October 20, 2007
Rajiv's housewarming party had some Salsa dancing especially early on before going into RnB mode presumably to be all-inclusive. I managed a couple of dances with Salsa - once on the carpet and once in the conservatory. The real highlight for me though was catching up with people I hadn't seen much recently like Cristelle and Sam. Zern and Haihan provided the most entertainment.
An exchange I can recall was a talk about people looking more attractive in Club Salsa than outside. One old theory (which did not come up tonight) I heard years ago involved size of the iris in darkened environment. In any case, this isn't something that has affected me - I could think of many instances where I thought someone looked nicer outside the Salsa environment whereas I cannot think of too many contrary cases. Generally I think everyone looks about the same independent of the setting.
Showing posts with label Et cetera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Et cetera. Show all posts
An unlikely salsero
May 19, 2007
I found another Salsa blog - this is pretty good one. His opinions and advice seem pretty sound - common sense stuff really and repeated over and over by many quality instructors yet ignored by many.
Of his 18 posts thus far, some advices I would have given to many Cambridge Salsa dancers are under following headings:
Lead Adjusting 101 - Patterns
Lead Adjusting 101 - Physical
Friends Don't Let Friends Dance Big
Ignore Beginners At Your Peril
This one is debatable but might be worthwhile.
Blacklisted!
I might add that it is probably not a good idea to get into giving advice business unless you are pretty sure that he or she won't mind constructive criticism.
I wasn't too impressed with what I sampled (only a few) among his favorite videos though. Not bad but nothing earthshaking. Of course, the point might be to show accessible things.
I found another Salsa blog - this is pretty good one. His opinions and advice seem pretty sound - common sense stuff really and repeated over and over by many quality instructors yet ignored by many.
Of his 18 posts thus far, some advices I would have given to many Cambridge Salsa dancers are under following headings:
Lead Adjusting 101 - Patterns
Lead Adjusting 101 - Physical
Friends Don't Let Friends Dance Big
Ignore Beginners At Your Peril
This one is debatable but might be worthwhile.
Blacklisted!
I might add that it is probably not a good idea to get into giving advice business unless you are pretty sure that he or she won't mind constructive criticism.
I wasn't too impressed with what I sampled (only a few) among his favorite videos though. Not bad but nothing earthshaking. Of course, the point might be to show accessible things.
Suggestion #1
Anonymous has left a new comment:
Your website is being talked about quite a bit at club salsa. Unfortunately for you, not for the best of reasons. People find your dancing very amusing and "weird" has been used by a lot of girls I have spoken to. You lack basic rhythm and there is zero engagement with any of your partners. You seem to have a belief that your ability is more advanced than it actually is. In so far as your dj abilities, I can imagine the sort of music being played through the speakers of a cuban shopping centre. You should sell your cd as a cure for insomnia as it will certainly put people to sleep.
I appreciate that you may have interaction issues as some people have already alluded to, but the sort of stuff you write on your website really isn't going to help you.
I suggest you stop writing about people's ability to dance and try and engage with people face to face. Try and ask for feedback from those you dance with as well. It may make you realise.
Happy to discuss further on ---
Your website is being talked about quite a bit at club salsa. Unfortunately for you, not for the best of reasons. People find your dancing very amusing and "weird" has been used by a lot of girls I have spoken to. You lack basic rhythm and there is zero engagement with any of your partners. You seem to have a belief that your ability is more advanced than it actually is. In so far as your dj abilities, I can imagine the sort of music being played through the speakers of a cuban shopping centre. You should sell your cd as a cure for insomnia as it will certainly put people to sleep.
I appreciate that you may have interaction issues as some people have already alluded to, but the sort of stuff you write on your website really isn't going to help you.
I suggest you stop writing about people's ability to dance and try and engage with people face to face. Try and ask for feedback from those you dance with as well. It may make you realise.
Happy to discuss further on ---
Thoughts from Singapore
December 6, 2006
I suppose people who check this site from Singapore (Susana Montero's favorite Salsa city as I noted in an old post) knows about this already, but I liked reading this so much that I had to provide the link for the UK folks.
Collection of essays on Salsa dancing (check it out if you are bored and have a lot of time - oh wait, both must be true since you're checking my blog)
I believe the author is one of the teachers of a couple of Salsa dancers many of us know in Cambridge. It appears to me that combining Salsa and blogging is very common among Singaporeans (wink).
