Salsa open diary

Dear Diary,

After a long weekend of many hours on practicing Salsa for performance this weekend. My mental and physical was drained from constantly practice over and over until our group are in correct synced and proper technique. Sometime my mind goes blank from exhausted while dancing and I stop there forgetting my next move and my partner continue to spin around with her open arm that were accidentally smack my head. :facepalm:
 
After a recent trip to Thailand, I was able to go dancing in Chiang Mai in the north (was there 2 weeks), and got connected with some dance folks down in Bangkok. Most of my dances were not mind blowing in Chiang Mai, but the people were very nice. I only had 11hrs in Bangkok before a 6am flight, more than enough time: meet up with the people i had been connected with, eat, go dancing (had some very good ones there!), meet more dancers-inclding the on2 folks and some other visitors from India and Sri Lanka, we all hung out at a cafe after the club closed til 3am talking dance, went to get my things, and head to the airport at 4:30am!

In both places, there were always a lot more women than men and no thai men in the mix at all. Definitely want to go back and explore more of the Bangkok scene.
 
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Packed 3 linen pants, 4 shirts, approximately 6 t-shirts and so on for Vilnius. Feel such a sass. Used to hitchhike across Europe with one or two t-shirts. And girls did not love me less then. :D
 
My stalkees behaved very well last night. They tended to be right near me and free whenever I was ready to pounce on a lead. This led to some highly enjoyable dances. The main issue was my regulars. They would want to keep going when another stalkee was in range, so I missed some opportunities. Of course I'm not going to say no - I simply want to be out on the floor, and they're so lovely, but secretly I slightly regretted missing out on some other possible pounce opportunities as a result of additional or consecutive dances. My most regular regular wanted his usual seven; another wanted three in a row. It's a case of their appreciating a compatible follow; my reg reg is unorthodox; no flashy moves, just great individuality and musical adaptability. Even Sharon Pakir (the only genuine local pro) danced two consecutive with him with a huge smile never leaving her face. Super lovely guy, too; always makes a point of asking beginner follows or those not getting many dances, so he can have his seven. Aaargh! Well, at least I was busy most of the night. :)
 
I try to do two in a row at most, it becomes obsessive after a while, and the lead get too confortable, plus not sure how it would be fun, when there can only be so much you can play with any specific genre. I would need to take a long break, before i asked them again. I am still learning, so better to see how i adopt to others.
That is exactly what happened to you, people just cling without giving others a shot.
 
My Sister in Law is Mexican, when she heard that I dance salsa she said that she dances as well, and wants to join me sometime... Yesterday it happend, boy it was a desaster... She dances a mix between Cumbia and Samba, on her own beat. When I just did the basic she started to turn/throw herself around. Its like she does not understand that at least some rules need to be applied for a partnerdance to work.

Befor we "danced"she was talking bad about the people in the club practicing, saying they dont feel the music. ( it's correct, they looked like robots but at least the kept to the chosen beat more or less)
She took my brother to salsalesson, they stopped because "he has no rhythm". Iam now pretty sure that she was the problem and not him.
I love to dance with latinas who have no formal practice but feel the music(on1 or 2 or 3) but I hate to dance with them if they have no clue at all but act as if they know better because "its in their blood".
 
Tomm said:
I hate to dance with them if they have no clue at all but act as if they know better because "its in their blood".
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Yeah I hate that too. Happened exactly like that to me in Peru. I had a friend who is born and raised there. She told me that she know how to dance salsa because "its in their blood". I thought it was fair enough and give a try and oh boy.... she have no beat. I had to stop because it made us looks disaster. She was offended when I told her that Salsa in her blood is purely nonsense and just a myth as being too much false pride. Being born as Latin American does not automatic have Salsa in their blood. From now on, "its in my blood" is a totally bull**** myth to me.
 
Bradley Frank said:
Yeah I hate that too. Happened exactly like that to me in Peru. I had a friend who is born and raised there. She told me that she know how to dance salsa because "its in their blood". I thought it was fair enough and give a try and oh boy.... she have no beat. I had to stop because it made us looks disaster. She was offended when I told her that Salsa in her blood is purely nonsense and just a myth as being too much false pride. Being born as Latin American does not automatic have Salsa in their blood. From now on, "its in my blood" is a totally bull**** myth to me.
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LOL funny anecdote. But Peruvians can't claim "salsa" is in their blood anymore than the Chinese can.

Next time try someone from the Antilles: A Cuban, a Puerto Rican or a Dominican. That's a whole different story and then you'll discover some truth to the myth.
 
Tomm said:
My Sister in Law is Mexican, when she heard that I dance salsa she said that she dances as well, and wants to join me sometime... Yesterday it happend, boy it was a desaster... She dances a mix between Cumbia and Samba, on her own beat. When I just did the basic she started to turn/throw herself around. Its like she does not understand that at least some rules need to be applied for a partnerdance to work.

