There are worse things than SOS v Scala conflicts

April 27, 2008

SOS on a ScalaLatina Bank Holidays typically is quiet. So how is it when there is a Congress nearby? I have never been there on UK Congress or the Brit Salsafest weekends. Until now I could say the same of the MamboCity Congress, which is held at a closer location than either of those events. After today I think it's probably safe to say that SOS on the MamboCity Congress night is at least as empty as it is on a ScalaLatina night and probably more so. A first-time visitor might have wondered why there was much fuss about the SOS based on this evening alone.

There were multiple reasons why I went. I realized upon arrival that I had invalidated one of the reasons - to return Miriam's CD for her performance with Colleen. The CD is still sitting at work. Oh well. Another was Steph, who wanted to visit SOS another time before her exams, etc. She drew the double-whammy of MamboCity Congress and the change of location to the smaller room on the south side of the Royal National Hotel. She also had the bad luck of drawing the smaller room the only other time she came along. However, considering the fact that it was very quiet, the smaller room was not really an issue. Also there was additional wood floor space (of movable type and with accompanying problems).

MamboCity Congress was a dissuading factor for Steph (and presumably others who might have been tempted otherwise), but her Berlin Congress pal visiting probably helped her resolve. Steph assumed that he was visiting Leon and Tamambo, who were both present. She also looked for his partner but no luck. Apparently Steph pointed her out to me in Blackpool, and I vaguely remembered this exchange but not much beyond it.

One of the things that surprised me given the small crowd was many of the music choice made by Amir. In general I thought he played more difficult songs than he does on average. Unlike the last time when I felt I knew over half of the songs, I recognized no more than a quarter of the songs. There was Fania All-Stars version of Picadillo, Los Rumberos by Mark Dimond & Frankie Dante, El Barrio by Mark Dimond (next to last song, which I mistook initially for Ya No Tengo Pena … I knew the last song but didn't stay for it and can't remember it for sure - possibly Lluvia Con Nieve?), a version of Papel De Payaso, Malaguena Salerosa and Palo Pa' Rumba by Eddie Palmieri, Vagabundo by El Gran Combo, and what sounded like a Henry Fiol song. Steph recognized some songs I did not know by the way.

Probably the most remarkable thing for me tonight was that I danced On2 three times in a row - most ever outside Slug and Lettuce. All three were Salsa, and they got better progressively. Otherwise, I tried On2 briefly for El Barrio before deciding it wasn't working very well and there was a Cha Cha. Otherwise vast majority of my dances were On1 not in the least part because it seemed that On1 was preferred by most of the followers. However, Steph said that majority of her dances were On2. So what's going on here? For whatever its worth, Steph seemed to like her On1 dances tonight - seemingly dependent mostly upon the quality of the leads rather than some innate difference between On1 and On2.

Mode of transportation was train = no need to multitask between talking and driving.