Some excerpts I particularly liked (taken from couple of different assays) -
Salsa places great emphasis on individual style and creativity.
New styles are vigorously praised, and yet, they are furiously replicated.
This, however, is encouraged by the stars and the organizers behind the salsa festivals: imitation implies that the dancer is famous, and this ensures that he does not run out of business because his idols will pay to see him dance and teach.
[There are many other good parts I liked and others will agree with, but I think it's better to read the whole thing, and I'm not willing to reprint her essays - at least not without permission.]
I suppose people who check this site from Singapore (Susana Montero's favorite Salsa city as I noted in an old post) knows about this already, but I liked reading this so much that I had to provide the link for the UK folks.
Collection of essays on Salsa dancing (check it out if you are bored and have a lot of time - oh wait, both must be true since you're checking my blog)
I believe the author is one of the teachers of a couple of Salsa dancers many of us know in Cambridge. It appears to me that combining Salsa and blogging is very common among Singaporeans (wink).
Some excerpts I particularly liked (taken from couple of different assays) -
Salsa places great emphasis on individual style and creativity.
New styles are vigorously praised, and yet, they are furiously replicated.
This, however, is encouraged by the stars and the organizers behind the salsa festivals: imitation implies that the dancer is famous, and this ensures that he does not run out of business because his idols will pay to see him dance and teach.
[There are many other good parts I liked and others will agree with, but I think it's better to read the whole thing, and I'm not willing to reprint her essays - at least not without permission.]
England 1 - Paraguay 0
June 10, 2006
With about an hour and half to kill before the start of England v. Paraguay game, I decided to take a stroll to town center to visit the mirror shop Sergio referred me to with my iPod playing the Buena Vista Social Club album.
I found a frame and mirror shop on Sussex St (map), which more or less fit Sergio's description.
Their selection of mirrors was kept downstairs. For such a small store, I thought the selection was pretty impressive.
After some browsing and narrowing my choice to two, I approached one of the shopkeepers for additional query.
me - "Are there differences between these two aside from the frame? For example, is the quality of glass different?"
salesgirl - "Yes. The quality of the mirror is different. I don't remember the word, but with these (cheaper) mirrors… (holding one of the smaller mirror) …well it's less apparent with these smaller ones."
me - "Distortion."
salesgirl - "Yeah. That's the word."
Sergio had talked about mirror quality, distortion, etc. before. It was not particularly pleasant looking at oneself on a mirror with distortion...
me - "Okay. One more question. Do you know if there is a reason for a steep discount on this one?"
salesgirl - (examining the mirror) "The discount was there before I started working here. You can have a look here... I see a small chip here but that can be mended with gold filler we have upstairs."
I inquire about delivery and other details. On the way upstairs (to take a look at the gold stuff, payment, etc.), we had a little small talk.
me - "So I guess you're not from this country?"
salesgirl - "No, I'm from Poland."
me - "Ah. I suppose you were not happy about last night's result?"
I had overheard her previous customer saying that she (customer) would have to get her husband to pick up the mirror after the football match.
salesgirl - "Yeah. It's so typical of them. It was just like this last time too. They barely qualified too. They're good, but…"
me - "They might get something out of it still. They did beat USA last time. I was out last night, and the place I was at had a TV on. There are some Polish people working there, and I asked the Polish girl there if she was rooting for Ecuador. I didn't know she was Polish though..."
salesgirl - "Yeah. It was like that last night at the restaurant I work during evenings…"
As I was waiting to pay for the mirror, I probably had an embarrassed look or something.
salesgirl - "It IS a very big mirror."
me - "I know. And I never bought a mirror before. (smiling) And it's all for a very silly reason."
salesgirl - "I think it'll look very nice when mounted on a wall."
me - "I think that would be too much effort for me. I'll probably keep in on the floor."
Thinking about it more, this is only the second furniture I have purchased in the UK. The first one was a coat stand.
After the purchase and arranging for delivery (the mirror is too big to fit in my car), one more line.
me - "Well. Now I better hurry back so I can watch the football game."
Was it to compensate for purchasing a big mirror? Who knows?
When I returned, the game had started already. I had only missed the first 4 minutes - but all of the scoring was done during those 4 minutes. Final score: England 1 - Paraguay 0.
With about an hour and half to kill before the start of England v. Paraguay game, I decided to take a stroll to town center to visit the mirror shop Sergio referred me to with my iPod playing the Buena Vista Social Club album.
I found a frame and mirror shop on Sussex St (map), which more or less fit Sergio's description.
