Yeah, Mauri didn't do so hot at Step in Dance either, IMHO. I can take some romantica too, but maybe he wasn't drunk enough
Berlin Salsa Congress 2013
- Thread starter super_tuga
- Start date
Yeah, Mauri didn't do so hot at Step in Dance either, IMHO. I can take some romantica too, but maybe he wasn't drunk enough
thepresenceon2
Son Montuno
Not sure if it's the same Maurice, but if it's the same that played the Yamulee anniversary last year, it was a bunch of romantica and generally crappy set.
super_tuga
Changui
Maybe not. This guy is from Amsterdam, and he usually just plays around Europe.
Next month I have the Warsaw one, again with him and the other "top DJs" in Europe. If this happens again, I'll start avoiding congresses where they go, and start going to Congresses with Gabriel, Eric B, Pablo Bat, Ricardo and other DJs that I know that have really great music.
bas
Changui
Nope, it's not Mauri isn't short for "Maurice", it's short for Mauri
. As for how god or bad his sets are, I'm not a fan but lots of other people seem to be.
thepresenceon2
Son Montuno
Maurice was a typo. Well apparently there is a Mauri from Zurich who's linked to yamulee somehow and he was the one that sucked at the anniversary. Hopefully there aren't two djs named Mauri that suck. Geez....
WessexSalsero
Changui
Berlin...wunderbar happy days!
But let's start with some of the perceived shortcomings as per this thread:
- The few hours of hip hop in the foyer didn't really work, though seeing as there was perfectly enjoyable Salsa next door, I didn't see the need to get emotional about it.
- The main hall - where I spent 50% of my time, the rest in the foyer - was nice and busy but never unpleasantly crowded, see pic:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87510630/berlin salsa.jpg
(you can see the gaps between couples).
- The music in the big arena was largely very danceable Salsa (ok, the beginning of El Gran Varon threw some people but you gotta have faith in Willie) and the few romantic tracks that I remember were rather lovely, a classic from Los Adolescentes or that fun ditty, Pensando En Ti.
- €4.50 for a Vodka/RedB or €2.50 for a Coke is not the kind of money that warrants any sort of anguish.
- The fashion show happened during the day when I was asleep...
And that's all the negativity I can muster, too loved up.
Quick disclaimer before I share the good stuff:
I missed all the shows apart from Adolfo (which was impressive if you like that sort of thing) and I cannot comment on any workshops either so my summary applies to social dancing from midnight until 4/7/6am on Fri/Sat/Sun:
It was a brilliant idea to use the James Bond theme to cajole people into dressing up: The glamour factor was high throughout and went stratospheric on the Saturday.
The chaps looked dapper and the ladies...they were quite, quite amazing. The number of beautiful women from all over Europe and afar was ridiculous, one of the most eye-catching feature of this congress apart from the sheer size of it.
And they were friendly, too: No rejections all weekend which surprised me as I'd been warned that Berlin would not be as relaxed as, say, Warsaw.
I roamed the large venue and found loveliness everywhere, even had a bunch of gorgeous dances in the gangway high up in the auditorium.
The music was cracking and thanks to regular switching I got to enjoy a rich mixture of tunes and dances. No idea if it was by design or coincidence but the hardcore music was mostly played outside where the full glare of lights also ensured that the experienced congress gang could see and be seen.
Inside the main area it made sense to play a more diverse set because with such a huge crowd present the various levels of ability needed to be catered to although, again, I am not sure if this happened deliberately.
The only time the music became slower and more romantic was Saturday morning at around 6am. After 2 nights of solid dancing I was more than happy to enjoy some chilled/slower tracks plus a few sweet Bachatas. Even more so as my dance partners were generally very easy on the eye. Forgive me...I am a bloke, ok
In terms of level of dancing there might well be truth in londongirl's post: I didn't see anything too intimidating happening on the dance floor, including in the more advanced corners.
But as has been said many times before, when it comes to the Most Technically Advanced Dancing, the Salsa world is probably not the right place to look - Ballroom gives Salsa a proper kicking any day. And then sits down for a nice piece of toast and the Sunday Times.
What makes Salsa such a cool, hot, sexy beast is the social dancing, the vibe, the people. And in that sense Berlin restored my faith in Salsa, what an awesome party it was!
