Resolution Jam

January 3, 2008

The Resolution

I’ll be back in Cambridge for few more months in 2009. Nothing will change while I’m still in Cambridge. I’d like to make one more trip abroad – the most likely possibility is checking out the Paris scene in February/March for a long weekend.

Once I’m out of Cambridge and the UK, I would prefer to change the way I post. I think it will stop being a daily blog – by this I mean I will cease to write about every Salsa outing on day-to-day basis.

I suppose if I were to be in a very small scene, perhaps I could use the blog to drum up interest. However, in a larger established scene this blog in current format likely will cause me more headache than its’ worth.

I think I could document any lessons or moves I am working on. I could still write about travelling and seeing other places. If I were to DJ, posting the playlist should be reasonable. Otherwise I think I should limit covering the local scene to minimum - possibly a monthly update or less.

I think it would be nice to see how it feels to live outside a fishbowl in the Salsa world.

An Interlude

How about if I say that I stirred things a little while I am here? Let’s start with a quote.

A Quote

“I trust it will adhere to that time schedule. I wouldn't want to read in some obscure blog about the DC salsa scene how the Resolution Jam unbelievably shut down for an eternity at the height of the evening for amateurish performances and a dance contest. The folks I know, myself included, are coming primarily to dance - not watch.” – attributed to Bailandus Africanus (January 2, 2009 on the DC/MD/VA Salsa MeetUp Forum)

An Announcement

For those checking out this blog from DC area – could you refrain from reprinting this entry in a public forum? I’ll be providing a separate review minus personal and extraneous stuff for such purpose. To best of my understanding, this post will not be sent to Josh automatically by Google alert.

Nacho

I took off shortly after 8 to Arlington. First I was to meet Ignacio at his new place. After missing my exit on 395, however, it was a struggle to figure out where I was. A phone call later and a brief glance at the map finally revealed that I was rather far off to west of his place. When I finally located his building, finding on-street parking became a bigger issue. More than half hour later than I hoped for, I finally saw Ignacio face-to-face for the first time in over 3 years.

The Past

On his way to Spain, Ignacio decided to have a layover in the UK for two nights to hang out with me. He arrived at Cambridge on Friday. Next day, we drove to London – finding a hotel in the Victoria district. After a quick tour of a few major sights (British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Buckingham Palace), we had a dinner in some restaurant on Queensway in the Bayswater district.

Near the restaurant was a small dance club advertising Salsa dancing. The place was sparsely occupied. The dance floor was tiny – no more than 5 square meters or enough for no more than ten couples at most. Hardly anyone was dancing. This place by the way is absolute nowhere in the London Salsa world. My Salsa research for venues in London about a year later showed no sign of this club’s existence.

It was also the first time I heard Salsa music (and presumably Merengue and most likely some other Latin music). I can say that the music made absolutely no impression on me – I neither loved it nor hated it. I couldn’t distinguish between Salsa, Merengue and whatever else the DJ was playing.

I remember a group of buxom ladies of African descent and an Asian from Far East hitting on these women all night for dances all night long. I don’t think the women were particularly impressed with the Asian guy as a dance partner but his persistence seemed to lead to a few dances. Being a neophyte, I have no idea how he danced but the impression that remains was that he did little but sway while burying his head in the women’s chest – I think he was a little shorter than all of the women.

Ignacio might have danced once with some of the women the Asian guy was hitting on. Mainly we passed the time drinking and seeing who else would show up. Eventually a few more people drifted in. Ignacio danced for maybe 2 or 3 songs with a Caucasian woman – probably English. I thought she looked nice enough, but Ignacio did not seem particularly impressed when he returned.

After another drink or so, a pair of Hispanic girls showed up. Ignacio seemed to hit it off with one of them. He must have danced with her for well over half dozen dances – probably in groups of three dances for three times or so. It might have been a little less than that because he probably danced at least twice with her friend. I was doing nothing but drinking and watching – first by myself and later with whomever among the Hispanic pair Ignacio was not dancing with.

I remember complimenting the girl about how nice she looked dancing, and she in turn complimented Ignacio for being a really good dancer and making her look good. It was her first time stepping into this Salsa club. Before leaving, Ignacio and the girl exchanged contact information – I don’t think anything came out of it aside from one e-mail maybe.

I think it was on the way back to the hotel (we hailed a taxi after some wandering around) that Ignacio suggested to me that I take up Salsa dancing – that it was a great way to socialize. Or perhaps he made the suggestion for the second or third time – I am fairly sure the topic of Leipzig came up before we entered the Salsa club. In any case I said that I would start after an upcoming trip I to Cape Cod/Boston immediately followed by another trip to Newquay/Cornwall in next couple of weeks. Just under one month later, I had my first Salsa lesson in Cambridge.

This Salsa night out, my first, happened on August 28, 2004.

The Jam

Ignacio and I headed off to the Resolution Jam shortly before 10. The signage outside the Salsa Room still had old sign for Cecilia’s. There was a line or queue. The music had started by the time we were outside. Shortly after 10:10, we were in.

