July 27, 2007
The evening started at Al Casbah with Sergio, Sebastian, Euvian, Marina, Mimi, Zern and Cyrille. The table was booked for 7:30, but I did not get there until 8:10 so others ordered for me. The food was mediocre, and I did not eat much. Some others apparently did not feel very good afterwards for dancing and blamed it on the cous cous. The intermediate stop was the Fountain Inn, which was okay – Mimi and Marina did not join us for this excursion. We took a table for a change. The outing to Club Salsa started at 11 without Zern.
Initially, things looked promising. Zhenzhi and Mimi (along with Mimi’s friends) arrived before us, but Mimi did not stay long. Ivan and Nina were surprise attendants – it was like a Thursday for them except much more of the same. Natalia and her friend arrived shortly thereafter. There was a big crowd too – unfortunately very small on people who can dance in any style and very big on heavy alcohol drinkers - Sharon ended up behind the bar. I don’t know where these people came from, and I have doubts about such thing being sustainable. The crowding did not abate until well after 1, and by then everyone else had given up for one reason or another.
The music was problematic too. The songs were initially too same and too familiar and occasionally with very poor sound. After about half an hour, I couldn’t bear to dance anymore so I took myself out. When another very familiar song came on with awful sound, I decided to visit the empty DJ booth to see what the problem was. While fiddling with some knobs with Serap and Shila (acting DJ) gathered around, I noticed that the distortion at times sounded like a feedback loop. I decided to turn down the microphone level, which seemed to help a little. Then I turned the microphone off, which further improved the sound quality. Incidentally the microphone was sitting right next to the CD player on the left side and was not being used because it was “behaving” badly. I told Shila to try using the left CD player now – it worked fine. Unfortunately the music problem was not quite over. The next set of songs were poor in overall quality, which prompted me to tell Shila that he now needed to pick better songs. After 2-3 misses, song choices improved. However, there were a lot of tracks with skipping problems later. The number of CDs in Shila’s case was pretty small – less than 20 – not much variety. Apparently Vishal is away – according to Marina for 5 weeks (!) – so this could mean being subjected to a very limited set of songs (possibly with a lot of skipping problems) for a while. I can’t believe Vishal did not ask me for help. Oh well.
Most of the dances I had were fine. There weren’t many dances, space was tight and a few of the people on the floor were pretty rude (The worst case involved a woman walking in between Ivan and Nina while they were dancing with each other – I can’t remember if they were doing a shine or just doing basic without holding hands at the start of the song. I already had a pretty poor opinion of her after trying to dance with her earlier – she did not follow, she openly questioned what I was dancing (as opposed to wrestling I presume), and when I decided to go into open position and do some shine after too many instances of not getting my leads followed she walked out. Not my loss, but for tonight she seemed to fit into the crowd just fine.)
Transitional day - not bad
July 26, 2007
I did not get to Sauce until around 9:20. The number of followers at Club Salsa was good for this summer despite absence of Jane while leader pool was typical except for absence of Sergio and Cyrille and reappearance of Hayden. The frequency of dances with (relatively) new non-complete beginners was somewhat higher than usual for Thursdays this summer and included dances with a co-worker's daughter and a girlfriend of an acquaintance. Sam was there but did not stay long while Zhenzhi did not arrive until very late. My dancing form was more interesting than it has been for a while this summer. On2 was limited to a half Cha Cha with Nicola and a Salsa with Euvian. I also talked about helping with DJing next week with Sally, and I'll be bringing my CDs next week.
I did not get to Sauce until around 9:20. The number of followers at Club Salsa was good for this summer despite absence of Jane while leader pool was typical except for absence of Sergio and Cyrille and reappearance of Hayden. The frequency of dances with (relatively) new non-complete beginners was somewhat higher than usual for Thursdays this summer and included dances with a co-worker's daughter and a girlfriend of an acquaintance. Sam was there but did not stay long while Zhenzhi did not arrive until very late. My dancing form was more interesting than it has been for a while this summer. On2 was limited to a half Cha Cha with Nicola and a Salsa with Euvian. I also talked about helping with DJing next week with Sally, and I'll be bringing my CDs next week.
Simple sequence in principle
July 23, 2007
Or not.
Breakdown was about 1 hour on isolations, 30 minutes on footwork and shines, followed by about an hour on partner work (we ran about half hour over our allotted time). I won't bother describing isolations in words - I've talked about general difficulties a few times already.
Shine (just the finished product here with description of footwork only - there was nothing special for the upper body - it should be made to look good and this is better done with a mirror individually)
1 R foot cross far over L with weight transfer
2 weight transfer to L foot
3 R foot cross over to R with weight transfer
4 bring L foot closer to R with weight transfer
4.5 (or 5?) R foot cross over L with weight transfer
5,6,7 (or 6,7?) L toe, L heel front, L heel to L (or L heel toe pointing up/forward then L heel pointing L)
8 L foot flat and weight transfer to L
1 R foot cross far over L with weight transfer again
2 weight transfer to L foot
3 R foot cross over to R with weight transfer
4 L foot more or less in place with weight transfer
5 R foot kick
6 R foot slide back with weight transfer
7, 7.5, 8 back towards forward with cha cha step (L, R, and L slightly back)
1,2,3 basic
Partner work (new material only)
Start with R-R
Leading follower into traveling 1/2 clockwise turn can be done with either CBL start or with open break start (main difference being stepping forward or back on 6 for the leader).
To lead follower to turn back to original position instead (this would involve 12 o'clock turn or perhaps better yet 3 o'clock turn for follower), it might be better to start from open break (backward charge) on 6 for leader. The lead for follower to turn could come shortly before 1 (3 o'clock) or before 2 (12 o'clock). Leader should be in CBL position by 1.