Befor we "danced"she was talking bad about the people in the club practicing, saying they dont feel the music. ( it's correct, they looked like robots but at least the kept to the chosen beat more or less)
She took my brother to salsalesson, they stopped because "he has no rhythm". Iam now pretty sure that she was the problem and not him.
I love to dance with latinas who have no formal practice but feel the music(on1 or 2 or 3) but I hate to dance with them if they have no clue at all but act as if they know better because "its in their blood".
Click to expand...

LOL !!!
 
Bradley Frank said:
Being born as Latin American does not automatic have Salsa in their blood. From now on, "its in my blood" is a totally bull**** myth to me.
Click to expand...
They might not have salsa in their blood but many latinos start dancing when they are babies so they naturally have rhythm and great body movement. Dancing is part of everyday life.
Knowing how to follow is a totally different story.

& even younger
 
I take followers that "naturally have rhythm and great body movement" over a skilled followerrobot anyday...even if it means to just groove the whole song without a single led turn.The Problem starts when they start to lead themselfs into Figures they maybe have seen others do.
 
Dear diary,

I'm craving a great salsa night! Like one of those I used to have when I first started dancing 7 years ago. Back when I didn't care who I was dancing with or who was looking! Back when I was just happy to be out there not at the house!
 
We went for a great hike today...saw a Moose, two grizzly juveniles along the road on the drive out. Our object was to walk in to see an otter family that was in the area...no luck but still a fun outing.

Just returned from an hour of Salsa and 45 minutes of Casino Rueda...always learn something new. I had always wondered in Rueda why when we clap it is 'dos flys' and not the Spanish word for fly...ha....it is not slapping an insect but catching a baseball 'fly' ball. Ha! Our Rueda leader returned from Cuba and was talking about baseball. The lightbulb about 'fly' went off in a couple of us.
 
Resides said:
We went for a great hike today...saw a Moose, two grizzly juveniles along the road on the drive out. Our object was to walk in to see an otter family that was in the area...no luck but still a fun outing.

Just returned from an hour of Salsa and 45 minutes of Casino Rueda...always learn something new. I had always wondered in Rueda why when we clap it is 'dos flys' and not the Spanish word for fly...ha....it is not slapping an insect but catching a baseball 'fly' ball. Ha! Our Rueda leader returned from Cuba and was talking about baseball. The lightbulb about 'fly' went off in a couple of us.
Click to expand...
I remember once in Spanish class at university one of the other students said "Voy a mosca a Queensland" :) .

I've probably mentioned this one before...In my dance class in Japan the Guatemalan teacher would often just use English or Spanish (his wife and teaching partner was Japanese and would translate when necessary). He knew I and a few others would get it - and others would laugh at his jokes pretending they got it... Once he was drawing attention to a move the leads were rushing, and said "Guys just have to finish first...at everything". I burst out laughing and the others all just looked at us. He looked at me and said "I knew you'd get it!"
(indeed; had instantly recalled a recent experience :D).
 
Tomm said:
My Sister in Law is Mexican, when she heard that I dance salsa she said that she dances as well, and wants to join me sometime... Yesterday it happend, boy it was a desaster... She dances a mix between Cumbia and Samba, on her own beat. When I just did the basic she started to turn/throw herself around. Its like she does not understand that at least some rules need to be applied for a partnerdance to work.

Befor we "danced"she was talking bad about the people in the club practicing, saying they dont feel the music. ( it's correct, they looked like robots but at least the kept to the chosen beat more or less)
She took my brother to salsalesson, they stopped because "he has no rhythm". Iam now pretty sure that she was the problem and not him.
I love to dance with latinas who have no formal practice but feel the music(on1 or 2 or 3) but I hate to dance with them if they have no clue at all but act as if they know better because "its in their blood".
Click to expand...

The "its in their blood" myth is bulls...t if you ask me. Despite the fact that my parents are from latinamerica and that I grew up listening to Salsa doesn't mean that dancing is in my blood. As a matter of fact I hated the music until I was 18. That's when I started dancing. Although the first 10 years was more the I-have-no-clue-what-I'm-doing-style. And today lot's of people ask me where my roots are. And when I answer my roots are latinamerican they immediatly say:"ok, so dancing is in your blood....". My answer to them is always the same. I told them that this has nothing to do with my roots. As a matter of fact when I started dancing I was stiff like a piece of wood :wacky:
 
Visiting San Francisco currently, got to meet @salsamarty at El V and had some very nice dances. In particular, this french woman...I don't know what it is but I tend to have very good experiences with french ladies I've danced with ( warsaw, london, amsterdam, NYC...). I asked one of the french ladies on fb what are they putting in the water over there and she replied "It's because it is not water but wine that we drink!"
 
Last weekend I went to my very first 'congress' :) Between quotes because it's a local thing and doesn't have really big names, though most of the teachers there were international. Learned a lot, had tons of fun and enjoyed the different focus the teachers brought to the workshops. Even though I've taken advanced and/or 'advanced' level courses with every salsa teacher in town, getting more influences helps.
Also nice to find out that the advanced-courses with my favorite teacher were enough prep to get through the hardest workshops without them feeling hard at all :) I'm a lot less scared of the Berlin Salsa Congress in October now!
 
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