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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.
Salsa Done Right
by Erin
Lamb
posted March 22, 2006
Salsa is not that new of a dance, however to many natives of the Midwest,
it is the latest dance craze to hit these parts since the jitterbug
of the 50s. Because of this, a person with only a brief education and
understanding of Salsa can be considered a master of the dance. It is
unfortunate, because the average Joe of Midwest can be easily influenced
by people who are less knowledgeable than what they claim to be about
the dance of Salsa.
Now you say to yourself, "Wait a minute, hold up, Erin! Are you
saying that there are no people in the Midwest who know about Salsa
and know how to teach it?" No, I am not saying that. If I were,
I'd be shooting myself in the foot because I am an instructor myself.
What I am really getting at is that one must be very careful before
picking a "salsa instructor." It is like choosing any other
product or service you might buy: Is the service fair and friendly?
Did you get your money's worth? Did the instructor seem knowledgeable?
Hopefully, within the next few paragraphs, I can help you, the individual,
understand what separates a good dance instructor from a poor one.
Salsa has an incredibly vast history. Yang and I are just beginning
to embark on that journey. Luckily, we have friends like Iris Rosa,
David Olarte, and Shavon Woolfolk who helped us learn Afro-Cuban, New
York, and LA style Salsa. In addition, the annual Salsa Congressos offer
wonderful opportunities for salseros and instructors alike to polish
up their knowledge and execution of the dance. Find out about your instructor's
dance background. Do they seem interested in what is going on in the
world of Salsa? Are they comfortable in discussing the latest trends
in Salsa? And what about the roots of Salsa? If your instructor acts
uncomfortable discussing any of these subjects, you might want to explore
your options. It is important as an instructor to learn about Salsa,
not only as a series of steps and patterns, but also as an idea, a history,
a culture.
The most important characteristic an instructor can possess is modesty.
A teacher is forever a student, and the moment that student believes
they know everything there is to know about Salsa - they stop progressing.
Be warey of instructors who are only interested in discussing themselves
and their own dance repetoire. Beware of instructors who do not approve
of their students attending Congresso workshops, or workshops held in
other cities or studios. If the instructor is confident in their service,
they will not be worried. Also, true instructors will be attending those
workshops themselves. An instructor must always be concerned with adding
to their own repetoire so as to offer their students more choices and
more information.
To judge how good your instructor is, you might also ask yourself these
questions. Does your instructor have good communication skills? Teaching
is an art form in itself. If someone is not good at speaking in public,
he or she can't be a good Salsa instructor. Does your instructor check
on individual student and correct mistakes during classes? A good instructor
should be able to spot the mistake and correct it. Otherwise you might
end up dancing with the wrong techniques for years. Is your instructor
able to demonstrate both men's and women's steps? A good instructor
should be able to both lead and follow.
I hope this article was informative, if not as dramatic or entertaining
as some of my other articles. It does not matter if I made you happy
or upset; I still want to hear what you have to say. I do not believe
Salsa will continue to grow in our wonderful, little city if we are
not open to discuss all aspects of it.
Past Columns
Reader's comments
Good job, Erin! Always enjoy reading your
articles.
- Mirv
Can I request from Erin who I have great
respect, how does one equate cost to value of instruction given? Some
plenty of people are unable to find the money that good instruction costs.
How do we recognise the cost to enable us to dance confidently and without
the Salsera's complaints?
- MuchoMachoMagnifico
Erin, I know what you are talking about. I took
a class with another studio. This guy did not know anything about latin
culture, about latin music and could not say a single word of spanish.
He was always off beat and just wanted to show off with a few flips and
dips. He was really pitiful, he was just a beginner with a big ego.
- Salsa Lover
Thanks for the article. I appreciate your dedication
to teaching and the quality of the lessons. The fact that you continue
to learn and encourage all of us to learn at the Congresso workshops speaks
volumes!!
- SM
I think this article does make some good points,
but I find a couple of things hypocritical. I understand that you had
to be a student at some point in your life, but for an instructor to write
an article on finding a good/qualified instructor seems a bit hypoctritical.
