August 27, 2007
It was all isolations and footwork today. We also went into details of isolation enough that at the end after about an hour or so we had not covered anything hips and below.
The way I see it is that any regular practice even if done somewhat haphazardly should be helpful – unless it’s done really poorly. It's also good to be careful and do things properly do avoid injury.
To shines.
Core beat walks on odd beats or even beats
This is in theory simple except the devil was in the details. Don’t keep feet too far apart. Bend your knees as you step on the other beats then straighten on either beat where walk happens. Add in body positioning (maybe file it under body movement – it’s somewhat like doing figure 8s).
Another chassis on 8and1
1,2,3,5,6,7 Mambo basic (On2 of course)
8and R foot back in place (forward) and then L foot step back
1 R foot crossed over in front of L
and back to basic
Now with some turning (quarter and half turns)
1 R basic start – turn or twisting does not happen until after the first step
2 L cross over R turning quarter clockwise and braking
3 R in place – un-twist start a little after 3
5 L basic – now turned about half counterclockwise
6 back break and brake
7 L in place start turning half clockwise
8and chassis with R slightly crossed behind L and then L foot step back
1 R foot cross over in front of L
and back to basic with quarter turn/twist
We’ve seen something similar in Joe’s class
8 R toe next to L
1 R forward
2 L toe next to R turning quarter counterclockwise
3 L back to about the spot on 7 but turning another quarter counterclockwise (so facing back)
4 R toe next to L
5 R forward
6 L toe next to R turning another quarter counterclockwise
7 L back to about the spot on 3 but turning another quarter counterclockwise (back facing forward)
8 R toe crossed behind L
1 R back to basic
This will be the last On2 session for a while. We'll be taking a 2 week break.
Catch her if you can
August 26, 2007
I must have arrived at 9 on the dot. Some people were milling around the Club Salsa entrance, which was closed. Others were standing by the gravel parking space. As I approached the nearest group, I asked if Vishal was here. Apparently he was around but not just then. Just then the coach from Ely appeared and stopped a short distance away. I went to see the drive to make sure it was the one for the Scala. Then I started telling people to board the bus.
I saw Mimi talking with a group including Sebastian, Ed and Rachel in the Sauce. That was a pleasant surprise. She had on a really nice black dress. I think I complimented her and said she looked stunning. I’m not really sure if I said that. In any case she really was. I told them to go grab some seats fast and save a space for me before going off to tell others to do the same.
I went around the Sauce, then to Club Salsa entrance, back to Sauce where I saw Sebastian and all still standing about but without Mimi, who decided to take a detour apparently having been reminded of a fiasco on one of our drives to the Rocket. I think they ended up being one of the last groups of people to claim seats at the front of the coach – Sebastian and Mimi directly behind the driver and Rachel and Ed next row down.
I finally spotted Vishal when I returned to the coach. He asked me to count the number of people in the coach. First I counted 26 then I counted 28. Vishal said he saw 27 and confirmed it himself. Math is hard.
Sally, Lindsey and Charlotte were the last to arrive making it 30. They took seats immediately behind us – Sally and Lindsey a row behind me and Charlotte behind Ed. I believe this was a first London Salsa outing for Charlotte. I ended up in what I could call navigator’s spot next to John. Vishal claimed the back end of the coach, which I guess was like the party central for the coach with drinks flowing and with raucous talking. I don’t think Vish succeeded in getting anyone to sing this time, however – no ready accomplices like Lindsey and Nicola this time in the back row to take up the dare.
At first I talked mostly with Mimi. She told me that she finally found a different job – in Singapore/Australia. That killed me. I felt speechless – at least for a moment or two. I knew that she had been trying to do something like this for a long time. I guess I must have muttered a few things like congratulations and about shorter commute to Hong Kong (~3 hours!) and asked about the new job and happening at the old and so on. Also about the best time to visit – sooner the better – when it’s really awful here if we are talking about the weather. Also the topic somehow spilled into her personality – EQ and all that. God damn it. I’m really going to miss her – I don’t have very many people here I have such easy relationship with. She’s quiet unique really – especially for a girl. I don’t think there was ever a moment when she had any negative feelings about me. Perhaps more important I never felt worried about her being angry, distrustful, annoyed and all that about me. She does get along with most people really well of course.
As drinks were getting passed around, I reminded Sally about the stop the coach made on its last trip to Scala. With 30 people onboard I guess it was inevitable. When the driver complained of the camera flashes – it made him think that it might be a speed camera – so that I walked to the back to relay his request that people stop using their camera, some people asked about a toilet break. I said I’ll talk to the driver about it. The driver remembered the petrol station slash convenience store from the last time. Unfortunately it was closed for construction when we got there. I think the last mile or so must have been a hellacious time – I had no urge to go but I could almost feel the tension from several rows back. It’s going to blow! It held until the coach disembarked right outside Scala.
There were a number of people who arrived independently from Cambridge. No need to mention them all – it’s almost certainly not welcome anyway. I don’t think Rajiv or Richard would mind though. Also not a few former Cambridge people like Natalie and Rico. Chris was also there. I also bumped into and chatted a little with Liam.
Poor old Mimi. She did not have a proper dinner before coming. Because she already paid Vish, she would have to go in with us, and Scala does not allow re-entry. So she took a Snickers bar from me. She asked me to hold some money for her, which involved a conversational gaffe (I’ll skip this) – I also borrowed a twenty from her after discovering that my wallet was not in my pocket. When the social started, we started with a couple of dances – nothing wrong with this. However, within two or three songs she came back to me with a sprained ankle asking for her money back. She said she will take the train back to Cambridge because she didn’t think she could dance anymore. Half an hour or so later though I saw her again – apparently there were no more trains tonight. So she was stuck until the coach was ready to take us home - that was a wait of more than 5 hours.
I brought a couple of extra shirts with me this time. After about an hour or so, I switched to a short-sleeved shirt. I did not find a spot with a nice cool breeze until well after 3 although I ended up not making a big use out of it afterwards.
Coming to London is not as exciting as it used to be. I like it still but it’s not the same. I guess it’s not all about dancing either although it must be a big part of the equation too. Take tonight for instance. Most of the dances were good. Every one with Cambridge-associated people was decent – average at worst and in one instance the best dance I had yet with that particular person. In fact pretty much all of the dances with everyone else was decent too. Some people seemed almost thrilled to dance with me whether from the outset or as the dance wore on. Some appeared pleasantly surprised or at least amused. This is still good but is no longer novel - just a different set of people. So this all sounds good, right? Yes and no. Novelty was not the only thing lacking - I'm not sure if I want to delve into it right now.
On negative side there were a couple of dances, which I thought was led in a bland uninteresting with too much unnecessary moves – it did not help that the song was boring. This is bound to happen. Worse were two dances. One because my partner seemed very unimpressed – it might not have helped that I went in thinking that it probably won’t be any good. Again, this happens to everyone. Some people who are impressed with me might think poorly of one of my friends while another who is impressed with another of my friend might think poorly of my dancing. The other one was more unusual involved my partner collapsing to the ground on her buttocks – I don't know why or how that happened. The scene turned more bizarre because the girl in question became upset and left in tears - not because of pain but perhaps out of frustration or embarrassment. I really don't know. An explanation given to me was that she is very young - I'm unsure what to make of that either except maybe that young people are more likely to lack perspective and thus likely to blow things out of proportion. Perhaps I shouldn't talk about it and will regret having said this much. Also I suppose there was a third dance where I accidentally bumped into Sebastian twice within a minute or so – I have no idea why the collision happened – I don’t think I was moving a lot. This might sound funny but my partner at the time seeming extra cautious about moving might have made it worse – maybe it made me overcompensate. Scala Bank Holidays really does get too crowded. It really does. Perhaps this is not surprising. After all, their main floor has barely more total space for dancing compared to Bar Salsa.
One of the highlights of the event was the dance competition.
The amateur competition was won by the winner of one of the Scala heats I watched earlier this year. At the heat, they were dancing On2 but I wasn’t paying enough attention to see if they were dancing On2 tonight. I liked their music choice the best – the guy sitting next to me complained that it sounded too old but I like the old sound. The winning couple were head and shoulders better than the third place (couple number 1) and the fourth place (couple number 2) in my opinion. The second place finishers (couple number 4) were quite good too and had put on a real crowd pleaser with decent partner work (which I felt the bottom two especially the fourth place showed way too little) thrown in. I actually thought that couple number 4 was going to win and might have rooted for them a little even though the winning couple was better dancing-wise. I think a part of the reason why I did not predict them to win was because the dance seemed too much like plain good social dancing seemingly thrown together with choreography in mind (note: this is different from musicality – they were quite good on that account without being too obvious about it) and I thought the judges would be looking for more than that. It’s rather ironic for me to say this because the way the winning couple danced was by far the closest to the way I would like to dance sans making a visible effort to engage an outside audience (e.g. by making eye contact with the audience or dancing to the audience during shines, etc).
