Fiesta Havana

Well, if that's what FH is like when the air conditioning is supposed to be working I wouldn't like to be there when it isn't!

Amazing number of people there, even once the beginners had gone downstairs. Helena and Nicolai's teaching was as good as expected: they really do teach as partners, unlike many salsa duos where the man does all the talking. The sequences assembled some lovely moves which worked really well together, the only problem being that they were a bit long.

I was a bit surprised by the standard in the intermediate class. There were some good women there but there were a fair few armwrestlers and a really bad backleader. It's hard remembering the next bit of a long sequence when it's been a battle to get the woman through the first bit - in fact I thought I'd lost it completely until I got a delightfully light follower which meant I got most of it. And then Sue appeared and suddenly it was easy.

The advanced class included most of the same people (though one or two men had wisely dropped out). A bit long to remember - eleven measures – but I did eventually get it.

Free dancing was a bit manic - FH is notorious as a place to get kicked and trodden on. I had a few good dances - and got asked to dance by people I didn't know, which is always nice - but the heat got to me and I went rapidly downhill. Quite a few Cardiff people there: Nathalie, Hugh, Malcolm, Tammi and former Cardiff person Shirley.

I'll definitely go again as I really liked the stuff Nicolai and Helena taught (they teach there on the second Wednesday of every month) but I hope it's cooler next time.

Hot Hot Hot

Bloody hell, that was warm in the Wharf last night. I went outside to cool down and even there it was warmer than I'd normally be comfortable dancing.

Danced with "passionate salsera" - the first time we've danced together each knowing who the other was. PS, I'm amazed that you described yourself on salsacity as sweaty - have you seen some of the other people who dance in the Wharf?

Just heard from Stevie at Salsamania that Fiesta Havana now has working air conditioning, so I'm tempted to head over to Bristol on Wednesday.

Trouble is...

...while I'm really looking forward to a fortnight in Morocco – it's over twenty years since I was last in North Africa – I know that it's going to take me weeks to get back up to speed after a fortnight's break. (Can't imagine that there's a big dance scene there, though there is a decent Moroccan salsa track on Putamayo's Salsa around the World compilation.)

I realised after last night that to really keep up the standard and improve I need to go an absolute minimum of twice a week - I let this slip over the winter, unavoidably, and as a result I've felt that my dancing has been pretty pedestrian for months.

So I'm desperately trying to fit in as much dancing as I can before I go. Should be out at least once over the weekend, and I might try Callaghan's on Tuesday even though it's a late start to the free dancing.

Where were you?

Well, PS, if you were in the Toad last night you didn't introduce yourself. And "Anonymous", didn't you want me to point out the good dancers? (Or are you the same person?) Most of them were there, with the exception of Thano, who you already know, and Kevin. But Kevin's brother Hugh (not the Salsacity one) was there, and he has a similarly subtle and precise style.

I had a brilliant time - danced with all my top three, and even managed to lead that tricky move I've been trying to work out for weeks with two of them. I felt more on form than I've been for about a year, managing subtle leads with people I usually find myself wrestling with, and getting proper LA-style timing going (holding the 5 to build up the tension for the end of the measure). I was reacting fast as well, which came in handy when one dancer threw herself into a dip before I'd led it and I managed to catch her with one hand!

Mind you those flowing moves I picked up in the Wharf on Sunday are a pig to lead with anyone who wasn't in the class - I need to really work on the timing for them.

Learnt that Lesley J - a recent and welcome addition to the salsa scene - is very good at dancing compactly: we were hemmed in at one point and she was managing to do moves in about half as much space as I'd normally allow for them.

I could have stayed all night but by about half twelve I had to recognise that while I was still having fun, heat and tiredness was taking its toll.

Rueda terms

Thought I'd post this again (I originally posted it on salsacity):

Dame una
Literal translation: Give me one
Action: Man collects the woman on his right and brings her across to his left for a casino step.

Otra
Lit: Another
Action: Man does another Dame while the caller tries to think of an interesting move to call

Enchufla
Lit: Plug her in
Action: Man turns his partner then does 'dame' while waiting for the caller to think of an interesting move.

Enchufla doble
Lit: Plug her in twice
Action: Man half turns his partner, turns her back, then does enchufla, while hoping that the caller will think of an interesting move soon.

Enchufla por abajo
Lit: Plug her in downwards (I'm not making this up)
Action: Man turns his partner then moves left to collide with the man on his left who has forgotten what 'por abajo' means

Dame dos
Lit: Give me two
Action: Man runs like hell to the next woman but one in an attempt to get to her before the man on his right who has forgotten what 'dos' means

Ochenta y ocho
Lit: Eighty-eight
Action: Man follows a figure of eight around the two women to his right, starting by going in front of the first, then starts again and collides with a man on his right who can only count up to 8 in Spanish

Yogur
Lit: You really don't want to know what this means in colloquial Spanish
Action: Man pretends to have sex with the woman on his left (you've probably now guessed what this means in colloquial Spanish).

Bayamo
Lit: Bayamo is a town in Cuba
Action: Man tries to look as if he knows what he's doing while hoping that the woman can remember this move without waiting for him to lead it

Sientala
Lit: Sit her down
Action: Normally called as the track ends. Two thirds of the men sit their partners on their laps while the other third do a completely different move called 'setenta'.

The Wharf last night

First time I'd been to the Wharf for a while, but I needed a fix! Andy's intermediate class was great with some unusual, flowing moves which are definitely going into the repertoire. About the right number of people there afterwards as well, good music as always, and some nice dances. Great to see that Marlene is back on the scene – I've always enjoyed dancing with her.

It was still busy when I left at 10.25, which is good as it used to peter out by then. And I had my last dance of the night with Lucy so I went home happy.

Leading ladies

Yes, PS, in answer to your question in another place I did manage to get to the Toad on Thursday. Highlight was Tammi leading Lucy while dancing to her (Tammi's) single, which got me thinking - if the question about 'who are the best dancers' actually asked 'who are the top ten leads', they wouldn't all be men. The last time I danced with her she told me that men have started asking her to lead them. (Might ask her myself sometime - the few times I've tried following it was a revelation because it didn't feel anything like I imagined.)

Other women who lead well are Natalie (who I once saw leading a very drunk ********* more successfully than I had managed), and of course Kate James, who I saw once doing leading Irene in some of the smoothest and most elegant Cuban dancing I've seen in Cardiff.