I was notified by an independent filmmaker about a salsa documentary that is currently in the works.
This salsa documentary will highlight unique stories, inspirational characters, and other people involved in the salsa dance world.
At this point I don’t know too much about the project myself, but agreed to spread the word as the filmmaker looks to find people interested in participating.
If you want to find out more information the filmmaker is asking that you send him an email at hookedonsalsa@gmail.com
Some things to include in the email that he is requesting include:
Name, Gender, Age, Occupation, Where you are from, Where you live now, Your Level of Dancing, and some way for him to contact you about the project.
I’ll write more about all this when I receive more information. Thanks!
That’s right!Ritmo Bello launched exactly one year ago this day and it’s been quite a ride. The picture I posted here is from the original Ritmo Bello website. You’ll see that over this year our website has undergone many changes.
Covering San Diego dance topics ranging from Salsa events to Tango performances, Ritmo Bello has been a fun endeavor for me personally. Thanks to everyone that has contributed content to Ritmo Bello articles over this last year.
San Diego has a diverse Salsa and Latin dance scene as many of my articles demonstrate.This next year I hope to bring you all even more great dance information.
Hope you are all doing well.Not sure what everyone has planned for Halloween this year but if your plans are anything like mine they will include some salsa dancing.This year we are especially fortunate since the holiday falls on a Friday night.
There are a number of events going on around town that will have salsa dancing and I wanted to highlight two of the larger events.
Cafe Sevilla is hosting a special Halloween night during its regular Thursday night salsa.There will be a costume contest with cash prizes for numerous categories.I’ve been to Cafe Sevilla for Halloween celebrations in the past and it has always been fun to see how people get decked out in costume.To find out more information and to RSVP for the event please visit the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group event page.
Friday night Rumba Entertainment is hosting Halloween night salsa dancing at the La Jolla Marriott that is sure to bring out lots of salsa dancers.They are also having a cash prize giveaway for best costumes in a number of categories.For more information and to RSVP for this event I’ve also posted a page at the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group.
Come check out both events and don’t forget to wear a costume!!!
Our friends at Tango Caminito contacted me recently about an exciting event coming to San Diego. Cristian Cisneros and Virginia Porrino from “Forever Tango” fame will be hosting a Tango Workshop here in San Diego this weekend.If you are not familiar with the dancers I’ve attached this video of them dancing in past performance at the beginning of this post.
The event will be held at Champion Ballroom Academy ( 3580 5th Avenue, downtown San Diego) and runs all weekend long beginning with a performance on Friday at 9pm.
The tango dance workshop schedule is as follows:
TANGO WORKSHOP:
OCTOBER 25, Saturday
1: 00 pm to 2 :00 - SACADAS Y SECUENCIAS
2: 15 pm to 3:15 - DIFERENTES BARRIDAS
3 : 30 pm to 4:30 - MILONGA LISA
OCTOBER 26, Sunday
1: 00 pm - 2:00 – MILONGA CON TRASPIÉ
2: 15 pm – 3:15 - ADORNOS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
3:30 pm – 4:30 - GIROS Y CAMINADAS
5 pm to 7 pm – PRACTICE. MILONGA. SHOW with CHRISTIAN and VIRGINIA,
(additional $ 5 per person).
For pricing information and any questions please contact Elena at 760-728-7185
I’ll leave you with another video of Cristian Cisneros and Virginia Porrino. Enjoy!
For somebody new to salsa dancing here in San Diego, the dance and local club scene present a wild world of opportunity. There are many places to explore and people to meet in that journey as one learns to dance salsa.
Each of us that has learned to salsa dance has our own story that adds to this overall experience. Indeed, for many of us salsa dancing defines us to some degree and gives us an identity that we share with the rest of the world. I recently participated in a local research study about the San Diego salsa dance scene and wanted to share the conclusions that the main researcher, Jamie L. Lynn, had arrived at. Below is the interview I conducted with Jamie. I hope you learn something new about San Diego salsa dancing just as I have from the study and interview. Enjoy!
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Ritmo Bello: Jamie, let’s begin. As someone involved in the San Diego salsa community I found your study extremely intriguing. Could you describe to the Ritmo Bello audience the overall premise of the study and who is funding it?
Jamie L. Lynch: Hi John! I’m glad to hear of your interest. The study grew out of a few term papers I wrote for both a Music and Culture class in the Anthropology Department and a Dance in World Cultures class in the Dance Department at San Diego State University. I conducted library research about the history of Salsa and found the social process of community building to be a fascinating aspect of this dance form that I myself greatly enjoy. I was interested to see how the San Diego Salsa community compared with others I read about in ethnographies, books, and academic journal articles.
