Win a Full Event Pass for the 2009 San Diego Salsa Festival
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Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salsa. Show all posts
Alex da Silva Arrested
The first thing I saw this morning was a news item stating Alex da Silva has been arrested on charges of sexual assault.
Although I have never met him I was shocked. I have come across a fair number of people that have met Alex but I can't recall anybody ever saying a bad word about him. Aside from that, it seems to me there is no shortage of available women in his life so this came as a bit of a surprise.
It makes me wonder though, how will this affect the reputation of salsa dancing?
Assuming that the charges are true, will one bad apple enough to spoil the bunch? Salsa has a reputation for being a sexy dance. Will people say 'the girls were asking for it' or that 'it was to be expected'? Or will people be able to differentiated between the dance and the dancers?
Either way my heart goes out to all families involved. Let's hope this gets resolved quickly and justice will prevail
Although I have never met him I was shocked. I have come across a fair number of people that have met Alex but I can't recall anybody ever saying a bad word about him. Aside from that, it seems to me there is no shortage of available women in his life so this came as a bit of a surprise.
It makes me wonder though, how will this affect the reputation of salsa dancing?
Assuming that the charges are true, will one bad apple enough to spoil the bunch? Salsa has a reputation for being a sexy dance. Will people say 'the girls were asking for it' or that 'it was to be expected'? Or will people be able to differentiated between the dance and the dancers?
Either way my heart goes out to all families involved. Let's hope this gets resolved quickly and justice will prevail
Learn to dance salsa - part 3
This is the third article in a series of 4.
In Learn to dance salsa - part 1 I looked at learning salsa by taking lessons and in "part 2" I discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages of learning to dance salsa by going to clubs.
This time we'll take a quick look at the pros and cons of learning to dance salsa by watching videos
So what exactly are some of the advantages of getting DVDs, watching youtube or subscribing to one of the websites that offers salsa instruction online?
As with the other 2 methods I looked at so far learning to dance salsa by watching videos is not the perfect solution. Once again there are upsides and downsides and once again you'll have to see what is the best solution for you.
Soon I'll publish Learn to dance salsa - part 4. The article that I consider to bring forth the best solutions so check back for that or subscribe to the RSS feed to be sure you won't miss it.
In Learn to dance salsa - part 1 I looked at learning salsa by taking lessons and in "part 2" I discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages of learning to dance salsa by going to clubs.
This time we'll take a quick look at the pros and cons of learning to dance salsa by watching videos
So what exactly are some of the advantages of getting DVDs, watching youtube or subscribing to one of the websites that offers salsa instruction online?
- First of all there is a lot of choice.
Almost all internationally known instructors have their own DVD on the market and there are several websites that offer videos as well. F.i. Salsa Bootcamp, Salsa Dance DVD or, one of my favourite sites, The Secret of Salsa. There are even more sites out there if these don't fit your needs/wants. - Another advantage is that you can learn at your own pace. Whenever you feel like it you log in to your website of choice, start a DVD or watch youtube clips. As you can start and stop whenever you feel like it you don't have to worry about conflicting appointments, missing classes when you go on holiday, etc.
- A third advantage is that there is a low entry threshold. Some people are intimidated by the thought of having to go to a class or a club. Some people may worry (although unnecessarily so) about what other people may think or they may think that everybody else is an amazing dancer.
- It is just you and the video. You will have to find a partner that is willing to come over and practise with you.
- There is no feedback mechanism. If you are doing something incorrect there you will not have somebody around to help you correct your mistake. At best this can lead to unpleasant dancing for your partner once you try new things on the floor but it could even lead to injuries. Both for you and your dance partner.
As with the other 2 methods I looked at so far learning to dance salsa by watching videos is not the perfect solution. Once again there are upsides and downsides and once again you'll have to see what is the best solution for you.
Soon I'll publish Learn to dance salsa - part 4. The article that I consider to bring forth the best solutions so check back for that or subscribe to the RSS feed to be sure you won't miss it.
A Gozar (To Enjoy) : An Introduction to Salsa Dancing
A Gozar is a video about salsa dancing.
It was made by Kate Thomas to explain why she likes to dance salsa so much and what exactly she likes about it.
Even though the video has been published on several sites since it was released I think that it has not yet gotten the exposure it deserves.
As you can probably tell, I think that it is a great video. And even though I have seen it several times now I still love it.
As a nice bonus (for me anyway) the video also shows pieces from an interview with one of my favourite salsa bloggers, Don Baarns (The Unlikely Salsero). Just as he does in his blog, he clearly shows his passion for the dance in the interview as well.
And, in case you think 9 minutes is too long (personally, I think it could have been much longer) there is also a condensed version that clocks in at under 5 minutes.
If you ever tried to explain why you like to dance so much but have failed, try showing this video to those people instead. Who knows, they may even join you next time you go to the club.
It was made by Kate Thomas to explain why she likes to dance salsa so much and what exactly she likes about it.
Even though the video has been published on several sites since it was released I think that it has not yet gotten the exposure it deserves.
As you can probably tell, I think that it is a great video. And even though I have seen it several times now I still love it.
As a nice bonus (for me anyway) the video also shows pieces from an interview with one of my favourite salsa bloggers, Don Baarns (The Unlikely Salsero). Just as he does in his blog, he clearly shows his passion for the dance in the interview as well.
And, in case you think 9 minutes is too long (personally, I think it could have been much longer) there is also a condensed version that clocks in at under 5 minutes.
If you ever tried to explain why you like to dance so much but have failed, try showing this video to those people instead. Who knows, they may even join you next time you go to the club.
correcting your partners mistakes
A thread on Salsa Forums got me thinking about this situation. You're out dancing salsa and your partner makes a mistake. What do you do?
It seems that some people correct their partner's 'mistakes' or will try to explain moves while dancing. Others just give positive feedback and don't mention the mistakes at all. There is also a third group that will not say anything. At least not while they are dancing. They will thank their partner after the dance but will not point out anything positive or negative.
I belong to the second group. Personally I find that positive feedback often works much better than negative feedback. Not saying anything is just beyond me. If a girl surprises me in some way I can't hide the surprise and 'wow' will be said before I realize it. If I try to hide my surprise she'll still see a really big grin on my face so I might as well express it.
Another reason I believe in positive feedback rather than correction is that less experienced dancers (and by that I mean anybody with less experience than you have) are often nervous when they get out on the floor. To me it seems that most of their mistakes come from their nervousness rather than from anything else.
Obviously at that point in time you can choose to correct somebody but that most likely thta will only result in making the person more nervous and self concious. That will lead to more mistakes again and before you know it you're caught in an endless downward spiral.
Using positive feedback instead will make them relax a bit more which in turn improves the quality of the dance a lot and will make it a lot more fun for both partners. And that to me is what social dancing is about. Having a good time.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely use social dancing to improve. I practise what I have learned or try what I have seen (depending on my partner) but not to the point that it goes at the expense of having a good time.
Besides, and I'll admit that I'm relatively inexperienced and my point of view might therefor be different from a lot of experienced dancers but if my partner isn't nervous it is usually because of 1 or 2 things that she makes a mistake.
1) I didn't lead the move properly
2) I lead a move that was above my partners level.
Either way, it will not be her fault that she can't follow the move. It's mine. And if it's my fault then what gives me the right to correct her?
Sure, if I lead a move that is above her level I could explain it to her but I'm not her dance instructor so unless she explicitly asks me to, it's not my task and I should just let her enjoy the rest of the dance.
How do you handle situations like this on the dance floor?
It seems that some people correct their partner's 'mistakes' or will try to explain moves while dancing. Others just give positive feedback and don't mention the mistakes at all. There is also a third group that will not say anything. At least not while they are dancing. They will thank their partner after the dance but will not point out anything positive or negative.
I belong to the second group. Personally I find that positive feedback often works much better than negative feedback. Not saying anything is just beyond me. If a girl surprises me in some way I can't hide the surprise and 'wow' will be said before I realize it. If I try to hide my surprise she'll still see a really big grin on my face so I might as well express it.
Another reason I believe in positive feedback rather than correction is that less experienced dancers (and by that I mean anybody with less experience than you have) are often nervous when they get out on the floor. To me it seems that most of their mistakes come from their nervousness rather than from anything else.
Obviously at that point in time you can choose to correct somebody but that most likely thta will only result in making the person more nervous and self concious. That will lead to more mistakes again and before you know it you're caught in an endless downward spiral.
Using positive feedback instead will make them relax a bit more which in turn improves the quality of the dance a lot and will make it a lot more fun for both partners. And that to me is what social dancing is about. Having a good time.
Don't get me wrong, I definitely use social dancing to improve. I practise what I have learned or try what I have seen (depending on my partner) but not to the point that it goes at the expense of having a good time.
Besides, and I'll admit that I'm relatively inexperienced and my point of view might therefor be different from a lot of experienced dancers but if my partner isn't nervous it is usually because of 1 or 2 things that she makes a mistake.
1) I didn't lead the move properly
2) I lead a move that was above my partners level.
Either way, it will not be her fault that she can't follow the move. It's mine. And if it's my fault then what gives me the right to correct her?
Sure, if I lead a move that is above her level I could explain it to her but I'm not her dance instructor so unless she explicitly asks me to, it's not my task and I should just let her enjoy the rest of the dance.
