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Welcome to Salsa
and the City! This is a monthly column
by Erin about
Salsa in the Circle City. Salsa has become a lifestyle for some of us:
music, dance, parties, fashion, travel, friends, relationships, and,
did I say dance? For those who are addicted to Salsa, this is a place
where you can read about what's going on in the city, and share your
ideas, comments, and gossip. Erin has been a regular of Indy's Salsa
scene since 1999.
Dance Competition: Bringing us Closer or Tearing
us Apart?
by Erin
Lamb
posted July 4, 2006
com·pe·ti·tion n.
1. The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry.
2. A test of skill or ability; a contest.
Upon looking up the definition of competition in the dictionary, the
above two meanings of the word is what I found. The reason why I ponder
the definition of the word is because it brings such mixed emotions
to individuals who have experienced it, either as participants or as
spectators. This is especially true for the Latin dance community in
Indianapolis.
In the past, competition in Indianapolis has meant one thing, and that
is the first definition - rivalry. I feel that dance competitions in
the past have effected the community in only an adverse way. One, it
has either created hatred between students of different dance studios.
Two, it has divided people from different schools of thought on what
is Latin dance? And more specifically, what is "real" salsa?
Three, I believe the past competitions have created division between
the different nationalites who dance the dance. By no means am I saying
that the people who organized these events meant for the result to be
this way. No! It is just something psychological that exists within
the mentality of dancers here in this city. We are all so passionate
about what we do that we forget that dance is a physical interpretation
of music and that we all have different interpretations of music, sound,
lyrics, etc.
So now you say, "Well if dance competitions are so horrible here
in Indianapolis, then why is Intosalsa holding a dance competition?"
Yang and I have discussed competitions and their place in Indianapolis
many times. Each time until now we have decided that they are not good
for the community. What has changed now is that the community has grown
more together. Before we would only mix company with other dancers if
we bumped into each other on the floor at the Jazz Kitchen. Jazz Kitchen
is the longest running Latin night in this city, and was our one and
only source for Latin parties. Now, we have three to four nights per
week to get our grooves on. More events mean more opportunities to mingle
and get to know one another. Also, I feel that people respect other
people's dance styles more now than in the past. I even see people mixing
up the salsa dance styles on the floor, creating their own concoction
of hot moves. In addition, I feel it is very important to mention that
professional dancers will be judging the final competitions. These judges
will be from various dance backgrounds and will not be related to any
dance studio or any competitors in any way. It is important that the
people who choose to come perform for us get judged on their creativity,
their talent, their skill, and their enthusiasm for salsa, not for their
connections in the community.
I hope this article gets people feeling excited about experiencing a
dance competition here in Indianapolis. I do not want any more feelings
of rivalry or animosity to arise when one contemplates the upcoming
competition at the Red Room. Personally, I feel that Indianapolis is
loaded with talented dancers and many of these dancers never get the
opportunity to show their skills. This competition is an opportunity
to put yourself out there and let Indianapolis know what you are all
about. If you are not a competitor it will be a great spectator's event,
and hopefully will inspire you to be in next year's competition. This
is the year we are going to put Indianapolis on the map!
Past Columns
Reader's comments
Kudos on the Salsa competition
idea! I'm so excited to see it. I'm bringing all my friends. Such trendsetters
you are Yang and Erin. It's a great trend to begin here locally, and it
will do just what you want...bring more people into the Latin dance community
and enhance the community already in existence. Looking forward to the
events. Best!
- Keianna
Woo-hoo! Dance competition in Indy!!! Hell to the
yeah ya'll! Let the games begin! Sounds like a great plan to me. In the
world their are leaders and followers. And in games there are competitors
and spectators. (I'm a spectator big time. Proud of it!) But at the end
of the day, it's a mutual benefit to everyone. A round of applause for
those competitors who want to provide us spectators with some salsa entertainment.
I can't be you but I can root you on. IntoSalsa would do well to support
and encourage both the spectators and the competitors through this process.
It's natural to feel intense and passionate about whatever moves a person.
However, at times one can forget to play nice, to remain positive or that
it's only a damn competition. (example: car burning and looting by the
home-team fans after the home-team "wins" the basketball game.)
Salseros are that bad, but passions burn in any competition. IntoSalsa
would do wonderful to promote "sportsmanship" throughout this
event in all ways possible. For Example: 1. competition between particular
dance levels; acknowledging different levels is kool, cause no one wants
to feel they have to be at Yang's and Erin's level just to contemplate
competing! 3. web acknowledgement and interviews for all competitors;
this is so no competitor feels left out, and the audience is familiar
with all competition! 3. kick backs for those who competed but did win
the grand prize??? -free dance lessons of choice for all those who participate;
free club entry on certain salsa nights for a specific period of time,
etc... There are other perks IntoSalsa could negotiate which allow competitors
to know that their talent and participation are appreciated for this event.