The professional level competition was won by Lee and Shelley. Hooray. The couple who came in second just didn’t grab me aesthetically – I think I have seen them or at least the girl several times before. Third place went to Laith Sami, who my mind I was actively rooting against. Nothing personal against him. For all I know he’s a great guy. In reality I don’t know any of the competitors aside from having few superficial and brief conversations with Lee and Shelley. Laith can put together a fairly entertaining dance routine. What I don’t like is that he seem to represent what I might consider very strong and forceful lead in social dancing, and I didn’t want such to be advocated or become representative of Salsa in England or anywhere else. I guess it’s a bizarre maybe twisted reason for hoping one couple to win over another. For whatever it’s worth, I did like Lee and Shelley’s routine the best – albeit by a rather small margin and the first word that comes to my mind to describe it is ‘clean’ rather than a more grand word like ‘spectacular’ or ‘sublime’.
How about the music? It was typical. Not horrible except for a few patches with really poor sound. There was one song where you could barely hear Conga drums and the bass both rather muffled and essentially nothing else. The system had a hiccup or two on at least two other songs. Generally songs I recognized and liked (e.g. Mambo Mongo, Merecumbe, La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba) were too popular for everyone else too. Other songs I remember being played include Hacha Y Machete (Alfredo De La Fe), Ahora Quien, Contigo (I'm not completely sure), La-La-La (DLI), Otra Oportunidad (I think so, not sure again), a seemingly newer version of Swing La Moderna (the only version on the internet I could find was by Mandingo Y Su Son… not sure if this was it).
Not much else. I found my wallet on my seat back in the coach. Almost everyone was asleep for the trip back and I talked with Ed, who stayed up the whole time.
Book of the moment - Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger (I must be careful or I'll run out of reading material before Friday)
I must have arrived at 9 on the dot. Some people were milling around the Club Salsa entrance, which was closed. Others were standing by the gravel parking space. As I approached the nearest group, I asked if Vishal was here. Apparently he was around but not just then. Just then the coach from Ely appeared and stopped a short distance away. I went to see the drive to make sure it was the one for the Scala. Then I started telling people to board the bus.
I saw Mimi talking with a group including Sebastian, Ed and Rachel in the Sauce. That was a pleasant surprise. She had on a really nice black dress. I think I complimented her and said she looked stunning. I’m not really sure if I said that. In any case she really was. I told them to go grab some seats fast and save a space for me before going off to tell others to do the same.
I went around the Sauce, then to Club Salsa entrance, back to Sauce where I saw Sebastian and all still standing about but without Mimi, who decided to take a detour apparently having been reminded of a fiasco on one of our drives to the Rocket. I think they ended up being one of the last groups of people to claim seats at the front of the coach – Sebastian and Mimi directly behind the driver and Rachel and Ed next row down.
I finally spotted Vishal when I returned to the coach. He asked me to count the number of people in the coach. First I counted 26 then I counted 28. Vishal said he saw 27 and confirmed it himself. Math is hard.
Sally, Lindsey and Charlotte were the last to arrive making it 30. They took seats immediately behind us – Sally and Lindsey a row behind me and Charlotte behind Ed. I believe this was a first London Salsa outing for Charlotte. I ended up in what I could call navigator’s spot next to John. Vishal claimed the back end of the coach, which I guess was like the party central for the coach with drinks flowing and with raucous talking. I don’t think Vish succeeded in getting anyone to sing this time, however – no ready accomplices like Lindsey and Nicola this time in the back row to take up the dare.
At first I talked mostly with Mimi. She told me that she finally found a different job – in Singapore/Australia. That killed me. I felt speechless – at least for a moment or two. I knew that she had been trying to do something like this for a long time. I guess I must have muttered a few things like congratulations and about shorter commute to Hong Kong (~3 hours!) and asked about the new job and happening at the old and so on. Also about the best time to visit – sooner the better – when it’s really awful here if we are talking about the weather. Also the topic somehow spilled into her personality – EQ and all that. God damn it. I’m really going to miss her – I don’t have very many people here I have such easy relationship with. She’s quiet unique really – especially for a girl. I don’t think there was ever a moment when she had any negative feelings about me. Perhaps more important I never felt worried about her being angry, distrustful, annoyed and all that about me. She does get along with most people really well of course.
As drinks were getting passed around, I reminded Sally about the stop the coach made on its last trip to Scala. With 30 people onboard I guess it was inevitable. When the driver complained of the camera flashes – it made him think that it might be a speed camera – so that I walked to the back to relay his request that people stop using their camera, some people asked about a toilet break. I said I’ll talk to the driver about it. The driver remembered the petrol station slash convenience store from the last time. Unfortunately it was closed for construction when we got there. I think the last mile or so must have been a hellacious time – I had no urge to go but I could almost feel the tension from several rows back. It’s going to blow! It held until the coach disembarked right outside Scala.
There were a number of people who arrived independently from Cambridge. No need to mention them all – it’s almost certainly not welcome anyway. I don’t think Rajiv or Richard would mind though. Also not a few former Cambridge people like Natalie and Rico. Chris was also there. I also bumped into and chatted a little with Liam.
Poor old Mimi. She did not have a proper dinner before coming. Because she already paid Vish, she would have to go in with us, and Scala does not allow re-entry. So she took a Snickers bar from me. She asked me to hold some money for her, which involved a conversational gaffe (I’ll skip this) – I also borrowed a twenty from her after discovering that my wallet was not in my pocket. When the social started, we started with a couple of dances – nothing wrong with this. However, within two or three songs she came back to me with a sprained ankle asking for her money back. She said she will take the train back to Cambridge because she didn’t think she could dance anymore. Half an hour or so later though I saw her again – apparently there were no more trains tonight. So she was stuck until the coach was ready to take us home - that was a wait of more than 5 hours.
I brought a couple of extra shirts with me this time. After about an hour or so, I switched to a short-sleeved shirt. I did not find a spot with a nice cool breeze until well after 3 although I ended up not making a big use out of it afterwards.
Coming to London is not as exciting as it used to be. I like it still but it’s not the same. I guess it’s not all about dancing either although it must be a big part of the equation too. Take tonight for instance. Most of the dances were good. Every one with Cambridge-associated people was decent – average at worst and in one instance the best dance I had yet with that particular person. In fact pretty much all of the dances with everyone else was decent too. Some people seemed almost thrilled to dance with me whether from the outset or as the dance wore on. Some appeared pleasantly surprised or at least amused. This is still good but is no longer novel - just a different set of people. So this all sounds good, right? Yes and no. Novelty was not the only thing lacking - I'm not sure if I want to delve into it right now.
On negative side there were a couple of dances, which I thought was led in a bland uninteresting with too much unnecessary moves – it did not help that the song was boring. This is bound to happen. Worse were two dances. One because my partner seemed very unimpressed – it might not have helped that I went in thinking that it probably won’t be any good. Again, this happens to everyone. Some people who are impressed with me might think poorly of one of my friends while another who is impressed with another of my friend might think poorly of my dancing. The other one was more unusual involved my partner collapsing to the ground on her buttocks – I don't know why or how that happened. The scene turned more bizarre because the girl in question became upset and left in tears - not because of pain but perhaps out of frustration or embarrassment. I really don't know. An explanation given to me was that she is very young - I'm unsure what to make of that either except maybe that young people are more likely to lack perspective and thus likely to blow things out of proportion. Perhaps I shouldn't talk about it and will regret having said this much. Also I suppose there was a third dance where I accidentally bumped into Sebastian twice within a minute or so – I have no idea why the collision happened – I don’t think I was moving a lot. This might sound funny but my partner at the time seeming extra cautious about moving might have made it worse – maybe it made me overcompensate. Scala Bank Holidays really does get too crowded. It really does. Perhaps this is not surprising. After all, their main floor has barely more total space for dancing compared to Bar Salsa.
One of the highlights of the event was the dance competition.
The amateur competition was won by the winner of one of the Scala heats I watched earlier this year. At the heat, they were dancing On2 but I wasn’t paying enough attention to see if they were dancing On2 tonight. I liked their music choice the best – the guy sitting next to me complained that it sounded too old but I like the old sound. The winning couple were head and shoulders better than the third place (couple number 1) and the fourth place (couple number 2) in my opinion. The second place finishers (couple number 4) were quite good too and had put on a real crowd pleaser with decent partner work (which I felt the bottom two especially the fourth place showed way too little) thrown in. I actually thought that couple number 4 was going to win and might have rooted for them a little even though the winning couple was better dancing-wise. I think a part of the reason why I did not predict them to win was because the dance seemed too much like plain good social dancing seemingly thrown together with choreography in mind (note: this is different from musicality – they were quite good on that account without being too obvious about it) and I thought the judges would be looking for more than that. It’s rather ironic for me to say this because the way the winning couple danced was by far the closest to the way I would like to dance sans making a visible effort to engage an outside audience (e.g. by making eye contact with the audience or dancing to the audience during shines, etc).