This move can be done with both connections too - ending with L-L hat for leader and ready for a normal CBL.
Now this was linked with a twist, which I found tricky to get timing right. I think I understand this better after having thought about follower's footwork that makes most sense.
5,6,7,1,2,3 follower does back basic while leader does open break into CBL position and leading follower into 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock turn during 1,2,3 (Sergio calls this a 1-2 beat block but I still think the end result is about the same)
5 follower's weight is on L foot finishing the turn
6 back basic for follower and leader starts leading follower forward (after 6?)
7,8,1 follower has forward momentum and swings around 1/2counterclockwise - this is essentially Copa footwork clockwise! with traveling and obligate weight transfer to R on 1
2,3,4,5,6,7finish Copa lead follower into 1 1/2 counterclockwise traveling turn ending with back basic
Hmm. This took a bit of thinking and writing - but it comes down to leading a 12 o'clock or 3 o'clock turn followed immediately by Copa. Anyhow, the positioning is somewhat unusual.
Start again.
5,6,7,1,2,3 follower does back basic while leader does open break into CBL position and leading follower into 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock turn during 1,2,3 starting with R-R and aided with L-L - disconnect R-R after follower is finished turning
5,6,7 leader moves across follower's path and turns 1/2 counterclockwise with L-L high and start initiating Copa but bringing follower into CBL position at the end before L-L hat for leader happens around 8 (what must be happening is L-L starts neutral before bringing follower forwardfor Copa and turning her 1/2 counterclockwise with L-L staying high throughout before L-L is brought back towards leader for the hat) and R hand getting firm grip of follower's back - in fact R hand probably would contribute to leading Copa from mid-way point
1,2,3finish Copa - follower would be doing backward charge on 1, forward momentum on 2 and led into 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn to start on 3 (or slightly before - the lead comes between 2 and 3 with free L hand on follower's shoulder lead)
[note added later: Sergio says it wasn't 3/12 o'clock followed by Copa. Perhaps more clarification to follow later.]
There was another move that was being shown (supposedly for next week), but I did not pay any attention to it as I decided to concentrate more on the shine earlier and the partner work material described above.
There were too many errands to run so I did not stop by Club Salsa afterwards.
Or not.
Breakdown was about 1 hour on isolations, 30 minutes on footwork and shines, followed by about an hour on partner work (we ran about half hour over our allotted time). I won't bother describing isolations in words - I've talked about general difficulties a few times already.
Shine (just the finished product here with description of footwork only - there was nothing special for the upper body - it should be made to look good and this is better done with a mirror individually)
1 R foot cross far over L with weight transfer
2 weight transfer to L foot
3 R foot cross over to R with weight transfer
4 bring L foot closer to R with weight transfer
4.5 (or 5?) R foot cross over L with weight transfer
5,6,7 (or 6,7?) L toe, L heel front, L heel to L (or L heel toe pointing up/forward then L heel pointing L)
8 L foot flat and weight transfer to L
1 R foot cross far over L with weight transfer again
2 weight transfer to L foot
3 R foot cross over to R with weight transfer
4 L foot more or less in place with weight transfer
5 R foot kick
6 R foot slide back with weight transfer
7, 7.5, 8 back towards forward with cha cha step (L, R, and L slightly back)
1,2,3 basic
Partner work (new material only)
Start with R-R
Leading follower into traveling 1/2 clockwise turn can be done with either CBL start or with open break start (main difference being stepping forward or back on 6 for the leader).
To lead follower to turn back to original position instead (this would involve 12 o'clock turn or perhaps better yet 3 o'clock turn for follower), it might be better to start from open break (backward charge) on 6 for leader. The lead for follower to turn could come shortly before 1 (3 o'clock) or before 2 (12 o'clock). Leader should be in CBL position by 1.
This move can be done with both connections too - ending with L-L hat for leader and ready for a normal CBL.
Now this was linked with a twist, which I found tricky to get timing right. I think I understand this better after having thought about follower's footwork that makes most sense.
5,6,7,1,2,3 follower does back basic while leader does open break into CBL position and leading follower into 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock turn during 1,2,3 (Sergio calls this a 1-2 beat block but I still think the end result is about the same)
5 follower's weight is on L foot finishing the turn
6 back basic for follower and leader starts leading follower forward (after 6?)
7,8,1 follower has forward momentum and swings around 1/2
2,3,4,5,6,7
Start again.
5,6,7,1,2,3 follower does back basic while leader does open break into CBL position and leading follower into 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock turn during 1,2,3 starting with R-R and aided with L-L - disconnect R-R after follower is finished turning
5,6,7 leader moves across follower's path and turns 1/2 counterclockwise with L-L high and start initiating Copa but bringing follower into CBL position at the end before L-L hat for leader happens around 8 (what must be happening is L-L starts neutral before bringing follower forward
1,2,3
[note added later: Sergio says it wasn't 3/12 o'clock followed by Copa. Perhaps more clarification to follow later.]
There was another move that was being shown (supposedly for next week), but I did not pay any attention to it as I decided to concentrate more on the shine earlier and the partner work material described above.
There were too many errands to run so I did not stop by Club Salsa afterwards.
Vish B-day
July 20, 2007
Too busy and too uninspired to write much. This was Vishal's birthday party. There were many cars parked nearby. There were many unusual guests in forms of instructors and their friends. Joe Davids was the DJ for a couple of hours. Joe started his session fairly cheesy (I think he was perfectly reasonable to have done so given what was being played shortly before he took over) but also played a lot of standard good stuff too. Some people were dressed to nines - most notable being Cristian's white tie and suit with suspenders. I on the other hand wore a short-sleeved shirt (bright yellow) for the first time to Club Salsa on a Friday this year. I also drank about 1 1/2 bottles of San Miguel (on top of another beer I had for dinner) before having my first dance. From the usual gang the only others making an appearance were Rajiv and later on Cyrille. Despite it all, the crowding on the dance floor was very manageable. Vishal had his birthday dance with girls circling him a la London style. Cristian and Danie gave an impromptu performance - I think the song used was Herencia Rumbera (Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound). Cha Cha was played twice (same song) so I had two On2 opportunities with Andrea and with Natalia. There also was a nice opportunity to dance with Cinzia. The party ended ~2:30 AM.
