Salsa .... Who Likes Salsa? Hot, Medium or Spicy?

[elisedance]

[I hope you are asking someone else - I can't answer any of your questions - but maybe R can if she drops in - you might want to PM her, that way she will get a note in her email.]

[cdnsalsanut]

Just a note to say I was in Beijing recently and danced salsa every night of the week I was there. Great salsa scene, same in Hong Kong. Salsa really has taken off in Europe and Asia; I was pleasantly surprised at the level in China, it was very very good. I lucked into a salsa festival the weekend I was there and it was fantastic, shouts out to celia cruz, fania and Tito Puente.

A note to the ballroom crowd: I visited the forbidden city and there is a beautiful old park next door, so I went for a tour around the lake after doing the "city". Under a couple of large oak trees I noticed a number of people dancing around. I thought they were doing tai chi but as I got closer I realized they were ballroom dancing, in the park, under the trees, in the middle of the day...in communist china. Cool.

[elisedance]

A note to the ballroom crowd: I visited the forbidden city and there is a beautiful old park next door, so I went for a tour around the lake after doing the "city". Under a couple of large oak trees I noticed a number of people dancing around. I thought they were doing tai chi but as I got closer I realized they were ballroom dancing, in the park, under the trees, in the middle of the day...in communist china. Cool.

and you didn't join them?  I don't think I could have resisted...

[cdnsalsanut]

Join them? Of course I did. When in Rome...

[elisedance]

Join them? Of course I did. When in Rome...

..but you didn't mention that - so how did it go?

[dlgodud]

I dance Salsa socially, but don't like competitive Salsa.

[cdnsalsanut]

The salsa in Beijing was amazing.

The ballroom under the tree in the park adjacent the forbidden city was fun. It was social ballroom and american style. My friends dragged me over and insisted I with the ladies, so i did and it was nice. They were all very friendly and googd ancers.

I went to a social dance on the Sat night at the Sino Chu wine bar, organized by an ex New Yorker named Ken. Nice group, international style and very social. the ballroom was upstair of a restaurant and though small it was fun and everyone had a good time. The ladies were wonderful, lovely dancers.

I don't compete in salsa either, just for fun!

[samina]

Salsa was a big part of my life when I started dancing...I was doing ballroom, but I also took some on1 and on2 classes, and ventured by myself into latin clubs. It's what gave me an experience of really *dancing* while I was learning the basics of ballroom and felt so limited by my body on the floor that I wasn't experience "dance" in the studio. I owe a lot to non-ballroom salsa and those latin clubs...
It's been a few years since I made salsa any kind of priority, but I've started doing it again. So much fun...not just salsa but also rueda, which is a blast, and bachata, and am learning more about "casino" style salsa as compared with the NY/LA on1 style I'm familiar with.

Great exercise, lotsa fun, and...very cheap.

[cdnsalsanut]

Yes I like the cheap part.

Ballroom is so expensive, lessons and training and competitions.

I've been reading recently on this forum about ballroom not being real "dancing" and so forth and while I don't agree with that sentiment, I do agree that salsa and west coast swing and argentine tango allow dancers much more latitude to actually "dance". Interpret the music, hit the breaks, change up when the music changes. Although i love ballroom and it's beauty, I agree with you; salsa has taught me a lot about listening to and interpreting the music and finding the joy in dancing to the music.

[samina]

I so agree with you about the musicality, salsanut...last summer I explored the westie crowd for the first time back in jersey (Lindo has created such a great group of social leaders there), and it was similarly such a pleasure to experience *dancing* in a whole new way. So much more freedom and self-expression in a looser framework...very nice. A great counterpoint to Standard and Latin, which have their own heady brand of connection and musicality, but it takes more rareified training and study to achieve the technique or know-how to be able to get to it...if you can find a partner who has also acquired all that.

Salsa and WCS are great counterpoints to formal training. And such a salvation during this extended hiatus time for me.