Mystery Salsa Blogger Returns to Bar Salsa

April 6, 2009

A morning drive from Bath to Cambridge followed by an afternoon stroll in Cambridge. Train to London Kings Cross was extremely slow due to a supposed fatality at Finsbury Park (I wasn’t able to find any details on the web) so we did not arrive at the St. George’s Square apartment near Pimlico until more than one and half hour after the first estimated time. After wandering about Leicester Square, an awkward dinner at Mr Kong. I was finally more than ready to head to Bar Salsa at 11:30.

Past the turnstiles, I asked the tube attendant how late the trains run. 1 AM was the reply, and I said thanks as I skipped down the stairs (down escalator was undergoing a refurbishment estimated to last nearly 6 months). As I made way there, I decided that I would either try to leave at 12:40 or so or try walking back to determine how long it would take.

Once downstairs, I spotted a bunch of woman I see fairly often (but for the most part don’t dance with) as well as several old-timer leads – some I know a little more than others. Among people I recognized were Andrew, Robin, Shaan, Aiste, Laith and Sleek. I guess Robin must be living in London now if he’s now a regular at both SOS and Bar Salsa? Mario was deejaying all night, and I stopped by to say a brief hello.

I ended up staying until the start of the last song – close to 2 AM. I ended up with a good number of dances. It was fun for the most part. Nevertheless this second trip to Bar Salsa reinforced my impression that it still is less of pure dance venue compared to SOS. By this I mean there is more of a social and flirting element rather than a heavier and exaggerated emphasis on pure technique (although I feel that this description is poorly expressed and very liable for misinterpretation by a bystander and possibly even by me if I were to read this 10-20 years from now).

A few times I managed to end up watching other people dancing, my observation was that most leads here looked considerably sloppier than expected. I thought the musicality was particularly lacking although I better admit that different people may have a very different sense of what to do to achieve better musicality. Even in cases where it seemed like an effort was being made, my estimation was that their conception of musicality was quite different than my sensibilities. Who knows, of course, if my ideas evolve (which it almost certainly will if I keep this up) to match some of the people I saw tonight. Then again, the issue at hand may have more to do with mentality and possibly even technique (with a big caveat that I have no illusion that my technique is any better let alone flawless) rather than in differences in how people hear same music with different ears.

One girl there tonight seemed particularly taken with how I danced with her. Then again I would not be surprised if at least one or two girls were nonplussed about our connection. This is all without taking into account one’s ability to mask disappointment or delight. BO was an issue with at least one person.

The walk from Bar Salsa (north of Leicester Sq) to SGS (east of Pimlico) took about 35 minutes. This includes time spent to consult London AZ, to buy a drink a 24 hour convenience store, and to ask a photographer about a demonstration still going strong next to the Parliament building (near Westminster) – the demonstration was about the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

p.s. Vishal apparently is committing to the Sauce path. Cue music.