Too busy and too uninspired to write much. This was Vishal's birthday party. There were many cars parked nearby. There were many unusual guests in forms of instructors and their friends. Joe Davids was the DJ for a couple of hours. Joe started his session fairly cheesy (I think he was perfectly reasonable to have done so given what was being played shortly before he took over) but also played a lot of standard good stuff too. Some people were dressed to nines - most notable being Cristian's white tie and suit with suspenders. I on the other hand wore a short-sleeved shirt (bright yellow) for the first time to Club Salsa on a Friday this year. I also drank about 1 1/2 bottles of San Miguel (on top of another beer I had for dinner) before having my first dance. From the usual gang the only others making an appearance were Rajiv and later on Cyrille. Despite it all, the crowding on the dance floor was very manageable. Vishal had his birthday dance with girls circling him a la London style. Cristian and Danie gave an impromptu performance - I think the song used was Herencia Rumbera (Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound). Cha Cha was played twice (same song) so I had two On2 opportunities with Andrea and with Natalia. There also was a nice opportunity to dance with Cinzia. The party ended ~2:30 AM.
The outsiders
July 19, 2007
It was an unusual night, no?
If only the people from the usual Cambridge scene were to be considered, this was a weak Thursday - compared to the summer standard.
A long aside - it's possible that from end of January to the end of March of 2007 could be considered the height of the new Golden Age of sort not to be topped for some time. Regulars in the scene during that time include Sergio, Ivan, Cyrille, Mark, Rajiv, Haihan, Zern, William, Lindsey, Nicola, Stephanie, Jane, Agnes, Zhenzhi, Mimi, Nina, Charlotte, Euvian. The last person to provide a significant push upwards was Haihan in my opinion. The decline started with Sergio's departure in April. Sergio's return in June was more than offset by summer departure of Mark, Haihan, Stephanie, Agnes. Because Sergio will be gone by end of September for about a year (or just in time for the summer vacation people to return), I think the scene reaching a new height only could happen by an import of another major talent.
Back to tonight - because of a rather large number of outside visitors, tonight ended up being slightly above average Thursday for the summer. What happened? Here's a hint.
Thus I was expecting the dude from York - he was the one with the bandanas. I did not expect the other five people though. Not necessarily everyone showed up because of the posts - I'm guessing one of the couple might have been there for a reason completely unrelated - here I'm referring to Pavlina and Pierre, whom I have met in London and in Blackpool and apparently has a friend living in Cambridge. Who knows for sure, however.
Absent from the class were Rajiv, Cyrille and Zern. Zern was nowhere to be seen tonight. Charlotte was a surprise addition to Sauce after the first class. I talked mostly with Ed until Cyrille showed up.
The other unusual thing was that Ivan was the DJ for the night. He played some things Sally doesn't play as well as some things he hadn't played before. Some of the selections are listed below.
El Todopoderoso, Paraiso De Dulzura (Hector Lavoe) – I’m guessing that Ivan’s collection of Hector Lavoe album is limited to La Voz, which was also my first Hector Lavoe album. These songs are okay, but they quickly became second or third tier choices when I acquired additional Hector Lavoe albums. A really good and very extensive Hector Lavoe compilation CD (2 CDs) was released few days ago - called A Man And His Music - La Voz (with just a little patience, the price should come down to under £8 and possibly £7 - this is the case for all Fania A Man and His Music 2 CD compilations sold by Amazon associated dealers); for those not interested in getting several individual albums instead, this collection should be a great buy. I probably will end up getting this compilation for songs like La Banda, La Murga, Rey Del Punctualidad, which are included in three separate original albums (with Willie Colon or with Fania All Stars) (and I already have 4 albums by Hector Lavoe – La Voz, Comedia, De Ti Depende, El Sabio - and two with Willie Colon - El Juicio, Crime Pays).
Mi Ritmo Es Bueno (Bobby Valentin) – Presumably from the album Rey Del Bajo. Ivan seems to like this song the most of out this album, which also contains other good (perhaps better) songs such as Hay Craneo (comp. Tito Rodriguez) and Cuando Te Vea (comp. Tito Puente).
Lluvia Con Nieve (Mon Rivera) – This is not a Charanga. It’s Mambo. Maybe Mambo-Jazz hybrid. This was the first time Ivan played this - becoming the third person to have done so in Cambridge (after me and Vishal - haha).
Clave Mambo (Joe Cuba Sextet) – I don’t have this song in my CD collection because I am not willing to get it by buying a compilation album only for this song. I’m waiting for the album We Must Be Doing Something Right / Estamos Haciendo Algo Bien to be reissued. To best of my knowledge, this was the first time anyone played this song in Cambridge.
Rumbon Melon (Joey Pastrana) – From the album Let's Ball - out of print
La-La-La (Direct Latin Influence) – I see that Ivan added this to his collection probably by buying the CD DLI II – I can’t remember if there’s a compilation CD with this song at this time.
My Favorite Things (New Swing Sextet)
Cao Cao Mani Picao (artist?) - I think Ivan might be the only person in Cambridge with this version.
Merecumbe (Johnny Colon)
Indestructible (Ray Barretto)
Asia Mood (Tito Puente)
Lamento Boliviano (Toque De Keda) - last song of the evening.
