weather versus climate

March 7, 2008

Surreal. I think it summarizes the feeling I had throughout the evening. My thought afterwards on the other hand was, “Another opportunity passed?”

I had a lot of time on my hand this evening so I ended up at Club Salsa quite early – maybe around 9:20. Big class. The biggest beginner class I have ever seen at Club Salsa. Vish seemed a bit flustered with managing such larger number of people. He later told me that it was even worse during the first hour when he had a smaller space. Olga had the improvers and teaching in a manner, which somehow made me think military precision. Joe had the intermediate class with large number of familiar friendly faces. After a brief chat with someone I had seen 3 or 4 weeks ago, I opted to lend help for the beginners.

Pete and Cinzia were a surprise show. They were worried about crowding, and I told them it shouldn’t be a problem. I thought many beginners would leave pretty early so that Pete and Cinzia would find decent amount of space for the hour they were planning on staying. Cinzia by the way is expecting a surprise this Summer (July?) and seemed a little concerned about change of center of gravity. When Joe put on Playa No More for the cool-down, Pete quipped, “Things haven’t changed.” Rajiv added, “I never liked this song much to begin with.”

In any case my prediction about crowding turned out spectacularly wrong. As the first song of the social came on, I saw a large stream of people pouring down the stairs. Many I did not recognize, and many I did recognize were surprises to me. Most of the Wednesday crew were there. Quite a few of the Thursday people (though not the instructors) were there too. Some people I hadn’t seen for long time on Friday returned. The best explanation seemed to be a birthday – meaning there was a birthday dance to be avoided later. Actually there were two birthdays – the second birthday being that of a non-regular.

It was so crowded that I had trouble locating some people. At various points in the evening some people apparently went upstairs and beyond for chats, etc. Later Liam showed up as well – another surprise given neither Cyrille nor Steph was present. Sebastian was another surprise show – I only got to wave hands to him because by that time I was the DJ. Kate was there – her two best friends took part in the class. I think it was a convergence of coincidences. Last week was an anomaly – an unfortunate one. This week too was an anomaly – a type of anomaly that Vish no doubt would mind seeing more often on the whole.

The birthday dance came fairly early in the evening. I wasn’t the only one ducking for cover. Joe made a funny riff about family while overseeing the birthday dance. Before and after the birthday dance, I managed three dances in crowded but fun conditions. In fact I somewhat regret not having enough time before Joe finished his DJ session for chats and dances.


Playlist

Y No Hago Mas Na – El Gran Combo (1)
Prestame Tu Mujer – Grupo Gale
El Verdadero Son – Estrellas Caiman (2)
La Libertad – Rey Reyes
Distinto Y Diferente – Don Perignon
Azucare – Mana* (3)
Chango Ta Beni – Willie Rosario (4)
No Quiero Na Regalao – Gilberto Santa Rosa
Si Hay Negro No Guaguanco – Lebron Brothers
Avisale A Mi Contrario – Roberto Roena
Vamos A Reir Un Poco – Ocho Y Mas (5)
El Cantante Y La Orquesta – Angel Canales
Bilongo – Eddie Palmieri

and near the end of the evening…

Hay Craneo – Tito Rodriguez

(1) Joe left me with a Reggaeton – Gasolina I think. My song selections take into consideration what had been being played, and I try to achieve a smooth transition so deciding on the first few songs was more difficult than usual. Of course those few songs have an effect on what comes on afterwards too. In other words, the first 3 songs could be considered a reaction to the previous DJ, and next 3 songs reflect a reaction to the first reaction. Perhaps this approach is not always valid – or perhaps my execution needs improvement.
(2) One of the regulars seemed to have a problem with the beat and wanted me to fix it. Not sure what he meant. I asked Liam if there was anything weird about the song, and he replied that it was not a Mambo, more of a Son. Okay. Check the title.
(3) This was rather mediocre and probably won’t get a second chance at airplay by me.
(4) Vish says he’s bored already. I had to shoo him away.
(5) I told Vish two more songs and had him get me a San Miguel.

Total 14 songs. All Salsa. 1 new.

Vish started with a couple of Bachata before things like Salsa Nunca Se Acaba, an apparent old classic perhaps from the Catholic church days, Pancho Cristal, Bailando, Otra Oportunidad, etc. He commented that he doesn’t know what he’s playing when he’s drunk or something like that. He also expressed a great sadness about Cyrille leaving – it’ll be a big loss.

Trapped by the wrong song was a recurring theme. I would say that there are three songs I would refuse dancing to right now. One is Micaela – this one came into play early in the evening. Second is Presumida – for no reason other than it is a longer lamer version of a much better song and gets played too often for no good reason in my opinion. Third is La Vida Es Un Carnaval – this one came into play late in the evening. I noticed a new confident-looking follower and decided that I need to have one dance with her before leaving. She danced with one guy for two songs in a row (Esa Mujer was one). I decided to skip La Vida Es Un Carnaval next. Meanwhile she found a new partner, who also danced with her for two songs in a row. Merecumbe (an unexpected choice so late in the evening) seemed to last forever. Then came on a Bachata, followed by a quarter of a Bachata interrupted by Thinking Of You. Another lead had two dances with her meanwhile. I decided that I had enough so I decided to take control of the DJ booth and put on Hay Craneo (Tito Rodriguez version). So I finally had my dance and it was good – although I must say that build-up for it was way out of proportion.

It doesn’t happen every day, but now and then I get a response along the line of “I can’t believe you’re asking me to dance (again).” No, they are not showing a look of disgust as they say this in case the reader is unaware of social dynamics in the dance world. One way of looking at this is that they think you are too good to dance with them. Another way of looking at it is that you made them feel inadequate dancing with you. Either way, it’s not a completely positive thing to hear if you think about it. I wouldn’t ask someone multiple times in one evening unless I liked dancing with her AND I thought she liked dancing with me. On the other hand, sometimes I would finish a dance thinking that it must not have been very fun for my partner to dance with me because I know that they were struggling with what I was trying to lead – this may happen especially with faster and more complex songs. The wonder of it is that most people don’t mind and are very willing to dance again next day, next week, etc. Conversely, if I think someone doesn’t like to dance with me, I would be wary of asking her. Sadly this often results in a negative feedback and sometimes leads to something worse.