Salsa Wednesday

Right salsa it is. First of I found out that we are doing New York (Cross Body) style of salsa. Given that I don't know anything about the Cuban style that's popular I'm not really sure where the differences are. Anyway first they teach an interesting dancers frame (higher arms elbows out) and leading with the shoulder for a spin. Apart from my lack of balance I was finding I could project myself through a double spin occasionally. Had totally forgotten the left hand turn from last week. I think the key point being that I kept trying to put a spin into it (there really is only a pivot). I probably asked less people this week than I did last being content to chat to people. I really should have danced with more people though. At times I also find trying to get the correct beat in the music difficult and in moves that are prone to falling out of beat I often don't correct. I'm also prone to rushing through the silent beat as well.

They did do a good job at telling you about using the balls of your feet rather than heels and how to distribute your weight; frame technique and such. Even if I can't, at the end of it all, still get that salsa feel I think I'll still walk away feeling that I've learnt a lot. They teach a good grounding in the theory of dance :D.

Anyway we did a cross body lead which involved using the first part of a left turn but stepping out to the side creating a gap for the woman to walk through. Guide her with the frame (so pushing on her high back and pulling with your left hand) then turn her to face and move back into "the line". Revisited some of the stuff from last week. I also lead a left turn using the ladies left hand and a right handed turn for the lady where you break her turn with a flat right hand (to her left) and turn her around for a left hand turn. The intermediate class did a multiple cross body lead that I tried to shadow with a friend. Basically its the cross body but rather than pivot to face your partner you pivot to the other side and keep an open line so you can cross lead your partner again then do the same again (you are transfering momentum at this stage) and release into an open hold. I'd say that I successfully did it about 25% of the time :(.

Tags: Salsa

Not A Great Dancing Evening

Something wasn't quite right last night. I'm not sure if I just wasn't focused or it was the miserable weather (yes; I'm aware it is indoors) but I didn't feel particularly on form. This especially was true during class where I was hopeless with one of the moves which is the first time, in a while, where I've struggled with an intermediate move to the extent that I was prepared to give up on it. This was particularly crippling as I didn't actually think the move was that difficult maybe just to much unnatural feeling movements. I managed to mess up the second move for a while but then I realised I was offering my right hand; doh.

Despite not feeling on form I did have a surprising number of good dances. I was also snatched up by a few women for dances too which always feels good :D. So despite feeling like I was struggling and wasn't dancing at my best I did have a good time. Just hope my partners found it enjoyable too.

• Armjive into Teapot except try and get the woman's left arm into a half nelson. Then pull with left hand drawing her to your left as you lower this hand and move into a half nelson with left behind her back and right in a half nelson behind yours. You then turn anticlockwise and duck under your arm to come out in front of her taking right hand between you and then high to unwrap her (still with both hand). Lower right step back and return dropping right for a left to right hold.


• Sidestep Flamenco Walk. Liked this one. Start with a Sidestep then pull the woman past you to your right hand side. Put your left hand on her shoulder and run it down her left arm (as she'll be naturally inclined to take a right to left normally). You end up with a left to left hand hold. Raise your hand and take her into a traveling twirl putting right hand on her waist (her left side) and move right hip to her right hip and walk around with the left hand high (same as a technique done in a catapult a while back). Let go with left but keep walking with right at hip then spin her out of it.


• I'm not sure why I had so much difficulty with this move but I did; it really consists of two independent parts and the second part (from leading the woman forward with arms crossed) I was ok with and I liked it. Start both hand hold take left hand over right turning clockwise 180° taking your left to your right shoulder. On the next count take your right high and behind you turning the woman anticlockwise and yourself clockwise while transferring your hand from your shoulder to hers. Take the right that you were raise as you turn her away from you (so you are behind her) over her head and to her waist. Then take your left from her shoulder down so she has her hands crossed in front of her. Then raise both hands high turning her (clockwise? or was it a return) resulting in your hands being crossed. Walk her to your right hip then raise hands turning her putting her left hand on her right shoulder and continue to turn to face with her right hand flat. Gently push spin this unraveling her taking her left high and allowing her to quickly twirl under than. Step back and your into a normal left to right.

Tags: Ceroc

Missing Dances

Another stupidly busy Thursday. Once again meaning that there was so many people I didn't get to dance with and I came away feeling guilty again. There were a couple of girls I was really looking forward to dancing with but we never got the chance. Then afterwards they were talking with me about when we'd next be available. I asked if they were going to the salsa club (since both of them know a little salsa) and I'd dance a bit of salsa with them there. But somehow I missed them there and felt really bad. I'm hoping that I get dances with the both of them in the near future.

I did see a few people from my salsa class there and had a dance with one of them which was really good fun.

