Out of Town Dancing

[Tony_salvi]

Recently I've gone back home to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Since the scene I currently live in is very smal, I made it a point to dance as much as possible when I returned to Texas. Although I started dancing in Texas, I was barely a beginner when I left, and I hardly know anyone. Most of the people I danced with were friends from my beginnners class who have dropped salsa altogether by this point. Which basically means that I'm a ghost in the scene.

So at first it was a bit tricky getting dances. I would usually start off dancing with beginners until I got warmed up. Then maybe I would try and ask higher level dancers. Dancing at the salsa only venues wasn't that hard. It was predominantly(95%) dancers. I would usually get a yes when I asked. The clubs were a diffrent story. Since there's a lot more non-dancers, the girls had a pretty automatic "No" for anyone they didn't recognize. But I'm persistent . Once I finally got a few dances in, it was a lot easier to break through that "No" barrier. And it was enjoyable to say the least to see their faces when they realized I could dance. Of course I don't take any of the rejections personally, but it is frustrating when songs such as 'Idilio" and "Periodico de Ayer" come one and there's no one to dance with. Overall though, I've had some great dancers this week and hopefully more to come.

Does anyone have anything in particluar they do when going out of town? Is it harder to get dances if you're a follow? Or do you do the asking? Anyone else have any views on this?

 

[sweavo]

Does anyone have anything in particluar they do when going out of town? Is it harder to get dances if you're a follow? Or do you do the asking? Anyone else have any views on this?

You can throw in clues like instead of "wanna dance?" ask "do you dance on the fast tunes?" or "do you dance on 2?" or "this is a great song and I MUST dance, help me out!" or some variation. All these imply that either you know what you're doing or you're experienced in salsa, which will help her make a positive judgement of you in the few seconds she has to reply...

 

[noobster]

Does anyone have anything in particluar they do when going out of town? Is it harder to get dances if you're a follow? Or do you do the asking? Anyone else have any views on this?

I don't think one can expect to be asked much as a completely new face. The times that I have been out of town I have mostly done the asking early in the evening (I am a follow). Nobody has ever turned me down. After a while people realized I was there to dance and they were then happy to do the asking.

I think the suggestion about asking "do you dance on1 or on2?" is a good one as it indicates that you have some formal salsa training.

 

[Terremoto]

I do a fair amount of traveling and yes it is much more difficult for me to get dances in new places. Right now I am visiting Phoenix - I danced here for one year and still know some faces but the scene has changed a lot since I've been gone. But whenever I go to a knew place - yes, I have a difficult time getting dances and I spend a lot of time just sitting waiting to dance. So here is what I do.

First, I try and find a local contact - I use this forum or some other salsa related forum - nothing works as well as having an inside person to introduce you to their friends as a dancer. So much easier. If I can't find an insider - then I will scope out the club - sometimes there will be a section of hardcore dancers - in that case I will check out which dancers are good and which ones I would like to dance with. If there is a specific section then I will ask someone to dance and hopefully get noticed by the other dancers. If the dance goes well I will ask her again maybe in four songs or so. I am also very patient and realize that I am going to get a lot of "No"s but thats OK. If there is not a section where the hardcore salseras hang out then I will scope out the club and try and find salseras that I would like to dance with and then ask them as soon as I get a chance - normally for every one yes I get I'll get three or four Nos. Also, I will ask right when the song is starting so that way if she says no I can walk away and quickly find someone else - I'll try and ask two ladies per song. But I make sure the second lady is in a different place - you don't want to appear desperate and you don't want the second lady to feel like she was your second pick So thats my process - and once I find a lady who says yes and I enjoy the dance - well, I will go back to her a second time and if it is really good a third time.

Good luck!

