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Monthly Archive for April, 2008

Ballet Hispanico - Palladium Nights - Theatre Musical

If you live near New York City (or if you will be in the Metropolitan area this weekend - May 3rd and 4th, 2008) then you cannot miss Ballet Hispanico’s musical, “Palladium Nights”. Unfortunately, there are only three shows left. 2pm and 8pm on Saturday, May 3rd and 3pm on Sunday May 4th 2008.

Palladium Nights

“… Palladium night club in New York City, where mambo was king, Tito led the band and the dancing was sensational! Located in the heart of New York’s vibrant 1950’s jazz scene, the Palladium gave rise to the popularity of the Mambo, the Cha Cha, and the Merengue, …”

http://www.palladiumnights.com/

I have bought my tickets already (1st row) and I will be posting a review next week (maybe even pictures and video too). There were still a few tickets left when I checked.

My previous post featured a TV special about this musical about the 1950’s. I find it very remarkable that, 55 years later, we are still enjoying an art form that has changed in essence very little. 55 years guys! That is 5.5 decades ago. My grandfather was about 22 years old in 1955. Had my grandfather lived in New York City in 1955, he would probably say (raspy voice) ” When I was your age, sonny, I went to a place called Palladium to do the Mambo”.

Actually, my grandfather lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico (near Mexico City). I wonder if you he ever danced the Mambo. Perez-Prado started his orchestra in Mexico City in the early 50’s. I vaguely remember my grandmother talking about the Mambo. That’s an idea for a future post.

Anyway, “Palladium Nights” will be like taking a time machine back the 195o’s. Ironically, since Mambo dancing, now Salsa dancing, has changed little-if you get past the Mambo, Salsa On1 or Salsa On2 arguments-every time we go to a Salsa night club is like traveling back to the 1950’s.

How to Speak Spanish to a Latin Girl (the right way)!

This is one of the funniest videos I’ve seen to date on youtube that has been stuck in my head. It is not salsa related, but I’m sure you’ll find it entertaining as well. The video is about how to romance a girl with just ONE semester of spanish. Very impressive. And a very catchy song!

History of Mambo and Salsa - Palladium Era

NJN, a local public television station, hosted a documentary in its Imagenes Series called “Golden Age of Dance”. It aired on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm

If you ever wanted to know how Salsa and Mambo got so popular, now you can watch a 27-minute documentary that focuses on the Palladium Ballroom Era (1950’s) in New York City.

This episode focuses on all aspects of Mambo/Salsa music around the 1950’s in New York City. In fact at the end of the video, a typical Palladium night is recreated along with dancers, instructors, performers and a big-band Orchestra.

So grab a comfortable chair and a drink and watch this whole Mambo documentary. It is worth it!!! It mentions famous Salsa dancers, musicians and instructors.

“Golden Era of Dance” - Part 1.

I had to split the video into 3 parts. Part 2 and Part 3 can be found in this article in ScarletMambo.com

Sexy Dancing: Merging Femininity and Athleticism in Dance

This one is for the ladies.  Most of us associate dance-especially Latin dance-with femininity: because dancing can be so sensual, it imitates the mating ritual, highlighting the masculine/feminine duality.  Some of this happens naturally, and a lot of it is taught, in the form of movement, posture, footwork and style.  It varies from place to place, with some styles emphasizing ultra-feminine hand placement and “daintier” footwork.  The differences even carry over to salsa culture, where in some areas it is popular to find make-up, sparkles, fashion, and high heels.

With this traditional element of femininity within modern culture, I wonder: how does it fit in with other aspects of modern culture that are not so feminine?  After decades of women’s rights and title IX allowing women to have university sports teams, and girls who now grow up playing rough sports, how do we merge the femininity of the old times with the athleticism of today?

Continue reading ‘Sexy Dancing: Merging Femininity and Athleticism in Dance’

San Francisco Congress Masters 2006 - Music Playlist

We had posted this video on youtube a long time ago - however, it was recently that I discovered that someone took the time to post all the songs associated with the video. Incase you have been looking for a specific song in the video os Salsa Congress Masters of SF 2006, here it is:

  1.  Tito Puente - Salsa Y Sabor
  2. Eddie Palmieri - La Malanga
  3. Sonora Poncena - Ecue Baroni
  4. Son Boricua - Mambo Diablo
  5. Ray Barretto - Descarga La Moderna
  6. Kako - Descarga Panama
  7. Felix Del Rosario - Lo Siento
  8. The Big 3 Palladium Orchestra - Oye Cayuco

Thanks to  bolivicano for his contribution!

Salsa Dance 33 : Basic Salsa Hand Juggle

In salsa dancing, there is more than meets the eye. There are a lot of simple hand-tricks that help you perform a simple move, but still make it complicated to the average viewer.

Here is just a simple step (mainly for beginners) on how to perform the basic hand juggle at the night club. For best effect, make sure you add separation of the hands, and practice it making it fast but smooth.

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