The professional level competition was won by Lee and Shelley. Hooray. The couple who came in second just didn’t grab me aesthetically – I think I have seen them or at least the girl several times before. Third place went to Laith Sami, who my mind I was actively rooting against. Nothing personal against him. For all I know he’s a great guy. In reality I don’t know any of the competitors aside from having few superficial and brief conversations with Lee and Shelley. Laith can put together a fairly entertaining dance routine. What I don’t like is that he seem to represent what I might consider very strong and forceful lead in social dancing, and I didn’t want such to be advocated or become representative of Salsa in England or anywhere else. I guess it’s a bizarre maybe twisted reason for hoping one couple to win over another. For whatever it’s worth, I did like Lee and Shelley’s routine the best – albeit by a rather small margin and the first word that comes to my mind to describe it is ‘clean’ rather than a more grand word like ‘spectacular’ or ‘sublime’.
How about the music? It was typical. Not horrible except for a few patches with really poor sound. There was one song where you could barely hear Conga drums and the bass both rather muffled and essentially nothing else. The system had a hiccup or two on at least two other songs. Generally songs I recognized and liked (e.g. Mambo Mongo, Merecumbe, La Salsa Nunca Se Acaba) were too popular for everyone else too. Other songs I remember being played include Hacha Y Machete (Alfredo De La Fe), Ahora Quien, Contigo (I'm not completely sure), La-La-La (DLI), Otra Oportunidad (I think so, not sure again), a seemingly newer version of Swing La Moderna (the only version on the internet I could find was by Mandingo Y Su Son… not sure if this was it).
Not much else. I found my wallet on my seat back in the coach. Almost everyone was asleep for the trip back and I talked with Ed, who stayed up the whole time.
Book of the moment - Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger (I must be careful or I'll run out of reading material before Friday)
Can't wait for...
August 24, 2007
It was a rather quiet night perhaps because people are saving themselves for the big weekend. I'm guessing I had about eight dances. People tell me things will be back to normal more or less next week. I suppose I'll be here on Thursday to see if this will be true but not on Friday thanks to a friend's wedding. Also Johnny and Serap should return at some point, which should help to restore normalcy. And the start of Michaelmas term should lead to a spike of interest. Some of the more amusing things I did include showing some basic bachata steps to a newbie and talking about and showing some leading technique with Sharon. There was a dance for Robert - I'm guessing it was a birthday dance but I'm not completely sure - it might have been a farewell dance too.
According to Vish, around 30 people signed up for the Scala coach. 9 to 5… It's going to be exhausting. Vishal also mentioned that Tony Lara is booked for November.
Book of the moment - The Outsider by Albert Camus.
It was a rather quiet night perhaps because people are saving themselves for the big weekend. I'm guessing I had about eight dances. People tell me things will be back to normal more or less next week. I suppose I'll be here on Thursday to see if this will be true but not on Friday thanks to a friend's wedding. Also Johnny and Serap should return at some point, which should help to restore normalcy. And the start of Michaelmas term should lead to a spike of interest. Some of the more amusing things I did include showing some basic bachata steps to a newbie and talking about and showing some leading technique with Sharon. There was a dance for Robert - I'm guessing it was a birthday dance but I'm not completely sure - it might have been a farewell dance too.
According to Vish, around 30 people signed up for the Scala coach. 9 to 5… It's going to be exhausting. Vishal also mentioned that Tony Lara is booked for November.
Book of the moment - The Outsider by Albert Camus.
My so-called summer
August 23, 2007
What's with the weather? I wore short sleeved shirt for less than 2 weeks this year. People were wearing winter coats Monday. Many still are. It was very warm in April. Of course I had to spend much of warm April in cold Madrid. Boston was no picnic, but I think I must saw more really nice pleasant days than in Cambridge. And Portland - it had glorious summers. Maybe I will look back and think it wasn't that bad when I am long gone from here. I don't think this so-called summer will be the highlight though.
When I arrived at Club Salsa, I found the door locked. There was a lesson going on downstairs but no one was there to man the collection booth. So with Sebastian (who arrived right after me) in tow, I went back to Sauce - which I earlier abandoned because the table occupied by Rajiv, Polly et al had no room left at all. After getting our drinks, Sebastian and I joined a table occupied by Steve and Kirsty instead. The main topic was "what do we do?" dwelling most on Steve.
No Sergio today - once again. Blame it on House. No Cyrille either. No idea what's going on there. Others were gone on the account of being done with Master's (belated congratulations - now for the next degree), coughing lungs out (or post viva withdrawal perhaps? - it's a great summer), commute & S.O., being more than 10000 kilometers away (and enjoying hot weather), France, Germany, etc. Still it felt quite crowded once again, and I managed to squeeze in a couple of On2 dances thanks to EV.
My dancing was (or could be described as) energetic, spontaneous, rough, messy, showy, nutty and/or selfish. Not sure if it was good but it was fun.
What's with the weather? I wore short sleeved shirt for less than 2 weeks this year. People were wearing winter coats Monday. Many still are. It was very warm in April. Of course I had to spend much of warm April in cold Madrid. Boston was no picnic, but I think I must saw more really nice pleasant days than in Cambridge. And Portland - it had glorious summers. Maybe I will look back and think it wasn't that bad when I am long gone from here. I don't think this so-called summer will be the highlight though.
When I arrived at Club Salsa, I found the door locked. There was a lesson going on downstairs but no one was there to man the collection booth. So with Sebastian (who arrived right after me) in tow, I went back to Sauce - which I earlier abandoned because the table occupied by Rajiv, Polly et al had no room left at all. After getting our drinks, Sebastian and I joined a table occupied by Steve and Kirsty instead. The main topic was "what do we do?" dwelling most on Steve.
No Sergio today - once again. Blame it on House. No Cyrille either. No idea what's going on there. Others were gone on the account of being done with Master's (belated congratulations - now for the next degree), coughing lungs out (or post viva withdrawal perhaps? - it's a great summer), commute & S.O., being more than 10000 kilometers away (and enjoying hot weather), France, Germany, etc. Still it felt quite crowded once again, and I managed to squeeze in a couple of On2 dances thanks to EV.
My dancing was (or could be described as) energetic, spontaneous, rough, messy, showy, nutty and/or selfish. Not sure if it was good but it was fun.
My chest is sore
August 20, 2007
Tonight’s session – with a slightly late start – began with timing or calling time on various beats whether it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or one of those -and (e.g. 4-and and 8-and) beats or calling some combinations (1,3,5,7 or 2,4,6,8 or 2,4,4-and,6,8,8-and, etc). People of different musical background would have differing level of difficulty with Salsa music timing, but the solution likely is the same for everyone – a lot of active listening to many different songs of many variety.
The isolation segment went back to basics. It was more about making adjustments to make sure the movement exercises were done more properly. One would think that this might have made the session less intense. Not so. I was getting exhausted and sore especially doing chest movements. Right now I would say that I find some aspects of neck movements most difficult (I’m not sure if I want to try hard to get better at this because the idea of neck injury scares me too much). I would rate chest movement as the next most difficult, followed by shoulders, then feet, then hips. I’m not completely sure but I imagine moving hips is one of the easier ones for everyone. If it weren’t for the fact that Sergio doesn’t think I don’t have weight transfers and such down pat, I would have said that feet is easy. As it is I have no idea how my feet are doing – just no idea what kind of assessment would be reasonable. Umm. My chest hurts as I type.
There were too many shines. The ones I remember are as follows.
2 L cross over R with 1/4 turn clockwise
3 R in place
4 L backwards charge with 1/4 turn counterclockwise and doing a Cha Cha chassis with…
5 L ending slightly ahead of R
6 R behind L closer
7 L slightly forward
8 Cha Cha chassis with…
1 R foot
2,3 forward basic
1,2,3 forward basic
4and5 Cha cha chassis
5and R foot quick in front of L
6 R foot back in place
6and L foot quick in front of R
7 L foot back in place
8and1 Cha cha chassis
2,3 forward basic
There was a third one but I was feeling a little too overloaded.
6,7,1,2,3,5 CBL and switch to R-R
6,7,1,2,3 prepare and lead follower to single right turn (clockwise) stationary
5,6,7 step to L with R foot on 5 and proceed to do a walking turn counterclockwise getting to or near CBL position with only L-L connection left intact
1,2,3 lead follower into travelling counterclockwise turn (follower slightly facing away from leader on 2 with leader’s free R hand on follower’s back (for some signalling purpose?) before leading counterclockwise turn on 3
5 L-L is brought close to leader at about his L shoulder as leader turns (swivel turn on R foot – I was getting confused by the distance issue here – perhaps needlessly … I was probably turning way too late – not exactly sure where but I usually ended up a beat or two slow by the end)
6 continue to turn clockwise… only need be turned full by now to face follower – on L foot now – there’s also a brief disconnect and reconnect with L-L
7 on R foot now with another half turn clockwise switching to R-L low
1 possibly CBL position or maybe not – getting ready to lead follower to a free travelling counterclockwise turn
Tonight’s session – with a slightly late start – began with timing or calling time on various beats whether it’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or one of those -and (e.g. 4-and and 8-and) beats or calling some combinations (1,3,5,7 or 2,4,6,8 or 2,4,4-and,6,8,8-and, etc). People of different musical background would have differing level of difficulty with Salsa music timing, but the solution likely is the same for everyone – a lot of active listening to many different songs of many variety.
