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I fenced competitively at the collegiate level, too. I've found that my fencing training has been beneficial in helping me understand the mechanics of several concepts like dancing grounded, weight transfers, posture, and being relaxed yet alert. That being said, I would hesitate to put the...

Definitely an interesting topic. My first Salsa teacher is an avid Aikido practitioner. I recall him saying that his Martial Arts training helped him develop an awareness of his body and how to lead. DJ Ara and other SF members have mentioned that there are indeed several parallels between...

I suggest taking a private lesson from an instructor that can both lead and follow. That way he or she can communicate how your lead feels and make corrections by demonstrating how to properly lead the figure in question. One of the most illuminating experiences I've had early in my dancing...

But you haven't seen me dance... On a more serious note, this is a very nice compliment to Boricuas. I believe kbitten said a similar thing on another thread. So with a consensus of two, it must be true! :cool: On behalf of the puertorriqueños that you've seen dance or danced with, ¡gracias!

If it's an instructor, it would bother me a lot because they're supposed to be knowledgeable in what they teach but are actually spreading misinformation. They're in a position to influence others and "with great power comes great responsibility..." It wouldn't bother me if the person making...

I feel a slightly bigger responsibility to provide my partner a good dance when I ask because she has accepted to dance with me and by doing so might have in effect 'turned down' dances with leaders that she prefers. In these cases, I feel like I need to make her time worth while. In contrast...

"A golpe de tambó" by Gustavo García "Pantera".

I thought you were mocking them by calling them "Charanga Light", but that's their album's title! LOL

Good points.

When I dance with annoyingly limp followers, I lead more figures from closed position than usual and tend to avoid moves that require some compression (e.g., LA quick-left turns, pronounced open breaks) or moves that require us to temporarily "frame up" (e.g. CBL 180). In contrast, when dancing...

lol!

Azzey speaks words of wisdom! I wish more dancers would focus on improving their overall movement, including weight transfers, rather than on learning cool-looking body isolations or styling. I think ignoring basic movement creates a situation where most of the dancing (partner or solo) looks...

I agree. I recently moved to Seattle (about a month ago) and have encountered quite a few followers with attitude. Nothing too bad, just being turned down more than I'm used to. To give them the benefit of the doubt, some of it might be due to not knowing me or because they haven't seen me...

LOL!

I'll add that the only Spanish term the I've encountered in crossbody style Salsa lessons in the US is the "copa". It seems that Casino and Rueda dancers encounter many many many more Spanish words (guapea, adios, exhíbela, sombrero, dile que no, setenta, paséala, dame, enchufla, etc.). I'm a...

Here are a few examples of what I consider elegant Afro-cuban movement. Felix "Pupy" Insúa http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=iP_DaGL-ZAs Ángel Santos and Caridad http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=6aYB9MJXydU&feature=related Ángel Santos http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Rp0Wgjlp8KY Jimmy Anton...

I typically use grace and elegance interchangeably. When I describe a dancer as elegant or graceful, I'm often describing a dancer that has good posture and balance, is grounded, moves efficiently and effortlessly, creates esthetically pleasing lines or curves, and gives an aura of poise. I...

I agree with your cautionary note. I dislike the "ballroom look" in Salsa. When I refer to rolling back the shoulders, I'm chiefly talking about good overall posture, not specifically pertaining to dancing, and definitely avoiding "puffing" the chest. I feel that rolling back the shoulders...

I've been working on dancing more gracefully for a few years now. An area of focus has been improving my posture. I once saw a picture of myself dancing a bit slouched and didn't like what I saw. Since then, I've worked on standing straight and rolling back my shoulders. In addition to...

I agree. In my experience, the On1 followers that can be successfully led On2 are those that have impeccable timing and can feel the conga rhythm. Those that don't, end up rushing into the break steps on 2 and 6, emphasizing the 1 while actually breaking On2, or transferring their weight late...