How do you handle situations like this on the dance floor?
5th Croatian Salsa Festival
As the dates for the 5th Croatian Salsa Festival have been set (25 - 28 June, with 2 pre-festival days) this is as good a time as any to reminisce and share some of my experiences from last year.
The festival is held in Rovinj, a lovely, tranquil village in Croatia. You can stroll around the quiet streets or along the seaside and feel like you've been transported to another place and another time. A more peaceful time. A time without all the stress that we so often feel these days.
If you have never been to Rovinj then this slide show should give you an impression of what the town looks like. If you have been there before then the pictures will most likely bring back some wonderful memories of this lovely town.
As you can see, it's a lovely, quiet town.
A place where time seems to have stopped and life is more simple, more relaxed... calm. The kind of place you would try to find you wanted to get away from the hectic life that most of us live these days. A place of such tranquility that you will forget about everything that may trouble you. A place where you can just relax until time seems to have stopped for you as well.
Rovinj is just that kind of place... most of the time.
But once a year, when it is time for the annual Croatian salsa festival, this sleepy town wakes up and roars.
It shakes of it's sleepiness and instead of the calm, peaceful town something else arises. For a couple of days the town transforms into a place so incredibly vibrant you will find it hard to believe that you are still in the same town .
It transforms from a cozy village, where lazy tourists calmly stroll around the streets and relax on beaches, into a vibrant town where you dance in the streets.
It becomes a place where swimming pools turn into dance floors and sleepy tourists are replaced by energetic, colourful salseros and salseras from all continents.
A town where the market square takes on a new role as it changes into a huge open air dance hall with some of the most amazing shows and musical performances ever witnessed.
A town so full of life that you feel it's newfound heartbeat pulsate, so full of energy that it keeps you going day and night.
A place where you can hear the sound of the clave and can feel the beat of the conga everywhere you go.
A place were both novice and expert salsa dancers fit right in and have an amazing time side by side.
A place that forges friendships that will last a lifetime and creates memories that last forever.
A place that words just can't describe.
But as a picture is worth a thousand words . . . here are some of them:
Unfortunately I can't seem to find any footage from 2008 but here are the highlights from 07:
Highlights Croatian Salsa Festival 2007
Last year I attended the salsa festival in Croatia for the first time but I can already say that it was the first time of many. This year I'll be there from the 22nd (I'm sure I'll need the extra night to get some rest before it all starts) right through the end of the festival. If you are there as well, come over and say hi!
The festival is held in Rovinj, a lovely, tranquil village in Croatia. You can stroll around the quiet streets or along the seaside and feel like you've been transported to another place and another time. A more peaceful time. A time without all the stress that we so often feel these days.
If you have never been to Rovinj then this slide show should give you an impression of what the town looks like. If you have been there before then the pictures will most likely bring back some wonderful memories of this lovely town.
As you can see, it's a lovely, quiet town.
A place where time seems to have stopped and life is more simple, more relaxed... calm. The kind of place you would try to find you wanted to get away from the hectic life that most of us live these days. A place of such tranquility that you will forget about everything that may trouble you. A place where you can just relax until time seems to have stopped for you as well.
Rovinj is just that kind of place... most of the time.
But once a year, when it is time for the annual Croatian salsa festival, this sleepy town wakes up and roars.
It shakes of it's sleepiness and instead of the calm, peaceful town something else arises. For a couple of days the town transforms into a place so incredibly vibrant you will find it hard to believe that you are still in the same town .
It transforms from a cozy village, where lazy tourists calmly stroll around the streets and relax on beaches, into a vibrant town where you dance in the streets.
It becomes a place where swimming pools turn into dance floors and sleepy tourists are replaced by energetic, colourful salseros and salseras from all continents.
A town where the market square takes on a new role as it changes into a huge open air dance hall with some of the most amazing shows and musical performances ever witnessed.
A town so full of life that you feel it's newfound heartbeat pulsate, so full of energy that it keeps you going day and night.
A place where you can hear the sound of the clave and can feel the beat of the conga everywhere you go.
A place were both novice and expert salsa dancers fit right in and have an amazing time side by side.
A place that forges friendships that will last a lifetime and creates memories that last forever.
A place that words just can't describe.
But as a picture is worth a thousand words . . . here are some of them:
Unfortunately I can't seem to find any footage from 2008 but here are the highlights from 07:
Highlights Croatian Salsa Festival 2007
Last year I attended the salsa festival in Croatia for the first time but I can already say that it was the first time of many. This year I'll be there from the 22nd (I'm sure I'll need the extra night to get some rest before it all starts) right through the end of the festival. If you are there as well, come over and say hi!
How to become a good lead
I'm still getting used to my life back in the Netherlands which is one of the reasons my updates are still very infrequent at the moment.
The other reason is that I just don't have a lot of time at the moment.I've started in telecom, am helping out a friend with a flower shop a couple of days a week and aside from that there is a severe shortage of men dancing salsa so I help balance the number of men vs women in class most nights of the week. However, sometimes I manage to find some free time like this morning which allows me to browse the net and write updates.
While I was browsing youtube earlier today I came across a video in which William Carpenter gives some tips on leading and following.
As you can see William states how important it is for the leader to understand what their partner is supposed to do, to know exactly how much time it takes to do it, what's necessary for it to happen and to execute it.
While I watched the clip I realized that a lot of this has applied to me at one point or another. Or rather, just the opposite. Not knowing all of that.
When I began dancing I had no idea what my partner was really supposed to do. I was happy if I knew what I was supposed to do. Ok,I did know that my partner was supposed to turn but when or how... some time during count 5 and 7 was probably the best answer I could give.
Once I had finally figured out when things were supposed to happen my leading improved a bit. I still had no idea though how long it took to do some moves. In fact I would have probably never 'really' found out if I had not gotten bored in class one day.
As most classes are short on men I often get asked to come to a class so there are (closer to) enough men. This means I do a lot of beginner classes as well. One day when the ladies were struggling with the steps they had to do I was watching them and I decided to join them.
I found myself stepping along with them, doing a move I had seen a hundreds of times before. Being confident and familiar with the steps it is obvious that I failed.
Or rather, I struggled. We were doing a move that I had seen a lot of times already and one that I had heard being explained a fair number of times as well. It wasn't even a complicated move (cross body lead turn if I remember correctly) but I still struggled to make it through. I had no idea how much time each of the steps would take. As I did have the advantage that I had seen the move a lot of times already the second try went a lot smoother already. Soon after that I picked it up.
This experience also changed the way I lead the move. I had gotten a much better idea of how the lead should be and as it turned out, I had always started turning the lady just a little bit too soon which affected her balance. Just a tiny correction made for a great improvement. It had given me an idea of what was needed for it to happen.
Taking the advice in this video to heart (even before I had seen it) has improved my lead according to the feedback I have gotten. Perhaps it can do the same for you.
And I realize that there is more to being a good leader than just knowing how to lead a move properly but more about that in another post.
The other reason is that I just don't have a lot of time at the moment.I've started in telecom, am helping out a friend with a flower shop a couple of days a week and aside from that there is a severe shortage of men dancing salsa so I help balance the number of men vs women in class most nights of the week. However, sometimes I manage to find some free time like this morning which allows me to browse the net and write updates.
While I was browsing youtube earlier today I came across a video in which William Carpenter gives some tips on leading and following.
As you can see William states how important it is for the leader to understand what their partner is supposed to do, to know exactly how much time it takes to do it, what's necessary for it to happen and to execute it.
While I watched the clip I realized that a lot of this has applied to me at one point or another. Or rather, just the opposite. Not knowing all of that.
When I began dancing I had no idea what my partner was really supposed to do. I was happy if I knew what I was supposed to do. Ok,I did know that my partner was supposed to turn but when or how... some time during count 5 and 7 was probably the best answer I could give.
Once I had finally figured out when things were supposed to happen my leading improved a bit. I still had no idea though how long it took to do some moves. In fact I would have probably never 'really' found out if I had not gotten bored in class one day.
As most classes are short on men I often get asked to come to a class so there are (closer to) enough men. This means I do a lot of beginner classes as well. One day when the ladies were struggling with the steps they had to do I was watching them and I decided to join them.
I found myself stepping along with them, doing a move I had seen a hundreds of times before. Being confident and familiar with the steps it is obvious that I failed.
Or rather, I struggled. We were doing a move that I had seen a lot of times already and one that I had heard being explained a fair number of times as well. It wasn't even a complicated move (cross body lead turn if I remember correctly) but I still struggled to make it through. I had no idea how much time each of the steps would take. As I did have the advantage that I had seen the move a lot of times already the second try went a lot smoother already. Soon after that I picked it up.
This experience also changed the way I lead the move. I had gotten a much better idea of how the lead should be and as it turned out, I had always started turning the lady just a little bit too soon which affected her balance. Just a tiny correction made for a great improvement. It had given me an idea of what was needed for it to happen.
Taking the advice in this video to heart (even before I had seen it) has improved my lead according to the feedback I have gotten. Perhaps it can do the same for you.
And I realize that there is more to being a good leader than just knowing how to lead a move properly but more about that in another post.
What about social dancing?
There is one thing I remember very clearly about the first time I went social dancing.
I stepped into the club, checked my coat, went to the dance area and I panicked!