The isolation segment went back to basics. It was more about making adjustments to make sure the movement exercises were done more properly. One would think that this might have made the session less intense. Not so. I was getting exhausted and sore especially doing chest movements. Right now I would say that I find some aspects of neck movements most difficult (I’m not sure if I want to try hard to get better at this because the idea of neck injury scares me too much). I would rate chest movement as the next most difficult, followed by shoulders, then feet, then hips. I’m not completely sure but I imagine moving hips is one of the easier ones for everyone. If it weren’t for the fact that Sergio doesn’t think I don’t have weight transfers and such down pat, I would have said that feet is easy. As it is I have no idea how my feet are doing – just no idea what kind of assessment would be reasonable. Umm. My chest hurts as I type.
There were too many shines. The ones I remember are as follows.
2 L cross over R with 1/4 turn clockwise
3 R in place
4 L backwards charge with 1/4 turn counterclockwise and doing a Cha Cha chassis with…
5 L ending slightly ahead of R
6 R behind L closer
7 L slightly forward
8 Cha Cha chassis with…
1 R foot
2,3 forward basic
1,2,3 forward basic
4and5 Cha cha chassis
5and R foot quick in front of L
6 R foot back in place
6and L foot quick in front of R
7 L foot back in place
8and1 Cha cha chassis
2,3 forward basic
There was a third one but I was feeling a little too overloaded.
6,7,1,2,3,5 CBL and switch to R-R
6,7,1,2,3 prepare and lead follower to single right turn (clockwise) stationary
5,6,7 step to L with R foot on 5 and proceed to do a walking turn counterclockwise getting to or near CBL position with only L-L connection left intact
1,2,3 lead follower into travelling counterclockwise turn (follower slightly facing away from leader on 2 with leader’s free R hand on follower’s back (for some signalling purpose?) before leading counterclockwise turn on 3
5 L-L is brought close to leader at about his L shoulder as leader turns (swivel turn on R foot – I was getting confused by the distance issue here – perhaps needlessly … I was probably turning way too late – not exactly sure where but I usually ended up a beat or two slow by the end)
6 continue to turn clockwise… only need be turned full by now to face follower – on L foot now – there’s also a brief disconnect and reconnect with L-L
7 on R foot now with another half turn clockwise switching to R-L low
1 possibly CBL position or maybe not – getting ready to lead follower to a free travelling counterclockwise turn
Treading water
August 19, 2007
It wasn’t a sure thing. I hesitated before departing. There was not much of a motivation - aside from feeling of having danced not very much for much of the month. I ended up leaving from work around 6:40 without having a dinner beforehand.
SOS is still being held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The walls separating the two rooms on the north side was removed completely thus improving the circulation. There was one fan placed on the north side by the northwest corner of the wooden floor.
I spotted three people I associate with Cambridge – Ed, Laura and Liam, and chatted with each of them over the course of the evening. I find it somewhat amusing that in case of Laura and Liam, the last time I spoke to either of them was in London many weeks ago.
I think I had about 15-20 dances tonight. It was nice dancing with different people and to different music – although the music was very up and down in quality. I mostly asked people who I was surer of being interested in dancing with me. This meant I was mostly avoiding people who struck me as being stuck-up even if they might be marginally better. It also meant avoiding anyone who I felt gave me remotest sign of negativity real or imagined. I think I might have been a little self-conscious tonight and felt a bit second or even third class. It feels like aside from getting somewhat better at adding musical interpretation to my dancing, I haven’t improved very much with dancing On1. Then again, it feels like my dancing On2 is improving at a glacier pace too.
Songs I recognized and remember include Chanchullo (Fania All-Stars?? not sure), La Muerte (El Gran Combo), El Paso De Encarnacion (not sure which version but I think I heard Tony play the same version before), Cuando Te Vea (Tito Puente), Puerto Rico-Adoracion Medley (Eddie Palmieri???), A Gozar Con Mi Combo (Cachao), Lady (some new version), Caballo Viejo (Roberto Torres). The song selections were okay but not great – I would have preferred to have some of the named songs not played.
I ended up chatting with Liam a bit at the end of the evening. During this conversation, we were handed a flier for a Salsa event. I think this event is worth mentioning for Cambridge folks.
--
Breast Cancer Salsa Charity Event
All the sponsors, organizers, performers and instructors, fliers, venue, etc are provided free for this event. All proceeds will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer Charity (www.breakthrough.org.uk). They are hoping to raise £4000 through this event.
Date: Bank Holiday Monday August 27th (i.e. the day after Scala all-nighter)
Location: The Corn Exchange, 31 Market Place, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1DY (~20 minute drive from Cambridge)
Guest Instructors: Laith Sami and Miriam Oppel (styling classes 7:20-7:55 PM, advanced partner work 8-9 PM)
Performers: Shelley & Lee, Diablo Dance Company, and three other couples performing Blues, Cha Cha and Tango.
Entry: minimum donation of £10 per person.
For more detail, go to www.salsamachine.co.uk
So at the very worst, the money will go to a good cause. They must be hoping for at least 300 people to attend the event so the party might be of decent quality (assuming any profit from drinks go to charity as well). Club Salsa won’t be open that day so it’s not like there will be another Salsa option in Cambridge.
--
Speaking of Bank Holiday, Vish asked me to talk about signing up for the coach to Scala. If you are interested in going, taking the coach seems like the sane way to go. So talk to him and don’t wait until Sunday – do it by Weds, Thurs or surely Friday by latest.
It wasn’t a sure thing. I hesitated before departing. There was not much of a motivation - aside from feeling of having danced not very much for much of the month. I ended up leaving from work around 6:40 without having a dinner beforehand.
SOS is still being held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The walls separating the two rooms on the north side was removed completely thus improving the circulation. There was one fan placed on the north side by the northwest corner of the wooden floor.
I spotted three people I associate with Cambridge – Ed, Laura and Liam, and chatted with each of them over the course of the evening. I find it somewhat amusing that in case of Laura and Liam, the last time I spoke to either of them was in London many weeks ago.
I think I had about 15-20 dances tonight. It was nice dancing with different people and to different music – although the music was very up and down in quality. I mostly asked people who I was surer of being interested in dancing with me. This meant I was mostly avoiding people who struck me as being stuck-up even if they might be marginally better. It also meant avoiding anyone who I felt gave me remotest sign of negativity real or imagined. I think I might have been a little self-conscious tonight and felt a bit second or even third class. It feels like aside from getting somewhat better at adding musical interpretation to my dancing, I haven’t improved very much with dancing On1. Then again, it feels like my dancing On2 is improving at a glacier pace too.
Songs I recognized and remember include Chanchullo (Fania All-Stars?? not sure), La Muerte (El Gran Combo), El Paso De Encarnacion (not sure which version but I think I heard Tony play the same version before), Cuando Te Vea (Tito Puente), Puerto Rico-Adoracion Medley (Eddie Palmieri???), A Gozar Con Mi Combo (Cachao), Lady (some new version), Caballo Viejo (Roberto Torres). The song selections were okay but not great – I would have preferred to have some of the named songs not played.
I ended up chatting with Liam a bit at the end of the evening. During this conversation, we were handed a flier for a Salsa event. I think this event is worth mentioning for Cambridge folks.
--
Breast Cancer Salsa Charity Event
All the sponsors, organizers, performers and instructors, fliers, venue, etc are provided free for this event. All proceeds will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer Charity (www.breakthrough.org.uk). They are hoping to raise £4000 through this event.
Date: Bank Holiday Monday August 27th (i.e. the day after Scala all-nighter)
Location: The Corn Exchange, 31 Market Place, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1DY (~20 minute drive from Cambridge)
Guest Instructors: Laith Sami and Miriam Oppel (styling classes 7:20-7:55 PM, advanced partner work 8-9 PM)
Performers: Shelley & Lee, Diablo Dance Company, and three other couples performing Blues, Cha Cha and Tango.
Entry: minimum donation of £10 per person.
For more detail, go to www.salsamachine.co.uk
So at the very worst, the money will go to a good cause. They must be hoping for at least 300 people to attend the event so the party might be of decent quality (assuming any profit from drinks go to charity as well). Club Salsa won’t be open that day so it’s not like there will be another Salsa option in Cambridge.
--
Speaking of Bank Holiday, Vish asked me to talk about signing up for the coach to Scala. If you are interested in going, taking the coach seems like the sane way to go. So talk to him and don’t wait until Sunday – do it by Weds, Thurs or surely Friday by latest.
Vish here, Johnny no, etc etc
August 17, 2007
Nothing happened so I was at Club Salsa fairly early – by around 10:20. Johnny is away on a vacation, and I think Jay covered for him. There was a considerable drop-off from last night – only ones present were Rajiv and Sebastian, and it was something of a surprise that they stayed for most of the evening considering the lack of usual suspects or enough suitable replacements. Vishal played mostly Salsa – maybe 2 Merengue, 2 Bachata and 2 Reggaeton and Hips Don’t Lie (call it Samba?) up until 1:45, which was when I left. Vishal was worried about some glitches with the sound system, but it seemed fine during the social – at least to my ears. The mystery couple from last night was there again for a short time. I didn’t get to ask the woman for a dance, but I did learn that they are from Austria. She will be here until Monday (so that’s a lost opportunity), and he’s here for 3 weeks for work – no idea if he will show up without her. Over the course of the evening I danced with ~7 people including a housemate of Sebastian. Much later on in the evening, there was a surprisingly easy girl to dance with. Apparently she’s used to a style I don’t recognize (not Cuban as I see it here, seemingly not Cuban Miami nor LA nor NY ET2 nor Ballroom Mambo) and completely mistook some of my leads for something else, but it was not a struggle. Liz was another surprise show even later in evening and obliged me with me a dance to Fragile. I finished my dance of the evening with a couple with Sharon. I can’t believe how little dance practice I have been getting lately in social setting.
