So guys don't want to look good om the dance floor?
Salsa open diary
- Thread starter MacMoto
- Start date
It's true that the majority of a studio's income come from beginner classes and performance teams. These are reliable income streams. Very few people make it to advanced so I understand that these classes are empty.
Also, styling classes are most feasible online as they don't require a partner. As I said, I don't mind taking online styling classes and there are many opportunities to get one-to-one privates.
GentleDancer
Son
It means investing a lot of time - for most people too much.
Most crucial: in men-style classes you don't meet girls, which is the main reason for most to go to Salsa classes.
There seems to be an unwritten rule that if you're a guy, all you need to do is show up.
For women, from the beginning, they are told to look nice on the dance floor.
I am of the opposite view. I believe the man should be peacocking. But maybe that's because I find the idea of dancing only to have someone to hold not enough to keep me interested (I'm looking at you BS and everyone like you!!!) I strive to be more than just a dancing broomstick.
My impression is that slick body movement is attractive for the opposite gender.
I would say I have pretty good body movement (for Latin dancing). I rarely post dance videos on the internet, but once when I posted an Instagram story of me dancing, around 60 girls wrote to me lol.
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Did these girls just find you or are they part of your network? I don't know how instagram works and I've never used a hashtag in my life, but I'm thinking about setting up an account.
Sabrosura
Son Montuno
I have a private profile. They are acquaintances but I never talk to most of them.
GentleDancer
Son
One more thing: women in general are more preoccupied how they look, on the dance-floor as well as outside.
We men mostly suppose we are irresistible anyway
It often needs a video to show us we are not.
HA! You are lucky if some places check. As long as you are coming in with a mask and in the common areas with the mask, no one asks if you are vaccinated. Only at the (indoor) socials have I seen them actually check for proof of vaccination (so I will go back to those).
Or they have been shown a video of their performance and made the decision that they must be awesome because they managed to spin a girl a bajillion times without making her fall.
Though to be fair, performance videos often have ego inflating effects on both followers and leaders.
This where the sexism is seen. Even for men, you are "weak," "a girl" if you show any "flava" and aren't of the "Romance" cultures (Hispanic/Italian). And the opposite for women of not showing "enough." This is conditioned from childhood (however those stereotypes are magnetically slow breaking). For men, "less is more" and in a way (as a reserved person; haha how can I be with Salsa), I agree since it means I can just relax and let my body do what it wants to do. I feel men are taught to exude sexuality/confidence/panache without needing to scream it whereas women are taught to be very showy
and detracts from feeling good overall.Depends. There are ways to look masculine or feminine while moving.
With Salsa, it's not easy since most guys didn't have any role models if they didn't grow up with it.
Then the fear becomes moving too much like a 'girl' or like a Ballroom dancer, so indeed less is more.
But then if you show them a video of a Cuban doing some grounded awesomeness, then they're like "oh yeah, that looks pretty dope, but how the heck am I supposed to learn how to move like that?" and so they learn 100 more turn patterns instead.
But also I think it is less about showing but body movement just enhances the pleasure of dancing. I think people who don't try to learn body movement are missing out.This where the sexism is seen. Even for men, you are "weak," "a girl" if you show any "flava" and aren't of the "Romance" cultures (Hispanic/Italian). And the opposite for women of not showing "enough." This is conditioned from childhood (however those stereotypes are magnetically slow breaking). For men, "less is more" and in a way (as a reserved person; haha how can I be with Salsa), I agree since it means I can just relax and let my body do what it wants to do. I feel men are taught to exude sexuality/confidence/panache without needing to scream it whereas women are taught to be very showy
Sometimes after working all day my lower back gets stiff and if I go to dance, I don't really enjoy it very much until a few dances later when my body has loosened up.
Are you talking about Toronto in specific or in general?
What I know is that in major schools in NYC, LA, SF, it is a norm to teach body movement. I see people who improve after a year or two. Then there is other set of people who seek out Afro-Cuban body movement class (which is often not taught by salsa instructors) because that addresses what they can't learn from salsa classes.
Over the years we had number of big names instructors who are hosted to teach weekend of workshops. Without fail, from what I understand everyone of them for 70% or more of the workshops devoted to shines and body movement. ET Sr, ET Jr, FM, FD, Adolfo, Juan Matos, the list goes on. The same when it is a female instructor. Whenever I have talked to people who took the workshop, the partner work part (if it was included) is generally smaller percentage of total time.
I am reading the this part of thread with interest and fascination.
If we talk about studio trained dancers then I know that the guys in the west coast cities and NYC will definitely take body movement classes. They are never called styling classes (that's a follower thing).
When I say studio trained I mean hardcore. I always distinguish my scene between hardcore (will go to festivals, take shines class, are totally invested), regulars (won't take classes but long time dancers and probably trained till intermediate level, hobby for them but only as something to do in free time, dedicated to keep improving), and casual, because each of these will only go to a certain type of events/social and not go to others. For example regular dancers won't attend on2 socials and don't like salsa dura too much. Casual dancers go to places where there food, drinks, and dinner, dancing is not the only reason they are out but they have been dancing for long time.
Some casual dancers also have good body movement but they won't be able to do any shines. Regulars can do limited shines, are more into partnerwork and may or may not have good body movement. The hardcore ones will usually have a good body movement. But there are also those who have been taking body movement classes for years, visit NYC for training and still have a body movement that looks ungrounded and funny.
Bostontraitor
Son
You guys take booty movement class?
Sabrosura
Son Montuno
Gonna leave this thread here Seems we are already repeating topics a year later 
@Chris_Yannick You of all people should have remembered since you started this one
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Seems we are already repeating topics a year later @Chris_Yannick You of all people should have remembered since you started this one
Men's styling disparity
I thought of this today as I opened my email, got an invitation for a styling intensive course with 6 well-known NYC instructors, then when I clicked on the link, it sent me to a webpage and it was obvious it was a "Ladies styling intensive course" with 6 instructors, all female. This was not a...
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Now that you name it this way, I realized the first place I started, the latin motion I guess would be considered "booty movement." Not in the league of belly dancing hip gyration so it never seemed that strange.