There are bunch of songs I didn't know and not in regular play list for other DJs too. The Cha Cha would be an example.
Anyhow, it was an interesting night. I can't say I was in great form - I might give myself a B - my form was decided average or perhaps slightly above average (by standard of last 2-3 months or so). My effort to incorporate some new moves from Monday was definitely rough around the edges although they seemed like pretty simple moves. Conversely some moves which I thought were easy because I have been using them for a while now was no longer very easy when applied to new people. Maybe my lead isn't as good as I thought - maybe a lot of people are clued into what I'm going to lead because I have become somewhat predictable.
Comment of the day - "There's a lot of desperate people." Whoa! Urrr… no comment.
It was an unusual night, no?
If only the people from the usual Cambridge scene were to be considered, this was a weak Thursday - compared to the summer standard.
A long aside - it's possible that from end of January to the end of March of 2007 could be considered the height of the new Golden Age of sort not to be topped for some time. Regulars in the scene during that time include Sergio, Ivan, Cyrille, Mark, Rajiv, Haihan, Zern, William, Lindsey, Nicola, Stephanie, Jane, Agnes, Zhenzhi, Mimi, Nina, Charlotte, Euvian. The last person to provide a significant push upwards was Haihan in my opinion. The decline started with Sergio's departure in April. Sergio's return in June was more than offset by summer departure of Mark, Haihan, Stephanie, Agnes. Because Sergio will be gone by end of September for about a year (or just in time for the summer vacation people to return), I think the scene reaching a new height only could happen by an import of another major talent.
Back to tonight - because of a rather large number of outside visitors, tonight ended up being slightly above average Thursday for the summer. What happened? Here's a hint.
Thus I was expecting the dude from York - he was the one with the bandanas. I did not expect the other five people though. Not necessarily everyone showed up because of the posts - I'm guessing one of the couple might have been there for a reason completely unrelated - here I'm referring to Pavlina and Pierre, whom I have met in London and in Blackpool and apparently has a friend living in Cambridge. Who knows for sure, however.
Absent from the class were Rajiv, Cyrille and Zern. Zern was nowhere to be seen tonight. Charlotte was a surprise addition to Sauce after the first class. I talked mostly with Ed until Cyrille showed up.
The other unusual thing was that Ivan was the DJ for the night. He played some things Sally doesn't play as well as some things he hadn't played before. Some of the selections are listed below.
El Todopoderoso, Paraiso De Dulzura (Hector Lavoe) – I’m guessing that Ivan’s collection of Hector Lavoe album is limited to La Voz, which was also my first Hector Lavoe album. These songs are okay, but they quickly became second or third tier choices when I acquired additional Hector Lavoe albums. A really good and very extensive Hector Lavoe compilation CD (2 CDs) was released few days ago - called A Man And His Music - La Voz (with just a little patience, the price should come down to under £8 and possibly £7 - this is the case for all Fania A Man and His Music 2 CD compilations sold by Amazon associated dealers); for those not interested in getting several individual albums instead, this collection should be a great buy. I probably will end up getting this compilation for songs like La Banda, La Murga, Rey Del Punctualidad, which are included in three separate original albums (with Willie Colon or with Fania All Stars) (and I already have 4 albums by Hector Lavoe – La Voz, Comedia, De Ti Depende, El Sabio - and two with Willie Colon - El Juicio, Crime Pays).
Mi Ritmo Es Bueno (Bobby Valentin) – Presumably from the album Rey Del Bajo. Ivan seems to like this song the most of out this album, which also contains other good (perhaps better) songs such as Hay Craneo (comp. Tito Rodriguez) and Cuando Te Vea (comp. Tito Puente).
Lluvia Con Nieve (Mon Rivera) – This is not a Charanga. It’s Mambo. Maybe Mambo-Jazz hybrid. This was the first time Ivan played this - becoming the third person to have done so in Cambridge (after me and Vishal - haha).
Clave Mambo (Joe Cuba Sextet) – I don’t have this song in my CD collection because I am not willing to get it by buying a compilation album only for this song. I’m waiting for the album We Must Be Doing Something Right / Estamos Haciendo Algo Bien to be reissued. To best of my knowledge, this was the first time anyone played this song in Cambridge.
Rumbon Melon (Joey Pastrana) – From the album Let's Ball - out of print
La-La-La (Direct Latin Influence) – I see that Ivan added this to his collection probably by buying the CD DLI II – I can’t remember if there’s a compilation CD with this song at this time.
My Favorite Things (New Swing Sextet)
Cao Cao Mani Picao (artist?) - I think Ivan might be the only person in Cambridge with this version.
Merecumbe (Johnny Colon)
Indestructible (Ray Barretto)
Asia Mood (Tito Puente)
Lamento Boliviano (Toque De Keda) - last song of the evening.
There are bunch of songs I didn't know and not in regular play list for other DJs too. The Cha Cha would be an example.
Anyhow, it was an interesting night. I can't say I was in great form - I might give myself a B - my form was decided average or perhaps slightly above average (by standard of last 2-3 months or so). My effort to incorporate some new moves from Monday was definitely rough around the edges although they seemed like pretty simple moves. Conversely some moves which I thought were easy because I have been using them for a while now was no longer very easy when applied to new people. Maybe my lead isn't as good as I thought - maybe a lot of people are clued into what I'm going to lead because I have become somewhat predictable.
Comment of the day - "There's a lot of desperate people." Whoa! Urrr… no comment.
1+1=2 ... makes sense!
July 16, 2007
The body movement part of the class lasted a whopping 70 minutes today. After 20-30 minutes I felt tired and came close to falling down several times. Some of the exercises took so much energy yet I hardly showed any movement. The worst part for me involved movement of anything between my stomach and my chest. I think my joints might be too calcified to get a whole lot out of these exercises even with months and years of practice. I’ll just have to grind it out and see how much I can get done in next couple of months.
