Posted near Syntagma Square using free public wire-less internet connection
Before
November 27, 2008
“One, two, three,” I counted in quick succession under my breath. “Four,” I uttered wryly and with a hint of smile in disgust as I tugged open yet another door. Then came a series of corridors with identical quick turns. The corridors look all the same except that at the middle of the corridor are two colored square tiles. Long corridors have two squares of same colors, and short corridors have two squares of different colors. Orange and blue squares follow two orange ones, and two blue squares come next. It’s a veritable maze. Then another door waits. This one requires that a button on the wall be pressed before. Next is the reception area. There is another door and another button, then a corridor leading to dining area. Finally a door leads me outside, but not without asking me to press yet another button – a different shaped one this time.
I came to despise doors here in England. Some require access cards, some require pressing of a button on the wall – sometimes well disguised and located rather far away. Going up or down one flight of stairs can require opening as many as four doors. At night some of the stairs are not lit. I have walked up and down dark stairs not knowing that yes there are buttons for the lights as well. Too many doors and too little lights are two of many things I won’t miss about England.
One of the rooms I often visit requires a Duesenberg of a hike. I would leave my building – two doors both requiring pressing of button on the way out and access card on the way in. I would then walk to the next building over to enter it at the North end. From here, I make way all the way to the South end of the building through eleven doors and one stairwell each way. Four of the doors are access card-controlled. Even after years of doing this I sometimes I open the wrong door or stairway and find myself in a dead-end. It’s a 15-minute trip altogether at night. Maybe it would only take half the time during daytime, but I almost always end up going at night.
As I make my way outside to make the trip one more time, a voice came, “It’s raining outside.” Great. It’s something of a surprise to see another soul at this hour. It’s only a drizzle, thankfully. “One,” I started counting again. This was my fourth trip this week. For whatever its worth I guess I won’t be making this trip tomorrow.
Prologue
November 28, 2008
I opened my eyes. The alarm clock hasn’t gone off yet. It’s an early afternoon flight, so I can afford to move at a leisurely pace. I checked the alarm clock again. Damn. I had set it to go off in the afternoon – again. The second alarm went off as I got up. For a change I walked to the bus station rather than calling for a taxi. Maybe half hour or so later and after a stop at Boots for more toiletries, I arrived with ten minutes to spare.
From Cambridge to Luton Airport, the only public transport option is the number 787 coach run by National Express. It’s the same bus, which meanders through half dozen or so towns before getting to Heathrow Airport. I won’t miss that bus when I’m out of here. Even just getting to Luton Airport, it stops at Royston, Baldock, Hitchin and Luton before getting to the airport. You get to see all these countryside and towns you never wanted to see.
Thankfully Luton Airport itself was fairly manageable in size if a bit dark and dingy like much of England. It also was crawling with the Salsa people heading to Athens like me. The first one I spot was a guy I think is with Laith Sami’s group entering the WC. At the queue at the gate, it became evident that perhaps as many as half of the London group would be on the flight. Some I recognized by face only while I knew a few by name as well, but a rather large number perhaps half I deduced to be in the group by the way they interacted with each other.
“Hello, sir” came from Shaan. Maybe I come across as aloof. Most of the times even with people we become reasonably familiar with, the best we manage is to offer smiles at each other. Inside Salsa party is not exactly conducive to conversations with loud music and people busy dancing and whatnot.
I drifted in and out of Survivor (by Chuck Palahniuk). This is the one where the story is told mostly in reverse-time. Moreover the pages are ordered backwards, but the chapters are not. This means I have to flip a few pages to get to the start of a new chapter, and then flip backwards as I read over the paragraph. It took me two or three chapters before I figured out the entire system. On the plane, I came across a part involving dancing Cha-Cha with Fertility Hollis.
For lunch, I bought two sandwiches from Pret-A-Manger. I suppose two is something of an overkill, but I managed to miss lunch twice this week because I wasn’t able to get to the diner at work on time. It seemed like I might have lost some weight by mid-late week, and I don’t have a big desire to lose weight at this time.
Athens
Nice airport. There was nothing frivolous but it had a bright and airy atmosphere. The passport check was beyond simple. Baggage claim was efficient. Rail transport to downtown Athens looked brand spanking new – clean and spacious (though not as spacious as Hamburg). The fare was rather expensive (10 euros for return trip – but seemingly for a limited time – the ticket operator asked me when I was returning and he gave me a ticket that said 48 hours when I replied Sunday), but it’s still cheaper than taxi.
At least two other couples from UK in Salsa business took the Metro with me. I think the big London group opted for taxi. One of the couples (one was Wesley from Birmingham) actually exited at Akropoli station like me. It turned out that they booked at the same hotel. Moreover, they were bumped to a sister hotel like me as well. I originally booked at Phillipos Hotel, but found myself at the Herodion Hotel. I suppose it’s an upgrade from 3 star to 4 star hotel, but I couldn’t tell you if there was any real tangible benefit. The bed is big (queen size), but it dips in the middle.
By the time I finished minimal unpacking in the hotel room, I was hungry again. Local time was around 9:30 meaning it was not even close to my usual dinner time back in GMT. Based upon information I gathered at a highly extensive Athens Guide free on internet, I had settled on one of the two touristy but good local taverns not faraway from my hotel in the Plaka. Coming up with options for meals has become a rather high priority whenever I visit a new city. Plans can fail (e.g. York), but alternative seems like an almost certain failure.
In choosing tonight’s restaurant, I think I scored a solid hit. Vyzantino Taverna served very solid Greek food at the heart of Plaka leaden with tourist traps. Based on how the internet review and my take on Vyzanitino, I’d guess that the Plaka Restaurant next door would have been a solid back-up choice. I had the special of the day fish cooked with lemon sauce (8 euros), which was delicious. It came with spinach, which was decent, and zucchini, which I wasn’t too thrilled with. I had also ordered Tzatzi (more like a yogurt sauce with some fresh vegetables rather than salad) as an appetizer (4 euros). I had not ordered any bread (1 euro), but the restaurant ordered it for me, which was actually quite appropriate. My assessment is that I would have been better off ordering a regular salad or perhaps just bread and butter on the side. Tzatzhi probably isn’t for just one person unless he or she really likes it.
Friday social
The Tram to the Taekwondo Stadium on the other hand was painfully slow - the guidebooks describe it as leisurely. After a <5 minute walk to the Loeforos Voullagmenis station, it was going to be a slow 19-stop or 20-stop trek to Aghia Skepi. After 12 stops and about 20 minutes, I lost patience and decided to get off at Amfitheas. I walked rest of the way thinking that I might save time this way. Perhaps 15 minutes later as I approached Aghia Skepi, I saw a Tram arrive from the direction I would have come from. So I didn’t save any time by taking the “shortcut.”
Perhaps even worse was finding the entrance to the stadium. It was so frustrating. I bet it took me at least 10 minutes after spotting the stadium to get to the entrance. The venue location in fact was the least attractive thing about this Athens Salsa Festival. It was far from the historical city center and without a decent Metro access. When I was booking for a hotel, I did consider picking a hotel very close to the Salsa venue, which would have made trips to and from the airport and tourist sites more problematic. A hotel with good Line 2 Tram access as well to the tourist sites and Metro was my ultimate compromise. I would not be surprised if the access to the venue from the hotel and city centre turns out to be the biggest complaint from the out-of-towners.
The first person I knew and chatted with was AndrewS, who informed me that I had arrived just in time to hear to first song after the performances. In the end I managed to arrive shortly after midnight after all the shows were finished. Hooray! I had a few dances before New Swing Sextet started off. Mario was the second person I exchanged greetings with followed by Roger from Hemel Hempstead and then Mark and Lisa from Oxford. In all there must have been well over 30 maybe over 40 people from the United Kingdom, including the girl I think of as “Abby Bridges” and Rico (maybe he was there with the Laith Sami group – I seem to recall seeing that name on the list of performers somewhere).
Some of the early dances featured partners, who seemed too intent to show off their skills. That got a little tiring especially dancing to a live band playing long-ish songs. I also felt slightly dehydrated early, which I overcame by buying three bottles of water at the start of the evening. The bar was rather far away from the dance floor, but water was cheap (0.50 euros for 500 ml bottles). I danced mostly on the main floor, but I also had one dance on the concourses with marble floor with a girl, who probably was a bit intimidated. I think her friend videotaped us, which I found amusing. In retrospect, it was a great space to make a spectacle of yourself.