People were moving in ways I didn't even think were possible and none of them were doing any of the things that I had been taught. I don't even remember seeing anybody doing a basic.
To say that I was intimidated would be an understatement. So I just sat around for a while watching the dancers before going home. On the way back I dreamed about 'the day that I could do that too'.
Now that I have been dancing for a while the experience has changed a bit.
Don't get me wrong, it starts out the same way. I go to a club, sit around and watch the great dancers while my mouth drops. After a while though I consciously focus on other dancers and I see that not all the dancers are amazing superstars. There are also people who dance at my level and there are usually even some that have only just started out.
Then I always reminds myself that I'm there for 2 reasons. To have a good time and to improve my dancing.
Even though I can have a good time just sitting around watching great dancers it really doesn't do much to improve my dancing. I'm not sure about you but I just can't make a perfect copy of something that I have only seen once. To be honest, I usually can't make any kind of copy of it be it perfect, good or bad. If you can, please drop me a line and tell me your secret.
The only way I can improve my dancing (to keep this article from getting too complicated I won't go into musicality, counting, etc) is to actually get up, find a partner and dance.
This lead to a catch-22 situation for me. I wanted to get better at dancing but I didn't dare to go out and dance. Because of that it took a long time before anything happened.
I also remember the first time I actually went social dancing. I had been dancing for a while now and had the basics down so I wasn't too scared anymore. At least, not until we got to the party.
Once we were there all I could see were superstar level dancers and I became so self conscious that I couldn't remember anything beyond a mambo basic. This embarrassed me to no ends and lead to me becoming more and more nervous.
Half way through the song I called it quits. Even though my partner was very patient the night didn't improve. I would calm down when I was sitting down but as soon as I got up I felt like all eyes were on me and I started to freeze again.
Looking back though I don't know why I felt that way.
Nobody laughed at me, my parter didn't stop talking to me and if I have to be honest, I doubt anybody was even watching me. They were all looking at the great dancers, just like I do when I go out.
So what's the moral of this post? Go out and dance!
If you're like me then it can be very intimidating but the improvement you'll see and feel in your dancing will make it all worth it after a while.
If you're a man... definitely go social dancing!
Ladies tend to improve quicker than guys when they are both starting to dance salsa at the same time. You need all the practice you can get to just keep up with them.
And as Edie once told me, if girls would have wanted to sit around all night they would have stayed at home. Given the choice most girls would rather dance with you, even though you're not a great dancer yet, than sit around all night and not dance.
I stepped into the club, checked my coat, went to the dance area and I panicked!
People were moving in ways I didn't even think were possible and none of them were doing any of the things that I had been taught. I don't even remember seeing anybody doing a basic.
To say that I was intimidated would be an understatement. So I just sat around for a while watching the dancers before going home. On the way back I dreamed about 'the day that I could do that too'.
Now that I have been dancing for a while the experience has changed a bit.
Don't get me wrong, it starts out the same way. I go to a club, sit around and watch the great dancers while my mouth drops. After a while though I consciously focus on other dancers and I see that not all the dancers are amazing superstars. There are also people who dance at my level and there are usually even some that have only just started out.
Then I always reminds myself that I'm there for 2 reasons. To have a good time and to improve my dancing.
Even though I can have a good time just sitting around watching great dancers it really doesn't do much to improve my dancing. I'm not sure about you but I just can't make a perfect copy of something that I have only seen once. To be honest, I usually can't make any kind of copy of it be it perfect, good or bad. If you can, please drop me a line and tell me your secret.
The only way I can improve my dancing (to keep this article from getting too complicated I won't go into musicality, counting, etc) is to actually get up, find a partner and dance.
This lead to a catch-22 situation for me. I wanted to get better at dancing but I didn't dare to go out and dance. Because of that it took a long time before anything happened.
I also remember the first time I actually went social dancing. I had been dancing for a while now and had the basics down so I wasn't too scared anymore. At least, not until we got to the party.
Once we were there all I could see were superstar level dancers and I became so self conscious that I couldn't remember anything beyond a mambo basic. This embarrassed me to no ends and lead to me becoming more and more nervous.
Half way through the song I called it quits. Even though my partner was very patient the night didn't improve. I would calm down when I was sitting down but as soon as I got up I felt like all eyes were on me and I started to freeze again.
Looking back though I don't know why I felt that way.
Nobody laughed at me, my parter didn't stop talking to me and if I have to be honest, I doubt anybody was even watching me. They were all looking at the great dancers, just like I do when I go out.
So what's the moral of this post? Go out and dance!
If you're like me then it can be very intimidating but the improvement you'll see and feel in your dancing will make it all worth it after a while.
If you're a man... definitely go social dancing!
Ladies tend to improve quicker than guys when they are both starting to dance salsa at the same time. You need all the practice you can get to just keep up with them.
And as Edie once told me, if girls would have wanted to sit around all night they would have stayed at home. Given the choice most girls would rather dance with you, even though you're not a great dancer yet, than sit around all night and not dance.
On taking notes
A couple of months ago I started dancing again in the Netherlands. It took me a while to organize everything and to find a new place to take lessons.
It has been a lot of fun to start dancing again but there is one thing I learned from this experience;
Even in just 2 months I can forget a lot of the things that I have learned!
Aside from that it also taught me something though. I need to keep better notes.
For a while now I've been writing down the new moves/combinations that I learned. At first I just wrote down their names but I soon found that didn't do. I would read the name and... absolutely nothing. My brain just blanked out. Nothing would come to mind.
So then I started writing the actual move/combination down entirely. This worked great for months. My notes served as great reminders on days when I forgot what I had learned in class earlier that week. Taking notes is definitely something I recommend to everybody who starts learning salsa.
Unfortunately 2 months down the road things weren't clear so anymore. When I went over my notes I ran into a couple of problems.
1) I had used the name of another move/combination to describe part of the new move/combination.
2) my note taking had been inconsistent.
Especially the first part became very frustrating when I went through my notes. I would be in the middle of the description of a combination when all of a sudden I ran across the name of another move... that I couldn't remember either. Imagine my frustration when I realized I had never written that move down because it was so 'easy'.
And I have to admit, after I finally figured it out what move went with the name, that it was indeed an easy move. I had not trouble doing it. Unfortunately I had lost a lot of time trying to figure it out again.
The second part was less frustrating but still annoyed me my notes weren't consistent.
Sometimes I would write down an entire 8 second count, second by second. At other times I would only write down which part of the move started on 1 and which part on 5. Although this wasn't a big problem it did have me running into timing problems when trying to remember moves that were a bit more complicated.
So to prevent this from happening I have now started taking complete notes (all counts described) and I've started checking all my notes to see whether moves or combinations I refer to are actually written down as well. I'm sure this will help a lot.
Aside from that I'm considering to use my video camera more often. So far it has been a great tool to give me feedback on how I look but I think that it can do just as well as a visual aid. Together with the written notes I should be able to easily remember moves/combinations that I have forgotten.
But how about you? How do you remember all the moves/combinations that you have learned?
It has been a lot of fun to start dancing again but there is one thing I learned from this experience;
Even in just 2 months I can forget a lot of the things that I have learned!
Aside from that it also taught me something though. I need to keep better notes.
For a while now I've been writing down the new moves/combinations that I learned. At first I just wrote down their names but I soon found that didn't do. I would read the name and... absolutely nothing. My brain just blanked out. Nothing would come to mind.
So then I started writing the actual move/combination down entirely. This worked great for months. My notes served as great reminders on days when I forgot what I had learned in class earlier that week. Taking notes is definitely something I recommend to everybody who starts learning salsa.
Unfortunately 2 months down the road things weren't clear so anymore. When I went over my notes I ran into a couple of problems.
1) I had used the name of another move/combination to describe part of the new move/combination.
2) my note taking had been inconsistent.
Especially the first part became very frustrating when I went through my notes. I would be in the middle of the description of a combination when all of a sudden I ran across the name of another move... that I couldn't remember either. Imagine my frustration when I realized I had never written that move down because it was so 'easy'.
And I have to admit, after I finally figured it out what move went with the name, that it was indeed an easy move. I had not trouble doing it. Unfortunately I had lost a lot of time trying to figure it out again.
The second part was less frustrating but still annoyed me my notes weren't consistent.
Sometimes I would write down an entire 8 second count, second by second. At other times I would only write down which part of the move started on 1 and which part on 5. Although this wasn't a big problem it did have me running into timing problems when trying to remember moves that were a bit more complicated.
So to prevent this from happening I have now started taking complete notes (all counts described) and I've started checking all my notes to see whether moves or combinations I refer to are actually written down as well. I'm sure this will help a lot.
Aside from that I'm considering to use my video camera more often. So far it has been a great tool to give me feedback on how I look but I think that it can do just as well as a visual aid. Together with the written notes I should be able to easily remember moves/combinations that I have forgotten.
But how about you? How do you remember all the moves/combinations that you have learned?
So how did I start dancing salsa?
As a kid I danced a lot.
My mom was an A level competition dancer in the Netherlands when she was younger and she thought that dancing was something everybody should learn. Maybe it is only because I have heard it so often but I agree.
Dancing is a great way to have fun, make friends and stay fit. It also teaches people how to interact with the opposite sex, something that a lot of people seem to have trouble with these days. It seems like that ability went out the window around the same time partner dancing did.