The place was packed with people dancing – more crowded than the other time I visited. The venue felt even larger than last time too. Possibly there was more space than previously because the staff removed many of the tables and chairs. Only a smattering of small tables lined the walls of the venue. Even when the new portable floor is considered, the SOS at Royal Sonesta Hall probably has less wood dance floor space than here. The crowd estimate was over 600 people.

I had not known what to expect from him considering that the last time he went out dancing was over a year ago. Apparently he hadn’t gone out dancing for another 2 years prior to it. In our conversation later in the evening, it sounded like our London outing was not far from being one of the last few times he went out Salsa dancing. Oh well. It was no surprise that his confidence would be shaky, and it could not have helped to have this event be his first night out after a long furlough. I think he ended up dancing only once all night. He said he would want to have around ten refresher lessons to feel more comfortable at this type of night.

After settling in putting our coats tucked away and in my case changing into dancing shoes (the one I still don’t have high opinion of in terms of comfort), Ignacio and I did watched people dancing for 3 songs or so. One of the leads I’ve seen in two previous nights in trip approached me – a guy named Jimmy. He whispered in my ear that I was famous. I grinned and said he was exaggerating. It was essentially a repeat of what happened in Cambridge except people here were far friendlier about it – no doubt helped by the fact that I was a visiting guest.

The music was pretty much all Salsa with a sprinkle of Cha Cha. The variety of Salsa seemed even greater here compared to DC Dance Collective and Clarendon Grill nights I experienced earlier in this trip. Keep in mind that musical choice often change from night to night even with same DJs (and many venues here rotate DJs). I liked the music or perhaps more precisely I liked the combination of the music and the followers available.

There were four dance showcases. The first two were from Philadelphia – Calle Luna composed of 4 couples and Calle Sol composed of 3 couples. Third was a couple from Boston. Last were 4 couples including Milton Cobo. The level of choreography and execution went more or less according to form by the order of appearance. The first act probably could have made opening night series of performance in middling European Congress. Milton Cobo is a known quantity in European Salsa Congress circuit except I would add that Cobo Brothers would travel to Europe with smaller number of dancers and likely would have included his brother James, who I think was not here tonight. In any case, I quite liked the first 30 seconds of Cobo Brothers act. Making a space for the showcase took a bit, but the rest of it once the space was cleared went quickly without much dithering.

The judges for the Jack and Jill contest were summoned before and after the Cobo Brothers Dance Company’s performance. The dance contest itself was run fairly efficiently with a single round of dance to perhaps two thirds of the song Merecumbe by Los Titanes. Ignacio tried to goad me into entering. It was something I had considered (of course I seem to consider such contests all the time without ever actually participating), but I ultimately decided against it. Even before the start of the night, I thought I had earned enough notoriety. Even before the start of this trip, I thought it silly to enter as a short-time visitor. Finally, it looked like there were way more eager leaders compared to followers; I may very well have entered if the opposite were true.

As for the contestants, it was not easy for me to pick out the winner between 8-10 couples. I probably would have danced a bit differently and less frantically than most of the contestants at least at the start of the song – even if it may not have been the best winning strategy. Most of the contestants appeared to be very competent social dancers; no one caused me to scratch my head in confusion as I had in all other Jack and Jill contests. If I had to choose between the contestants, I would have picked the pair with the lead holding a white towel on his back pocket because I thought he did a somewhat better job dancing to the music. However, I have no idea who won in the end.

One benefit of the showcase and contest break was that it gave me a small opportunity to survey the room and the occupants. The venue was large and crowded and I was not mingling as much as I would have if I were by myself. Thus I was able to spot among others my favorite dance partner from Virginia Beach. At the conclusion of the dance contest, I sauntered over to the opposite side to greet her. She recognized me but already had a dance partner for the first song (and a very crowded dance floor), but we caught up afterwards. She seemed quite happy to see that I remembered her well. I danced with her to the third song and a couple more in the course of the rest of the evening.

I took a short break a little after 1 to give Ignacio a ride home; he said he was feeling the effects from antihistamine. The party was still going strong by the time I returned except there was now more room for dancing. It was also easier to spot prospective partners. As is the case usually, proportion of people who were primarily watching rather than dancing went down as the night progressed. However, there still were many people I had not danced with and would have liked to ask. Thus dancing was even more fun during the last hour.

Probably the biggest complaint I could make is that the party ended too early. The announcement for the last song came at 2:30 or so. Lights came on promptly. There were still tons of people. I had not danced with many of the people remaining. I have danced with no more than a couple of people I had danced with in two previous nights. I think the party could easily have gone to 3:30 or perhaps even beyond. With lights on and after a minute or so, the DJ put on another song followed by one more – both Romantica. I danced to the first but not the second (most people had changed shoes, etc by the time these songs came on).

I also got together with Tanya and Beto for a friendly chat sharing laughs, etc – I had said brief hello and/or dance with both individually earlier. Tanya introduced me to Josh also. I suppose the blog controversy was good for accelerating the process of familiarization and perhaps friendship. It was also at the end of the night I caught up with Mr. Earl Rush. Here's another retrospective.