I think this Friday compared favorably to the UK Congress at Bournemouth in terms of social dancing tonight. I think this was a little better than Hamburg this summer also. All dances were singletons. There was only one girl I was tempted to ask more than once mostly because the first dance was to a Cha Cha – not particularly good one at that (I Like It Like That done by New Swing Sextet – I would have preferred El Raton). I recognized and danced with more than a few faces from the Hamburg Congress. I also danced with a handful of London girls. In one case, I amused myself by cutting in to ask a girl displacing Mario. It ended up a Cha Cha also.
The songs played by New Swing Sextet included Che Che, My Favorite Things (I might have been dancing on marble floor for this one – either this or En El Balcon or perhaps Maria Cervantes), El Bongo, Bobo Tu Te Quedaras, En El Balcon, Maria Cervantes and La Palomilla at the end. There was a short burst of fireworks followed by explosion of streamers. It was cute, but it would have been even better if they could have cleared the streamer from the floor at the end of the show – maybe taking a quick 5 minute break to clear the debris.
Probably around 30-40% of my dances were On2. Right now I don’t have a clear preference for On2 over On1 although some songs seem to suit one of the other. The song I danced with “Abby” for example was something I had difficulty getting into for On2 timing so I quickly switched to On1 despite the fact that she most likely prefers On2. I think it also depends heavily on what the follower is comfortable with. The proportion of followers, who expressed a preference for On2 increased as hours progressed for whatever its worth.
A benefit or penalty for not attending the shows (and workshops) is that I am quite limited in being able recognize the “elite” by their face. I did spot previously never seen-live Magna for a brief second. I know Susana and Shelley, but most others are mysteries to me (e.g. Vanda, Tamara (who I might have danced with at Salsa Kingdom) … heck I can’t even remember who else was supposed to be there). Oh yeah – there’s Lisa, whom I am under the impression that she would be happy dancing with Mark 90% of the time even at major Congresses. The only other celebrity Salsa Congress circuit female personalities I might be able to recognize at an airport would be Edie and Burju.
Henry Knowles was stuck somewhere in Asia. I actually liked the substitute DJ, who played a few decent covers. Julian the Duke was better than usual as well although he did resort back to playing Avisale A Mi Contrario, which I skipped. Songs played included Muneca (unknown cover), Nina Y Senora (TP), Lluvia (unknown cover), Mujer Erotica, Perdoname, Alejate (HL). There were plenty of songs I did not recognize. On the whole, I don’t think there was a single song I really disliked all night in the main room.
The main room with nothing but two Cha Cha all night closed around 4:20 AM. The after-party moved to “Room B” with a series of Reggaeton, a Merengue, a Bachata followed by a Timba before moving back to Salsa, which still seemed to be the genre of choice for most people still there. By this time, my feet were feeling sore so I ended up not dancing at all during the after party. I finally exited the room around 5:30 AM.
I caught a Tram going back directly to Syntagma after about 8 minute wait. It took about 35 minutes to get to my station. It wasn’t too bad in grand scheme of things although taxi no doubt would have been faster. A group of Londoners including Andrew and Shelley were using that option (back to a hotel called Metropolis). Breakfast started at 7 AM, so I stayed up a little longer for it before hitting the bed.
Never Again
November 22, 2008
Kafe was at the DJ booth when I walked in with a mild headache. A Cumbia played on. It would have been better to have been in control of the music from the very beginning. I would rather not do this tonight, I thought. A promise is a promise though so tough it out.
Big Dan and Kafe must have been teaching tonight. They get to experience joys of Saturday. Kafe stayed until past nominal closing time.
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Acabo De Llegar – Alex Leon
Thinking Of You – Lenny Kravitz (salsa remix) (1)
(v) Suavemente – Elvis Crespo
No Es Una Novela – Monchy & Alexandra (2)
El Pito – Sonora Carruseles
Visa Para Un Sueno – Juan Luis Guerra (3)
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R (4)
Whenever Whenever – Shakira (5)
(v) Merengue Mega Mix #1 (6)
Playa No More – Crystal Sierra
Te Quiero – Oliver
Ojos Asi – Shakira (7)
Es La Musica – Massimo Scalici
Guallando – Fulanito
Get It Up – EuroCuban Project
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Pin Pon – El Medico (8)
(v) Remember (Merengue) [no idea about the artist]
(v) Sweet Dreams - Fatman Scoop (Reggaeton?)
(v) Simarik – Tarkan (Turkish Pop) (9)
Me Libere – El Gran Combo (10)
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
(v) Asi Asi (Merengue)
(v) Macarena – Los Del Rio (Latin Pop)
Aicha – Africando (11)
A Pedir Su Mano – Juan Luis Guerra
(v) Pobre Diabla – Don Omar (Reggaeton)
(v) Dile – Don Omar (Reggaeton) (12)
Cali Pachanguero – Galieo Y Su Banda (13)
La Tortura – Shakira
(v) Gasolina – Daddy Yankee
(v) “Lambada” (Latin Pop)
(v) Tocarte (FF 100) (14)
(v) Hot Hot Hot (Latin Pop) – Arrow or Buster Poindexter? (15)
Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira* (16)
(v) Projecto (Pump?) (Merengue) (17)
(v) Bailando (artist?) (Reggaeton)
(v) Loco (?) (18)
(v) Mambo No 5 – Lou Bega (Pop)
Valio La Pena – Marc Anthony (19)
(v) Pintame – Elvis Crespo
(v) Chequete Chequete Chee – Los Guajiros Del Puerto Veo Veo? (20)
(v) 1 MP (was this Merengue?) (21)
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony (22)
Quiero A Morir – Dark Latin Groove (DLG)
(v) Chayenne (probably Pop – I can’t remember)
Panamena – Willie Colon (canta: Hector Lavoe)* (23)
(v) my handwriting is not very legible … something like … Ah Muras … no idea…
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love
Whenever Whenever – Shakira (24)
El Cantante – Marc Anthony (25)
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda (26)
(v) Pesame La Botella (Merengue) (27)
(1) This did not seem a particularly good Salsa crowd. No offence meant to people who were there. By this time Johnny had arrived and was dancing with whoever was around. There was also that old couple. No regulars though. No good Latino dancers either. Back in June when I was the DJ for two Saturdays, I felt I could get away with playing more Salsa especially in the beginning. I did not get the same vibe this time. Perhaps I could have danced, but it wasn’t really the lack of leaders that was the problem. Besides I have a headache.
(2) Hmm. I’m not sure about Bachata either. Merengue was popular though.
(3) See! Already I’m giving up on playing more than one Salsa in a row. No one told me to do this.
(4) Another Bachata falls flat on its face. Tough crowd.
(5) You can see I’m getting desperate. This gets girls going at least. I’m hating life now.
(6) I would have preferred to not play this until no earlier than 11 PM.
(7) Perhaps I could have saved this until later because there was a guy who asked for something Arabic later thinking that this would be an international night. I’m just trying to survive this ordeal.
(8) Reggaeton. This is a bit earlier than expected based on what I saw this summer, but they are clamoring for it. I think what was okay back in June is no longer okay merely 5 months afterwards.
(9) Another one perhaps to have saved until later. I didn’t know Tarkan was a Turkish Pop artist.
(10) Let’s try counting here. I went five songs without Salsa until this song.
(11) This was in response to a request for something Arabic. Aicha was originally done by Khaled, an Algerian artist. I didn’t know at this point that Tarkan was Turkish. I had already used up Ojos Asi, which was the only song I was fairly sure about having Arabic sound. It is Salsa. Counting again, I went three non-Salsa before playing this.
(12) I didn’t realize at the time that I was playing two Don Omar songs in a row. They are from the same album “The Last Don” no less.
(13) Someone finally blew their top because I was playing too many Salsa. She brought the flier for Saturday advertisement that I am supposed to play the music listed there – I think it says Reggaeton, Merengue, Salsa and Latin Pop with Shakira and Daddy Yankee prominently displayed. For whatever its worth, I went three songs without Salsa before this. Not counting the first four Salsa to start off the night (it should make sense coming after a Salsa lesson), I have played up to this point – 7 Salsa, 7 Merengue, 5 Reggaeton, 4 Bachata, 2 Miscellaneous Pop, 2 Shakira with another Shakira already cued up. Somebody please put me out of my misery. Did I mention I have a headache?
(14) I don’t remember what this was. Was is Reggaeton? Possibly by Plan B?
(15) I am not sure if it was either one of them.
(16) Some girl wanted a birthday (Kelly) announced along with a Shakira (Beyonce was the initial request).
(17) Don’t remember. Don’t care.