This article would be more understandable if it were coming from a current
salsa student. And do you, as an instructor, and your dance partner possess
all of these qualities? Even if you do know the history of salsa and where
it came from, all of that is mute if you can't show these different styles
of latin dance diversity in your own dance style. As you stated in your
article that you and Yang are just starting on your journey to to learn
the vast history of latin dance. Does that make you an unqualified instructor
if you do not already know the history of salsa? I'm sure it doesn't.
I don't feel that knowing the history is very important to instruct a
class. It's good to know and can help aid the instructor, but is not essential.
For example, one doesn't need to know the history of how cars were invented
to know how to drive a car, or for that fact be a driving instructor.
If it were that deep, I would only learn salsa from a person of latin
descent and not someone of white, asian, or black descent. The most essential
points are the love of the dance and to have fun with it. As long as one
has fun doing the basics, they can soar from there. It all depends on
how serious the student is about the dance of how far they want to take
it. Salsa was created as a way to relax and have fun after a long week
of work. they would dance in the streets all night long to free their
minds and have a good time. From what I've seen from the student's of
your studio are advanced patterns. None of them have style or individuality.
Advanced patterns are pointless unless you do them with the same people
that were in the class learning them with you. And to the salsa lover,
are YOU fluent in spanish, know all there is to know about the latin culture
and community, and know every word to every latin song there is? And I'm
sure if you attended more of those classes, you would see that that instructor
wasn't all about flips. Who does flips?? I'm sure he wasn't teaching that
to the class.
- CC
CC sounds a bit defensive - eh?
- TTB
hey cc good job finally somebody that sees what
i see but i have something to say i don't know if you're with me cc and
for you erin too i've realize that everybody that thinks knows how to
dance salsa they dance good don't get me wrong but they need to know the
diference of diferents styles of salsa and erin that is your job as a
teacher and i see you have not done that i come from mexico city and i
can tell you the salsa scene is better than miami and chicago combine
in mexico we know about music. we know ballrom salsa is not the original
salsa i hate when i go to jazz kitchen all the people think ballrom salsa
is how you dance salsa and they don't even know about music so erin by
the way tell your ballet ladies that if they're too good to dance with
every normal guy.
- mexicodfsalsa
CC, I am not being a hypocrit whatsoever in this
article I wrote. I am writing this article not just as an instructor,
but someone who has been a student of dance for over 15 years of my life.
I have been to bad studios and I have witnessed poor instruction. I leave
it up to my students to decide if I am qualified or not. Yes, I do study
and understand different styles of salsa. I dance to my partner's style.
If my partner dances cumbia - I dance cumbia. If my partner dances modern
salsa - I dance modern salsa. If my partner is Cubano, I will dance like
a Cubana. And if my partner dances on 2, you better believe I am going
to do my best to stay on 2 with him. As far as expressing individuality
in dance, that is up to the individual then isn't it? No instructor chooses
and teaches a personalized style to each student. Also, CC, don't be afraid
to use your real name next time (wink wink).
One last thing, Mexicodfsalsa, I am not the boss of any "ballet ladies."
I'm sorry if they won't dance with you, but I do not take responsibility
for all the women who are at Jazz Kitchen. Did you ask each one of them
when they refused you if they were my student? In addition, I do not teach
ballroom. I realize that in Mexico, you have your own style of dancing
and I respect that. I hope you respect the form of dancing I dance also.
Being that salsa did not originate in Mexico or in Indiana, I believe
our environments and our customs put a spin on how we express the music
today; Each expression is beautiful in its own way.
- Erin
Erin's comment - Also, CC, don't be afraid to use
your real name next time (wink wink). Erin, why not ask MuchoMachoMagnifico,
TTB, mexicodfsalsa and SM to use their real names next time (wink wink).
That does not seem fair to ask the poster who challenges your articles
to give their real name while others who praise your article hide behind
aliases. That does not sound fair.
