March 30, 2004 -- Let's talk "salsa."

I'm referring to how we dance to the music! Once upon a time I would venture out to the Palladium and other venues in NYC to dance Salsa. Nowadays, I find it impossible to find a place where the "real" salsa is danced. And ... I really do miss it!!! Does anyone out there the same sense of loss??? -- Lydia

March 2, 2004 -- Can You Feel Me Article by Nina 2002

Hi Rose, Again and again - Great site!! :) I don't know when I will ever finish going through your entire site!! I feel like I'm mining gold! I see something interesting everyday!! :)

Regarding Nina's article in: http://tosalsa.com/forum/features/article020618nina_canyoufeelme.html

I tried accessing Salsafix but it looks like the site no longer exist? I would like to contact Nina and compliment her on her article. Would it be possible to get her email if you still have it?

To other ToSalsa readers, read the article! It's probably the best article I've read comparing ballroom and street salsa. And definitely reiterates the line present in all dance flicks and said by a lot of latinos: "FEEL THE MUSIC!"

From her article, I quote:
"...Dancing is the same, when the music moves you, when it overwhelms you, when it threatens to overtake you, you have to let it out...."

"...Allow your body to move without resistance..."

That's what Javier meant in the movie when he told Katey that she is scared. Scared to let go of her emotions, that is!!

I have to say it is not easy to do! I was dancing with a Cuban guy last week (1st time), and the dancing was great.. all that "you feel connected", "you feel his next move", etc.... but when he was getting a bit too close, I was backing out.. resisting the emotion.. at the moment... and he actually said "Are you scared of me? You seem nervous.. I don't bite!"
Whoa!! and then, a week after, I see the movie.. and then now, the article!

I actually received an email from this Cuban guy.. and this is what he said: ".... you need learn spanish, because when you know my language you would feel tha real mean about the letter, sometimes is so hot, so in this case this music go through your feet till your heart, after that you dreaming, when you dance, like making love with the other person. I know is so difficult for you understand me, don't be afraid..."

So this Saturday, when I go dancing -- I will let go!!!! or atleast try to!
:-)

SoonToBeNotScaredSalsera

p.s. kindly post this in the Dear ToSalsa, or maybe the discussion board where other people can share their experience? Thanks Rose! All the best to you!

Dear SoonToBeNotScaredSalsera, here's my responses...

1. Thanks for giving me a little giggle about mining for "gold" -- just shows you how salsa-addicted I am...

2. Sorry, I don't have Nina's address; and

3. Yes, I know we need a discussion board, I've been waiting for my "geeky" friends to finish it off... do you think I like to spend nights posting when I could be dancing? Rose

January 16, 2004 -- Bacardi Salsa Congress Denver 2001

I Attended the Denver congress show which I believe was in October 2001 or 2002, I can't remember exactly, and I would like to view some of those photos if possible. Thanks! Jamie

Dear Jamie, sorry, I don't have any pictures of this congress. Rose

January 7, 2004 -- Welcome to Brazil, Rose

Hi Rose, I was surprised to know that you came to Brazil, but it will be incomplete without a trip to Rio de Janeiro. Try to make us a visit before return to your home. The days here are sunny and we are having several salsa programs on the week. Bye! João Otávio

Dear Raul, I have no idea but try typing search in google.com for a Indianapolis salsa or check city listings in salsaweb or salsapower (but remember they may be out-of-date). Good luck, Rose

Hi Rose, how are you?

first of all, I´ve got to say that i´m really glad that you´re coming to visit my country, Brasil!!! As a frequent reader of your site and a salsa dancer, i feel flattered with your presence down here! I really enjoy your site and the stuff contained on it. You probably know that we had in the last week our first World Salsa Congress, which was really great! Alex da Silva e Luis Vasquez are simply amazing! Nobody danced when they´re in action, cause their unique style is so appealing that takes all the crowd´s attencion! They were accessible and symphathetic in a way that I wasn´t expecting! Well, I hope you enjoy your visit here and have a great time! Brasil is a huge country and have lots of places to go! If you have some time left, come to my city Brasília! I´d love to dance salsa with you, one of the greatest! Maybe you could give us a workshop! Sounds great to me! Truly, Eduardo!

November 15, 2003 --



Hi Rose. Greetings from Hong Kong where Salsa is alive and well. Just in
the last month, highlights include Ibrahim Ferrar and his band from Cuba and Johnny Polanco and his band from LA. We are enjoying the Salsa scene in this fabulous city and looking forward to making our own contribution. We look forward to visting Toronto for the Christmas holidays.

Here are some recent pictures of our experiences here in Hong Kong.
All the best. Carole and David Chala, Sonido Cubano

2 things for you:

1.- This is a salsa web site. So talk about SALSA!

2.- I am a LATINO "te guste o no". And make us a favor to all latinos. be quit and get a life.

