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You might be a Salsero/Salsera if…

7/22/2013

6 Comments

 
1. You vividly remember your first experience with Salsa and how you fell in love with it.
2. When someone mentions the word “salsa”, you immediately think of the dance instead of the tomato-based sauce people dip their chips in.
3. You take naps during lunch because you went dancing the night before.
4. You convince yourself that you can survive on 3-4 hours of sleep per night.
5. You’ve considered getting a different/easier day job to co-exist with your Salsa dancing.
6. You lie to your boss and tell him/her that the reason you have to fly to Los Angeles/New York/Miami/Puerto Rico is strictly for business.
7. You get caught watching Salsa clips online at work.
8. You never listen to the radio anymore because all you listen to are Salsa CDs.
9. All you friends will listen to when you go in their car is your Salsa CDs.
10. When you listen to techno, hip hop, or other popular music, you try to find the beat of “La Clave.”
11. You cruise downtown blasting your Salsa music.
12. Your neighbors are wondering what the hell that is you are playing.
13. You sneak out to your car during working hours just so you can listen to a few Salsa tunes.
14. Friday and Saturday nights are off-limits for any event because you simply CANNOT miss your Salsa fix.
15. When you say, “I need my FIX for the week!” you are not referring to drugs.
16. When you tell your friends, “I’m going out this weekend,” they already know you are going Salsa dancing.
17. All your “former” friends have abandoned you.
18. You don’t even miss your “former” friends, as long as you have your Salsa partners.
19. You have met all new and more permanent friends who understand you better.
20. You argue about how Salsa should be danced with your new friends.
21. Your family does not understand what you are ranting and raving about.
22. Your boyfriend/girlfriend does not understand the “strictly plutonic” relationship you have with your Salsa partners because you just cannot wait to see them again.
23. Your dump your boyfriend/girlfriend because they are getting in the way of your Salsa training.
24. After you break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, you go out Salsa dancing.
25. You have lost 10 lbs. from dancing so much.
26. You start wearing tight t-shirts.
27. Your skirts are getting shorter and shorter.
28. You started working out again because you want to fit into sexier Salsa outfits.
29. You say you are going shopping for new business clothes, but you are secretly Salsa 
shopping!
30. You start spending more money on Salsa clothes than work clothes.
31. You own multiple pairs of dance shoes.
32. You dance Salsa in your dreams.
33. You wake up mumbling “1,2,3…5,6,7..” (or “2,3,4…6,7,8”).
34. You practice turns when no one is looking.
35. You bust out into Salsa steps while waiting to use the restroom.
36. People do not know you are secretly practicing your footwork when they are speaking with you on the phone.
37. You watch anything that deals with body movement (karate, gymnastics, figure skating, etc.) because you are trying to devise new Salsa moves.
38. You are the only non-latino in the Musica Latina section.
39. You sing songs with words you don’t even understand.
40. Spanish expressions, such as “Que Rico!” and “Caliente!” are now part of your everyday vocabulary.
41. You begin convincing everyone around you that they have to learn to dance Salsa.
42. You try your Salsa moves in a hip hop dance club with somebody who has never partner danced.
43. You have searched and found EVERY Salsa club in town.
44. Not only that, but you know who own them, who teaches where, and how much Salsa they play at each one.
45. You walk into a club and everyone there is like family to you.
46. Salsa bands know you by name.
47. Club owners hate you because all you drink is the free water.
48. Salsa lessons and club cover fees are now a permanent part of your monthly expenses.
49. You used to be shy, but you are becoming increasingly confident, popular, and willing to show off every chance you get!
50. You cannot imaging life without Salsa.
51. You would rather have Salsa than sex.
52. You become non-productive because all you’re thinking about is the weekend and going Salsa dancing.
53. You start talking 100 mph just because someone shows an interest in Salsa dancing.
54. You are on the web all day long visting Salsa sites (and posting on Dance Forums!)
55. You are in church listening to the sermon, but secretly you are dancing in your head.
56. You own several Salsa instructional videos.
57. You are on one those videos.
58. When someone says “Do a CBL,” you know what that means because you now speak Salsa-Code.
59. You have pictures of youself Salsa dancing.
60. You go on vacation and, instead of looking forward to seeing the main attraction, you cannot wait until you check out the local Salsa scene.
61. You start to travel more just so you can see Salsa somewhere else.
62. You start clearing space at home so you can practice Salsa there.
63. You install wooden floors in your house.
64. You get stopped (in grocery stores, in the mall, etc.) by random people telling you that they have seen you dance.
65. The only time you rest in the club is during the merengue breaks.
66. Your shoes are worn out from spinning so much.
67. You have bruises from all those dips, flips, tricks, etc.
68. You decide that going out Salsa dancing is more important than studying for that big exam.
69. You and your partner dance in the oddest places (airports, stores, at work, etc.)
70. You become jealous when watching your dance partner, whom you have had no relations with, dance with another person.
71. You have Salsa music on your voicemail.
72. You quit watching TV.
73. You do you leg workout earlier in the week so you can have “fresh” legs for your Salsa weekend.
74. You have a screen name/email address with “salsa” somehow in it.
75. You decide the only man/woman you will marry has to be a Salsa dancer!
Picture
Picture
As posted by Darin Price on 7/18/13 on my Facebook wall. Though this list has been around and grown for some time that I can't recall who really started it. Just sharing, though I know a lot of people are conflicted about point 51, feel free to add more to this. 
6 Comments