- Salsa4Life
Well, isn't this a heated topic! I would like to
suggest that we pause for a moment to remember that Salsa is supposed
to be about having fun! That said, I have attended a few dance studios
in town and after going out to the clubs I realize that everyone dances
Salsa differently. Dance instructors should provide a solid basic knowledge
of how to dance Salsa but not be expected to teach you how to dance each
and every style. One must go out and be willing to dance, observe and
LEARN from many different dancers if they wish to learn the Salsa flavor
of many different regions, countries and cities. I agree that the style
taught in ALL studios is more formal (ballroom) than the style of the
average Latino that has learned to dance in a social setting. That is
to be expected. It is each dancers responsibility to refine and adjust
the style that they have learned in the studio so that they may become
more "authentic" in their style. I can admit that although I
can dance pretty easily with the instructors and fellow students of the
studios that I have attended, I am sometimes totally lost when trying
to follow non-studio dancers at the club. I don't blame this on anyone.
I realize that I must be willing to keep trying to learn to follow them
and hopefully they will be patient with this studio-trained dancer so
that I will catch on to their informal or more authentic style. Also,
I don't really care if my instructor can recite the history of Salsa or
speak Spanish and I have no interest in doing a background check on him/her.
I just want my instructors to be friendly and patient people who clearly
love to dance Salsa and give each student some personal attention. I would
like to point out that there are some of your students that have expressed
that they are afraid to attend classes at other studios or even associate
with dancers from other studios because they fear that they will suffer
the displeasure of you or your students. I don't know that their fear
is warranted or not but I do hope that it is a misconception. I certainly
hope that it is not true that any instructors or dancers are intentionally
creating tension or dividing the Indy latin dancing crowd. We should all
be genuinely friendly with one another and support each other so that
we may contribute to the goal of a thriving Salsa community together.
What is this anyway, West Side Story? Come on, get real. It's just dancing.
- Maria (no wink, wink needed)
Maria, I agree with most of what you are saying.
Salsa is about having fun. We should be dancing with each other, not fighting
with each other. At IntoSalsa, we never tell our students don't take lessons
with other studios. We've never intimidated our students about switching
to other studios either. What you heard was really a misconception. As
a matter of fact, I encouraged a few students to check out other studios,
when they told me they want to have more people to dance with. We always
believe people have the rights to choose what's best for them. However,
it is our policy that instructors from other studios are not allowed to
take lessons from us, and our instructors can not teach at other studios.
This is a business, not a social club. We run our studio just like any
other business. They wouldn't want their competitors to come in and learn
their trade secrets, do they? I just want to make this clear.
- Yang
Wow! I must have pushed a button for you to reply
AND ask me for my name (good response Salsa4Life)! Anyhow, my name isn't
what's important. It's just my opinion. Your reply didn't seem to touch
on the points that I discussed. I wasn't speaking about you personally.
I know your a good dancer. I've seen you dance several times. But out
of the times that I've seen you dance, I've never seen you dance anything
other than modern dance and I think that is because you end up dancing
with the same people all night. I was just saying that I don't feel that
an instructor needs to know the history of salsa to teach salsa. I'm a
student myself, and will be for a very long time. I don't have the time
to ask for the instructor's resume and interveiw him/her before I start
taking the class. If I like the way they instruct, I will go with it.
I agree with Maria, the instructor should focus on the basics of salsa,
and also broaden their knowledge of other dance styles. The student, as
I stated previously, will create their own style as they progress, depending
on how serious they want to take it. Some just want to know the basics
so that they can go out to the club to have fun. I DO think that instructors
should introduce other styles such as; New York Style, LA Style, Cumbia,
women's and men's styling, Afro-Cubian, hip-hop, and Cubano(and whatever
else I missed). And if the studio can not provide these different styles,
then keep their students informed on upcoming festivals and congressos.
But my real question is "what prompted you to write this article?"
You have been with the same studio for quite a while now. Are you attending
another studio or did students come to you about this topic? Why after
so many years of dancing, why did you write this article now?
- CC
Yang, I'm glad to hear that you don't discourage
your students from interacting with the rest of the Salsa community. That
is a relief. I hope that we can all make an effort to respect, support
and learn from each other. Although I have become more involved with another
studio, I still respect and truly appreciate your contribution to the
local Salsa scene.