thank you. ;-] -- Lucho

I was interested to read the two web-pages of material related to the intersection, if you will, of the definitions of "Latin" and "race." I wanted to interject my own belief about said intersection and I wonder if you would post it or make it a topic open to discussion and interpretation. My own belief is that "Latin" heritage is unrelated to which American country one hails from or the racial origins of one's ancestors. I believe, rather, that the idea of Americans (from any of North, Central, or South America) describing themselves as "Latin" is a near-absolute misnomer. Hispanic? Sure; but Latin? Let's recall who were the original Latins: They were a people of what are now the central and southern parts of the Italian peninsula who lived several thousand years ago. Soon, they dominated the peninsula culturally and their descendants interdigitized with other southern and central peninsular peoples as well as northern peninsular peoples, such as the Etruscans, and the Hellenic peoples of Sicily and the other islands. If anyone should be called the modern Latins, it is the people of Italy, their modern-era descendants (although I would not posit that they should be calling themselves Latins and not Italians - although the words share a common origin in Latinum, the original territory of the ancient Latins and the modern-day province of Lazio). I understand that the Spanish-, Portuguese- and certain French-speaking peoples of the Americas claim the "Latin" title by right of linguistic affinity. Maybe this is reasonable. However, Spanish, Portuguese and French arose as Latin was imposed on preexisting Celtic-, Germanic-, and other-speaking peoples by the Roman Empire as it grew out of Italy. The most distinct extant evidence of this is the consonantal plural terminations of nouns, originally in their nominative (and now only) case. This is a linguistic fossil record that has been used throughout linguistic studies to classify languages into their respective families and branches. Their vocabulary and grammar, because they were the product of imperial imposition, is garnered enormously from Latin, but they are no more Latin than is the English language - a language whose origin is Germanic, but much of whose vocabulary and grammar was taken from Latin and then Norman French. By the same means as Spanish-, Portuguese-, and French-speaking peoples of the Americas, should all English-speaking peoples also be called Latin? Are all of the people of the United States and Canada truly Latin Americans, regardless of race or ethnic origin, simply because they speak English? In light of this argument, why is the title "Latin" used in modern times? It is my own opinion that nobody should be calling themselves Latin. They were a people of long, long ago whose language influenced many peoples. They, however, have long since vanished into the very distant ancestry of some Italians. Given that one could agree with this assessment, what then is a more befitting title that these Romance-language-speaking peoples of the Americas could take?

I do hope very sincerely that this can be taken for a valid topic for discussion. I want to be quite clear that no personal or racial offense was or is intended within it. I naturally acknowledge that the matter of the subject may likely produce a strongly emotional effect upon some who may read it, especially among those who identify themselves particularly strongly with the term "Latin" or "Latino." Please understand and be aware that I am only interested in why those titles came into being and how they are relevant.

Thank you and kindest regards,
Cristoforo Aurelio Nioxoro
Viterbo, Italy

Rose,.. I hope that you are well.
I wanted to inform you of a great Latin American radio program out of Edmonton, Alberta. The radio program is played regularly on sunday afternoons from 4-6pm on Edmonton's 88.5 FM (www.CJSR.com) which is the University of Alberta's radio station. It can also be accessed and downloaded on the web at www.sinfronteras2000.com 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. The website has links to a number of other Latin American websites which can be very insightful. I hope that this bit of information is useful for those interested in Latin American music, art/culture, politics, etc. All the best, Cristian Munoz

Yo naci en Pais Mexicano hubicado en el continente Americano, al Norte del mismo. Por a~os me he oido llamarle a gente alta,blanca y de ojos de otro color (mayoria azules) "Americanos".

Almenos recuerdo muy bien el mapa del "continente" Americano, donde lo forman paises tanto del lenguaje Espa~ol, Portugues, Ingles y miles de Dialectos que han sido celosamente concervados por los fundadores de la civilizacion en America, los indigenas!; A los que sutilmente se les vino a despojar poco a poco de sus tierras "Americanas", digo no!!? si tansiquiera se les hubiese "agradecido" honradamente por su hospitalidad creo que nuestro presente seria menos conflictivo. -- Yeszyk

Rose, I was impressed with your Spanish to Karla's e-mail from Spain. Have you been taking Spanish lessons, Rose? Where are you taking your classes? -- Heidy

Dear Heidy, yes, I did take a spanish class for one session last year to give me some of the basics and then got too busy to continue. I have been exposed to High School Latin and French, which really helps with the languages in terms of the basics. But to help me understand what people are writing and to speed things up, I use freetranslation.com and/or friends who are fluent in Spanish. In terms of schooling, if you want to take some cheap classes, then go to a high school night class. Some of my friends take classes at the colleges or go to Spanish Learning Centre. It boils down to whatever is convenient for you. It also helps if you have friends who are fluent in Spanish to help you with your pronounciation. Rose

Hola, como estan????
soy venezolana, pero vivo en españa... les escribo porque necesito saber de algun lugar cerca de la provincia de castellon en la que se formen grupos de personas profesionales o semi profesionales, cuyo objetivo es bailar salsa, propiamente dicho.. si conocen de algun lugar, comentenme gracias... Karla Di Mauro, Spain

Dear Readers, does anyone know of any good Spanish Salsa websites? In the meantime, you can check this link out for more information.
Karla, verifique por favor la conexión para más información. Rose

hi, i just moved to san juan, puerto rico from the states and arrived just after the salsa congress. i was hoping to get information on a good salsa studio/company that somebody might remember that left a good impression that way i can look them up or better yet if you have their name/# it would really be appreciated. the styles from the schools i've visited aren't what i expected. if you remember any good company that has an explosive and modern dance style please let me know. thanks for the help. Armando

Dear Armando, it's funny, I've been to Puerto Rico three times and I have no idea where they have schools on salsa... I suggest checking out the Havana Nightclub and inquire there about instructors as they don't advertise themselves at the Congress except as dance performers. Rose

I am a 22 year old female who danced competitively throughout my childhood. After recent trips to mexico and cuba... I've realized that I NEED to dance again. I am looking for information on places to get serious salsa lessons (I do not have a partner) which could help me enter into the dancesport competitition scene. My problem is that I do not want to pay for 5 lessons (or something along those lines) because I am looking to stay with this for years. Are there any studios that register people for a year at a time? and also help with competition registration? I am living in the Toronto area, and I'm willing to travel to the best studios in the area. I"m very serious about this! Thank you for your help -- Meghan

September 9, 2003 -- Meghan's e-mail

Meghan, I hope you know that nobody in Cuba or Mexico dance the way
you will be taught in those schools. Nobody dances ballroom dancing in Latin America. Ballroom dancing comes from England.
What they teach you in those schools are Ballroom salsa dancing or ballroom cha cha cha. That is shame because when you go to Latin America nobody dances like that. It is also a shame because this music comes from Latin America.

