August 17, 2007
Nothing happened so I was at Club Salsa fairly early – by around 10:20. Johnny is away on a vacation, and I think Jay covered for him. There was a considerable drop-off from last night – only ones present were Rajiv and Sebastian, and it was something of a surprise that they stayed for most of the evening considering the lack of usual suspects or enough suitable replacements. Vishal played mostly Salsa – maybe 2 Merengue, 2 Bachata and 2 Reggaeton and Hips Don’t Lie (call it Samba?) up until 1:45, which was when I left. Vishal was worried about some glitches with the sound system, but it seemed fine during the social – at least to my ears. The mystery couple from last night was there again for a short time. I didn’t get to ask the woman for a dance, but I did learn that they are from Austria. She will be here until Monday (so that’s a lost opportunity), and he’s here for 3 weeks for work – no idea if he will show up without her. Over the course of the evening I danced with ~7 people including a housemate of Sebastian. Much later on in the evening, there was a surprisingly easy girl to dance with. Apparently she’s used to a style I don’t recognize (not Cuban as I see it here, seemingly not Cuban Miami nor LA nor NY ET2 nor Ballroom Mambo) and completely mistook some of my leads for something else, but it was not a struggle. Liz was another surprise show even later in evening and obliged me with me a dance to Fragile. I finished my dance of the evening with a couple with Sharon. I can’t believe how little dance practice I have been getting lately in social setting.
Another anomalous Thursday
August 16, 2007
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia (version from Plante Bandera)*
El Cantante Y La Orquesta – Angel Canales*
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony
Nadie Se Salve De La Rumba – Celia Cruz-Ray Barretto-Adalberto Santiago
El Hueso De Maria – Tito Rodriguez*
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Baila Que Baila – Jose Alberto “El Canario”*
Atizame El Fogon – Willie Rosario*
Traicion – Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound* (1)
Ay Que Rico – Eddie Palmieri*
Ahora Me Da Pena – Henry Fiol*
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe (2)
Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso – Eddie Palmieri*
Fuego A La Jicotea – Marvin Santiago
Lo Loma De Belen – Santigo Ceron*
No Quiero Na’ Regalao – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Agua Limpia Todo – Tito Puente
Picadillo – Tito Puente (50s version)
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Llore – Hector Lavoe
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson
Bailando – Frankie Ruiz
Contigo – Cache (3)
You Will Remember Me – Domenic Marte
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
(1) I guess this was my Coro Miyare of tonight.
(2) I originally picked Fuego A La Jicotea but ended up fiddling with the song order quite a bit here - ending up inserting two songs before getting to Marvin Santiago.
(3) Somehow I ended up being too busy to dance most of the night. I did have a dance to this song, however.
Total 28 songs. 1 Cha Cha (new). 1 Bachata. 26 Salsa (12 new).
This was a very busy night of social dancing. I don’t recall it being more crowded and staying so for such long time this summer. Most people seemed too busy to dance to stop for drinks, etc. That’s not necessarily good.
There was a new couple standing out quite a bit from the crowd – quite showy but also doing well musically and dancing with interesting flavor. They only danced with each other though – a bit of a shame. I’m guessing that they were just passing through – one would think that they would have made more of an effort to socialize with other people if they had just moved to Cambridge. I think they danced to all of the songs I played except for Nadie Como Ella by Marc Anthony – they decided to make Traicion their last song of the evening and were seen to leave during Henry Fiol. I don't know if anyone here made any effort to chat with them.
Zern is back. I caught up with him briefly at the Sauce before I came down early to Club Salsa to get ready. Mimi also made a rare appearance – and I didn’t dance with her! Oh well. Also at the same table were Sebastian and Louise.
Vishal also returned this evening. He showed up towards the end of the first half of the social. He adjusted sound system immediately resulting in a abrupt boost of sound, which might have startled some people. This happened somewhere between Mama Guela and Atizame El Fogon – I’m guessing Baila Que Baila, but I don’t remember for sure. He also turned on the air circulation pump (or whatever it’s called), which made the AC more effective. Good to have him back – now things should run more smoothly (aside from occasional power failures, flooding, etc).
It was nice to play some different music once again. I don't think I'll do it very frequently because it does cut into dancing a bit. Sally had offered to get someone else to relieve me after a while, but I declined because I still had a number of songs I really wanted to play.
Playlist
La Muy Muy – Roberto Torres
Sientate Ahi – Oscar D’Leon
Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman
Trucutu – Tommy Olivencia (version from Plante Bandera)*
El Cantante Y La Orquesta – Angel Canales*
Nadie Como Ella – Marc Anthony
Nadie Se Salve De La Rumba – Celia Cruz-Ray Barretto-Adalberto Santiago
El Hueso De Maria – Tito Rodriguez*
Mama Guela – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Baila Que Baila – Jose Alberto “El Canario”*
Atizame El Fogon – Willie Rosario*
Traicion – Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound* (1)
Ay Que Rico – Eddie Palmieri*
Ahora Me Da Pena – Henry Fiol*
Muneca – Alfredo De La Fe (2)
Lo Que Traigo Es Sabroso – Eddie Palmieri*
Fuego A La Jicotea – Marvin Santiago
Lo Loma De Belen – Santigo Ceron*
No Quiero Na’ Regalao – Gilberto Santa Rosa*
Agua Limpia Todo – Tito Puente
Picadillo – Tito Puente (50s version)
Guaguanco Del Gran Combo – El Gran Combo
Llore – Hector Lavoe
Lagrimas Negras – Cubanoson
Bailando – Frankie Ruiz
Contigo – Cache (3)
You Will Remember Me – Domenic Marte
Que Bueno Baila Usted – Oscar D’Leon
(1) I guess this was my Coro Miyare of tonight.
(2) I originally picked Fuego A La Jicotea but ended up fiddling with the song order quite a bit here - ending up inserting two songs before getting to Marvin Santiago.
(3) Somehow I ended up being too busy to dance most of the night. I did have a dance to this song, however.
Total 28 songs. 1 Cha Cha (new). 1 Bachata. 26 Salsa (12 new).
This was a very busy night of social dancing. I don’t recall it being more crowded and staying so for such long time this summer. Most people seemed too busy to dance to stop for drinks, etc. That’s not necessarily good.
There was a new couple standing out quite a bit from the crowd – quite showy but also doing well musically and dancing with interesting flavor. They only danced with each other though – a bit of a shame. I’m guessing that they were just passing through – one would think that they would have made more of an effort to socialize with other people if they had just moved to Cambridge. I think they danced to all of the songs I played except for Nadie Como Ella by Marc Anthony – they decided to make Traicion their last song of the evening and were seen to leave during Henry Fiol. I don't know if anyone here made any effort to chat with them.
Zern is back. I caught up with him briefly at the Sauce before I came down early to Club Salsa to get ready. Mimi also made a rare appearance – and I didn’t dance with her! Oh well. Also at the same table were Sebastian and Louise.
Vishal also returned this evening. He showed up towards the end of the first half of the social. He adjusted sound system immediately resulting in a abrupt boost of sound, which might have startled some people. This happened somewhere between Mama Guela and Atizame El Fogon – I’m guessing Baila Que Baila, but I don’t remember for sure. He also turned on the air circulation pump (or whatever it’s called), which made the AC more effective. Good to have him back – now things should run more smoothly (aside from occasional power failures, flooding, etc).
