


Very long routine. Very doable. Some new-ish material. Not bad for me given figuring out the technique was not difficult for me.

Improver with Cristian

1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL inside turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise then lead follower forward on 5,6 and 1/2 travelling clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 spot turn (referred to as reverse CB, which is not good for use here since I use the same term to mean something very different)
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo jazz (referred to as whoosh) in CBL position CBL with low cross pass (hook turn for leader)
1,2,3,5,6,7 lead follower forward on 2,3,5 braking on 5 with R hand on stomach and back on 6,7,1 braking on 1 with L hand on back
1,2,3,5,6,7 repeat
1,2,3,5,6,7 same to 3 – get around to behind follower and to her L and bring her straight back on 5,6,7 with hands on shoulder – leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise while overtaking
1,2,3,5,6,7 R-R and lead follower into free travelling counterclockwise turn maybe (not really sure – in any case it did not make a strong impression if it was something different)

I would say that the social and the music started fairly weak except that Kate and friend were present again. Despite being fairly inexperienced and also out of practice, I like the way Kate dances with me. The closest parallel that I can come up with would be EM. Kate’s friend is not too bad either – already I find her at current beginner/improver state preferable to many who have been in the scene for years and show very little sign of understanding lead-follow relationship or dancing in time to music, etc.

Why do some people remain poor Salsa dancers even after being in the scene for years? I think the main issue with lack of basics. Some people never learn to hear the music and learn to dance on time. Some people seemingly ignore lead-follow communication technique. Some people are too heavy on their feet and do not practice their footwork. All these things have to be taught and perhaps even drilled, and it’s probably best to try to get these things across very early. In fact the people who have been around the longest without becoming very good are seemingly the ones who are least likely to ever get better. Also while it is impossible to get everyone to buy into the program, it’s probably worth tweaking the approach constantly.

Speaking of people getting better, I continue to be astounded by people not taking advantage of practice opportunities during socials. I think every guy should try to dance to at least one out of two songs if not more. Quantity of practice matters more than quality - I'm quoting Edie the Salsa freak here. Saying that there are no good followers to dance with is a stupid excuse. Why would a good follower dance with a so-so leader except maybe once per evening and without a better option available? If only "beginners" are available, practice leading simple moves with beginners and improve your technique. Even if you're leading the same move all night, using the same moves on 20 people with varying degree of success is worth ten times better than doing it twice perfectly with good partners.

The music played by Cristian improved as the evening wore on - it was just okay but not bad (maybe because my expectations were low). The first song I recognized was Sueltala (Conjunto Imagen) – okay song but one I was never too tempted to play. The first song I recognized and liked was Cuando Tu Quieras (Chivirico Davila), which was followed by Sopa En Botella (Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco). Other songs I recognized included Sun Sun Babae (artist unknown to me), Azuquita Pa’l Café (El Gran Combo). I enjoyed most of the songs played between 11 and 11:30 after the arrival of Charlotte, Lindsey and Nicola. I think there was only one Merengue and one Bachata played for the evening - both were unfamiliar to my ears but seemed decent enough.

Least favorite incident – I elbowed Charlotte. I really have to watch that – second time this week I think. Much better was Lindsey telling me something she does not like when I dance with her. I have known for a long time but had never given me a suggestion before. It’s so difficult to get a feedback from a source I would trust. I guess it means Lindsey now feels comfortable enough with me to criticize me. Or she got fed up enough to risk me getting angry or something.