Just writing you to warn you. I learned the hard way. -- Alex

Hi, I have been dancing Salsa on 1 for approixmately 1 year now and I have always closed my feet on the 3rd and 7th beats.

I was informed that Mambo was a break back (for ladies) on 2, but that the feet pass one another, rather than closing.

Recently, I took a lesson with a very reputable instructor and she informed me that I had the dances confused. She said in Salsa you pass your feet and Mambo you close.

So, my question is: which theory is correct? Thanks! -- Anonymous


September 9, 2003 -- To Anonymous

Anonymous, You should never close your feet. They only teach people to close their feet here because Canadians will get confused if they teach they should pass their feet. Beginners will often confuse which foot they should put out forward. Putting your feet together often causes people to lose their balance.

Advanced dancers of this style like it. For them it looks sharper. For Cuban it looks stiffer and not natural. Cubans do the basic step all around the floor, while LA style just back and forth.

People associate New York style salsa dancing with the name Mambo. Mambo is 100% Cuban music. They don't even play Mambo in the nightclubs. What he was trying to teach was what they call salsa here. Go to music store and buy some Mambo music and try to the basic step (123-quick-quick-slow) you learned to real mambo music. You can't. Mambo is much faster than salsa and is rarely danced in couples. People should be careful when they use the name Mambo. -- Rosmary


September 12, 2003 -- Anonymous and Passing feet

Dear Anonymous, Rosmary is absolutely right. It is very difficult to dance and put your feet exactly side to side. It causes you to lose balance. You have to concentrate hard to put you feet this way exactly side to side. And why would you want to do it? When you dance this step, one foot should always be slightly in front of the other. This way is more natural. You can put your exactly side to side when you do the "cumbia" or Toronto old style salsa, but then you out more space between your feet.

Some instructors may teach to close your feet exactly. But when you watch them dance most put one foot a little in front of the other because it is more natural. -- Mechy

Hi, I was wondering if someone could explain to me what exactly is the Puerto Rican style? I understand the difference between on 1 and on 2 - LA vs. NYC vs. Cuban. Although where does PR fit in? Thanks! -- Love2salsa

September 2, 2003 -- PR Style Salsa

In a very simplistic way puertorican style is the geometric opposite of New york style in that men break forward on 2. This automatically places the emphasis on 2 versus 6 so it has a very different feel. Men who dance on 1 find PR style easier to adopt to because they are used to breaking forward (women are OK with either one as long as the guy stays consistent). Apart from the steps, I believe Puertorican style incorporates a lot more hips, shoulders and other body movements. The PR performances I have watched seem to have sort of a show biz flair with less armwork and turns than NY style. PS. If you live in Toronto, you may want to talk to Paul C(United Salseros) or Stephanie G. -- M

Hey Rose - just wondering what's up.. where you at? I am anxiously waiting for the LA and PR Video Clips! I know you are crazy busy, although could we get even one clip for a teaser... Tnx! Anxious

Dear TOsalsa, Ihave recently began using the partner find feature on your web site ;and have already had some result.Unfortunately negative .Yesterday i received an email from a woman who claimed to have been taking lessons,on and off for a couple of years. What she did't tell me was tht those lessons were group classes. Also she lied about her weight and her age; about ten years and forty pounds. I made arangements to meet her at the Lula Lounge on saturday night .When I saw her Imade my exuses and left.. Fortunately it was already 12:45am and I had been dancing since 10:00pm. Not to be a snob ar anything ;but i don't think it's fair to misrepresent your self like that. I also have an ad on partner search . I am very honest about my self .I describe my self fit and good looking with sixty plus hours of private tutoring ,from a reputable school. She looked a little hurt when I made my exuses and left. That's too bad.If you are going to deceive people ; don't be surprised when it blows up in your face. sighned Jack

I love to dance salsa thank for this page. I know how to dance salsa bad I will like to learn how to dance profetional salsa -- Odaimy

Dear Readers, I would like to let you know that Nicole DeSilva's article about Casino Rueda might not be entirely her own. Mariela Cuellar Alarcon's article at www.gpuri.com/mariela.html is almost word for word identical to Nicole DeSilva's article. Maybe it was Mariela who copied Nicole's article, but I doubt that.

I don't mean to be malicious. But I think you should acknowledge people who you take information from. Or else it is called plagarism. I think it is bad that you give impression to the public that you have knowledge that you don't obviously have.

If you doubt me, check it out. -- Rosmary

Even though there was a world wide uproar after the mess the WSF started with their international competition last October in Ft. Lauderdale, I see that they are hosting a second annual competition this year.

Does everyone have AMNESIA? These folks are the biggest frauds around. Who the hell do they think they are trying to "certify" dancers. Although Isaac's wife can dance, he cannot... and now he looks like a cafiche with that died black moustache and the funky hat. He is an old man who is past his prime trying to make it in a youth oriented dance world. But the worst part of it is that he is trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes at the same time.

I recommend that you do NOT GET INVOLVED with this foul mouthed, arrogant schemer. If you think I'm exaggerating, there is an excellent article about what he did last year at http://www.salsapower.com/editorials/wsf.htm

Before you fork out your hard-earned money to attend this event, you'd better read about this guy. -- Odalys

Michael, It is spelled Colombian. Most people think that Colombian style salsa dancing is something which it is not. If you ever been to Colombia, you will know that most Colombians don't dance the way most people think they do here. If you want to meet a good dancer, he or she will probably come from Cali, the capital of salsa in Colombia.