I liked the method of doing feet part and rest of the body part separately first before combining the two for some of the more complicated body movement exercises. I can’t speak for others but it helped me to approximate the material more easily.
The footwork part had some revisions as well some tangible new material, which I can write down for a change. For 12 o’clock turn, Sergio reminded me yet again that I should not get my left foot to prepare to side (a bit to left) rather than straight forward (I suspect he might not mind slightly to right as much, but I could be wrong). I found myself losing my balance more easily with these fixes (but it could be because I was just too tired).
Shine (the final product only – some of the intermediate parts are not so bad either)
1,2,3 cross over steps (R, L, R) – in place or minimal traveling
5 cross over step L
6 R foot slide back (an early version involved bringing L foot back together on 7 before crossing over step R on 1 before another basic) and land – head flick back around 6 1/2 before facing partner again by 7 or so
7 L foot in place (although I found it somehow easier for next part if I slide L slightly back here on 7 and do a crossover step on 1 with R before proceeding with basic)
A turn for leader (count done in follower’s timing)
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic
8 start a swivel turn weight (starting to transfer weight to R but on both feet during the turn)
1 weight transfer to R foot when turn is completed
2 L foot back for back basic (or open break)
3 R foot in place
5,6,7 second half of normal basic
Since this is used primarily by lead, it probably would be good idea to practice this with leader’s timing also. In this case, start the swivel turn on 4 followed by weight transfer to R foot on 5 for backwards charge or open break on 6.
Now this move can be used to initiate Copa (tension on 6, start bringing follower in on 7) with switching from L-R to R-R at the end of the turn (R-R connection made by 5 1/2).
Also this move can be linked up with a kind of Copa fake demonstrated next.
6,7 Copa start with R-R hold (here we had leader’s hand coming from top I think)
8 R-R down disconnect with free R hand going around follower’s hips (not at the waist and do not use fingers – ha ha) and start guiding follower to turn 1/2 counterclockwise (I think follower’s turn would happen between 1 and 2)
1,2 footwork for leader is L foot to close in with R on 1 and then R foot back now with lead turned about 1/4 counterclockwise to get out of follower’s way on 2
3 there are couple of options here including a normal Copa turn (possibly with L hand at hip also guiding the turn) but the version practiced for final effect had L-R connection made in front of follower which would go straight up to lead follower into 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
Pretty cool. This is … elegant. I imagine I’ll try practicing this both On1 (translating to On1 seems fairly straightforward with caveat that pulling it off in real situation no doubt will take work) and On2.
Random note. There might be an extra experienced lead visiting from the north this Thursday.
The body movement part of the class lasted a whopping 70 minutes today. After 20-30 minutes I felt tired and came close to falling down several times. Some of the exercises took so much energy yet I hardly showed any movement. The worst part for me involved movement of anything between my stomach and my chest. I think my joints might be too calcified to get a whole lot out of these exercises even with months and years of practice. I’ll just have to grind it out and see how much I can get done in next couple of months.
I liked the method of doing feet part and rest of the body part separately first before combining the two for some of the more complicated body movement exercises. I can’t speak for others but it helped me to approximate the material more easily.
The footwork part had some revisions as well some tangible new material, which I can write down for a change. For 12 o’clock turn, Sergio reminded me yet again that I should not get my left foot to prepare to side (a bit to left) rather than straight forward (I suspect he might not mind slightly to right as much, but I could be wrong). I found myself losing my balance more easily with these fixes (but it could be because I was just too tired).
Shine (the final product only – some of the intermediate parts are not so bad either)
1,2,3 cross over steps (R, L, R) – in place or minimal traveling
5 cross over step L
6 R foot slide back (an early version involved bringing L foot back together on 7 before crossing over step R on 1 before another basic) and land – head flick back around 6 1/2 before facing partner again by 7 or so
7 L foot in place (although I found it somehow easier for next part if I slide L slightly back here on 7 and do a crossover step on 1 with R before proceeding with basic)
A turn for leader (count done in follower’s timing)
1,2,3,5,6,7 basic
8 start a swivel turn weight (starting to transfer weight to R but on both feet during the turn)
1 weight transfer to R foot when turn is completed
2 L foot back for back basic (or open break)
3 R foot in place
5,6,7 second half of normal basic
Since this is used primarily by lead, it probably would be good idea to practice this with leader’s timing also. In this case, start the swivel turn on 4 followed by weight transfer to R foot on 5 for backwards charge or open break on 6.
Now this move can be used to initiate Copa (tension on 6, start bringing follower in on 7) with switching from L-R to R-R at the end of the turn (R-R connection made by 5 1/2).
Also this move can be linked up with a kind of Copa fake demonstrated next.
6,7 Copa start with R-R hold (here we had leader’s hand coming from top I think)
8 R-R down disconnect with free R hand going around follower’s hips (not at the waist and do not use fingers – ha ha) and start guiding follower to turn 1/2 counterclockwise (I think follower’s turn would happen between 1 and 2)
1,2 footwork for leader is L foot to close in with R on 1 and then R foot back now with lead turned about 1/4 counterclockwise to get out of follower’s way on 2
3 there are couple of options here including a normal Copa turn (possibly with L hand at hip also guiding the turn) but the version practiced for final effect had L-R connection made in front of follower which would go straight up to lead follower into 1/2 traveling clockwise turn
Pretty cool. This is … elegant. I imagine I’ll try practicing this both On1 (translating to On1 seems fairly straightforward with caveat that pulling it off in real situation no doubt will take work) and On2.
Random note. There might be an extra experienced lead visiting from the north this Thursday.
