I have a different dance philosophy: if I can not make first dance with any person as good as it gets, I am not good enough lead. Yes, sometimes song is not good for given partner (too fast, too slow, etc.), but staying for second song in that case is not a solution. Better wait for one, which fits the partner and ask again ...
Salsa open diary
- Thread starter MacMoto
- Start date
The idea that I will only dance once with a follow puts unnecessary pressure on myself to perform. So I will usually ask for a second dance if the first one didn’t go so well.
There are exceptions though. If the person gives me no indication of wanting to continue or was expression-less during the dance, then it’s unlikely I will ask them for a second dance right away.
The feeling of continuing to dance is mutual and happens without even needing to ask. Usually I know the answer before I even ask.
I like that kind of challenges
Love to surprise the partner with unexpectedly good dance 
. Second dance usually lack that excitement ...It is very frequent in local scene also, just not my preference ...
There is no such thing as a warm-up dance in my mind. But if the first dance wasn’t great, it’s a good segue into saying “that was a warm-up. Now the second one will be better”
Another reason I like dancing multiple songs in a row with the same person.
Another reason I like dancing multiple songs in a row with the same person.
I always go for a warmup dance almost since I started dancing. I don’t stretch. It is to loosen myself and get into the groove. I don’t target anyone in particular and sometimes it is a good dance friend. I will most often say this is my first dance and I am not yet warmed up. I might even joke “go easy on me, it’s my first dance”.
I also use the first dance to loosen myself up but I never intend for it to be a throwaway dance. I give as much effort on the first dance as the 10th dance or 30th dance.
Yesterday I danced with Diana Mironidis for the first time. I’ve seen her around various festivals and she hangs around people I like dancing with, but we’ve never danced. Maybe I was too intimidated to ask her in the past due to her style (which I’d classify as interpretive) even though it might seem we are a good match.
Anyway, I ask her and she accepts and before the song even starts, we both get this glint in our eyes saying that this is not going to be a normal dance but more like an experiment in musical interpretation. Yeah, it was crazy. I know she knows every song and wants to express musicality without restriction and I got the feeling she also knows I like doing that too.
It was basically a dance off, with some partnerwork sprinkled in here and there. But it was fun. Oh and the song was Majarete, which basically tells you what kind of dance this was going to be.
I don’t even remember how, but we even ended up swapping partners during the middle of the song at one point. I didn’t agree to any of this. It just happened.
It was one of those first dance experiences I probably will never forget with how random it was.
Anyway, I ask her and she accepts and before the song even starts, we both get this glint in our eyes saying that this is not going to be a normal dance but more like an experiment in musical interpretation. Yeah, it was crazy. I know she knows every song and wants to express musicality without restriction and I got the feeling she also knows I like doing that too.
It was basically a dance off, with some partnerwork sprinkled in here and there. But it was fun. Oh and the song was Majarete, which basically tells you what kind of dance this was going to be.
I don’t even remember how, but we even ended up swapping partners during the middle of the song at one point. I didn’t agree to any of this. It just happened.
It was one of those first dance experiences I probably will never forget with how random it was.
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I was wondering who is Mironidis and looked her up! I only know her as Diana and didn’t make the connection..typical salsa thing where you know someone really well but never needed to know their last name
She is plenty fun to dance with. Yes she is very interpretive but also very adaptable depending on the lead style. She will like your style as I see it now. Less partner work was definitely better choice. Now have to lookup the song. I am bad at song names, I only recognize them by the sound. She is very friendly once she knows you but also dances with everyone without hang ups.
I guess you no longer intimidated for the next time
Are you in Budapest?
Yes for the BOB festival.
I guess you no longer intimidated for the next time
Well, it depends on my mood. I function a lot on inertia. If I’m up and dancing and feeling good, then I’ll ask anyone. Though with good dancers, some chasing is involved, and I am only in the mood for chasing like 5% of the night. The other 95% of the dances that night are a result of inertia or being asked.
I wanted to attend it but schedule conflicts!
I thought you were over the inertia given how outspoken you been lately about wanting to dance every darn song
I absolutely don’t like chasing and don’t do it, esp good dancers. Either they are sitting so I can walk and ask, or they are in vicinity when a dance ends.
I am totally inertia driven. At festivals I can sit out 30-45 minutes when good dancers are around for asking easily.
If I sit out let's say 60 minutes, especially in the middle of the night, it is hard to get back into dancing. I mean, really hard.