But I digress. Not only that, you are here reading this which means I am preaching to the choir again.
I can not remember when exactly my mom first taught me the basics of a Quickstep but it is one of my earlier memories. I can not have been much older than 5 or 6. Slowly I learned the basic steps of other dances like cha-cha-cha, rumba, waltz, etc before I was sent of to take classes. Again I can't quite remember when but it was probably around the time I turned 8 years old.
Even though I don't remember exactly when it was I do still remember the first timethat I got dropped off.
I was a shy kid and the thought of going into a class with other people, especially people I did not know, terrified me.
I tried to get out of it but it soon became clear that was not an option. I was going to have to go. Looking back now it was probably one of the best things that happened to me. I still stayed shy but at least I was not scared of meeting new people anymore.
For several years I would go dancing once a week, slowly making my way up through the levels. Bronze*, Silver, Silver*, Silver*, Silver*. No, that is not a mistakes. I actually have 3 Silver* certificates for both ballroom and Latin dancing and I have no idea why. I am sure there must have been a good reason, especially as I should have 4 or 5 of them. The others seem to have gotten lost though while moving.
At 12 I stopped dancing and started doing martial arts instead. For the next couple of years I did not dance at all. Then, when I was 17, Lambada became popular and I took 2 courses but somehow the dance virus was still gone. After the 2 courses I stopped dancing again.
Then again, martial arts have a lot in common with dancing. I just did not see that at the time. Perhaps I never really stopped dancing after all. At least not until I was about 26.
Fast forward about 14 years from when I was 17.
I was out to dinner with some friends. As it turned out that there would be salsa dancing there that night. I had no idea what Salsa was exactly. My only exposure to Latin dancing up until that point had been ballroom Latin.
As dinner was served 2 people walked onto the dance floor and the music started to play.
From the moment I saw them dance I could not take my eyes off of them anymore. I completely forgot about my dinner that had just been served. I was in awe and wished I had the amazing power that they had. To be able to walk into a room, get onto the dance floor, completely change the atmosphere and leave people speechless.
But more than that even, I wished that I was out there on that dance floor having as much fun as they were obviously having.
The next couple of days I spent trying to figure out what I could do to learn to dance salsa as well and I found that there are several ways. Taking lessons was the most obvious option and the one I instantly went for.
Unfortunately I had some startup problems and it took me a couple of years to finish my beginner's course.
The first time I started work got in the way. I was sent abroad for trainings and projects and was not at home enough to participate in the classes.
1 Year later I tried again. And again, work got in the way. This time not by making me travel abroad a lot but by actually moving me abroad. Trying to get settled in a new country where I did not speak the language was enough to distract me from dancing.
Another couple of years went by and I had finally settled down so I figured it was time for another try. It did not take me very long to realize that, aside from the basic step, I had forgotten everything I learned.
Unfortunately this time life interfered and once again I had to drop out of my class after a couple of weeks. Again.
Finally this year I started again and I had the same problem, I had forgotten everything I had learned aside from the basic step and a CBL.
I am not sure whether or not having started the beginner's course several times has helped me. At the moment I seem to be progressing faster than some people that started as the same time as me this year but then, I think I put more time into dancing than they do.
So that is how I got started. And now that I have made it past "beginner's hell" (it really felt like that for a while) I am thoroughly enjoying dancing again. Even the fact that I just hit a plateau does not phase me at all.
I know I'm internalizing things (see "Salsa is life") and I am having a lot of fun doing so.
What is your story?
My mom was an A level competition dancer in the Netherlands when she was younger and she thought that dancing was something everybody should learn. Maybe it is only because I have heard it so often but I agree.
Dancing is a great way to have fun, make friends and stay fit. It also teaches people how to interact with the opposite sex, something that a lot of people seem to have trouble with these days. It seems like that ability went out the window around the same time partner dancing did.
But I digress. Not only that, you are here reading this which means I am preaching to the choir again.
I can not remember when exactly my mom first taught me the basics of a Quickstep but it is one of my earlier memories. I can not have been much older than 5 or 6. Slowly I learned the basic steps of other dances like cha-cha-cha, rumba, waltz, etc before I was sent of to take classes. Again I can't quite remember when but it was probably around the time I turned 8 years old.
Even though I don't remember exactly when it was I do still remember the first timethat I got dropped off.
I was a shy kid and the thought of going into a class with other people, especially people I did not know, terrified me.
I tried to get out of it but it soon became clear that was not an option. I was going to have to go. Looking back now it was probably one of the best things that happened to me. I still stayed shy but at least I was not scared of meeting new people anymore.
For several years I would go dancing once a week, slowly making my way up through the levels. Bronze*, Silver, Silver*, Silver*, Silver*. No, that is not a mistakes. I actually have 3 Silver* certificates for both ballroom and Latin dancing and I have no idea why. I am sure there must have been a good reason, especially as I should have 4 or 5 of them. The others seem to have gotten lost though while moving.
At 12 I stopped dancing and started doing martial arts instead. For the next couple of years I did not dance at all. Then, when I was 17, Lambada became popular and I took 2 courses but somehow the dance virus was still gone. After the 2 courses I stopped dancing again.
Then again, martial arts have a lot in common with dancing. I just did not see that at the time. Perhaps I never really stopped dancing after all. At least not until I was about 26.
Fast forward about 14 years from when I was 17.
I was out to dinner with some friends. As it turned out that there would be salsa dancing there that night. I had no idea what Salsa was exactly. My only exposure to Latin dancing up until that point had been ballroom Latin.
As dinner was served 2 people walked onto the dance floor and the music started to play.
From the moment I saw them dance I could not take my eyes off of them anymore. I completely forgot about my dinner that had just been served. I was in awe and wished I had the amazing power that they had. To be able to walk into a room, get onto the dance floor, completely change the atmosphere and leave people speechless.
But more than that even, I wished that I was out there on that dance floor having as much fun as they were obviously having.
The next couple of days I spent trying to figure out what I could do to learn to dance salsa as well and I found that there are several ways. Taking lessons was the most obvious option and the one I instantly went for.
Unfortunately I had some startup problems and it took me a couple of years to finish my beginner's course.
The first time I started work got in the way. I was sent abroad for trainings and projects and was not at home enough to participate in the classes.
1 Year later I tried again. And again, work got in the way. This time not by making me travel abroad a lot but by actually moving me abroad. Trying to get settled in a new country where I did not speak the language was enough to distract me from dancing.
Another couple of years went by and I had finally settled down so I figured it was time for another try. It did not take me very long to realize that, aside from the basic step, I had forgotten everything I learned.
Unfortunately this time life interfered and once again I had to drop out of my class after a couple of weeks. Again.
Finally this year I started again and I had the same problem, I had forgotten everything I had learned aside from the basic step and a CBL.
I am not sure whether or not having started the beginner's course several times has helped me. At the moment I seem to be progressing faster than some people that started as the same time as me this year but then, I think I put more time into dancing than they do.
So that is how I got started. And now that I have made it past "beginner's hell" (it really felt like that for a while) I am thoroughly enjoying dancing again. Even the fact that I just hit a plateau does not phase me at all.
I know I'm internalizing things (see "Salsa is life") and I am having a lot of fun doing so.
What is your story?
Salsa is life
As we all know, life is like a roller coaster.
There are highs and there are lows with moments of tranquility and amazing thrills in between.
Learning to dance salsa is just like that. There are highs and there are lows with moments of tranquility and amazing thrills in between.
Sometimes we think the stars are within our reach. At other times we feel like we will never learn to dance properly. What we often forget though is that all this time, during both the highs and the lows, we are making progress.
I'll be the first to admit that it often does not feel that way. The main reason for that is that change is often a very gradual process. It take place so slowly that we do not even notice it.
Let's look at it from another point of view first.
If you were to walk 100 meters on day 1 and the next day you would add 3 more meters you would not even notice the difference. Oh, for all of you not using the metric system, a meter is about 3 yards.
Now if you keep this up for a month you will have almost doubled the distance that you have walked on the first day. To you it will not feel like it has taken any more effort but you still walked twice as far. And unless you were walking along the same stretch of road all the time you probably will not even notice that you now walk further.
Dancing is no different. Sometimes we feel like we are not making any progress at all. We might have gone without learning anything new for a month. Or maybe we did learn things but we just can not seem to get them down at all.
But how we perceive things can be completely different from how they really are. Even though we feel that we have not learned anything we will have improved. Unconsciously, we will have been working on perfecting moves that we already know.
When we learn to dance we will soon enough learn to do a cross body lead, inside turn. After having danced for a while we can do this without thinking. However, that does not stop us from improving that simple move.
Consciously we stop paying attention to it. But several months down the line we will all of a sudden realize that we have 'found time' in the move and we start adding styling. Obviously there is no more time than there was the first time we danced it. We have just been perfecting the move over the last couple of months because we have done it so often.
This happens all the time. Even during our most frustrating moments we will be working on things that we already know. The moves we dance without having to give them any thought at all.
So enjoy the highs, enjoy the tranquility and enjoy the thrills as you would anyway. But also start enjoying the lows knowing that even though it may not feel that way, you are improving.
There are highs and there are lows with moments of tranquility and amazing thrills in between.
