Allow me to preface this review by saying I've been a member of NYCMambo since November, and I think I now have a pretty good overall idea about what it offers and whether it's a good buy. This is the online school created by Eddie Torres Jr where he teaches his signature style of Mambo/Pachanga/Boogaloo/Cha Cha Cha. In every video, he teaches alongside his partner, Princess Serrano.
First, here is what you get:
NYC Mambo is still in its infancy. Therefore the content is somewhat limited, but more on that later. Right now, there are about 30 full-length classes that can be viewed at any time. Almost all the classes focus on a combination of shines/body movement/technique. If you are a fan of partnerwork, stay away from NYC Mambo as there are currently only 4 partnerwork videos. The focus is definitely on improving your solo technique. Eddie Jr mentioned he would like to make NYC Mambo a global brand and have his technique (which he calls authentic New York Style Salsa) taught all over the world. It's a bit ambitious and I have my reservations about that happening, but I digress. Let's look more into the content.
The real reason I subscribed as a member to the school is to learn from Eddie Torres Jr himself. I think when it comes to Salsa technique, very few are as polished or as flavorful as he is.
Is he a good teacher as well?
Well, let me answer that in a couple of different ways. As someone who has been practicing body movement, shines and footwork for about an hour a day since the start of the Pandemic (one year), I was already kind of familiar with some of the technique that Eddie teaches. So I mainly wanted to get tips to help me 'round out' my technique, to which I got and more. Every move you have seen ET Jr do live or in videos, he breaks down in detail on the website. If you always wondered how to do Pachanga like he does or rock your body in Boogaloo, you will be more than pleased to listen to him break down the technique. I've learned more about body movement watching and listening to ET Jr than any other Salsa dancer on the planet. Even little tips like pointing the feet helped me to improve my form. He does emphasize these 'little things' which make a big impact on your dancing. But that doesn't mean that this is for everybody.
If you are a beginner in body movement, you will have a difficult time at first, especially since many of the techniques Eddie teaches requires coordination of different body parts. This means practice. If you are ready to dedicate many hours a day alone with the technique, eventually things will come together, but as someone who practices body movement religiously, I STILL have difficulty following Eddie.
When you see him demonstrate a shine, it's both demoralizing and inspiring. That is not to say that this school is not for absolute beginners but they need to be patient with it and re-watch the videos over and over. If you want to learn a foundation for Pachanga, Boogaloo and Mambo all-in-one, then I don't think there's anyone better to learn from currently than Eddie Jr.
Personally, I think he's a better teacher than his father at his age. He learned eveerything from his father, so if you like Eddie Torres' signature groovy style, then you'll enjoy learning from ET Jr.
I should also mention that Eddie Jr teaches styling that can be used by anyone. If you are a girl, you won't get a lot of Ladies' styling tips from Princess. Princess does give advice, but she's often corrected by Eddie. Princess doesn't have her teaching chops yet. This is mainly about learning a solo-style created by Eddie Torres, which was then filtered down to his son. In this sense, I believe girls can benefit just as much as guys do. If you are a fan of Eddie Torres and the way he dances solo, then this school is for you.
In addition to recorded videos, you get access to a private Facebook group where you can interact directly with ET Jr and Princess. You can literally ask any question you want and you can expect to get an answer from them in a reasonable time frame. This is about as close as you'll get to having a direct line to Eddie Jr, but also his father too.
I found Eddie Jr to be quite personable and he does answer questions on Facebook if you ask them. You can even submit videos of yourself dancing and get direct feedback from Eddie Jr and Princess.
Every month or so, they will host a live Q&A with different people, including musicians and also Eddie Torres himself. This is a good opportunity to speak directly with Eddie Sr, Eddie Jr, Princess and others. Personally, I don't attend these live sessions as I prefer to dance rather than talk haha.
They sometimes host live classes, but these are kind of infrequent. I wish they had more live classes because I enjoy learning technique and I LOVE the energy they put out. I don't know many people who give as much energy as Eddie does when he teaches. Also, their song choices really reflect the style, whether it's Salsa/Mambo, Rumba and Timba (for body movement), Cha Cha Cha, Charanga or Boogaloo. Nothing but good things to say about their song choices.
At times, Eddie Torres will also give live classes. These videos are NOT uploaded to the database on the website. They are also not included in the subscription. However, as a member, you will get a 50% discount off any live classes taught by Eddie Torres. I don't think there's any other way to learn directly from Eddie Torres at this time.
Overall, the content is fine for what it is, which brings me to:
Pricing
I am currently paying $19,99 USD/month due to a promotion they were running in November and I am forever grandfathered into that price. The normal price of a subscription costs $34.99 USD/month. Whether it's worth it depends on what you can afford. I remember in the past, they had a different pricing scheme where the highest tier membership had cost $70 or $80 per month before they switched to the flat-rate pricing of $34.99/month. I definitely thought it was overpriced at $70-$80 per month! But I have no complaints about what I'm paying now.
So what do I think they can improve on?
A few more classes would be nice. They haven't been creating a ton of new content recently. The last couple of classes were partnerwork, which I watched but I much rather prefer technique classes.
They currently put out 1-2 new videos a month, which isn't a lot. Granted the school is only a year old or so, so I guess in another year or two, the database of classes will expand greatly. The videos they have offer a lot of information about technique and I'm quite happy with re-watching them for detail.
