Africa-America

And of course the transatlantic musical exchange continues. Colombian duo Bomba Estereo's Fuego (hugely popular across the Latin music world, but for some obscure reason unavailable on the UK iTunes store) references champeta, the music of the palenques - villages established by escaped slaves - which is itself directly influenced by Congolese soukous music.

In case you think this blog is digressing a bit, here's how you apparently dance to champeta.

African-Cuban music

Congolese singer Tabu Ley Rochereau, who I photographed at the 1985 WOMAD festival.

I mentioned a while ago how much I like Cuban-influenced African music. I got Gary Stewart's book Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos for Christmas and it's giving me some fascinating background - I'll post a full review when I've finished it.

I've also come across some great sources for Congolese music. A couple of weeks ago I bought the compilation Africa Boogaloo from Honest Jon's records which has some terrific tracks. I've subsequently found more (free) online sources of otherwise unavailable music: it turns out there is an internet subculture of world music obsessives who digitise obscure old vinyl and cassettes. Worldservice is one of the best - I'm currently listening to Jose Missamou's El Salsero de Brazzaville as I type. I particularly like the lyrics where he apologises in Spanish for his linguistic mistakes and says that the rhythm is what's important (in fact his Spanish seems fine as far as I can tell). Another good site is Global Groove where I've just downloaded a retrospective of Orchestre African Fiesta.

Finally, there's some great early Congolese music with historical context on Aboubacar Siddikh's YouTube channel, which also includes a lot of other African music.

Kizomba special

Thought it was going to be a dancing drought between tonight and New Year’s Eve, but Alain Hernandez’ Sunday night in Zync is open on the 17th - it’s a Kizomba special. 7.30 Beginners/Improvers, 8.30 Intermediate/Advanced, dancing until 2. Looks like quite a few people will be going - including me if I can get over this cold.

Haven’t tried kizomba yet. It’s one of those dances that looks great if you know what you’re doing. Andy put some zouk on in Risa on Thursday and I notice that everyone on the upper floor was dancing lambada and everyone on the lower floor was dancing kizomba.

Latin Music USA

Starting on 29th January, BBC4 is showing a four-part series on Latin music in the States over the past 60 years, from Dizzy Gillespie's Cuban-influenced latin jazz to salsa and reggaeton. Something to watch on Friday nights while recovering from Thursday's dancing.

The BBC4 version has been re-edited with a new voiceover, but you can watch the original online US version online on the PBS Latin Music USA site.

More Christmas stuff

Great that there won't be too much of a seasonal lull. Last nights for Andy's venues: Live Lounge next Tuesday (15th), Music Hall 17 Dec, Tasca 19th and Zero Degrees 20th. Tasca is open for a free NYE party and then again on January 2nd, and everything else starts back the following week.

Salsamania's Christmas party in Clifton is tomorrow night (Friday).

Christmas

Next Monday is the last O'Neills of the year, which will be a Kizomba special (reopens 4th January). As previously mentioned Misael's last Cardiff night is tomorrow - 9th - in Zync. His Christmas party is next Thursday, 17th, at the Fairwater pub in Newport. Salsabuena's Christmas party is on 22nd December in Las Havanas on City Road.

Change of plans

Just heard from Misael that next week's class is in Zync, not O'Neills, and there's no mention of rueda :(

Saturday

Saturday night was fun. Rendezvous in Las Iguanas: at one point we went downstairs into what was once probably Cardiff’s smallest dance venue (Than used to run a salsa night there). Next stop La Tasca: Abby and her friend Anna were down from London – great to dance with them again. Last time I met up with Abby was in London at a dodgy Cuban night, and to say that I wasn’t on form would be an understatement. This time dancing with her was great, just like old times.

I had a great time in La Tasca, one of those nights you don’t want to end. The rugby fans were good-humoured (and very impressed by the dancing). I’ll probably miss it this week (most people will be at Brean Sands anyway) and I think it’ll be a bit silly between then and Christmas. Looking forward to the New Year when the drunks stop coming and the dancers have the place largely to themselves.

It looks like the Christmas wind-down is starting. Misael's Wednesday class is going to be at O'Neills next week, and it'll be the last one of the year. He's doing improvers/intermediate rueda at 9, so I'm going to try and make it - his ruedas are great.

Ms Feisty is back in the country after sunning herself in Cuba. Looking forward to seeing her in Cardiff sometime soon.