It was nice to play some different music once again. I don't think I'll do it very frequently because it does cut into dancing a bit. Sally had offered to get someone else to relieve me after a while, but I declined because I still had a number of songs I really wanted to play.
Most intense session to date
August 13, 2007
This evening’s session was somewhat more intense and tiring for me than usual. Towards the end of the hour-long isolation sessions, I had to take a small sip of water. I don’t recall doing this in any previous session. I think some of the movements are becoming easier or at least not a complete mess of flailing of body parts. No doubt I would laugh at myself if I somehow keep up with this and get better. But then again, it is questionable if these sessions will continue without someone like Sergio to lead and make things more challenging – maintaining current level might be enough of a challenge.
Turning and spinning and keeping upright was a bit a challenge this evening. I thought I was just having a bad day, but in retrospect I think I was just low in energy – not enough food through the hours I spent awake. In fact by nine pm, I was feeling quite hungry. Perhaps this made the partner-work session seem more challenging. I don’t think the material was so challenging or foreign, but there seemed to be a lot of new-ish material. I think my grasp of the material is weaker than usual.
Something like a half-spot turn for follower
5,6,7 for follower is like Mambo basic (second half)
1,2,3 forward-forward-forward
5,6,7 sharp half turn clockwise (but in same momentum as before so that her center of gravity is transferred as if another step was taken) and then like second half of Mambo basic
Leader is thus doing at the same time…
5,6,7 basic (mirror of follower) – closed hold
1,2,3 back-back-back
5,6,7 leader gets into CBL position (as of next bar) and lead follower into the clockwise turn leading with R hand-arm on follower’s back to lead this (better make this sharp)
1,2,3 finish with CBL
I wonder if this move above would make less sense for On1 compared to On2.
This next part reminded me of “Adios con la hermana”
5,6,7,1,2 same as spot turn
3 raise R-L
5,6,7 walk underneath L-R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise on 5 and backwards charge for 6,7
Next part is quite baffling – I’m least sure about this part – probably full of errors
1,2,3 lead follower to a single clockwise turn two-handed (reconnecting with R-L first) – leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise after leading follower to turn (starting on 3? – I’m quite lost with leader’s footwork here – swivel turn? get L wrist about R forearm when turned??)
5,6,7 leader is half turned on 5 and toss follower’s L hand behind her R waist and turn ~7 to lead follower to
8,1,2,3 (?) to a double stationary clockwise turn – let go L-R and connect R-L behind follower’s R waist
A little better
5,6,7,1,2,3,5,6 Copa (keeping R-L straight – my note: it might help to step forward on 7 as well as staying in place on 6) – follower starts turning ~3 as in typical Copa and end with leader turning full counterclockwise (probably starting ~5)
Into somewhat murky waters once again
5,6,7 (finishing Copa) prepare to toss starting around 5 with the toss R-L over leader’s head coming on 7-8 or so and getting into CBL position
1,2,3 connect L-R to lead follower into free 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn
It seems like Sergio might be falling into a too many moves trap here. Because it seemed like some of the people are finding the material more or less doable (without really having mastered it – rather difficult to do with rather little opportunity for practice), he decided that the material was not challenging enough. While simply becoming acquainted with some of these foreign-seeming material could be useful, I really dislike having a very vague idea about how to lead these moves because I doubt I would be able to do them well unless I have a good mental picture of what I am supposed to do. I think the biggest problem is that there simply is not very much time left to do these classes. Then again, some others may have appreciated maximal amount of material.
Some private items. Group meeting in the morning – first presentation of screen results. Car battery was replaced in the afternoon. Curry for dinner with Sergio and Cyrille after the class with vacation plan in September as the biggest topic.
This evening’s session was somewhat more intense and tiring for me than usual. Towards the end of the hour-long isolation sessions, I had to take a small sip of water. I don’t recall doing this in any previous session. I think some of the movements are becoming easier or at least not a complete mess of flailing of body parts. No doubt I would laugh at myself if I somehow keep up with this and get better. But then again, it is questionable if these sessions will continue without someone like Sergio to lead and make things more challenging – maintaining current level might be enough of a challenge.
Turning and spinning and keeping upright was a bit a challenge this evening. I thought I was just having a bad day, but in retrospect I think I was just low in energy – not enough food through the hours I spent awake. In fact by nine pm, I was feeling quite hungry. Perhaps this made the partner-work session seem more challenging. I don’t think the material was so challenging or foreign, but there seemed to be a lot of new-ish material. I think my grasp of the material is weaker than usual.
Something like a half-spot turn for follower
5,6,7 for follower is like Mambo basic (second half)
1,2,3 forward-forward-forward
5,6,7 sharp half turn clockwise (but in same momentum as before so that her center of gravity is transferred as if another step was taken) and then like second half of Mambo basic
Leader is thus doing at the same time…
5,6,7 basic (mirror of follower) – closed hold
1,2,3 back-back-back
5,6,7 leader gets into CBL position (as of next bar) and lead follower into the clockwise turn leading with R hand-arm on follower’s back to lead this (better make this sharp)
1,2,3 finish with CBL
I wonder if this move above would make less sense for On1 compared to On2.
This next part reminded me of “Adios con la hermana”
5,6,7,1,2 same as spot turn
3 raise R-L
5,6,7 walk underneath L-R and turning 1/2 counterclockwise on 5 and backwards charge for 6,7
Next part is quite baffling – I’m least sure about this part – probably full of errors
1,2,3 lead follower to a single clockwise turn two-handed (reconnecting with R-L first) – leader turns 1/2 counterclockwise after leading follower to turn (starting on 3? – I’m quite lost with leader’s footwork here – swivel turn? get L wrist about R forearm when turned??)
5,6,7 leader is half turned on 5 and toss follower’s L hand behind her R waist and turn ~7 to lead follower to
8,1,2,3 (?) to a double stationary clockwise turn – let go L-R and connect R-L behind follower’s R waist
A little better
5,6,7,1,2,3,5,6 Copa (keeping R-L straight – my note: it might help to step forward on 7 as well as staying in place on 6) – follower starts turning ~3 as in typical Copa and end with leader turning full counterclockwise (probably starting ~5)
Into somewhat murky waters once again
5,6,7 (finishing Copa) prepare to toss starting around 5 with the toss R-L over leader’s head coming on 7-8 or so and getting into CBL position
1,2,3 connect L-R to lead follower into free 1 1/2 traveling counterclockwise turn
It seems like Sergio might be falling into a too many moves trap here. Because it seemed like some of the people are finding the material more or less doable (without really having mastered it – rather difficult to do with rather little opportunity for practice), he decided that the material was not challenging enough. While simply becoming acquainted with some of these foreign-seeming material could be useful, I really dislike having a very vague idea about how to lead these moves because I doubt I would be able to do them well unless I have a good mental picture of what I am supposed to do. I think the biggest problem is that there simply is not very much time left to do these classes. Then again, some others may have appreciated maximal amount of material.
Some private items. Group meeting in the morning – first presentation of screen results. Car battery was replaced in the afternoon. Curry for dinner with Sergio and Cyrille after the class with vacation plan in September as the biggest topic.