- Maria
Yang, your comment about not allowing other instructors
to take classes with you is right on the money. I think you are doing
the right thing. There is a business component to this after all and we
need to respect it. It makes sense for a student to take classes at more
than one studio, but instructors should avoid copying from other studios.
There are plenty of instructional materials out there to learn from. Erin,
your article is very interesting as you can see from the responses you
are getting. However, as a few people are pointing out, you are not being
completely fair. This makes the intention behind this article questionable.
I will agree with Salsa4Life that if real names are required, they should
be for people who praise you as well. By the way, on your website, you
ask for nickname, not real name. You might want to check that before giving
unpleasant responses. I would be a little more polite if I wrote an article
and requested feedback from people. As far as the article itself is concerned,
here is my point of view. First, the emphasis should be put on style and
rhythm instead of history of Salsa. This Afro-Cuban dance is a result
of a mixture of African and Spanish cultures. No one needs to go back
that far in history to be able to appreciate this wonderful dance. Salsa
has actually grown to become an international dance. That’s why we
now talk about New York style, LA style and maybe one day Indy style Salsa.
So let’s look at the big picture and not think that you need to be
a Salsa historian or speak Spanish to be a good Salsero or Salsera as
suggested by Salsa Lover. This is what I would add to your description
of a good instructor: 1. A Salsa addict who put more emphasis on rhythm,
dancing on the beat, and having fun dancing and less emphasis on doing
advanced complicated patterns. 2. Someone who pays attention to each student
and knows how to correct mistakes and help individuals without delaying
the entire class.
- T. Edi
Why is it that some people don't understand that
just as they have fun dancing casual at the clubs, other people have fun
taking classes and learning new moves from a teacher? Everyone keeps saying,
"It is about having fun!" but some of us, we like to learn -
it is fun! It should not be taken as an insult that some people want to
know more about our latin culture and dance.
- TTB
Ok, now you're all mad at me for calling CC out!
Fair enough, CC, I apologize. My excuse is that I thought I already knew
who CC was (note the past tense). Sorry CC! But just for that statement
alone.
- Erin
eh CC are you 6ft3 tall?
- Latino hasta la muerte
No hard feelings Erin! I'm nowhere near 6'3 tall.
lol!
- CC
I was just going to sit back and be a spectator
in this discussion, but I see that someone is asking if CC is 6’
3’’. If you are referring to me, sorry please try again. CC’s
grammar is far better than mine and I prefer to use my real name. I am
curious to who SalsaLover is referring to? Only a few leads perform flips
(myself and another Salsero come to mind), but I have never used tricks
when I teach, I might scare all of my students away! Anyhow, peace, love
and salsa!
- Marques
The saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
probably holds true here. We all appreciate different styles of dancing.
What someone calls "ballroom" and likes, others call "unoriginal"
and don't like. What some call "street" and like, others call,
"untrained" and don't like. I have heard people say, "So
and so is such a good dancer!" And I think they are NOT! And maybe
they think the ones I like are awful. We appreciate different styles.
None of them are "right". All have a place in the salsa scene.
As for having fun, unfortunately, having fun on the dance floor requires
finding the right "match" in terms of style. I cannot have fun
with tall guys (because I am short) who don't have rhythm, but I know
some women who don't seem to mind if the guy can't find the beat as long
as they twirl her around and make her look good. So, we can get frustrated
if we don't have the right match in terms of dance partners. Having said
all of this, I think that Yang and Erin are supreme teachers, business-people
and friends. They know how to blend all the right qualities. This is why
they are successful. More power to them!!!
- Naomi
Erin, I love your article, another good one. I
would like to compliment you and Yang for being such good instructors.
I do realize how much actually you and Yang know about dancing when I
started taking private lessons. One on one teaching with Erin's styling
techniques taught me a lot. I realize how many things I was doing wrong
and how can I do better. I would suggest to everyone out there new to
salsa or being around for a while investing at least a couple private
lessons with Yang and Erin and see how much difference it will make on
your dancing skills. I know, it costs more than group lessons, but believe
me it's worths it and still more reasonable than other dance studios.
Naomi, I am with you about Yang and Erin not only being good teachers,
but also good friends too. I feel like I am at home in their studio.