Their selection of mirrors was kept downstairs. For such a small store, I thought the selection was pretty impressive.
After some browsing and narrowing my choice to two, I approached one of the shopkeepers for additional query.
me - "Are there differences between these two aside from the frame? For example, is the quality of glass different?"
salesgirl - "Yes. The quality of the mirror is different. I don't remember the word, but with these (cheaper) mirrors… (holding one of the smaller mirror) …well it's less apparent with these smaller ones."
me - "Distortion."
salesgirl - "Yeah. That's the word."
Sergio had talked about mirror quality, distortion, etc. before. It was not particularly pleasant looking at oneself on a mirror with distortion...
me - "Okay. One more question. Do you know if there is a reason for a steep discount on this one?"
salesgirl - (examining the mirror) "The discount was there before I started working here. You can have a look here... I see a small chip here but that can be mended with gold filler we have upstairs."
I inquire about delivery and other details. On the way upstairs (to take a look at the gold stuff, payment, etc.), we had a little small talk.
me - "So I guess you're not from this country?"
salesgirl - "No, I'm from Poland."
me - "Ah. I suppose you were not happy about last night's result?"
I had overheard her previous customer saying that she (customer) would have to get her husband to pick up the mirror after the football match.
salesgirl - "Yeah. It's so typical of them. It was just like this last time too. They barely qualified too. They're good, but…"
me - "They might get something out of it still. They did beat USA last time. I was out last night, and the place I was at had a TV on. There are some Polish people working there, and I asked the Polish girl there if she was rooting for Ecuador. I didn't know she was Polish though..."
salesgirl - "Yeah. It was like that last night at the restaurant I work during evenings…"
As I was waiting to pay for the mirror, I probably had an embarrassed look or something.
salesgirl - "It IS a very big mirror."
me - "I know. And I never bought a mirror before. (smiling) And it's all for a very silly reason."
salesgirl - "I think it'll look very nice when mounted on a wall."
me - "I think that would be too much effort for me. I'll probably keep in on the floor."
Thinking about it more, this is only the second furniture I have purchased in the UK. The first one was a coat stand.
After the purchase and arranging for delivery (the mirror is too big to fit in my car), one more line.
me - "Well. Now I better hurry back so I can watch the football game."
Was it to compensate for purchasing a big mirror? Who knows?
When I returned, the game had started already. I had only missed the first 4 minutes - but all of the scoring was done during those 4 minutes. Final score: England 1 - Paraguay 0.
And then there was none
May 28, 2006
As more time passed, Scala looked more attractive. It will be tiring, but maybe I could make it easier by spending less time - maybe take Sergio's idea and get there around 1 AM and stay for 2-3 hours or so. Workload is ridiculously light and with no immediate prospect of "improving." Thus I thought I would go with lightest prompting.
Finally a little after 5 PM, I received text (an hour old message - I get poor reception at work) and a voice message from Sergio asking whether I had made up my mind - he hasn't either. I call back to say that I haven't made up my mind but that I probably would go only if there are other people interested. At this point Sergio still wasn't sure as he was tired from a long walk, and he asked whether I had been in touch with Cyrille. Cyrille had not, and I suspected that he would be interested in seeing all of Scala and thus would probably want to get there fairly early. Sergio told me he'll get back to me in about half an hour.
I decided to head home thinking that I probably will go to Scala. When I get there, I decide to text Cyrille to see what his plan is. Cyrille's reply is a surprising - he says he's not going and that he's too tired. I had to do a double take to notice that this message came from Cyrille, not Sergio. Shortly thereafter Sergio calls to say that he will keep the evening low key and will pass. He too is surprised by Cyrille - both of us thought he was very gung ho about going to Scala last time we saw him. After hanging up, I briefly consider going by myself. I had worked myself into getting excited about the trip - it might be fun to catch up with some people there. In the end, I allowed the excitement pass and decided to do something else instead.
I was going to do something "fun," but it didn't happen. There were some forgotten things I thought of doing at work. I need to find a way to be able to spend more time doing more intense and useful things at "work."
As more time passed, Scala looked more attractive. It will be tiring, but maybe I could make it easier by spending less time - maybe take Sergio's idea and get there around 1 AM and stay for 2-3 hours or so. Workload is ridiculously light and with no immediate prospect of "improving." Thus I thought I would go with lightest prompting.