About the taps. Actually, the taps came from Cuba. In the 1970's in Cuba, taps were the big thing. And people used to tap on the 3 or 4, or sometimes both at the same time. If you want to see an amazing salsa dancer who dances with taps, you got to see the Cuban guy Juan Carlos who dances at Orale every Saturday. An amazing dancer. -- Rosmary

To Salsera,
Being a half Cuban and half Italian woman who grew up in Cuba, I have to say the Casino Rueda that CityCorps or United Salseros is very strange. It is certainly not the Casino of Cuba today. They don't even do prima, one of the most basic and important calls in Casino. Don't expect to go to Cuba and be able to follow the calls if you learn from them. Try to do a United Salsero/ Soles sombrero in Cuba and see what happens.

I think the Casino they learned is an older form of Casino Rueda from the 1970's. Probably some old Cuban guy went to the United States and added some ballroom and then called it
Casino Rueda. It is too bad because it is a type of LA/ New York Casino Rueda only confined to a few dance schools in the United States. You should learn Cuban Casino Rueda that way you can dance with a whole country of people.

Many of the salsa instructors go to Cuba. And of course, they are amazed. But instead of teaching Cuban style salsa dancing. They teach Afro-Cuban styling. Give me break. They think the only difference between North America salsa and Cuban dancing is the body movement. If they were really serious they would really study Cuban dancing, not just watch a few dancers there while there on vacation.

Casino is a style. Why don't they teach Casino dancing? Casino is made for Casino Rueda. The spins, cross body leads in Casino are especially made for a rueda. Why don't they teach that? Why don't people take Casino instead of Afro-Cuban body movement? It is Casino Rueda. It is not LA or New York style rueda. -- Rosmary

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/16/cruz.obit/index.html

We are planning to go for vacation in Cuba and combine it with salsa lessons (advanced level). We would appreciate it if you could give us some tips on how or where to find good instructors -- Yioulica

Dear Yioulica, hopefully one of our readers who has been to Cuba can help you out, but I do know there's lots of schools in Havana as schools of dancing and music is one of their main curriculums. Rose

1) For the turn when women turn to the outside in the "mambo" position, Cuban women start turning on 2 rather than the 3 that they do in New York or LA. So, Cuban men start the turning women here faster than they expect here.

2) Spins in Cuban dancing move around the floor. In LA or New York style dancing, people like to spin the girls in one spot. And they spin the girls like they are conducting an orchestra. In Cuba, every spin means move. In NY or LA, the basic spin for the girl in the "mambo" spin leaves in the same position before and after the spin. The same spin in Cuba, makes her travel more and leaves her in a different place.

3) Women in NY or LA style have their arms too rigid for Cuban style dancing. I can understand this because you need more resistance to do the multiple spins in one direction. Multiple spins in one direction (you know where the girl continues to spin and spin in one direction) is rare in current Casino.

3) LA or NY style dancers dance the basic in a slot. Cubans basic step ot cross body leads move around the dance floor. Never back and forth and never the straight cross body leads of North American style. Cubans seem more agressive with women because they want them to move around the dance floor and move their hips.

But of course almost all Cuban men can dance with good LA or
NY style dancers. But the opposite is not true, most LA or NY style dancers find it hard to dance with Cuban women. It shows the face the Casino is more fundamentally sound. Not matter what crazy spins or move Cubans do, they never lose track of the clave, the rhythm of the music. Other salsa styles teach dips, always spinning on one leg, posturing and shines. That is okay, if you don't lose track of the music. Of course, when they do these kinds of things, they try to go back into the music, it is one big pause and a big basic ballroom step forward or back. -- Mechy

It is because it is so difficult for Cuban dancers to perform outside Cuba that many people have never really seen Cuban dancing. For example in this forum, many people have said the following FALSE statements.

1) There are no cross body leads in Cuban style dancing

2) Cuban dancing is basically Toronto old style dancing or Colombian (but they usually spell it like Columbian) "cumbia" dancing

3) There are no intricate turn patterns in Cuban style dancing.

These statements are untrue !! Or people see some Cuban and they think all Cubans dance that way. They are many bad dancers in Cuba too because a higher percentage of Cubans dance salsa than Canadians. If I go to the Plaza Flamingo on a Saturday night, would I conclude this is the level of salsa dancing in Toronto? Many dancers that most tourists see in Cuba are cabaret dancers. They are really just for show and tourists. They are not real salsa or casino dancers.

Too bad the Cuban salsa congress was cancelled. It was doomed from the start because it is very difficult for Americans to travel to Cuba. It was also very difficult for American companies to sponsor this event. Without the Americans there, they couldn't sell enough tickets. And most of the dancers who are into Cuban style dancing didn't want to hang out with the LA and New York style "all-stars" in Cuba. So, they went by themselves. It is too bad because they would have seen what real dancing is about. Just ask Bong.

People think just because Cuba is communist that salsa dancing has not developed in Cuba. It is the opposite. The separation of North America has allowed to develop on its own. In North America, Salsa dancing was influenced by ballroon and disco. Thst's why, Casino still looks uniquely different. -- Chincub

Dear Rose, Can you please stop being inconsiderate to your readers and post some videos from the WCSC. I know you claim to be busier then a one legged man in an ass kicking contest but come on, i'm sure you can find the time to post the video's finally. Regards, Sugar, The Sweetest guy in New York

Rose, Hats off to your site, it's fantastic & you're obviously super dedicated to keeping it that way -- Makes it a pleasure to visit on a regular basis!