Learning to dance salsa is just like that. There are highs and there are lows with moments of tranquility and amazing thrills in between.
Sometimes we think the stars are within our reach. At other times we feel like we will never learn to dance properly. What we often forget though is that all this time, during both the highs and the lows, we are making progress.
I'll be the first to admit that it often does not feel that way. The main reason for that is that change is often a very gradual process. It take place so slowly that we do not even notice it.
Let's look at it from another point of view first.
If you were to walk 100 meters on day 1 and the next day you would add 3 more meters you would not even notice the difference. Oh, for all of you not using the metric system, a meter is about 3 yards.
Now if you keep this up for a month you will have almost doubled the distance that you have walked on the first day. To you it will not feel like it has taken any more effort but you still walked twice as far. And unless you were walking along the same stretch of road all the time you probably will not even notice that you now walk further.
Dancing is no different. Sometimes we feel like we are not making any progress at all. We might have gone without learning anything new for a month. Or maybe we did learn things but we just can not seem to get them down at all.
But how we perceive things can be completely different from how they really are. Even though we feel that we have not learned anything we will have improved. Unconsciously, we will have been working on perfecting moves that we already know.
When we learn to dance we will soon enough learn to do a cross body lead, inside turn. After having danced for a while we can do this without thinking. However, that does not stop us from improving that simple move.
Consciously we stop paying attention to it. But several months down the line we will all of a sudden realize that we have 'found time' in the move and we start adding styling. Obviously there is no more time than there was the first time we danced it. We have just been perfecting the move over the last couple of months because we have done it so often.
This happens all the time. Even during our most frustrating moments we will be working on things that we already know. The moves we dance without having to give them any thought at all.
So enjoy the highs, enjoy the tranquility and enjoy the thrills as you would anyway. But also start enjoying the lows knowing that even though it may not feel that way, you are improving.
You are one of the world's best dancers !
Really you are!
I know that may sound hard to believe but you know what?
I am one of the world's best dancers as well !
Yes, I will be the first to admit it. That is even harder to believe.
After all, when you read this you will most likely have been dancing longer than I have. You know you are a much better dancer than I am and you don't think that you are that great.
So what makes me so arrogant?
How can I claim to be one of the world's best dancers?
Well, not to long ago I had an awful time on the dance floor.
Not only did I have a hard time finding the beat but when I did it slipped away again so quickly that I could not help but wonder if I had ever found it at all.
Aside from that I could barely remember how to do anything else than a cross body lead. I did managed to pull off a couple of turns but that was about it.
The lady I was dancing with was kind enough to say that she was having the same problem but I am sure that was because my lead was horrible that night as well.
To make things worse, we were the only couple dancing. There were no other couples for people to focus on. We could not hide between the other couples, trying to stay out of sight.
When the song ended we walked back to our table, pretty embarrassed, and we prepared ourself for criticism. We half expected people to be laughing at us. We had prepared our defenses though.
My excuses were going to range from 'I guess I am having an off day' and 'The sounds system is terrible, I could not make out half the music' to the even more ridiculous 'I must have eaten something wrong. I feel horrible'.
All in all it was one of those times that I would try to forget as quickly as possible.
And, as we expected, as soon as we had sat down people started to turn to us.
Except that, instead of criticizing us, they started complimenting us!
They told us how they had enjoyed watching the show and how great it was.
Some even asked us if we could recommend instructors.
For a second I was completely confused.
Were they being sarcastic? We were in the Netherlands after all and as dutch people tend to enjoy sarcasm it would not be unlikely at all.
But then it hit me. 99.9% Of the people you meet in your life will never have danced salsa. Actually, a large percentage of people you meet in your daily life will not even have seen a couple dancing salsa.
When you are on the floor and they see you do a cross body lead followed by a couple of spins they think you are a star. Like a popular dutch saying goes 'In the land of the blind the man with one eye is king'.
And this was the situation that night. We were the only couple in that bar that knew how to dance salsa. We looked amazing to the uninitiated.
So next time that have a bad day and you are wondering whether you are ever going to learn to dance at all, just keep this in mind.
You are already part of the 0.01% of people that know how to dance salsa. That alone makes you one of the world's best dancers!
I know that may sound hard to believe but you know what?
I am one of the world's best dancers as well !
Yes, I will be the first to admit it. That is even harder to believe.
After all, when you read this you will most likely have been dancing longer than I have. You know you are a much better dancer than I am and you don't think that you are that great.
So what makes me so arrogant?
How can I claim to be one of the world's best dancers?
Well, not to long ago I had an awful time on the dance floor.
Not only did I have a hard time finding the beat but when I did it slipped away again so quickly that I could not help but wonder if I had ever found it at all.
Aside from that I could barely remember how to do anything else than a cross body lead. I did managed to pull off a couple of turns but that was about it.
The lady I was dancing with was kind enough to say that she was having the same problem but I am sure that was because my lead was horrible that night as well.
To make things worse, we were the only couple dancing. There were no other couples for people to focus on. We could not hide between the other couples, trying to stay out of sight.
When the song ended we walked back to our table, pretty embarrassed, and we prepared ourself for criticism. We half expected people to be laughing at us. We had prepared our defenses though.
My excuses were going to range from 'I guess I am having an off day' and 'The sounds system is terrible, I could not make out half the music' to the even more ridiculous 'I must have eaten something wrong. I feel horrible'.
All in all it was one of those times that I would try to forget as quickly as possible.
And, as we expected, as soon as we had sat down people started to turn to us.
Except that, instead of criticizing us, they started complimenting us!
They told us how they had enjoyed watching the show and how great it was.
Some even asked us if we could recommend instructors.
For a second I was completely confused.
Were they being sarcastic? We were in the Netherlands after all and as dutch people tend to enjoy sarcasm it would not be unlikely at all.
But then it hit me. 99.9% Of the people you meet in your life will never have danced salsa. Actually, a large percentage of people you meet in your daily life will not even have seen a couple dancing salsa.
When you are on the floor and they see you do a cross body lead followed by a couple of spins they think you are a star. Like a popular dutch saying goes 'In the land of the blind the man with one eye is king'.
And this was the situation that night. We were the only couple in that bar that knew how to dance salsa. We looked amazing to the uninitiated.
So next time that have a bad day and you are wondering whether you are ever going to learn to dance at all, just keep this in mind.
You are already part of the 0.01% of people that know how to dance salsa. That alone makes you one of the world's best dancers!
Learn to dance salsa - part 2
This is the second article in a series of 4.
In Learn to dance salsa - part 1 I looked at learning salsa by taking lessons.
Today I will look at another way to learn salsa, namely by going to clubs.
So what are the advantages of going to clubs?
Let's have a look at the disadvantages as well.
In Learn to dance salsa - part 3 I will look at the advantages and disadvantages of learning to dance salsa by watching videos.
In Learn to dance salsa - part 1 I looked at learning salsa by taking lessons.
Today I will look at another way to learn salsa, namely by going to clubs.
So what are the advantages of going to clubs?
- Usually clubs offer a free class before the party starts
- There are a lot of great dancers in clubs and you can learn a lot just by watching and copying them
- There will be a lot of different partners for you to dance with
- You can dance as long as you want. Unlike in a organized course there is no time limit
Let's have a look at the disadvantages as well.
- The free class is often at a low level. This is ok if you are just starting to learn dancing but you will quickly outgrow the class.
- The dancers are at the club to have fun, not to teach you things. They most likely will not take the time to patiently talk you through each and every move
- You won't have dance partners assigned to you like you would at a course
- Most dancers will be at a much higher level than you are which can be very intimidating
- The dance floor is often crowded which makes dancing harder, especially if you're still learning
In Learn to dance salsa - part 3 I will look at the advantages and disadvantages of learning to dance salsa by watching videos.
Be a salsa star!
Why cameras are better than mirrors.
Whenever I am at a festival, congress or workshop I am always impressed with the amount of attention the stars there get.
Sometimes it seems like they have more cameras pointed at them than the average movie star. And for good reason. Their performance, whether it is a show or a demonstration of combinations that they taught earlier, is often amazing. Not capturing it means losing out on a chance to not only admire it but to learn from it as well.
But only using our cameras to tape the stars is such a waste of that wonderful technical invention. Why not use your camera all the time to tape yourself dancing instead? Or if not all the time than at least start using the camera when you practice at home.
Even more so than by looking in the mirror you will see things that you may never have been aware of. Don't get me wrong, I think mirrors are great. Especially the full size mirrors they have in studios. Unfortunately they have a downside. They don't come with a rewind button.
If your focusing on your arms when you look in the mirror you will not be able to see what happens with the rest of your body. If you look at your legs, same thing. You will never be able to see all of your body movements at the same time. Our vision just does not work that way.
What happens is that our eyes take lots of pictures. At the same time our mind processes all those pictures and turns them into a streaming movie. As it is though, our mind is also an editor.
While it is combining the images it gives most attention to what we were focusing on and starts cutting out irrelevant pictures. This means that a lot of pictures do not make the final cut and we miss out on the information that was in them.
Another downside is that looking in the mirror is distracting. When you are looking in the mirror, trying to spot what you may be doing wrong, you focus less on dancing. After all, you are already focused on looking in the mirror.
