Salsa open diary

RobotLion said:
To say that one race is simply better because it is in their blood seems like pretty straight forward racial superiority to me.
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I see where one could get that impression. That being said, and this is just through my own experiences befriending Central and South Americans, the "in my blood" thing is typically push back from dealing with studio dancers. Because once someone says, "it's in my blood," the next thing they always say is "I don't need to count" or the "what's this 1,2,3, 5,6,7" . And because just about every salsa scene has a hierarchy that looks like a pyramid (large base that gets smaller the higher you go), they are surrounded by a bunch of bad studio dancers year in and year out and resent being around it. And that's regardless of whether that person actually can dance or not.

Now that being said....... it's a great topic that would probably send this forum to Hades and back. But I wonder do people have better dances with people of one race over another, is there a preference?
 
TurqoiseHexagon said:
I see where one could get that impression. That being said, and this is just through my own experiences befriending Central and South Americans, the "in my blood" thing is typically push back from dealing with studio dancers. Because once someone says, "it's in my blood," the next thing they always say is "I don't need to count" or the "what's this 1,2,3, 5,6,7" . And because just about every salsa scene has a hierarchy that looks like a pyramid (large base that gets smaller the higher you go), they are surrounded by a bunch of bad studio dancers year in and year out and resent being around it. And that's regardless of whether that person actually can dance or not.

Now that being said....... it's a great topic that would probably send this forum to Hades and back. But I wonder do people have better dances with people of one race over another, is there a preference?
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If you grew up in a culture that embraces a certain kind of music and movement in day to day life, and you think that makes you better than someone who learned in a studio later in life, you are totally justified to say that.

But it is never appropriate to be a racist.


People who say racist stuff like that are just simply stupid people who lack critical thinking skills and common sense.

It is not a great topic, it is never a great topic to be racist.

If I were to go into work and say, 'I am simply better than the Hispanics I work with because computers are in my blood' I would get fired on the spot without a seconds hesitation.
 
RobotLion said:
If you grew up in a culture that embraces a certain kind of music and movement in day to day life, and you think that makes you better than someone who learned in a studio later in life, you are totally justified to say that.

But it is never appropriate to be a racist.


People who say racist stuff like that are just simply stupid people who lack critical thinking skills and common sense.

It is not a great topic, it is never a great topic to be racist.

If I were to go into work and say, 'I am simply better than the Hispanics I work with because computers are in my blood' I would get fired on the spot without a seconds hesitation.
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So in my experience......."it's in our blood" = "I don't have to do what you have to dance this dance and I don't want you telling me how to dance this dance when I already know how it should be done. You can keep the counting, the cross body leads, and the spins to yourself."

Now sure, I agree it's never appropriate is to be a racist, but do I think a Latino saying that this is "in their blood" is racist? No I do not! Do I think it's necessary to say? Not really! But that being said.......I'm not living in another country watching people "Charlie Brown" dance or ballroom - ify a music/dance I grew up on either. So, like I said, a resentment does build up. And if they've been listening and dancing to the music since they were a child, and all of their parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, neighbors, etc, etc have been been engaging in the music/dance as well for years on end then .......it's in their blood! No foul. Now if they say it's in their blood and obviously it's not, then they can go down the street and take some classes and start counting too lol!

In terms of whether there's value in discussing racial preferences on the dancing floor? It's worth discussing. It's just a slippery slope of which would easily spin out of control if all parties in the discussion can't control their emotions and refrain from personal attacks. And there's enough dance life experience where its possible where some opinions have developed over time on each race/ethnic group. Like I said it would go to Hades and back very quickly.......

Here's an example........

"Korean dancers are some of the best dancers in the world, but they dance with no soul"

You may consider that a racist statement

But you know who told me that?

A very popular Korean dancer.

And I guess the big question is......do I agree or disagree with that statement. And is it racist if I do agree....or not.

The potential discussion could be great but again......it'll nosedive quickly
 
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had good dances majority of time with asian women, i am not picky who i dance with and even some latin women from my dance class, can't remember what we did in class and she said if i was a perfectionist ... we learned certain moves a few days ago, how couod they forget ?
Europeans can be alright, depends hoe much effort they put in. It is a perference and who you feel comfortable.
You might be spontaneous or watching who is decent, so all your dances are good.
 
Growing up in France, we could do the Twist as good as most Americans. My girlfriend grew up in Hungary can do Lindy better than 99% of Americans.

