Transitioning from On2 to On1. Is it hard?

D

DancingGuy

Changui
I’m a guy in my mid 20s and last June, I started taking Salsa On2 lessons. I started with beginner lessons. I wanted to learn On1 because I heard it’s the more traditional style of Salsa, but my dance studio had more classes offered for On2. I live in NYC, so I figured On2 is more popular here. I figured I’d dance like the Romans since I’m in Rome. Anyway, I was surprised how fast I was learning the dance. It’s now August and I just started taking On2 Intermediate Level 2 classes since the teacher recommended I start advancing since I was picking up very quickly. I really advanced pretty fast with On2 because I focused hard in class, practiced a lot, went for private lessons, and took 2-3 group classes a week. Anyways, I started going to socials at my dance studio and I was surprised to see how many people only danced On1. Some couldn’t dance at all, but that’s a whole other issue. But basically, here in Rome, not everybody are Romans. So, I could only dance with a couple of people because only a couple knew On2. So, I really would like to start learning On1 soon. That way, I can be flexible and dance with anyone. I already know the basics of On1 because a friend of mine taught me briefly before I started learning On2. I personally like On2 better and if it were really up to me, I would not go back to On1. But I’d like to be able to dance with anyone at a social. I like being flexible.

I’ve heard that On1 dancers find it challenging transitioning from On1 to On2. What about the other way around? I would like to transition from On2 to On1. But how hard will that be?
 
DancingGuy said:
Yes, at my dance studio. Maybe if I go to NYC clubs or try other dance studios, it might be different.
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If you don't mind, I'd like to know which studio you go to? Because NYC is the center of On2 dancing.
I have only come across a few people who dance On1, and they are either "natural dancers" or out of towners
 
you're at the wrong socials...all the socials that dance on1, are crap in NYC. Start going out to decent places and you'll see the difference. Cache on Thursdays, Jimmy Anton's social, and La Vieja Guardia will be an eye opening experience for you.

A word of advice about the NYC salsa scene (mostly generalizations). I'm going to assume you're at stepping out Studios or Sandra Cameron or another one of the multi-dance schools. I have found that they are not about advancing the students as much as they are about milking them for dollars. If you want anything serious then you want something that is exclusively salsa on2. They have a few teachers from time to time that are worth it, but they are usually stomped on for not fitting the mold of the organization. Teachers who are ambitious are not going to go to a school where the organizational structure isn't about advancing dance, but milking the cow. I will say that there are some schools, like Piel Canela and Yamulee, who have spread into other dances, and I think that's great, but they at least at their core focus on creating better dancers as the source of their performers and performances pushing their publicity to bring in new students. At least with Peri Dance, Baso has some autonomy, and seems maybe Dance Sport provides something quasi-autonomous for the teachers, but those I think are the only two exceptions I can think of.

I'd like to point out that you're more in Long Island/Queens than you are in NYC. It's a different animal out there and I'm not knowledgeable enough of the scene there to comment. I do know that there are plenty of on2 socials of Queens, I just never go out there, since I live in Manhattan. Sorry for the above treatise.
 
Yes, On2 is popular in NYC. That is why my studio offers like 10 classes a week on it and only 1 class on On1 (with a horrible teacher, I might add). But I'd like to be flexible so when I ask a woman to dance and she only knows On1, I will be able to lead her. That is why I'd like to know how hard the transition is. I figured it can't hurt to know both.
 
DancingGuy said:
Yes, On2 is popular in NYC. That is why my studio offers like 10 classes a week on it and only 1 class on On1 (with a horrible teacher, I might add). But I'd like to be flexible so when I ask a woman to dance and she only knows On1, I will be able to lead her. That is why I'd like to know how hard the transition is. I figured it can't hurt to know both.
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Again, this is VERY rare to happen in NYC if you go to the right socials. But Kudos for you for wanting to learn. From watching those around me who can dance both (including myself) it will only get you ever so confused if you try to do it before you become a REALLY good On2 dancers. And as opm16 said, the diverse studios mostly care about getting your money rather than advancing you into a great dancer.

