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View Full Version : Whatever happened to salsa?



David Bailey
30th-September-2006, 08:26 PM
I'm sure there was quite a lot of discussion of salsa on this forum up until a year or so ago - where'd it all go?

Has everyone moved on to other dances?

Is salsa in general in decline?

Have we said everything there is to say about salsa?

What's going on?

Isis
30th-September-2006, 08:35 PM
The scene disappeared so far up its own backside, it may be lost forever!

tiger
30th-September-2006, 10:17 PM
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

David Bailey
1st-October-2006, 09:35 AM
Blimey, it's like pulling teeth... :rolleyes:

OK, I wondered if salsa has now lost it's "fashionability" amongst both the general public, based on the lack of discussion amongst forumites?

As for attitude, I don't think the salsa scene is particularly arsey for a partner dance scene - ballroom is much worse, Tango's about the same, WCS if famously snooty ( :na: ) etc. Or putting it another way, MJ is uniquely friendly, I'd say.

TheTramp
1st-October-2006, 09:43 AM
OK, I wondered if salsa has now lost it's "fashionability" amongst both the general public, based on the lack of discussion amongst forumites?

Nah. It's just that it's more fun poking fun at the people who do WCS or AT at the moment....

Lory
1st-October-2006, 10:10 AM
OK, I wondered if salsa has now lost it's "fashionability"

I've never tried it in this country. The only time i've ever done any, was when I was in Cuba and there was no other choice.

2 weeks of nothing but heavy Salsa music, cured me of any urge I may have ever had. :cool:

El Salsero Gringo
2nd-October-2006, 02:04 AM
2 weeks of nothing but heavy Salsa music, cured me of any urge I may have ever had. :cool:You really should have asked for the B-side; I gather it's a passable Merengue.

WittyBird
2nd-October-2006, 05:58 AM
I like mine with Doritos :D

Tessalicious
2nd-October-2006, 10:31 AM
There were only ever a few people that talked about salsa - you (DJ), ESG and Lynn. You do tango all the time, Lynn, ditto, and also has finally been provided with a regular Ceroc night so doesn't need to inflict salsa on herself, and ESG can't argue with himself. What reason is there to talk about salsa now?

David Bailey
2nd-October-2006, 11:02 AM
There were only ever a few people that talked about salsa - you (DJ), ESG and Lynn.
Ducasi, Andreas, Stewart38, SpinDr and others also contributed.

And if you look at the historical discussions a year or more in the Land of 100 Dances, you see there's a few threads in the past. But there hasn't been a single new salsa thread in the past 6 months or so - well, apart from this one of course :)


and ESG can't argue with himself.
:whistle:


What reason is there to talk about salsa now?
But that's actually my point - are people (generally / in the forum) moving away from salsa?

straycat
2nd-October-2006, 12:01 PM
I'm sure there was quite a lot of discussion of salsa on this forum up until a year or so ago - where'd it all go?

Has everyone moved on to other dances?

Is salsa in general in decline?


Well - dunno about on the forum or in other areas, but up here, Salsa's going from strength to strength. We go most weeks, and the scene just keeps growing...

detomo
2nd-October-2006, 12:37 PM
I've tried it in the past but reached a barrier in the teaching level. Now there's a new class starting nearby and want to give it another go.

Really enjoyed it, with a little more challenging footwork and think it looks good :)

Lynn
2nd-October-2006, 01:12 PM
To be fair I probably moaned about salsa more than talked about it. Mostly the venues, not the dance itself. I do still occasionally contribute to some local salsa forums. And I guess if there were no local Ceroc I would have still been going to the occasional event - most likely the charity nights, but to socialise more than actually dance.

sidney
2nd-October-2006, 02:08 PM
I myself go salsa as I got bored with my local ceroc venue in Leics and there is only one where with salsa you could go to one nearly ever night. I don't like the smoking that goes on even the teacher smokes in between which is off putting but I enjoy putting more pratice into the footwork. I still will go to mj freestyles like the one at Coventry last fri which was really good, and Ian as usual a great host.:nice:

Zuhal
2nd-October-2006, 04:34 PM
I divide my time between Salsa and Modern Jive.

The Salsa is a challenge but I get a higher % of good dances with my partners.

Modern Jive is great fun and requires less concentration.

The committment that someone makes to learning Salsa means that if they are still there for the freestyle then they (pretty much) have a grasp of the rythmn and the dance. If the teaching model was as good as the MJ one and they relied less on dingy venues it could be so much better.:waycool:

Zuhal

Mr Cool
2nd-October-2006, 06:26 PM
Salsa to me is a great dance, spoiled by the music it is danced to,
when you consider the wide range of superb Latin dance music. :respect:
I fail to comprehend why salsa dancers want to dance to the same narrow range of music and most of them struggle to stay in time with the music :rofl: :rofl:
Sombody needs to invent Rumsa:wink:

:waycool: :waycool: :waycool: :waycool:

El Salsero Gringo
2nd-October-2006, 08:03 PM
...and ESG can't argue with himself.Oh yes I can.



Oh no I can't.


Can.


Can't.

Can.

Can't.
Can too.
Rotter!
Yaroo!

straycat
3rd-October-2006, 08:38 AM
Salsa to me is a great dance, spoiled by the music it is danced to,
when you consider the wide range of superb Latin dance music. :respect:


Absolutely. And yet there's nothing inherently wrong with Salsa music - and there's so much wonderful music out there.
It's just down to the DJs. Some of the local guys up here have no clue, and play generic Cuban track after generic Cuban track - which at best makes me wish I was somewhere else. (One, for example, just puts on a 'greatest salsa hits' cd and leaves it running.) Others play a very nice selection - and the best ones (eg Nicolai from Leeds) play a fantastic variety of incredible music. It's just a shame that the really good DJs seem to be pretty scarce :tears:

Anna
5th-October-2006, 08:43 AM
I'm not sure about you lot but I've been too busy taking over the Salsa-World 'Down Under' to post on here about it :whistle: ...