 

[stringendo]

I think it depends on where you are. I don't know where you are from in TX, but I lived on the border for several years. Pretty much ANY club I went to, I rarely got asked to dance unless I knew somebody.
I started doing salsa the last couple years I was there. Even then, I had to go to class for several months before anyone would ask me to dance--because they didn't know me before!
Moving to San Antonio, I haven't been out to salsa as much as I'd like, but I notice I get asked more by strangers, and since I'm more confident in my abilities now, I feel more comfortable asking them to dance as well.
I think some of it has to do w/ S.A. being a bigger city, w/ more people coming from "outside", so they're more open to new people, whereas the border area is more isolated, and they're more leery of folks they don't know.

 

[LongHairedLeader]

From my experience a lot of attention is paid to people who are new on the scene. When a new face walks in, interest is piqued.

This is not to say they get lots of dances, but the moment they do step on the dancefloor (normally when they've managed to ask someone for a dance) all eyes are on them, trying to figure out their level of dancing, their style etc. Are they an enthusiastic beginner? Over confident improver? Competent intermediate? Does their partner seem to be enjoying the dance? Can they keep up? On1? On2? Cuban?

It seems most people have new dancers bagged, tagged and categorised within 30 seconds or so...

I've remembered this the times I've been dancing in a new area, and I've often found it quite intimidating, thinking that all eyes are on me, measuring me....

You can throw in clues like instead of "wanna dance?" ask "do you dance on the fast tunes?" or "do you dance on 2?" or "this is a great song and I MUST dance, help me out!" or some variation. All these imply that either you know what you're doing or you're experienced in salsa, which will help her make a positive judgement of you in the few seconds she has to reply...

I like this, a great idea. I normally dance at studios/events so most all the people are there to dance, but I can see how this would be a great approach in a club setting.

 

[MacMoto]

Does anyone have anything in particluar they do when going out of town? Is it harder to get dances if you're a follow? Or do you do the asking? Anyone else have any views on this?

I don't think one can expect to be asked much as a completely new face. The times that I have been out of town I have mostly done the asking early in the evening (I am a follow). Nobody has ever turned me down. After a while people realized I was there to dance and they were then happy to do the asking.

Agreed -- when I'm out of town, I'm prepared to ask guys to get all my dances (since I ask a lot in my local scene anyway, this is not a big thing for me anyway).

I danced in Tokyo last week, and I put my "on1, on2, cuban, whatever" t-shirt on me for the night. The idea was to let everyone know that I was a trained salsa dancer and it seemed to work -- I hardly had to ask anyone at all!

 

[lolita]

I dunno Wuts wrong with gurls, but i do love dancing with strangers and ghosts.... if a new face appears on a dance floor, i'd go ask him if he wants to dance, its always a joyful experience.

i mean, comon u dance with ur local salsa scene leaders for god knows how long, but a NEW LEADER A NEWWWWW LEADER IS RARE.

 

[Terremoto]

I dunno Wuts wrong with gurls, but i do love dancing with strangers and ghosts

I wish more follows had your attitude. Unfortunately, a lot of ladies assume a couple of things if they have never seen you before (1) you do not know how to dance and/or (2) you are trying to pick up on them. The reason why they assume this is because its happened to them on plenty of ocassions before - so they become leery of new faces.

That is why I put an emphasis on trying to get noticed in a new scene - I feel like I need to show the follows that I do know how to lead and that I'm not there necessarily to pick up on them.

 

[Tony_salvi]

I dunno Wuts wrong with gurls, but i do love dancing with strangers and ghosts

I wish more follows had your attitude. Unfortunately, a lot of ladies assume a couple of things if they have never seen you before (1) you do not know how to dance and/or (2) you are trying to pick up on them. The reason why they assume this is because its happened to them on plenty of ocassions before - so they become leery of new faces.

That is why I put an emphasis on trying to get noticed in a new scene - I feel like I need to show the follows that I do know how to lead and that I'm not there necessarily to pick up on them.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll definately mention on1 or on2 next time! I'll be going back home in a few days, so it'll give me a chance to try it out. Although I got the sense that people were starting to recognize me already. Some of the ladies who said no to me on the first night actually said yes on the 5th night.

