Superstar Rhythm DVD

Smejmoon said:
When I watch Brittish TV I can rarely tell if they're serious or mocking.
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Rest assured.. they are VERY serious, and entrenched .

And by the way, one also sees this in the States ( BR types ) , not often ,and they invariably look out of place.
 
UK Dancer said:
How should I know? What is this BR salsa anyway, and how does it differ from any other sort?

There are lots of styles, aren't there, and seemingly, little agreement as to the competing merits of any of them.

[Afterthought: Perhaps Classical Sequence would be a better project for the New Year. I could even learn the Gainsborough Glide - it always makes me laugh.]
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Just to clarify, by "BR Salsa", Ballroom Salsa is meant - i.e. Salsa as taught by teachers with a general background in Latin Ballroom, often without much of a depth of experience in Salsa itself. (Terence here is a prominent exception to this pattern - given that he's been about long enough to have in-depth experience of all the stuff we're discussing!)

As Salsa dancers, we probably have a tendency to lump other forms of partner dancing together into a "Ballroom" heap, whereas someone like yourself with a wider perspective will distinguish between "Ballroom" and "Latin". But to us, "Latin" teachers should definitely be described as "Latin Ballroom" (because we've seen what dancing is like in Latin America, and it doesn't really look like that :P)

If you're interested in learning Salsa, tell us whereabouts in the UK you live, and I'm sure someone will be able to recommend some reliable teachers local to you.

In terms of styles, the 2 main styles that will be accessible to you in the UK will be Crossbody Salsa (sometimes known as "slot style", in practice it's a mix of LA style and NY style); and Cuban Salsa. Cuban style is less common than crossbody style in the UK, but there is a growing scene. In practice, most people who learn one style will dip into other styles sooner or later.

But on the other hand, if you're just looking for something to "dip into to", you may find other forms of dance to be a "quicker win". In my opinion, Salsa is one of a number of dance forms that you have to immerse yourself in for some time before you can expect to get to a reasonable standard.
 
UK Dancer said:
Around here, the most active salsa teachers are all UKA members, so presumably, although their classes and socials are usually very well attended, I am to believe that I should look elsewhere for instruction if I want proper salsa. But if I stick with the local offering, at least I should stand half a chance of being able to dance with the local dancers, regardless of the authenticity?
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Where's "here"?

The story of the UKA salsa teaching qualification is a peculiar one, which (from what I heard) came about from political and perhaps financial motivations. I understand that some of the original latino (and presumably "authentic") salsa teachers of London such as Elder Sanchez were the driving force behind it. Many salsa teachers in the UK have the UKA qualification for insurance purposes and perhaps also for marketing. It doesn't mean they were necessarily trained through the salsa syllabus offered by ballroom organisations or have a ballroom latin background.

Terms like "authentic" and "proper" are ambiguous and often loaded - what's proper salsa? What's authentic and what's not? Different dancers have different ideas, and the subject comes up on the forum again and again, sometimes triggering heated debates.
 
I would get in contact with Mel C.
She's based in Birmingham - which might be a bit out of your way, but she might at least be able to point you in the direction of some good classes closer to you.
If Birmingham isn't too far out of your way, I'd recommend her teaching - very methodical, she really knows her stuff, and if you want to learn, you'll learn fast.
There's a contact page on the Carpe Diem website (www.cddc-dance.com) that you'll get her on.
Maybe other forum members might have ideas of people closer to you.
 
Latin Motion teach at events all over the West Midlands and beyond, including Birmingham and Coventry (scroll down the front page to see events):
http://www.latinmotion.co.uk/

If Northampton/Milton Keynes is closer, you can't go wrong with Salsa Estrellas:
http://www.salsaestrellas.com/

Don't know how up-to-date this list is but it might give you some leads for names of schools you haven't looked at:
http://www.uk-salsa.co.uk/class-list.asp
 
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