(18) See 17.
(19) So I went 10 songs without Salsa and hating life. A girl who may have just arrived asked for something I didn’t recognize followed by this song. I decided that I like her. Surprisingly there are still people who can dance Salsa. Johnny and Dan are long gone by this point. Ditto for the old couple.
(20) John came by. I think this song is making my headache worse.
(21) You know, I wouldn’t do this for money. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
(22) I don’t care if she doesn’t really know how to dance Salsa. She was pretty much the only good thing about tonight so far. Having said that I’m not sure whether I danced with her to this song or the next song. My best guess is that it was to DLG.
(23) IT WAS A REQUEST!!! He asked for Hector Lavoe then named this song. I’m feeling much better.
(24) I know I played this already, but it was a request. I’m pretty sure everyone at the start of the night is gone by now. Hmm. Correction. I think Kafe is still around. Demetrios and Anna arrived late.
(25) I danced with the girl who requested Valio La Pena again. She started the turnaround. Bulbul was at the DJ booth to start the next song.
(26) This was to be the last song, but Bulbul wants to keep it going … again!
(27) I left it so that a Cumbia would come on next. Bulbul had other ideas. I decided to let him DJ.
Total = 24 songs from Vishal’s CDs and 32 songs from my CDs. The breakdown is not worth the bother because I cannot categorize some of Vishal’s music - all Reggaeton, Merengue and Pop. I left youtube link for some of them. As for mine, they were 16 Salsa including 1 new, 6 Bachata, 3 Merengue, 2 Reggaeton, 5 Shakira (1 repeat, 1 new).
That should have been the end. However, Bulbul decided to play Caballo Viejo unexpectedly. Demetrios was getting a drink. I thought I would occupy Anna with one dance except she essentially dared me to keep going despite a torrent of Reggaeton from Bulbul. It was a bit intense. Things had improved greatly after 1 AM, and this was as good a way as any to end the night on a high note. The headache by then had subsided into the background. Having a reputation as a good dancer has its benefits.
Kafe was at the DJ booth when I walked in with a mild headache. A Cumbia played on. It would have been better to have been in control of the music from the very beginning. I would rather not do this tonight, I thought. A promise is a promise though so tough it out.
Big Dan and Kafe must have been teaching tonight. They get to experience joys of Saturday. Kafe stayed until past nominal closing time.
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Acabo De Llegar – Alex Leon
Thinking Of You – Lenny Kravitz (salsa remix) (1)
(v) Suavemente – Elvis Crespo
No Es Una Novela – Monchy & Alexandra (2)
El Pito – Sonora Carruseles
Visa Para Un Sueno – Juan Luis Guerra (3)
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R (4)
Whenever Whenever – Shakira (5)
(v) Merengue Mega Mix #1 (6)
Playa No More – Crystal Sierra
Te Quiero – Oliver
Ojos Asi – Shakira (7)
Es La Musica – Massimo Scalici
Guallando – Fulanito
Get It Up – EuroCuban Project
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
Pin Pon – El Medico (8)
(v) Remember (Merengue) [no idea about the artist]
(v) Sweet Dreams - Fatman Scoop (Reggaeton?)
(v) Simarik – Tarkan (Turkish Pop) (9)
Me Libere – El Gran Combo (10)
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
(v) Asi Asi (Merengue)
(v) Macarena – Los Del Rio (Latin Pop)
Aicha – Africando (11)
A Pedir Su Mano – Juan Luis Guerra
(v) Pobre Diabla – Don Omar (Reggaeton)
(v) Dile – Don Omar (Reggaeton) (12)
Cali Pachanguero – Galieo Y Su Banda (13)
La Tortura – Shakira
(v) Gasolina – Daddy Yankee
(v) “Lambada” (Latin Pop)
(v) Tocarte (FF 100) (14)
(v) Hot Hot Hot (Latin Pop) – Arrow or Buster Poindexter? (15)
Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira* (16)
(v) Projecto (Pump?) (Merengue) (17)
(v) Bailando (artist?) (Reggaeton)
(v) Loco (?) (18)
(v) Mambo No 5 – Lou Bega (Pop)
Valio La Pena – Marc Anthony (19)
(v) Pintame – Elvis Crespo
(v) Chequete Chequete Chee – Los Guajiros Del Puerto Veo Veo? (20)
(v) 1 MP (was this Merengue?) (21)
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony (22)
Quiero A Morir – Dark Latin Groove (DLG)
(v) Chayenne (probably Pop – I can’t remember)
Panamena – Willie Colon (canta: Hector Lavoe)* (23)
(v) my handwriting is not very legible … something like … Ah Muras … no idea…
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love
Whenever Whenever – Shakira (24)
El Cantante – Marc Anthony (25)
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda (26)
(v) Pesame La Botella (Merengue) (27)
(1) This did not seem a particularly good Salsa crowd. No offence meant to people who were there. By this time Johnny had arrived and was dancing with whoever was around. There was also that old couple. No regulars though. No good Latino dancers either. Back in June when I was the DJ for two Saturdays, I felt I could get away with playing more Salsa especially in the beginning. I did not get the same vibe this time. Perhaps I could have danced, but it wasn’t really the lack of leaders that was the problem. Besides I have a headache.
(2) Hmm. I’m not sure about Bachata either. Merengue was popular though.
(3) See! Already I’m giving up on playing more than one Salsa in a row. No one told me to do this.
(4) Another Bachata falls flat on its face. Tough crowd.
(5) You can see I’m getting desperate. This gets girls going at least. I’m hating life now.
(6) I would have preferred to not play this until no earlier than 11 PM.
(7) Perhaps I could have saved this until later because there was a guy who asked for something Arabic later thinking that this would be an international night. I’m just trying to survive this ordeal.
(8) Reggaeton. This is a bit earlier than expected based on what I saw this summer, but they are clamoring for it. I think what was okay back in June is no longer okay merely 5 months afterwards.
(9) Another one perhaps to have saved until later. I didn’t know Tarkan was a Turkish Pop artist.
(10) Let’s try counting here. I went five songs without Salsa until this song.
(11) This was in response to a request for something Arabic. Aicha was originally done by Khaled, an Algerian artist. I didn’t know at this point that Tarkan was Turkish. I had already used up Ojos Asi, which was the only song I was fairly sure about having Arabic sound. It is Salsa. Counting again, I went three non-Salsa before playing this.
(12) I didn’t realize at the time that I was playing two Don Omar songs in a row. They are from the same album “The Last Don” no less.
(13) Someone finally blew their top because I was playing too many Salsa. She brought the flier for Saturday advertisement that I am supposed to play the music listed there – I think it says Reggaeton, Merengue, Salsa and Latin Pop with Shakira and Daddy Yankee prominently displayed. For whatever its worth, I went three songs without Salsa before this. Not counting the first four Salsa to start off the night (it should make sense coming after a Salsa lesson), I have played up to this point – 7 Salsa, 7 Merengue, 5 Reggaeton, 4 Bachata, 2 Miscellaneous Pop, 2 Shakira with another Shakira already cued up. Somebody please put me out of my misery. Did I mention I have a headache?
(14) I don’t remember what this was. Was is Reggaeton? Possibly by Plan B?
(15) I am not sure if it was either one of them.
(16) Some girl wanted a birthday (Kelly) announced along with a Shakira (Beyonce was the initial request).
(17) Don’t remember. Don’t care.
(18) See 17.
(19) So I went 10 songs without Salsa and hating life. A girl who may have just arrived asked for something I didn’t recognize followed by this song. I decided that I like her. Surprisingly there are still people who can dance Salsa. Johnny and Dan are long gone by this point. Ditto for the old couple.
(20) John came by. I think this song is making my headache worse.
(21) You know, I wouldn’t do this for money. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
(22) I don’t care if she doesn’t really know how to dance Salsa. She was pretty much the only good thing about tonight so far. Having said that I’m not sure whether I danced with her to this song or the next song. My best guess is that it was to DLG.
(23) IT WAS A REQUEST!!! He asked for Hector Lavoe then named this song. I’m feeling much better.
(24) I know I played this already, but it was a request. I’m pretty sure everyone at the start of the night is gone by now. Hmm. Correction. I think Kafe is still around. Demetrios and Anna arrived late.
(25) I danced with the girl who requested Valio La Pena again. She started the turnaround. Bulbul was at the DJ booth to start the next song.
(26) This was to be the last song, but Bulbul wants to keep it going … again!
(27) I left it so that a Cumbia would come on next. Bulbul had other ideas. I decided to let him DJ.