I have a (probably very simple) question for you. The salsera you have featured dancing with Nelson Torres on one of your clips by the name of Diana... She used to be w/ a school/group called Cultural Explosion (run by a guy by the name of Juan) correct? If this is her, I would love to know if you know of where I could find more videos of her. I think she dances fabulously (spinning in particular) & would love to watch more of her.

Any info on her that you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks & keep up the good work,
Danielle M. Menéndez
Miami, F

Dear Danielle, I believe she does have a line of videotapes, but I'm not sure who sells them, you might want to try google.com and search,

What up Sunny, here are some of my favourite salsa nights in London city (UK)

1. Tuesday at sound (Leicester Square, London W1D 5QF ). You will find the music very cool and everyone is a good dancer there.
2. Wednesday at the Finca (96-98 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JB).The music is cool here they also play mambo and timba.
3. Friday at bar Latina (Tottenham London (tel (+44) 0208 365 0011).
4. Saturday at Loughborough (Loughborough Hotel, Loughborough Road, Brixton SW2).
5. If you like Cuban salsa (timba), Mondays at the Buffalo Bar (259 upper street London N1).
6. If you like just chill you can go (Monday) iron bar (labrokgrove London w10).
7. If you like NY and on the 2 stuff got to S.O.S (Sundays) (I can’t remember the address but if you ask any one in the above clubs the will tell you.

I hope you find these useful, have fun in our cool city and I hope you like our salsa clubs. (By the way don’t know any thing about Paris). Later E. (London UK)

I will be travelling to London and Paris shortly for a few weeks and I really want to salsa dance in these cities. There are so many clubs promoted on the internet. Which clubs are good? Sunny

Rose, Just wanted to say that the photos of Henry Herrera (soldier) & Zumel (chinese girl) of Salsa Racing came out teriffic! Nice shots!!! Juan from Miami

In response to ur post on the salserosweb postings...

I wouldn't take 3 dancers opinions on Frankie and Seaon's use of music. These dancers couldn't get into Seaon's dance company therefore are now trashing him... Johanna

Hola salseros! Have you ever thought of a large salsa congress and salsa events taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? Saludos Salseros Desde Rio de Janeiro, Gisa

I was in the elevator Sunday and someone said that when Seaon's group was performing on Friday, people were yelling at "Frankie, Frankie" in reference to Frankie Martinez. I wasn't there. If someone was there and can fill me in, please shed some light on this. Thanks, Lisa

Hello world, I am Jaime Jesus from Sydney Australia. Here in Sydney salsa had a huge Cuban influence, in fact everyone used to dance Cuban style and Rueda.

But as time when on and we became more educated in the world of salsa a change started to happen. Everyone took notice of the other styles danced around the world and they started to change the way they were dancing. Schools changed what they were teaching depending on what style they preferred.

Today the LA Style is the most popular style danced in Sydney and the Cuban has faded out. Dance like everything else in this world evolves, we can not stop the changes we can only choose to follow them or not. As Salseros we all have in common the passion for song and dance.

The different styles should not be something to separate us but a celebration of how the whole world is now dancing and interpreting salsa in their own ways. Instead of treating each other badly because of our personal preference of style, we should share our reasons why with one another and learn from each other as much as possible.

Sorry to bother you. Do any of you know any salsa schools outisde Canada and the US? If any of you have the experience of being taught and trained by salsa teachers in Latin America, please let me know if it's worth your while to go out there to meet the dancers and understand their culture. -- T Morton

I was writing to request a little advice. This summer, in July I will be coming up on my one year salsa dancing anniversary. (woo hoo!) To celebrate, I thought there could be no better time to treat myself to something very special...... my first salsa congress. However, I'm having a little trouble deciding where I should go. Given all the praise surrounding Puerto Rico World Salsa Congress....this was naturally my first choice. But I have some concerns.

Will PR be a little to overwhelming for a 1st time congress goer?

Since this will be my first time and I will be going it alone more than likely do you think that Puerto Rico would be a little much or would it be a perfect first congress experience.

I have been saving like crazy -- Monica

Dear Monica, it's nice to hear from you again; and glad that you're going to celebrate your one year anniversary with a salsa congress. If you decide you would like to check out Puerto Rico first -- you wouldn't be making a bad choice as it is a great mix of a warm, sunny, beautiful beach location with lots of salsa inspiration to leave a lasting impression. Not only will you see some great dancers and dance groups... wait until you see the kids from Puerto Rico and Venezuela. They will either totally inspire you or made you realize you have a lot to learn about dancing!

Overwhelming? It depends on why you're going to a congress... and it depends on how large the venue is, whether there's room to dance compared to the number of participants, on whether you're going there to dance socially or watch shows; or both! The larger the congress, the more intimidating it can be if you expect to be asked to dance by all these "great dancers" -- it rarely happens as they usually tend to stick to their friends or people they know. If you're not afraid to ask, then you will definitely have a good time if the odds are you're asking dancers who won't say "no" to anyone. Be prepared for those who are picky and just want to show their stuff with only advanced dancers.

In the smaller congresses, it becomes more fun as you don't have to fight to find a good spot in a workshop; and there's greater opportunity to dance or socialize more as there's less people to dance and talk to... 100's versus 1000's.

Which do I prefer? Well, larger congresses are great if you want more of a cross-section of the World as all the best dance teams usually gravitate to these congresses; and it may be the only opportunity to meet up with all my salsa friends from around the World that I may only talk to usually via the net. For me, I actually don't usually like dancing at these large Congresses as I feel it's too impersonal and I have a hard time finding my friends in these huge crowds. I usually enjoy the smaller congresses more as they are closer to home, don't take up any vacation time and are usually within driving distance and therefore less $$$ are spent. Also, there's usually enough dancers from the International circuit for me to mingle, socialize, dance with and get to know better on a more personal level than at the larger congresses.