There was no funding for this research, but I was provided a small stipend for living expenses from the McNair Scholars Program, a part of TRIO, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. You can read more about TRIO and their programs by visiting their website:
Ritmo Bello:How did you personally get involved in this study?
Jamie L. Lynch: As a Ronald E. McNair scholar, I was given the opportunity to conduct research over the summer as an undergraduate in the Anthropology Department at SDSU. I was the Co-Principal Investigator along with Dr. Ramona Pérez, my faculty mentor. This means that I played a major role in developing the idea and methods, as well as conducted the day-to-day research and the final reporting of results.
Ritmo Bello: I participated in the study myself and found that many of the questions were philosophical in nature like the question “What does Salsa Dancing Mean to You?” What were some of your responses to this question and were they surprising to you?
Jamie L. Lynch:I wanted to start out asking broad questions to be sure that I allowed interview participants to frame Salsa in a way that made sense to them, rather than impose my own preconceived notions onto the interviewee. Most interviews were conducted in person, which allowed me to tailor the interview to the participant, rather than treating the interview as a one-size-fits-all survey. Some of the questions were based on the wide literature that has been published on the subject of Salsa and were asked for comparison purposes.
Many of the responses I received mirrored my own feelings about Salsa, some of those being that Salsa is an excellent medium for fun and relaxation with friends. I was surprised to hear some respondents define Salsa as a genre that encompasses many styles I had considered to be separate from Salsa. For example, a few included Tango within the genre of Salsa. One of the goals of an anthropologist is to understand the world in terms of the community in which she participates and studies; thus, it was interesting as an anthropology student to learn how various people categorized Salsa.
Ritmo Bello: You mentioned in our prior correspondence that this research study utilizes Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital in relation to salsa dancers. What does this mean?
Jamie L. Lynch: That is an excellent question! Pierre Bourdieu was a 20thcentury French social theorist who believed that aesthetics are socially constructed and ingrained at a young age, which is called habitus. Additionally, if an outsider accumulates enough cultural capital, he or she will likely be accepted into a foreign community. This basically means that if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, the duck community will usually welcome the non-duck outsider. The process of habitus may explain why those who grew up listening to Salsa music have a natural ability to perform complicated body isolation movements in conjunction with subtle musical elements without feeling like they learned to dance Salsa. Those who take Salsa lessons may be acquiring social capital in order to become part of the Salsa community.
Ritmo Bello:I thought it was interesting that the study focuses on ethnicity and salsa dancing. What things did you learn about ethnicity and it’s interaction with a salsa dancer’s development?
Jamie L. Lynch:Another great question. Because this study was exploratory in nature, I did not have any explicit hypothesis that was to be tested and proven or falsified. That being said, I based the focus of my study on ethnicity and identity because previous descriptions of Salsa communities differ greatly in each of the ethnographies I read, especially in the role ethnicity plays for Salsa dancers of varying communities. For some, such as in Calí, Colombia, Salsa was the backdrop among which young adults socialized and as such was danced as a normal activity in the community at large. For others, such as in London, England, Salsa was historically danced as a way of enjoying ethnic solidarity among Latin Americans in order to recreate home and differentiate themselves from the dominant British ethnicity; however, Salsa was eventually subjected to appropriation and institutionalization that changed the aesthetic as well as the function. In Montreal, Canada, Salsa was a way for some Montrealors to express Latin heritage, and Salsa was a way for others belonging to the “White” ethnicity to release themselves from what they considered to be oppressive rigidity of movement. In the Midwestern United States, Salsa was widely danced for audience members in the context of performance and competition. For others, Salsa was danced socially in Spanish-speaking clubs as a way of maintaining solidarity among Latinos. I wanted to know how San Diego fit into this equation and I knew of no better way to find out than to not only see for myself, but to directly ask peoples’ opinions on the subject to add context to my observations.
Ritmo Bello: You mentioned earlier that the study sets out to gauge “authenticity” of a salsa dancer. What do you mean to gauge by this specific inquiry and why is that important?
Jamie L. Lynch:I was curious to what extent ethnicity played a role in whether one was a Salsa dancer because of habitus or through acquisition of cultural capital, and whether either of these factors played a role in one’s own perception of ownership of Salsa, in addition to whether either of these factors played a role in one’s choice of Salsa instructor.