Earl Rush

A highly enthusiastic and tireless DC promoter, Earl Rush sometimes tries to impersonate a Godfather figure. However, between the bluster and goofiness, his antics come across to me as completely harmless and even humorous because it is transparently clear that it is all in good fun. Before dancing Salsa, I seem to recall reading somewhere that he had hip hop dance background.

One of the most lasting memories I have of Earl is not surprisingly from the first time I saw him in December 4, 2005. I believe he was the first person I saw in person executing a Copa using his feet on follower’s hips. This is a move not used much in Europe; the last person I saw using this move was Mario B, who was visiting Scala at end of August 2008 from NYC.

However unusual this move was, an even more striking one came moments later. Earl was dancing with a latecomer to the party; her name is Christina, whom I met again briefly about a year ago. In the middle of the dance, Earl took Christina’s hand and got her to get a hold of his dress shirt, which was tucked in properly in his semi-formal gear. Earl then maneuvered the hands, etc. to get the shirt to come off undone and leaving her hand on his shirt while his hand moved away. The end effect to was to make it look like Christina started undressing Earl right there on the dance floor. For whatever its worth, there was no nudity involved as Earl was wearing an undershirt.

Formal Review of Resolution Jam (January 3, 2008)

Earl had asked me to send him a review. Considering the fact that I did not attend the afternoon’s workshop or the evening classes, a full review is impossible. However, I thought a review of the social including a comparison to how things are done elsewhere might be useful. I will be sending him a copy for his pleasure after more editing, and he may do whatever he want with it. I would appreciate no further action from others unless Earl likes it.

StuckOnSalsa hosted the Resolution Jam at the Salsa Room (2619 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA). The Salsa Room was formerly known as Cecilia’s Night Club - in fact the signage for Cecilia’s was still present on the outside mast of the venue at the time of this event several months after the venue name change. I arrived shortly before 10, and the music was already on - early by European standard.

The Salsa Room, which also holds weekly Salsa nights, has a large dance floor - I estimate it is around 700 square meters or over 7000 square foot. Perhaps the ideal capacity is a shade over 500 people for a Salsa event although the venue can hold more people. I would guess that over 600 people attended thus it was quite crowded. In general Salsa venues are smaller in Europe.

In terms of atmosphere and crowding, this Resolution Jam was comparable to Scala Bank Holiday Salsa all-night party in London, which is held 5 times a year between April and August on Sundays preceding Holiday Mondays. The attendance at Scala generally ranges from 1000 to 1500 people although the number of people dancing in the main room tends to be considerably smaller. Scala has 4 separate rooms, and the main room for classic Salsa has less dance space compared to the Salsa Room thus crowding on the dance floor is arguably more problematic at Scala during the height of the party from around 11:30 to 2:30.

For those familiar with Bar Salsa in London, Scala Bank Holiday Salsa party could be considered a souped-up version of Bar Salsa. I have been to Bar Salsa on only one Monday, but the common consensus is that Mondays and Wednedays are the only worthwhile nights for serious Salsa dancers at Bar Salsa; weekend at Bar Salsa supposedly is more of a meat market.

Significant number of people in attendance arrived from out of Washington DC – Baltimore metropolitan area at least as far as Boston to North Carolina. Many local dancers seemingly fairly inactive in local social scene appeared to come out of woodwork to attend this well-established big party. Combine with the die-hard regulars and relative newcomers to the Salsa world, there was no shortage of people to dance with.

Four showcases were given by Calle Luna from Philadelphia, Calle Sol from Philadelphia, a couple whose name I did not catch from Boston and Cobo Brothers dance company from North Carolina. These performances were similar in calibre seen in various European Congresses - Cobo Brothers in fact are regulars in the European Salsa Congress circuit, typically performing in the middle of the biggest party night.

Making a space for the showcases was done in an improvised manner with the organizers struggling to make sufficient amount of floor space for the performers. It worked fairly well although I would suggest that it may have helped to have the organizer on the middle of the performance space to direct people to move beyond a certain area using their body/arm/finger to mark the area as is done in places like SOS (Salsa On Sundays) in London - the best weekly London Salsa venue in my opinion.

Aside from the initial delay in getting the performance area ready, the performances and a Jack and Jill dance contest were run with minimal fuss at least compared to European standard. Dance contests I have seen in England and rest of Europe often involved multiple rounds with additional time spent weeding out weaker candidates. Here the contest was limited to a one song played about two thirds of the way through. The performances in Europe are often preceded by lengthy introductions and promotions of other events and sometimes other inanities.

My biggest complaint is that the party ended too early. There still were tons of people I would have liked to dance with by closing time including many local dancers. I suppose it's not entirely a bad thing to finish the party near the height of fun, but I think I easily could have had a fabulous time for another hour or more.

It was interesting for me to learn that the DC Congress parties (in June) last until only 3 AM. By comparison Scala Bank Holiday party lasts until 6 AM. Salsa parties lasting until 5 AM is common in Europe; the one in Athens supposedly went on until 8 AM on some nights (with social dancing resuming around midnight after a long series of showcases in case of Athens).

In closing, StuckOnSalsa once again delivered the Salsa highlight of my DC trip. Kudos to Earl Rush et al.