Salsa Fitness and Working out – nope, its not what you think.

To tell you the truth, I find dancers (female) very sexy. For some reason most of them who end up being hardcore dancers are in amazingly great shape. Of course you can notice from the waist down on how their legs are just completely toned (and other parts too). Now, I think to myself how much dancing does one have to do to make it a complete fitness exercise? Well, I'm no doctor so I won't answer that question. However, I sometimes think it is false advertising when you say 'salsa aerobics' and they don't really put at least some of the fundamentals of salsa into the workout. Why do I say this? In some of these videos, they end up doing the salsa workout to merengue music. Of course, I'm very picky and because I am an evangelist (or purist), and therefore it drives me crazy when they do this. I sometimes worry that people watch these videos and end up thinking that this is what REAL salsa looks like… 

Now, this is what I consider a real salsa workout. Try and move your feet this fast and to the flips/tricks this fast and cleanly – and you are on your way to loosing a couple pounds. (Disclaimer: These statements have not been approved by the FDA or any other institution that can protect my liability).

Salsa Videoclips Section (all of them)

Quick announcement – made a page with all the videoclips posted on there. This is just a fix until… yeah yeah… you know what I'm going to say.

Click Here  

Oldie but Goodie : Salsa with Hernando!

I thought it be a good time to reintroduce Hernando. This is an oldie that I've published before, but I know some of you have not seen it, so here it is:

So, while I was looking through youtube.com for salsa stuff… I found this hilarious video about a guy making fun of salsa dancing, or teaching people how to salsa dance through DVDs. I know he's probably making fun of me, but it was the funniest thing I saw, and well.. I just had to share it for those who might get a laugh about it. You can either watch the YouTube version, or download the higher quality (and longer) version by clicking on the image above.

A video is worth 1000 words – On2 partially explained.

A forum member (Rumnet) found a great video by an instructor exaggerating the salsa basic step on2 timing. Again, if you haven't already check out the forum post "Salsa Technicals : On1 vs On2. The Difference ". This video shows the example of what I have been trying to explain in words. When dancing on2, the pause happens when your feet are apart – and therefore you actually have two whole counts to get your feet back together. While On1 and On2 are TECHNICALLY the same steps, the way they are EXECUTED are different.

Now, so I don't have to re-type myself everytime, here is a small summary on the main difference in dancing on2:

 

The Clave
Again, it is not completely about style but feeling. on1 was really invented in the US mainly because its easier to teach to step on the cowbell for beginners. However, salsa is built on la clave (pa pa pa, pa pa) where your last pa pa hits on your 6-7 counts (or also and-7). So, since your steps are more in-sync with the clave, then they are more in-sync with the music and therefore easier to use the accents and play with the music. Also, listen to a real cha cha cha song. You can only be in-sync in a cha-cha-cha song if you break on2. If you break on1 your cha-cha-cha step is not in-sync with the cha-cha-cha sound in the song. Same thing with salsa – you are only in-sync with salsa when you break on2 (either 6 or 2).

 

Spin recovery (hang time)
Second, any on2 female will tell you the love on2 better because they know how it differently it feels when it comes to spinning and styling. Because the lady finishes spinning on 6 with her feet apart – she has more time to recover and settle after the spin because 7 is in place and then 8 is the pause. recovering from a spin on1 you don't have this luxury because you finish your spin on 5. While on1 you have 6 to step in place, 7 requires you to put your feet together. Hence, the ladies have one more count to recover from the spins when dancing on2.

Center of Gravity
Now, we all agree that 1,3,5, and 7 are the downbeats in the music (cowbell hits). Those are the major accents. Well, dancing on1, those accents happen in front, in the middle (center) and behind you. Thats because your 1 and your 5. Hence because you are accenting those points, more momentum is generated for those steps when you press your foot on the floor. Dancing on2, your 1 and 5 happen right underneath you, and hence the momentum generated by those steps is neither forward or backward, so your center balance does not move. (or your center of gravity doesn't move for that accent). Because of this, your steps will seem smoother because you reduce the fluctuation or movement of your center. Now, while it might not mean much to the men, it means a whole lot to the lady and how much easier it is for her to spin properly. (especially the prep)

Spin Time
I've already talked about this. You can just count it out. On a prep for a double turn – you both start spinning at the same time. Except on2, you end your spins one count later than on1.