I do want to be clear that the study does not set out to gauge the authenticity of a Salsa dancer. Any references to authenticity were to understand the subjective opinions of San Diego Salsa dancers about how and whether authenticity can be established. In my personal opinion, the authenticity of a dancer cannot be externally measured and gauged by a researcher. Rather, possession of authenticity is usually achieved (or ascribed) by consent of the community—this is where Bourdieu’s theories come in. My goal as an anthropology student was to learn how authenticity is understood, performed and embodied by the individuals whom I interviewed. This was a large goal since an anthropologist can hope to understand this kind of subtlety only through years of participant observation. For this reason, my data is preliminary and not generalizable to the whole group. As you will see by reading my paper, it is the opinions of the individuals whom I interviewed that I report.
Ritmo Bello: I see.In the study you also ask about street movements versus ballroom movements as a way to “really own salsa.” What type of responses did you receive on this particular question?
Jamie L. Lynch:To get a sense of the range of responses, you should read my full report by visiting the McNair Journal website:
Ritmo Bello: Did you feel that you learned something about yourself through this study of San Diego salsa dancing?
Jamie L. Lynch:I learned that I have not danced enough this past year! I was a bit rusty at first while conducting the participant observation portion of the study. Academically, I learned how to be a better researcher. Most importantly, I learned that people are very happy to share their stories with a willing and active listener if you give them the time to open up.
Ritmo Bello: Anything else you’d like to share with the general public about the study?
Jamie L. Lynch:First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who participated in an interview and to all my dance partners! It would have been impossible to do this research without your support and cooperation. I would like to stress that this study is based on preliminary data, which means it cannot be generalized to the larger San Diego community. Still, it was an informative process for me about how to conduct qualitative research, and hopefully the participants enjoyed the process as well.
For further reading, please consult these excellent resources:
Beasley-Murray, J. (2000). Value and Capital in Bourdieu and Marx. In N. Brown and I. Szeman (Eds.), Pierre Bourdieu: Fieldwork in Art, Literature and Culture. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Bosse, J. (2008). Salsa Dance and the Transformation of Style: An Ethnographic Study of Movement and Meaning in a Cross-Cultural Context. Dance Research Journal Vol. 40, No. 1. Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge: University Press.
Pietrobruno, S. (2006). Salsa and its Transnational Moves. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Urquía, N. (2005). The Re-Branding of Salsa in London’s Dance Clubs: How an Ethnicised Form of Cultural Capital was Institutionalised. Leisure Studies, Vol. 24, No. 4. Forest Row: Taylor & Francis.
Waxer, L. A. (2002). The City of Musical Memory: Salsa, Record Grooves, and Popular Culture in Cali, Columbia. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.
Ritmo Bello:How can the Ritmo Bello audience reach you if they want to find out more information about your San Diego salsa study?
Jamie L. Lynch: You can read my results by visiting the McNair E-Publication website:
I am currently learning Labanotation, a movement notation system. Anyone who would like to volunteer to have his or her “moves” notated, email me at the address given. I need any and all volunteers (beware that I’m still in the learning process of how to do this.) It might be fun to have your style of Salsa recorded on paper– kind of like a piece of music is written. Rest assured, all past and future participants will remain anonymous.
Ritmo Bello: Jamie, thanks for your time and good luck in your future endeavors!
Jamie L. Lynch:Thank you, John. I hope to see you at a Meet-Up very soon.
Tango dance is a different animal from salsa dancing. I think everybody out there will agree that tango has a culture and spirit all its own that sets it apart from salsa and the rest of the Latin dances.
Indeed, here in San Diego the tango dance scene is an interesting mix of personalities, schools of thought, and competing theories about what tango dance should be. Although I can’t boast an extensive knowledge about the dance here in San Diego (I’ve taken lessons and know enough of the basics to defend myself), I get the sense that there are many tango dance options available to those new to our city.
One place I’ve been hearing about more and more is the tango dancing at Ciao Bella restaurant in La Mesa. I’ve yet to see for myself how the dancing is there, but I was fortunate to find this nice video that introduces the venue with some shots of the tango dancing there:
Over the next few months I plan to write a bit more on the tango dance scene here in San Diego. I encourage any tango instructors, studios, students, and anybody else here in the San Diego tango community to email me (bello_jf@ritmobello.com) with any interesting things that are going on here locally. This includes any big events that you think those less familiar with tango (ie: salsa dancers and others who might like to learn tango) might look forward to attending.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you all send me. Until then see you on the dance floor!