Grand plans
August 10, 2007
Vishal is still away. Ditto for Cyrille and domino-like effect their absence created. Cyrille should return next week, and Zern should return the week after that. I suspect Vishal will be back somewhere between them. Club Salsa has fair bit of jury-rigged aspect to it, and Vishal knows best all its weak points. Sally and Ivan were wondering if the sound equipment was all falling apart and if Vishal will return to find everything broken. Yesterday Sally was finding the CD player on the left side to be acting fussy still. As for tonight I did not notice any major problems with the audio system. Johnny was again gone by the time I arrived. Apparently he is going abroad, and Serap left already. I recall Serap saying that she would not be around during the Latinfest weekend, so I guess they are going to have a nice long vacation. As far as Salsa is concerned, it is dog days of summer - too many vacations. The kids in Singapore and Germany are not due back for several weeks. Louise was back from her vacation, but she did not stay long tonight. Nicola and Lindsey too were there but seemed to tire fairly early. Hayden was a surprise show again. Cinzia and Peter were there for a little over an hour only. Sharon was stuck behind the bar for a large part of the evening and presumably would have stayed there longer except it wasn’t particularly busy tonight. Shila was the DJ again doing his best to squeeze as much out of his music collection as possible. At first I was a little surprised that Vishal did not ask me to cover for him (all he or anyone left in charge needs to do is ask me – they don’t even have to say please – but maybe there’s a good reason. An amusing and self-gratifying explanation I have is that Vishal wanted to make sure that he would be missed as much as possible – it’s a part of a grand plan (I’m being facetious of course – I imagine that if anything Vishal is trying to come up with a grand plan during his time off).
As for me, it has been a quiet summer. Hamburg did not happen – I waited too long until it became untenable. I have taken a long break from SOS – longest in a very long time. I think I’ll make an effort to go next weekend – I don’t think the weekend after will be any good (Latinfest / Scala weekend), and I’m out of country the weekend after that. No grand plans for me unfortunately. I should try to think of one.
Vishal is still away. Ditto for Cyrille and domino-like effect their absence created. Cyrille should return next week, and Zern should return the week after that. I suspect Vishal will be back somewhere between them. Club Salsa has fair bit of jury-rigged aspect to it, and Vishal knows best all its weak points. Sally and Ivan were wondering if the sound equipment was all falling apart and if Vishal will return to find everything broken. Yesterday Sally was finding the CD player on the left side to be acting fussy still. As for tonight I did not notice any major problems with the audio system. Johnny was again gone by the time I arrived. Apparently he is going abroad, and Serap left already. I recall Serap saying that she would not be around during the Latinfest weekend, so I guess they are going to have a nice long vacation. As far as Salsa is concerned, it is dog days of summer - too many vacations. The kids in Singapore and Germany are not due back for several weeks. Louise was back from her vacation, but she did not stay long tonight. Nicola and Lindsey too were there but seemed to tire fairly early. Hayden was a surprise show again. Cinzia and Peter were there for a little over an hour only. Sharon was stuck behind the bar for a large part of the evening and presumably would have stayed there longer except it wasn’t particularly busy tonight. Shila was the DJ again doing his best to squeeze as much out of his music collection as possible. At first I was a little surprised that Vishal did not ask me to cover for him (all he or anyone left in charge needs to do is ask me – they don’t even have to say please – but maybe there’s a good reason. An amusing and self-gratifying explanation I have is that Vishal wanted to make sure that he would be missed as much as possible – it’s a part of a grand plan (I’m being facetious of course – I imagine that if anything Vishal is trying to come up with a grand plan during his time off).
As for me, it has been a quiet summer. Hamburg did not happen – I waited too long until it became untenable. I have taken a long break from SOS – longest in a very long time. I think I’ll make an effort to go next weekend – I don’t think the weekend after will be any good (Latinfest / Scala weekend), and I’m out of country the weekend after that. No grand plans for me unfortunately. I should try to think of one.
Too many moves
August 9, 2007
Intermediate with Sally & Chris
crossed hold R-R on top
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into reverse CBL position – lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn with L-L kept low to get L-L behind follower’s R waist – CBL-like position but very close to follower and essentially level rather than in front of follower as would be the case in normal CBL position
1,2,3,5,6,7 between 8 and 2 get R-R behind follower’s L waist (some hints here include keeping R-R straight early – step to R on 1 to be positioned well behind follower) – on 3 leader needs to be position himself into a position more in front of follower – this could be done in part with footwork but moving upper body would also help) – use R to lead follower into travelling 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn – lead this on 4 (!) keeping L-L behind follower’s waist and touch-and-go to end L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa like start with connecting R-R at follower’s face level on 1 (I suppose R hand would have to offered early – it would seem follower would have to be fairly fast here bringing her R hand from behind her back to in front) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 apparently the way I was leading R-R on 1 seemed too Cuban for Sally (I thought I did not know how to dance Cuban – funny – instead of new yorker-like lead on 1, I think a miniscule open break was preferred, but I am quite unsure about this one) – lead follower to turn clockwise while stepping back rather big on 2 to be back-to-back with follower on 3 and connecting L-L (somewhat like back-to-back crucifix) – lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn for a neck wrap for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 make R-R connection in front of follower and lead her to turn counterclockwise on 2,3 followed by a flick (I found this part something of a nightmare – with most partners in class I never felt like I was close to leading this flick and even the best attempts seemed maybe 10% right – with Sally, I did not even get to this part because of too Cuban-like lead in the previous bar – in any case, it involved a clockwise movement followed by a counterclockwise movement and flick happens sometime during the counterclockwise movement – I suppose not using flicks at all during social dancing doesn’t help
There is some interesting material here, but I wonder if I will retain anything. There are too many things to work on and I don’t think I’ll have enough time and opportunity.
I ended up doing the improver class during the second hour. What was the routine?
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL and lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 half clockwise turn getting follower’s arms above and around leader’s head and down to waist switching to L-L and R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into open CBL position with follower to leader’s L and lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start, overtake and occupy follower’s space instead of completing Copa – I’m a little confused now because the next part seems just like a small segment of routine described above (maybe I’m blending two routine by mistake and I wonder if I am remembering things incorrectly here – not that it matters much) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower [I can’t remember for sure if this was used during the first hour or the second hour or both, but I guess I must have found it the most memorable move.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader – ummm… I give up.
Sally arrived quite late – some accident on the road again (second time in 2-3 weeks according to Rajiv). Chris arrived even later. Many others arrived late also including Hayden. Charlotte was a no-show until the second hour.
No Sergio tonight – I think he wanted to make sure that he would not be put in the spotlight on the dance floor. Chris was something of a surprise show – I think he picked 3-5 songs acting as a DJ. No Lindsey, but Nicola was there and had the most amusing dance with Chris using only her left hand for pretty much all of the song (she was holding a water bottle with her other hand). Zhenzhi was there but only for a very short time – we talked about London. Like last week, Ivan danced with more people than usual. Sally claimed no responsibilities for some moves Hayden was using (not sure which particular ones). Probably the song of the evening for me tonight was Revolucionando. I also danced just under a minute with Sally to Lluvia Con Nieve. It looks like my next DJing session will happen next week.