Total = 24 songs from Vishal’s CDs and 32 songs from my CDs. The breakdown is not worth the bother because I cannot categorize some of Vishal’s music - all Reggaeton, Merengue and Pop. I left youtube link for some of them. As for mine, they were 16 Salsa including 1 new, 6 Bachata, 3 Merengue, 2 Reggaeton, 5 Shakira (1 repeat, 1 new).
That should have been the end. However, Bulbul decided to play Caballo Viejo unexpectedly. Demetrios was getting a drink. I thought I would occupy Anna with one dance except she essentially dared me to keep going despite a torrent of Reggaeton from Bulbul. It was a bit intense. Things had improved greatly after 1 AM, and this was as good a way as any to end the night on a high note. The headache by then had subsided into the background. Having a reputation as a good dancer has its benefits.
Start of Another Long Weekend
November 21, 2008
Opera and Shakira. Odd mix, I know. It has been that kind of week - staring down the chasm, hanging on in quiet desperation. Running but never catching up and getting shorter of breath.
Remarkable was the number of people who opted not to go to Manchester. Presumably Mark, Jane, Haihan, Ed and Sally’s gang went, but more surprising were who stayed behind.
I don’t know how much the recent economic turmoil has affected matters and whether depression is more a state of mind rather than a reality in people’s pocketbooks. What is certain was that this party with invited performance by Miguel and Mayana was no disaster.
The Royston trio was here. Steve says he’s feeling better after having his food allergy diagnosed. I’ve had other friends with similar problems – I think it has to rank among the worst kind of allergy to have.
Vish was away but only because he went to Lithuania rather than Manchester. Presumably he’s boozing and partying hard as well as working as DJ and instructor. It means another Saturday outing for me. Joy.
Big revealed himself as Dan. Actually Steph already told me last weekend. She also told me about Robin. What was new was Small as Kafe (spelling uncertain). Dan is the leader for the 2008 rookie of the year and quite possibly ‘da man’ by this time next year. These Cambridge-based fast-risers are infrequent – I think it fair to compare Dan to the likes of Liam, Chris and Hayden.
I was complimented on my timing. Funny thing is that I feel a little iffy about my On2 timing right now. I have resorted to experimenting what feels better during what little social dancing opportunities available. Better would be a more formal instruction or refresher from a trusted source.
Steph suggested that we (as in a larger group back at Coventry) had the same argument about timing during Miguel and Mayana’s performance. Miguel danced socially with rather large number of people with his gap-toothed smile in short time he was available. My first On2 dance of the night was with Mayana. Naturally Liam's inappropriate comment was remembered.
Johnny and Serap both made it tonight. Serap looks unchanged. I had two dances with her – the second as Miguel and Mayana were leaving but not without a bit of bantering.
The unlikely and delightful German Rock-n-Rolla Natalie was back. Too bad I’m such an old curmudgeon. Did we have a German trio tonight – with Steph being another unlikely German?
Steph might have spent as much time chatting as dancing whether it was with Raj, Dan, Robin or others. I’ll have to ask her later about her dances with Joe.
I feel even less enthusiastic about Athens than I did about Hamburg (or perhaps a more accurate phrase would be “I find it difficult to believe that I am going, and I doubt I will find the trip to be of any significance - even more so than I had felt about Hamburg.”)
Playlist
Cuando Te Vea – German Villarreal (1)
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano
No Aguanto Mas – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Hasta El Fin – Monchy & Alexandra
Brujeria – Mark Dimond (2)
Night In Tunisia – Sonora Poncena
Evil Ways – Cal Tjader* (3)
Bilongo – Charanga De La 4 (refined shortened remix)
Somos Iguales – Spanish Harlem Orchestra*
Esposa Y Querida – Lebron Brothers* (4)
Descarga Cachao – Tito Rodriguez (-8%)
Si Tu Te Vas – Juan Luis Guerra
Te Extrano – Extreme
Pastorita – Conjunto Yumuri
Macho Perez – Hector Tricoche
Ntoman – Africando
La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe
Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony (5)
Guallando – Fulanito (6)
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda
Whenever Whenver – Shakira* (7)
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Quiero Enamorarte – Marco Ferretti
Chan Chan – Buena Vista Social Club (8)
Ojala Que Llueve Café – Juan Luis Guerra
Yo No Engano A Las Nenas – Eddie Palmieri* (9)
I Wanna Love You – Pablo Bachata
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
La Tortura – Shakira*
A La Memoria Del Muerto – Fruko Y Sus Tesos* (10)
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
(1) I switched the first two songs in their order after having written it down. Joe noticed. It was done because I decided that the third song should be a Merengue.
(2) An occasional challenge is good in my opinion. Robin and Dan both struggled – maybe Dan less so. I played this song a little over one year ago.
(3) Essentially a request. I mostly shined with Steph.
(4) I had not realized until I started on the blog that I had never played this song or the song before. I guess they were buried in the list of “songs to play at some time in the future” for a very long time.
(5) A change of plan from Valio La Pena for a dance.
(6) Mauricio is still around for what I think of as his theme song.
(7) First time using my own CD.
(8) This or the song before was supposed to be the last song. Bulbul wanted to carry on to 2:30.
(9) Essentially a request – for Demetrios.
(10) By this point, I’m trying to drive people away rather than keep the party going. I’m tired.
Total = 31 songs. 5 Bachata. 4 Merengue. 1 Reggaeton. 2 “new” Shakira. 2 Cha Cha both new. 16 Salsa including 3 new. I had more or less given up on playing Salsa for almost an hour at the end.
Opera and Shakira. Odd mix, I know. It has been that kind of week - staring down the chasm, hanging on in quiet desperation. Running but never catching up and getting shorter of breath.
Remarkable was the number of people who opted not to go to Manchester. Presumably Mark, Jane, Haihan, Ed and Sally’s gang went, but more surprising were who stayed behind.
I don’t know how much the recent economic turmoil has affected matters and whether depression is more a state of mind rather than a reality in people’s pocketbooks. What is certain was that this party with invited performance by Miguel and Mayana was no disaster.
The Royston trio was here. Steve says he’s feeling better after having his food allergy diagnosed. I’ve had other friends with similar problems – I think it has to rank among the worst kind of allergy to have.
Vish was away but only because he went to Lithuania rather than Manchester. Presumably he’s boozing and partying hard as well as working as DJ and instructor. It means another Saturday outing for me. Joy.
Big revealed himself as Dan. Actually Steph already told me last weekend. She also told me about Robin. What was new was Small as Kafe (spelling uncertain). Dan is the leader for the 2008 rookie of the year and quite possibly ‘da man’ by this time next year. These Cambridge-based fast-risers are infrequent – I think it fair to compare Dan to the likes of Liam, Chris and Hayden.
I was complimented on my timing. Funny thing is that I feel a little iffy about my On2 timing right now. I have resorted to experimenting what feels better during what little social dancing opportunities available. Better would be a more formal instruction or refresher from a trusted source.
Steph suggested that we (as in a larger group back at Coventry) had the same argument about timing during Miguel and Mayana’s performance. Miguel danced socially with rather large number of people with his gap-toothed smile in short time he was available. My first On2 dance of the night was with Mayana. Naturally Liam's inappropriate comment was remembered.
Johnny and Serap both made it tonight. Serap looks unchanged. I had two dances with her – the second as Miguel and Mayana were leaving but not without a bit of bantering.
The unlikely and delightful German Rock-n-Rolla Natalie was back. Too bad I’m such an old curmudgeon. Did we have a German trio tonight – with Steph being another unlikely German?
Steph might have spent as much time chatting as dancing whether it was with Raj, Dan, Robin or others. I’ll have to ask her later about her dances with Joe.
I feel even less enthusiastic about Athens than I did about Hamburg (or perhaps a more accurate phrase would be “I find it difficult to believe that I am going, and I doubt I will find the trip to be of any significance - even more so than I had felt about Hamburg.”)