So it boils down to, what type of congress you would like to check out, whether your budget can handle it; and to keep it interesting, you may want to try a different one each year and make it an annual salsa vacation. Hope this helps and good luck with your decision, Rose

PS Another thought if you only dance on 1, Puerto Rico may not be the best choice as the majority of the dancers there social dance mostly on 2; and the same goes for the New York Salsa Congress -- everywhere else I believe is primarily on 1, with a smattering of dancers who dance on 2.

PPS For a little research, you may want to check out my photos from the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress (these were the best photos I've taken to date of shows because of their wonderful lighting and the fact media was able to sit in the front row); and/or write-ups of various salsa congresses by various dancers who attended them, including moi.

I lived in Cuernavaca Mexico one summer and we danced every night in that city, different clubs, Merenge, rancheras, and salsas.

I'm in Rochester, NY we dance Wed- Saturday and have a choice on the weekends of at least two places. We don't always have a good choice of leaders. I love our leaders, but they are a nice small group and hard to keep track of. So if you are a true leader and you want to be the big fish in our little pond, come visit. Some friends and I also dance in the swing scene and often host for workshops. Ask your swing friends, they will recommend us.

We do a salsa cruise here in the summer, last year there was one in June and one in August.

Live in this minute. Paint your own world.
Kristine M. Fredrick

If you ask any hardcore Salsero out there that dance with New York influence, do not be surprised if they take offence if you compare their style to ballroom style.

Most hardcore Salseros in Toronto do not like a very mechanical style of Salsa (I'm referring to a bad ballroom style), not ballroom dancing itself as the good ones are quite fluid). -- Anonymous

Rose, I know you are a very busy woman with a very happening website. I like Salsaspot too but it has too many non-Salsa related articles and some articles are way too strange for me to appreciate. Anyway, are you going to do a Salsa poll as to where Salsa really comes from? Maybe you can link all the arguments, or give out some kind of area where all the Salsa superstars and so called experts can voice their one-time argument, and let us the "The Salsa Sheep Heard" vote. -- Anonymous

Many thanks, Shanila Abbey -- UK

Anyway, I'll keep track of your site from London once I get back.

Thank you. Agosto

First of all, Rose, this is a great web site! There's a wealth of information in your site, and I look forward to exploring it more.

I agree with on of your reader's experience in Cuba. Cuban dancing is very beautiful and just like any other country has its share of good and bad dancers.

I disagree, however, that Cuban dancing is not choreographed and no one shows off. I have been to Cuba 7 times (not just the tourist areas), and I could tell you that even amongst the locals you have your "clicks," and "elite" groups. This is not a "dancing" issue but a human issue. Every body rotation, shake, etc. and basic step is choreographed, regardless whether you learn it through watching or school instruction. While dancing may be intrinsic talent for some, people stil need some kind of instruction to learn. Cuba in fact has one of the most progressive instructional dance schools in the world, and some of my dancer friends of Paris have taken lessons there from the some of the teachers they have.

My point is not to put Cuban dancing down or the music as I LOVE the Cuban rumba and their traditonal folkloric dances, but rather to point out that every country has their own problems in their own dancing scene.

Although I grew up in London, I agree that most North Americans and Europeans may never feel the same way Cuban's feel and dance their music, but it is dead wrong to assume that what other feels outside of Cuba is of no value and people should be more careful and how they address their opinion. My background involves Lindy Hop, and I'm relatively new to Salsa, but there's also a lot of exhiliration felt whenever two people are connected doing fantastic turn patterns and dips and flips, which some people who never dance complicated turn patterns may or may never experience. Dancing is a subjective experience, and Cubans are entitled to express their love of dancing and music the way they want to. The same goes with the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and so forth.

Again, Rose, great site! -- Agosto

Dear Agosto, thanks for writing in and I would love to find out how you "surfed over to our site" for the first time. Regarding your comments about dancing, you've hit one of the nails on the head... I've also been involved alittle in different dance scenes in Toronto, such as Argentine Tango, ballroom and swing, talked to different dancers from different cities/countries; and this "problem" is prevalent everywhere -- nothing new to write home about, just a different story in each city or country; and as I stated in my column, these discussions should be about expressing the different styles of dance and what's so special about it, not about which style is better... that is all personal preference and/or "what you grew up with". That's why I'm glad Renee wrote about her experience of cuban dancing... she appreciated their style for what it was... not why she thinks it may be better... that's personal preference. Rose

hi! I'am Tiber Gürsoy. I am from Turkey. I find salsa's figures book. Could you help me. thank's

Dear Rose: First of all, let me congratulate you om your website. I have been using TOSALSA as my main source of information on TO (and other) salsa events for the past couple of years and have always found it very informative. One thing though: you are totally to blame for the clubmayan.com addiction I developed about this time last year!!

Speaking of Club Mayan, my boyfriend and I will be visiting LA in the next few weeks and wanted to know if you could offer pointers to first-time LA visitors (knowing that you were there yourself last year), specifically in the context of attending the Mayan competition. For instance, could you recommend a hotel close to the club (or other if it's not advisable to stay in the area where the club is located) and give tips which would make attending the competition a more enjoyable experience? Muchas gracias!! --V

P.S.: An article you may have written on the subject --seems to me you did a column on this last year-- instead of a direct response would be very appreciated as well. Thanks

I was there! And Ana and Orville put the rest of the competitors to shame. Immediately, the connection with the audience was there and as time passed their beautifully styled dance movements along with the jazzy, sexy salsa accompaniment and their sleekly styled clothes made me think of everything that I think the Latin mentality stands for: Passion, Agression and Beauty. In other words I knew they were going to win instantly. Magnificent job! -- L Seminario

Hey Rose, I noticed in the "travel section" that there's no info on China. So in brief, while in Beijing there are three places to go dance:

- Latinos - www.latinoschina.com - very modern and stylish club, with a live Colombian band. No cover charge. Check out the website for directions.

