Man, I have been SOOOO looking forward to sharing this with you all!
The only thing really I was looking forward to about going home ha ha.
Summary:
--------------------
Firstly, I HAD THE GREATEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was so wonderful mainly due to some incredible friends and new friends. The Perth crew, the Singapore crew, the India crew, the Malaysian crew, the Dubai crew, the Melbourne crew and some of the Sydney crew THANK YOU!!! You guys MADE my weekend! And I love you all for who you are. Such great positive personalities!
I had the best room ever with Gautam (India) and the oh so lovely Wendy and Carol (Singapore). Note: Gautam is also oh so lovely but in a manly way ha ha
Just returned and Man do I MISS my friends! I miss them SOOO much that it hurts.
I had such a great time at MSF. So wonderful to see the variety of dancing and for everyone to come together over a shared passion! The whole congress social dancing concept was epitomised to me by Susana Montero at the Friday night party.
One: Susana was still out there social dancing early into the morning. Two: I watched with horror as this guy who was either very drunk or very new to walking let alone dancing tried to dance with Susana (no disrespect to guy, sure he is nice but he was struggling ok
). First, Susana helped him try to get the basic step but he struggled then out of no where BAM, the arm crank from hell as he tried to emulate Jamie spinning Liz but lead it a million times faster and so hard and wide that I feared for Susana's dance career ha ha.
And do you know what Susana did. She gave her million dollar smile and did a spin. Even though it was honestly the worst lead I have EVER seen and Susana had to be Dhalsim from Street fighter 2 to make it work by contorting her body and changing her weight. By doing so, Susana made the guy FEEL and LOOK a million dollars just like her. NOW THAT is following and what being a role model is all about!
*sidenote: Saw the guy dancing the next night and he was MUCH improved. Imagine if he had quit the first night after a cold staredown from the follow.
Sidenote 2: BY NO WAY do I suggest or endorse either the following or leading above. Susana is a trained professional. Girls do not try the above yourselves at home ha ha. I honestly suggest people POLITELY tell each other when they FEAR for their bodies and draw a line. Ultimately, it is up to YOU to take care of yourself once it is obvious the other person is either reckless or apathetic to your safety. This to me is a MAJOR part of leading and following – taking as much of yourself as your partner (your partner probably does not realise the danger and would NEVER do such a thing or stop immediately if they did. Just up to you to politely communicate that verbally or non verbally (aborting a move).
Salsa forums Members
----------------------------------
Of course a MAJOR shoutout to the salsaforums members who I was lucky enough to meet:
CrystalC: Hey hey, thanks for saying hi in the workshops but where is my dance ha ha. I came looking for you at the parties but could not find you. Too popular I bet he he.
AndrewS: GREAT to see you strutting your stuff in the workshops and out on the floor. See you again soon! (BRILLIANT effort in coming over as you had the longest trip ) Tempted to ask you to dance so I could add to the ‘whom I have danced with on SF list’ but you were dancing way too sexily for me he he
Spencer: What can I say more than that in a manly way I LOVE YOU MATE. What a legend and so much energy ha ha. I DEFINITELY have to hang out with you and Gautam soon. We would have a blast!
Bailando and Sac: Gah, I missed you. But definitely next time
The Workshops
----------------------------------
Attended one of the workshops at every timeslot!
Great. All good and absolutely essential. I find that yes the topics covered are things your local instructors cover (for me about a million times ha ha) BUT that is WONDERFUL! To me it is a win win situation:
Say you go to the workshop and your instructor has covered it. BRILLIANT. It reinforces both the technique and the fact that your instructor is on the right track. Also, sometimes the instructor may say the same thing in a slightly different way which may be your breakthrough. Furthermore, you are practicing something in a different environment so can see how you and others react to how the teacher delivered the material (i.e is that teaching style/principle universal in how it is received). = WIN
Say you go to the workshop and it is new material then BINGO, you win. You either get something new to apply OR out of your comfort zone and the opportunity to learn something new and test yourself. Then it is up to you to add to your repertoire or not. You now have an OPTION to add or not = WIN
Thus ALREADY attending the workshops has produced a win-win scenario. Additionally, even if you already know the material/are an established instructor you can have the benefit of observing both how others TEACH and how others LEARN.
The Performances
----------------------------------
Brilliant! So proud of everyone. Goodness gracious everyone did so well. Multiple standing ovations and well deserved!
Major shout out to the Zouk performance from Premala and Alisson of Perth (what, me biased ha ha). Seriously, objectively I thought they were awesome. Other notables were the Sydney crew, the couple from India (FANTASTIC), the Dubai couple and a whole bunch who I do not know the names.
The performance by Oliver and Luda gets it own paragraph. Mind blowing perfection. Seriously they are on another planet for their performances!
