What is the Eddie Torres technique?

SmallSteps3000 said:
This certainly is interesting.

How does a student learn to develop their own style?
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This a quote I took from Richie Blondet from another forum .
Re:Eddie and developing your own style:
"Emulating others is the natural way of things. You absorb what you see, cop it and either make it your own or become a bootleg version. Eddie Torres started out in this fashion. Absorbing what he saw. Taking the influences that impacted him the most and developing his own technique. He didn't create those steps. But he structured them into a system. "
Richie is just an amazing source for info with regards to salsa/mambo.
 
MAMBO_CEC said:
This a quote I took from Richie Blondet from another forum .
Re:Eddie and developing your own style:
"Emulating others is the natural way of things. You absorb what you see, cop it and either make it your own or become a bootleg version. Eddie Torres started out in this fashion. Absorbing what he saw. Taking the influences that impacted him the most and developing his own technique. He didn't create those steps. But he structured them into a system. "
Richie is just an amazing source for info with regards to salsa/mambo.
Click to expand...

Wonderful post!

NOW...we are getting somewhere!!!!

So emulating who you aspire to look like as a dancer IS key first, and then taking bits and pieces from other inspirations!

Post of the year, Mambo_Cec!
 
MAMBO_CEC said:
Nooooo, IMO, they definitely don't look the same, Adolfo doesn't hide the fact that he wants to be an Eddie clone
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Eddie clone? Really? I don't see it that way. I think it definitely shows that he has been heavily influenced by Eddie and his show team's house style, but I'd say he definitely has a unique style of his own. You could say he kind of took the Mambo Kings dancers house style to the next level.
 
premier said:
Eddie clone? Really? I don't see it that way. I think it definitely shows that he has been heavily influenced by Eddie and his show team's house style, but I'd say he definitely has a unique style of his own. You could say he kind of took the Mambo Kings dancers house style to the next level.
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Compare and contrast...maybe in performances, Eddie doesn't social dance so we can't compare the two.
 
MAMBO_CEC said:
Compare and contrast...maybe in performances, Eddie doesn't social dance so we can't compare the two.
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It is impressive how they both dance so relaxed, leading complex turn-patterns (even if choreographed), while using minimal energy and no force.
 
SmallSteps3000 said:
This is even more interesting!

I don't meet too many people who say Frankie is overrated. Not that it's my first time hearing it. Mostly I hear cubans say this, but why do you think he is?

His movement is pretty good, right?
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The noticeable thing about Martinez style is that it's too effeminate, or as MAMBO_CEC put it; too flowery. Not my cup of tea either.

With regards to Adolfo. If I didn't know who he is already, watching the contrast of the two performance I would've thought it was Eddie 40 years ago.

I was wondering if that performance wasn't part of his tribute he put together for Eddie!
 
SmallSteps3000 said:
What is the Eddie Torres technique that has been responsible for creating wonderful dancers such as Franklin Diaz, Adolfo, Griselle, Shani, and Frankie Martinez?

What is he teaching to make these guys superstars that the rest of us, apparently, aren't learning?

All of his dancers are wonderful dancers with ridiculously good motion.
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Both Shani and Frankie are heavily into Afrocuban movement.

Frankie's movements are based on Rumba and Son mostly, which he has evolved into Afro-latin-funk, or whatever he's calling it these days.

Shani teaches Cuban folkloric movement in her styling classes.


I doubt they learnt that from Eddie. Though someone is welcome to correct me.
 
Well it's the same choreography so similarity shouldn't be a huge surprise :) Adolfo's own choreographies are quite different in style.

 
SmallSteps3000 said:
This certainly is interesting.

How does a student learn to develop their own style?
Click to expand...

Learn the fundamentals of Cuban motion, Son, Cuban Rumba (Guaguanco particularly) and a little afrocuban first so you know how your body works and to move your body in an authentic Salsa/Mambo way. That would include stepping technique as well for the style you're learning. Then you can develop your own style from the building blocks.

Essentially the basic footwork for different styles are mostly the same. It's how you express the music that makes it different.
 
SmallSteps3000 said:
Still though... for anyone with experience with this... how did you learn how to tap into bringing out more and more expression into your dancing?
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Get to LOVE the music.
Get REALLY comfortable with your basic steps and lots of variations of that basic step.
Dance like nobody is watching.