Plus you ModernJivers seem to prefer to talk about that "Jango" thing anyway :rolleyes:

Caro
5th-October-2006, 11:11 AM
But that's actually my point - are people (generally / in the forum) moving away from salsa?

I certainly have... used to dance a little bit of salsa before I found out about ceroc, then I kept doing it from time to time but finally got bored by the classes/teacher we had at the time. When I started tango and then WCS, I just didn't have enough interest to make the time for salsa.

I went to Cuba in april this year and I think this is when I realised that I simply don't enjoy salsa music as much as other styles. :rolleyes:
And I don't 'understand' it that well either, so I'm nowhere near having as much fun as when I dance MJ/WCS.

I will still go to some regular latin parties - and really enjoy a few dances, especially with my latin american friends :cool: - if I am not at any other dance event (which reduces greatly the opportunities for salsa!).

Having said that now that I am in Douala, there's isn't much dancing around and salsa seems to be the only kind of partner dancing going on. So I might just start going to classes again, we'll see....

Caro
5th-March-2008, 01:22 PM
I will still go to some regular latin parties - and really enjoy a few dances, especially with my latin american friends :cool: - if I am not at any other dance event (which reduces greatly the opportunities for salsa!).


Well I went back to one of those parties - it had been ages - and I realised I had forgotten how much fun salsa can be.
I also suddenly realised how much younger (and cooler :na:!) the salsa scene is :clap:

What's the scene like in London ? Anywhere peeps would recommend, that is friendly enough ?

David Bailey
5th-March-2008, 01:31 PM
What's the scene like in London ? Anywhere peeps would recommend, that is friendly enough ?
Yes, but there are dozens - possibly hundreds - of salsa venues in the Greater London area, so you're going to have to be a bit more specific about location / day.

One place you might like is Oakwood in North London (http://www.hotsalsa.co.uk/) on Monday evenings, as I believe it's a combined salsa / WCS scene? At least, it used to be, I dunno if the salsa classes are still going though?

Also, "salsa" and "friendly" don't always go together in my opinion, some venues are downright snooty. So you'll feel right at home...

Caro
5th-March-2008, 02:09 PM
Yes, but there are dozens - possibly hundreds - of salsa venues in the Greater London area, so you're going to have to be a bit more specific about location / day.

One place you might like is Oakwood in North London (http://www.hotsalsa.co.uk/) on Monday evenings, as I believe it's a combined salsa / WCS scene? At least, it used to be, I dunno if the salsa classes are still going though?


Oakwood definately, but that'll be for wcs (I'm not yet at the point where I'd go salsa dancing if I could be tripple stepping my heart content instead).
I'll work in Central London and live in Woking, if that sheds any light. Interested in tuesdays / thursdays and weekend nights... :flower:



Also, "salsa" and "friendly" don't always go together in my opinion, some venues are downright snooty. So you'll feel right at home...

you call me snooty ?
Thanks for the compliment :D

batnurse
5th-March-2008, 02:16 PM
I did a little bit of salsa in Surrey, great teachers, friendly classes. When I moved back up to Dundee I tried a class at the local college: it was awful. No rotation so I didn't get to dance much at all, rude teacher who stank of smoke, and an altogether miserable bunch of people. So I tried Ceroc instead and haven't looked back :awe: I'd like to give it another go but I'd need to find a different venue.

David Bailey
5th-March-2008, 02:47 PM
I'll work in Central London and live in Woking, if that sheds any light.
:eek: Darn Sarf? You bleedin' foreigner you :na:

I've no idea about the salsa scene around there, I'm afraid - and not much of a clue about relative qualities of the Central London venues either. As a rule, Central London venues will be more night-clubby and snooty than local ones, though.


you call me snooty ?
Thanks for the compliment :D
No problem :wink:

HelenB
5th-March-2008, 02:49 PM
I'll work in Central London and live in Woking, if that sheds any light. Interested in tuesdays / thursdays and weekend nights... :flower:

Hi Caro

I think Viktor runs Salsa classes at Bisley (not that far from Woking) on a Tuesday night :flower:

Modern SALSA with Viktor (http://www.modern-salsa.co.uk/index.php)

Tessalicious
5th-March-2008, 02:53 PM
Caro - I know of three Central London salsa venues:

Salsa on Sundays at Mary Ward Hall was seriously stuck up - worse than ballroom comps and tango milongas put together.
Bar Havana, Hanover Square (can't remember which night) used to be quite good but slightly cliquey crowd, can't find any current details about it.
Clockwork, Islington, on Wednesdays is probably your best bet - mostly friendly, quite a 'normal' crowd (basically, a ceroc crowd but 10 years younger and with a few more Columbians). Several classes of different standards too.

Can't recommend any of them in terms of music - it's salsa for god's sake :p

sidney
5th-March-2008, 04:18 PM
I don't find the salsa scene snooty here in Leics or Birmingham, but it is a more hip younger scene but saying that there are all ages there just on a smaller scale. We have a freestyle in Leics every two months where they come from all over and boy you seem to get a better standard of dancing then your average mj night. I still can't make up my mine with curban or new york salsa which reminds me of wcs a little bit so I tend to do both styles even though it gets confusing at times. At the moment I prefer salsa to mj but the music can be annoying so will do my once a week mj to socalise and the music.