- Salsacabana - 50 Liang Ma Qiao Road
Ground floor of the Lufthansa Shopping Centre, Chao Yang District +86 (0)10 6465 3388

- Club Havana
I dont have details about it.

One last thing, getting to these clubs is the biggest challenge if you don't speak Mandarin. Good luck finding a cabbie who speaks English. So, make sure you have a local friend or someone from the hotel who can assist -- Stanley

Dear TOsalsa, I recently read an article written by DJ Ramos concerning the salsa scene in South Korea. I don't know how old the article is but he did the country justice. I left Busan, South Korea on Dec 8, 2002 and it was one of the saddest days of my life. The salsa scene over there can not be described properly. The passion and expertise is unbelievable, just from the average salsera/o. The only problem I saw was the lack of variety. Don't get me wrong, what they do, they do perfectly, but they realize what we do here in the states is different from what they do and they appreciate both and they long for outside influence. I traveled all over South Korea while I was there. I lived in Busan, but I hit the salsa scences in Daegu and Seoul. I printed out lists of all the clubs in the country but I ran out of time before I had to leave. Seoul alone has about 10 clubs, Busan has two and Daegu has three. Other cities have one or two throughout the country and everyone knows everyone else. It's great. It's its' own tight nit community, if anyone ever has a chance to get even close to South Korea, they must make the trip there. It is definitedly worth it. The people are so nice and friendly in the clubs its ridiculous. Even if they don't dance with you they want to be near you just to practice their English skills. I loved it and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Thanks for the opportunity to let me tell you about my 1 year experience in the (ROK)Republic of Korea -- Louis

Dear Louis, actually this article is fairly recent -- it was written back in October, 2002, and thanks for sharing!

Happy New Year! I went to NYC last week and visited the Copacabana on Friday. Frankie Negron was one of the artists that performed that night. He was really good. Overall the crowd was very friendly and i pretty much danced all night.

Didn't know what to expect but it was great. Even ended up meeting a few people from Toronto. Overall, wonderful dance floor, mostly Salsa all night long and a friendly crowd. What more could one ask for. Anna

Hello; Happy Holidays. Rose, I just wanted to let you know that Canada was well represented last Sunday at the Presidential Towers Sunday Mambo gathering in Chicago. A loveley young East Indian Lady from Toronto and MSU was the talk of the night. Not only was she beautiful, she was gratious, and this girl was burning up the floor. The gentlemen were lined up to dance with her, including Moi.

It is similar situation with the Ladies when Frankie Maritnez rolls into town.

Hey dancers, when your in Chicago, the Mambo Sundays are every other Sunday. Love to have you visit. Maggie can come back and visit anytime. Jackson

Hi, I was just wondering if you might know what the Salsa scene might be like near the Pohang/Pusan area in South Korea. I will be there the beginning of February for a long term stay and would like to know the possibilities for continued dance instruction. Do you know or have any contacts that might know of the situation in that area? Thanks, Jessica

Bueno, Saludos y éxito en el mundo de academias.

One of the best congresses that is not listed is Milano, Italia, I've gone all 3 years and it is the best, although last year it was way too big and things were a little disorganized, we told the promoters and they said they would make sure and fix whatever minor things that went wrong.

Also, there other congresses in Europe that are simply fantastic, so I think you should add other and let us type in the congress. Great job!

Monica La Rumbera-- Los Rumberos Dance Company

Dear Monica, I would have loved to list all the congresses around the World, but the reader's poll feature I used doesn't allow for entering cities and/or more than 15 cities, so I opted to put some of the more established congresses and various cities around the World. But you have given me another idea, maybe I'll just add another poll with the Congresses I missed... Rose

Hello there Rose, Ziv and all the salsa addicts out there! I will be travelling to Venezuela soon and I was wondering if anyone knows which cities are the best when it comes to salsa dancing, and the nightlife in general. Gracias! Julia

Hi Julia, you might want to try Salsapower's Venezuelan page, that would probably be the most current right now.

Hi, I'll be in Honolulu Dec. 6 - 10 for the Marathon. Any recommendations on where to go for Salsa on Friday through Monday nights?? thank you! Judy

Dear Judy, check out Hawaii Salsa Report for more info...

Trust me you won't be disappointed. Saludos. A.

I know that the washington DC group perfromed there and there where good but I don't see there pictures. Did you get any of them?? Terrence

Dear Terrence, the only night TOsalsa was there taking pics was on Saturday, November 16th, and after awhile, he ran out of digi-film. So what you see is all that I got... Rose

Hi. I am Randall and I am taking my first trip to Cuba on December 1 2002, and staying in Varadero. I learned of your site from United Salsaros emails. I have not been to active in the TO Salsa scene in the last year, but when I travel I love to visit Salsa clubs (which I have done in Europe and South America over the past few years.
My question is can you or one of your readers suggest any Salsa clubs (not the Tourista joints that are playing the current version of the macaraina!!) in the Varadero area. Also i plan to make it into Havana for a night or two so would appreciate any suggestions for a few clubs there. I checked Salsa Web but do not trust that there information is accurate (past experience on Miami 3 years ago....only 1 club on a list of 10 was still open?) so would appreciate clubs that have been visited this year at least. Thanks. Randall