Finally a little after 5 PM, I received text (an hour old message - I get poor reception at work) and a voice message from Sergio asking whether I had made up my mind - he hasn't either. I call back to say that I haven't made up my mind but that I probably would go only if there are other people interested. At this point Sergio still wasn't sure as he was tired from a long walk, and he asked whether I had been in touch with Cyrille. Cyrille had not, and I suspected that he would be interested in seeing all of Scala and thus would probably want to get there fairly early. Sergio told me he'll get back to me in about half an hour.
I decided to head home thinking that I probably will go to Scala. When I get there, I decide to text Cyrille to see what his plan is. Cyrille's reply is a surprising - he says he's not going and that he's too tired. I had to do a double take to notice that this message came from Cyrille, not Sergio. Shortly thereafter Sergio calls to say that he will keep the evening low key and will pass. He too is surprised by Cyrille - both of us thought he was very gung ho about going to Scala last time we saw him. After hanging up, I briefly consider going by myself. I had worked myself into getting excited about the trip - it might be fun to catch up with some people there. In the end, I allowed the excitement pass and decided to do something else instead.
I was going to do something "fun," but it didn't happen. There were some forgotten things I thought of doing at work. I need to find a way to be able to spend more time doing more intense and useful things at "work."
Salsa dance schools sprouting up in London
May 25, 2006
Latest trend in London these days is a move towards Salsa instruction in a studio setting rather than in clubs. Instead of drop-in classes, the new studio classes offer a series of classes lasting 5-6 weeks. Two groups to watch in particular are Latin Dance Academy (headed by SuperMario, Susana Montero and others) and Alchemy Dance Academy (headed by Marchant Birch). Alchemy Dance Academy has only on-2 advanced classes scheduled, so it's beyond me for now. Latin Dance Academy has been offering taster classes for May (one more week left) and has 6-week courses slated to start on 6-7 June, 18-19 July, 29-30 August, 10-11 October, 21-22 November at 6 different levels (1, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4). Very tempting - if nothing else to try a taster class or two for self-assessment.
Latest trend in London these days is a move towards Salsa instruction in a studio setting rather than in clubs. Instead of drop-in classes, the new studio classes offer a series of classes lasting 5-6 weeks. Two groups to watch in particular are Latin Dance Academy (headed by SuperMario, Susana Montero and others) and Alchemy Dance Academy (headed by Marchant Birch). Alchemy Dance Academy has only on-2 advanced classes scheduled, so it's beyond me for now. Latin Dance Academy has been offering taster classes for May (one more week left) and has 6-week courses slated to start on 6-7 June, 18-19 July, 29-30 August, 10-11 October, 21-22 November at 6 different levels (1, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4). Very tempting - if nothing else to try a taster class or two for self-assessment.
Temporary lifting of the Salsa music ban
April 12, 2006 (and part of April 13, 2006)
I was hooked up to my iPod when a colleague said something to me. I turned off my music and took off my earphones to hear the comment again.
"I'm going to put on some Salsa music."
"Oh. Okay."
I put my iPod back on and continued listening to Goldberg Variations. After all, my ban is still in effect.
Few hours later, I am at Club Salsa. Cristian’s classes are still as popular as ever. It takes another 10-15 min before the classes end. The club stays quite crowded for a while once again. It's a mix of dance and chitchat night for me.
I think it has been a long time since I felt that I was exhausted from dancing and that I had enough. There have been many fun nights at Club Salsa this year, but I don’t think I ever ended a night in Cambridge feeling that I couldn’t have handled another dozen dances or even more. I danced myself to exhaustion at the Brit Salsafest, and I had thoroughly satisfied myself with quality and quantity of dancing at SOS on a few occasions (but not this year). However, I almost always leave most nights wanting more. Perhaps Scala Latina this weekend will do the job (although a red flag was raised prompted by a comment made to me about Scala being too crowded).
At one point, Cristian made an announcement saying that Club Salsa will be open this Friday and Saturday. My reaction was, "Okay. Is this news?"
Only at lunch next day at the cafeteria did the reason for the announcement became clear. I noticed that they were serving fish and chips, which is usually a Friday fare. I asked the server about this anomaly (this being Thursday) and the answer was that they will be closed for Good Friday. Oh. A lot of things make sense all of sudden, including someone else's comment about taking only 4 days off while going away for 10 days.
Back at my desk, another colleague exclaims, "I'm bored."
A second colleague turns to me and says, "Hey, maybe you should put some Salsa music on."