Dancing is dancing. Not magic. Some of us (wish I had more) have more of a natural talent...others are good at learning.

the cultural difference are general ones. An approach to dancing. My girlfriend is no nonsense when it comes to her ballet dancing. In contrast with Bachata and Salsa we spend most of the time just having fun. In my city Canadian born Asians are the same as any other Canadian at learning to Salsa. Those from China tend to be less smiling in class.
 
TurqoiseHexagon said:
And if they've been listening and dancing to the music since they were a child, and all of their parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, neighbors, etc, etc have been been engaging in the music/dance as well for years on end then .......it's in their blood! No foul.
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Your logic makes no sense, how does any of that make it in their blood? Were they sharing dirty needles with their neighbors and parents and siblings and somehow they now have a blood born virus carrying superior salsa ability?

Listening to salsa music and being in part of a culture that supports that kind of style is the opposite of being in their blood, it is a favorable context, not a genetic or racial superiority.

Context, not content.

Nothing you mentioned has anything to do with it being in their blood.
 
MacMoto said:
I thought it would be nice to have a thread where people can just muse about the salsa nights they went. A bit like the "buzzing" thread but you can post whatever regardless of how the night was :roll:
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Hi People,

Just a quick reminder (above) of the purpose of this thread. Once again, while the points being made recently are very valid, and we appreciate the passion underpinning the beliefs expressed, the main points have been made, the discussion is going around in circles and there doesn't appear to be much prospect of any agreement or backing down.

Hoping everyone can go out dancing this weekend, have a great time, and post some positive accounts of your nights.

Thank you :)
 
I have some things to work on from dancing salsa yesterday, especially timing and tchnique and my grip is sometimes strong and is said that i know the moves, but the little things are making my dancing not seem smooth or comfortable.
I am finally planning to devote some time to improve starting tomorrow, and then will have another class start in 3 weeks, so that will be 2 months work, along with practicing it weekly.
 
A lot of fun at our local rock club on Saturday.

My girlfriend and I did some free dancing but also used salsa moves to partner dance to a rock beat. Especially fun is Casino Rueda moves...the basic Guapea, Sententa, etc danced to AC/DC...the Cult...Billy Idol...bouncy up and down. There was another couple that recognized them and joined in. Insane fun. A bizarre mixture of Swing, Free dance, Rueda.

I find that we rarely do straight Swing or Lindy anymore...one of us will call out some Rueda move and we add it to the Lindy... Add a touch of Bachata then another. By the end of a song we have invented our own dance. Lindy/ Salsa/Bachata stew....or perhaps a 'goulash' since my girlfriend is Hungarian.
 
I went to the Atlanta Bachata Festival this past weekend. I know it focused on Bachata but it was still 35% salsa content there. :)

Anyway, Friday night I had bad social anxiety. I only danced with 2 people I had danced with before at some congress previously.

Saturday night was good for me. I danced 12 dances. It may seem a small amout but for me it may have been a record at a non-local club or congress. Everyone seemed happy enough to dance with me; and one lady told me that my lead was very good because it was clear and unambiguous and firm without ever being over forceful or controlling. Or words to that effect; it was a pleasant surprise, and compliments always make me feel weird. :) So I recall the meaning more than the exact phrasing. :)

Sunday night I only danced 2 or 3 dances, and while part of it was anxiety, 90% of it was fatigue; I walked all over town with a friend so we were both beat.


All in all a good dance weekend!
 
Many very sweet leads out last night. No one was a spectacular dancer, with my partners either beginners/inters, wild speedy things, pretzel pattern monkeys (if there's no such thing I just invented it) or Colombians having fun enjoying the music. However, all were lovely, all had a great smile; most did the "I'm going to dip you at the end to show my appreciation of a fun dance with you" gesture. So a lot of fun. The band had some good new songs, including a great version of 'Cali Cali'.

The final set was full on. They started with 'Juego la Pelota', and each song after that was of equal or greater speed and intensity. The leads were going nuts, particularly the Colombians, and I just went with the flow. It was pretty crazy - certainly not particularly pretty salsa, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. It was a relief when leads stopped for T-stances, which allowed me to take control, stem the speed somewhat and try to focus on musicality.