It's all part of the inertia. Also, the fact that I've been sitting 1+ hour without being asked is also kind of deflating. When active, people will more likely come up to ask for a dance, but not when inactive. Inertia brings my dancing to a grinding stop quite often especially at festivals where active people dance with other active people while the rest watch or go home.
This doesn't really happen in daytime socials. The dancing is more condensed but that's a good thing. I easily have more fun with the lights on and where I can see people's faces.
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Second day/night of Break On Budapest Salsa festival is done. Music was much better than on the first night and I stayed until 5-ish. Had good/great dances although if I am being honest, very few dancers are great. It's all about how much you put into the dance that determines the outcome.
Special shout out to the semi-anonymous Salsa Forums poster for recognizing me and coming up to me to introduce himself. That happens very rarely! Actually, that was the first time it's ever happened!
This day negated my rather crappy first night, after which I mused postponing my Prague Salsa Marathon spot to Spring.
Special shout out to the semi-anonymous Salsa Forums poster for recognizing me and coming up to me to introduce himself. That happens very rarely! Actually, that was the first time it's ever happened!
This day negated my rather crappy first night, after which I mused postponing my Prague Salsa Marathon spot to Spring.
Why are the two related.
Because Prague is in 2 weeks and I was thinking if I should travel again so soon. Having a bad time at a festival will make me doubt going to another event even more.
You can have a bad night and a great night at the same festival. You can have half that night bad and other half really good too.
You really need to try dancing with others outside of your small pond
That's only possible if you travel. I don't think quality of dancers in Prague still be lower.I got back from local festival. First edition. I only went last night regretted. Music was good. The band playing live music was also really good. Not enough good dancers to dance with. Way too many guys. I snapped some pics showing 9-10 guys standing on the sidelines. We are having a heat wave that is breaking records. The AC was good at the start but then I am got it was switched off. Salsa room turned into sauna. Bachata room was cooler, they were playing straight up bachata. Dance about half a dozen bachata. Kizz floor was very small in the foyer outside the salsa room. I was standing since foyer was cooler. A lady asked me to dance kizomba. It was worst kizomba dance ever. She was moving her hips like it was bachata. She was bigger and slightly taller than me. She would shake her hips twice on each step. I purposely made my steps tiny and compact. I was maintaining open embrace and she kept trying to come close knocking her knees against my legs. Zouk room has most people below average at zouk skills, which are all more like a bad trance dancing.
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Sounds like regular zouk to me ...
Had another dance instructor come up to me the other night at a festival who has watched my videos and started giving me unsolicited feedback. LOL. Of course it’s fine, but then he started to peddle Jazz & Contemporary and how footwork isn’t everything and that he’s able to consistently improve because of his dance fusion. Btw, I’ve seen him dance and I don’t find his style very appealing, even though he has this Jazz training. From watching his partnering abilities, it didn’t look like it helped his Salsa very much…so.. yeah.
Some things I agreed with and other things I didn’t. It’s interesting how everyone wants to pawn off whatever other style they do on the ‘side’ as something that will absolutely help me in my dancing just because they do it.
If you like Salsa, you should stick with Salsa. I think this gets lost on a lot of people.
Some things I agreed with and other things I didn’t. It’s interesting how everyone wants to pawn off whatever other style they do on the ‘side’ as something that will absolutely help me in my dancing just because they do it.
If you like Salsa, you should stick with Salsa. I think this gets lost on a lot of people.
You really need to try dancing with others outside of your small pond
I dance plenty with international people (and good ones too). Unless you’re saying that the quality of dancers (followers) is much higher outside of Eastern Europe?
In fact, many of the good social dancers travel in packs. So if I see one, then it’s likely they’ll bring 10 others. Prague Salsa Marathon is just the same people again and again from what I hear.
To be honest, if I truly want to be surrounded by completely new dancers, I’ll have to travel to Italy, the Middle East (and Turkey) and/or Russia.
Or I hit up the Americas. Though the only places that interest me dance wise is Mexico and maybe PR. I am fine to skip the entire continental U.S. and Canada.
The one guy I met from Italy over the weekend had some of the best footwork I’d seen in a long time. And he is from a small town and he said there are at least 10 people better than him. I’m convinced that Italy has a TON of great dancers that just don’t travel.
Case in point, when I said I was from Toronto he mentioned how it might be a top Salsa destination and then I just laughed in his face. He obviously hasn’t traveled or else he would not have made such a ridiculous statement.
Case in point, when I said I was from Toronto he mentioned how it might be a top Salsa destination and then I just laughed in his face. He obviously hasn’t traveled or else he would not have made such a ridiculous statement.