Marques, I see you get lots of compliments about your height! I remember
when you started taking lessons with Yang and Erin couple of years ago.
I would like you to know you became a very good dancer. I do appreciate
your kindness as slowing down when you dance with me, after all we have
only 1 foot between us:) Keep up the good work!
- Bensu
What a load ! Why can't people just dance and have
fun! But I wonder who Salsa Lover is refering to about flips and dips?
Surely not marques, he is not a beginner. And not many people in Indy
do the flips and dips. hey atleast he is doing something that you are
not or something that you can only look at with your mouth open! And why
did you take a class with him, unless you thought that he knew something
more than u do or that you could get something more going to his classes.
And u have the judgmental nerve to say that he is a beginner, wow, r u
on dope or something man? What has his knowing latin culture got to do
with his dancing? dancing is dancing, just that music must be different
at different places, but the beats are universally same. At some places
its faster, in some slow. I have danced salsa to reggaton and rock music
too, hahahahaha it is fun!. And yesterday I was at a club, where the first
hour we had instructions in intermediate level salsa. I ended up partnering
with a pretty gal. I asked her if she had been dancing a lot of salsa,
she just said "I am for Mexico". "kool viva mexico, then
you really must be good" i say, she replies proudly "Yeah".
I am going in my head, good god, and I am from a part of the world that
does not even know the word salsa. Never heard of salsa till I came to
the US. When the instructions started, she was sooooo out of sync, out
of beat, her legs freezing up, body going the wrong way and you name it,
she even started complaining about the instructor, who by the way is a
Latin American and one of the best teachers that I have seen (Note best
teacher, not best dancer). I been the person that I am brought up to be,
was really patient with her and guiding her and helping and encouraging
her and telling her not to worry and just to have fun. After that secession
she was so taken, that she could not stop thanking me. The point there
is no matter which freaking culture or background or how much u know the
details of the history, in the end it is "Can u really dance and
have fun" with out letting your ego drive your attitude ! Cheers!
In the end we are all learning, no one is perfect, we just have to live
and let live, help the ones who are new to the salsa scene and encourage
more to participate. The result, spreading of the feeling called happiness
around the world. I will also add its fun knowing more about cultures
and there by feeling a new sense of respect for the culture, but like
CC said, we don’t have to know the history of cars to drive a car!
Have fun and loads of luv from Vancouver!
- Vino
Well, I had a lot of fun reading this article.
I am not from Indianapolis and I took a lesson in a studio in a different
town so I provided my input on this article I just found. When I came
back to the site, I found a bunch of defensive comments of people that
believed to be targeted. So Let me address them. (1) Mr CC. I don't want
a salsa historian like it was claimed but I expect a minimum. And sorry
when I hear crap like "Salsa was created as a way to relax and have
fun after a long week of work" like you wrote I feel sorry for you.
Latin dancing has its root in slavery. It was the only things they were
authorized to do. Some of them were dancing with chains. That's why Latin
dancing is danced closely. That's why flips was something added recently
(try to jump in the air with chains), but is not part of the Latin dancing
original culture. A teacher with historic knowledge would have told you
that. (2) Speaking Spanish, I did not say I want somebody perfectly bilingual,
but sorry I hate people butchering the language and screwing up the names
and cannot explain what something means. (3) Mr Vino, where did you see
it was Indianapolis in my post. You seem to be from Vancouver, I am from
another town too. (4) Mr Vino, you talked about being judgemental, but
sorry when I pay for a class and the guy cannot lead properly, and cannot
hear the beat, and is just here to take my money, I have the right to
be judgemental. If you go to a haircut salon and he screws up your hair,
do you need to be a professional haircutter to criticize the job? (5)
Flips in general, I am not impressed by them. When I go to a club, I like
to dance, not to be in a circus with acrobats. I have seen professional
salsa dancers and professional banda dancers executing flips. Banda is
better for flips in my opinion.(6) Mr Marques, why are you so defensive,
did you feel targeted? Do you think there are only 2 people in this planet
that do flips? Have you ever left your town? (7)Well sorry nobody can
provide an input about a bad experience without being targeted by defensive
comments.