Christmas events

Lots happening in the runup to Christmas, including a clash on Thursday: Sabina has a party with 'reggaeton king' Leandro Charanga in Las Havanas on Thursday, while Andy has Tony and Daniela doing bachata on the same night. I think I'll go to the bachata event as people my age really shouldn't dance reggaeton, as anyone who saw me in La Tasca last night would agree. Stevie in Bristol has the Salsamania Christmas bash on 11th December (just noticed that Ismene is the first photo you see when you enter their site). Salsabuena's Christmas party is in Las Havanas on 22nd December.

Perreo

I mentioned to some dancers that there are ruder dances than bachata - even the rudest bachata you're likely to see in Cardiff - and they asked me to post an example.

Perreo - 'doggy style' reggaeton dancing - is one of them. Here's an example on YouTube. (You'll need to sign in as it's not suitable for under 18s! Ignore the brain-dead comments).

Slipping and sliding

The comment to the previous post asked what hairspray on the soles of shoes does - it makes them sticky (wears off quickly though). The duct tape suggestion (in the UK we call it gaffer tape) for getting the opposite effect is a good one. Better, I think, than talcum powder - which is great for the user, not so great for the other dancers who find slippery patches wherever the talc user has walked.

The other suggestion for a dangerously slippery dance floor (I think it was Neil who originally suggested this) is to pour a couple of litres of Coke over the floor and use a mop to spread it around evenly. Not something you can get away with in the average club.

The floor in Risa was fine last night though.

Salsa's come home

Risa has been great the last couple of weeks - just like old times. Some lovely dancers there. The floor is a bit slippery, just like old times: I keep forgetting to borrow some hairspray to squirt on the soles of my shoes.

Not such a great night for the unfortunate dancer who dislocated a finger, though I was impressed by the first-aid skills in evidence - did I imagine it or did someone use drinks stirrers as finger splints?

Kizomba, samba, lambada

Lots of chances to learn new dances coming up. Kizomba teacher Miguel Montero is making two visits - 21st November at the RAFA club in Ely (Irene's night) and 27 November as part of Salsadicción's monthly Friday night party in O'Neills. And this weekend Andy is teaching two Brazilian dances: Samba Gafeira (the partner version of samba) and Lambada/Zouk, which used to be popular a few years ago and now seems to be having something of a revival. It's 2-4pm Sunday at Fitness First - it's been changed from Saturday because of the rugby. You need to book.

Live Lounge

Some changes to the timing at the Live Lounge (the venue formerly known as Cuba). Lessons now start earlier, with beginners at 8 and improvers at 9, then dancing until 11. Good for those of us who have to get up in the mornings.

This weekend

No Zero Degrees on Sunday as everybody except me is away at the Sexy and Sensual Latin Festival. (Whereas I will just have got back from a conference in Italy and will probably be desperate for some dancing.)

Don't think there will be many dancers in La Tasca either. I went on Saturday and had a great time. I hadn't realised how much I was missing it. It was also the first time for a couple of weeks that I'd really felt like a dancer - I've missed too much salsa lately. Off to O'Neills now to top up before I go...

Recently I saw the woman who dances like a bag of snakes dancing bachata with the dancer who invented the description. Very different to how she dances salsa - I see exactly what he means, and why he likes it so much!

Aleona

Aleona, originally uploaded by tomcardiff.

Another blurry salsa photo: Aleona dancing at O'Neills last week.

Thursdays and snakes

Looks as if the new Risa (it's now called the Music Hall) will really be back this week. To celebrate Tony and Daniella are down to do bachata and advanced salsa and Kate's doing a rueda class. Looking forward to it.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I'd been told that one woman's style was "like dancing with a bag of snakes...on heat". People have been trying to work out who it was, and at least some of them have got it wrong. I should point out that It wasn't really a criticism, more an expression of wonder.

The woman concerned is a talented dancer and very exciting to dance with, you just have to expect the unexpected because you're never quite sure how she's going to interpret your lead or what she's going to do next.

Tonight

No Jumpin' Jaks tonight - it's in O'Neills again instead :)

Sunday

I wasn't at my best at the Zero Degrees launch night (suffering a hangover which I had unwisely tried to overcome by swimming in the sea) but I had a great time this week. I got there in time for the improvers' class, and was surprised to see some of Cardiff's best dancers there. So what we got was an intermediate lesson - in fact, for the guys it was harder than the actual intermediate lesson. The floor may only be concrete but whatever they put on it makes it great for spinning (without being slippery) - one woman was managing multiple spins while wearing Converse, which is pretty impressive. So the intermediate class had lots of spinning back and forth. I got to dance with a couple of excellent dancers who I hadn't danced with before as well. Great stuff - I think this could rapidly become unmissable.