Oh well. There goes my ban. First album on is Ray Barretto's "Latino." Next up. Cal Tjader's "Soul Sauce."
I was hooked up to my iPod when a colleague said something to me. I turned off my music and took off my earphones to hear the comment again.
"I'm going to put on some Salsa music."
"Oh. Okay."
I put my iPod back on and continued listening to Goldberg Variations. After all, my ban is still in effect.
Few hours later, I am at Club Salsa. Cristian’s classes are still as popular as ever. It takes another 10-15 min before the classes end. The club stays quite crowded for a while once again. It's a mix of dance and chitchat night for me.
I think it has been a long time since I felt that I was exhausted from dancing and that I had enough. There have been many fun nights at Club Salsa this year, but I don’t think I ever ended a night in Cambridge feeling that I couldn’t have handled another dozen dances or even more. I danced myself to exhaustion at the Brit Salsafest, and I had thoroughly satisfied myself with quality and quantity of dancing at SOS on a few occasions (but not this year). However, I almost always leave most nights wanting more. Perhaps Scala Latina this weekend will do the job (although a red flag was raised prompted by a comment made to me about Scala being too crowded).
At one point, Cristian made an announcement saying that Club Salsa will be open this Friday and Saturday. My reaction was, "Okay. Is this news?"
Only at lunch next day at the cafeteria did the reason for the announcement became clear. I noticed that they were serving fish and chips, which is usually a Friday fare. I asked the server about this anomaly (this being Thursday) and the answer was that they will be closed for Good Friday. Oh. A lot of things make sense all of sudden, including someone else's comment about taking only 4 days off while going away for 10 days.
Back at my desk, another colleague exclaims, "I'm bored."
A second colleague turns to me and says, "Hey, maybe you should put some Salsa music on."
Oh well. There goes my ban. First album on is Ray Barretto's "Latino." Next up. Cal Tjader's "Soul Sauce."
Go with the flow
March 29, 2006
“Hey. You know you’re talking at the floor meeting today, right?”
“I am? Let me check the schedule… You’re right. Hmmm… This is a surprise.”
“You could ask the big guy that you can’t do it today. You know there will be some experts in the audience.”
“Well. I don’t think I want to do that. It sets a bad precedent. Thanks for the reminder. Three hours isn’t too bad. If it were one hour, it would have been tough.”
“Maybe you’ll start preparing every presentations like this every time from now on?”
“No. I think I still would prefer to prepare a week or two in advance.”
As I start preparing slides and organize a presentation, several others stop by to ask me the same question. Apparently, someone asked during coffee whether I would have remembered about the talk. One person exclaimed, “You should put that sort of thing on your calendar. It’s so easy!”
I’m so far from being worried; I know this stuff inside out. I’m so relaxed that I’m near catatonic.
A little under two hours later, I’m ready and I decided to have a leisurely lunch. I join another colleague.
“So are you ready now?”
“Sure. Hey, we haven’t had lunch together in a long time!”
We talk about food and about gaining and losing weight. We both agree that British portions are tiny and not filling.
After a relaxed killer presentation with a captivated and entertained audience (I wonder if Salsa dancing has helped in a small way), another colleague stops by.
“Were you kidding when you said you forgot about the talk?”
“Nope. I have no idea why but I thought this wasn’t due for another couple of months.”
“Well. I really enjoyed it. I understood everything you said.”
“Do you mean you get lost when I get more detailed and technical?”
Anyhow, a good portion of the day was lost. I do what I can to salvage the rest of the workday. Another gem of good news pops up during this salvage process as well as a realization that it would be pointless to stay late at work tonight. I’m in very high spirits as if I had shot of Felix Felicis. I bet I would have a good time dancing tonight if I go out tonight. There’s no need to cut down for sake of cutting down only, especially when all signs point toward having fun.
So I went.
I haven’t been to Wednesday Club Salsa in a while, and I haven’t seen fair number of people who have been regulars on Wednesdays but do not frequent other nights. I was looking forward to seeing them, but alas none of them were there tonight. Oh well. There were plenty of other people to dance with – some new and some familiar. I stayed until shortly before midnight.
As I predicted, it was sparkling fun all night long.
“Hey. You know you’re talking at the floor meeting today, right?”
“I am? Let me check the schedule… You’re right. Hmmm… This is a surprise.”
“You could ask the big guy that you can’t do it today. You know there will be some experts in the audience.”