The Social Dancing
----------------------------------
Stayed to the end every night despite being absolutely exhausted
My favourite part (but all the congress was good). LOVED watching others dance. Seriously, this was the breakthrough I needed. I was at a plateau in my dancing by not being pushed enough by myself or my scene of late and then seeing all these amazing styles out there REALLY inspired me. Gautam from India really inspired me with his Shines and style, definitely recommend taking lessons with him if ever in India (plus a great guy). Also, dancing with the two left feet girls from Singapore reinforced why I love dancing with them so much. They really focus on the music, connection and caring for each other as a group. I learnt so much from them any my lessons so once again DEFINITELY recommend you look them up when travelling to Singapore.
The free time
----------------------------------
Whether lazing by the pool, watching the crazy antics going on (eg informal shot put of people into the pool competition and milk throwing contest…) or getting a massage it was GREAT! Mainly though I always believe its not what you do but WHO you do it with. Some INCREDIBLE people at the congress. So nice and friendly!
Sidenote: attended all the workshop timeslots and danced until the end each night so free time was a little pushed but I made the most of it
The staff at the Event
----------------------------------
Great thanks to Linline for organising and there was always a mighty staff member or members clad in red shirts milling around ready to help. They ALWAYS smiled with me as I walked past and this honestly was so welcoming and warming. They did great!!!
How the Event Could Perhaps be improved
----------------------------------
- Workshop venues bigger and fit for purpose: Could be bigger (rooms were small) and appropriate for purpose (eg. They had a spinning workshop on carpet……gah). The instructors did their best to overcome these issues
- Dance stage fit for performance: apparently very slippery
- Main dancefloor fit for dancing: Heard reports that way too grippy from everyone. I found it not the best either but mainly because there was some SERIOUS slants on a couple of parts of the floor. Poor girls having to spin uphill The floor was big enough though and we completely filled it
Minor things:
- Food could be better? (others complained but I was there for the dancing and the food was not 5 star but then again it was edible and very challenging to satisfy everyone’s tastes
- Accommodation, state of rooms could be better? The state of some of the rooms was a little disappointing so others said. I was very happy in mine, felt safe and it had everything I needed (especially the people though). Once again, I feel this was mitigated as the resort and event was superb so why would you be in your room anyway he he
To put this into perspective, I had such a great time and would not miss the MSF for the world even if those things were not changed as the people there were so good and lovely.
Overall
--------------------
All I can say is that I will see you all there next year
*will post complete breakdown ASAP and have the COOLEST pictures
The only thing really I was looking forward to about going home ha ha.
Summary:
--------------------
Firstly, I HAD THE GREATEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was so wonderful mainly due to some incredible friends and new friends. The Perth crew, the Singapore crew, the India crew, the Malaysian crew, the Dubai crew, the Melbourne crew and some of the Sydney crew THANK YOU!!! You guys MADE my weekend! And I love you all for who you are. Such great positive personalities!
I had the best room ever with Gautam (India) and the oh so lovely Wendy and Carol (Singapore). Note: Gautam is also oh so lovely but in a manly way ha ha
Just returned and Man do I MISS my friends! I miss them SOOO much that it hurts.
I had such a great time at MSF. So wonderful to see the variety of dancing and for everyone to come together over a shared passion! The whole congress social dancing concept was epitomised to me by Susana Montero at the Friday night party.
One: Susana was still out there social dancing early into the morning. Two: I watched with horror as this guy who was either very drunk or very new to walking let alone dancing tried to dance with Susana (no disrespect to guy, sure he is nice but he was struggling ok
). First, Susana helped him try to get the basic step but he struggled then out of no where BAM, the arm crank from hell as he tried to emulate Jamie spinning Liz but lead it a million times faster and so hard and wide that I feared for Susana's dance career ha ha. And do you know what Susana did. She gave her million dollar smile and did a spin. Even though it was honestly the worst lead I have EVER seen and Susana had to be Dhalsim from Street fighter 2 to make it work by contorting her body and changing her weight. By doing so, Susana made the guy FEEL and LOOK a million dollars just like her. NOW THAT is following and what being a role model is all about!
*sidenote: Saw the guy dancing the next night and he was MUCH improved. Imagine if he had quit the first night after a cold staredown from the follow.
Sidenote 2: BY NO WAY do I suggest or endorse either the following or leading above. Susana is a trained professional. Girls do not try the above yourselves at home ha ha. I honestly suggest people POLITELY tell each other when they FEAR for their bodies and draw a line. Ultimately, it is up to YOU to take care of yourself once it is obvious the other person is either reckless or apathetic to your safety. This to me is a MAJOR part of leading and following – taking as much of yourself as your partner (your partner probably does not realise the danger and would NEVER do such a thing or stop immediately if they did. Just up to you to politely communicate that verbally or non verbally (aborting a move).
