Stealing moves and patterns?

[Tomás]

I’m a bit new to the salsa world, and I’ve been thinking about how it’s seen upon to steal/copy other people’s patterns and signature moves.

I’ve previously spent time with b-boys, who consider copying other people’s styles, steps, or even looking like another dancer to be totally forbidden.

How does the salsa community view copying other people’s patterns, style, and signature moves?

Is there any difference if you teach them yourself, use them in performances, or use them in a social dancing context? Any examples of this happening?

 

[Chris_Yannick]

No rules. Copy/steal as much as you want.

Just be weary of copying entire choreographies and passing it off as your own else you want to get an angry Eddie Torres visiting you from beyond the grave.

 

[MamboJazz]

Workshops are meant for copying moves, which often are signature moves of the instructors - it's a good sign if they are signature moves because that means they are realistic for social dance. I copied lots of moves from celebs, some from videos.

B-boys do solo dancing, and I remember having read that mambo dancers in the 50s (who also did mostly dance solo shines) also considered copying as forbidden. So maybe it's more a solo dancers ethic. But in partner dance followers prefer your figures to be practice proved instead of somebody inventing own moves and trying them on the dancefloor.

 

[Smejmoon]

Used to be that at workshops some teachers asked not to put their material on YouTube. Usually Americans thought dance moves are their intellectual property. I think by now teachers want as much exposure as possible.
And culture has changed. People don't even ask before filming you and putting that on the webs.

 

[Offbeat]

I’ve previously spent time with b-boys, who consider copying other people’s styles, steps, or even looking like another dancer to be totally forbidden.

Someone must have done head spin the first time. Others copied and improvised.

b-boying has a lot of informal competitive element to it. Like b-boy battles. Therefore coming up with something unique is prized. Copying would make you look weak. Like you don’t have creativity.

Social dancing is different. Salsa we dance has copied almost everything from other dances

When there is a competitive element, being unique is scoring points.

 

[WellHelloThere]

It’s called incorporating moves ( ) not stealing.

It’s the same thing though

 

[MAMBO_CEC]

Steal away! No one owns them, they’ve been passed on from one generation to the other. Some people claim to have invented stuff like the Copa, but there is no record of that. Hell,I even stole some moves from @Offbeat

 

[Offbeat]

Steal away! No one owns them, they’ve been passed on from one generation to the other. Some people claim to have invented stuff like the Copa, but there is no record of that. Hell,I even stole some moves from @Offbeat

Given that I haven’t seen you for about a year or two I must have forgotten and would have steal them back

Sometimes I will steal during the dance watching someone near by do something.

 

[MAMBO_CEC]

Given that I haven’t seen you for about a year or two I must have forgotten and would have steal them back

Sometimes I will steal during the dance watching someone near by do something.

I stole from the Steve Starmambo Paris clip lol!

 

[Tomás]

Thank you for this insight. None of your routines are safe any longer!

 

[EMcKay.ZA]

It’s called incorporating moves ( ) not stealing.

It’s the same thing though

Should be flattering though if people use your moves/sequences across the world. Shows the reach of where people "incorporate" the moves.

 

[Humpa]

Copying is an essential part of any culture. There are several moves I remember who I learned them from. And I frequently notice how the style of dancing at parties in my city changes by the way friends or I dance.

 

[Offbeat]

Should be flattering though if people use your moves/sequences across the world. Shows the reach of where people "incorporate" the moves.

Super Mario became famous as 1000 moves man before social media and when Internet was in its infancy. Jorge from Texas became known as bachata instructor because he was the only one who had Bachata DVDs in mid/late 2000s.

The reach depends on marketing. For something like salsa, find a niche, put it on insta, YouTube, and digital marketing. You don’t have to be legit expert. You could be ordinary dancer, figure out some innovative move of the week. Put it out each week. You can also steal and modify enough to make it original. If you get enough people following, you would be considered legit expert soon.

 

[1derpalm]

Someone must have done head spin the first time. Others copied and improvised.

b-boying has a lot of informal competitive element to it. Like b-boy battles. Therefore coming up with something unique is prized. Copying would make you look weak. Like you don’t have creativity.

Social dancing is different. Salsa we dance has copied almost everything from other dances

When there is a competitive element, being unique is scoring points.

Kid Freeze. Richie Blondet will prob all know that. Though short versions have been around for ever

 

[rheemixed]

No rules. Copy/steal as much as you want.

Just be weary of copying entire choreographies and passing it off as your own else you want to get an angry Eddie Torres visiting you from beyond the grave.

Wait Eddie died?

 

[Offbeat]

Wait Eddie died?

@Chris_Yannick killed him after Eddie copied him!! You didn’t know?

 

[Gaviota]

The killed him on Wikipedia at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Torres

 

[1derpalm]

The killed him on Wikipedia at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Torres

I never PERSONALLY saw them in the same replace at the same time... So....