“Well. I don’t think I want to do that. It sets a bad precedent. Thanks for the reminder. Three hours isn’t too bad. If it were one hour, it would have been tough.”
“Maybe you’ll start preparing every presentations like this every time from now on?”
“No. I think I still would prefer to prepare a week or two in advance.”
As I start preparing slides and organize a presentation, several others stop by to ask me the same question. Apparently, someone asked during coffee whether I would have remembered about the talk. One person exclaimed, “You should put that sort of thing on your calendar. It’s so easy!”
I’m so far from being worried; I know this stuff inside out. I’m so relaxed that I’m near catatonic.
A little under two hours later, I’m ready and I decided to have a leisurely lunch. I join another colleague.
“So are you ready now?”
“Sure. Hey, we haven’t had lunch together in a long time!”
We talk about food and about gaining and losing weight. We both agree that British portions are tiny and not filling.
After a relaxed killer presentation with a captivated and entertained audience (I wonder if Salsa dancing has helped in a small way), another colleague stops by.
“Were you kidding when you said you forgot about the talk?”
“Nope. I have no idea why but I thought this wasn’t due for another couple of months.”
“Well. I really enjoyed it. I understood everything you said.”
“Do you mean you get lost when I get more detailed and technical?”
Anyhow, a good portion of the day was lost. I do what I can to salvage the rest of the workday. Another gem of good news pops up during this salvage process as well as a realization that it would be pointless to stay late at work tonight. I’m in very high spirits as if I had shot of Felix Felicis. I bet I would have a good time dancing tonight if I go out tonight. There’s no need to cut down for sake of cutting down only, especially when all signs point toward having fun.
So I went.
I haven’t been to Wednesday Club Salsa in a while, and I haven’t seen fair number of people who have been regulars on Wednesdays but do not frequent other nights. I was looking forward to seeing them, but alas none of them were there tonight. Oh well. There were plenty of other people to dance with – some new and some familiar. I stayed until shortly before midnight.
As I predicted, it was sparkling fun all night long.
London 5 Star Heathrow Congress Contest - londonsalsa.co.uk
March 20, 2006
The entry for yesterday's Bachata/Merengue class will be posted tomorrow.
There's another contest courtesy of londonsalsa.co.uk for pair of tickets to a Salsa Congress - 5 Star Salsa Congress at Heathrow London this time. Contest rules are a little scrambled right now but it should get straightened out soon.
My favorite excerpts from the Edie the Salsafreak profile are her advices -
In a dance partnership, it is not the quality of time you spend rehearsing, but the quantity of time that counts.
Interesting... Not much experience on this but I think I see the point...
Dance with at least one beginner every night you go out. This gives them a chance to improve and gain confidence, makes you a new friend, changes a person`s life forever, and shows the world that you`re not above helping someone out who is now where you were once at.
Check.
The entry for yesterday's Bachata/Merengue class will be posted tomorrow.
There's another contest courtesy of londonsalsa.co.uk for pair of tickets to a Salsa Congress - 5 Star Salsa Congress at Heathrow London this time. Contest rules are a little scrambled right now but it should get straightened out soon.
My favorite excerpts from the Edie the Salsafreak profile are her advices -
In a dance partnership, it is not the quality of time you spend rehearsing, but the quantity of time that counts.
Interesting... Not much experience on this but I think I see the point...
Dance with at least one beginner every night you go out. This gives them a chance to improve and gain confidence, makes you a new friend, changes a person`s life forever, and shows the world that you`re not above helping someone out who is now where you were once at.
Check.
UCL showcase
March 17, 2006
A video of a Salsa showcase by UCL. I know some of the performers/choreographers so I might be more interested than otherwise. Music used include "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini and "La Pantera Mambo" (based on H. Mancini) and "Que Rico Boogaloo" by La 33.
A video of a Salsa showcase by UCL. I know some of the performers/choreographers so I might be more interested than otherwise. Music used include "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini and "La Pantera Mambo" (based on H. Mancini) and "Que Rico Boogaloo" by La 33.
Placed on physically unable to perform list
February 22, 2006
It doesn't feel very good to try to walk or expose myself to cold air. It's probably a flu or a very strong common cold. Don't expect to see me dancing for next several days unless there's a dramatic and rapid improvement - I'm not betting on this. I really hate it, but there isn't much I can do about it. Have a great time y'all without me!