When you use a camera though, things are different. You can place the camera in a corner of the room, feel self conscious for a minute or 2 (ok, maybe that is just me) and then forget all about it. By the time you are done it will have recorded for as long as you had tape/disc space/memory and you have footage of yourself dancing. In my case 3o minutes of it.
30 Minutes that I can look at over and over again. If I think I missed something I can even rewind. 30 Minutes of myself dancing that I can use to correct myself. 30 Minutes of footage that I could even use to ask others for feedback if I was so inclined. Currently I do not see myself facing the YouTube critics just yet though so that will have to wait for now.
And last but not least, 30 minutes of video that I can store and watch again whenever I feel like it. In my opinion there is no better way to notice if. and how much, you have improved than by comparing 2 videos of yourself that were taken some time apart.
So let's quickly glance back and see what the advantages are of using a camera rather than mirrors:
So get your camera out now and start dancing. Before you know it you will be the star that is admired. Who knows, maybe at the next congress I will be there pointing my camera at you wishing I could dance like that.
Whenever I am at a festival, congress or workshop I am always impressed with the amount of attention the stars there get.
Sometimes it seems like they have more cameras pointed at them than the average movie star. And for good reason. Their performance, whether it is a show or a demonstration of combinations that they taught earlier, is often amazing. Not capturing it means losing out on a chance to not only admire it but to learn from it as well.
But only using our cameras to tape the stars is such a waste of that wonderful technical invention. Why not use your camera all the time to tape yourself dancing instead? Or if not all the time than at least start using the camera when you practice at home.
Even more so than by looking in the mirror you will see things that you may never have been aware of. Don't get me wrong, I think mirrors are great. Especially the full size mirrors they have in studios. Unfortunately they have a downside. They don't come with a rewind button.
If your focusing on your arms when you look in the mirror you will not be able to see what happens with the rest of your body. If you look at your legs, same thing. You will never be able to see all of your body movements at the same time. Our vision just does not work that way.
What happens is that our eyes take lots of pictures. At the same time our mind processes all those pictures and turns them into a streaming movie. As it is though, our mind is also an editor.
While it is combining the images it gives most attention to what we were focusing on and starts cutting out irrelevant pictures. This means that a lot of pictures do not make the final cut and we miss out on the information that was in them.
Another downside is that looking in the mirror is distracting. When you are looking in the mirror, trying to spot what you may be doing wrong, you focus less on dancing. After all, you are already focused on looking in the mirror.
When you use a camera though, things are different. You can place the camera in a corner of the room, feel self conscious for a minute or 2 (ok, maybe that is just me) and then forget all about it. By the time you are done it will have recorded for as long as you had tape/disc space/memory and you have footage of yourself dancing. In my case 3o minutes of it.
30 Minutes that I can look at over and over again. If I think I missed something I can even rewind. 30 Minutes of myself dancing that I can use to correct myself. 30 Minutes of footage that I could even use to ask others for feedback if I was so inclined. Currently I do not see myself facing the YouTube critics just yet though so that will have to wait for now.
And last but not least, 30 minutes of video that I can store and watch again whenever I feel like it. In my opinion there is no better way to notice if. and how much, you have improved than by comparing 2 videos of yourself that were taken some time apart.
So let's quickly glance back and see what the advantages are of using a camera rather than mirrors:
- You can see all parts of your body at any given time
- You can pause or rewind to have another/closer look
- You can focus on dancing instead of focusing on yourself
- You can keep the recording and look back on it at a later date
So get your camera out now and start dancing. Before you know it you will be the star that is admired. Who knows, maybe at the next congress I will be there pointing my camera at you wishing I could dance like that.
learn to dance salsa - part 1
I just realized that I've been writing for about half a year now but that I have never said what I think is the best way to learn.
Over the past couple of months I've met a lot of people that learned to dance salsa in different ways. The people I've met can be put into a couple of groups:
That is a very basic breakdown and there are a lot of subcategories but let's keep it simple for now.
Over the next couple of posts I will look at the these different groups. Today I'll start out with group 1 and then I will work my way down the list. In the last post I'll also give you my point of view and let you know what I think is the best way to learn.
So let's have a closer look at the first group.
People that learn to dance salsa by taking lessons.
What are the advantages of taking lessons?
Sounds great doesn't it?
Unfortunately there are also some disadvantages.
Next time I will look at learning to dance salsa by going to clubs and see what the advantages and disadvantages are there.
Over the past couple of months I've met a lot of people that learned to dance salsa in different ways. The people I've met can be put into a couple of groups:
- People that learn to dance salsa by taking lessons
- People that learn to dance salsa by going to clubs
- People that learn to dance salsa by watching videos
- People that learn to dance salsa by doing all of the above
That is a very basic breakdown and there are a lot of subcategories but let's keep it simple for now.
Over the next couple of posts I will look at the these different groups. Today I'll start out with group 1 and then I will work my way down the list. In the last post I'll also give you my point of view and let you know what I think is the best way to learn.
So let's have a closer look at the first group.
People that learn to dance salsa by taking lessons.
What are the advantages of taking lessons?
- You learn to dance the basic steps and once you know those you will keep learning new moves and patterns.
- Because of the way courses are set up you will be pushed to improve with every class.
- You have an instructor who can correct you when you make mistakes.
- You can ask questions when something is not clear.
- You learn about frame, tension, timing, how moves are lead, etc.
- Everybody in the class is at the same level as you are so there is no need to feel self conscious.
- It's easy to meet new people. Everybody is there for the same reason as you are, to learn to dance salsa
Sounds great doesn't it?
Unfortunately there are also some disadvantages.
- Classes are usually only once per week so progress can be slow.
- You need to have some discipline and practice at home or you will probably forget what you have learned.
- Practicing at home is hard if you don't have a partner so you may have to find one.
- Taking lessons can be expensive.
- Courses are often aimed at the 'average' student. If you're learn quicker than the average student you might get bored. If you learn a bit more slowly than the average student you may feel lost from time to time.
Next time I will look at learning to dance salsa by going to clubs and see what the advantages and disadvantages are there.
top 7 Salsa websites
Ok, so I'm a bit of a geek and spend a fair bit of time online.
Luckily there are a lot of salsa sites out on the net so being online does not mean having to go without salsa. Today I'll share my top 7 favourite salsa websites.* Or rather, my top 7 of information websites. I'm leaving out paid online classes, music sites, radio station etc. but will cover those another time.
Ok, enough rambling. My top 7 salsa websites for you:
1) Addicted2Salsa.com I love this website. They have great podcasts. It's amazing they don't charge for them. I also love their forum even though I don't really participate.
2) Salsaforums.com The name says it all. A great community although, just like before, I don't really participate. I love lurking there though.
3) Salsafreak.com Edie's website. I'm just mentioning this one but check all her other sites as well. The links are on this site.
4) The Unlikely Salsero Don is by far my favourite blogger. I don't think there's a single post of his that I don't like.
5) YouTube The ultimate collection of video clips. The only downside is that the quality is often poor.
6) Chrissie's Salsa Directory It's chaotic but has lots of links relating to salsa in Germany and Austria. As I live in Germany at the moment this one hit my top 7.
7) Ritmo Bello A site that I've only just discovered but has great content.`
* Disclaimer: This is my personal top 7 salsa websites. Your mileage my vary.
Also, I've found that there are a lot of great websites that don't show up on obvious google searches so if you know of any websites that you think should have been mentioned here feel free to leave a comment.
Luckily there are a lot of salsa sites out on the net so being online does not mean having to go without salsa. Today I'll share my top 7 favourite salsa websites.* Or rather, my top 7 of information websites. I'm leaving out paid online classes, music sites, radio station etc. but will cover those another time.
Ok, enough rambling. My top 7 salsa websites for you:
1) Addicted2Salsa.com I love this website. They have great podcasts. It's amazing they don't charge for them. I also love their forum even though I don't really participate.
2) Salsaforums.com The name says it all. A great community although, just like before, I don't really participate. I love lurking there though.
3) Salsafreak.com Edie's website. I'm just mentioning this one but check all her other sites as well. The links are on this site.
4) The Unlikely Salsero Don is by far my favourite blogger. I don't think there's a single post of his that I don't like.
5) YouTube The ultimate collection of video clips. The only downside is that the quality is often poor.
6) Chrissie's Salsa Directory It's chaotic but has lots of links relating to salsa in Germany and Austria. As I live in Germany at the moment this one hit my top 7.
7) Ritmo Bello A site that I've only just discovered but has great content.`
* Disclaimer: This is my personal top 7 salsa websites. Your mileage my vary.
Also, I've found that there are a lot of great websites that don't show up on obvious google searches so if you know of any websites that you think should have been mentioned here feel free to leave a comment.
Social dancing
In my last post I mentioned that I'm starting to get over my fear of social dancing. That's actually not quite true.
I realized last night that I have already gotten over my fear of social dancing.
It took me a while but the dance floor is no longer an intimidating place that makes me want to sit in a corner and hide.
Looking back it was ridiculous that I ever felt that way but then, most things we are scared of turn out to be silly after we have faced our fears.
So how did I get over my dance floor anxiety?
Well, it was actually pretty easy.
At one point I got really frustrated just sitting/standing while watching other people dance. As I was still afraid people would be bored dancing with me I decided to ask beginners to dance.
And when I say beginners I mean beginners. Girls that had just learned a basic step. These girls were delighted that anybody asked them to dance at all and had no idea if I did something wrong.