Nothing happened so I was at Club Salsa fairly early – by around 10:20. Johnny is away on a vacation, and I think Jay covered for him. There was a considerable drop-off from last night – only ones present were Rajiv and Sebastian, and it was something of a surprise that they stayed for most of the evening considering the lack of usual suspects or enough suitable replacements. Vishal played mostly Salsa – maybe 2 Merengue, 2 Bachata and 2 Reggaeton and Hips Don’t Lie (call it Samba?) up until 1:45, which was when I left. Vishal was worried about some glitches with the sound system, but it seemed fine during the social – at least to my ears. The mystery couple from last night was there again for a short time. I didn’t get to ask the woman for a dance, but I did learn that they are from Austria. She will be here until Monday (so that’s a lost opportunity), and he’s here for 3 weeks for work – no idea if he will show up without her. Over the course of the evening I danced with ~7 people including a housemate of Sebastian. Much later on in the evening, there was a surprisingly easy girl to dance with. Apparently she’s used to a style I don’t recognize (not Cuban as I see it here, seemingly not Cuban Miami nor LA nor NY ET2 nor Ballroom Mambo) and completely mistook some of my leads for something else, but it was not a struggle. Liz was another surprise show even later in evening and obliged me with me a dance to Fragile. I finished my dance of the evening with a couple with Sharon. I can’t believe how little dance practice I have been getting lately in social setting.
Another anomalous Thursday
August 16, 2007
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia (version from Plante Bandera)*
El Cantante Y La Orquesta – Angel Canales*
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony
Nadie Se Salve De La Rumba – Celia Cruz-Ray Barretto-Adalberto Santiago
El Hueso De Maria – Tito Rodriguez*
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Baila Que Baila – Jose Alberto “El Canario”*
Atizame El Fogon – Willie Rosario*
Traicion – Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound* (1)
Ay Que Rico – Eddie Palmieri*
Ahora Me Da Pena – Henry Fiol*
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe (2)
Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso – Eddie Palmieri*
Fuego A La Jicotea – Marvin Santiago
Lo Loma De Belen – Santigo Ceron*
No Quiero Na’ Regalao – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Agua Limpia Todo – Tito Puente
Picadillo – Tito Puente (50s version)
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Llore – Hector Lavoe
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson
Bailando – Frankie Ruiz
Contigo – Cache (3)
You Will Remember Me – Domenic Marte
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
(1) I guess this was my Coro Miyare of tonight.
(2) I originally picked Fuego A La Jicotea but ended up fiddling with the song order quite a bit here - ending up inserting two songs before getting to Marvin Santiago.
(3) Somehow I ended up being too busy to dance most of the night. I did have a dance to this song, however.
Total 28 songs. 1 Cha Cha (new). 1 Bachata. 26 Salsa (12 new).
This was a very busy night of social dancing. I don’t recall it being more crowded and staying so for such long time this summer. Most people seemed too busy to dance to stop for drinks, etc. That’s not necessarily good.
There was a new couple standing out quite a bit from the crowd – quite showy but also doing well musically and dancing with interesting flavor. They only danced with each other though – a bit of a shame. I’m guessing that they were just passing through – one would think that they would have made more of an effort to socialize with other people if they had just moved to Cambridge. I think they danced to all of the songs I played except for Nadie Como Ella by Marc Anthony – they decided to make Traicion their last song of the evening and were seen to leave during Henry Fiol. I don't know if anyone here made any effort to chat with them.
Zern is back. I caught up with him briefly at the Sauce before I came down early to Club Salsa to get ready. Mimi also made a rare appearance – and I didn’t dance with her! Oh well. Also at the same table were Sebastian and Louise.
Vishal also returned this evening. He showed up towards the end of the first half of the social. He adjusted sound system immediately resulting in a abrupt boost of sound, which might have startled some people. This happened somewhere between Mama Guela and Atizame El Fogon – I’m guessing Baila Que Baila, but I don’t remember for sure. He also turned on the air circulation pump (or whatever it’s called), which made the AC more effective. Good to have him back – now things should run more smoothly (aside from occasional power failures, flooding, etc).
It was nice to play some different music once again. I don't think I'll do it very frequently because it does cut into dancing a bit. Sally had offered to get someone else to relieve me after a while, but I declined because I still had a number of songs I really wanted to play.
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia (version from Plante Bandera)*
El Cantante Y La Orquesta – Angel Canales*
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony
Nadie Se Salve De La Rumba – Celia Cruz-Ray Barretto-Adalberto Santiago
El Hueso De Maria – Tito Rodriguez*
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Baila Que Baila – Jose Alberto “El Canario”*
Atizame El Fogon – Willie Rosario*
Traicion – Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound* (1)
Ay Que Rico – Eddie Palmieri*
Ahora Me Da Pena – Henry Fiol*
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe (2)
Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso – Eddie Palmieri*
Fuego A La Jicotea – Marvin Santiago
Lo Loma De Belen – Santigo Ceron*
No Quiero Na’ Regalao – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Agua Limpia Todo – Tito Puente
Picadillo – Tito Puente (50s version)
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Llore – Hector Lavoe
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson
Bailando – Frankie Ruiz
Contigo – Cache (3)
You Will Remember Me – Domenic Marte
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
(1) I guess this was my Coro Miyare of tonight.
(2) I originally picked Fuego A La Jicotea but ended up fiddling with the song order quite a bit here - ending up inserting two songs before getting to Marvin Santiago.
(3) Somehow I ended up being too busy to dance most of the night. I did have a dance to this song, however.
Total 28 songs. 1 Cha Cha (new). 1 Bachata. 26 Salsa (12 new).
This was a very busy night of social dancing. I don’t recall it being more crowded and staying so for such long time this summer. Most people seemed too busy to dance to stop for drinks, etc. That’s not necessarily good.
There was a new couple standing out quite a bit from the crowd – quite showy but also doing well musically and dancing with interesting flavor. They only danced with each other though – a bit of a shame. I’m guessing that they were just passing through – one would think that they would have made more of an effort to socialize with other people if they had just moved to Cambridge. I think they danced to all of the songs I played except for Nadie Como Ella by Marc Anthony – they decided to make Traicion their last song of the evening and were seen to leave during Henry Fiol. I don't know if anyone here made any effort to chat with them.
Zern is back. I caught up with him briefly at the Sauce before I came down early to Club Salsa to get ready. Mimi also made a rare appearance – and I didn’t dance with her! Oh well. Also at the same table were Sebastian and Louise.
Vishal also returned this evening. He showed up towards the end of the first half of the social. He adjusted sound system immediately resulting in a abrupt boost of sound, which might have startled some people. This happened somewhere between Mama Guela and Atizame El Fogon – I’m guessing Baila Que Baila, but I don’t remember for sure. He also turned on the air circulation pump (or whatever it’s called), which made the AC more effective. Good to have him back – now things should run more smoothly (aside from occasional power failures, flooding, etc).
It was nice to play some different music once again. I don't think I'll do it very frequently because it does cut into dancing a bit. Sally had offered to get someone else to relieve me after a while, but I declined because I still had a number of songs I really wanted to play.
Most intense session to date
August 13, 2007
This evening’s session was somewhat more intense and tiring for me than usual. Towards the end of the hour-long isolation sessions, I had to take a small sip of water. I don’t recall doing this in any previous session. I think some of the movements are becoming easier or at least not a complete mess of flailing of body parts. No doubt I would laugh at myself if I somehow keep up with this and get better. But then again, it is questionable if these sessions will continue without someone like Sergio to lead and make things more challenging – maintaining current level might be enough of a challenge.
Turning and spinning and keeping upright was a bit a challenge this evening. I thought I was just having a bad day, but in retrospect I think I was just low in energy – not enough food through the hours I spent awake. In fact by nine pm, I was feeling quite hungry. Perhaps this made the partner-work session seem more challenging. I don’t think the material was so challenging or foreign, but there seemed to be a lot of new-ish material. I think my grasp of the material is weaker than usual.
Something like a half-spot turn for follower
5,6,7 for follower is like Mambo basic (second half)
1,2,3 forward-forward-forward
5,6,7 sharp half turn clockwise (but in same momentum as before so that her center of gravity is transferred as if another step was taken) and then like second half of Mambo basic
Leader is thus doing at the same time…
5,6,7 basic (mirror of follower) – closed hold
1,2,3 back-back-back
5,6,7 leader gets into CBL position (as of next bar) and lead follower into the clockwise turn leading with R hand-arm on follower’s back to lead this (better make this sharp)
1,2,3 finish with CBL
I wonder if this move above would make less sense for On1 compared to On2.