It doesn't feel very good to try to walk or expose myself to cold air. It's probably a flu or a very strong common cold. Don't expect to see me dancing for next several days unless there's a dramatic and rapid improvement - I'm not betting on this. I really hate it, but there isn't much I can do about it. Have a great time y'all without me!
Ray Barretto dies at age 76
February 18, 2006
A few different versions of his obituary can be found in LA Times, NewJersey.com, Associated Press and of course The New York Times.
The first Ray Barretto track I heard was Acid - courtesy of Sergio at CDC. My initial reaction was, "Is this Salsa?" Acid gets played a lot especially in class settings and often for practicing shines at SOS and at Salsa Congresses.
Check his album Salsa Caliente De Nu York! to sample some of his biggest Salsa hits (courtesy of Amazon).
A few different versions of his obituary can be found in LA Times, NewJersey.com, Associated Press and of course The New York Times.
The first Ray Barretto track I heard was Acid - courtesy of Sergio at CDC. My initial reaction was, "Is this Salsa?" Acid gets played a lot especially in class settings and often for practicing shines at SOS and at Salsa Congresses.
Check his album Salsa Caliente De Nu York! to sample some of his biggest Salsa hits (courtesy of Amazon).
Official Brit Salsafest Photographs
February 14, 2006
Official photographs thus far only of the first night (including the party) of Brit Salsafest are now available. Some people from Cambridge should be recognizable, including yours truly with varying degrees of horrifying expression and body position (and to think Tony thought it was going to look good). I guess it's not easy to take good photos of people dancing unless they take many different shots? It is mostly the Salsa celebrities like Edie and Super Mario (and other teachers, performers and organizers), who gets multiple-shot treatment. I don't think I was photographed by the official photographer on Saturday or Sunday.
Londonsalsa.co.uk photographs of Brit Salsafest (they also have some Cambridge folks) can be found here.
Official photographs thus far only of the first night (including the party) of Brit Salsafest are now available. Some people from Cambridge should be recognizable, including yours truly with varying degrees of horrifying expression and body position (and to think Tony thought it was going to look good). I guess it's not easy to take good photos of people dancing unless they take many different shots? It is mostly the Salsa celebrities like Edie and Super Mario (and other teachers, performers and organizers), who gets multiple-shot treatment. I don't think I was photographed by the official photographer on Saturday or Sunday.
Londonsalsa.co.uk photographs of Brit Salsafest (they also have some Cambridge folks) can be found here.
Keeping fingers crossed (temporary post - 4:20 PM)
February 6, 2006
The attendence level for tonight's workshop could be good, bad or ugly. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
p.s. At least I made it back to Cambridge in one piece... What a long exhausting drive!
The attendence level for tonight's workshop could be good, bad or ugly. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
p.s. At least I made it back to Cambridge in one piece... What a long exhausting drive!
Sharp versus soft lead
February 1, 2006
The most important thing about leading is that the intent of the lead should be clear. Given that is there an inherent superiority of a soft lead over a sharp lead or vice versa? I have heard that less experienced follower generally need stronger lead although this does not seem universally true; I find that some newbie followers take very well to soft leads while some followers who have been dancing for a long time still seem to require fairly forceful lead. What is probably true is that as followers get better, they require (and I think often prefer) less forceful leads.
So is it best to use minimal possible force in leading while still being clear with the lead? If so, should leaders try to do is to learn to minimize forcefulness in their leads and perhaps even try to stretch the ability of their dance partner to become responsive to ever softer leads? Conversely, should followers try to recognize and distinguish ever finer differences in reading leads as part of their training to get better?
I thought I'm more likely to hear concurring or opposing views in a real forum, so I posted this question last night on the londonsalsa.co.uk forum. Go there to see other people's opinion this subject.
The most important thing about leading is that the intent of the lead should be clear. Given that is there an inherent superiority of a soft lead over a sharp lead or vice versa? I have heard that less experienced follower generally need stronger lead although this does not seem universally true; I find that some newbie followers take very well to soft leads while some followers who have been dancing for a long time still seem to require fairly forceful lead. What is probably true is that as followers get better, they require (and I think often prefer) less forceful leads.
So is it best to use minimal possible force in leading while still being clear with the lead? If so, should leaders try to do is to learn to minimize forcefulness in their leads and perhaps even try to stretch the ability of their dance partner to become responsive to ever softer leads? Conversely, should followers try to recognize and distinguish ever finer differences in reading leads as part of their training to get better?
I thought I'm more likely to hear concurring or opposing views in a real forum, so I posted this question last night on the londonsalsa.co.uk forum. Go there to see other people's opinion this subject.
