What a wonderful Berlin competition finals!

I think all the couples did extremely well. I am not sure who should have placed 3rd in pros but regarding the fact that Irina slipped more, well Pawel and Dora had the music problems, so there were issues for both of them. Are there anything in the rules about ties? or do they not allow for that possibility because of the prizes...anyways, all the professionals put on a fabulous show!

The amateurs really put in a great effort this year however I agree with the other comment, that the 2nd place austin powers people should have been 1st. They had good showmanship too and also more salsa and fluidity. They really enjoyed themselves on stage and the concept of the routine was great...mojo and the glow stick, and the very smooth flips and turns too. The other couples did absolutely fabulous as well and I commend the 1st place couple on their wonderful showmanship and energy. They definitely inspire other amateurs to just go out and have fun. 3rd place couple did a good job overall, maybe deserving a 2nd place for them because again, more salsa and smoothness.

In any case, judging can always be somewhat controversial and ALL THAT REALLY COUNTS IS THAT ALL THE COUPLES REALLY DID PERFORM THEIR HEARTS OUT AND EVERYONE RECOGNIZES THAT. GREAT JOB! And great job to the crowd who were so supportive of ALL the dancers...great cheering no booing...that's true Toronto Spirit! -- Anonymous

April 9, 2003 -- Berlin competition

Congratulations to John and Monika,
You certainly had the crowd going. I think you had the best presentation. You knew what it took to win a competition like this. Personally I think your actual salsa dancing needs a little work though. But your win was well deserved. You were better than the other couples.

Now that you guys have won a trip to Cuba. I hope you won't feel so proud that you won't take salsa lessons with some Cubans teachers in Cuba. Cuban salsa is very different from from your style of salsa, but it will certainly help your style in terms of feeling more relaxed, varying your basic steps and your timing with the clave. I hope Cuba will be an eye opener for you.

For all those going to the Salsa Congress in Cuba, please try to mix with the local people and not just stay on the beach and other tourist areas. It remains to be seen how Cuban this salsa congress is. I really wonder if Cubans instructors will be allowed to teach beside their American counterparts. The groups that are advertised are among the best on the island. But also wonder if Cubans will be allowed in these concerts or if the admission fees will be too high for Cubans. I know most salseros just want to go because because they just want a warm place to take classes with their favourite New York and LA style teachers. They are too proud to take classes with Cuban teachers in Cuba. Or they think they will go to a Cuban club just to wow Cubans. They should try Cuban style dancing because it is more natural and Cuba is the home of salsa. If these salseros are not too close minded, Cuba will certainly be a eye opener -- Mechy

Rose, You were bang on when you talked about the enthusiasm displayed by the amateurs in the Berlin competition as a reflection of what the competition, and salsa in Toronto, should be all about. The Toronto pros are always great to watch, but it's the time and attention given to the amateurs that makes Berlin stand out from other competitions. It fosters a feeling of inclusiveness that appears to be desperately needed here, given the recent spate of commentaries on the Toronto cliques and the perception of salsa instructors and their entourage as being aloof and unapproachable.

Most competitions are geared solely toward professionals. Even competitions classified as "open" are essentially professional - amateurs can enter, but how many want to go up against more experienced, technically superior dancers who teach and perform on top of competing? If calling a competition "open" vs. "professional" were the only barrier to getting more amateurs involved, then you'd see more amateurs entering the professional comps - after all, you don't have to prove you're a pro, you just have to be ineligible as an amateur.

The gap between the amateur level criteria at Berlin (never competed before, or belonged to a dance troupe) and the professional level (teachers, professional performers) is huge, and I think there is enormous untapped potential there in terms of developing amateur dancers and increasing interaction amongst the various Toronto schools and groups through competition.

Of the couples who won the amateur division at Berlin over the last three years, two of them have at least one partner who subsequently moved up to the professional level. For most Berlin amateur dancers, however, this is the exception, not the norm. The Berlin criteria specifically states that "amateur" is only for people who have never competed before (although the mom-and-son team keep coming back each year, but I guess since they haven't made it to the finals nobody is objecting, myself included). So you compete once, get your feet wet, get a taste of competition, get better, and then suddenly it's move up or drop out. Your options are now "professional" level, or "open" level - which is really professional by another name.

What I'd like to see at the Berlin competition is a return to a three-tier category level with some modifications. What is now called "amateur" should be reclassified as "novice" or "newcomer", with the same rules currently in place - a category for people totally new to competition. The professional level would also maintain the same criteria (performers, teachers, etc.) and the middle category would be "amateur" - a place for people who do not teach or belong to a dance troupe (and the majority of salsa dancers in Toronto fall into this category) but still want the opportunity to compete. And to keep things fresh, a 1st place finish at this level would render the recipients ineligible to compete at the same level the following year, even if they don't turn pro, so as to ensure at least some new faces in the top three placings each year.

There is a large pool of ex-amateur Berlin competitors (including some winners) who have not made the jump to the professional level for numerous reasons: the time and energy commitment to compete professionally is enormous, the availability of partners is limited, or perhaps they just feel that their level of experience and/or ability is inadequate for that level. I think that if an "amateur", in addition to "newcomer", category were established, many of these people would eagerly return. The success of the Soles Dance Studio student choreography program is due in part, I believe, to the large number of intermediate level salsa dancers in Toronto who are anxious to push their salsa to a higher level, and at the same time show others what they can do.

Competition is a great way to achieve this - and it puts names to faces, breaks the ice, and mixes people together who might otherwise never meet because they dance socially at different clubs or naturally gravitate towards the dance students they know from their classes and student groups, and with whom they are therefore more familiar and comfortable.

The emphasis in competition and performing will always be on the professionals, but as we can see from some of the recent e-mails to TOSalsa.com, some members of the Toronto salsa community feel resentment towards those who hold the status of "professional", because they perceive those with this label (and that's all it really is, just a label, deserved or not) as making them insular as a group, held apart and above everyone else.

Shifting and maintaining some of the focus onto amateurs might go a long way towards improving cohesiveness in the Toronto salsa scene, and I believe that it would also raise the overall standard of dancing in this city. -- Rita