Sometimes when you’ve been doing something for years, you think you’ve thought all the thoughts there are to be thought about it. But an outside perspective can reveal new insights.
Here are three insights into salsa which encapsulate what I’ve always loved about it in a very concise way:
“1) salsa dancers, men and women of all ages and sizes, take pride in their bodies;
2) dancers seek partners who match their skill level, not those who are the best looking;
3) after taking only two lessons [...one can learn enough] to follow the rhythm of the dancers.”
This is excerpted from an article by Carrie Hagen of phillyist (read the whole thing, it’s a good article), who accompanied my friend and salsera/writer extraordinaire Mathina to a mambo social. What she captures with these three observations is the 1) accepting, 2) egalitarian, and 3) accessible nature of salsa and salsa culture.
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 29, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Charl
Re: “Dancers seek partners who match their skill level, not those who are best looking.”
I wish it was as easy. In a social dance setting, it is difficult to gauge the skill level of the person unless you dance together so you try to dance with each one to find out. But to get there, looks matter as usually, men will ask those who are attractive than those who are well, err, not. This is true, at least with my personal experience with tango.
If in the salsa world this never occurs, I might try jumping ship once in a while.
January 30, 2009 at 9:07 am
Maria
Charl, it’s true that in every social situation there are people that judge others based on there appearance. Let me add a couple caveats to that statement:
1. Merit-based partner selection tends to hold truer amongst the more advanced dancers. If you are really really good, people are not going to care what you look like, how much you weigh, or what you’re wearing. Trust me, the best dancers are not going to waste their time with a gorgeous person if they have no idea what they’re doing. So if you are a beginner, give it time. Guys that ask women to dance based on looks are almost certainly not that good themselves. And PS, there is nothing wrong in salsa culture with women asking guys to dance!
2. Looks aside, good hygeine and grooming are always appreciated.
3. In salsa more than tango, I think, it is relatively easy to gauge someone’s skill level just by watching them dance. A few things to look out for: How is their timing? Are they comfortable enough with the rhythm that they can play around with it outside of the basic step structure? How relaxed to they look? It’s not about whether they’re doing fancy patterns, it’s about how comfortable they seem. As they move from partner to partner, do they adjust their dancing to that person’s level and style? When I go out in a new city, I always sit out the first few dances, watching the dancers for these different things before I figure out who I will ask to dance. Life is too short for bad dances!