Easier to be smoother
This one is up for grabs as a theory. However, if you look at most of the videos on youtube or from salsa congresses… most of the ones that are on2 are smooth dances. most of the dances that are on1 in those videos aren't as smooth. Why could that be? Could it be because dancing on2 makes it easier to be smooth in your basic step and thats why you have more smooth dancers? Why are there more on1 videos with jerky (LA-bouncing) movements? This is more about statistics than anything else but it helps illustrate a point that there is a difference.

Why you should not dance on2?
Probably cause no one in your area dances it. If you don't care about the above things mentioned. If you don't mind not dancing to the clave. Or you are happy dancing on1.

Why should you?
Well – mainly because of everything above. Also, you should be versatile to be able to dance on any count (but what will happen is the same that happened to me, after you experience both, you'll end up liking on2 better). This way, if a lady loves to dance on2, you can please her (cause remember she'll talk about you to all of her friends). The ladies who like dancing on1 is probably because they don't know/understand how to dance on2 yet. on2 is a different feeling in motion that will let you enjoy the music much more. While on1 and on2 are technically the same steps, they are executed differently – and that makes the big difference.

Different Styles of Salsa : A Video Comparison of a few..

Actually – this is a forum post by Swannie. She did a good job of selecting a set of videoclips for people to understand that there are different styles of salsa (and salsa music). Just pick your favorite weapon and stick with it.

Cuban: Osbanis (a native Cuban), is big (considered one of the best) Cuban style teacher based in London:

Colombian Style:

PR Style: Tito y Tamara

Anthony added: Jason Molina from PR

NY Style: Eddie Torres, the man himself:

LA Style: The Vasquez Brothers , credited with popularizing LA style:

 

Anthony added: Alex Da Silva (the LA celebrity):

 

Victor and Gaby (Mexico Style):

SNL Funny Skit : I need more cowbell…..

Well, I got a videoclip link from Flare (forums) about this funny SNL skit that I think every salsero will get a kick out of it. It has the new cast of SNL trying to record a song which has a cowbell in it. I also started to make me think – what if we started adding the cowbell to other forms of music? Hip Hop? Country? Alternative?… well, not to spoil the clip here it is:

Salsa Dancing : How it changed your life.

So, there I was. Standing in line on a Chipotle and some teenagers start talking about how they are going to a movie this Friday night. They way they conversed with each other about the movie hinted to the fact that they were not too enthusiastic about it. Then I started thinking…. when was the last time I actually went to a movie theater?

It used to be that Fridays and Saturday nights were movie night in my life until salsa came along. Now, salsa is almost every night. That lead me to think – what else have I stopped doing because of salsa? I reduced my drinking (not that I drank that much anyways). I stopped eating as much, since I have to fit into my 1MX shirts. I stopped working longer hours (note the 'er' – now I just work long hours ). I stopped going to theme parks. I reduced the number of books I read. I cook less often. I stopped playing other sports (not even Magic The Gathering if you call that a sport). I stopped listening to almost all non-salsa music. Funny – I used to be a huge fan of OASIS, Gipsy Kings, and Eros Ramazzotti (and other alternative music). While I might listen to a song here and there – it is not as it used to be. I think the biggest change was the fact that I decided not to pursue another 4 years of PhD work. I realized I was not passionate about what I was doing. Life is too short not to do what you love.

So what have I started doing? Well, this is a much longer list which I will not get into here – but it includes addicted2salsa.com . Who would have thought I'd still be doing this website even after I left Iowa. It is amazing how things change. Fate has it – that I am now an interface designer for the company I work for. However, I would not have thought about this profession if it wasn't for my desire to create a good salsa website for the community. I was not hired because of addicted2salsa, but because of the skills that I acquired because of it. I had so much passion for salsa and this website, that I forced myself to learn how to do things (countless hours on the monitor) to make my idea come true. If you saw the original version of the salsa website – you'd probably laugh. If it wasn't for salsa, I would have not built the website, I would not have learned that I had a passion for design, and would have been stuck being a network security (cyber forensics) engineer. Therefore I can definitely say that salsa has changed my career path implicitly. 