It was big, glamorous, visually stunning including the venue, the crowd was truly international, the music was delightful, the smiles were genuine and the organisation was handled by Germans so no issues there!!
As usual with any Salsa night or congress, one's own attitude plays a major part in whether you'll have a good time or not.
Given the size of this event it naturally tried to appeal to a large number of diverse points of view so I can appreciate that those who are very particular or limited might have struggled somewhat.
My personal limitation in this context was Kizomba but instead of whinging about too much Kizomba in the small arena, I made a mental note to revisit this particular learning curve one day soon. And carried on enjoying myself in the other rooms!
Just out of curiosity, super_tuga, if you felt the music was too smoochy in the main hall, why didn't you venture into the foyer?
But let's start with some of the perceived shortcomings as per this thread:
- The few hours of hip hop in the foyer didn't really work, though seeing as there was perfectly enjoyable Salsa next door, I didn't see the need to get emotional about it.
- The main hall - where I spent 50% of my time, the rest in the foyer - was nice and busy but never unpleasantly crowded, see pic:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87510630/berlin salsa.jpg
(you can see the gaps between couples).
- The music in the big arena was largely very danceable Salsa (ok, the beginning of El Gran Varon threw some people but you gotta have faith in Willie) and the few romantic tracks that I remember were rather lovely, a classic from Los Adolescentes or that fun ditty, Pensando En Ti.
- €4.50 for a Vodka/RedB or €2.50 for a Coke is not the kind of money that warrants any sort of anguish.
- The fashion show happened during the day when I was asleep...
And that's all the negativity I can muster, too loved up.
Quick disclaimer before I share the good stuff:
I missed all the shows apart from Adolfo (which was impressive if you like that sort of thing) and I cannot comment on any workshops either so my summary applies to social dancing from midnight until 4/7/6am on Fri/Sat/Sun:
It was a brilliant idea to use the James Bond theme to cajole people into dressing up: The glamour factor was high throughout and went stratospheric on the Saturday.
The chaps looked dapper and the ladies...they were quite, quite amazing. The number of beautiful women from all over Europe and afar was ridiculous, one of the most eye-catching feature of this congress apart from the sheer size of it.
And they were friendly, too: No rejections all weekend which surprised me as I'd been warned that Berlin would not be as relaxed as, say, Warsaw.
I roamed the large venue and found loveliness everywhere, even had a bunch of gorgeous dances in the gangway high up in the auditorium.
The music was cracking and thanks to regular switching I got to enjoy a rich mixture of tunes and dances. No idea if it was by design or coincidence but the hardcore music was mostly played outside where the full glare of lights also ensured that the experienced congress gang could see and be seen.
Inside the main area it made sense to play a more diverse set because with such a huge crowd present the various levels of ability needed to be catered to although, again, I am not sure if this happened deliberately.
The only time the music became slower and more romantic was Saturday morning at around 6am. After 2 nights of solid dancing I was more than happy to enjoy some chilled/slower tracks plus a few sweet Bachatas. Even more so as my dance partners were generally very easy on the eye. Forgive me...I am a bloke, ok
In terms of level of dancing there might well be truth in londongirl's post: I didn't see anything too intimidating happening on the dance floor, including in the more advanced corners.
But as has been said many times before, when it comes to the Most Technically Advanced Dancing, the Salsa world is probably not the right place to look - Ballroom gives Salsa a proper kicking any day. And then sits down for a nice piece of toast and the Sunday Times.
What makes Salsa such a cool, hot, sexy beast is the social dancing, the vibe, the people. And in that sense Berlin restored my faith in Salsa, what an awesome party it was!
It was big, glamorous, visually stunning including the venue, the crowd was truly international, the music was delightful, the smiles were genuine and the organisation was handled by Germans so no issues there!!
As usual with any Salsa night or congress, one's own attitude plays a major part in whether you'll have a good time or not.
Given the size of this event it naturally tried to appeal to a large number of diverse points of view so I can appreciate that those who are very particular or limited might have struggled somewhat.
My personal limitation in this context was Kizomba but instead of whinging about too much Kizomba in the small arena, I made a mental note to revisit this particular learning curve one day soon. And carried on enjoying myself in the other rooms!
Just out of curiosity, super_tuga, if you felt the music was too smoochy in the main hall, why didn't you venture into the foyer?