Competition is sooooooooo fun when done right. Get down, ya'll, go'head
get down.
- Jennifer...aka Mojo in Atlanta
Hello, Let me start by saying that IntoSalsa is great as far as keeping
everybody involved, having different events and so on. As for having competitions,
I do believe it has created conflicts since people feel for at ease if
you go and enjoy yourself and not to go there to be judged to see if you
can dance better than the couple next to you. I do believe there is way
too much emphasis on several people to show off, and in reality is not
what you said in your article, the meaning of "real salsa".
I believe that if people just go there to be themselves, and dance their
own way, is all that matters. People go to nightclubs to relax and not
to feel pressure that you may not be good enough. It is great to see all
the great dancers, and believe me I am one to enjoy to see them, but when
it comes to watching a competition I rather not.
- lfrgrs
I think having a competition is an excellent idea.
This town can be way too conservative for my taste. Whenever someone tries
to offer something new, people either run in the other direction or say
that it would never work. Every big city has a Salsa Congress and dance
competitions. We have neither! So this is not something radical, but what
is needed to help increase the awareness and popularity to the Latin dancing
community. Also competitions are really fun to watch, Club Mayan in LA
does a salsa competition every year and the publicity helps the club and
the Latin dance community. Hopefully we have enough brave souls to give
it a shot. The event was advertised right before the 4th of July weekend,
which could make it hard for dancers to prepare, due to vacationing. Off
subject. What is the deal with the posters who uses aliases? Are they
concern that people would get mad at them for posting their constructive
criticism? I hope not. My favorite aliases is SALSA he says the darndest
things :)
- Marques
I think the competition is a great idea. Competitions,
workshops, performances, and eventually congresses are necessary to grow
salsa in Indy or any city. Like a business, when it's not growing, it's
dieing - and definitely boring. Until recently I didn't think I'd ever
care to do a competition in salsa. I've competed most of my life in sports,
and was burned out on it. But over time I've come to realize that competition
for me doesn't have to mean me winning or losing to someone else. Rather,
I choose for it to mean digging within the depths of myself to bring out
the best in myself. And in that digging for greatness, my passion may
inspire others to do the same. So my approach to competition these days
requires me to do my best and have fun. In watching others who choose
to enter a competion or compete against me, I wish them the best in their
search to uncover their genius. Whoever is chosen to be the winner is
secondary to the interpersonal journery that each competitor lived along
the way. I appreciate Intosalsa's willingness to grow and open minds'
of a community like Indianapolis to all the possibilities. For those who
don't care for competitions because it brings up unpleasant feelings within
them, I hope you can appreciate the growth of Indianapolis salsa that
will surely happen as a result.
- Chad
Yang/Erin, Looking forward to watching the competition.
Their are some great dancers in Indianapolis and I wish them all the very
best of performance. From experiencing the Salsa scene in New York, Washington
D.C and Chicago I know Indy will provide a great show. Can't wait to see
the preliminaries. Buena Suerte!
- MuchoMachoMagnifico
Come on guys, where are all the good dancers? I
was little disoppointed with the attendance of the contest on Wednesday
night. We have so many talented dancers out there, it is important that
we all get together and make this all bigger and better. I believe Yang
and Erin started something wonderful to promote salsa dancing in Indy.
But, we should pitch in more. Patrick and I did this out of blue, no preparations,
no practice. I need to give him a big credit for pulling me out of my
shell and actually giving me inspiration and encouragement to do that
in front of a big crowd. That was one of the best nights of Salsa for
me. Thank you Patrick, it is a pleasure to dance with you. And, also such
an honor to share the same dance floor with dancers like Shayne, Cynthia
and Lucio. You guys are my idols, you are some of the best. I hope to
see more of you out there next week. Lets just have fun. I know we all
get nervous but just give it a try. After all what do you have to lose?
It is a wonderful experience for the ones who like to compete. Come on,
go out there and shake your bon-bons. Be safe and in peace.
- Bensu
I just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone
who came to the competition Wed. You don't know how much I appreciated
your applause. Even if we don't win the finals, just knowing that you
enjoyed our performance gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Thank
you, thank you, thank you. Good luck to all of the contestants. And to
the whole salsa family, lets show the rest of the salsa world that Indy
is a contender that won't be KO'd.
- Shayne
INtoSalsa, Indy's premier Salsa guide
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