Today’s question directed at me was whether I have done Tai Chi. I have heard of it, but I don’t think I can say what it looks like. I think the phrase Kung Fu style has been used by some although I must profess having no practical experience there either. Tango? One lesson hardly counts. Ballroom? I doubt eight weeks of CDC beginner lessons well over a year ago would make me look like a Ballroom dancer. Heck, I still haven’t gotten around to make a video recording of my dancing.
Intermediate with Sally & Chris
crossed hold R-R on top
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break into reverse CBL position – lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn with L-L kept low to get L-L behind follower’s R waist – CBL-like position but very close to follower and essentially level rather than in front of follower as would be the case in normal CBL position
1,2,3,5,6,7 between 8 and 2 get R-R behind follower’s L waist (some hints here include keeping R-R straight early – step to R on 1 to be positioned well behind follower) – on 3 leader needs to be position himself into a position more in front of follower – this could be done in part with footwork but moving upper body would also help) – use R to lead follower into travelling 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn – lead this on 4 (!) keeping L-L behind follower’s waist and touch-and-go to end L-L behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa like start with connecting R-R at follower’s face level on 1 (I suppose R hand would have to offered early – it would seem follower would have to be fairly fast here bringing her R hand from behind her back to in front) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader
1,2,3,5,6,7 apparently the way I was leading R-R on 1 seemed too Cuban for Sally (I thought I did not know how to dance Cuban – funny – instead of new yorker-like lead on 1, I think a miniscule open break was preferred, but I am quite unsure about this one) – lead follower to turn clockwise while stepping back rather big on 2 to be back-to-back with follower on 3 and connecting L-L (somewhat like back-to-back crucifix) – lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn for a neck wrap for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 make R-R connection in front of follower and lead her to turn counterclockwise on 2,3 followed by a flick (I found this part something of a nightmare – with most partners in class I never felt like I was close to leading this flick and even the best attempts seemed maybe 10% right – with Sally, I did not even get to this part because of too Cuban-like lead in the previous bar – in any case, it involved a clockwise movement followed by a counterclockwise movement and flick happens sometime during the counterclockwise movement – I suppose not using flicks at all during social dancing doesn’t help
There is some interesting material here, but I wonder if I will retain anything. There are too many things to work on and I don’t think I’ll have enough time and opportunity.
I ended up doing the improver class during the second hour. What was the routine?
1,2,3,5,6,7 open hold CBL and lead follower to 1 1/2 clockwise turn
1,2,3,5,6,7 half clockwise turn getting follower’s arms above and around leader’s head and down to waist switching to L-L and R-R
1,2,3,5,6,7 open break and into open CBL position with follower to leader’s L and lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise turn with L-L ending behind follower’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start, overtake and occupy follower’s space instead of completing Copa – I’m a little confused now because the next part seems just like a small segment of routine described above (maybe I’m blending two routine by mistake and I wonder if I am remembering things incorrectly here – not that it matters much) – overtake with both connections ahead of follower and block follower’s path (so that follower does not complete Copa 1 1/2 turn – I suppose same could be done with a block on 5) and leader occupies follower’s previous spot and turn clockwise and back facing follower (this could involve hook step on 5) – ends with L-L behind leader’s R waist
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with R-R hat for follower with R hand ending behind follower’s back – lead follower forward on 5 with R hand (is this really needed if follower knows that she should be finishing CBL given the position she’s in?) – in any case get R hand over follower’s head on 5 as leader steps forward on 5 with R, pivot to turn full counterclockwise on L foot on 6 and land on R foot swinging back to face follower [I can’t remember for sure if this was used during the first hour or the second hour or both, but I guess I must have found it the most memorable move.]
1,2,3,5,6,7 CBL start with reconnecting R-R underneath L-L – not quite sure but I think next was a 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower
1,2,3,5,6,7 Copa start - probably block and turn 1/2 clockwise with R-R ending behind leader – ummm… I give up.
Sally arrived quite late – some accident on the road again (second time in 2-3 weeks according to Rajiv). Chris arrived even later. Many others arrived late also including Hayden. Charlotte was a no-show until the second hour.
No Sergio tonight – I think he wanted to make sure that he would not be put in the spotlight on the dance floor. Chris was something of a surprise show – I think he picked 3-5 songs acting as a DJ. No Lindsey, but Nicola was there and had the most amusing dance with Chris using only her left hand for pretty much all of the song (she was holding a water bottle with her other hand). Zhenzhi was there but only for a very short time – we talked about London. Like last week, Ivan danced with more people than usual. Sally claimed no responsibilities for some moves Hayden was using (not sure which particular ones). Probably the song of the evening for me tonight was Revolucionando. I also danced just under a minute with Sally to Lluvia Con Nieve. It looks like my next DJing session will happen next week.
Today’s question directed at me was whether I have done Tai Chi. I have heard of it, but I don’t think I can say what it looks like. I think the phrase Kung Fu style has been used by some although I must profess having no practical experience there either. Tango? One lesson hardly counts. Ballroom? I doubt eight weeks of CDC beginner lessons well over a year ago would make me look like a Ballroom dancer. Heck, I still haven’t gotten around to make a video recording of my dancing.
Back on the saddle
August 6, 2007
Neck is feeling better. I decided to take it easy as a precautionary measure. Move it only a little and gently and see how it feels tomorrow.
Shine
1 R cross over L
2 L to L (~normal standing position)
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (L behind R, R next to L, L in front of R)
6 R to R (~normal standing position)
7 R kick
8&1 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (mirror above)
2 L to L
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis
6 R backwards charge and brake
7 finish back basic
Ascribed to a F Martinez clip (at least the first part).
R-R hold
6,7 open break (slightly to left)
1,2,3 follower’s footwork here is R on 1 (slightly twisted to L), step rather far to L with L (crossing over) on 2 and back to ~normal standing feet position on 3) leader overtakes on 1 (moving slightly to left), turn (~1/2 clockwise) and hook step on 2 and to L on 3 – use free L hand on follower’s L shoulder (gets there shortly after 1) follower goes under R-R arm between 2 and 3 moving to leader's R (completed before 5) – position at 3 is leader behind follower and slightly to her L
5 leader steps forward slightly overtaking her – now R-R is behind leader’s R waist
6 leader steps backwards (upper body turned around) crossing follower’s path and reconnecting L-L in front
7 weight transfer to R with leader turning his body clockwise and L-L going over his head – leave follower’s L on leader’s R forearm
1 L backwards step away from follower’s line (now in reverse CBL-like position) and start to lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn (could be touch-and-go)
2,3 feet in place while leading follower to aforementioned travelling turn
5,6,7 half broken left turn while L-L hat for leader – open CBL position
1,2,3 lead 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower (free turn)
This really describes positions only - note that follower's movements are guided (led) by the leader. It may need some corrections.
Even numbers made partner work session more enjoyable for me. A lot more practice than usual.
After dropping off Sergio, I stopped by Club Salsa for about an hour. I did not recognize too many people - even the ones I recognized were relative newcomers. Still giving them a practice could be worthwhile. Danie was the DJ - nice.
Neck is feeling better. I decided to take it easy as a precautionary measure. Move it only a little and gently and see how it feels tomorrow.