I don't know - I just don't know
July 13, 2007
Dinner was at Saffron Brasserie - table for 8. The music at the Fountain Inn was better than average. Six made it to Club Salsa eventually. No Serap today - I think she was in London practicing with Domenic - too bad. The music was of surprising quality even before our arrival. The most notable and welcome thing was Zhenzhi being back, which led to a lot of catch-up dances. Vishal decided to keep the social going until 2:30. Memorable comments included "I want to be danced with" and "I don't want to be the second choice." Sure, but I am confused nevertheless.
Dinner was at Saffron Brasserie - table for 8. The music at the Fountain Inn was better than average. Six made it to Club Salsa eventually. No Serap today - I think she was in London practicing with Domenic - too bad. The music was of surprising quality even before our arrival. The most notable and welcome thing was Zhenzhi being back, which led to a lot of catch-up dances. Vishal decided to keep the social going until 2:30. Memorable comments included "I want to be danced with" and "I don't want to be the second choice." Sure, but I am confused nevertheless.
too many commentaries?
July 12, 2007
Intermediate/Advanced with Chris assisted by Charlotte (Sally was not feeling well)
1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold R-R on top - open break and bring follower in to leader's R side (I've referred to this as reverse CBL but I'm not sure if I like that label now) lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn (minimize traveling) with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise for reverse crucifix (leader in front)
1,2,3,5,6,7 both arms down - step fairly big to R and slightly back bringing R-R up and bring follower to leader's L side and lead follower to turn full clockwise between 2 and 3 with L-L ending behind her at waist level (follower's footwork is a bit tricky here because the instruction suggests turning full clockwise on 2/3 on her L foot - in order to get the lead on time getting both arms down on 1 might not be a good idea - maybe bringing L-L down while keeping R-R fairly high and bringing it over to lead follower's turn on 2 would work better + doing a crossover step on 1 might be useful too) (another possibility is to try to lead this so that follower starts turning on 3 on her R foot and landing on her L foot on 4 before completing rest of the turns) - lead follower to a further 1 1/2 clockwise turn temporarily disconnecting L-L (end with L-L behind follower's R waist and R-R about level with follower's head)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise while doing the following R-R hat for leader keeping follower's hand on leader's R shoulder, switch from L-L to R-L keeping follower's L hand behind her R waist and catch follower's R hand at leader's shoulder level with now free L hand - then lead follower to full counterclockwise turn (some traveling for follower or judgement call?) ending in low wrap with both connections while leader repositions himself behind and to left of follower [this bit seems pretty easy to use - we'll see]
1,2,3,5,6,7 bring follower straight back on 1,2,3 under both arms while leader moves (same clockwise walk started at the start of previous bar) to face follower and lead follower to double turn (clockwise stationary - see if there is time to squeeze in something of a preparation for follower) with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise at the end of her turn with follower's arms over leader shoulders and with connections crossed over in front of leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise keeping L-L connections intact and brought low during the turn (ending behind leader's R waist) and while briefly disconnecting and reconnecting R-R - lead (signal might be a much better terminology here) follower to turn full clockwise (stationary with R-R behind leader's back) and then with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise to face partner again
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa (I think this started with crossed hold R-R on top and may have required leader to turn clockwise to end back-to-back in which case it might be useful to step slightly forward on 1 rather than doing the usual open break to end with better positioning on 3/4 - not sure though)
Sergio and Nat were already at the Sauce when the group from the class (incl. Rajiv, William, Sebastian, Andrea and Pauline) got there. Zern joined us on a high chair later. I don't remember much about it aside from Pauline's new phone, vacation plans, occasional breeze coming in through the door, and a comment along the lines of "It's all downhill from here."
There was only one On2 dance opportunity tonight - it was okay. Zern seems to be catching on fast. Sergio criticized me on the lack of spotting and apparent lack of use of shoulders and hips during spins.
On1 form seemed better than last week - maybe slightly better early than late in the evening although reasonably consistent throughout.
Random notes. Jane, Richard and Phyllis were back. Mimi (not our Mimi - someone from before my time) is supposedly pregnant. Lindsey left her phone inside. Sergio talked about losing passion for the dance.
Intermediate/Advanced with Chris assisted by Charlotte (Sally was not feeling well)
1,2,3,5,6,7 crossed hold R-R on top - open break and bring follower in to leader's R side (I've referred to this as reverse CBL but I'm not sure if I like that label now) lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn (minimize traveling) with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise for reverse crucifix (leader in front)
1,2,3,5,6,7 both arms down - step fairly big to R and slightly back bringing R-R up and bring follower to leader's L side and lead follower to turn full clockwise between 2 and 3 with L-L ending behind her at waist level (follower's footwork is a bit tricky here because the instruction suggests turning full clockwise on 2/3 on her L foot - in order to get the lead on time getting both arms down on 1 might not be a good idea - maybe bringing L-L down while keeping R-R fairly high and bringing it over to lead follower's turn on 2 would work better + doing a crossover step on 1 might be useful too) (another possibility is to try to lead this so that follower starts turning on 3 on her R foot and landing on her L foot on 4 before completing rest of the turns) - lead follower to a further 1 1/2 clockwise turn temporarily disconnecting L-L (end with L-L behind follower's R waist and R-R about level with follower's head)
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise while doing the following R-R hat for leader keeping follower's hand on leader's R shoulder, switch from L-L to R-L keeping follower's L hand behind her R waist and catch follower's R hand at leader's shoulder level with now free L hand - then lead follower to full counterclockwise turn (some traveling for follower or judgement call?) ending in low wrap with both connections while leader repositions himself behind and to left of follower [this bit seems pretty easy to use - we'll see]
1,2,3,5,6,7 bring follower straight back on 1,2,3 under both arms while leader moves (same clockwise walk started at the start of previous bar) to face follower and lead follower to double turn (clockwise stationary - see if there is time to squeeze in something of a preparation for follower) with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise at the end of her turn with follower's arms over leader shoulders and with connections crossed over in front of leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 leader turns full clockwise keeping L-L connections intact and brought low during the turn (ending behind leader's R waist) and while briefly disconnecting and reconnecting R-R - lead (signal might be a much better terminology here) follower to turn full clockwise (stationary with R-R behind leader's back) and then with leader turning 1/2 counterclockwise to face partner again
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa (I think this started with crossed hold R-R on top and may have required leader to turn clockwise to end back-to-back in which case it might be useful to step slightly forward on 1 rather than doing the usual open break to end with better positioning on 3/4 - not sure though)
Sergio and Nat were already at the Sauce when the group from the class (incl. Rajiv, William, Sebastian, Andrea and Pauline) got there. Zern joined us on a high chair later. I don't remember much about it aside from Pauline's new phone, vacation plans, occasional breeze coming in through the door, and a comment along the lines of "It's all downhill from here."