To the cute Colombian with whom I had a playful argument along the lines of:

Him: You're a professional! Do you want to dance? (yeah, yeah, you're a professional charmer :) )
Me: This is cumbia. Can you lead cumbia?
Him: No, this is salsa.
Me: It's cumbia.
Him: It is not. It's salsa.
Me: It's cumbia.
Him: Salsa, salsa, salsa!
Me: Cumbia! (give up and collapse into giggles).
(It was undoubtedly cumbia. How could a Colombian not know? ;) )

and who threatened to walk off when I mentioned I preferred Cali and Cartagena to his hometown of Bogota, you are a grade A sweetie. I liked the way when you tried to buy me a drink and I told you I don't drink at all when I'm driving, you didn't push the issue but responded with admiration, and understood when I explained that it's usually difficult to go out on Sundays due to my job. You are lovely. (It's always a laugh getting avid attention from guys 10-15 years younger :) ).

To the guy quietly and stylishly standing by the dance floor, missing most dances and watching all of the follows, thank you for choosing me for your eventual dance. You is lovely too. Only you shouldn't have assumed from watching me that I was equally proficient on2 and just launched into it. Thank you for your lovely smile, your thank you afterwards and patience with my terrible timing. Not many follows were lucky enough to snag you last night.

It wasn't one of those constant superb salsa dances buzz kind of night; it was an I needed a fun night out, met some lovely people and stayed out too late night. And the band was great, too :).
 
azana said:
To the cute Colombian with whom I had a playful argument along the lines of:

Him: You're a professional! Do you want to dance? (yeah, yeah, you're a professional charmer :) )
Me: This is cumbia. Can you lead cumbia?
Him: No, this is salsa.
Me: It's cumbia.
Him: It is not. It's salsa.
Me: It's cumbia.
Him: Salsa, salsa, salsa!
Me: Cumbia! (give up and collapse into giggles).
(It was undoubtedly cumbia. How could a Colombian not know? ;) )
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You should have said, "Trust me, I'm a professional!" :rofl:
 
2 days left for Cuba trip for 10 days. For the last few weeks, I been double check many times to make sure I don't miss anything that need to bring to Cuba and also making sure I bring enough cash. I booked 10 hours of salsa class in Havana for 4 days and will check out the band that Sabrosura recommended. So thrilled for this trip!
 
Yesterday evening was warm so we had our first outdoor Rueda . I forgot how much more fun it is to dance outdoors. Some kids from the playground joined in and that added even further to the spirit. It felt like being in Cuba when someone's baseball came rolling into our group.

Only issue is I have a hard time hearing the calls with the background noise but...meh...doesn't matter that much once the momentum picks up.
 
I just adore dancing outdoors. We have some great facilities in Seattle but nothing rivals Mother Nature during the day under the Sun or in the evening with lights. All of those patio lanterns bring back summer memories.
 
Icandanceforever said:
I just adore dancing outdoors. We have some great facilities in Seattle but nothing rivals Mother Nature during the day under the Sun or in the evening with lights. All of those patio lanterns bring back summer memories.
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I agree..so awesome on a summer night with little lights! So romantic!
 
I hosted a meetup on Saturday at Toronto Salsa Practice (posted anout it on another thread) with 2 other members tagging along.
It wasn't too crowded, but a good enough turnout, to practice salsa which i am taking lessons with a studio (2 of their levels).
I dance with one of my members (hispanic) and she also enjoys bachata just as much as me, even though her salsa isn't as good, she did a good enough job to follow, and there definitely was some dance chemistry.
We even went to a separate room to practice some moves that needs timing and specific hand motions, and tried those new moves during the social.
I also taught her cha cha and rumba, she appreciated it.
At the end when when we were going to end, i was curious if she would be interested in practicing, since we both lived in the same city, not toronto, and litterly like 5-10 minutes away.
We arranged to meet thursday, will see how it goes, but it is certainly a start, but still uncertain.
Had my first Level 3 class this Sunday, i did okay for missing the first class because of the boat i attended, but progress is good after using those moves at a social later
 
So two months ago, a Romanian lead popped into the scene, and I was pretty blown away by his technique and the signature NYon2 style, which stood out very much against the local. Now two months on, he doesn't dance anything but on1, and his dancing looks almost local. :p
 
owldancer said:
So two months ago, a Romanian lead popped into the scene, and I was pretty blown away by his technique and the signature NYon2 style, which stood out very much against the local. Now two months on, he doesn't dance anything but on1, and his dancing looks almost local. :p
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Oh dear I feel for the poor lead. He needs to move to Seattle. With those qualities, he'll be a superstar!!!
 
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