 

[salsachinita]

Oooh, looks like you've received to good advise already ....

When I go out of town for salsa, I always make it really clear that I'm from out of town & don't know anyone.

Being a follower, most guys are nice enough to say yes. Some even give me 'insider' info, such as which guy to aks, which clubs to visit & what night is better. Some are even generous enough to give me a lift to the clubs that may be difficult to get to without a car ....!!

I always do my best to repay the kindness of salsaholics by extending the same gesture to people who come to my local scene. It's always a pleasure to network with people who are addicted enough to include salsa as part of their travel plans (if not THE reason of their visit to begin with )!!

 

[LARA7799]

I dunno Wuts wrong with gurls, but i do love dancing with strangers and ghosts

I wish more follows had your attitude. Unfortunately, a lot of ladies assume a couple of things if they have never seen you before (1) you do not know how to dance and/or (2) you are trying to pick up on them. The reason why they assume this is because its happened to them on plenty of ocassions before - so they become leery of new faces.

That is why I put an emphasis on trying to get noticed in a new scene - I feel like I need to show the follows that I do know how to lead and that I'm not there necessarily to pick up on them.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll definately mention on1 or on2 next time! I'll be going back home in a few days, so it'll give me a chance to try it out. Although I got the sense that people were starting to recognize me already. Some of the ladies who said no to me on the first night actually said yes on the 5th night.

Well then you don't have it so bad. At least you made progress by the 5th night. I've been here (TX) for a year and definitely don't get asked to dance as much as I did back at home. Sigh. I know part of it, is that I'll never ask a guy to dance. And also, I'm predominantly On 2 when the scene here is On 1. But I can follow On 1 now, just not as naturally as on2. Maybe that's why I don't get asked too.

 

[Tony_salvi]

I dunno Wuts wrong with gurls, but i do love dancing with strangers and ghosts

I wish more follows had your attitude. Unfortunately, a lot of ladies assume a couple of things if they have never seen you before (1) you do not know how to dance and/or (2) you are trying to pick up on them. The reason why they assume this is because its happened to them on plenty of ocassions before - so they become leery of new faces.

That is why I put an emphasis on trying to get noticed in a new scene - I feel like I need to show the follows that I do know how to lead and that I'm not there necessarily to pick up on them.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll definately mention on1 or on2 next time! I'll be going back home in a few days, so it'll give me a chance to try it out. Although I got the sense that people were starting to recognize me already. Some of the ladies who said no to me on the first night actually said yes on the 5th night.

Well then you don't have it so bad. At least you made progress by the 5th night. I've been here (TX) for a year and definitely don't get asked to dance as much as I did back at home. Sigh. I know part of it, is that I'll never ask a guy to dance. And also, I'm predominantly On 2 when the scene here is On 1. But I can follow On 1 now, just not as naturally as on2. Maybe that's why I don't get asked too.

I'm sorry to hear about that LARA7799, but if I see you in Dallas this December then I'll say hi and ask for a dance . I'm not the best since I've only been dancing for 10 months, :? but I can always have fun.

 

[bailar y tocar]

Time for a bump

As it came up on another thread I thought I'd give this one a push to the top. What is your strategy to figure out whats going on in a salsa club or scene far from home and is there anything you do differently ?

 

[Joy in Motion]

For me, keeping in mind I'm a follower... When I visit a new place, the only hurdle is the first dance. If I can't get a first dance, I know I'll be sitting for a while. Once I get my first dance - doesn't matter who it is or how well they can dance - I can't sit down for the rest of the night.

I think the same is true for gentleman is well. As has been mentioned already, you will definitely be noticed when you are new on the scene. And when you first hit the dance floor people (men and women) will be watching you to see if you can handle yourself. That will set the tone for the rest of the night.