Now, do not get me wrong, I do not regret not doing such things that I mentioned above. It is just interesting to see how one's own lifestyle changes because of an 'addiction' to something called 'salsa'. After waking up from my mental diversion and ordering my carnitas burrito, I started to wonder – how has salsa changed other people lives. The people we date. The people we associate with. The way we dress. Our confidence. Our communication skills. Our health. Our families. Salsa, in some cases, seems like both a gift and a curse.

It is amazing how something so simple as salsa affects the outcome of our lives and binds us to a totally different destiny that we might not have otherwise looked at. And if life is about the journey, and not the destination then how do you think salsa has affected your ride ? 

Salsa Technicals: Simplicity in Movement

Again, the master of movement. Now, this video was submitted in the videoclips section – and usually I don't post information about it here, unless its important. You can see how easily he moves through all the SIMPLE patterns. I had received an email 2 days ago about a guy just starting to learn salsa and wanting to do complicated patterns (Mayan style) in order to show people that he knew how to salsa. But the fact is – it is NOT about complicated patterns – it is about being a good dancer. What do I mean by a good dancer? Let me reiterate for the 1000 time:

- Be smooth in your motions. Better to do a simple pattern well, than a complicated one horribly.
- Take good care of your follow. She must get through the pattern before you do.
- Let your pattern have fun. The more the follow has fun, the more you will be looked at as a great dancer.
- Add flavor to your step. Adding simple body motions and arm styling helps show that you are comfortable with what you are doing and can really shake it (in a smooth way).
- Ladies love to spin. Be a good lead to help them perform double and triple turns. Spin, spin, spin – smoothly.

There is a lot more that goes into it but those are the biggest ones that I need to keep reiterating to everyone who is starting off. IT TOOK ME YEARS TO REALIZE THIS, so I'm helping cut the red-tape.

One last thing for the ladies that I'd like to point out in this video – this lady is an amazing spinner (and with Milton even more). At around time 55sec (or -2:10)  – she starts spinning. You might say 'whooptee-do'. But the amazing part is that she speeds up in the middle of her spinning. The fact in spinning is that your fastest spin is your first one because it provides you the momentum you need for the rest. It is hard to increase your speed in the middle of spinning – WITHOUT throwing you off balance and staying in control of your timing. Simply amazing!

 

Chat Box (Take 2)

Ok… so I found the old chat engine I had written over a year ago (so, it might be unstable and not to the best of the condition). If I see it getting more use, I'll work on making it better and possibly integrating it into the forum portal view. Meanwhile, it is now on the right hand side of the main page of th website. 

PLEASE NOTE – You should not have to refresh the page to get the updates. The messages are updated periodically. 

Salsa DayDream Dancing….

It is very interesting to what happens to a newly enamored salsa dancer. One ends up thinking about salsa so much, that you end up daydream dancing. I'm not really sure if that is what its called, but that is what I will be calling it…

Now, I think I end up daydream dancing mostly in the car. I put my iPod in my "Current Favorites" playlist and just let it go. While I'm driving down a highway (some straight road), I end up thinking how I'm dancing with a follow and start performing patterns to the track that is currently playing. The interesting part is that i'm not really placing my virtual self in any specific club (maybe a congress setting), but its more about what I am doing with my partner. I guess going back to the Matrix (The Movie), it is like placing myself in virtual club that has the perfect setting. It even has the ideal dance partner. 

However, the setting has one uncontrollable variable – me.

I start dancing to the song with my partner doing some of the patterns that I already know. However, as I get grooving to the song, I start mixing some of the patterns. Example, maybe instead of doing a simple hammerlock turn, I'll try do a double spin for the ladies into a hammerlock position while I quickly turn to the right to catch the hammerlock hand. Yeah – its a big upgrade from just doing a simple hammerlock. But because this i a virtual matrix dance scene in my head I can force myself to see how things can come out (without injuring the girl).