Salsa Thoughts to Consider

7/4/2013

5 Comments

 
One of my major influences, Teddy Olaso (Artistic Director and Co-Founder of United Salseros from Toronto, ON, Canada) gave some of his thoughts and I generally agree with him. As always feel free to comment and share
1. Dancing On2 is NOT superior to dancing On1. Musicality is musicality no matter what timing you are on and technique is technique no matter what timing you use. However, most of the people I met who I consider exceptional dancers dance On2, but those are the only people I've met. It's the dancer -- not the dance.

2. If you can follow off-time, ladies, you can certainly follow On2...take my word on it.

3. Try not to assume that if a leader is not leading you properly or the follower isn't following properly that is their fault just because your teacher told you (or did not tell you in class)..a little humility will help you learn faster and avoid running into a Simon Cowell of the Salsa scene that will give you a reality check.

4. Dancing with most advanced dancers alone will NOT make you better. Yes, that's part of it because it allows you to use what you know easier, but make no mistake, more advanced dancers consciously or unconsciously compensate for you, and most people - especially those with ego problems - wouldn't know. The true test is when you can dance with people of all levels and still be able to use most of your basic choreography.

5. Leaders, I barely barely ever hear of women (and I hear lot of) that the leaders don't have enough turn patterns or choreography. Top of the complaints are no timing, all over the place, no leading technique, and roughness. Followers, I never have heard of guy complaining that followers don't have enough styling. Typical complaints are not following, too heavy and rough, no balance (turns are off) and back leading. The moral of the story is that what most people worry about is not the main concern of the other party involved.

6. Performance Team training alone will make me a good social dancer. Err...no! Unless your performance team training involves good practical social dancing (not just memorizing the routine) technique, timing and musicality, you will be standing around the entire congress after your moments of glory on stage.

7. If take this dance or this movement discipline, my Salsa will improve. Yes and No. Yes, if the training your embarking on involves very specific somatic exercises that specifically addresses coordination, centering, relaxation, suppleness, posture, etc. No, if all your going to be learning is a bunch of new moves (without any emphasis on the following) because you will simply take all your existing problems to that new discipline, and then you'll have even less time to have qualitative practice.

8. My favorite nonsensical comment that I hear..."Well, you all look the same and similar." My favorite two responses: "Well, who are they supposed to look like (not imitate) if they learned from me, the school next door?" and "That's funny, I can say the same thing for people who don't take lessons or learn from other schools."

9. What you see on the dance floor will not necessarily what you will feel on the dance floor. Someone can look super smooth and feel rough when you touch them and another can look really flashy and nice until you dance with them and feel like a prop for their performance!

10. Resistance in partner work for Salsa (or partner work dance in general) does not mean you have to be stiff or to actively "push or pull" against your partner all the time in a traditional sense - it must be balanced with varying levels of pressure AND softness in order to be quick, clear, adaptable and comfortable. Your partner work should be able to be as light as beach ball (exceptionally light pressure), a nerf ball ball (medium) or a Pilates/exercise ball (high); they all have pressure and resistance. Partner work should be the same, depending the nature of the dance and the choreography involved. A big topic certainly...
5 Comments

    Dave

    I've danced for awhile, and my goal has been to improve the CNY salsa dancing community. This blog is to share some of my dance opinions as well as share releases of music & much more

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