I have no complaints about the functionality of the website/school itself. It's a simple platform. Not many moving parts. Just click on a video and go.
That's it for now.
If I think of anything else, I'll re-edit this post.
First, here is what you get:
NYC Mambo is still in its infancy. Therefore the content is somewhat limited, but more on that later. Right now, there are about 30 full-length classes that can be viewed at any time. Almost all the classes focus on a combination of shines/body movement/technique. If you are a fan of partnerwork, stay away from NYC Mambo as there are currently only 4 partnerwork videos. The focus is definitely on improving your solo technique. Eddie Jr mentioned he would like to make NYC Mambo a global brand and have his technique (which he calls authentic New York Style Salsa) taught all over the world. It's a bit ambitious and I have my reservations about that happening, but I digress. Let's look more into the content.
The real reason I subscribed as a member to the school is to learn from Eddie Torres Jr himself. I think when it comes to Salsa technique, very few are as polished or as flavorful as he is.
Is he a good teacher as well?
Well, let me answer that in a couple of different ways. As someone who has been practicing body movement, shines and footwork for about an hour a day since the start of the Pandemic (one year), I was already kind of familiar with some of the technique that Eddie teaches. So I mainly wanted to get tips to help me 'round out' my technique, to which I got and more. Every move you have seen ET Jr do live or in videos, he breaks down in detail on the website. If you always wondered how to do Pachanga like he does or rock your body in Boogaloo, you will be more than pleased to listen to him break down the technique. I've learned more about body movement watching and listening to ET Jr than any other Salsa dancer on the planet. Even little tips like pointing the feet helped me to improve my form. He does emphasize these 'little things' which make a big impact on your dancing. But that doesn't mean that this is for everybody.
If you are a beginner in body movement, you will have a difficult time at first, especially since many of the techniques Eddie teaches requires coordination of different body parts. This means practice. If you are ready to dedicate many hours a day alone with the technique, eventually things will come together, but as someone who practices body movement religiously, I STILL have difficulty following Eddie.
When you see him demonstrate a shine, it's both demoralizing and inspiring. That is not to say that this school is not for absolute beginners but they need to be patient with it and re-watch the videos over and over. If you want to learn a foundation for Pachanga, Boogaloo and Mambo all-in-one, then I don't think there's anyone better to learn from currently than Eddie Jr.
Personally, I think he's a better teacher than his father at his age. He learned eveerything from his father, so if you like Eddie Torres' signature groovy style, then you'll enjoy learning from ET Jr.
I should also mention that Eddie Jr teaches styling that can be used by anyone. If you are a girl, you won't get a lot of Ladies' styling tips from Princess. Princess does give advice, but she's often corrected by Eddie. Princess doesn't have her teaching chops yet. This is mainly about learning a solo-style created by Eddie Torres, which was then filtered down to his son. In this sense, I believe girls can benefit just as much as guys do. If you are a fan of Eddie Torres and the way he dances solo, then this school is for you.
In addition to recorded videos, you get access to a private Facebook group where you can interact directly with ET Jr and Princess. You can literally ask any question you want and you can expect to get an answer from them in a reasonable time frame. This is about as close as you'll get to having a direct line to Eddie Jr, but also his father too.
I found Eddie Jr to be quite personable and he does answer questions on Facebook if you ask them. You can even submit videos of yourself dancing and get direct feedback from Eddie Jr and Princess.
Every month or so, they will host a live Q&A with different people, including musicians and also Eddie Torres himself. This is a good opportunity to speak directly with Eddie Sr, Eddie Jr, Princess and others. Personally, I don't attend these live sessions as I prefer to dance rather than talk haha.
They sometimes host live classes, but these are kind of infrequent. I wish they had more live classes because I enjoy learning technique and I LOVE the energy they put out. I don't know many people who give as much energy as Eddie does when he teaches. Also, their song choices really reflect the style, whether it's Salsa/Mambo, Rumba and Timba (for body movement), Cha Cha Cha, Charanga or Boogaloo. Nothing but good things to say about their song choices.
At times, Eddie Torres will also give live classes. These videos are NOT uploaded to the database on the website. They are also not included in the subscription. However, as a member, you will get a 50% discount off any live classes taught by Eddie Torres. I don't think there's any other way to learn directly from Eddie Torres at this time.
Overall, the content is fine for what it is, which brings me to:
Pricing
I am currently paying $19,99 USD/month due to a promotion they were running in November and I am forever grandfathered into that price. The normal price of a subscription costs $34.99 USD/month. Whether it's worth it depends on what you can afford. I remember in the past, they had a different pricing scheme where the highest tier membership had cost $70 or $80 per month before they switched to the flat-rate pricing of $34.99/month. I definitely thought it was overpriced at $70-$80 per month! But I have no complaints about what I'm paying now.
So what do I think they can improve on?
A few more classes would be nice. They haven't been creating a ton of new content recently. The last couple of classes were partnerwork, which I watched but I much rather prefer technique classes.
They currently put out 1-2 new videos a month, which isn't a lot. Granted the school is only a year old or so, so I guess in another year or two, the database of classes will expand greatly. The videos they have offer a lot of information about technique and I'm quite happy with re-watching them for detail.
I have no complaints about the functionality of the website/school itself. It's a simple platform. Not many moving parts. Just click on a video and go.
That's it for now.
If I think of anything else, I'll re-edit this post.
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