The funny part is that even while I'm daydream dancing I will still make mistakes. The main reason is that after I have warmed up my brain with my known patterns, I'll try to improvise OTF (On-The-Fly) my moves based on the song. I'll try switching the left hand with the right hand, adding my extra turns, doing hammerlocks myself etc. Now, because I keep track of the beat and I have a pretty good idea how long it takes me to turn and do specific styling, I will be able to tell if I stay on beat. If I screw up, I try OTF to fix my timing by coming up with some weird step or body styling pause. Also, I may come up with some complicated patterns (hand positions, leg locks..etc) that might end up not working and will have to literally learn to figure out how I could get out of it OTF. In some cases, I'll have to let everything go because I know I can't fix it.

Now the main reason to daydream dance is really more about your mind than anything else. Half the time, its not that your body can't do the movements in time; its really that your brain has a hard time keeping up. In dancing, your brain has to be always ahead of the game (or music). It has to know what you'd like to do before you actually do it. Of course, it also has to perform lots of calculations: your steps, your partner's steps, your hand connections, the beat in the music, the surrounding couples dancing, the dancing slot..and so on. Training your brain to think OTF will help improve the quick decision making required in getting through some of the dances. In the same fashion that you would force your muscles to lift more weight than they can so they can grow. Just like the matrix, it is really about making your brain be faster than you think it is. It is another great exercise to become better in your dancing.

I recommend that if you are sitting at your desk, with your headphones on, and jamming to a good salsa song – give it a try. You might end up coming up with a new pattern all by yourself.

DISCLAIMER: I don't recommend for you to daydream dance, especially in a moving car…

Download the Salsa Podcast Episodes

So, I finally took the time to make a page to list all the salsa podcast episodes (especially for those who don't have iTunes or know what RSS. You can either use the 'Salsa Podcast' link in the menu above or just click here .

Salsa Technicals: The Masters of Body Movement [UPDATED]

Another great piece by Hacha y Machete. These are again some of my favorite dancers in the world salsa scene. They are Victor and Bruju (you've probably seen them in many videos that I post). They are here performing their famous salsa piece entitled "Silencio" which means 'Silence'. Now, its not completely salsa music, but it has a great beat to it – and just the control, precision and fluidity of body movement is amazing to watch. Sad thing is that the actual performance is much longer – and some how the poster of this video cut out some of the other great parts. Great way to feel a friday. Thanks, Patrick for the submission!

UPDATED: Not the full set of performers, but the longer version. Thanks Alina!

Pinocchio learns Cha-Cha – Funny Routine

I like themed routines. I found this routine on youtube about how Pinocchio learns how to move is (wooden) legs and dance a little cha-cha. Now I would have assumed that Pinocchio would be more clumsy than in the video ( ) – but regardless, the dancer is very precise and controlled even though he has to switch between being clumsy and smooth in various parts. Great routine.

The Salsa White Boy Wonder

Now first of all, he is self-proclaimed – that way you don't think I'm being derogatory to him. His name is David Stein and he calls himself the 'White Boy Wonder' of the salsa scene here in San Diego, CA. He is the director of the Majesty In Motion dance company. He is a huge influence in the salsa scene here in San Diego, CA (whose dance company has about 6 different dance teams – I'm in one of them). Here is a cool video that I shot of him dancing with one of the Sexy Salsa Divas (also from San Diego). Enjoy!

La Pantera Mambo (Choreography ala Mambo Inc)

So, on the topic of choreography to La Pantera Mambo (by Orquesta La 33). I found a good clear video of the dance team from California called Mambo Inc. So, if you were thinking (from the previous forum post) of using this popular song for a dance performance – check out Mambo Inc. They are very good dancers (I think from L.A. specifically) and did a nice, elegant and smooth interpretation of the song.

La Pantera Mambo (Salsa a la Pink Panther)

I saw someone ask about the Mambo song that sounds like the Pink Panther theme. Well, I decided to look for the music video (cause I had seen it) and to share for those who haven't heard the song. It has been pretty popular for performances last year with Mambo Inc. doing some choreography to it during various congresses. Anyways, the song is sang by Orquesta La 33 (from Columbia I think). Here is the interesting music video. Now to be truthful – I'm not a huge fan of the pink panther theme (it was fun for a while then it just got tiring) however I do love the piano and trumpet solos in the song. Enjoy!