I felt compelled to write about an article I saw online concerning the 1st Annual Marrakesh Salsa Festival. Apparently, the article refers to the controversy surrounding the city hosting its first salsa festival citing that some locals believe it will promote vice according to the religious law in Morocco. Specifically, it points out that under certain cleric’s interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, it is sinful for men and women to mingle when salsa dancing together.
Of course I disagree with this position as I believe salsa dancing can be used as a force for good to bring people together. As with most things in life, any activity can be abused. There probably are some people who abuse salsa dancing for their own devices such as to fuel their pride, I don’t doubt that point. I don’t think, though, that these uses outweigh the virtues of the dance. As a Roman Catholic I’ve enjoyed salsa dancing as a way to meet other people of different religious faiths and to learn about where they come from. I will even go as far as to say that salsa dancing is my method to spread a gospel of joy to everyone I meet.
I’m curious to see if any of you have any opinions on the controversy. If so feel free to leave a comment here on Ritmo Bello.
The economy has been the front and center topic these last few weeks as we hear about the collapse on Wall Street. All of us are affected to some degree and this also includes those of us that are part of the San Diego dance community.
One message I saw circulating on the internet mentioned that salsa dancing is a great way to work through the financial stress that we are all experiencing. Indeed, I think its important to keep doing the things that keep us strong emotionally during this time and for many salsa, tango, and other forms of latin dance are such activities. Although salsa and latin dancing may cost some money in terms of club cover or dance lessons, many times the ocassional expense is worth the huge benefits you can receive from the dance.
We all know too that small businesses have been hit hard by these tough economic times. The salsa and latin dance community as a whole can help support those businesses that help to create the dance experience we all enjoy. E.K. Clothing, a small business I interviewed recently, is one such business that could benefit from our patronage. The company has extended free standard shipping of any purchases of $50.00 or more if you use the special promo code “RITMOBELLO” (it ends 12/31/2008). If you are not familiar with E.K. Clothing, you can check out their great assortment of salsa dance wear and shoes on their website.
Feel free to leave comments if you have other ways to keep positive and support the dance community during these economic times.
This Saturday October 11, 2008 the La Jolla Marriott is offering FREE admission to everyone.
This is a one time event to thank everyone in the San Diego salsa community for continuing to keep this Saturday night venue going strong. I’ve attached a video here from another salsa night held at the La Jolla Marriott last month:
As usual, there are free salsa lessons given at 8:30pm and DJ starts spinning at 9:30. The club is open till around 1:30am.
I’ve been salsa dancing here in San Diego for many years now and I’ve seen so many changes in our local salsa scene. Indeed, in the last few years there seems to have been a proliferation of numerous dance companies and individuals that now call San Diego home.
When talking about the history of the San Diego salsa dance scene, though, one company stands above the rest in terms of originality and their influence on the development of salsa here. Majesty in Motion, well known not just in the local community but worldwide as well, is synonymous with San Diego salsa dancing. I recently had the privilege of talking with David and Jennifer Stein of Majesty in Motion about their commanding presence in the world of salsa dancing and how they continue to have an impact on San Diego salsa dancing today.
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Ritmo Bello: David and Jennifer Stein, thank you both for taking some time out of your busy schedules to address the Ritmo Bello audience. San Diego’s salsa dancing scene has seen many changes over the years, but Majesty in Motion has remained a strong force here locally. What does Majesty in Motion offer to the San Diego dance community that makes your organization so popular?
Majesty in Motion: We offer students a challenging, fun program with great teaching. Our team members can take group classes for free in addition to discounts to our events. Members can work with a variety of instructors, ourselves along with Steve Meyer, and Juan Carlos Hernandez. We have over 10 years of teaching experience in working with teams and groups. Our Mission Statement is TAKING DANCERS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. We have trained most of San Diego’s Directors.
Ritmo Bello: Every dancer has a story about how they “found” salsa dancing. Tell me a little about how you each started dancing salsa. Did you know that you were going to create Majesty in Motion from the very beginning?
Majesty in Motion:
David: I was looking for dance auditions and stumbled across an ad that said DANCE TEACHERS NEEDED. I completed a teacher training program and learned all the ballroom dances and salsa was one of them. I fell in love with salsa and stuck with it. After attending the LA Salsa Congress I knew I wanted to be a part of something big and wanted to strive to be the best and create some of San Diego’s best dancers. Majesty in Motion is now known worldwide!!
Jennifer: I stumbled across Cafe Sevilla and met David and was introduced to this dance. I took a lesson the next day and was hooked. I had previous jazz dance training and it helped me while I was training with David. Since then I have travelled the world and started my own ladies team which also now has the opportunity to travel. I also strive to be the best and we both work hard to keep Majesty growing.