Dear Randall, I don't have any information on some great clubs to go to, but I do have some contacts who may be able to help you... as I was also planning to do the same thing sometime in the future. In the meantime, I suggest checking out the following links:

1. Salsapower which has two cuban city pages;
2. Bill Wolfer's detailed and long-winded report of his latest trip to Havana, Cuba, complete with sound samples, photos and Flash animation
3. Links to other Cuban info sites... and AfroCubaWeb

In the meantime, maybe one of our Readers will pipe in with info and/or I'll get some feedback from my contacts. Rose

hey i would like to know the name of a couple that won an international contest of salsa and that are known by all. thank you very much, Katia

Dear Katia, now here's a question that could open up a heated discussion. I know that many of the popular international salsa dancers don't like to enter contests as they don't feel they are unbiased. LA loves dance contests, but New York seems to hardly ever have them. The couple that would come to my mind first on the international circuit that has competed would be Johnny Vasquez and Olivia Dasso in LA. I'm sure there's others, but let's see what other readers think. Rose

Do you guys have any clips or pictures of 2002 LA congress? or know of any other sites that do? Thank you.. Virginia

Dear Virginia, if you go under our Video Gallery Section, you'd find videoclips of the West Coast Salsa Congress. If you use the search engine, www.google.com, you may find other websites that have pictures. I have pictures from all 3 days, but I had to take it down when I posted my latest sets of pictures due to a lack of space. In future, I may repost some of the best shots from that night. Hope this helps, Rose

A salsa-dance holiday package is being offered in Havana, Cuba this November. The 1-week vacation includes 3 hours of dance instruction daily. For more info, pleases see the website:www.conferencetours.com and click on "Havana Salsa Holiday" -- Barbi

Hello, I'm interested in going to Havana for a week and finding some kind of a Salsa Vacation package. Something along the lines of airfare, hotel, meals, and 3-4 hours of intense one on one training. I've been dancing for about 4-5 months now. I think this would make an incredible trip.. to be able to live it all..the lessons, the country, the night life in Havana. If you guys know of anyone who organizes something along these lines please let me know. Thanks!!!:) Anna

Dear Anna, I myself have not been to Cuba, but I've heard wonderful things about visiting that country, and over the years I've come across various packages either via email or the net. I would suggest going into a search engine like www. google.com, and typing in "Cuba salsa lessons" and similar phrases and see what turns up. Word of caution, some of these trips can be quite expensive -- I would do a little research before taking such a trip. Rose

in Puerto Rico in this days we are celebrating El congreso nacional de la Salsa with people from Europe ,Central America,South America and all around the world its getting place in SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO YOU ARE ALL WELCOME!!!!! Rebecca

Rose, Again, how are you? I would like to know does Salsa and its respective entities [everything related to salsa]...does it have a governing body that establishes and creates standards thought the world or for the least, the US and Canada. If there actually is or if there is more than one organization, what is it? Miami Juan

Hi,I hope you can help me, I live in New jersey, USA and I was searching for salsa schools and found your site which I think is awesome but I was wondering if you could assist me on search for a good salsa school around this area, since this is your area of expertise. I've been searching and looking thru the Internet but have not found anything good
Any help will be really appreciated. Thanks, Paul

Dear Paul, I suggest you check out www.salsanewyork.com for information on New Jersey salsa schools -- you should be able to find everything you want.

I don't know how salsa transformed into cumbia from it's origional cuban style. I live in Minnesota and almost everyone in the clubs dance cumbia. Everyone thinks that they are dancing salsa correctly when, in reality, all they are dancing is cumbia. It's really shocking to them when I tell them that they really arent dancing salsa. I think that it's really interesting how salsa changed from casino rueda to cumbia. -- Aitana

2. So many girls think Cumbia is Salsa. Bless their innocent hearts, but I wish I had a dollar for every girl that told me she danced Salsa, then I was locked into 4 minutes of swing dancing. I would be investing alot of money....

3. also... in regards to LA/NYC styles and Chicago. I have had the pleasure of studying with top dancers from all of the cities mentioned. My answer to comments by many who critisize LA or west coast style, etc. is... let's see you dance like that... I try to dance different styles. Forcing oneself to do so opens up your dance acumen, and allows you change with the music. You want emotion, you want heart, you want street dancing, take the blinders off and dance your ass off in whatever style you choose, but don't critisize unless you something to back it all up. Too many critics and not enough good people to promote a wonderful avocation and eclectic music like Salsa is bad period. Unless someone is teaching something that is way off the mark, and none of his or her students know how to dance with anyone else, well...... ? It is a great social activity, and the Europeans, with all their passion for life, have really embraced the sport. I think that all Americans, and if you pay taxes here you qualify, should take a look the Latin explosion in Europe. When I have women from Spain and Italy tell me how much they love dancing with me, well, I feel pretty damn good. I am not a professional dancer, but I never stop trying to dance like one. :)

April 30, 2002 -- Canadians in Club Mayan Competition

Rose, It may be incorrect to suggest that Ana, Orville, Sonia, and Moris are the first to represent Canada at the competition. I don't know about past years but Ashkan and Gina are from Canada. I know that they probably live and work in LA (maybe?) but their country of origin is Canada. Josue

Dear Josue, in a way, you may be right (but I probably might have heard something by now as I do know some dancers who live in LA); but this is the first year that I've heard of any Canadians competing, and sorry, maybe I should have been more specific by stating it was on the professional level, especially as I have no idea where the Canadian Amateur couple is from. For all we know, they could have just moved down to LA from Canada OR they were originally born in Canada but are now US citizens. But I don't think this should take away from Ana, Orville, Sonia and Moris' representation of Canada on the professional level -- do you? Rose Knows