This next part reminded me of “Adios con la hermana”
5,6,7,1,2 same as spot turn
3 raise R-L
5,6,7 walk underneath L-R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise on 5 and backwards charge for 6,7
Next part is quite baffling – I’m least sure about this part – probably full of errors
1,2,3 lead follower to a single clockwise turn two-handed (reconnecting with R-L first) – leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise after leading follower to turn (starting on 3? – I’m quite lost with leader’s footwork here – swivel turn? get L wrist about R forearm when turned??)
5,6,7 leader is half turned on 5 and toss follower’s L hand behind her R waist and turn ~7 to lead follower to
8,1,2,3 (?) to a double stationary clockwise turn – let go L-R and connect R-L behind follower’s R waist
A little better
5,6,7,1,2,3,5,6 Copa (keeping R-L straight – my note: it might help to step forward on 7 as well as staying in place on 6) – follower starts turning ~3 as in typical Copa and end with leader turning full counterclockwise (probably starting ~5)
Into somewhat murky waters once again
5,6,7 (finishing Copa) prepare to toss starting around 5 with the toss R-L over leader’s head coming on 7-8 or so and getting into CBL position
1,2,3 connect L-R to lead follower into free 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn
It seems like Sergio might be falling into a too many moves trap here. Because it seemed like some of the people are finding the material more or less doable (without really having mastered it – rather difficult to do with rather little opportunity for practice), he decided that the material was not challenging enough. While simply becoming acquainted with some of these foreign-seeming material could be useful, I really dislike having a very vague idea about how to lead these moves because I doubt I would be able to do them well unless I have a good mental picture of what I am supposed to do. I think the biggest problem is that there simply is not very much time left to do these classes. Then again, some others may have appreciated maximal amount of material.
Some private items. Group meeting in the morning – first presentation of screen results. Car battery was replaced in the afternoon. Curry for dinner with Sergio and Cyrille after the class with vacation plan in September as the biggest topic.
This evening’s session was somewhat more intense and tiring for me than usual. Towards the end of the hour-long isolation sessions, I had to take a small sip of water. I don’t recall doing this in any previous session. I think some of the movements are becoming easier or at least not a complete mess of flailing of body parts. No doubt I would laugh at myself if I somehow keep up with this and get better. But then again, it is questionable if these sessions will continue without someone like Sergio to lead and make things more challenging – maintaining current level might be enough of a challenge.
Turning and spinning and keeping upright was a bit a challenge this evening. I thought I was just having a bad day, but in retrospect I think I was just low in energy – not enough food through the hours I spent awake. In fact by nine pm, I was feeling quite hungry. Perhaps this made the partner-work session seem more challenging. I don’t think the material was so challenging or foreign, but there seemed to be a lot of new-ish material. I think my grasp of the material is weaker than usual.
Something like a half-spot turn for follower
5,6,7 for follower is like Mambo basic (second half)
1,2,3 forward-forward-forward
5,6,7 sharp half turn clockwise (but in same momentum as before so that her center of gravity is transferred as if another step was taken) and then like second half of Mambo basic
Leader is thus doing at the same time…
5,6,7 basic (mirror of follower) – closed hold
1,2,3 back-back-back
5,6,7 leader gets into CBL position (as of next bar) and lead follower into the clockwise turn leading with R hand-arm on follower’s back to lead this (better make this sharp)
1,2,3 finish with CBL
I wonder if this move above would make less sense for On1 compared to On2.
This next part reminded me of “Adios con la hermana”
5,6,7,1,2 same as spot turn
3 raise R-L
5,6,7 walk underneath L-R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise on 5 and backwards charge for 6,7
Next part is quite baffling – I’m least sure about this part – probably full of errors
1,2,3 lead follower to a single clockwise turn two-handed (reconnecting with R-L first) – leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise after leading follower to turn (starting on 3? – I’m quite lost with leader’s footwork here – swivel turn? get L wrist about R forearm when turned??)
5,6,7 leader is half turned on 5 and toss follower’s L hand behind her R waist and turn ~7 to lead follower to
8,1,2,3 (?) to a double stationary clockwise turn – let go L-R and connect R-L behind follower’s R waist
A little better
5,6,7,1,2,3,5,6 Copa (keeping R-L straight – my note: it might help to step forward on 7 as well as staying in place on 6) – follower starts turning ~3 as in typical Copa and end with leader turning full counterclockwise (probably starting ~5)
Into somewhat murky waters once again
5,6,7 (finishing Copa) prepare to toss starting around 5 with the toss R-L over leader’s head coming on 7-8 or so and getting into CBL position
1,2,3 connect L-R to lead follower into free 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn
It seems like Sergio might be falling into a too many moves trap here. Because it seemed like some of the people are finding the material more or less doable (without really having mastered it – rather difficult to do with rather little opportunity for practice), he decided that the material was not challenging enough. While simply becoming acquainted with some of these foreign-seeming material could be useful, I really dislike having a very vague idea about how to lead these moves because I doubt I would be able to do them well unless I have a good mental picture of what I am supposed to do. I think the biggest problem is that there simply is not very much time left to do these classes. Then again, some others may have appreciated maximal amount of material.
Some private items. Group meeting in the morning – first presentation of screen results. Car battery was replaced in the afternoon. Curry for dinner with Sergio and Cyrille after the class with vacation plan in September as the biggest topic.
Grand plans
August 10, 2007
Vishal is still away. Ditto for Cyrille and domino-like effect their absence created. Cyrille should return next week, and Zern should return the week after that. I suspect Vishal will be back somewhere between them. Club Salsa has fair bit of jury-rigged aspect to it, and Vishal knows best all its weak points. Sally and Ivan were wondering if the sound equipment was all falling apart and if Vishal will return to find everything broken. Yesterday Sally was finding the CD player on the left side to be acting fussy still. As for tonight I did not notice any major problems with the audio system. Johnny was again gone by the time I arrived. Apparently he is going abroad, and Serap left already. I recall Serap saying that she would not be around during the Latinfest weekend, so I guess they are going to have a nice long vacation. As far as Salsa is concerned, it is dog days of summer - too many vacations. The kids in Singapore and Germany are not due back for several weeks. Louise was back from her vacation, but she did not stay long tonight. Nicola and Lindsey too were there but seemed to tire fairly early. Hayden was a surprise show again. Cinzia and Peter were there for a little over an hour only. Sharon was stuck behind the bar for a large part of the evening and presumably would have stayed there longer except it wasn’t particularly busy tonight. Shila was the DJ again doing his best to squeeze as much out of his music collection as possible. At first I was a little surprised that Vishal did not ask me to cover for him (all he or anyone left in charge needs to do is ask me – they don’t even have to say please – but maybe there’s a good reason. An amusing and self-gratifying explanation I have is that Vishal wanted to make sure that he would be missed as much as possible – it’s a part of a grand plan (I’m being facetious of course – I imagine that if anything Vishal is trying to come up with a grand plan during his time off).
As for me, it has been a quiet summer. Hamburg did not happen – I waited too long until it became untenable. I have taken a long break from SOS – longest in a very long time. I think I’ll make an effort to go next weekend – I don’t think the weekend after will be any good (Latinfest / Scala weekend), and I’m out of country the weekend after that. No grand plans for me unfortunately. I should try to think of one.
Vishal is still away. Ditto for Cyrille and domino-like effect their absence created. Cyrille should return next week, and Zern should return the week after that. I suspect Vishal will be back somewhere between them. Club Salsa has fair bit of jury-rigged aspect to it, and Vishal knows best all its weak points. Sally and Ivan were wondering if the sound equipment was all falling apart and if Vishal will return to find everything broken. Yesterday Sally was finding the CD player on the left side to be acting fussy still. As for tonight I did not notice any major problems with the audio system. Johnny was again gone by the time I arrived. Apparently he is going abroad, and Serap left already. I recall Serap saying that she would not be around during the Latinfest weekend, so I guess they are going to have a nice long vacation. As far as Salsa is concerned, it is dog days of summer - too many vacations. The kids in Singapore and Germany are not due back for several weeks. Louise was back from her vacation, but she did not stay long tonight. Nicola and Lindsey too were there but seemed to tire fairly early. Hayden was a surprise show again. Cinzia and Peter were there for a little over an hour only. Sharon was stuck behind the bar for a large part of the evening and presumably would have stayed there longer except it wasn’t particularly busy tonight. Shila was the DJ again doing his best to squeeze as much out of his music collection as possible. At first I was a little surprised that Vishal did not ask me to cover for him (all he or anyone left in charge needs to do is ask me – they don’t even have to say please – but maybe there’s a good reason. An amusing and self-gratifying explanation I have is that Vishal wanted to make sure that he would be missed as much as possible – it’s a part of a grand plan (I’m being facetious of course – I imagine that if anything Vishal is trying to come up with a grand plan during his time off).
As for me, it has been a quiet summer. Hamburg did not happen – I waited too long until it became untenable. I have taken a long break from SOS – longest in a very long time. I think I’ll make an effort to go next weekend – I don’t think the weekend after will be any good (Latinfest / Scala weekend), and I’m out of country the weekend after that. No grand plans for me unfortunately. I should try to think of one.