This is not the same as looking good/perfect though. A lot of people confuse styling with expression. Expression is about feeling, about reflecting what's in your heart. You don't need to be perfect to express yourself and other people may or may not like how you express yourself. See the Sabor thread.
 
MAMBO_CEC said:
This a quote I took from Richie Blondet from another forum .
Re:Eddie and developing your own style:
"Emulating others is the natural way of things. You absorb what you see, cop it and either make it your own or become a bootleg version. Eddie Torres started out in this fashion. Absorbing what he saw. Taking the influences that impacted him the most and developing his own technique. He didn't create those steps. But he structured them into a system. "
Richie is just an amazing source for info with regards to salsa/mambo.
Click to expand...

Yeah I watch a LOT of dancing, absorb what I like and try to take it back to the source if possible, which usually is one of the Cuban Afrocuban dances. Then I decide whether I like the new variation more than the original. Or learn both.
 
Myst said:
It is impressive how they both dance so relaxed, leading complex turn-patterns (even if choreographed), while using minimal energy and no force.
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Hi, Myst!

Great seeing you here!

This is a great observation. Adolfo in particular looks as light as a feather! I would not have noticed this if you didn't point it out.
 
TwoCentsTipper said:
The noticeable thing about Martinez style is that it's too effeminate, or as MAMBO_CEC put it; too flowery. Not my cup of tea either.

With regards to Adolfo. If I didn't know who he is already, watching the contrast of the two performance I would've thought it was Eddie 40 years ago.

I was wondering if that performance wasn't part of his tribute he put together for Eddie!
Click to expand...

LOL, it seems like Eddie has the penchant for producing effeminate dancers, There are quite a few posters on SF who think Adolfo is effeminate, now we have posters who think Frankie is effeminate.... I think Franklyn Diaz sometimes, could be a tad flowery!!!. It would be interesting to hear from SF posters just who they think is a MANLY dancer. Someone with the prerequisite cojones!!! Juan Matos? Terry? Tito? Tomas G? Mouaze? Oilver?Troy? Felipe? enquiring minds want to know? For the record I like all three (Frankie,Adolfo and Franklin, but I am partial to NYC On2 dancers). I hope this thread doesn't generate into a popularity contest.
 
azzey said:
Learn the fundamentals of Cuban motion, Son, Cuban Rumba (Guaguanco particularly) and a little afrocuban first so you know how your body works and to move your body in an authentic Salsa/Mambo way. That would include stepping technique as well for the style you're learning. Then you can develop your own style from the building blocks.

Essentially the basic footwork for different styles are mostly the same. It's how you express the music that makes it different.
Click to expand...

About Son... maybe you can explain this to me.
Why does it look like a boring version of Salsa partnerwork with zero body movement in one instance, but yet in another... it actually is a solo dance, wherein Cuban motion flows effortlessly through the body.

What is the deal with Son? Is it solo dancing like guaguanco, or is it partnerwork like salsa or wcs?
 
MAMBO_CEC said:
LOL, it seems like Eddie has the penchant for producing effeminate dancers, There are quite a few posters on SF who think Adolfo is effeminate, now we have posters who think Frankie is effeminate.... I think Franklyn Diaz sometimes, could be a tad flowery!!!. It would be interesting to hear from SF posters just who they think is a MANLY dancer. Someone with the prerequisite cojones!!! Juan Matos? Terry? Tito? Tomas G? Mouaze? Oilver?Troy? Felipe? enquiring minds want to know? For the record I like all three (Frankie,Adolfo and Franklin, but I am partial to NYC On2 dancers). I hope this thread doesn't generate into a popularity contest.
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All those who claim that Eddie Torres is overrated are 100% correct, since the man has been wrongly accused of being a dancer/teacher, he instead is a notorious gardener...
 
SmallSteps3000 said:
About Son... maybe you can explain this to me.
Why does it look like a boring version of Salsa partnerwork with zero body movement in one instance, but yet in another... it actually is a solo dance, wherein Cuban motion flows effortlessly through the body.

What is the deal with Son? Is it solo dancing like guaguanco, or is it partnerwork like salsa or wcs?
Click to expand...

Can you post a video or give more detail about this solo dance? Because Son is a partner dance, I think you have a very different picture of it than me.
 
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