Welcome to Salsa and the City! This is a new 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 1998.

On 1 vs. On 2
by Erin Lamb
posted December 26, 2006

I thought that the competition between the On1 and On2 salsa/mambo dancers had pretty much disappeared. Over the last few years I've read articles and heard instructors convey their disapproval over any controversy about which style is better. Also, more and more instructors have begun teaching how to dance on both counts. However, after going on the All Star Salsa Cruise, I have found that there are still some dancers claiming to be superior due to which count they dance on.

There were many D.C. and New York dancers aboard. East Coast dancers are known to be On 2 dancers. This did not bother me. I thought, if they ask me to dance, I'll just conjure up my On 2 skills. Well, that did not happen. I am not heart broken that I was not asked to dance, but I was surprised how the On 2 dancers did not really socialize with the On 1 dancers at all. In addition, one of the promoters of the cruise, when announcing the following day's workshops stated, 'There is an On 2 Mambo dancing workshop tomorrow so I need to see the On 1 dancers there. Don't stand back and just be jealous.' (I did paraphrase him, but that was the jist of his remark.) I found that statement very rude. It was definitely not a good way to motivate more On 1 dancers to learn how to dance On 2. It just created a bigger divide.

Now, I have always danced On 1. I didn't start learning to dance On 2 until about a year ago. David Olarte and Luis Gomez of California have been coming to give workshops in Indianapolis on a somewhat regular basis. And, as good instructors do, they pushed me beyond my comfort zone - that is, to the 2. I must say I liked the challenge. I liked not knowing what the heck I was doing. It made the dance feel new again.

I am biased towards the one, and if given my choice, I will almost always pick to dance On the one. I like how the dance feels on the one: fast, sharp, intense. However, I have nothing against people who dance On 2. Mambo dancers have told me that they prefer On 2 because it gives them plenty of time to style. And I understand that if you really love, I mean love to style.

So why then, if there is so little of difference between the two, and they both have their pluses and minuses, why then is there still such animosity between the two types of dancers? Well, from my observations on this cruise I can tell that those who have only danced On 1 or On 2 without trying the other are usually just intimidated by the other style. Or at least, they have just decided not to like what they don't understand. On the other hand, those who are open enough to try the style that is different from their own, they become more universal dancers - less inclined to feel negative about either style.

I guess this could be a good lesson for everyone. The next time you see a dancer at the club who dances a different style than you, don't blow them off. Instead, take that as a chance to learn something new, have a new experience. If we lay down ridged boundaries for ourselves we may miss out on a lot of good opportunities to learn and to have fun.

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