So reporting on my Seattle experience. Having gone to both Mambo Pica Pica and Century I must say that both places are good to go to during the holidays as both had a good ratio of leads and follows 27th and 28th. (So visit Seattle for salsa during the holidays.)
Sagitta’s observation is valid for all times, not only during the holidays. Hmmm… it looks like what I think is a myth is taking hold on this thread (and others) - the lead/follow imbalance in Seattle. Maybe it’s time to try to dispel it, speaking from a follow’s perspective. As I see it, it is hardly the case that there is an abundance of leads to choose from. I believe that overall the ratio is relatively balanced, and it may vary depending on the venue. Yes, maybe when you enter certain venues (well, one in particular) it may first appear that there are more guys than girls. In fact, quite a few of these guys are there just to hang out, having a drink, socializing, people-watching, and they’re not really dancing. I see these guys all the time. So for most follows they are not really potential dance partners. I also see that at any given time there are available follows who are tapping their feet hoping for a dance and no one is asking them. Sometimes this is true even for good follows, yes! And that is because of another aspect where I believe a real imbalance exists in Seattle: there are far fewer skilled leads than skilled follows. You’ll definitely notice that the few good leads are busy dancing all the time and constantly being asked by follows. So if you ask a follow’s opinion, I don't think you'll hear that there's an abundance of guys to dance with, especially good ones.
(Side note about Vancouver: Yes, follows from Vancouver do come here to dance, mostly when we have special events. It’s not necessarily because we have lots of extra leads, but for them it’s still better because indeed Vancouver has more follows, and the good leads are even fewer than in Seattle. I’ve also seen plenty of the Vancouver follows coming here and standing around, not being asked. They also come because they developed friendships with Seattleites, more recently to heavily promote an upcoming new festival, and generally to enjoy our scene, which is far better than Vancouver by any measure. For that reason, not many Seattle guys go to Vancouver, that’s another myth.)
Ultimately I think all this ratio thing is not that relevant. Like in any scene, regardless of numbers, most dancers who’ve been around for a while tend to dance with the same partners - people with whom they are friends, with whom they enjoy dancing, or at least they feel comfortable. It’s nice to dance with new people, especially good ones, but that doesn’t happen all that much in our own scenes, only at congresses, or when we travel.
I just thought I’d add my observations on this topic so that guys visiting Seattle won’t be dissuaded by the non-existent lead heavy scene. Like with everything else, it's a matter of perspective.
