Pachanga...

Rak Ataka Boom said:
I can see how Pachanga would seem "difficult" if you're coming from a pure Salsa/Mambo background. Pachanga seems to fall more into the "Swing" type of dances.

I picked it up pretty quickly because the first time I saw it in a club I thought they were doing some sort of Charleston. When I started following along, I was told, it's only the back half of the Charleston. After following along some more, the dancers stopped me again and explained, that I should stop the "running motion" and instead use the latin side-to-side ribcage motion. These were locals in Spanish Harlem so the actual language was much more colorful :D but they seemed satisfied after I applied the ribcage motion.

To this day, I always think of Pachanga as the latin Charleston ;)
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If one is coming from a "pure " mambo background, then , you would have danced pachanga, in all likely-hood
 
I like Pachanga because it has that funky feel and to me the basic movement can be danced to a wider ranger of music, not just Pachange/Salsa. As wildbill said, I don't think it's a particularly technically-complex dance.
 
HavanaCola said:
I like Pachanga because it has that funky feel and to me the basic movement can be danced to a wider ranger of music, not just Pachange/Salsa. As wildbill said, I don't think it's a particularly technically-complex dance.
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Its not really a " dance " per se, When it hit the dance scene, it became more of a musical interjection that ,fitted into ( originally ) Mambo.
where its most applicable .
Even some modern day salsa has pachanga musical passages . I do think if I played a full song at my next gig, it would probably clear the floor !
 
estrella said:
Colombia:

Eddie Torres /New York:


Paris :)
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1st vid has little to do with pachanga

ET.. the way it was meant to be danced.. free form but NOT choreod ( good for a demo. )

3rd. one It works, but defeats its purpose, which was interperative solos ( like shines ). That format is too limiting .
 
terence said:
3rd. one It works, but defeats its purpose, which was interperative solos ( like shines ). That format is too limiting .
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I dunno, I like it. Disclaimer: I've taken some pachanga workshops, but I don't actually dance it (it's on my "to do eventually" list).
 
when Jorjet isn't in heels, she honestly has one of the best Pachangas out there:

In certain parts of this clip, she looks as if she is practically floating across the floor...
 
I took a pachanga class at a workshop and I had a hard time. This was at a congress in Atlanta last year. Everyone else seemed to eventually get the pachanga motion they were teaching but I couldnt quite get it down. I have fairly poor body awareness and no awareness of my core most of the time, even when an instructor tells me that yes I am in fact using my core correctly at a certain part.

But in this case, I wasnt. :) I couldnt quite glean the motion, and the instructors had a hard time breaking it up mechanically, plus it was a group class so I just went with the initial explanation and then tried to copy. But I dont learn by mirroring.

That was one thing that held me back; I am terrible at learning via mirroring an instructor who is facing me. I need them to face away or else my brain doesnt do the translation well. And I am just not a visual learner.

It was the hardest, and fastest tempo / most grueling class I took. It was interesting but it kinda broke my spirit

My friend figured out the move and throws it in from time to time, but she cant seem to explain it to me, even today. Usually as soon as I start trying, her face turns red and she tears up and laughs uncontrollably. :)

So yeah. Pachanga. Easy peasy. :)
 
Can you physically do the basic motion? Bending your knees and swinging your torso? It takes some strength.

And don't worry that you can't get it fast; many pro dancers have told me of their struggles with pachanga. :) Including Jorjet, whom you can see in videos above. Months of practicing.
 
Slowdance said:
I took a pachanga class at a workshop and I had a hard time. This was at a congress in Atlanta last year. Everyone else seemed to eventually get the pachanga motion they were teaching but I couldnt quite get it down. I have fairly poor body awareness and no awareness of my core most of the time, even when an instructor tells me that yes I am in fact using my core correctly at a certain part.

But in this case, I wasnt. :) I couldnt quite glean the motion, and the instructors had a hard time breaking it up mechanically, plus it was a group class so I just went with the initial explanation and then tried to copy. But I dont learn by mirroring.

That was one thing that held me back; I am terrible at learning via mirroring an instructor who is facing me. I need them to face away or else my brain doesnt do the translation well. And I am just not a visual learner.

It was the hardest, and fastest tempo / most grueling class I took. It was interesting but it kinda broke my spirit

My friend figured out the move and throws it in from time to time, but she cant seem to explain it to me, even today. Usually as soon as I start trying, her face turns red and she tears up and laughs uncontrollably. :)

So yeah. Pachanga. Easy peasy. :)
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Try to emulate Tuntuneco (frilly outfit not required)! As Eddie explains, imagine you're a puppet. Strive to use fluid weight transfers and subtle joint articulations to achieve the desired movement. When people try to force it, they end up looking mechanical. Eddie has several videos where he breaks it down while facing away from the workshop participants. It's not a walk in the park, but it should become easier with adequate practice.

 
For me the hard part was the weight shifting, but once I got that it's was easy peasy. It takes time and practice though! :)

I absolutely love pachanga. Just learn the basic and go out there and play with it. The whole point of the dance is to have fun, be silly and go a bit crazy with it. Whatever veil of controlled "coolness" you try to uphold in salsa, you need to throw that out of the window in pachanga and replace it with that funky pachanga attitude. Consequently it will look cool of course, if you do it right.
 
Slowdance said:
I took a pachanga class at a workshop and I had a hard time. This was at a congress in Atlanta last year. Everyone else seemed to eventually get the pachanga motion they were teaching but I couldnt quite get it down.
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I don't think most people can get a "natural" pachanga movement from taking just workshops and classes. For me, and for others I know, it took weeks of practice, in socks on the kitchen floor, in the elevator, in the office during conference calls, etc.

Also, many pachanga instructors don't explain the open/close heel movement that is part of the pachanga step. (Eddie Torres breaks it down in the video above.) Without the heel movement it just doesn't look right.
 
Smejmoon said:
Can you physically do the basic motion? Bending your knees and swinging your torso? It takes some strength.

And don't worry that you can't get it fast; many pro dancers have told me of their struggles with pachanga. :) Including Jorjet, whom you can see in videos above. Months of practicing.
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I wasnt able to get the basic motion in the first 15 mins of the class. Everyone else did, so the instructors continued on and I did the best I could. But in Mississippi, at least where I am at, I dont have access to anyone who can work with me. And unfortunately I require explicit instruction to make progress. :)
 
Desafinado said:
I don't think most people can get a "natural" pachanga movement from taking just workshops and classes. For me, and for others I know, it took weeks of practice, in socks on the kitchen floor, in the elevator, in the office during conference calls, etc.

Also, many pachanga instructors don't explain the open/close heel movement that is part of the pachanga step. (Eddie Torres breaks it down in the video above.) Without the heel movement it just doesn't look right.
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I will check out the video above. I am a bit worried about practicing in on my own without an instructor because I might put in 30 hours of bad/wrong time, and end up having my muscle memory do the wrong thing.

My friend who did manage to learn it retained it with solo practice, but she couldnt translate her explanation style to my comprehension style; in large part because she couldnt stop laughing. :)
 
What is the high-octave wind instrument I hear in lots of pachanga? And in some other late 60s music in the same family? Piccolo? Something else?
 
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