Too many moves
August 9, 2007
Intermediate with Sally & Chris
crossed hold R-R on top
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into reverse CBL position – lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn with L-L kept low to get L-L behind follower’s R waist – CBL-like position but very close to follower and essentially level rather than in front of follower as would be the case in normal CBL position
1,2,3,5,6,7 between 8 and 2 get R-R behind follower’s L waist (some hints here include keeping R-R straight early – step to R on 1 to be positioned well behind follower) – on 3 leader needs to be position himself into a position more in front of follower – this could be done in part with footwork but moving upper body would also help) – use R to lead follower into travelling 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn – lead this on 4 (!) keeping L-L behind follower’s waist and touch-and-go to end L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa like start with connecting R-R at follower’s face level on 1 (I suppose R hand would have to offered early – it would seem follower would have to be fairly fast here bringing her R hand from behind her back to in front) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 apparently the way I was leading R-R on 1 seemed too Cuban for Sally (I thought I did not know how to dance Cuban – funny – instead of new yorker-like lead on 1, I think a miniscule open break was preferred, but I am quite unsure about this one) – lead follower to turn clockwise while stepping back rather big on 2 to be back-to-back with follower on 3 and connecting L-L (somewhat like back-to-back crucifix) – lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn for a neck wrap for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 make R-R connection in front of follower and lead her to turn counterclockwise on 2,3 followed by a flick (I found this part something of a nightmare – with most partners in class I never felt like I was close to leading this flick and even the best attempts seemed maybe 10% right – with Sally, I did not even get to this part because of too Cuban-like lead in the previous bar – in any case, it involved a clockwise movement followed by a counterclockwise movement and flick happens sometime during the counterclockwise movement – I suppose not using flicks at all during social dancing doesn’t help
There is some interesting material here, but I wonder if I will retain anything. There are too many things to work on and I don’t think I’ll have enough time and opportunity.
I ended up doing the improver class during the second hour. What was the routine?
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL and lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 half clockwise turn getting follower’s arms above and around leader’s head and down to waist switching to L-L and R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into open CBL position with follower to leader’s L and lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start, overtake and occupy follower’s space instead of completing Copa – I’m a little confused now because the next part seems just like a small segment of routine described above (maybe I’m blending two routine by mistake and I wonder if I am remembering things incorrectly here – not that it matters much) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower [I can’t remember for sure if this was used during the first hour or the second hour or both, but I guess I must have found it the most memorable move.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader – ummm… I give up.
Sally arrived quite late – some accident on the road again (second time in 2-3 weeks according to Rajiv). Chris arrived even later. Many others arrived late also including Hayden. Charlotte was a no-show until the second hour.
No Sergio tonight – I think he wanted to make sure that he would not be put in the spotlight on the dance floor. Chris was something of a surprise show – I think he picked 3-5 songs acting as a DJ. No Lindsey, but Nicola was there and had the most amusing dance with Chris using only her left hand for pretty much all of the song (she was holding a water bottle with her other hand). Zhenzhi was there but only for a very short time – we talked about London. Like last week, Ivan danced with more people than usual. Sally claimed no responsibilities for some moves Hayden was using (not sure which particular ones). Probably the song of the evening for me tonight was Revolucionando. I also danced just under a minute with Sally to Lluvia Con Nieve. It looks like my next DJing session will happen next week.
Today’s question directed at me was whether I have done Tai Chi. I have heard of it, but I don’t think I can say what it looks like. I think the phrase Kung Fu style has been used by some although I must profess having no practical experience there either. Tango? One lesson hardly counts. Ballroom? I doubt eight weeks of CDC beginner lessons well over a year ago would make me look like a Ballroom dancer. Heck, I still haven’t gotten around to make a video recording of my dancing.
Intermediate with Sally & Chris
crossed hold R-R on top
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into reverse CBL position – lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn with L-L kept low to get L-L behind follower’s R waist – CBL-like position but very close to follower and essentially level rather than in front of follower as would be the case in normal CBL position
1,2,3,5,6,7 between 8 and 2 get R-R behind follower’s L waist (some hints here include keeping R-R straight early – step to R on 1 to be positioned well behind follower) – on 3 leader needs to be position himself into a position more in front of follower – this could be done in part with footwork but moving upper body would also help) – use R to lead follower into travelling 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn – lead this on 4 (!) keeping L-L behind follower’s waist and touch-and-go to end L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa like start with connecting R-R at follower’s face level on 1 (I suppose R hand would have to offered early – it would seem follower would have to be fairly fast here bringing her R hand from behind her back to in front) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 apparently the way I was leading R-R on 1 seemed too Cuban for Sally (I thought I did not know how to dance Cuban – funny – instead of new yorker-like lead on 1, I think a miniscule open break was preferred, but I am quite unsure about this one) – lead follower to turn clockwise while stepping back rather big on 2 to be back-to-back with follower on 3 and connecting L-L (somewhat like back-to-back crucifix) – lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn for a neck wrap for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 make R-R connection in front of follower and lead her to turn counterclockwise on 2,3 followed by a flick (I found this part something of a nightmare – with most partners in class I never felt like I was close to leading this flick and even the best attempts seemed maybe 10% right – with Sally, I did not even get to this part because of too Cuban-like lead in the previous bar – in any case, it involved a clockwise movement followed by a counterclockwise movement and flick happens sometime during the counterclockwise movement – I suppose not using flicks at all during social dancing doesn’t help
There is some interesting material here, but I wonder if I will retain anything. There are too many things to work on and I don’t think I’ll have enough time and opportunity.
I ended up doing the improver class during the second hour. What was the routine?
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL and lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 half clockwise turn getting follower’s arms above and around leader’s head and down to waist switching to L-L and R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into open CBL position with follower to leader’s L and lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start, overtake and occupy follower’s space instead of completing Copa – I’m a little confused now because the next part seems just like a small segment of routine described above (maybe I’m blending two routine by mistake and I wonder if I am remembering things incorrectly here – not that it matters much) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower [I can’t remember for sure if this was used during the first hour or the second hour or both, but I guess I must have found it the most memorable move.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader – ummm… I give up.
Sally arrived quite late – some accident on the road again (second time in 2-3 weeks according to Rajiv). Chris arrived even later. Many others arrived late also including Hayden. Charlotte was a no-show until the second hour.
No Sergio tonight – I think he wanted to make sure that he would not be put in the spotlight on the dance floor. Chris was something of a surprise show – I think he picked 3-5 songs acting as a DJ. No Lindsey, but Nicola was there and had the most amusing dance with Chris using only her left hand for pretty much all of the song (she was holding a water bottle with her other hand). Zhenzhi was there but only for a very short time – we talked about London. Like last week, Ivan danced with more people than usual. Sally claimed no responsibilities for some moves Hayden was using (not sure which particular ones). Probably the song of the evening for me tonight was Revolucionando. I also danced just under a minute with Sally to Lluvia Con Nieve. It looks like my next DJing session will happen next week.
Today’s question directed at me was whether I have done Tai Chi. I have heard of it, but I don’t think I can say what it looks like. I think the phrase Kung Fu style has been used by some although I must profess having no practical experience there either. Tango? One lesson hardly counts. Ballroom? I doubt eight weeks of CDC beginner lessons well over a year ago would make me look like a Ballroom dancer. Heck, I still haven’t gotten around to make a video recording of my dancing.
Back on the saddle
August 6, 2007
Neck is feeling better. I decided to take it easy as a precautionary measure. Move it only a little and gently and see how it feels tomorrow.
Shine
1 R cross over L
2 L to L (~normal standing position)
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (L behind R, R next to L, L in front of R)
6 R to R (~normal standing position)
7 R kick
8&1 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (mirror above)
2 L to L
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis
6 R backwards charge and brake
7 finish back basic
Ascribed to a F Martinez clip (at least the first part).
R-R hold
6,7 open break (slightly to left)
1,2,3 follower’s footwork here is R on 1 (slightly twisted to L), step rather far to L with L (crossing over) on 2 and back to ~normal standing feet position on 3) leader overtakes on 1 (moving slightly to left), turn (~1/2 clockwise) and hook step on 2 and to L on 3 – use free L hand on follower’s L shoulder (gets there shortly after 1) follower goes under R-R arm between 2 and 3 moving to leader's R (completed before 5) – position at 3 is leader behind follower and slightly to her L
5 leader steps forward slightly overtaking her – now R-R is behind leader’s R waist
6 leader steps backwards (upper body turned around) crossing follower’s path and reconnecting L-L in front
7 weight transfer to R with leader turning his body clockwise and L-L going over his head – leave follower’s L on leader’s R forearm
1 L backwards step away from follower’s line (now in reverse CBL-like position) and start to lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn (could be touch-and-go)
2,3 feet in place while leading follower to aforementioned travelling turn
5,6,7 half broken left turn while L-L hat for leader – open CBL position
1,2,3 lead 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower (free turn)
This really describes positions only - note that follower's movements are guided (led) by the leader. It may need some corrections.
Even numbers made partner work session more enjoyable for me. A lot more practice than usual.
