Recap of Salsa Excursion to NYC Socials Salsa Union and Toda La Noche 5/3/14 Made it back home after what felt like a marathon of salsa socials a little worse from wear due to getting sick but filled with a new resolve to practice, practice, practice to improve my dance! Granted, this happens often after a Salsa Tourist trip to NYC but this time, Im going to act on it (probably not but hope springs eternal). Thank goodness for my Salsa partner in crime Brandon Carretero, who wasnt going to let my growing aches, fatigue, & grumpy cat antics due to impending sick status with flu-like symptoms ruin the day for either one of us- I love that dude! I was basically getting more and more miserable as soon as we hit NYC and Brandon was determined to keep my spirits up and my activity level on high alert so I could still have some fun. We got to the NYC almost 2 hours late because someone missed the bus- Brandon- so we had to shelve the idea of taking workshops in the Bronx first. That turned out to be a fortuitous occurrence considering how my energy and will to dance was flailing and taking a deep sea dive from optimum levels. We decided to walk around for a bit, eat a mountain of food (me), hit some stores, and just waste time until it was time for the social. We tackled Salsa Union first since that social ended at 12 midnight. This was the grand opening for Salsa Union which will take place every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. We made it in time for the pre-party class by John Franco and I was reminded once again about HOW IMPORTANT YOUR BASIC IS to the Salsa dance. The class was small and had all levels of students but this guy was so good in conveying information that was necessary for ALL OF US! Brandon and I kept nodding our assent to the information he was conveying and kept saying to each other throughout class- this is EXACTLY what we needed to hear explained to gain new clarity about how to be a better, more aesthetically pleasing dancer. For such a relatively simple class, it meant the world to me and was possibly the highlight of that social- it made me excited to get back home and practice what he taught. So many things stood out but one thing I will mention here- John said that one of the main reasons shines are practiced so much in NYC is to help the student understand the different rhythms of Latin music and to get comfortable with them to encourage organic dancing- Eureka! Long story short, this guy had a perfect basic and his class was one of the best group classes on technique Ive ever had. The social started at 7pm and as is the case with dancers, people didnt really start showing up en force until almost 2 hours into the social. Yet and still, I had decent to very good dances. My 2 best dances at the social was with John, the teacher- of course- and Manny of Abakua. I was only too happy to show Jon the teacher that I could actually handle whatever he threw at me and he definitely upped the ante at every turn. Seeing his wide smile constantly and good energy when I followed pretty much all of his stuff (except the dip which merited a D-) gave me a high. The social itself was interesting when compared to other NYC socials Ive attended in Manhattan, Harlem, Bronx in years past. First, it was called Salsa Union but after more dancers came in, they played at least 40% Bachata. It didnt kill the vibe for me but I found this odd given the name, Salsa Union, and the fact that I was supposed to be at a NYC Salsa/Mambo Social. Also, there were 6 performances and all but one were Bachata- again, interesting. I still had a good time. The venue is nice, the lighting low as a nod to club nightlife, they had a cash bar, and a cash coatcheck. The music was all over the place- Salsa Romantica, The Classics, some Guaguancos, and mucho Bachata. I generally enjoyed the diversity of what I heard. The high level dancers were mainly the performers or up and coming salsa/bachata pros. Most of the Bachata performers danced a mean salsa- they were no bums at mambo. However, I wasnt my normal aggressive self stalking the sidelines of the dancefloor for potential dancers that interested me and swooping in for the kill. This was my first time at a NYC social where I pretty much was asked to dance 90% of the time from people who didnt know me and I quickly ran back to secure a seat once each dance was over. While I found my dances to be enjoyable, I was just physically spent, had a raw throat, getting aches, and developed a growing headache from hell. Despite my maladies, I had a decent time and thought the social was cool. Side Note, Fausto Felix and Maria Ramoss Performance was Pure FIYAH- and yes it was Bachata. Brandon and I walked the 11 blocks to Toda La Noche where Crystal Rodriguez, fabulous Mambo Diva was the host. Again, social in a studio but because of the completely blue-lights lit interior, this had the distinct feel of being in a club. That image was cast in stone when I saw all of the drinks strewn about- no way you would have thought this was a studio social. I really liked the vibe and the psuedo darkness allowed me to sit in peace most of the time nursing my case of the sicks. The music was pure salsa classica and I was feeling it. I heard versions of songs that were not familiar to me as well as songs I havent heard in a while and the aural experience was simply delightful to my ears and my soul. I was asked to dance by a few, I suspect, because Brandon was determined to not let me sit in the corner like a bump on the wall and he displayed me well enough to make my dance look potentially interesting to the leads. In between long breaks, I sparingly asked a few people whose dance caught my eye to dance despite my grumpiness because the music was calling my name LOUDLY. I would say there were a few more of the seasoned NYC dancers at this social. Pleasant surprise and highlight- Crystal Rodriguez asked me to dance. I was very careful to tuck in my elbows as well as to not anticipate as I usually do nor move too suddenly because I didnt want her to be the recipient of an errant hit to face or neck. She is a wonderful, lovely host and I certainly will be back to check out her social again. We didnt make it to Zafire because the travel alone would have just killed me. I was done and content to finish my night at Toda la Noche. Because last night in NYC had 3-4 high interest socials going on, I was told that the two socials I attended were definitely short people and/or dancers- especially Toda La Noche. I estimated Salsa Union and Toda La Noche had about 125 people. In my weakened state, that was more than enough dancers for me. Good times- even from the sidelines.
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 17:14:27 +0000
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