Salsa forums Members
----------------------------------
Of course a MAJOR shoutout to the salsaforums members who I was lucky enough to meet:
CrystalC: Hey hey, thanks for saying hi in the workshops but where is my dance ha ha. I came looking for you at the parties but could not find you. Too popular I bet he he.
AndrewS: GREAT to see you strutting your stuff in the workshops and out on the floor. See you again soon! (BRILLIANT effort in coming over as you had the longest trip ) Tempted to ask you to dance so I could add to the ‘whom I have danced with on SF list’ but you were dancing way too sexily for me he he
Spencer: What can I say more than that in a manly way I LOVE YOU MATE. What a legend and so much energy ha ha. I DEFINITELY have to hang out with you and Gautam soon. We would have a blast!
Bailando and Sac: Gah, I missed you. But definitely next time
The Workshops
----------------------------------
Attended one of the workshops at every timeslot!
Great. All good and absolutely essential. I find that yes the topics covered are things your local instructors cover (for me about a million times ha ha) BUT that is WONDERFUL! To me it is a win win situation:
Say you go to the workshop and your instructor has covered it. BRILLIANT. It reinforces both the technique and the fact that your instructor is on the right track. Also, sometimes the instructor may say the same thing in a slightly different way which may be your breakthrough. Furthermore, you are practicing something in a different environment so can see how you and others react to how the teacher delivered the material (i.e is that teaching style/principle universal in how it is received). = WIN
Say you go to the workshop and it is new material then BINGO, you win. You either get something new to apply OR out of your comfort zone and the opportunity to learn something new and test yourself. Then it is up to you to add to your repertoire or not. You now have an OPTION to add or not = WIN
Thus ALREADY attending the workshops has produced a win-win scenario. Additionally, even if you already know the material/are an established instructor you can have the benefit of observing both how others TEACH and how others LEARN.
The Performances
----------------------------------
Brilliant! So proud of everyone. Goodness gracious everyone did so well. Multiple standing ovations and well deserved!
Major shout out to the Zouk performance from Premala and Alisson of Perth (what, me biased ha ha). Seriously, objectively I thought they were awesome. Other notables were the Sydney crew, the couple from India (FANTASTIC), the Dubai couple and a whole bunch who I do not know the names.
The performance by Oliver and Luda gets it own paragraph. Mind blowing perfection. Seriously they are on another planet for their performances!
The Social Dancing
----------------------------------
Stayed to the end every night despite being absolutely exhausted
My favourite part (but all the congress was good). LOVED watching others dance. Seriously, this was the breakthrough I needed. I was at a plateau in my dancing by not being pushed enough by myself or my scene of late and then seeing all these amazing styles out there REALLY inspired me. Gautam from India really inspired me with his Shines and style, definitely recommend taking lessons with him if ever in India (plus a great guy). Also, dancing with the two left feet girls from Singapore reinforced why I love dancing with them so much. They really focus on the music, connection and caring for each other as a group. I learnt so much from them any my lessons so once again DEFINITELY recommend you look them up when travelling to Singapore.
The free time
----------------------------------
Whether lazing by the pool, watching the crazy antics going on (eg informal shot put of people into the pool competition and milk throwing contest…) or getting a massage it was GREAT! Mainly though I always believe its not what you do but WHO you do it with. Some INCREDIBLE people at the congress. So nice and friendly!
Sidenote: attended all the workshop timeslots and danced until the end each night so free time was a little pushed but I made the most of it
The staff at the Event
----------------------------------
Great thanks to Linline for organising and there was always a mighty staff member or members clad in red shirts milling around ready to help. They ALWAYS smiled with me as I walked past and this honestly was so welcoming and warming. They did great!!!
How the Event Could Perhaps be improved
----------------------------------
- Workshop venues bigger and fit for purpose: Could be bigger (rooms were small) and appropriate for purpose (eg. They had a spinning workshop on carpet……gah). The instructors did their best to overcome these issues
- Dance stage fit for performance: apparently very slippery
- Main dancefloor fit for dancing: Heard reports that way too grippy from everyone. I found it not the best either but mainly because there was some SERIOUS slants on a couple of parts of the floor. Poor girls having to spin uphill The floor was big enough though and we completely filled it
Minor things:
- Food could be better? (others complained but I was there for the dancing and the food was not 5 star but then again it was edible and very challenging to satisfy everyone’s tastes
- Accommodation, state of rooms could be better? The state of some of the rooms was a little disappointing so others said. I was very happy in mine, felt safe and it had everything I needed (especially the people though). Once again, I feel this was mitigated as the resort and event was superb so why would you be in your room anyway he he
To put this into perspective, I had such a great time and would not miss the MSF for the world even if those things were not changed as the people there were so good and lovely.
Overall
--------------------
All I can say is that I will see you all there next year
*will post complete breakdown ASAP and have the COOLEST pictures