Shine
1 R cross over L
2 L to L (~normal standing position)
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (L behind R, R next to L, L in front of R)
6 R to R (~normal standing position)
7 R kick
8&1 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis (mirror above)
2 L to L
3 L kick
4&5 Cha Cha Cha-like chassis
6 R backwards charge and brake
7 finish back basic
Ascribed to a F Martinez clip (at least the first part).
R-R hold
6,7 open break (slightly to left)
1,2,3 follower’s footwork here is R on 1 (slightly twisted to L), step rather far to L with L (crossing over) on 2 and back to ~normal standing feet position on 3) leader overtakes on 1 (moving slightly to left), turn (~1/2 clockwise) and hook step on 2 and to L on 3 – use free L hand on follower’s L shoulder (gets there shortly after 1) follower goes under R-R arm between 2 and 3 moving to leader's R (completed before 5) – position at 3 is leader behind follower and slightly to her L
5 leader steps forward slightly overtaking her – now R-R is behind leader’s R waist
6 leader steps backwards (upper body turned around) crossing follower’s path and reconnecting L-L in front
7 weight transfer to R with leader turning his body clockwise and L-L going over his head – leave follower’s L on leader’s R forearm
1 L backwards step away from follower’s line (now in reverse CBL-like position) and start to lead follower into 1 1/2 clockwise travelling turn (could be touch-and-go)
2,3 feet in place while leading follower to aforementioned travelling turn
5,6,7 half broken left turn while L-L hat for leader – open CBL position
1,2,3 lead 1 1/2 counterclockwise travelling turn for follower (free turn)
This really describes positions only - note that follower's movements are guided (led) by the leader. It may need some corrections.
Even numbers made partner work session more enjoyable for me. A lot more practice than usual.
After dropping off Sergio, I stopped by Club Salsa for about an hour. I did not recognize too many people - even the ones I recognized were relative newcomers. Still giving them a practice could be worthwhile. Danie was the DJ - nice.
Random fluctuation
August 3, 2007
As expected the unusual crowding of last Friday did not continue. I think it's just random fluctuation although it's possible that poor sound was noted by others like Sergio and Ivan. The problem with the CD player on the left side apparently was there last Thursday (or so I was told by Sally yesterday). I suppose even yesterday was slightly problematic because one of the speakers was not working. So everything is running slightly subpar with Vishal gone. I can't remember if all speakers were working today, but then again I did not notice any serious sound problems.
Danie was the DJ tonight. Because Shila was there, I talked to him about it. I think he thought I was trying to make fun of him. I suppose I was - just a little, but Shila was pretty solid aside from the technical problem (which was fixed with turning off of the microphone) and some early weak song choices, and he'll be back next week. I think Danie was using Vishal's collection - there were a lot of old time Vish favorites along with some classics Vishal doesn't play often. Generally the songs were solid old crowd favorites with only a few misses - some new and some old.
Like last week, Luis was asking me if I would be DJing again. He seems to have the impression that I play kind of music he likes. I suspect that he would only like very small percentage of what I would play though. Grass looks greener on the other side. It's more likely that I will DJ again on some Thursdays.
I wasn't expecting to see a lot of people I know tonight. Some are out of town. Some others would not come because of some people not being there. It wasn't too bad for me - having come with low expectations, and I did have some dances I enjoyed. I did not stay to the end - leaving around 1:10.
As expected the unusual crowding of last Friday did not continue. I think it's just random fluctuation although it's possible that poor sound was noted by others like Sergio and Ivan. The problem with the CD player on the left side apparently was there last Thursday (or so I was told by Sally yesterday). I suppose even yesterday was slightly problematic because one of the speakers was not working. So everything is running slightly subpar with Vishal gone. I can't remember if all speakers were working today, but then again I did not notice any serious sound problems.
Danie was the DJ tonight. Because Shila was there, I talked to him about it. I think he thought I was trying to make fun of him. I suppose I was - just a little, but Shila was pretty solid aside from the technical problem (which was fixed with turning off of the microphone) and some early weak song choices, and he'll be back next week. I think Danie was using Vishal's collection - there were a lot of old time Vish favorites along with some classics Vishal doesn't play often. Generally the songs were solid old crowd favorites with only a few misses - some new and some old.
Like last week, Luis was asking me if I would be DJing again. He seems to have the impression that I play kind of music he likes. I suspect that he would only like very small percentage of what I would play though. Grass looks greener on the other side. It's more likely that I will DJ again on some Thursdays.
I wasn't expecting to see a lot of people I know tonight. Some are out of town. Some others would not come because of some people not being there. It wasn't too bad for me - having come with low expectations, and I did have some dances I enjoyed. I did not stay to the end - leaving around 1:10.
Thursday debut
August 2, 2007
Playlist
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
El Verdadero Son - Estrellas Caiman*
Bamboleo - Fania All-Stars with Celia Cruz*
Perico Macona - Sabor Con Angel Canales*
Mentirosa - Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Tiene Sabor - Henry Fiol*
Pa' Huele - Eddie Palmieri* (1)
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario
Buenas Noches Che Che - Tito Rodriguez*
El Que Se Fue - Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound*
Noche De Salsa - Louie Ramirez (2)
La Paella - Jose Alberto "El Canario"*
Hay Craneo - Bobby Valentin*
Coro Miyare - Fania All Stars* (3)
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente
Mambo Diablo - Tito Puente (50s version)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Anuncio Clasificado - Willie Rosario
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Usted Abuso - Celia Cruz & Willie Colon
Abandonada Fue - Orchestra Harlow* (4)
Bachata - not sure… put on by Danie
Otra Oportunidad - Jimmy Bosch
Perdoname - Gilberto Santa Rosa
Total songs played during social = 25 songs. I played 24 songs, including 1 Cha Cha (1 new) and 23 Salsa (11 new). I am not completely sure about the song order - had to re-write it from memory. [note added later: one song was out of sequence and corrected.]
(1) I hadn't planned on playing a Cha Cha so early except some new guy requested one (either that or a Bachata). I thought it would work better to play a Cha Cha after a fairly fast song like Tiene Sabor rather than what was going to be a series of medium-paced songs to follow. The only weak part of the decision was that the dance floor was somewhat empty already and Cha Cha did not help.
(2) Another unplanned song. I was considering avoiding this song altogether tonight, but as a birthday song for Sally it made sense. Not too fast. Not too long (~5 minutes although Sergio later said he would have preferred a shorter song). And everyone knows the song so they would feel comfortable jumping in.
(3) This was way too fast. If I were to play it next, I might want to try slowing it down by 10%.
(4) I asked Sergio if he had a request as by this time there were not many people around. Very slow song.
It had been a while since I was the DJ (last time was April 27) so I refrained from dancing and concentrate on DJing to start with. I ended up dancing a bit later on to Periodico De Ayer, Abandona Fue and Otra Oportunidad.