- Salsa Lover
Salsa Lover, not defensive, just curious and thanks
for the clarification. I have been targeted in the pass due to my status
in the community. This is a local site focusing mainly on Indianapolis’
salsa scene and most of the comments posted are from dancers who live
here and mistaken you as a local. As for Vino, he was an Indianapolis
salsa dancer and moved to Vancouver. Vino is a great guy coming to my
defense and a handful of dancers thought the comment was directed towards
me (this is what happens in a small salsa community), we miss you Vino!!!
Do I leave town to dance? When I can I do, I have danced in Chicago, Cincinnati,
Detroit, San Diego and Los Angeles. Here is an article I wrote about my
experiences in San Diego’s salsa scene http://www.indysalsa.com/articles/san_diego_trip.php.
Peace, love and salsa!
- Marques
To Salsa Lover... I don't know where to begin.
I think you need a hug or something. First of all it's Ms. CC. Second,
damn near every type of music originated from Africa from the rhythmic
drums and the vocals of the slaves. In the 30's is when the first latin
songs were composed. So it is obvious that the dance started some time
after that. Slaves were not dancing salsa (or doing flips) in the slave
trade days while hooked up to chains. That's just an ignorant thing to
say. Besides, I was referring to street salsa in Spanish Harlem. And why
did you attend this class! Didn't you watch the instructor before you
took the class!?
- CC
Salsa Lover: Don't take offense, but if for some
reason you feel an instructor is incompetent, do something about it. Don't
complain and criticize. If you could do a better job, do so. Obviously,
they are doing something right or else they would not still be teaching.
Many agreed this is also a business, therefore as a businessman, it is
your job to please the customer. Thus, if the customer is happy, it doesn't
matter how you are doing it. I believe if the student feels he is not
getting his money's worth, then he would not continue attending classes.
Some may say you are ruining the art of the dance, but sorry, the world
isn't perfect and business comes with its flaws. Don't hate the player,
hate the game. This isn't to say anyone in the community should not be
teaching, but simply to say as long as the people inside each studio are
happy, then it doesn't matter. We won't agree on everything. As I believe
most agree, Salsa, in part, is about having fun. And lets face it, flips
are fun. If you and your partner have the experience and ability to do
so, then strut your stuff. Just as long as you are having fun.
- Kyle
After reading the article and the responses I think
most of the pros and cons of the article have been stated. I will say
that I understand why the article was written, and there are some points
that I agree with. I agree that, just because you rent space downtown,
put up fancy mirrors, host Salsa parties and have several weekly Salsa
lessons, you shouldn’t boast that you are the authority on Salsa.
(man, that's a double edge sword) However, if someone goes to all of this
trouble, we must recognize that there has to be an underlying motive for
doing all of this. While some may do it for profit, others may do it for
the love of the dance. In any case, they are spreading the love of the
dance and should be given credit for that, regardless of if they speak
Spanish, know the history of Salsa or teach all the various styles of
Salsa. I guess before I go much further, I want to make the point that
it seems a bit counter productive to restrict other instructors from taken
your classes. I mean, who did you learn from, if not other instructors.
You suggest that a good instructor should go to Congressos, in order to
expand their knowledge of Salsa, which I totally agree with. But if the
instructors at the Congressos prevented other instructors form taking
their classes, there would be no Congresso. When you go to a Congress
even the top instructors are very willing to share their knowledge with
other camps. Bottom line, don’t make statements like “If the
instructor is confident in their service, they will not be worried. Also,
true instructors will be attending those workshops themselves. An instructor
must always be concerned with adding to their own repertoire so as to
offer their students more choices and more information.” Who are
they going to take workshops from, if not other instructors? Okay, I’m
of my soap box. Hey – changing gears – I commend you guys for
posting both positive and negative responses to you articles. I’ve
found that some other web hosts are not willing to accept “constructive”
feedback. I know that you have read some of this articles and that’s
the reason why you wrote this one. Also, I love the clips you guys have
on the site (although be careful of showing too many shots of Yang –
some of these other instructors are going to steal his moves:).
