The 2008 Beijing Olympics may be over, but the salseros/as at the 2008 Washington DC Salsa Congress had a lot of fun in an after party testing who would be the better spinner. I think the video is very funny as it shows what salsa dancers do as a contest (similar to drinking contests). The Bronze medal seems to go to Joey from Puerto Rico. However, due to security Silver and Gold could not be determined between Luis and Emily. Thanks to iMambo.tv for covering the event!
Continuing our preview of the upcoming San Diego Salsa Festival, we have the amazing dancers of Sabor Masacote Dance Company. Joel and Ana Massicot (”Masacote”) provide an interesting new mix of salsa dance style since Joel comes from St. Croix (Virgin Islands) and Ana comes from Mexico. Sabor Masacote is a dance company comprised of six talented individuals that not only specialize in salsa (NY Style On 2), but also in other diverse dance disciplines, such as ballet, modern, and jazz. You can see a mix of all these dance styles in their choreography.
And here is Joel and Ana themselves sociald ancing at the same congress in 2005. For those bound to ask, the song is called ‘Salsa Buena’ by Frankie Ruiz.
Continue reading ‘San Diego Salsa Festival Preview : Joel and Ana “Masacote”’
Why is Cha Cha good for you?
Let’s see why.
Frankie Martinez often says that “if Salsa is the man, then Cha Cha is the woman”. Cha Cha can be so delicate like the smell of a woman’s hair and as emotional as the jealousy of a girlfriend. There is an incredible addiction to dancing Cha Cha that is not very apparent at first, but very powerful.
Maybe it is because of its catchy and light Cha Cha Cha rhythm, or the marked accent of the 2 and 6 beats. Maybe it’s the carefree and non-hurried feel of the dance. Cha cha is so slow compared to Salsa that it feels like there is almost an infinite amount of time to develop and execute body isolations. Moreover, because Cha Cha is slower in tempo, we tend to pay more attention to the rhythmic components. The tumbao rhythm becomes so apparent in a way that it takes control of our body. The connection of the steps to the percussion of the music is remarkably easy to feel.
Perhaps its attraction rests on the opposite feel of its components, the cha-cha-cha (4 and 5 or 8 and 1) part feels subtle and natural, and the 2 3 (or 6 7) feel so determined and exact. And it is this contrast in movement that allows us to experiment with our bodies.
In terms of technique, the Cha Cha teaches exact timing and definition of steps. The Cha Cha rhythm is easy to hear and dance because the music is so slow that we can internalize the connection of the steps to the percussion beats. Initially, beginners dancers find it difficult to stay on the Cha Cha beat because Cha Cha’s tempo is so slow compared to Salsa. After a while the “cha cha cha” part of the beat jumps out from the music and it becomes crystal clear, taking hold of one’s sense of timing.
Cha Cha is precise in way that salsa cannot match. 10 milliseconds of discrepancy in a Cha cha step makes the body feel out-of-tune, whereas the same discrepancy in Salsa is the expected standard tolerance. ChaCha has very little room for timing error, but lots of freedom of in movement range.
So next time that the DJ plays a Cha Cha, do not take a break. Instead, grab a partner and use that opportunity to experiment with some isolations. Better yet, try to dance Cha Cha with perfect timing. After a while, there should be a noticeable improvement in your Salsa dancing.
Will salsa dancing finally rise from the underground to hit mainstream television? Shows like Dancing with the stars and So You Think You Can Dance have been on the rise, but even in these popular dance shows, salsa gets a brief cameo at best. So what, or who, would it take for salsa dancing to arrive to our TV screens in mainstream media?
Junior and Emily Alibi, ESPN Salsa champions, might just make this possible. They have made it through preliminary rounds and wowed millions on NBC’s reality show America’s Got Talent. They are not the first dance act in the show’s history, but they certainly are the first salsa dancers, and they have gotten to the wild card position. What does this mean? It means that they are now in competition with 8 other acts for a spot on the final round of the show. Tune in Friday, September 3rd to see if they got the spot!
This is very exciting for all the salseros and salseras out there, to see one of our favorite dance couples on a popular TV show, and Junior and Emily are certainly a deserving couple. Having trained with them personally, I am absolutely amazed at the amount of talent they have. They have a bright future, and thanks to them the community at large will be more aware of the hobby that has become a passion and even lifestyle for many of us. Go Junior and Emily!
Have you ever woken up with that obnoxious ringing in your ears after a long night of dancing at the club? Is that EVERY weekend for you? If so, you may want to look into options to protect yourself from Noise induced hearing loss. The way it develops is this: you go to a noisy club- noisy to the point that the next morning your ears are still ringing. This is a temporary threshold shift, a (mostly unnoticeable) hearing loss. In about 24 hours, your hearing is completely back to normal. However, after doing this week after week for several years, the “temporary” threshold shift becomes more permanent as the damaged inner ear structures can no longer repair themselves.
Salsa clubs vary in how loud the music is, so some people may be more at risk than others. The more frequently you go out, the more damage you are potentially causing. If you think this is a problem for you, you may want to try using earplugs. I made a recent earplug discovery when I noticed a salsero friend wearing these- musician’s earplugs: they soften the loudness without muffling the sound.
Continue reading ‘How to save your hearing from loud salsa night clubs’
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