Playlist
Cuando Te Vea – German Villarreal (1)
Anacaona – Cheo Feliciano
No Aguanto Mas – Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco
Hasta El Fin – Monchy & Alexandra
Brujeria – Mark Dimond (2)
Night In Tunisia – Sonora Poncena
Evil Ways – Cal Tjader* (3)
Bilongo – Charanga De La 4 (refined shortened remix)
Somos Iguales – Spanish Harlem Orchestra*
Esposa Y Querida – Lebron Brothers* (4)
Descarga Cachao – Tito Rodriguez (-8%)
Si Tu Te Vas – Juan Luis Guerra
Te Extrano – Extreme
Pastorita – Conjunto Yumuri
Macho Perez – Hector Tricoche
Ntoman – Africando
La Llave – Grupo Latin Vibe
Ahora Quien – Marc Anthony (5)
Guallando – Fulanito (6)
Lamento Boliviano – Toque D Keda
Whenever Whenver – Shakira* (7)
Otra Oportunidad – Jimmy Bosch
Quiero Enamorarte – Marco Ferretti
Chan Chan – Buena Vista Social Club (8)
Ojala Que Llueve Café – Juan Luis Guerra
Yo No Engano A Las Nenas – Eddie Palmieri* (9)
I Wanna Love You – Pablo Bachata
Rompe – Daddy Yankee
La Tortura – Shakira*
A La Memoria Del Muerto – Fruko Y Sus Tesos* (10)
Ven Tu – Domenic Marte
(1) I switched the first two songs in their order after having written it down. Joe noticed. It was done because I decided that the third song should be a Merengue.
(2) An occasional challenge is good in my opinion. Robin and Dan both struggled – maybe Dan less so. I played this song a little over one year ago.
(3) Essentially a request. I mostly shined with Steph.
(4) I had not realized until I started on the blog that I had never played this song or the song before. I guess they were buried in the list of “songs to play at some time in the future” for a very long time.
(5) A change of plan from Valio La Pena for a dance.
(6) Mauricio is still around for what I think of as his theme song.
(7) First time using my own CD.
(8) This or the song before was supposed to be the last song. Bulbul wanted to carry on to 2:30.
(9) Essentially a request – for Demetrios.
(10) By this point, I’m trying to drive people away rather than keep the party going. I’m tired.
Total = 31 songs. 5 Bachata. 4 Merengue. 1 Reggaeton. 2 “new” Shakira. 2 Cha Cha both new. 16 Salsa including 3 new. I had more or less given up on playing Salsa for almost an hour at the end.
The Curse of Steph
November 16, 2008
I lost one hour. Needlessly I left without completing all the tasks I hoped to finish. Only after hearing surprised Steph over the phone did I realize that I was one hour early.
One hour later, I tried phoning Steph again only to find that I was out of credit. Fortunately she came out right afterwards without prompting. The ride to the train station etc went without hitch.
I noted that the last time I used my mobile phone to talk to someone was 4 months ago. It was to call a taxi on behalf of a stranger. Maybe using mobile phones to talk to people is becoming obsolete.
This was Steph’s fourth time at SOS. Just like the three previous occasions, SOS was moved to the South side of the Royal National Hotel. Maybe she’s cursed. Leon’s mom said that the other room was being used for Bridge.
For me it was decided a subpar SOS evening. It was bound to happen after two superlative trips recently. Make it one of the worst ones for this year. Steph had a great time though.
Liam was there too. I hadn’t seen him in quite some time. It was nice to see him too. Watching him dance a little reminded me that he could move.
The DJ was Sylvester. I didn’t have to see him to guess that although I did look to confirm after listening to first four or five songs. You can tell by heavy use of non-standard covers.
A highlight or a lowlight. As I was greeting and chatting with Amir, Miriam came by to get Amir to dance with her. Maybe 10-15 minutes later, Miriam did it again while I was chatting with Liam.
Lotsa “high-profile” people tonight. Leon, Tamambo, Susana, Inaki, Mauro, Eva, Frank, Natalie, Niko et al. Maybe they came together for Lee.
From around 10 to 10:30 or so, I had a stretch where I did not dance to 4 or 5 songs in a row. The songs were all quite fast and I was having difficulty gathering inspiration to ask anyone for a dance.
Near the end, Sylvester played Angel Canales Theme Song – probably slowed down. I started with someone new, but she seemed to be struggling from the start and bowed out due to problems with her eyes. I was keen enough to continue yet hard-pressed to find anyone remotely inspiring. I stole Steph away from Liam.
After a reasonable first 30 seconds or so, the dance degenerated into fiasco. We moved from one spot to another, then later into yet another spot. In the end trash talking with Liam became a part of the dance.
Liam was funny. He later came by to say, “You know I wasn’t laughing at you?” I know. Then, “You wouldn’t really care even if I was.” Right again. It’s not that I don’t think highly of his skills, etc in terms of dancing, but I also wouldn’t be bothered by anyone’s criticisms. I’m comfortable with where I am and where I might be going dance-wise, and I don't consider dancing ability a particularly important issue.
It wasn’t all disaster; I think some of the dances ended amicably enough, but I never felt like I ever hit a sweet spot. No unqualified pleasant dances tonight. Even the best ones came with asterisks.
I imagine I was a rather listless company for train chats. The most amusing vignettes Steph revealed was about a phone call about Tiz (on the way in) and Liam’s reaction to the Great Wall Of China (on the way back). It’s just a f----- wall.
It was doubly amusing to see a text Steph received from Liam on the way back. He told her to tell me that I have some new cool moves. I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.
I lost one hour. Needlessly I left without completing all the tasks I hoped to finish. Only after hearing surprised Steph over the phone did I realize that I was one hour early.
One hour later, I tried phoning Steph again only to find that I was out of credit. Fortunately she came out right afterwards without prompting. The ride to the train station etc went without hitch.
I noted that the last time I used my mobile phone to talk to someone was 4 months ago. It was to call a taxi on behalf of a stranger. Maybe using mobile phones to talk to people is becoming obsolete.
This was Steph’s fourth time at SOS. Just like the three previous occasions, SOS was moved to the South side of the Royal National Hotel. Maybe she’s cursed. Leon’s mom said that the other room was being used for Bridge.
For me it was decided a subpar SOS evening. It was bound to happen after two superlative trips recently. Make it one of the worst ones for this year. Steph had a great time though.
Liam was there too. I hadn’t seen him in quite some time. It was nice to see him too. Watching him dance a little reminded me that he could move.
The DJ was Sylvester. I didn’t have to see him to guess that although I did look to confirm after listening to first four or five songs. You can tell by heavy use of non-standard covers.
A highlight or a lowlight. As I was greeting and chatting with Amir, Miriam came by to get Amir to dance with her. Maybe 10-15 minutes later, Miriam did it again while I was chatting with Liam.
Lotsa “high-profile” people tonight. Leon, Tamambo, Susana, Inaki, Mauro, Eva, Frank, Natalie, Niko et al. Maybe they came together for Lee.
From around 10 to 10:30 or so, I had a stretch where I did not dance to 4 or 5 songs in a row. The songs were all quite fast and I was having difficulty gathering inspiration to ask anyone for a dance.
Near the end, Sylvester played Angel Canales Theme Song – probably slowed down. I started with someone new, but she seemed to be struggling from the start and bowed out due to problems with her eyes. I was keen enough to continue yet hard-pressed to find anyone remotely inspiring. I stole Steph away from Liam.
After a reasonable first 30 seconds or so, the dance degenerated into fiasco. We moved from one spot to another, then later into yet another spot. In the end trash talking with Liam became a part of the dance.
Liam was funny. He later came by to say, “You know I wasn’t laughing at you?” I know. Then, “You wouldn’t really care even if I was.” Right again. It’s not that I don’t think highly of his skills, etc in terms of dancing, but I also wouldn’t be bothered by anyone’s criticisms. I’m comfortable with where I am and where I might be going dance-wise, and I don't consider dancing ability a particularly important issue.
It wasn’t all disaster; I think some of the dances ended amicably enough, but I never felt like I ever hit a sweet spot. No unqualified pleasant dances tonight. Even the best ones came with asterisks.
I imagine I was a rather listless company for train chats. The most amusing vignettes Steph revealed was about a phone call about Tiz (on the way in) and Liam’s reaction to the Great Wall Of China (on the way back). It’s just a f----- wall.
It was doubly amusing to see a text Steph received from Liam on the way back. He told her to tell me that I have some new cool moves. I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.
Now There Is One
November 14, 2008
Mood; feeling a little stretched. Time is tight. So many uncertainties. It’s times like these where I think lack of attachments is … allows for limiting compromises. Whatever. I know nothing.
Cambridge is down to one Salsa party for Friday night. At least for tonight, it seemed to mean a more lively and crowded mix with everyone under one roof. Possibly it will mean less number of people staying home. Who knows?
I arrived after the classes ended for a change. It meant I parked away from my usual spot – in a different area altogether. I did not come close to hitting anyone’s car for whatever its worth. It reminds me – I would not be surprised if Station Road is one of the worst places to leave your car. On two different occasions, I came back to find (1) one of my wing mirrors on the pedestrian’s side destroyed (as if someone on a bicycle on the pavement or sidewalk ran into it) and (2) my front windshield cracked. In both cases, I would guess that vandalism was as likely as accident.