- Son of Salsa
I really enjoy reading your articles, Erin, they
are entertaining, giving me some insight into the US/Indy Salsa scene
(I'm living in Europe). You make more than just some few good points but
this time I think you go a bit over the top. Why should a single Salsa
teacher have to know about all the different Salsa style, like LA, New
York, Rueda? Why isn't it enough for a Rueda instructor to know about
Salsa in Cuba? In my opinion you take a rather scientific approach to
Salsa. It's a bit like saying a good historian teaching at a university
should know about the various theories, opinions, ways to understand history
and of course the latest literature and should attend congresses to get
to know what others are thinking about the material. Without any doubt
this is true for a scientist but for a Salsa teacher? Teaching skills
are important, but it's also a lot about fun and if we start taking it
serious would it still be fun ;-) Anyway, please keep on writing your
articles and I'm sure your doing a great job teaching Salsa!
- traveler
Interesting article. As both a student, and (formerly)
an instructor (not from Indiana in case you wonder) I'm compelled to make
some comments I hope will be of value here. My apologies if I run too
long. Just so you know a bit about me, I'm a Puerto Rican, born and raised
in a family of salsa musicians and dancers. I've been fortunate to have
grown in a culture that lives and breathes latin rythyms and thrives with
both talented social dancers and professional instructors as well. I am
sure that if there are any latinos reading this article they will strongly
identify with what I mean. Specially those of Colombian, Mexican, and
Cuban heritage whom I respect and admire for their amazing contributions
to the development of what we know today as Salsa. I got many good friends
within those communities! On the other hand, in spite of my cultural heritage
I been fortunate for having had opportunities to recieve formal training
in LA Style while living in California for 3 years. In more recent years
I been learning to integrate both Cuban and ON2 NY style elements to my
personal repertiore as well. I can tell you from experience that knowing
many styles and being open to other approaches in salsa will only enrich
your ability to enjoy the dance more. On that one aspect I have to agree
with Erin's comment that a good quality in an instructor will be his desire
to always learn more. However, having said that, with all due respect,
I have to say I am perplexed at Yang's stated business philosophy as a
salsa instructor. I will have to agree with the comment from Son of Salsa
on that topic (even the clever ones, he, he). Preventing other intructors
from attending your class (or banning your own to learn from other local
instructors) is detrimental not just to the business, but to the overall
salsa scene. Forgive me if this analogy falls short, but that is the same
philosophy that ancient traditional martial arts schools adopted resulting
in the loss of many styles and the stagnation of many others. (Note: Why
do you think Bruce Lee was so controversial in his own country of birth
for teaching westeners? In the same way, applying that logic to teaching
salsa goes contrary to any claim you could make of trying to bring unity
in your local salsa community. I believe that what makes an instructor
unique is not secret technical tradecraft, as there is very little room
for secrecy in salsa today in all honesty. As a renown intructor from
Australia once said "Today's Salsa is global, a move invented in
LA or NY today will be danced in Tokyo the next day". That is a proven
fact. True, Salsa as a dance form is both technical and artistic so it
does involves tradecraft. Yet, it is also both individual and collective
at the same time. Historically, Salsa is first and foremost a street dance
- i.e. it belongs to the people, and everyone owns it). So how could any
one claim or apply tradecraft ownership to something like that? The nature
of this dance is so that even after you have invented a new move (or many)there
is no way to confirm that someone else copied from you or simply arrived
to same move on its own. If you have any doubts Ask Ismael Otero about
the countless moves he has never recieved due credit for. If your analogy
to other business ventures apply, wouldn't that imply that anyone in the
business today should be subject to pay royalties to the individuals (or
cultures for that matter) that originated the concept, a particular style,
or a move? If I follow your logic I would have to conclude that a dance
school should be compelled to pay royalties on any move imported from
another instructor at a congress, or else refrain from teaching anything
new without strict permission of the source they learned from. Now, I
know a handful of very original individuals that I'm sure would not mind
that all but I would like to hear some of your thoughts on that. Business
in salsa thrives on supply demand as any other business does. In my opinion
it is the ability of an instuctor to be engaging, effective and enthusiactic
in passing his knowledge forward that will make or brake your business
not the abilities to conceal techniques or moves to the competition. On
a more positive note. Great topics and good discussions. I like the site.
