New York Salsa

Salsa in Aarhus, Danmark

2009-11-07T18:52:00.012+00:00

Aarhus is a small town in Jutland, Danmark and not exactly the place where you would think to
find a lot of salsa places. But you are wrong, I did find a nice place: "La Timba".

You can go there on Thursdays and the dj will be playing a lot of fast paced cuban salsa, but after 10 PM
that changes. A local dance school finishes the courses around that time and people who dance LA salsa start pouring in.

The atmosphere is very friendly, and there are plenty of open people to dance with.
So be sure to get there before 10 to get a seat. You get fresh fruit at the counter, and they have a website.

I had a great evening there so maybe you should go there as well when when you end up in Aarhus.
Find out where to go on the map below.

View Salsa in a larger map

Achtung herrn ein promenade - chacha from the 70's

2009-03-04T19:42:00.001+00:00

This is a great starting video for chachacha, but the 70's look and the German make it hilarious.

Salsa knee to knee

2009-01-06T17:18:00.009+00:00

I used to dance a lot on 2, mambo step: you start on 2, going backwards.
There is not much difference with dancing on 1, just start a little bit later ...

Then I heard that there was a different style, on2 starting on the first beat which is slightly different
and not that easy to spot. The real difference is not that the steps are different, the breaks and pauses just fall on different parts of the beat.

Now dancing on 2 becomes even more complicated. When both dancers, men and women dance on 2, but not the same style, .. it feels akward because you bumping into each others knees.

A song was starting and he asked her to dance. She said yes and they locked bodies in the semidarkness.

Then they bumped knees. Then they pulled in different directions. Then the song became interminable. When it was over, they spent time talking but did not dance again.
...
Ms. Shanley was dancing ''on 2,'' known as New York-style mambo, in which the first long step, known as the break step, comes on the second beat and there are no pauses. Mr. Lopez was dancing ''on 1,'' the style favored by many mambo dancers in which the first long step comes on the first beat, and the dancers pause on the fourth and the eighth beats.
Battle of the Mambo Is Bruising Some Toes

But in the end it really doesn't matter:

During my short time in the fabulous world of Salsa, I have grown to realize something. Dancing Salsa On2 is not necessary better than dancing on On1 or vice-versa, but dancing On-time is always better than dancing Off-time. Yes I still prefer to dance On2, if the option (honestly) presents itself. However, I have learned to feel the music regardless of what beat I break on.
Salsa on 1, on 2 or On Time

Eddie Torres - Taller

2009-01-05T22:44:00.002+00:00

Great salsa moves by living salsa legend Eddy Torres, not a very new video on youtube, but it still does the trick.

Salsa around Luxmbourg

2008-12-07T15:37:00.004+00:00

It has been a while that I posted on this blog, but that is because I moved to another country, though not that far away.

A 2 hour drive takes me to a small country where everything seems to be more strict, organised and controlled. The good news is that salsa doesn't change.
It seems everywhere you go, dancing is a universal language, and it really doesn't matter where you are.

I updated my map with the locations to go dancing around Luxembourg:

View Larger Map

NY salsa from Juan Matos

2008-04-06T17:09:00.001+00:00

The more I look at Juan Matos ny salsa moves, the more I love them.

And if you want to know how is voice sounds like when singing:

Salsa in India

2008-02-17T20:12:00.004+00:00

I have been to India for 2 months and danced in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. All 3 cities were great, but the tricky part is always finding the right place and the day to go there.

If you are in Mumbai, you can join the Mumbai Meetup group http://salsa.meetup.com
or have a look at one of the members' websites: http://www.mumbaisalsameetup.info/

For salsa in Bangalor: http://www.salsapower.com/cities/india.htm
Chennai is not really a salsa place, but you can go to ThePark hotel on Sundays ...

On1, On2, whatever?

2007-06-26T20:31:00.000+00:00

Most of the teachers that came along to my salsa holiday in Marrakech (i'll post some videos from the courses later this week) have such a T-shirt: On1, On2, Cuban, whatever, just remember who's the boss. I can agree with the last part, sure.
But the on1 and 2?

Unfortunatly it doesn't work for me like that. Count 123, and you got me, so I still have a lot to learn. 123, remember 2, 2, 2!!!!!

Apparently there are 2 different salsa styles on2, and they sure look different to me. People dance on2 in New York, so it's called New York style.

The following paragraph is copied from Wikipedia:

New York style emphasises efficiency of movement, elegance, and body isolations. By focusing on control, timing, and precision of technique, dancers aim for smooth execution of tightly woven complex patterns. In New York City this style is danced strictly On 2, ....

The etiquette of New York style is strict about remaining in the "slot" and avoiding travelling. ...