Playlist
La-La-La - Direct Latin Influence
La Llave - Grupo Latin Vibe
El Verdadero Son - Estrellas Caiman*
Bamboleo - Fania All-Stars with Celia Cruz*
Perico Macona - Sabor Con Angel Canales*
Mentirosa - Louie Ramirez & Ray De La Paz
Tiene Sabor - Henry Fiol*
Pa' Huele - Eddie Palmieri* (1)
Babarabatiri - Willie Rosario
Buenas Noches Che Che - Tito Rodriguez*
El Que Se Fue - Roberto Roena Y Su Apollo Sound*
Noche De Salsa - Louie Ramirez (2)
La Paella - Jose Alberto "El Canario"*
Hay Craneo - Bobby Valentin*
Coro Miyare - Fania All Stars* (3)
Cao Cao Mani Picao - Tito Puente
Mambo Diablo - Tito Puente (50s version)*
Gotas De Lluvia - El Gran Combo
Periodico De Ayer - Hector Lavoe
Anuncio Clasificado - Willie Rosario
Usted Abuso - Celia Cruz & Willie Colon
Abandonada Fue - Orchestra Harlow* (4)
Bachata - not sure… put on by Danie
Otra Oportunidad - Jimmy Bosch
Perdoname - Gilberto Santa Rosa
Total songs played during social = 25 songs. I played 24 songs, including 1 Cha Cha (1 new) and 23 Salsa (11 new). I am not completely sure about the song order - had to re-write it from memory. [note added later: one song was out of sequence and corrected.]
(1) I hadn't planned on playing a Cha Cha so early except some new guy requested one (either that or a Bachata). I thought it would work better to play a Cha Cha after a fairly fast song like Tiene Sabor rather than what was going to be a series of medium-paced songs to follow. The only weak part of the decision was that the dance floor was somewhat empty already and Cha Cha did not help.
(2) Another unplanned song. I was considering avoiding this song altogether tonight, but as a birthday song for Sally it made sense. Not too fast. Not too long (~5 minutes although Sergio later said he would have preferred a shorter song). And everyone knows the song so they would feel comfortable jumping in.
(3) This was way too fast. If I were to play it next, I might want to try slowing it down by 10%.
(4) I asked Sergio if he had a request as by this time there were not many people around. Very slow song.
It had been a while since I was the DJ (last time was April 27) so I refrained from dancing and concentrate on DJing to start with. I ended up dancing a bit later on to Periodico De Ayer, Abandona Fue and Otra Oportunidad.
An expensive Bar Salsa on a Monday
July 30, 2007
I thought it was as good an opportunity or excuse to check out Bar Salsa on a Monday when Mimi asked me if I wanted to join her and Marina on their outing. Three of us left Cambridge separately - Marina in the morning, Mimi early in the evening right after work, and me shortly after 8:30. The plan was to meet at Bar Salsa around 10.
As I suspected, finding parking was not easy and was not helped by labyrinth that is London road system (typical of all European cities and towns I have been to - even Cambridge can be vexing). I decided to take a risk and park in a resident only spot shortly after 10, and then talk to people at Bar Salsa to assess risk. After talking to a security staff, Andrew, Susana and finally Nikki (the only one who drove a car), I decided that I better move my car before getting a ticket. Unfortunately by the time I returned (no more than 15 minutes), I saw that there was a ticket attached to the front window of my car. Oh well. According to Nikki, the damage was going to be in excess of £100. I did not bother looking at the ticket and went straight back to Bar Salsa without moving the car.
There were a lot of people at Bar Salsa, but it was not as crowded as I expected. Club Salsa on Fridays is more packed. Surprisingly large number of people seemed to be using Cuban moves as a major part of their repertoire. There was also fair number of On2 people. Generally I was not particularly impressed - I thought it was not as good as SOS or Scala. I think I preferred the crowd at the LDA social couple of nights ago too. It took me a few songs before I could even get myself to ask anyone for a dance - in part because I did not see too many people I wanted to dance with but perhaps also in large part because the parking ticket put me in a poor mood.
Mimi and Marina did not arrive until around 10:45. Just before their arrival, I had my first dance. I danced with Mimi next, and then saw her get asked by one of the contestants from the Scala Latinfest dance competition heat next. Either the dance next or the one after the next was pretty good, so the first three of four dances were pretty enjoyable. There were some interesting dances afterwards including one with Nikki, but generally I found it difficult to enjoy myself dancing tonight. It probably did not help that about a third of the girls I asked for a dance declined - it seemed people were generally more reticent about accepting dances from someone they did not know or have seen compared to SOS, Scala, LDA social, etc. I think the one new partner I liked dancing with (twice tonight) might have been someone I met at the LDA social and also had a nice dance then.
I had heard that things generally improve after midnight or so as only the better dancers stay. I did not really see a big improvement - to me it seemed like the place just became quieter without overall level of prospective dancers improving very much. Perhaps if I were more of an insider, I would have found it more fun. There also seemed to be higher ratio of men compared to women, so finding any willing partner after midnight was tricky. If this is typical of Bar Salsa Mondays, I don't think I would have any incentive to come back anytime soon (although I suspect that the chances of me returning soon is very low even if I found it as good as SOS because of inconveniences like day and time of the week and difficulties with parking).
Around 12:45, I decided to cut my loss and leave - Mimi said she couldn't dance anymore with some girl stepping on her foot with sharp heels. Marina opted to stay in London overnight so it was just me and Mimi back to Cambridge. As we walked to the car, I half joked that I hope the car is still there and not clamped. The car was still there, but it was clamped. Total damage - £70 to get the clamp removed and £60 for parking violation. These guys are very efficient. After making the phone call to pay the penalty, we waited about 15-20 minutes before a crew came by to let us go. No more parking in resident only spot in Covent Garden - stick to single yellow lines on Charing Cross Road or one of the smaller streets around it. Live and learn.
I thought it was as good an opportunity or excuse to check out Bar Salsa on a Monday when Mimi asked me if I wanted to join her and Marina on their outing. Three of us left Cambridge separately - Marina in the morning, Mimi early in the evening right after work, and me shortly after 8:30. The plan was to meet at Bar Salsa around 10.
As I suspected, finding parking was not easy and was not helped by labyrinth that is London road system (typical of all European cities and towns I have been to - even Cambridge can be vexing). I decided to take a risk and park in a resident only spot shortly after 10, and then talk to people at Bar Salsa to assess risk. After talking to a security staff, Andrew, Susana and finally Nikki (the only one who drove a car), I decided that I better move my car before getting a ticket. Unfortunately by the time I returned (no more than 15 minutes), I saw that there was a ticket attached to the front window of my car. Oh well. According to Nikki, the damage was going to be in excess of £100. I did not bother looking at the ticket and went straight back to Bar Salsa without moving the car.
There were a lot of people at Bar Salsa, but it was not as crowded as I expected. Club Salsa on Fridays is more packed. Surprisingly large number of people seemed to be using Cuban moves as a major part of their repertoire. There was also fair number of On2 people. Generally I was not particularly impressed - I thought it was not as good as SOS or Scala. I think I preferred the crowd at the LDA social couple of nights ago too. It took me a few songs before I could even get myself to ask anyone for a dance - in part because I did not see too many people I wanted to dance with but perhaps also in large part because the parking ticket put me in a poor mood.
Mimi and Marina did not arrive until around 10:45. Just before their arrival, I had my first dance. I danced with Mimi next, and then saw her get asked by one of the contestants from the Scala Latinfest dance competition heat next. Either the dance next or the one after the next was pretty good, so the first three of four dances were pretty enjoyable. There were some interesting dances afterwards including one with Nikki, but generally I found it difficult to enjoy myself dancing tonight. It probably did not help that about a third of the girls I asked for a dance declined - it seemed people were generally more reticent about accepting dances from someone they did not know or have seen compared to SOS, Scala, LDA social, etc. I think the one new partner I liked dancing with (twice tonight) might have been someone I met at the LDA social and also had a nice dance then.