Perhaps I will visit around if I'm in Indianapolis. Please excuse any
spelling or grammar errors I may have overlooked. Very respectfully, CSARS.
- salsoul
I don't disagree with what you are saying, but
you are speaking about the salsa community coming from a national/global
perspective. You must come and live in Indianapolis for awhile to understand
the salsa community and all of its politics here.
- Erin
(Caution! Another long one…) Believe me Erin,
I’ve seen enough of ugly politics in several local salsa scenes to
be able to write a horror fiction novel on the subject for salseros (now
there's a thought...). My perpective is both global and local. I don't
want to underestimate or oversimplify your situation of course! I read
enough of the responses to your articles to get a good feel for the animosity
within your community. Yet, salsa by nature is a passionate activity and
conflict of that nature is bound to occur. The question is one of how
to overcome the differences, promote unity, and pursue business aspirations;
all without tearing apart the very community that sustains the scene.
With very few exceptions, the main problem in growing salsa communities
remains the same. We get exposed one day and quickly want to emulate what
cities like NY, LA or London for example have achieved (in the course
of decades I may add). That is OK because it is natural human desire to
emulate the success of others. Yet, the issue becomes unfortunately one
of patience (or lack thereof) and of true understanding of what salsa
is really about (maybe I will dare to write about that last topic on a
later day). Regretfully everybody wants to excel as quickly as possible
but there doesn't seem to be enough around for everyone to be satisfied
(or profit accordingly). The result is a "survival of the fittest"
mentality and a cut-throat approach among people who could otherwise be
great friends or at least cordial rivals while enjoying all that salsa
can provide at the same time. Have I hit a nerve yet? Erin, if you look
into it in the same honest manner you may ask a dancer to look at his/her
techniques I am sure you will reach the same conclusions. Here's the bottom
line: 1.Instability breeds insecurity; 2. insecurity then breeds unnecessary
competition (and segregation) which in turn breeds more insecurity (and
envy) within individuals in a budding salsa scene. Not only that, but
there is a point where all may be tempted to pursue business aspirations
at the expense of openly promoting as beautiful a cultural concept as
salsa is. I can assure you that that will be detrimental to both interests.
The worst damage is usually made at the most critical stage of growth
when there are enough participants to call it a community but less than
the ideal to consider it a stable (and UNIFIED) environment. Your local
scene seem to be at that very stage. My advice? Those with enough talent
to excel should take the lead and be confident enough to prevent this
from happening. Dare to break the barriers and see what happens. I can
assure you that what you (those leading the pack) choose to do has the
potential to make or break the whole thing at that critical stage. Bigger
salsa scenes around the world are dying for the same reason. There is
a reason why I used Ismael Otero from NY as a case in point of how you
can succeed when you combine talent with humility without loosing confidence
on who you are. Do this and you can positively influence a salsa scene
in your area for years to come. In due time there will be more than enough
for everyone to benefit (and profit from as well ;-)) Oh… and don’t
forget the Latino factor. I know we can be stubborn, obnoxious, and VERY
critical at times (and let’s not forget judgmental). Yeah I read
on that too ;-) However, we get look down a lot for our earthly, lay back
approach to the dance. The moment many start learning formally, it is
easy to look down on us as “non-pros” because our more casual
(and sometimes unstructured) approach to salsa dance. But we carry salsa
in our blood in a way few other cultures will ever understand (or care
to understand). Salsa was born out of our hearts and has grown feeding
on our sweat and smiles long before it became a global phenomenon. So
we dance it with pride and defend it with passion . As long as there is
a genuine Latino alive there will be rhythm and dance for decades to come.
If people in your scene want to ensure salsa remains alive, be careful
not to overlook that “little” factor. Take care of my Latino
family and try to sincerely understand (and respect) were they are coming
from (in spite of our attitude at times). After all we are a living and
breeding part of that salsa history we instructors need to be aware of.
There’s a lot to gain from that, believe me. Good luck!
- salsoul
INtoSalsa, Indy's premier Salsa guide
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