Tonight's playlist was fab. Maybe I was just in the mood to dance but what the teacher was playing tonight really worked for me. It still had his own slant towards fast tunes but he's added a few in there that I really liked and kept much of the good old stuff too. We had quite a bit of old skool Rock and Roll which I found really enjoyable for a change. Still hoping that Tiggerbabe finds the time to do a few sets in Edinburgh.

I also got a compliment on the way I clearly lead the Man Spin. Yeay!

Catapult, Step Across, First Move and, Shoulder Slide. Then intermediate which I had quite a bit of difficult with even though I had lots of practice as they had to move a billion women on or something.

• Start with Basket. As you come out of it take your left to her right shoulder then lift right over her head as you turn away from her place your right on your left shoulder and then; your left on your right so you have your hands crossed in front of you and your partner facing your back. Let go with with both spin to face with her left hand still on your shoulder and taking her right in your left (quickly) and right on her hip and move into a mambo step (start forward) for a few before pulling her past into a turn then return and (in this case) manspin to get to right.


• Bring the woman past with the right while swapping hands behind your back (so you turn away from her). Take your left hand out with your back is turned to her so she has her back turned to you as well. Spin her but keep hold and put your right hand on her shoulder to stop her spin. Push her firmly but gently back out into the previous position. Spin as normal catching right.


• Move into a Sway. Execute the Sway as normal. When coming out of it nudge the woman forward keeping hold of both hands resulting in the sort of tension position a woman would see in the Catapult except with really weird arm position move forwards changing to a flat to flat hand (with your hands upwards) bringing your hands in a position to the side and just underneath of her breasts. Step back and begin to squat on your knees while she moves into a Drop Kick. Correct and turn out right-to-right (in this case we did a quick hand swap to left).

Tags: Ceroc

Salsa Is Not Ceroc

I've got a backdated ceroc entry nearly ready to go. That will appear before this post.

Went to a Salsa class tonight which I'm trying out for a while. Went to the absolute beginner's class even though I have done some salsa before. Last time I stated that I did enjoy my dances even though they felt as hopelessly limited as my Ceroc did when I started that. Well this time it was worse. There were lots of very experienced dancers there tonight and I felt that I gave them some really dull dances. I also found some of the music a little challenging to pick up the beat on. Like the first time I went I still had a little difficulty not trying to start something else on the 4^th beat. Anyway even though I danced a little ceroc at one stage (only because the woman was interested) I'm still looking forward to giving it another go.

Moves; like the last time. On twirling a woman you take your left hand left, right then up (on each beat) to indicate she should go into a spin (it feels a bit like trying to execute an uppercut on Streetfighter) where she'd perform a right spin which consists of a step forward (left foot) pivot on both feel to face the other way (second beat) and then push with the left foot spinning 180° on right to face partner. We also did a spin as a man that when stepping back on right (5th beat) you pivot on both feet swapping the woman's hand to your right hand behind you then spin clockwise to face. We also did the Mambo step with a high frame with right hand on shoulder blade and left in a ceroc like hold. Finally we also did a left turn which takes a full eight beats. Start left forward; tap right; left back to behind the right and at an 90° to the left. Cross step the right over the left to turn away; tap left and straighten it (to be able to put your weight on it); spin using left foot 180° to face partner.

Tags: Salsa

Another Note Post

It was an enjoyable night though I did seem to be settling into doing the same moves rather than using many of the other moves that I've learned. I shall work harder on using the moves I've pushed aside. Quite a lot of new women tonight and I enjoyed dancing with them.

Firstmove Push Spin, Yo-Yo, Comb, Step Across.

• Left hand. Traveling twirl the woman past you and take her hand in a wide circle to the right turning it behind her (in a half nelson) and causing her to turn her back to you. Both of you walk forward for a count. Pull down and out with her hand causing her to turn to face. Twirl her past and repeat. Twirl her past again to exit the move.



• Pretzel. Since I don't think I've ever done a Pretzel in class even though I do them fairly often. Offer right hand at waist level behind back. Woman takes this hand. Move back-to-back lowering left hand and then raising right moving the woman to your right. Draw right hand slightly around and turn to your right to face your partner. Lead her forward with left turning your back to her to turn to your left. Take her out and around anticlockwise.



• Flingy Flung. Wurlitzer start. Upon pushout continue to face partner; spin her into her own arm until she has her back turned. Put your left hand on her left shoulder causing her to stop. Lightly push outwards causing her to spin away again (still holding on). Flick her hand down and forward causing her to spin (again) and catch right to right.



• Right handed push in and out as a filler.



• Offer left hand above right she takes. You twirl both hands about her head until she comes around to face then you then keep turning her turning yourself in the same direction taking hands over heads so both your and her left hand is on her left shoulder and your and her right hands are on your right. Drop your left to the woman's upper back (between shoulder blades). Drop right and take woman's left hand in right. Dip her back as you lean on your left knee (for possible support). Raise and use right to turn her one and a half times moving to a lady spin and spin her.

Tags: Ceroc