I had heard that things generally improve after midnight or so as only the better dancers stay. I did not really see a big improvement - to me it seemed like the place just became quieter without overall level of prospective dancers improving very much. Perhaps if I were more of an insider, I would have found it more fun. There also seemed to be higher ratio of men compared to women, so finding any willing partner after midnight was tricky. If this is typical of Bar Salsa Mondays, I don't think I would have any incentive to come back anytime soon (although I suspect that the chances of me returning soon is very low even if I found it as good as SOS because of inconveniences like day and time of the week and difficulties with parking).
Around 12:45, I decided to cut my loss and leave - Mimi said she couldn't dance anymore with some girl stepping on her foot with sharp heels. Marina opted to stay in London overnight so it was just me and Mimi back to Cambridge. As we walked to the car, I half joked that I hope the car is still there and not clamped. The car was still there, but it was clamped. Total damage - £70 to get the clamp removed and £60 for parking violation. These guys are very efficient. After making the phone call to pay the penalty, we waited about 15-20 minutes before a crew came by to let us go. No more parking in resident only spot in Covent Garden - stick to single yellow lines on Charing Cross Road or one of the smaller streets around it. Live and learn.
LDA anniversary party and Floridita’s
July 28, 2007
The seeds for this evening were sown yesterday when I sent an e-mail to the dinner group about the LDA 1st anniversary party. At the dinner, Mimi asked me if I wanted to go to the LDA party and then go to Floridita’s afterwards. I believe a big impetus for her interest was her friend Marina visiting for several days (one reason why there won’t be an On2 class this coming Monday). Because I was already leaning towards going to the LDA party instead of SOS, I agreed. Cyrille and Zern were flying out of town today, so I asked Sergio and Euvian next whether they would be interested in coming along – no was their answer. I was able to talk Sebastian into taking the shotgun seat, however.
The nominal departure time was 8, but many small things led to tardiness including me leaving the house slightly late, Mimi and Marina taking a while to get out of Mimi’s house, my difficulty in finding the shortest route from Mill Road to Rustat Road to pick up Sebastian (the shortest route on the map was blocked to auto traffic) as well as a road block at the Long Road. So we did not get to leave Cambridge until around 8:30 and did not get to Cecil Sharp House until ~9:50. The drive was fairly uneventful and relatively traffic-free and filled with Swedish being spoken in the back seat.
The party at the LDA seemed very nice – similar to SOS except with better lighting, superior sound sytem (compared to Mary Ward Hall), more space and friendlier atmosphere. The gender ratio seemed to favor men by a great deal – at least among those interested in dancing. The level of dancers was a good mix from beginners to highly experienced social dancers sprinkled with a few professionals – mostly the LDA staff (old and new) but also some out of town guests including Emma Moore who arrived with Chris while I was chatting with Susana. Mario was absent because of a missed or cancelled flight.
Also present was Vera who once again looked for a chewing gum and found a Listerine strip from me instead. Rajiv was there too sans his dancing shoes. Rajiv was in London for the weekend but did not think he was going dancing presumably until he received my e-mail. The sound of a promising Salsa social free of charge was too good to resist although Ivan yesterday was able to resist saying that two consecutive evening of dancing was too much for him despite Helen’s absence and despite him being in London already. I actually suspect a different unspoken excuse, which I won’t reveal.
It had been such a long time since I last came down to London for dancing so I tried to spend as much time dancing as reasonable. I was expecting Floridita’s to be mostly Cuban Salsa type, so I also tried to stay at the LDA as long as possible. LDA in a surprise twist played one Reggaeton – right before the show starring four people including Susana, Inaki, Lee and Nikki. There was a birthday dance too for some girl named Suzanne, and I was dragged into the circle by Shaan but avoided going into the center. I think I did dance with the birthday girl later though.
My other dance partners at the LDA social included Mimi, Marina (much happier result than last couple of times), Tracy (surprisingly detached), Imi (better connection than in the past), a winner of the Scala heat (I did not realize this until the middle of the dance – I think she would have preferred On2 and I think I might have been able to do something On2 if I had set my mind to it before asking her), some other people from the SOS scene (some regular partners and some non-regulars), some other potential familiar faces and maybe 4-6 complete new faces (at least one of whom was a really nice follow – I did not try to spin her much or be really challenging in part because I did not want to mar what seemed to be a perfect introductory social dance).
I think the girls were okay with LDA but were more than ready to head for Floridita’s by 11:30 (I had suspected that this would happen and tried to forestall and resist this). We left during the last song after I tried to fit in as much dancing during next 20-25 minutes. We also talked Rajiv into coming with us, and he took over the shotgun seat. The drive to Floridita’s should have taken 10-15 minutes if I knew where I was going, but it ended up taking about 30 minutes – most of the time was wasted trying to get out of the neighborhood of Cecil Sharp House and head towards to correct direction. One of the biggest difficulties for me was trying to read the map while wearing contact lens in the dark with lights inside the car as sole illumination. After a while I enlisted Rajiv for help with the map. Luckily, I was able to find parking very close to Floridita’s.
After all the trouble, Rajiv opted out when he found the cover was a whopping £15. I knew it was going to be expensive but I had expected £10. At least LDA was free - not counting the cheap drinks. I did not find out the cost of drinks at Floridita’s but I suspect it would have been pretty steep. There was a live band, but they had finished by the time we got there. DJ was playing Salsa for about half of the time or perhaps a little less than half. Non-Salsa interludes typically lasted 2-3 Merengue followed by 2-3 Reggaeton (or sometimes a different type of music such as Bachata or Samba). The people were about Club Salsa level except with some more accomplished Cuban stylists and with younger, better built and better dressed people. There also were some flashy followers, who seemed to think themselves too good to dance with any commoners.
Here too there were some meeting with people, some expected and some not. Expected was a friend of Mimi’s from Singapore, who supposedly preferred Cuban style like Marina having learned Salsa first in London as opposed to Singapore. Actually the word a lot of people use is hate rather than prefer although all it really means most of the time is that they are not as good at certain things so they don’t like it. Right now I am most comfortable with On1 cross body style and am getting better with On2 Eddie Torres style. If I thought there was a good Cuban style teacher nearby, I would take the opportunity. Anyhow getting back to the topic, the unexpected surprise was Anastasia with her sister Davina. Apparently there was some Flamenco dance activity this weekend in London. I did not have an opportunity to dance with her – too much non Salsa for a long time followed by Sebastian dancing with her for the entire Salsa block next.
So aside from dancing with Mimi, Marina and Mimi’s friend from Singapore (she asked me if I dance Ballroom), I only danced two other times at Floridita’s – one of them “recommended” by the haughty type who after claiming to be too tired to pass me off to her. The funny/ridiculous/annoying thing is that I think she did this because she was asked by a different guy because she proceeded to the dance floor more or less immediately afterwards and started dancing. That was a new one for arrogance and a strange mixing of rudeness and consideration.