Mark, Jane (new haircut) and Steph were all quite early in arriving. No Haihan. Johnny was there, but no Serap once again. I don’t want to start a silly rumor but I’m beginning to wonder if Serap is expecting. I could be completely off base here, and please take this as idle speculation. The Cuban contingent was more heavily represented than it has been in recent weeks. Latinos (mostly new faces to me) were quite heavily represented as well – especially earlier in the evening. Also there were a lot of familiar faces but different from last week. Mauricio is becoming a regular.
As usual Joe played as the DJ first. His selections were somewhat schizophrenic. His selections I recognized included Swing A La Moderna (Mandingo Y Su Son), Rebelion (not Joe Arroyo version), Aicha (not Africando), No Es Una Novela (Monchy & Alexandra), Playa No More (remix?). Steph and I danced to two of the less bland songs played by Joe – both were On1. Vishal played few songs next including a version of Me Libere and Asia Mood (or was it Nina Y Senora?). I only got around to the DJ booth around 12:30.
Playlist (el numero cien)
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R
El Cantante – Marc Anthony*
Lluvia Con Nieve – Mon Rivera
Dejate Querer – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Caballero Y Dama – Celia Cruz & Willie Chirino
Silencio – Chivirico Davila
A La Yumbae – Tommy Olivencia
Perdios – Monchy & Alexandra
Disco Azucar – Los Van Van (1)
Preparen Candela – Willie Rosario
[Eye 2 Eye – Grupo X] (2)
El Yoyo – La Charanga New York (-5%)
Quiero A Morir – Dark Latin Groove (DLG)
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence (3)
Dime Que Quieres – El Gran Combo
Musica Ligera – Toque D Keda (4)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Una Mulata En Habana – Adalberto Alvarez Y Su Son (5)
A El – Oscar D’Leon
Quiero Llenarte – Frankie Ruiz (6)
Perdoname – Gilberto Santa Rosa
(1) I had this slotted earlier (at Caballero Y Dama slot). I took it off the list, and then summoned it again while Perdios was being played.
(2) Marc asked me to play this from his CD. It sounds exciting, but it is quite fast as Cha Cha. Since it’s not mine, I won’t include it in the summary.
(3) I danced to this one. One interesting note is that it was the only On2 dance of the night with someone outside the “usual suspects” list to boot. It was the second dance of the evening with the same person.
(4) Song info request – second time for this song. I think I might be the only person here who plays this one.
(5) Yup. Another Cuban tune. Son this time.
(6) Jane was spoken for. I think this means I’ll be going without dancing with her for well over a month given GBSEx and Athens.
Total = 20 songs. 3 Bachata. 1 Merengue. 16 Salsa including 1 new.
p.s. I learned that I now have a nephew named Anderson.
Mood; feeling a little stretched. Time is tight. So many uncertainties. It’s times like these where I think lack of attachments is … allows for limiting compromises. Whatever. I know nothing.
Cambridge is down to one Salsa party for Friday night. At least for tonight, it seemed to mean a more lively and crowded mix with everyone under one roof. Possibly it will mean less number of people staying home. Who knows?
I arrived after the classes ended for a change. It meant I parked away from my usual spot – in a different area altogether. I did not come close to hitting anyone’s car for whatever its worth. It reminds me – I would not be surprised if Station Road is one of the worst places to leave your car. On two different occasions, I came back to find (1) one of my wing mirrors on the pedestrian’s side destroyed (as if someone on a bicycle on the pavement or sidewalk ran into it) and (2) my front windshield cracked. In both cases, I would guess that vandalism was as likely as accident.
Mark, Jane (new haircut) and Steph were all quite early in arriving. No Haihan. Johnny was there, but no Serap once again. I don’t want to start a silly rumor but I’m beginning to wonder if Serap is expecting. I could be completely off base here, and please take this as idle speculation. The Cuban contingent was more heavily represented than it has been in recent weeks. Latinos (mostly new faces to me) were quite heavily represented as well – especially earlier in the evening. Also there were a lot of familiar faces but different from last week. Mauricio is becoming a regular.
As usual Joe played as the DJ first. His selections were somewhat schizophrenic. His selections I recognized included Swing A La Moderna (Mandingo Y Su Son), Rebelion (not Joe Arroyo version), Aicha (not Africando), No Es Una Novela (Monchy & Alexandra), Playa No More (remix?). Steph and I danced to two of the less bland songs played by Joe – both were On1. Vishal played few songs next including a version of Me Libere and Asia Mood (or was it Nina Y Senora?). I only got around to the DJ booth around 12:30.
Playlist (el numero cien)
Loco De Amor – Evolucion A R
El Cantante – Marc Anthony*
Lluvia Con Nieve – Mon Rivera
Dejate Querer – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Caballero Y Dama – Celia Cruz & Willie Chirino
Silencio – Chivirico Davila
A La Yumbae – Tommy Olivencia
Perdios – Monchy & Alexandra
Disco Azucar – Los Van Van (1)
Preparen Candela – Willie Rosario
[Eye 2 Eye – Grupo X] (2)
El Yoyo – La Charanga New York (-5%)
Quiero A Morir – Dark Latin Groove (DLG)
La-La-La – Direct Latin Influence (3)
Dime Que Quieres – El Gran Combo
Musica Ligera – Toque D Keda (4)
Luna Negra – Rey Ruiz
Una Mulata En Habana – Adalberto Alvarez Y Su Son (5)
A El – Oscar D’Leon
Quiero Llenarte – Frankie Ruiz (6)
Perdoname – Gilberto Santa Rosa
(1) I had this slotted earlier (at Caballero Y Dama slot). I took it off the list, and then summoned it again while Perdios was being played.
(2) Marc asked me to play this from his CD. It sounds exciting, but it is quite fast as Cha Cha. Since it’s not mine, I won’t include it in the summary.
(3) I danced to this one. One interesting note is that it was the only On2 dance of the night with someone outside the “usual suspects” list to boot. It was the second dance of the evening with the same person.
(4) Song info request – second time for this song. I think I might be the only person here who plays this one.
(5) Yup. Another Cuban tune. Son this time.
(6) Jane was spoken for. I think this means I’ll be going without dancing with her for well over a month given GBSEx and Athens.
Total = 20 songs. 3 Bachata. 1 Merengue. 16 Salsa including 1 new.
p.s. I learned that I now have a nephew named Anderson.
Worse Or Better Than Ever?
November 7, 2008
Quietly I despaired as I scanned the club walking across it. Has Cambridge scene deteriorated so quickly? The pipeline looked thin at all levels with the number of people, who continue with lessons for more than a few weeks, looking smaller than ever. Even the beginners seemed unable to do the simplest basic steps, which really should be doable for many followers after even just one 2-hour lesson.
I rather felt sorry for Joe as he cranked out songs after songs he deemed likely to find favor with people ignorant of Salsa music. I felt sorry for myself as I contemplated a role of overseer of decline and fall of Cambridge Salsa scene. The hoped-for keepers of the torch still remaining had not shown up yet – aside from Jane, who was there presumably assisting with instructions.
After a few dispiriting dances with beginners, I actually found someone new and not at all hopeless to dance with. Right afterwards as I was asking Lorraine for a dance, Joe asked me to take over at the DJ booth. I asked him to play one more.
As I was about to take over, I spotted Steph. Haihan arrived shortly thereafter. Quite a few more experienced people arrived in bunches so by the time I started my first song, the scene was looking much improved – albeit still on the quiet side. By the middle of my second DJ session, I had changed my opinion about the state of Cambridge Salsa scene. On the lead side, it is arguably stronger than ever despite absences of likes of Sergio, Ivan and Cyrille.
