1derpalm
Son Montuno
I was justillaustrting te point that Cubans also threw solo (or at least apart) into the dance and they were untrained Latinos.
How much of a partner dance is Salsa....really?
- Thread starter peachexploration
- Start date
1derpalm
Son Montuno
Old school cha chachá they break apart and do similar moves and spins. Looks like handles New Yorker. Then they face same direction and do multiple backward Chachacha in succession. Guy may do some slide stuff. And a skiprope step (kinda looks like the pachanaga Skippy step) .
When it comes to salsa, USA is not NY (NYC i.e.). NY is like mecca and the rest of USA is like pagan states
NYC latin salsa scene is dominated by PR and DR heritage people. That is not the case in the rest of USA.
While I was at Taino towers (only twice), I don't remember any shines or enough to be noticeable. Unlike what you see during the popular NYC socials that trained dancers go to. Maybe we can send @Smiley79 to go (with a counter in his hand) and report
BTW why haven't you made a trip to NYC yet. You would have definitely enjoyed different salsa sub-cultures there (which don't mix).
Last edited:
When it comes to salsa, USA is not NY (NYC i.e.). NY is like mecca and the rest of USA is like pagan states
NYC latin salsa scene is dominated by PR and DR heritage people. That is not the case in the rest of USA.
While I was at Taino towers (only twice), I don't remember any shines or enough to be noticeable. Unlike what you see during the popular NYC socials that trained dancers go to. Maybe we can send @Smiley79 to go (with a counter in his hand) and report
BTW why haven't you made a trip to NYC yet. You would have definitely enjoyed different salsa sub-cultures there (which don't mix).
I will try but may bring back poor data
. Oddly enough, I used to do home visits to patients in there but never knew about the Salsa in there!
DJ Yuca
Son Montuno
As I understand it, there are also lots of Colombians in NY, but they have their own scene (I don't know if that includes pure salsa events). Also, there are vast numbers of people of PR descent in other parts of the USA outside of NY.
I can't recall ever having seen a vid of old school dancers in NY (Taíno Towers is just an example) where most dancers are not doing lots of shines. It's a characteristic of the style, retained from the mambo era.
I was there briefly in 1992 - many, many years before I became a salsero, but I was a DJ and music lover so I spent a lot of my time in Harlem and various record shops. I even went into a Latin music store where the lady working greeted me in Spanish, which I didn't speak a word of. When I told her I was looking for Latin soul and boogaloo she was bewildered and wanted to know why I wanted such old music.
Would love to go back sometime.
We do it all the time. No one taught me to shine/freestyle when the bass drops out, I just watched other feral dancers and casineros doing it.
Henry Herrera (learned to dance in Cuba) was teaching that stuff 20 yrs ago. The Salsa Racing Qban Shines DVD is on YT.
Is it taught more these days? Yes, because one must do "authentic" rumba/afro moves now or risk a midnight visit by the Casino Morality Police
DJ Yuca
Son Montuno
As I said I don't know much about Cuban dance, so that was just my casual impression i.e. that solo moves (shines) are not traditionally a big part of Cuban partner dances, particularly casino. Do you think shines in casino might be more prevalent in Miami?
DJ Yuca
Son Montuno
Is it taught more these days? Yes, because one must do "authentic" rumba/afro moves now or risk a midnight visit by the Casino Morality Police
I thought the topic of rumba moves in casino being authentic or inauthentic was a big source of controversy?
I actually think they're LESS prevalent there. But that's because in the last 10 yrs or so outside of Miami there's been such an emphasis on rumba & afro and de-emphasis on pretzel moves. And so at your event you hear 100% timba which lends itself more to solo dancing, and then you gotta bust out all the moves you learned at the last workshop, etc.
But there's always been separation. Some guys do more footwork type stuff, others gravitate towards more towards the afro side of things. And of course you have guys that completely ignore the music and keep on doing turn patterns.
Also the Miami schools traditionally would teach these warm up solo moves like "22" and "23". But that, plus the performance Henry stuff, you won't typically see in a club. In fact I took a shines workshop from him years ago when I had an hour to kill. It was way too cheesy and over the top for me.
But that doesn't mean he made it up just to sell DVDs. I think he brought some of that cabaret ethos from Cuba.
As for the rumba controversy, I think it's more old-schoolers, Yoelistas, and the occasional santero/hard core rumbero that have problems with it. But unfortunately for them, that horse has left the barn.
Guess that depends on what your definition of a "shine" is. In my world it's less formal but the On2 folks might have different ideas.
IMO, shines are something I do to express how I feel the music. When apart, I am giving my partner the opportunity to express themselves without my input.
What I wouldn’t do is shine above my partner so that they feel like crap.
What I wouldn’t do is shine above my partner so that they feel like crap.