Danced on "Hard Salsa". This is mid-to-up-tempo salsa with an emphasis on percussion and band orchestration rather than the vocals.
Wikipedia: Salsa (dance)

The New York style promoted by Eddie Torres and Nelson Flores seems the dominant style all over the world.

I have been learning a different on2 style, called Power 2 / Palladium 2 / Ballroom Mambo. It's basically the same as on1, but they shift a beat, so it's on2.
The timing feels very close to the LA style on1, as opposed to the on2 from Eddie Torres.

Anyway, the main problem now is I have to learn a 3th style. So another challenge.

The movie below is an explanation of the Eddie Torres step on2.

Salsabrosura - Summersalsa congres 2007

2007-06-09T11:13:00.001+00:00

I found one more video from the Summer salsa congres in Brussels. This video is from the shows one of the evenings, though can't remember which one .

Another one on2: Nelson Flores shines and patterns

2007-06-06T20:19:00.000+00:00

I took several classes with Nelson Flores during the Summer salsa congress and he comes up with really nice patterns AND is a good teacher, that goes a long way with these difficult patterns.
Difficult (at least for me), but smooth.

First shines ending up in a eeuhm "cuban pulsation", and then getting back on 2?
I had a hard time, but it still is a nice set of shines.

If you listened, he is counting 1 ... 567, very confusing. What's this: salsa on 1 or on 2?
I could not focus on the 2, but after some time it makes sense. It's just a matter of getting into the habit.

I collected some links on Nelson Flores if you are interested:

Interview by Eddie the salsa freak

General intro, a little outdated

A workshop by Nelson Flores filmed in Paris

Conny and Oscar on 2

2007-06-01T18:45:00.000+00:00

Like I said before, I am taking salsa classes with Oscar and Conny ( ok I skipped this season :-) and recorded the video below some time ago.

The pattern can be tricky, especially the half-turn, but it moves from side to side in a fluid way. Watch the video and you will know, no editing, just salsa.

If you wonder: that dark low voice saying "once again", that's me :-)).
So if you want to take salsa classes on 2 in Brussels or Antwerpen have a look at their website.

L. Vazquez & Melissa

2007-05-30T19:58:00.000+00:00

There is only one word for this: Smoking hot!
Just watch ... Melissa, and you know what I mean.

Watch it again, and now look at the salsa pattern: it is actually a great move, really ... salsa on 1 but smooth, no staccato effect.
I really love the part where the women has to lead here way out of the shines, she can and needs to control the move to get out of it. Otherwise we can stand there all night watchin'those moves :-)

Summer salsa in Brussels, May 2007

2007-05-29T21:48:00.000+00:00

I went to the Summer salsa weekend in Brussels and recorded most of the routines and figures we practiced during the weekend and I will be posting them here online.
There is no way I can remember all I learned during the weekend, so recording is really helpful.

The first class on Saterday morning I took, was the one from Nelson Flores, on2, great patterns, but difficult as I am dancing less on 2.

For those who have recorded other classes and are willing to put them on YouTube, please tag them with "summersalsa", "brussels" and "2007" and let me know.

Walking salsa

2007-05-03T08:50:00.000+00:00

This video shows some nice moves, very fluid dancing, no breaks just go with the flow. I guess that is one of the big differences between LA and NewYork style: dancing on 2 is more fluid, you just don't stop in between the steps.

The guy lost the girl in a move and started to do some shines while moving around the girl, and he keeps moving around the floor when he gets back together. This is not something you do when the floor is crowded but dancing becomes more graceful that way.

There is no need stay put when you have enough room, right?

Salsa on Sundays

2006-12-04T16:23:00.000+00:00

On a regular sunday I will be dancing at a place called Salsa passion, Hangar 26. Most people dance on 1 at Hangar, but you will find several people (including me) dancing New York style on 2. The tricks is to watch and count :-).

The floor is ok, not perfect but it works for me.

If you want to know where to go, have a look at my Google Map of Salsa places in Antwerpen.

Super Mario on 2

2006-12-02T14:26:00.001+00:00

Salsa on 2, nice moves.

First post, first move

2006-12-02T09:42:00.000+00:00

Hi everyone, this is my first post about salsa in Belgium.
So why did I start this blog?

I have been looking for information on salsa in different countries and found several blogs or websites maintained by volunteers (for example: Salsa in Hamburg).

At the moment we have a great website for salsa events here in Belgium but that might not give you enough information. If you are coming to Belgium, and want to dance salsa, leave a comment or send me an email and I will let you know. I certainly don't know everything here in Belgium, but I know enough people who will help you out.

Anything else?
Well I am learning salsa with Conny and Oscar, NY style and you will find me often in Brussels ( Los Romanticos) or in Antwerpen ( Axess).

If you need more info on their salsa classes in Antwerpen, Brussels or Leuven have a look on the website: http://www.newyorksalsa.be.