Playlist
Con Eso – El Gran Combo
El Pio Pio – Sonora Poncena
Quien Como Tu – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Pa’ Borojol – Rey Reyes
Lluvia – Willie Rosario (-5%) (1)
Hoja En Blanco – Monchy & Alexandra
Fantasia Cubana – German Villarreal (2)
Sama Thiel – Africando
break (3)
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love (4)
Sin Negro No Guaguanco – Lebron Brothers
Vive Y Vacila – Ray Barretto*
Volvere– DLG (Dark Latin Groove)* (-5%) (5)
Brujeria – El Gran Combo (6)
Hong Kong Mambo – Tito Puente (DJ Duste remix remixed – shorter of 2 remixes I made)*
Violent’s Guaguanco – Angel Rene & Johnny Rodriguez Orquesta (7)
Busca Lo Tuyo – Eddie Palmieri (-5%)*
Telarana – Jose Curbelo*
Nina Mele – Angel Canales*
Satin And Lace – Tito Rodriguez
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa (-5%)
[Haihan’s selection from his collection … Senales De Humo – Juan Luis Guerra]
Cali Pachanguero – Galieo Y Su Banda* (8)
Quien Eres Tu – Francisco Aguabella (9)
Tumba El Quinto – Linda Leida Y La Bahia
Ojos Asi – Shakira* (10)
Arrepentida – Angel Canales* (11)
break (12)
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo
(1) I tried to arrange song selections so that Haihan could get a nice Salsa and Bachata to dance to before he took over for a little while.
(2) My original expectation was that this would be my last song of the first set. However, I half expected Haihan to dance to this one because he did not get to Steph in time for Lluvia earlier.
(3) Haihan took over for 8 songs or so. The selections were surprisingly challenging. It would be fair to say that my song selections for my second set were influenced by his selections and their reception. Mark was here by this time. No Ivan – I’m now guessing that he’s taking an extended leave – possibly because of adjusting to his new teaching duties or possibly because he has lost interest a la Sergio.
(4) A request from Haihan.
(5) Again this was something of a reaction to Haihan’s choices. It threw off a few people, which in turn further affected my selections later on.
(6) A request – this time from a Colombian (?) girl. This was an alternative to Besame by Maelo Ruiz.
(7) These song selections are rather atypical and reflects what I thought was popular tonight. Rather highbrow stuff.
(8) Another request from the same Colombian girl. An alternate to Kisomba (no idea what was meant by that). I don’t have the full Grupo Niche version of Cali Pachanguero so I played this copy-cat version.
(9) I think the highbrow moment might be waning a little. Or maybe this was placed poorly. Or maybe it simply did not sound exciting.
(10) I was wondering if it was time to change gears once again based on reactions to Quien Eres Tu. I guess I was wrong. I actually did not mind clearing the floor because I wanted to get Steph for the next song. Vish came over to suggest changing the song, but I was in the process of finding the appropriate start point for the next song – to cut about a minute at the start so that it is only slightly over 8 minutes long. I asked Haihan to take over briefly, and he complied despite feeling quite tired and sleepy by then.
(11) Zero to sixty in 5 seconds or something like that.
Total = 26 songs. 2 Bachata. 1 Cha Cha new. 1 Latin Pop new. 22 Salsa including 7 new.
Dancing mood tonight – rushed and impatient after I started dancing with Steph. I thought some of the dances deserved a whack in the head with a lecture, “What were you thinking?” I would give my form tonight a failing grade.
Quietly I despaired as I scanned the club walking across it. Has Cambridge scene deteriorated so quickly? The pipeline looked thin at all levels with the number of people, who continue with lessons for more than a few weeks, looking smaller than ever. Even the beginners seemed unable to do the simplest basic steps, which really should be doable for many followers after even just one 2-hour lesson.
I rather felt sorry for Joe as he cranked out songs after songs he deemed likely to find favor with people ignorant of Salsa music. I felt sorry for myself as I contemplated a role of overseer of decline and fall of Cambridge Salsa scene. The hoped-for keepers of the torch still remaining had not shown up yet – aside from Jane, who was there presumably assisting with instructions.
After a few dispiriting dances with beginners, I actually found someone new and not at all hopeless to dance with. Right afterwards as I was asking Lorraine for a dance, Joe asked me to take over at the DJ booth. I asked him to play one more.
As I was about to take over, I spotted Steph. Haihan arrived shortly thereafter. Quite a few more experienced people arrived in bunches so by the time I started my first song, the scene was looking much improved – albeit still on the quiet side. By the middle of my second DJ session, I had changed my opinion about the state of Cambridge Salsa scene. On the lead side, it is arguably stronger than ever despite absences of likes of Sergio, Ivan and Cyrille.
Playlist
Con Eso – El Gran Combo
El Pio Pio – Sonora Poncena
Quien Como Tu – Jose Alberto “El Canario”
Pa’ Borojol – Rey Reyes
Lluvia – Willie Rosario (-5%) (1)
Hoja En Blanco – Monchy & Alexandra
Fantasia Cubana – German Villarreal (2)
Sama Thiel – Africando
break (3)
Playa Fa Sho – Toby Love (4)
Sin Negro No Guaguanco – Lebron Brothers
Vive Y Vacila – Ray Barretto*
Volvere– DLG (Dark Latin Groove)* (-5%) (5)
Brujeria – El Gran Combo (6)
Hong Kong Mambo – Tito Puente (DJ Duste remix remixed – shorter of 2 remixes I made)*
Violent’s Guaguanco – Angel Rene & Johnny Rodriguez Orquesta (7)
Busca Lo Tuyo – Eddie Palmieri (-5%)*
Telarana – Jose Curbelo*
Nina Mele – Angel Canales*
Satin And Lace – Tito Rodriguez
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa (-5%)
[Haihan’s selection from his collection … Senales De Humo – Juan Luis Guerra]
Cali Pachanguero – Galieo Y Su Banda* (8)
Quien Eres Tu – Francisco Aguabella (9)
Tumba El Quinto – Linda Leida Y La Bahia
Ojos Asi – Shakira* (10)
Arrepentida – Angel Canales* (11)
break (12)
Gotas De Lluvia – El Gran Combo
(1) I tried to arrange song selections so that Haihan could get a nice Salsa and Bachata to dance to before he took over for a little while.
(2) My original expectation was that this would be my last song of the first set. However, I half expected Haihan to dance to this one because he did not get to Steph in time for Lluvia earlier.
(3) Haihan took over for 8 songs or so. The selections were surprisingly challenging. It would be fair to say that my song selections for my second set were influenced by his selections and their reception. Mark was here by this time. No Ivan – I’m now guessing that he’s taking an extended leave – possibly because of adjusting to his new teaching duties or possibly because he has lost interest a la Sergio.
(4) A request from Haihan.
(5) Again this was something of a reaction to Haihan’s choices. It threw off a few people, which in turn further affected my selections later on.
(6) A request – this time from a Colombian (?) girl. This was an alternative to Besame by Maelo Ruiz.
(7) These song selections are rather atypical and reflects what I thought was popular tonight. Rather highbrow stuff.
(8) Another request from the same Colombian girl. An alternate to Kisomba (no idea what was meant by that). I don’t have the full Grupo Niche version of Cali Pachanguero so I played this copy-cat version.
(9) I think the highbrow moment might be waning a little. Or maybe this was placed poorly. Or maybe it simply did not sound exciting.
(10) I was wondering if it was time to change gears once again based on reactions to Quien Eres Tu. I guess I was wrong. I actually did not mind clearing the floor because I wanted to get Steph for the next song. Vish came over to suggest changing the song, but I was in the process of finding the appropriate start point for the next song – to cut about a minute at the start so that it is only slightly over 8 minutes long. I asked Haihan to take over briefly, and he complied despite feeling quite tired and sleepy by then.
(11) Zero to sixty in 5 seconds or something like that.
Total = 26 songs. 2 Bachata. 1 Cha Cha new. 1 Latin Pop new. 22 Salsa including 7 new.
Dancing mood tonight – rushed and impatient after I started dancing with Steph. I thought some of the dances deserved a whack in the head with a lecture, “What were you thinking?” I would give my form tonight a failing grade.
A monthly affair
November 2, 2008
It was that time of the month? Kidding aside, it does seem like SOS is becoming a once a month affair. Thus far going less frequently has made the experience more consistently enjoyable. Also it does seem like I’m still evolving and generally getting more confident from one month to next.
Roger thought there were more guys than usual and at higher calibre than usual tonight. I didn’t notice anything. Heck, I couldn’t be bothered to check out the girls to see who’d be good to dance with after a short while because nothing really stood out. I ended up asking people who I either knew was good or people who looked like they might be pretty good. It worked for most part.
Overall the dances were almost unanimously excellent. Pretty much the only exception was a dance fairly early in the evening with a total beginner with little sense of moving in time to the music; that song felt really long. Amusingly another guy asked her right after me – possibly because it was so obvious that she was a beginner. My partner right afterwards was a somewhat inexperienced intermediate and danced a little too big. Fortunately, I had tons of room so it was not a problem – the dance was pretty fun in fact. Again amusingly another guy (pretty good lead I might add – and maybe a little picky as well) grabbed her right afterwards. In both cases, I really doubt I would have been so eager to dance with either of my partners if I had been watching. Did I make them look better than they were or did they think they could do better than me? Pretty much every dance felt really good. It has been a long time since I felt like I was locked-in and totally in the zone for such an extended length of time.