Organizing the Forums : Salsa Forum Portal

No, I haven't vanished and gone to salsa heaven. I've been pretty busy all over the place. Last week I took the time and really push myself to work on the new version of the website (since I'm almost going to be reaching my bandwidth limit for the month – I can't publish any new podcasts until later). Anyway, I've been very happy that the forums are really being very active. However, because they are so active, it was getting very hard to keep up and trying to figure out how to read all the posts. Anyway, working on the website found some new stuff to make it easier for you to keep track of your Addicted2Salsa Forum life. This is the forum portal. Now, this is not completely official its beta. For those who don't know what beta is a version of an application that is made available prior to the official release for the purposes of testing. So go ahead and let me know if you like it. If I get enough feedback about the portal – I'll make it the homepage on the forums. I will try to integrate the forums this weekend into the actual addicted2salsa.com website. Until then – have fun!

1st Place Winners of Ocean Houe Amateur Salsa Contest

Well, another interesting videoclip of this weekend. I went to see one of my friends compete at the amateur salsa contest at the Ocean House Club in Carlsbad, CA. Well, while they didn't win, this is the couple that won – and I have to admit, they deserve it. You can see in the video, what I end up saying over and over again. Simple-Smooth Moves always win over complicated-not-executed-correctly moves. This couple was a lot of fun to watch in the way they took a song (which I'm actually pretty tired of since they play it so much) and made it fresh. I actually ended up liking the song again after seeing their performance. Anyways, this couple was very smooth and elegant in their choreography. They were on-time (on beat) and very good partner work through the transitions. They added a little bit of flavor here and there – and I think they pulled it off nicely! Congratulations to the couple!

Salsa Tip #12 : Analyze Your Moves (Videotape)

Well, it might seem like a given…but sometimes we don't make enough of a commitment to actually take time and video tape ourselves dance and see how we can become better.

Now, I posted a video of myself dancing at the Marriott (with Alina).  Now, it has been less than 1 year since I've been in San Diego, CA and really pushed myself to become better (especially on2). The last episode I had put out before leaving Iowa was Salsa Episode 19 back in August 2006. Comparing these two videos – I already see a difference in what I have improved upon, and where I still need some work.

Now, with that said, every time I see myself in a video (just like the one in the previous post, I analyze myself to very fine detail). It is important because you end-up realizing what looks good (that you may have not thought it looked good) and what things that you thought looked good, actually aren't so hot. Literally, looking at he previous videos – I noticed what things body movements I need to cut-out, and which ones to actually like (so I can make them even smoother and better). Even little things on where I've been placing my hands doing specific patterns makes a huge difference on whether a pattern looks good and looks perfect.

The hardest part, I think, about videotaping yourself is having to look at yourself. Just remember – YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORST CRITIC. So,  know that you will be hard on yourself. However, getting feedback from your peers on how you look with the feedback you give yourself can speed things along to help you get better – just keep an open mind, take a deep breath and put yourself out there. Let others help you become better faster.

You know… putting a video out there (and knowing you aren't a perfect dancer) is kind of like.. knowing you might be overweight, and still have to stand on a scale to actually confirm the inevitable. However, just remember it's like cough medicine… sometimes you have to do it so you understand where you need that improvement, and just like cough medicine, in the end – it will make you feel better than you currently are.

You can always upload your video to YouTube, and link it to the addicted2salsa forums and see what other people. Remember, this is about community, and getting your friends (even though they might be half-a-world away) to help you get better. 

Album of the Month – April : Joe Arroyo Live!

Now, it seems that I am now recommedning only Live albums… but oh well – they are just fantastic. Here is another great live album for the month of April. This is Joe Arroyo another 'newer' artist that has sung many of the classics that we dance most of the time at the club – except, in this album, its live.

My recommended songs from this album are (in order of preference): Ban Ban (which is the sound of a gun – it's a very famous song with lots of places to style), Mary (a very slow song, but very good to do body movements when you listen to the instruments and feel the song), Rebelion (an oldie and goodie) and La Guerra de los Callados (The War of the Silent). You might like others, but these are just my recommended picks that I think everyone should have in their collection