Rumba Caliente

Big salsa/funk/soul/latin jazz etc band play St Donats on December 3rd (same weekend as Pontins).

The best laid plans...

Last week I intended to do plenty of dancing but it didn't quite go according to plan. After skating in the Wharf on the Sunday I thought I'd try the Toad on a Wednesday, but the only dancers there were Than on the decks and a disconsolate male dancer from the Thursday improvers' class. Couldn't do Thursday, so I thought "no problem, I'll go to La Cachaçaria on Friday". Which would have worked if my intended 8pm power nap hadn't continued until 2.30 am : (

This week there was the Wharf - still a bit slippery, but on the positive side a very good dancer asked me to partner her for the upcoming Advanced workshop (you have to book in couples) which was flattering. And then on Wednesday I was in London and managed to hook up with Abby for a night's salsa in Bar Cuba on Kensington High Street. The club was OK - friendly, non-cliquey, adequate teaching - but the sound system was appalling (ear-damagingly loud) and there weren't that many good dancers there. But it was great to dance with Abby again - I think she's got even better than she used to be - and I'm hoping to organise a repeat in January.

Last night was supposed to be the Toad but thanks to Great Western I didn't get back to Cardiff in time. Might get to La Cachaçaria tonight to inflict my flashy new London move on whoever's there...

Skating

If you've been struggling to stay vertical in the Wharf recently (and not because of alcohol) you'll be pleased to know that the cleaners are going to be polishing the floor just once a week from now on. It's incredibly difficult being precise or stylish when you're trying to make sure nobody ends up on their arse! And it's a real shame having to concentrate on just staying upright when dancing with people as good as Laura and Sarah.

Feet and other things

Someone was asking over on SalsaCardiff the other day whether there were enough men to go round at the Toad. Last night, the answer was definitely yes: it was a good night for the girls.

One consolation when the summer holidays end is the return of dancers who've been away for a while. Last week the welcome returners were Harriet and the excellent Frenchwoman whose name I haven't found out yet (must ask her the next time I dance with her). This week it was Deborah, and Kevin, who's been away with the circus.

It was really nice to dance with Deborah again: she has a nice light style of following and a flowing way of dancing, and certainly by the second dance it was hard to believe she'd been off the dancefloor for six months.

I recommended Kevin to a couple of women who were new on the scene, though I don't think either of them got round to dancing with him - he was in demand, as were most of the better dancers.

Best news from my point of view was that a £5 appointment at UWIC's School of Podiatry seems to have stopped my arthritic toe joint interfering with my dancing. An absolute bargain: if any of you are having trouble with your feet it's well worth getting them looked at there.

Bachata, reggaeton and more

6th December Andy's bringing Tony Lara and Claudia Loiacano to Bar Cuba for bachata and reggaeton workshops as part of their UK tour. I'm hoping to get there so I can learn how to do more in bachata than just going forward and sideways...

Andy and Lucy are also running a series of one-off workshops, including an 'advanced hardcore' workshop on 12 November for anyone who wants a challenge. See the DançaLatina site (link above) for more details. Might go for that if I'm feeling confident, particularly as I'll be missing Brean Sands : (

Great Western

Just a quick update - the Callaghan's crew (Manuel, Maria and Sabina) have now moved to the Great Western on Mondays. It's free and runs from 8.30-2, with beginners' Cuban-style salsa classes, running concurrently with improvers' salsa followed by other Latin dances, from 9.15-10.15.