WessexSalsero
Changui
I will be interested to hear what time the social dancing starts after all the shows...hopefully things have improved from 4-5 years ago.
I enjoyed the social danicing a lot and there were hot German girls in extremely short skirts
I remember asking a local to dance for the third time in 3 days on Sunday and asked "On1 or 2" and her reply was "On2, of course!"
You would have enjoyed it even more this year...the place was overflowing with scantily-dressed talent.
It was like being on Flavio's boat during the Monaco Grand Prix.
No, better: it was like being Flavio lol
Honestly, I've danced long enough to know that looks aren't that important in one's dance partner and I am used to the sight of many attractive women at Salsa nights...but this was something else.
Fortunately, it was quite cold in Berlin and it rained on Saturday night so frequent trips outside helped cool the ardour
To describe the event in London terms:
The main hall was like the Colosseum. Just much bigger, much more glamorous, with much more space to dance - and everyone wanted to dance on2 (I had about half a dozen, admittedly lovely dances on1 but vast majority on2).
The foyer was like SoS. Quite literally, as about 20+ of the regular SoS crowd were tearing it up out there and not just with each other - the usual accusation back in Town - but they were busy mingling. Great to watch and I had the impression they were having a good time, too.
super_tuga
Changui
I did. But only on Sunday, after a couple of my friends told me that the Twins DJs rocked that place.
In the Foyer, there was lots of space, great dancers and good lightning. When I was there, there was a girl, Russian?, DJ playing. Good, but not impressive. Songs like Complicacion from Tito Puente Jr, are good, but it wouldn't be my favorite Salsa. Still, it's better than any Timba played in a Cross Body Style type of congress.
And by the way, when you mention:
They started playing it while the doors of the Big Arena weren't opening. Which means, there was no Salsa for 20min in a Salsa Congress. And for that, I get emotional about it.
Sure, after they opened the door, I never returned back to the Foyer.
bas
Changui
Slightly off topic but based on that I guess you'd be a fan of most Eastern European / Baltic festivals
WessexSalsero
Changui
Yes YES, they did! The bouncy slapheads, grinning from ear to ear and shaking their Maracas in unison, that was probably the best performance of the weekend!
super_tuga
Changui
Thank you guys.. we love to rock for you.. saludos djs Flori&wilber
WessexSalsero
Changui
Oh hell, now I'm even more frustrated.
Ah, mate. Sounds like a lot of stuff that could have gone wrong, did go wrong for you.
If it's any consolation a few of my buddies particularly from the performance spectrum also struggled at times.
No shame in that: These types of mega-events are challenging.
I think some people expect the whole thing to be an easy laugh because there is a party atmosphere and 'the level is not that high' according to the socially-challenged dance nerds.
What they overlook is that in terms of true social dancing the level is exceedingly high.
To generate fun and frolics when you are surrounded by two thousand strangers who all have different likes/dislikes, dance abilities, on1/2 preference and agendas - that's quite a test of one's social dance mettle.
Add to that the massive musical diversity with 20+ DJs and the glam clubbing vibe which had the capacity to intoxicate as well as intimidate.
Even though a number of us Londoners had a policy of avoiding each other ('Did not come all the way here to dance with the same people from back home!') I ended up having a dance or two with each of my mates, just because the brain needed a break from the exhilarating but occasionally tiring game of making a 1000 ladies from across Europe feel good.
Sunday morning, 6 am, Berlin finally broke me: My body was willing but I was mentally done and dusted. Unlike the Saturday after-party, the Sunday morning Salsa tracks were pumping. I had given all I had. Just sat down on the steps and took pleasure in watching the Mambomentalists from London and Singapore.
WessexSalsero
Changui
Slightly off topic but based on that I guess you'd be a fan of most Eastern European / Baltic festivals
Quite. I've always loved the girls from behind the old iron curtain (London would not be the same without them) and your tongue-in-arse comment is actually very apt:
The vast majority of the girls I came across on the floor where from that part of the world. The Germans, Norwegians and, of course, Brits made up the glorious rest.
The biggest mystery for me was: Where the putain were the French? In the top 3 of the international visitors but I didn't come across a single French girl nor did I hear any French being spoken.
Sod it, the next congress outside the UK that I am eyeing up has to be in France. Either Step in Dance or the Colmar one.
Got a year to get myself ready...