There was only one On2 dance opportunity tonight - it was okay. Zern seems to be catching on fast. Sergio criticized me on the lack of spotting and apparent lack of use of shoulders and hips during spins.
On1 form seemed better than last week - maybe slightly better early than late in the evening although reasonably consistent throughout.
Random notes. Jane, Richard and Phyllis were back. Mimi (not our Mimi - someone from before my time) is supposedly pregnant. Lindsey left her phone inside. Sergio talked about losing passion for the dance.
Next up - maybe something new
July 9, 2007
Not quite one hour was spent on isolation exercises. I was able to use the mirror more effectively to examine what I was doing this time. Maybe it's a sign of improvement or maybe not. Some of the exercises feel a little less awkward. Repetitions can only help. I thought I was able to get that "thing" about pressing my feet gradually into the ground, but Sergio seemed to quash that idea.
We tried a different speaker system Sergio brought in - more precisely it's Liam's speakers. I guess it sounds better than the one in the Pye room. Sergio and I initially in agreement with timing to Oyelo (Johnny Colon) but no longer by about half-way point - it's still better than last week.
Looking back at previous notes, I see that some of the basic footwork exercises were omitted or could use additional detail. These are my interpretations (arbitrary and liable to be wrong of course).
Right axle (follower's timing)
1 R foot in place
2 L foot prepare (slightly forward and slight twist to left - use hips and/or shoulder as appropriate)
3 start turning full to right (clockwise) as L knee is brought in together with R
4 still turning with weight on R foot
5 land L foot
Left axle (follower's timing)
5 L foot in place
6 R foot prepare (slightly forward slight twist to right - use hips and/or shoulder as appropriate)
7 start turning full left (counterclockwise) as R knee is brought in together with L
8 still turning with weight on L foot
1 land R foot
Follower's (right) turn
1,2,3 forward basic
5 L foot back slightly
6 R foot in place
7 L foot prepare
8/1 start turning right
2 land L foot (paddle for double turn - in which case L foot presumably next would need to land on 5)
Some additional exercises done this evening included the following - Right axle followed by left axle, follower's right turn followed by broken left turn, crossovers, body movements with some basic.
Spot turn, Leader's turn (optionally followed by follower's turn) and leading a right turn (optionally double turn) for follower was covered for partner work session. So we're now pretty close to catching up with the sessions in March.
Sergio claimed that he can teach girls much faster than guys. Hmm. I have some doubt about it - does he mean he can teach follower's part much faster than leader's part? Maybe I should make it a challenge for him.
Oh. The title of this post is somewhat misleading especially given that limiting today's material was in part because of my own suggestion - and there were some new things for me too especially for isolations and with some of the footwork.
Club Salsa afterwards was quiet once again although less so than last Monday.
On a side note, Vishal sounded like he was giving a serious consideration to having an On2 class started - at least on trial basis. The prospective teacher is someone no one has heard of (as far as I know) but has made one appearance last Thursday.
Not quite one hour was spent on isolation exercises. I was able to use the mirror more effectively to examine what I was doing this time. Maybe it's a sign of improvement or maybe not. Some of the exercises feel a little less awkward. Repetitions can only help. I thought I was able to get that "thing" about pressing my feet gradually into the ground, but Sergio seemed to quash that idea.
We tried a different speaker system Sergio brought in - more precisely it's Liam's speakers. I guess it sounds better than the one in the Pye room. Sergio and I initially in agreement with timing to Oyelo (Johnny Colon) but no longer by about half-way point - it's still better than last week.
Looking back at previous notes, I see that some of the basic footwork exercises were omitted or could use additional detail. These are my interpretations (arbitrary and liable to be wrong of course).
Right axle (follower's timing)
1 R foot in place
2 L foot prepare (slightly forward and slight twist to left - use hips and/or shoulder as appropriate)
3 start turning full to right (clockwise) as L knee is brought in together with R
4 still turning with weight on R foot
5 land L foot
Left axle (follower's timing)
5 L foot in place
6 R foot prepare (slightly forward slight twist to right - use hips and/or shoulder as appropriate)
7 start turning full left (counterclockwise) as R knee is brought in together with L
8 still turning with weight on L foot
1 land R foot
Follower's (right) turn
1,2,3 forward basic
5 L foot back slightly
6 R foot in place
7 L foot prepare
8/1 start turning right
2 land L foot (paddle for double turn - in which case L foot presumably next would need to land on 5)
Some additional exercises done this evening included the following - Right axle followed by left axle, follower's right turn followed by broken left turn, crossovers, body movements with some basic.
Spot turn, Leader's turn (optionally followed by follower's turn) and leading a right turn (optionally double turn) for follower was covered for partner work session. So we're now pretty close to catching up with the sessions in March.