We might be mistaken and building our assumptions on previous experiences, and you might be the most talented dancer in the whole wide world; it still is not the greatest idea to transition now.
 
Oh, I see. I'll give it more time before I transition then. Considering I've only went for On2 lessons for a few months, I've advanced pretty quickly, but since I've only danced for a few months, I'm not REALLY good yet. It will take time to apply everything I learned in class into the social dance scene. Because you can learn all these fancy turn patterns and do them correctly in class, but it's much harder to do them spontaneously with a complete stranger at a social dance. So, yeah, maybe you're right. I'll concentrate on On2 for now and wait a while before transitioning to On1.

I see your point though. I went to one studio back in May before this current one and oh boy, they tried milking me real good. They taught Merengue, Rumba, Cha Cha, Salsa On1 and Bachata all simultaneously in one class. Boy, did it make me confused and make me learn slower. They also tried to sales pitch me a lot. That's why I like my current dance studio I'm at now. They don't sales pitch, they only focus on On2 exclusively (because that's what I wanted), and the teachers are really helping me advance. I really like this one instructor I take on the weekends. He really pushes us and makes the most out of the hour. He doesn't goof off like some other instructors I take.
 
As I noted on my first post, I do know a little On1, but very little. If I were to dance On1 with a girl, I can only do the basics with her along with crossbody lead and a basic right turn. That's all. And I haven't done On1 much since I was last taught it back in May, so I could end up accidentally dancing back On2 in the middle of the dance since I'm so used to that style now.
 
DancingGuy said:
As I noted on my first post, I do know a little On1, but very little. If I were to dance On1 with a girl, I can only do the basics with her along with crossbody lead and a basic right turn. That's all. And I haven't done On1 much since I was last taught it back in May, so I could end up accidentally dancing back On2 since I'm so used to that style now.
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Do not worry about it now. Just focus on improving your On2 skills. If you are a good leader, you can lead an On1 follower On2.
 
lolita said:
Do not worry about it now. Just focus on improving your On2 skills. If you are a good leader, you can lead an On1 follower On2.
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I'm not sure about that. When I used to be in beginner classes, I notice that a lot of girls have a hard time learning the basics of On2. A lot just never learned and eventually gave up. For some reason, people have an easier time learning the basics of On1 than they do learning On2. Not sure why. They're both pretty straightforward to me. But that's just the way it is based on what I've seen.
 
DancingGuy said:
I'm not sure about that. When I used to be in beginner classes, I notice that a lot of girls have a hard time learning the basics of On2. A lot just never learned and eventually gave up. For some reason, people have an easier time learning the basics of On1 than they do learning On2. Not sure why. They're both pretty straightforward to me. But that's just the way it is based on what I've seen.
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Here is what I know (guys please weight in)
On2 feels counter intuitive to On1 dancers, and they *might" think it is really hard for them to break On2

Plus, in beginner class-you are not a good leader, no matter how hard you try to convince me of that.
 
I agree with lolita and opm1s6. Spend the next 6 months hitting the on2 social dance scene. After you feel comfortable with that would be a better time to start trying to transition to On1.

I think trying to learn both at the same time is confusing and hinders the transition of your dancing skills from your head to your body, IYSWIM.

(And yeah, get off the Island. :))
 
If I were to go to another place to attend a social dance, I'm hoping that not only do the girls know On2, but are there to ACTUALLY dance. At this dance studio I go to (which I linked on my earlier post), many girls turn down dances because they said they don't know how to dance. They just attend the social to hang out and chat with their friends. It doesn't make sense and it's unfair to us guys who have to approach the girls and ask to dance. To get turned down is not the happiest thing in the world to experience (regardless if it's a personal reason or not). So, I hope I can find a new place where they have socials where people come to dance. Because after all, that's what socials are for....to dance.
 
noobster said:
(And yeah, get off the Island. :))
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I'm actually scared to go to dance studios in Manhattan for two reasons:

1- They charge A LOT more.
2- A couple of my friends tried a few at Manhattan and their experiences weren't very good. They claimed that the studios they went to were money hungry. They were pushy because they wanted to milk them for every penny they got.
 
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