It wasn’t like I can thank the musical selection for this. I think it was Julian the Duke who was the DJ. He played better than average set for him, but I would not have called it special or spectacular. Songs played included Mentirosa, Tiembla, El Cantante, Mambo Is Here To Stay (Latin Giants of Jazz), Cosas Nativas, Lluvia (Willie Rosario?), Chango Ta Beni (German Villarreal), Hace Tiempo (after a technical difficulty with the start of previous song). Cha Cha selections were better than usual by SOS standard. Thankfully Julian skipped Avisale A Mi Contrario once again.
Between one-fourth to one-third of my dances were done On2. I’m getting to a point where my On2 is almost indistinguishable from my On1 in terms of comfort level. At least that is how it felt tonight. I felt confident enough to finally ask Miriam for a dance; it went fine except the song ended a little too quickly and a little too abruptly for me. It’s probably silly for me to judge her, but she is very nice to dance with.
No Leon. No Tamambo. I think Mauro was in charge. Sharon was there and seemed to be getting her money’s worth. Other people I said hello to included Sean, Amir and that guy I had brief chat with at the last Scala and SDE.
Prediction: O 54 M 45. 370+ EV. 56 Senate (+ 2 Ind).
It was that time of the month? Kidding aside, it does seem like SOS is becoming a once a month affair. Thus far going less frequently has made the experience more consistently enjoyable. Also it does seem like I’m still evolving and generally getting more confident from one month to next.
Roger thought there were more guys than usual and at higher calibre than usual tonight. I didn’t notice anything. Heck, I couldn’t be bothered to check out the girls to see who’d be good to dance with after a short while because nothing really stood out. I ended up asking people who I either knew was good or people who looked like they might be pretty good. It worked for most part.
Overall the dances were almost unanimously excellent. Pretty much the only exception was a dance fairly early in the evening with a total beginner with little sense of moving in time to the music; that song felt really long. Amusingly another guy asked her right after me – possibly because it was so obvious that she was a beginner. My partner right afterwards was a somewhat inexperienced intermediate and danced a little too big. Fortunately, I had tons of room so it was not a problem – the dance was pretty fun in fact. Again amusingly another guy (pretty good lead I might add – and maybe a little picky as well) grabbed her right afterwards. In both cases, I really doubt I would have been so eager to dance with either of my partners if I had been watching. Did I make them look better than they were or did they think they could do better than me? Pretty much every dance felt really good. It has been a long time since I felt like I was locked-in and totally in the zone for such an extended length of time.
It wasn’t like I can thank the musical selection for this. I think it was Julian the Duke who was the DJ. He played better than average set for him, but I would not have called it special or spectacular. Songs played included Mentirosa, Tiembla, El Cantante, Mambo Is Here To Stay (Latin Giants of Jazz), Cosas Nativas, Lluvia (Willie Rosario?), Chango Ta Beni (German Villarreal), Hace Tiempo (after a technical difficulty with the start of previous song). Cha Cha selections were better than usual by SOS standard. Thankfully Julian skipped Avisale A Mi Contrario once again.
Between one-fourth to one-third of my dances were done On2. I’m getting to a point where my On2 is almost indistinguishable from my On1 in terms of comfort level. At least that is how it felt tonight. I felt confident enough to finally ask Miriam for a dance; it went fine except the song ended a little too quickly and a little too abruptly for me. It’s probably silly for me to judge her, but she is very nice to dance with.
No Leon. No Tamambo. I think Mauro was in charge. Sharon was there and seemed to be getting her money’s worth. Other people I said hello to included Sean, Amir and that guy I had brief chat with at the last Scala and SDE.
Prediction: O 54 M 45. 370+ EV. 56 Senate (+ 2 Ind).
It's the dancer, not the style
October 31, 2008
Halloween on a Friday might not be the ideal Salsa night because everyone and their friends will have their own party. Heck, CS wasn’t the only place holding a “special” Salsa party in Cambridge this time. It did bring in more people dressed up in costumes compared to previous years, however. I didn’t wear a costume. I did wear a shirt I had never worn before – Vish seemed to like it. It was a little itchy.
Quick roundup. Singapore – no. Royston – yes. The team – no, no and no with one exception from an old captain. Hardcore Cubans – no again except for the heads. So what did that leave? The hardcore regulars – the ones you can more or less depend on every week and have been doing so since before my time. I suppose the new regulars – Big, Small, Penguin-shirt, the new Asians, the beautiful Liars, etc. Sharon, Will, Lorraine.
Dancing highlight. My first dance in some 776 days made me exclaim, “Finally!” Was it worth the wait? Yes. I could have danced with her all night. Did I? No. I am not exactly popular with some crowds, and I think some of their brain might explode if I tried and succeeded. It might be akin to trying to subvert one of the revered leaders of a rival religion. Can’t we agree that good people are good regardless of their religion and move on?
I found myself on the front row for the return of the human vibrator inadvertently. Yes, I’m referring to Leandro, who was as entertaining as last time.
Playlist
La Paella – Jose Alberto “El Canario” (1)
La Cartera – Orchestra Harlow
Clasiquiendo Con Ruben – Afro-Cuban All-Stars
Solo Se Que Tiene Nombre De Mujer – Angel Canales
Chanchullo – Fania All-Stars
Miye Na We – Africando
Descarga Cubana – Cal Tjader
Si Tu Te Vas – Juan Luis Guerra
Hoja En Blanco – Monchy & Alexandra*
Perla Fina – Monguito*
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Ahora Si – Ismael Miranda
El Jibaro – Orquesta Flamboyan* (2)
(1) This got Joe to sing along. I saw Leandro dance to this one and Angel Canales later.
(2) Ouch. This was a poor Cha Cha dance for me.
Total = 13 songs. 1 Merengue. 1 Bachata new. 2 Cha Cha including 1 new. 9 Salsa including 1 new.
Vish played two more Cha Cha after me. I think it means there may have been more Cha Cha played than Merengue, Bachata, or Reggaeton tonight. Salsa was abandoned after 2.
Halloween on a Friday might not be the ideal Salsa night because everyone and their friends will have their own party. Heck, CS wasn’t the only place holding a “special” Salsa party in Cambridge this time. It did bring in more people dressed up in costumes compared to previous years, however. I didn’t wear a costume. I did wear a shirt I had never worn before – Vish seemed to like it. It was a little itchy.
Quick roundup. Singapore – no. Royston – yes. The team – no, no and no with one exception from an old captain. Hardcore Cubans – no again except for the heads. So what did that leave? The hardcore regulars – the ones you can more or less depend on every week and have been doing so since before my time. I suppose the new regulars – Big, Small, Penguin-shirt, the new Asians, the beautiful Liars, etc. Sharon, Will, Lorraine.
Dancing highlight. My first dance in some 776 days made me exclaim, “Finally!” Was it worth the wait? Yes. I could have danced with her all night. Did I? No. I am not exactly popular with some crowds, and I think some of their brain might explode if I tried and succeeded. It might be akin to trying to subvert one of the revered leaders of a rival religion. Can’t we agree that good people are good regardless of their religion and move on?
I found myself on the front row for the return of the human vibrator inadvertently. Yes, I’m referring to Leandro, who was as entertaining as last time.
Playlist
La Paella – Jose Alberto “El Canario” (1)
La Cartera – Orchestra Harlow
Clasiquiendo Con Ruben – Afro-Cuban All-Stars
Solo Se Que Tiene Nombre De Mujer – Angel Canales
Chanchullo – Fania All-Stars
Miye Na We – Africando
Descarga Cubana – Cal Tjader
Si Tu Te Vas – Juan Luis Guerra
Hoja En Blanco – Monchy & Alexandra*
Perla Fina – Monguito*
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Ahora Si – Ismael Miranda
El Jibaro – Orquesta Flamboyan* (2)
(1) This got Joe to sing along. I saw Leandro dance to this one and Angel Canales later.
(2) Ouch. This was a poor Cha Cha dance for me.
Total = 13 songs. 1 Merengue. 1 Bachata new. 2 Cha Cha including 1 new. 9 Salsa including 1 new.
Vish played two more Cha Cha after me. I think it means there may have been more Cha Cha played than Merengue, Bachata, or Reggaeton tonight. Salsa was abandoned after 2.
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