Ritmo Bello: Majesty in Motion is known throughout San Diego and worldwide as one of the premiere salsa dance teams in competition today. What types of teams do you currently have in formation and where do they compete?
Majesty in Motion: We currently have 2 beginner teams, an amateur team, semi- pro and pro team along with our pro ladies. Our pro team competed in SF and won 1st place which qualified us to compete in the World Salsa Championships where we placed 12th in the world!! We just got back from Houston where we performed and taught, we’re scheduled to teach and perform throughout the US for the remainder of the year.
Ritmo Bello: What is the process like for someone interested in joining one of your teams? Do you have to have prior dance experience?
Majesty in Motion: We have auditions twice a year once in January and in July. You do not need experience since we have teams for all levels. We do sometimes have openings that pop up. For someone who is interested visit us in group class and let us know. We are always looking for motivated dancers who want to work hard. For more info check out our website: www.majestyinmotion.com/auditions.htm
Ritmo Bello: Some of the most popular events regularly hosted on the San Diego Salsa and Latin Dancing Meetup Group are your salsa socials at Starlight Dance Studio. What do these events offer to somebody brand new to salsa dancing?
Majesty in Motion: Our socials generally cater the dancers. Our friendly environment is less intimidating so every dancer no matter what level is just there to have fun and dance. You get a free group class with paid admission which includes free water and free food. Starlight has a HUGE dance floor so you can practice your dance moves without feeling crowded. We also offer entertainment such as performances and dance contests.
Ritmo Bello: David, some people here in San Diego still refer to you as the “salsa white boy wonder.” Where did this name come from? Is there a story associated with the name?
Majesty in Motion: The name came from Troy Spooner who recently taught a workshop here along with his wife Jorjet Alcocer. I was on my 1st trip to Bermuda and Troy gave me the name White Boy Wonder. He was wondering how a white boy could dance the way I did so he called me the White Boy Wonder.
Ritmo Bello: Anything else you’d like to share with the general public?
Majesty in Motion: We both love our job and we want to continue to give great instruction and to keep salsa alive in San Diego. We remind those out there to have fun and stay humble. We encourage you to keep dancing, keep learning and keep having fun!!
Ritmo Bello: How can the Ritmo Bello audience reach you if they want to find out more information about Majesty in Motion?
Majesty in Motion: Feel free to call us at 619.917.1721 or visit our website www.majestyinmotion.com, check out our youtube videos, or stop in for a group class anytime.
Ritmo Bello: Jennifer and David Stein, on behalf of Ritmo Bello and the San Diego salsa community thank you for all you do to promote salsa here in San Diego and around the world.
Majesty in Motion: Thank you John and for those of you who support us, friends and students!
From time to time I come upon something new in the dance world and today I found out about a dance called Zouk Lambada. More specifically, the music is called zouk (it’s a french-caribbean inspired blend) and the dance is called zouk lambada. Described as the “Coolest Dance You’ve Never Heard Of”, Zouk Lambada is becoming more popular with the salsa and tango scene worldwide.
Usually salsa and tango dancers can pick up this type of dancing easily with a little help and San Diego is fortunate to have a visiting Zouk Lambada instructor coming in October. If you see this video you’ll see some elements found in other Latin dances that appear in Zouk Lambada:
Willem Engel, a Zouk Lambada instructor from the Netherlands, will be hosting a workshop event at a local studio here in San Diego. To get a sense of what this workshop will look like and to see Willem in action I’ve posted this video from a previous workshop he hosted in New York:
Over the past year I’ve used Ritmo Bello as a medium for sharing information about the local salsa and Latin dance scene. Indeed, I’ve been amazed at how much the site has grown in popularity and how people have used the website to learn more about San Diego dancing.
Ritmo Bello also has coverage through other channels like Twitter and Youtube. Twitter is an interesting concept that I wrote about earlier this year in an earlier post. I’m including a video here again with a simple explaination of how Twitter works, but in a nutshell dancers can use Twitter to connect with other like minded dancers online in real time:
Something new I’ve launched recently is Ritmo Bello’s Youtube Channel. Part of my approach for this website has always been to bring to light the perspective of an average person’s experience in the salsa and Latin dance scene. With this in mind, I’ve posted videos of things an average person might encounter while attending a local salsa club or some other local dancing event. I’ve posted an example of a video I recently produced from my channel here:
Feel free to visit Ritmo Bello’s Twitter account & Youtube account to follow in more depth what’s happening here in San Diego for dance. You can also subscribe to both services as well.
