Just a quick reminder that our monthly 1st Wednesday’s of the Month with Meetup.com event is coming up Wednesday March 3rd at Cafe Sevilla. For March we are going to have a DRESS IN IRISH GREEN theme. If you have any green shirts, pants, shoes, whatever make sure you wear it when you show up at 8pm to meet and greet other members. Remember that this is a FREE event and everyone is welcome to attend (especially people that need to get out of the house like our friend in this video below:)
I saw this online the other day and thought it was interesting. The makers of this film, “MANO The Film”, released a short 24 minute film all about salsa dancing. What is unique about their approach is that they infused the film with drama as they showcase the dancing we all love. Below is a short synopsis from our friends over at Salsa Dynasty:
“Written, produced and directed by Nardolillo, “MANO” tells the story of Victor and Machito; best friends growing up and heavily involved in the underground salsa scene. Separated as teenagers after the death of Victor’s father, Victor leaves New York all together; however the passion for dance and music never leaves him. After returning to the block he grew up on years later, he seeks out his childhood buddy Machito, whom he discovers has followed his father’s fatal footsteps. Staring Giancarlo Esposito (Do the Right Thing, Carlitos Way; Rise to Power, Usual Suspects, Feel the Noise), Laz Alonso (Jarhead, Stomp the Yard, Avatar) , Lee Thompson Young (Friday Night Lights, Akeelah and the Bee , The Hills Have Eyes 2), Yesenia Adame (Dancing with the Stars, National Bingo Night) and introducing Anthony Nardolillo. The short film is the predecessor to the feature length film which is currently in development and being produced by Michael Watkins – Executive producer of X-Files and Prison Break.”
To get more information on this unique project and film check out the MANO the Film webpage.
Latin Dance Store, a salsa dance clothing supplier, is offering our Meetup.com members and Ritmo Bello readers a special 5% off all purchases when you use coupon code “SDSALSAMEETUP”. This new sponsor offers a variety of tops, dresses and accessories for the salsa dancers in your life.
Our second new sponsor, Burju Shoes, is well known in the salsa community for her innovative salsa dance shoe designs. Burju is offering our Meetup.com members and Ritmo Bello readers a great discount of 10% all products if you use coupon code “RITMOBELLOPROMO”.
One thing that you learn as a salsa dancer is that you have to adapt to change very quickly. What kind of change do I mean?Try the kind of change that happens once the live band comes on to perform and that great big dance space shrinks into a little, tiny piece of floor.
It is at this point that you can separate the average dancer from the truly exceptional one, not based on routines or moves but on how careful they are to respect other dancers around them. Indeed, the mark of a truly expert salsa dancer in my opinion is one who can still dance with their partner given a tiny dance area but without giving everyone around them a black eye.
Recently I went to a newer salsa venue here in San Diego and saw this play out first hand right in front of me. Although there were dancers of all levels on the dance floor, you could easily see that some of them were crashing into other people without so much as a nod to say they were sorry for the intrusion.These folks were not beginners mind you…
I think it’s important to emphasize that little to no dance space means you have to change your style of dance accordingly.This doesn’t mean you can’t execute moves you want to, it just means those moves may have to be smaller in scope and more focused on the immediate space of your dance area. I call this the “art of small space salsa dancing” because when you see it in action it truly is art in motion to see dancers having a great time within the space they have on the dance floor.
If you have any comments or personal experiences regarding this topic feel free to share them here.
Last year the San Diego Salsa Festivalfeatured lots of dance shows, great social dancing, and introduced a new focus for the event:Bachata dancing.
With the advent of bachata specific dance rooms, attendees to last year’s San Diego Salsa Festival were able to add some variety to their night and take advantage of the varied music offerings.
This year the festival will feature both salsa and bachata dance workshops, so if you need to learn or simply brush up on the dances you’ll have great opportunities to learn from the best.