After getting comfortable dancing with absolute beginners I started asking people to dance that were slightly better and for the next couple of weeks I only danced with girls that were still below my level.
Then I stepped up a bit again.
I started asking people at my own level to dance and I realized something 'odd'.
It turned out that dancing with them was fun and not intimidating at all. And even though they were all used to dance with better dancers by now, none of them were bored.
Then a strange thing started to happen.
Girls were starting to ask me to dance.
And not just girls that I had danced with before but also some girls that I wouldn't ask yet as they were well above my level.
The first time it happened I experienced a pang of fear again. Here I was being asked to dance but one of the dancers I really admire. At first I wanted to make up an excuse and back out of it.
However when I was just a young boy (I think I was 10 at the time) I was taught that it is very rude to say 'no' when a lady asks you to dance (it's probably the only thing I remember from ballroom dancing). This early programming overcame my fear and we danced. Afterwards I thanked her telling her what a joy it was to dance with somebody that was so gracious and so easy to lead and her face lit up. That night I learned you can even make more experienced dancers feel good when, or in this case after, you dance with them.
Now I can dance comfortably (more or less comfortably anyway) with anybody.
If I feel a girl is a better dancer than me I will always tell her up front that I've only been dancing for about half a year but that's all. The paralyzing feeling that I used to have is completely gone.
Looking back it's all a bit frustrating.
I can now see myself improving and I realize that I could have improved so much more if only I had started sooner. I'm sure I would also have remembered a lot more of what I've been taught over the past couple of months as I would have repeated it more often while dancing.
On the other hand, it could be worse. I could still be sitting on the sidelines watching the other people have a great time.
I realized last night that I have already gotten over my fear of social dancing.
It took me a while but the dance floor is no longer an intimidating place that makes me want to sit in a corner and hide.
Looking back it was ridiculous that I ever felt that way but then, most things we are scared of turn out to be silly after we have faced our fears.
So how did I get over my dance floor anxiety?
Well, it was actually pretty easy.
At one point I got really frustrated just sitting/standing while watching other people dance. As I was still afraid people would be bored dancing with me I decided to ask beginners to dance.
And when I say beginners I mean beginners. Girls that had just learned a basic step. These girls were delighted that anybody asked them to dance at all and had no idea if I did something wrong.
After getting comfortable dancing with absolute beginners I started asking people to dance that were slightly better and for the next couple of weeks I only danced with girls that were still below my level.
Then I stepped up a bit again.
I started asking people at my own level to dance and I realized something 'odd'.
It turned out that dancing with them was fun and not intimidating at all. And even though they were all used to dance with better dancers by now, none of them were bored.
Then a strange thing started to happen.
Girls were starting to ask me to dance.
And not just girls that I had danced with before but also some girls that I wouldn't ask yet as they were well above my level.
The first time it happened I experienced a pang of fear again. Here I was being asked to dance but one of the dancers I really admire. At first I wanted to make up an excuse and back out of it.
However when I was just a young boy (I think I was 10 at the time) I was taught that it is very rude to say 'no' when a lady asks you to dance (it's probably the only thing I remember from ballroom dancing). This early programming overcame my fear and we danced. Afterwards I thanked her telling her what a joy it was to dance with somebody that was so gracious and so easy to lead and her face lit up. That night I learned you can even make more experienced dancers feel good when, or in this case after, you dance with them.
Now I can dance comfortably (more or less comfortably anyway) with anybody.
If I feel a girl is a better dancer than me I will always tell her up front that I've only been dancing for about half a year but that's all. The paralyzing feeling that I used to have is completely gone.
Looking back it's all a bit frustrating.
I can now see myself improving and I realize that I could have improved so much more if only I had started sooner. I'm sure I would also have remembered a lot more of what I've been taught over the past couple of months as I would have repeated it more often while dancing.
On the other hand, it could be worse. I could still be sitting on the sidelines watching the other people have a great time.
The strangest thing
Just the other day I was at a workshop and the strangest thing happened.
We were talking a bit and one of the guys there said 'I really like how you dance'.
I was blown away and didn't know what to say.
Here I am just trying to get through a choreography and apparently I managed to impress somebody. I don't remember the last time I was so proud.
I know I'm far from a great dancer. I'm only just now starting to get over my fears of social dancing. But I guess I'm starting to do something right :-)
Then yesterday one of the girls I regularly dance with asked me to dance to her favourite song which made me feel even better.
It's things like this that happen just at the right time. I felt like I wasn't improving at all lately (although I can now see clear differences between myself and the new beginners) but these 2 things have rekindled my determination to learn to dance!
We were talking a bit and one of the guys there said 'I really like how you dance'.
I was blown away and didn't know what to say.
Here I am just trying to get through a choreography and apparently I managed to impress somebody. I don't remember the last time I was so proud.
I know I'm far from a great dancer. I'm only just now starting to get over my fears of social dancing. But I guess I'm starting to do something right :-)
Then yesterday one of the girls I regularly dance with asked me to dance to her favourite song which made me feel even better.
It's things like this that happen just at the right time. I felt like I wasn't improving at all lately (although I can now see clear differences between myself and the new beginners) but these 2 things have rekindled my determination to learn to dance!
Croatian Summer Salsa Festival 2008 - Rovinj
I kept meaning to post but somehow didn't get around to it.
Last month was the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival in Rovinj.
If you haven't been there yet... GO !
Stop whatever your doing and run to your boss/parents/travel agent and say that next year, 25 - 28 June, you'll be going to Croatia. You won't regret it.
First I'd like to thank all the organizers.
These guys and girls worked so hard it's incredible (I won't mention your coffee break Danijel ;) and did a great job. As a team they seem to function really well which shows in the way everything is taken care off.
Sure, there were some problems but most of them were transparent to the people there.
As I was one of the volunteers we met a day before the congress started. I was already in Rovinj and was actually planning to meet up with the organizers even sooner but somehow (thanks tourist info) I wasn't able to find them.
We were originally meant to meet up at 2 but as some of the volunteers wouldn't arrive until 4 that got postponed. It was horrible. It meant I had to spent 2 hours at the hotel pool enjoying the wonderful weather. Ah, the sacrifices we have to make in life.
Wednesday evening there was a small pre-party at a square in town where in the end about 15-20 couples were dancing.
Somehow social dancing anxiety hit again with a vengeance so I just sat there and watched them all. That said, I had a great time so I have no reason to complain.
Thursday registration started and the atmosphere was great. I had the day off (more time at the pool for me) so I enjoyed myself until I started 'working' at the party at night.
The party itself was great but unfortunately the airco broke down.
People would go in to dance only to come outside again, drenched in sweat, 15 minutes later.
The hotel where the party was held was aware of this and was trying to get a mechanic out but apparently that's not as easy as it sounds in summertime in Croatia. We were all keeping our fingers crossed for them to get it solved before Saturday's party.
Friday workshops started and the atmosphere was great.
Both the instructors and the attendees were having a great time and my favourite workshop of the day was by Danijel & Ċ½eljka, 2 of the organisers. Unfortunately I didn't tape it though and I have to admit I can't remember what they did. Guess I should have practised it more.
Friday night the party was held in the town square. I was looking forward to it but in the end we waited forever (ok, only 1.5 hours but it felt like forever) for our food so we missed a big part of it including the shows. As I hadn't seen any shows on Thursday that kept my grand total of shows seen at 0.
Saturday is a bit of blur (yeah, I should have written this sooner) but I remember a lot of running around and generally having a good time doing that.
The airco seemed to work better for the party Saturday evening although it was still warm.
The shows were held outside of the hotel and it was packed! There were people everywhere.
Unfortunately the performers had to come from inside to get to the stage which meant we needed to keep a path clear for them. Fair enough but it meant that I didn't get to see any shows on Saturday either. I guess I set a new record. Total of shows seen at a congress ... 0 :-)
Ah well, I'll wait for the DVD to come out I guess.
Then came Sunday. Sunday is famous at the Croatian Salsa Festival for 1 simple reason.... POOL PARTY ! ! !
The party was held at another hotel on an island. We spend 4 hours on a dock in the burning sun checking wristbands. After 5 minutes the heat was already getting to me and as I had forgotten to bring a cap I decided to buy one. Somebody (not sure who anymore, Danijel?) told me not to pay the price they asked and that was good advice. I actually got it for half price.
As I didn't really like any of the caps I decided to go for the most silly one I could find. A white cap with some text written on it in lovely shiny little stones.
Yes, it made me look incredibly gay but it was a great thing for people to comment on so I had lots of fun conversations that helped the time go by quicker.
And, as most people came in waves (there were still workshops going on) we also had time to swim a bit so it all turned out to be great fun.
The hardest part was sending people away. The party had sold out completely and we had to disappoint people that showed up without a ticket (hint, if you're going next year get your tickets for the party in advance).
At 4 the last boat to the island arrived and we got on to finally get to the party ourselves.
Once we got there everybody was enjoying themselves and the atmosphere was great. After we went for a swim to cool down a bit we joined in the dancing and had a blast. Just this party would have been worth coming down for.
As I'd be working at the party at night as well I started making my way back to the mainland around 7. Much sooner then I would have liked to but I guess volunteering has it downsides as well :)
The party at night was pretty relaxed. The highlight for me was that I finally got to dance with Daniela (and don't think you're off the hook just yet... we still have to do drinks next year Daniela ;-). Or rather, half a dance.