After dropping off Sergio, I stopped by Club Salsa for about an hour. I did not recognize too many people - even the ones I recognized were relative newcomers. Still giving them a practice could be worthwhile. Danie was the DJ - nice.
Neck is feeling better. I decided to take it easy as a precautionary measure. Move it only a little and gently and see how it feels tomorrow.
Shine
1 R cross over L
2 L to L (~normal standing position)
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (L behind R, R next to L, L in front of R)
6 R to R (~normal standing position)
7 R kick
8&1 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (mirror above)
2 L to L
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis
6 R backwards charge and brake
7 finish back basic
Ascribed to a F Martinez clip (at least the first part).
R-R hold
6,7 open break (slightly to left)
1,2,3 follower’s footwork here is R on 1 (slightly twisted to L), step rather far to L with L (crossing over) on 2 and back to ~normal standing feet position on 3) leader overtakes on 1 (moving slightly to left), turn (~1/2 clockwise) and hook step on 2 and to L on 3 – use free L hand on follower’s L shoulder (gets there shortly after 1) follower goes under R-R arm between 2 and 3 moving to leader's R (completed before 5) – position at 3 is leader behind follower and slightly to her L
5 leader steps forward slightly overtaking her – now R-R is behind leader’s R waist
6 leader steps backwards (upper body turned around) crossing follower’s path and reconnecting L-L in front
7 weight transfer to R with leader turning his body clockwise and L-L going over his head – leave follower’s L on leader’s R forearm
1 L backwards step away from follower’s line (now in reverse CBL-like position) and start to lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn (could be touch-and-go)
2,3 feet in place while leading follower to aforementioned travelling turn
5,6,7 half broken left turn while L-L hat for leader – open CBL position
1,2,3 lead 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower (free turn)
This really describes positions only - note that follower's movements are guided (led) by the leader. It may need some corrections.
Even numbers made partner work session more enjoyable for me. A lot more practice than usual.
After dropping off Sergio, I stopped by Club Salsa for about an hour. I did not recognize too many people - even the ones I recognized were relative newcomers. Still giving them a practice could be worthwhile. Danie was the DJ - nice.
Random fluctuation
August 3, 2007
As expected the unusual crowding of last Friday did not continue. I think it's just random fluctuation although it's possible that poor sound was noted by others like Sergio and Ivan. The problem with the CD player on the left side apparently was there last Thursday (or so I was told by Sally yesterday). I suppose even yesterday was slightly problematic because one of the speakers was not working. So everything is running slightly subpar with Vishal gone. I can't remember if all speakers were working today, but then again I did not notice any serious sound problems.
Danie was the DJ tonight. Because Shila was there, I talked to him about it. I think he thought I was trying to make fun of him. I suppose I was - just a little, but Shila was pretty solid aside from the technical problem (which was fixed with turning off of the microphone) and some early weak song choices, and he'll be back next week. I think Danie was using Vishal's collection - there were a lot of old time Vish favorites along with some classics Vishal doesn't play often. Generally the songs were solid old crowd favorites with only a few misses - some new and some old.
Like last week, Luis was asking me if I would be DJing again. He seems to have the impression that I play kind of music he likes. I suspect that he would only like very small percentage of what I would play though. Grass looks greener on the other side. It's more likely that I will DJ again on some Thursdays.
I wasn't expecting to see a lot of people I know tonight. Some are out of town. Some others would not come because of some people not being there. It wasn't too bad for me - having come with low expectations, and I did have some dances I enjoyed. I did not stay to the end - leaving around 1:10.
As expected the unusual crowding of last Friday did not continue. I think it's just random fluctuation although it's possible that poor sound was noted by others like Sergio and Ivan. The problem with the CD player on the left side apparently was there last Thursday (or so I was told by Sally yesterday). I suppose even yesterday was slightly problematic because one of the speakers was not working. So everything is running slightly subpar with Vishal gone. I can't remember if all speakers were working today, but then again I did not notice any serious sound problems.
Danie was the DJ tonight. Because Shila was there, I talked to him about it. I think he thought I was trying to make fun of him. I suppose I was - just a little, but Shila was pretty solid aside from the technical problem (which was fixed with turning off of the microphone) and some early weak song choices, and he'll be back next week. I think Danie was using Vishal's collection - there were a lot of old time Vish favorites along with some classics Vishal doesn't play often. Generally the songs were solid old crowd favorites with only a few misses - some new and some old.
Like last week, Luis was asking me if I would be DJing again. He seems to have the impression that I play kind of music he likes. I suspect that he would only like very small percentage of what I would play though. Grass looks greener on the other side. It's more likely that I will DJ again on some Thursdays.
I wasn't expecting to see a lot of people I know tonight. Some are out of town. Some others would not come because of some people not being there. It wasn't too bad for me - having come with low expectations, and I did have some dances I enjoyed. I did not stay to the end - leaving around 1:10.
Thursday debut
August 2, 2007
Playlist
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
El Verdadero Son - Estrellas Caiman*
Bamboleo - Fania All-Stars with Celia Cruz*
Perico Macona - Sabor Con Angel Canales*
Mentirosa - Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Tiene Sabor - Henry Fiol*
Pa' Huele - Eddie Palmieri* (1)
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario
Buenas Noches Che Che - Tito Rodriguez*
El Que Se Fue - Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound*
Noche De Salsa - Louie Ramirez (2)
La Paella - Jose Alberto "El Canario"*
Hay Craneo - Bobby Valentin*
Coro Miyare - Fania All Stars* (3)
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente
Mambo Diablo - Tito Puente (50s version)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Anuncio Clasificado - Willie Rosario
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Usted Abuso - Celia Cruz & Willie Colon
Abandonada Fue - Orchestra Harlow* (4)
Bachata - not sure… put on by Danie
Otra Oportunidad - Jimmy Bosch
Perdoname - Gilberto Santa Rosa
Total songs played during social = 25 songs. I played 24 songs, including 1 Cha Cha (1 new) and 23 Salsa (11 new). I am not completely sure about the song order - had to re-write it from memory. [note added later: one song was out of sequence and corrected.]
(1) I hadn't planned on playing a Cha Cha so early except some new guy requested one (either that or a Bachata). I thought it would work better to play a Cha Cha after a fairly fast song like Tiene Sabor rather than what was going to be a series of medium-paced songs to follow. The only weak part of the decision was that the dance floor was somewhat empty already and Cha Cha did not help.
(2) Another unplanned song. I was considering avoiding this song altogether tonight, but as a birthday song for Sally it made sense. Not too fast. Not too long (~5 minutes although Sergio later said he would have preferred a shorter song). And everyone knows the song so they would feel comfortable jumping in.
(3) This was way too fast. If I were to play it next, I might want to try slowing it down by 10%.
(4) I asked Sergio if he had a request as by this time there were not many people around. Very slow song.
It had been a while since I was the DJ (last time was April 27) so I refrained from dancing and concentrate on DJing to start with. I ended up dancing a bit later on to Periodico De Ayer, Abandona Fue and Otra Oportunidad.
Playlist
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
El Verdadero Son - Estrellas Caiman*
Bamboleo - Fania All-Stars with Celia Cruz*
Perico Macona - Sabor Con Angel Canales*
Mentirosa - Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Tiene Sabor - Henry Fiol*
Pa' Huele - Eddie Palmieri* (1)
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario
Buenas Noches Che Che - Tito Rodriguez*
El Que Se Fue - Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound*
Noche De Salsa - Louie Ramirez (2)
La Paella - Jose Alberto "El Canario"*
Hay Craneo - Bobby Valentin*
Coro Miyare - Fania All Stars* (3)
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente
Mambo Diablo - Tito Puente (50s version)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Anuncio Clasificado - Willie Rosario
Usted Abuso - Celia Cruz & Willie Colon
Abandonada Fue - Orchestra Harlow* (4)
Bachata - not sure… put on by Danie
Otra Oportunidad - Jimmy Bosch
Perdoname - Gilberto Santa Rosa
Total songs played during social = 25 songs. I played 24 songs, including 1 Cha Cha (1 new) and 23 Salsa (11 new). I am not completely sure about the song order - had to re-write it from memory. [note added later: one song was out of sequence and corrected.]
(1) I hadn't planned on playing a Cha Cha so early except some new guy requested one (either that or a Bachata). I thought it would work better to play a Cha Cha after a fairly fast song like Tiene Sabor rather than what was going to be a series of medium-paced songs to follow. The only weak part of the decision was that the dance floor was somewhat empty already and Cha Cha did not help.
(2) Another unplanned song. I was considering avoiding this song altogether tonight, but as a birthday song for Sally it made sense. Not too fast. Not too long (~5 minutes although Sergio later said he would have preferred a shorter song). And everyone knows the song so they would feel comfortable jumping in.
(3) This was way too fast. If I were to play it next, I might want to try slowing it down by 10%.
(4) I asked Sergio if he had a request as by this time there were not many people around. Very slow song.
It had been a while since I was the DJ (last time was April 27) so I refrained from dancing and concentrate on DJing to start with. I ended up dancing a bit later on to Periodico De Ayer, Abandona Fue and Otra Oportunidad.
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