Do keep in mind though that all communities are different. Every once in a while you find one that seems very isolationist. Every dance community has its own culture and sometimes you might have to make do with fewer partners or just settle for watching and observing for a little while (which can be a fun learning experience in itself).

 

[MacMoto]

As it came up on another thread I thought I'd give this one a push to the top. What is your strategy to figure out whats going on in a salsa club or scene far from home and is there anything you do differently ?

I normally start by watching the floor to scope out the floor and earmark guys who might be fun to dance with. I definitely do more watching when playing away, especially in the first half of the night. I have a (male) friend whose strategy is to walk up to the best follower he can find and dance with her so that he can impress her and anyone watching and they'd tell all their friends to dance with him. I prefer to start with intermediate-level dancers, since I need to warm up first before tackling the best. I accept any invitations, and I probably rely a lot more on these than when I'm on my home turf, where I can spend most of the night doing the asking. Oh, and I do a lot less leading than at home (another reason why there's more watching time).

If there's any local contact, it definitely helps. I had a fab time at places where I hooked up with local SFers and they introduced me to their friends and favourite dancers.

 

[kerry.alder]

I recently traveled through Austria, Czech Republic, Poland & Ukraine for work. At night, I would always go to visit the local salsa scene after dinner. Unlike you, I usually did not mention to the guys who ask me to dance that I was not local although it was usually very evident I was a foreigner when they started to speak to me in their native tongue and I just smiled.

Like you, I met many really nice people in my travels who helped me with everything from directions to the restroom to how to order a glass of water, how the locals tip and how to call a taxi to take me back to my hotel. One big positive about the salsa scene is that it seems like one big community here in Europe and if you salsa, you are part of the sisterhood

Oooh, looks like you've received to good advise already ....

When I go out of town for salsa, I always make it really clear that I'm from out of town & don't know anyone.

Being a follower, most guys are nice enough to say yes. Some even give me 'insider' info, such as which guy to aks, which clubs to visit & what night is better. Some are even generous enough to give me a lift to the clubs that may be difficult to get to without a car ....!!

I always do my best to repay the kindness of salsaholics by extending the same gesture to people who come to my local scene. It's always a pleasure to network with people who are addicted enough to include salsa as part of their travel plans (if not THE reason of their visit to begin with )!!

 

[kerry.alder]

As it came up on another thread I thought I'd give this one a push to the top. What is your strategy to figure out whats going on in a salsa club or scene far from home and is there anything you do differently ?

I usually try to observe who the gentlemen are, who the beginner, intermediate, advanced and the "do not dance with him for he will try to perform acrobatic moves with you" people are before I accept any dances when traveling. I also see what the customs are regarding after the dance, whether it is a handshake, a hug, a kiss on the cheek or saying something like "dziekuje" to be polite after the dance.

Are you planning on doing some traveling and visiting some new salsa clubs Bailar?

 

[Jolinia]

Whenever I am new to a place I sit down for a while near the dancefloor and observe which style is the most common there, what leaders look fun to dance with etc.

Often while I am sitting there and observing I get asked to dance, which is a good start, and the night takes off from there.
If I don't get asked to dance I'll eventually go and ask myself (That takes me a while though, because I'm not a "natural asker"). Most of the time, once I had a few dances I do get asked.

But I've also experienced the extreme cases in new places: one, hadn't I asked, I wouldn't have gotten a single dance.
The other, I was asked as soon as I entered the place, and continued to get asked. I actually had to turn people down to catch my breath or get something to drink (I made up once I recovered) - those are the unforgettable nights at unknown places that make me buzz for days!

 

[SnowDancer]

I always try to take the class that precedes the dancing. That way I get to meet one or more follows so I'm not a complete stranger anymore.

During the first hour or so, I'll go into 'ask everyone' mode, where I'll just ask for dances with whoever's standing closest. Later, I'll try to find the better dancers, usually by watching who the best leads are dancing with. If I do get to dance with one of them, I'll try to dance as smoothly as possible, using only moves that I've been doing confidently for a long time.