We stayed at Floridita’s until closing time or 3 AM. The girls had more fun at Floridita’s. Marina said she felt like she didn’t know how to dance at LDA while she felt comfortable at Floridita’s. For me, this was a much nicer and honest statement than what I heard at the beginning of the evening thus what seemed like a prickly interaction at the start of the evening ended with a détente and much warmer vibes. For me Floridita’s tonight was okay but no better than Club Salsa Fridays in overall dance quality – just more and nicer looking people, much higher cover charge, much longer commute, some different new music and presumably expensive drinks. I did not get an assessment from Sebastian – I suspect he would have enjoyed both places because both provided novelty.
The drive back was very tiring. More roadblocks. Too many people walking in the streets of Soho. Bad weather. Surprisingly high volume of traffic – apparently going to Stansted airport. I did not get home until 4:50 AM.
The seeds for this evening were sown yesterday when I sent an e-mail to the dinner group about the LDA 1st anniversary party. At the dinner, Mimi asked me if I wanted to go to the LDA party and then go to Floridita’s afterwards. I believe a big impetus for her interest was her friend Marina visiting for several days (one reason why there won’t be an On2 class this coming Monday). Because I was already leaning towards going to the LDA party instead of SOS, I agreed. Cyrille and Zern were flying out of town today, so I asked Sergio and Euvian next whether they would be interested in coming along – no was their answer. I was able to talk Sebastian into taking the shotgun seat, however.
The nominal departure time was 8, but many small things led to tardiness including me leaving the house slightly late, Mimi and Marina taking a while to get out of Mimi’s house, my difficulty in finding the shortest route from Mill Road to Rustat Road to pick up Sebastian (the shortest route on the map was blocked to auto traffic) as well as a road block at the Long Road. So we did not get to leave Cambridge until around 8:30 and did not get to Cecil Sharp House until ~9:50. The drive was fairly uneventful and relatively traffic-free and filled with Swedish being spoken in the back seat.
The party at the LDA seemed very nice – similar to SOS except with better lighting, superior sound sytem (compared to Mary Ward Hall), more space and friendlier atmosphere. The gender ratio seemed to favor men by a great deal – at least among those interested in dancing. The level of dancers was a good mix from beginners to highly experienced social dancers sprinkled with a few professionals – mostly the LDA staff (old and new) but also some out of town guests including Emma Moore who arrived with Chris while I was chatting with Susana. Mario was absent because of a missed or cancelled flight.
Also present was Vera who once again looked for a chewing gum and found a Listerine strip from me instead. Rajiv was there too sans his dancing shoes. Rajiv was in London for the weekend but did not think he was going dancing presumably until he received my e-mail. The sound of a promising Salsa social free of charge was too good to resist although Ivan yesterday was able to resist saying that two consecutive evening of dancing was too much for him despite Helen’s absence and despite him being in London already. I actually suspect a different unspoken excuse, which I won’t reveal.
It had been such a long time since I last came down to London for dancing so I tried to spend as much time dancing as reasonable. I was expecting Floridita’s to be mostly Cuban Salsa type, so I also tried to stay at the LDA as long as possible. LDA in a surprise twist played one Reggaeton – right before the show starring four people including Susana, Inaki, Lee and Nikki. There was a birthday dance too for some girl named Suzanne, and I was dragged into the circle by Shaan but avoided going into the center. I think I did dance with the birthday girl later though.
My other dance partners at the LDA social included Mimi, Marina (much happier result than last couple of times), Tracy (surprisingly detached), Imi (better connection than in the past), a winner of the Scala heat (I did not realize this until the middle of the dance – I think she would have preferred On2 and I think I might have been able to do something On2 if I had set my mind to it before asking her), some other people from the SOS scene (some regular partners and some non-regulars), some other potential familiar faces and maybe 4-6 complete new faces (at least one of whom was a really nice follow – I did not try to spin her much or be really challenging in part because I did not want to mar what seemed to be a perfect introductory social dance).
I think the girls were okay with LDA but were more than ready to head for Floridita’s by 11:30 (I had suspected that this would happen and tried to forestall and resist this). We left during the last song after I tried to fit in as much dancing during next 20-25 minutes. We also talked Rajiv into coming with us, and he took over the shotgun seat. The drive to Floridita’s should have taken 10-15 minutes if I knew where I was going, but it ended up taking about 30 minutes – most of the time was wasted trying to get out of the neighborhood of Cecil Sharp House and head towards to correct direction. One of the biggest difficulties for me was trying to read the map while wearing contact lens in the dark with lights inside the car as sole illumination. After a while I enlisted Rajiv for help with the map. Luckily, I was able to find parking very close to Floridita’s.
After all the trouble, Rajiv opted out when he found the cover was a whopping £15. I knew it was going to be expensive but I had expected £10. At least LDA was free - not counting the cheap drinks. I did not find out the cost of drinks at Floridita’s but I suspect it would have been pretty steep. There was a live band, but they had finished by the time we got there. DJ was playing Salsa for about half of the time or perhaps a little less than half. Non-Salsa interludes typically lasted 2-3 Merengue followed by 2-3 Reggaeton (or sometimes a different type of music such as Bachata or Samba). The people were about Club Salsa level except with some more accomplished Cuban stylists and with younger, better built and better dressed people. There also were some flashy followers, who seemed to think themselves too good to dance with any commoners.
Here too there were some meeting with people, some expected and some not. Expected was a friend of Mimi’s from Singapore, who supposedly preferred Cuban style like Marina having learned Salsa first in London as opposed to Singapore. Actually the word a lot of people use is hate rather than prefer although all it really means most of the time is that they are not as good at certain things so they don’t like it. Right now I am most comfortable with On1 cross body style and am getting better with On2 Eddie Torres style. If I thought there was a good Cuban style teacher nearby, I would take the opportunity. Anyhow getting back to the topic, the unexpected surprise was Anastasia with her sister Davina. Apparently there was some Flamenco dance activity this weekend in London. I did not have an opportunity to dance with her – too much non Salsa for a long time followed by Sebastian dancing with her for the entire Salsa block next.
So aside from dancing with Mimi, Marina and Mimi’s friend from Singapore (she asked me if I dance Ballroom), I only danced two other times at Floridita’s – one of them “recommended” by the haughty type who after claiming to be too tired to pass me off to her. The funny/ridiculous/annoying thing is that I think she did this because she was asked by a different guy because she proceeded to the dance floor more or less immediately afterwards and started dancing. That was a new one for arrogance and a strange mixing of rudeness and consideration.
We stayed at Floridita’s until closing time or 3 AM. The girls had more fun at Floridita’s. Marina said she felt like she didn’t know how to dance at LDA while she felt comfortable at Floridita’s. For me, this was a much nicer and honest statement than what I heard at the beginning of the evening thus what seemed like a prickly interaction at the start of the evening ended with a détente and much warmer vibes. For me Floridita’s tonight was okay but no better than Club Salsa Fridays in overall dance quality – just more and nicer looking people, much higher cover charge, much longer commute, some different new music and presumably expensive drinks. I did not get an assessment from Sebastian – I suspect he would have enjoyed both places because both provided novelty.
The drive back was very tiring. More roadblocks. Too many people walking in the streets of Soho. Bad weather. Surprisingly high volume of traffic – apparently going to Stansted airport. I did not get home until 4:50 AM.
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