Sergio claimed that he can teach girls much faster than guys. Hmm. I have some doubt about it - does he mean he can teach follower's part much faster than leader's part? Maybe I should make it a challenge for him.
Oh. The title of this post is somewhat misleading especially given that limiting today's material was in part because of my own suggestion - and there were some new things for me too especially for isolations and with some of the footwork.
Club Salsa afterwards was quiet once again although less so than last Monday.
On a side note, Vishal sounded like he was giving a serious consideration to having an On2 class started - at least on trial basis. The prospective teacher is someone no one has heard of (as far as I know) but has made one appearance last Thursday.
Alcohol the big equalizer
July 6, 2007
Cyrille's text said Nat booked a table at Sala Thong at 8:30 and that I should let others know. I did. I left work a little late - compounding the mistake by taking the wrong exit off M11. I headed to Regent Street and then circled around Parkers Piece before finding a place to park - it was a little difficult in part because of some festival being held at Parkers Piece. I walked across Parkers Piece and entered Mai Thai before realizing that I was supposed to be at Sala Thong. Oops. Instead of going back to my car, I walked to Sala Thong - it probably took a little over 10 minutes. It was just past 9 PM when I made my entrance in front of a mildly surprised quartet of Natalie, Sergio, Cyrille and Rajiv.
Some of the topics at the dinner included Egypt, taste of something French, Unlikely Salsero, Lady Salsa, clairvoyance, Ghostbusters, magicians (David Blaine, David Copperfield… no one knew Doug Henning). Another one I remember was about alcohol - about it making you more you (or some such). It reminded me of what people used to say about my old friend Brad - "Brad under the influence of alcohol - same Brad except more so."
Time of arrival at Club Salsa was 10:40 PM. Initial and lingering thought was that we arrived too early. It was quite crowded and became even more so later yet it felt like there were a lot of people missing too. Domenic was back to continue his practice with Serap for their dance competition at Vauxhall and drawing large number of onlookers and admirers.
Absence of smoking was nice. There might have been more drinking without it. I stood around for a rather long time and not dancing very much until I decided that having some San Miguel would be a good idea. I think it made me care a little less about imperfections in dancing. I think it was a good thing tonight because thinking too much about mistakes would have been too depressing. After two bottles, I considered getting a third on around 1:40 before deciding that it would be unnecessary. Being slightly inebriated might not be so bad sometimes because it might allow me to care less about messiness, and it might have made things more fun for me if I started drinking earlier rather than standing around and doing nothing.
Zern, Euvian and other people arrived later after watching a performance of Lady Salsa. I had seen the show about 20 months ago and wrote about it. Some of the cast members visited Club Salsa on that occasion, but there was no repeat visit tonight. Looking back, there were some very strange conversations recorded from that night - including one between me and Janet.
Cyrille talked about not getting drunk tonight and presumably he restrained himself compared to last few Fridays. I'm guessing he drank less tonight, but I'm not totally sure.
Louise demonstrated that she's not as tall as she seems; height (and weight) was a recurring topic tonight with a number of people. Louise also asked me about my form tonight, which startled me a little before she reminded me that I mentioned something about it to her last night. How was my form tonight? Marginally better compared to last night and helped somewhat by alcohol, which caused me think about it less.
Cyrille's text said Nat booked a table at Sala Thong at 8:30 and that I should let others know. I did. I left work a little late - compounding the mistake by taking the wrong exit off M11. I headed to Regent Street and then circled around Parkers Piece before finding a place to park - it was a little difficult in part because of some festival being held at Parkers Piece. I walked across Parkers Piece and entered Mai Thai before realizing that I was supposed to be at Sala Thong. Oops. Instead of going back to my car, I walked to Sala Thong - it probably took a little over 10 minutes. It was just past 9 PM when I made my entrance in front of a mildly surprised quartet of Natalie, Sergio, Cyrille and Rajiv.
Some of the topics at the dinner included Egypt, taste of something French, Unlikely Salsero, Lady Salsa, clairvoyance, Ghostbusters, magicians (David Blaine, David Copperfield… no one knew Doug Henning). Another one I remember was about alcohol - about it making you more you (or some such). It reminded me of what people used to say about my old friend Brad - "Brad under the influence of alcohol - same Brad except more so."
Time of arrival at Club Salsa was 10:40 PM. Initial and lingering thought was that we arrived too early. It was quite crowded and became even more so later yet it felt like there were a lot of people missing too. Domenic was back to continue his practice with Serap for their dance competition at Vauxhall and drawing large number of onlookers and admirers.
Absence of smoking was nice. There might have been more drinking without it. I stood around for a rather long time and not dancing very much until I decided that having some San Miguel would be a good idea. I think it made me care a little less about imperfections in dancing. I think it was a good thing tonight because thinking too much about mistakes would have been too depressing. After two bottles, I considered getting a third on around 1:40 before deciding that it would be unnecessary. Being slightly inebriated might not be so bad sometimes because it might allow me to care less about messiness, and it might have made things more fun for me if I started drinking earlier rather than standing around and doing nothing.
Zern, Euvian and other people arrived later after watching a performance of Lady Salsa. I had seen the show about 20 months ago and wrote about it. Some of the cast members visited Club Salsa on that occasion, but there was no repeat visit tonight. Looking back, there were some very strange conversations recorded from that night - including one between me and Janet.
Cyrille talked about not getting drunk tonight and presumably he restrained himself compared to last few Fridays. I'm guessing he drank less tonight, but I'm not totally sure.
Louise demonstrated that she's not as tall as she seems; height (and weight) was a recurring topic tonight with a number of people. Louise also asked me about my form tonight, which startled me a little before she reminded me that I mentioned something about it to her last night. How was my form tonight? Marginally better compared to last night and helped somewhat by alcohol, which caused me think about it less.
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