I was exhausted and used the end of the song as an excuse to run away and go sit by the pool again.
Then came Monday and it was time to pack up and leave again. Time to go back to reality.
All that was left was a farewell lunch. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to most of you. Things got a bit confused when you all went back to the hotel to pick up the floor while I had to leave.
It was great meeting all of you though and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again next year !
Some more random memories:
Oh, so you're walter (what can I say, I felt special :-)
Tender chicken (don't ask, you really don't want to know)
me and 5 girls in a Peugeot 206 (yes, life can be pretty good)
Dancing with the sexiest woman at the festival (See, I really wasn't looking to get anything when I said that ;-)
Ice cream in the middle of the night on Sunday (next time we'll have to do that when I'm not exhausted and actually good company. Maybe you'll even get your song then ;-)
Being gay can help you attract women (alledgedly)
We won (hey, Mike said so !)
Nutella (you still owe me 4 private lessons)
Da, volim te (thanks so much for the card. It made my weekend)
Rot op kreng (I figured I'd leave the other one out ;-)
Last month was the Croatian Summer Salsa Festival in Rovinj.
If you haven't been there yet... GO !
Stop whatever your doing and run to your boss/parents/travel agent and say that next year, 25 - 28 June, you'll be going to Croatia. You won't regret it.
First I'd like to thank all the organizers.
These guys and girls worked so hard it's incredible (I won't mention your coffee break Danijel ;) and did a great job. As a team they seem to function really well which shows in the way everything is taken care off.
Sure, there were some problems but most of them were transparent to the people there.
As I was one of the volunteers we met a day before the congress started. I was already in Rovinj and was actually planning to meet up with the organizers even sooner but somehow (thanks tourist info) I wasn't able to find them.
We were originally meant to meet up at 2 but as some of the volunteers wouldn't arrive until 4 that got postponed. It was horrible. It meant I had to spent 2 hours at the hotel pool enjoying the wonderful weather. Ah, the sacrifices we have to make in life.
Wednesday evening there was a small pre-party at a square in town where in the end about 15-20 couples were dancing.
Somehow social dancing anxiety hit again with a vengeance so I just sat there and watched them all. That said, I had a great time so I have no reason to complain.
Thursday registration started and the atmosphere was great. I had the day off (more time at the pool for me) so I enjoyed myself until I started 'working' at the party at night.
The party itself was great but unfortunately the airco broke down.
People would go in to dance only to come outside again, drenched in sweat, 15 minutes later.
The hotel where the party was held was aware of this and was trying to get a mechanic out but apparently that's not as easy as it sounds in summertime in Croatia. We were all keeping our fingers crossed for them to get it solved before Saturday's party.
Friday workshops started and the atmosphere was great.
Both the instructors and the attendees were having a great time and my favourite workshop of the day was by Danijel & Ċ½eljka, 2 of the organisers. Unfortunately I didn't tape it though and I have to admit I can't remember what they did. Guess I should have practised it more.
Friday night the party was held in the town square. I was looking forward to it but in the end we waited forever (ok, only 1.5 hours but it felt like forever) for our food so we missed a big part of it including the shows. As I hadn't seen any shows on Thursday that kept my grand total of shows seen at 0.
Saturday is a bit of blur (yeah, I should have written this sooner) but I remember a lot of running around and generally having a good time doing that.
The airco seemed to work better for the party Saturday evening although it was still warm.
The shows were held outside of the hotel and it was packed! There were people everywhere.
Unfortunately the performers had to come from inside to get to the stage which meant we needed to keep a path clear for them. Fair enough but it meant that I didn't get to see any shows on Saturday either. I guess I set a new record. Total of shows seen at a congress ... 0 :-)
Ah well, I'll wait for the DVD to come out I guess.
Then came Sunday. Sunday is famous at the Croatian Salsa Festival for 1 simple reason.... POOL PARTY ! ! !
The party was held at another hotel on an island. We spend 4 hours on a dock in the burning sun checking wristbands. After 5 minutes the heat was already getting to me and as I had forgotten to bring a cap I decided to buy one. Somebody (not sure who anymore, Danijel?) told me not to pay the price they asked and that was good advice. I actually got it for half price.
As I didn't really like any of the caps I decided to go for the most silly one I could find. A white cap with some text written on it in lovely shiny little stones.
Yes, it made me look incredibly gay but it was a great thing for people to comment on so I had lots of fun conversations that helped the time go by quicker.
And, as most people came in waves (there were still workshops going on) we also had time to swim a bit so it all turned out to be great fun.
The hardest part was sending people away. The party had sold out completely and we had to disappoint people that showed up without a ticket (hint, if you're going next year get your tickets for the party in advance).
At 4 the last boat to the island arrived and we got on to finally get to the party ourselves.
Once we got there everybody was enjoying themselves and the atmosphere was great. After we went for a swim to cool down a bit we joined in the dancing and had a blast. Just this party would have been worth coming down for.
As I'd be working at the party at night as well I started making my way back to the mainland around 7. Much sooner then I would have liked to but I guess volunteering has it downsides as well :)
The party at night was pretty relaxed. The highlight for me was that I finally got to dance with Daniela (and don't think you're off the hook just yet... we still have to do drinks next year Daniela ;-). Or rather, half a dance.
I was exhausted and used the end of the song as an excuse to run away and go sit by the pool again.
Then came Monday and it was time to pack up and leave again. Time to go back to reality.
All that was left was a farewell lunch. Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to most of you. Things got a bit confused when you all went back to the hotel to pick up the floor while I had to leave.
It was great meeting all of you though and I'm looking forward to seeing you all again next year !
Some more random memories:
Oh, so you're walter (what can I say, I felt special :-)
Tender chicken (don't ask, you really don't want to know)
me and 5 girls in a Peugeot 206 (yes, life can be pretty good)
Dancing with the sexiest woman at the festival (See, I really wasn't looking to get anything when I said that ;-)
Ice cream in the middle of the night on Sunday (next time we'll have to do that when I'm not exhausted and actually good company. Maybe you'll even get your song then ;-)
Being gay can help you attract women (alledgedly)
We won (hey, Mike said so !)
Nutella (you still owe me 4 private lessons)
Da, volim te (thanks so much for the card. It made my weekend)
Rot op kreng (I figured I'd leave the other one out ;-)
Monday night Salsa Life classes
The new location, Variete in Trier, is working out well and I think they did great with the schedule.
Now the intermediate class starts at 7, followed by the beginner's class at 8.
This is completely opposite to anything I've seen so far but there is definitely an advantage to it.
At 9 the party starts and all the beginners stay to do some social dancing. Some will only stay for 1 or 2 dances but at least they dance and I'm sure they'll improve a lot faster than I did.
I've also found that, unless I'm really tired, I'm starting to have an easier time dancing.
Like the beginners I stay (and yes, I'm taking this beginner's class as well :-) and dance afterwards. It started out just practicing what we learned in class but lately it's getting better and I'm starting to throw in things from previous classes. Sometimes it actually feels like dancing an entire song without repeating the same thing over and over and over and over again.
It's funny that this now seems like such a great accomplishment. Especially as I by now have learned enough combinations to dance several songs without having to repeat the same thing. Unfortunately I still have some mental block when I'm on the dance floor and nothing comes out.
That said, it seems like the walls are starting to come down.
I'm also really looking forward to July when I'll go to the Salsa Congress in Croatia. It'll be interesting to see how dancing goes with 'new' people.
It looks like two of my friends, Alenka and Marija, who were at the Slovenian Salsa Congress are going to be there as well. I'm looking forward to seeing them again and dancing with them. Salsa is a great way to make new friends.
The funniest thing to me is that not too long ago ago I was terrified by the prospect of dancing and now, although still a bit reluctantly, I am actually looking forward to it.
Now the intermediate class starts at 7, followed by the beginner's class at 8.
This is completely opposite to anything I've seen so far but there is definitely an advantage to it.
At 9 the party starts and all the beginners stay to do some social dancing. Some will only stay for 1 or 2 dances but at least they dance and I'm sure they'll improve a lot faster than I did.
I've also found that, unless I'm really tired, I'm starting to have an easier time dancing.
Like the beginners I stay (and yes, I'm taking this beginner's class as well :-) and dance afterwards. It started out just practicing what we learned in class but lately it's getting better and I'm starting to throw in things from previous classes. Sometimes it actually feels like dancing an entire song without repeating the same thing over and over and over and over again.
It's funny that this now seems like such a great accomplishment. Especially as I by now have learned enough combinations to dance several songs without having to repeat the same thing. Unfortunately I still have some mental block when I'm on the dance floor and nothing comes out.
That said, it seems like the walls are starting to come down.
I'm also really looking forward to July when I'll go to the Salsa Congress in Croatia. It'll be interesting to see how dancing goes with 'new' people.
It looks like two of my friends, Alenka and Marija, who were at the Slovenian Salsa Congress are going to be there as well. I'm looking forward to seeing them again and dancing with them. Salsa is a great way to make new friends.
The funniest thing to me is that not too long ago ago I was terrified by the prospect of dancing and now, although still a bit reluctantly, I am actually looking forward to it.
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