Help
January 31, 2006
Regarding the Bachata/Salsa workshop, any help people can lend me will be greatly appreciated. I was expecting difficulties but not so many unexpected ones.
Regarding the Bachata/Salsa workshop, any help people can lend me will be greatly appreciated. I was expecting difficulties but not so many unexpected ones.
Any takers for a Brit Salsafest ticket?
January 30, 2006
I have a spare ticket for Brit Salsafest this weekend available (long story, which I rather not get into here). I could let it go to waste or let someone else have it. Is anyone interested? The only requirement is that the person probably has to be with me at the time of registration - and this is because I don't have a physical ticket to give away before the festival starts. Other details are negotiable. I can be contacted by e-mail (use the e-mail written on the bottom left on this link or here). I will listen to all suggestions and try to decide upon the best offer by tomorrow.
I have a spare ticket for Brit Salsafest this weekend available (long story, which I rather not get into here). I could let it go to waste or let someone else have it. Is anyone interested? The only requirement is that the person probably has to be with me at the time of registration - and this is because I don't have a physical ticket to give away before the festival starts. Other details are negotiable. I can be contacted by e-mail (use the e-mail written on the bottom left on this link or here). I will listen to all suggestions and try to decide upon the best offer by tomorrow.
Brit Salsafest rants
January 27, 2006
There is a new workshop schedule out. It's more conventional than the previous schedule. In some ways, I think it's worse - it effectively offers only 10 workshops for 2 days instead of 12 workshops because 5-6 PM slots now only offer beginner Rueda and a pair of Masterclasses each day. For me the old schedule had some 5 PM keepers, which will now compete with other intriguing contenders.
No sign of my tickets have appeared so I suspect I may end up going without any proof of entry. I'm sure it will turn out okay though. It would seem many other people in Cambridge also failed to get any confirmation mail (if such thing was planned in the first place).
I don't think I'll be doing any body movement classes based upon the new schedule and consultation with Ivan & Sergio. Oh well. The idea of taking on-2 classes have become considerably less appealing with the new schedule. In fact, I think the only change in the new schedule I was somewhat positive about was Tony Lara teaching advanced on-1 shines instead of Susana Montero (with caveat that I have no idea how they compare).
There is a new workshop schedule out. It's more conventional than the previous schedule. In some ways, I think it's worse - it effectively offers only 10 workshops for 2 days instead of 12 workshops because 5-6 PM slots now only offer beginner Rueda and a pair of Masterclasses each day. For me the old schedule had some 5 PM keepers, which will now compete with other intriguing contenders.
No sign of my tickets have appeared so I suspect I may end up going without any proof of entry. I'm sure it will turn out okay though. It would seem many other people in Cambridge also failed to get any confirmation mail (if such thing was planned in the first place).
I don't think I'll be doing any body movement classes based upon the new schedule and consultation with Ivan & Sergio. Oh well. The idea of taking on-2 classes have become considerably less appealing with the new schedule. In fact, I think the only change in the new schedule I was somewhat positive about was Tony Lara teaching advanced on-1 shines instead of Susana Montero (with caveat that I have no idea how they compare).
Different mindsets of on-1 and on-2 dancers in UK
January 25, 2006
Table above summarizes Salsa workshop schedule for non-beginners at Brit Salsafest. On-1 dancers would appear to have much greater interest in turn patterns whereas on-2 dancers place more emphasis on shines and body movement and other technical aspects of the dance. It's unclear why Cuban body movement was categorized as on-1 intermediate as opposed to Cuban intermediate or advanced. Also I wonder if it'd be okay for me to take an advanced on-2 class (body movement) even though I have next to no experience with on-2? I'm also considering taking part in as few as 2 or 3 on-1 turn pattern classes (assuming I try to maximize my use of the workshops).
Table above summarizes Salsa workshop schedule for non-beginners at Brit Salsafest. On-1 dancers would appear to have much greater interest in turn patterns whereas on-2 dancers place more emphasis on shines and body movement and other technical aspects of the dance. It's unclear why Cuban body movement was categorized as on-1 intermediate as opposed to Cuban intermediate or advanced. Also I wonder if it'd be okay for me to take an advanced on-2 class (body movement) even though I have next to no experience with on-2? I'm also considering taking part in as few as 2 or 3 on-1 turn pattern classes (assuming I try to maximize my use of the workshops).
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