Reasons to dance...

Here's a great reason to dance (as if you needed one): according to research quoted in the Guardian, regular dancers are 76% less likely to develop dementia.

O'Neills on Friday

Henry Viña is DJing at Salsadiccion's monthly dance-only night this Friday (8.30-12.30). His DJing was spot-on the last time he played O'Neills. Looking forward to it.

Zero degrees

It takes some courage to open a high-concept restaurant and microbrewery in the teeth of a recession. There were hardly any diners there last night, but there were quite a lot of dancers. The floor was good - not wood, but smooth and easy to spin on, much better than Jumpin' Jaks. It was a good turnout for a first night without a lot of publicity, and apparently the pizzas were 'gorgeous'.

Describing dancing styles

"She dances like a bag of snakes...on heat" is the most colourful description I've heard yet of a dancing style. And having danced with the subject of the description I can confirm that it's accurate.

(I should hastily point out that the woman concerned doesn't feature in any of my previous blog posts, just in case you're hoping to try and guess her identity).

Quiet and strange

It's been a very quiet week dancing - not many people in O'Neills, and numbers well down in Jumpin' Jaks. I assume it's because people who came for the summer have now left, but the students aren't back yet.

(JJs wasn't quite as quiet as in the shot above all night - I think that's one track Andy won't be playing again in a hurry...)

Friday night was pretty wacky - David's birthday so a few of us gathered at Las Iguanas and spent a pleasant hour testing out their Sangria and cocktails. Sadly Chiquito's wasn't doing salsa, so we tried a cellar bar round the corner that turned out to be pretty bizarre. Still in need of a fix, so we headed for Lisa's car which was parked off Wood Street. She put the roof down and some salsa on the CD player and we had the party right there (much to the bemusement of passers-by).

Sunday salsa is back!

Great news - Andy has a new Sunday salsa night starting in the middle of town (classes first and then dancing until 11). It starts on 20th September at Zero Degrees in Westgate Street. Sunday was always my favourite class so I'm really looking forward to this.

Saturday

Don't forget it's Saturday Salsa with Iris de Brito - £20 for the whole thing, £10 if you just want food, show and dancing, and £4 for dancing from 7pm-10.30 (and of course there's La Tasca afterwards). For more details visit the Facebook page

Wednesdays in Bristol

Stevie has now resurrected his long-running Wednesday nights in Bristol, now at the Warehouse in Prince Street. This used to be a popular night for Cardiff dancers when it was in Fiesta Havana.

The main selling point looks good: short, punchy classes (half an hour at each level) which just teach a couple of moves in plenty of depth, with 15 minutes free dancing between the classes to practice. Stevie's promoting this as 'a new concept for salsa': in my opinion it's how all drop-in salsa classes should be run. One reason I enjoyed Andy's Sunday nights at the Wharf was that the classes were short so they only included a small number of moves.

More info on Stevie's new website: www.salsa-mania.co.uk

The Salsa Beat Machine

The Salsa Beat Machine (click on post title to access the link) is an amazing little online program. It takes a piece of salsa music and lets you turn off and on different instruments (including an instructor saying '1' and '5'). As well as changing the master volume, the volume of each instrument, and the tempo, you can change what kind of salsa melodies and patterns the instruments play. A brilliant idea.

Moe Flex at Walkabout

Well that was fun. Got there in time for the second (intermediate to advanced rueda) class. The dance floor is huge, as was the class, with women outnumbering men about two or three to one. Large contingent from Bristol. Not the most useful rueda class ever, not because of the teaching but because of its size and the level of some participants. Moe asked people who didn't know the key moves to drop out but I don't think anybody did. Also when there was music it was too loud to hear the calls. But I still managed to learn one new move (prima loca) - and he didn't catch me out with 'mentira' once :)

I enjoyed the free dancing. My Cuban dancing is pretty limited, but it's OK by Cardiff standards and went down pretty well. There was a bit too much reggaeton too early on for me - though a lot of people seemed to be enjoying it, and Moe's funky lineups were cool. All in all a good turnout, and I had the best time I've had out dancing for a while, despite having to leave by 11. Looking forward to the next one.

I won't make dancing the rest of this week or the weekend as I'm working in Liverpool. Sunny at the moment but the forecast is terrible.

Moe Flex

Don't forget it's Moe Flex at Walkabout tonight - details on Misael's site. Should be good and I'm hoping to get there - I thought I was going to be on the train to Liverpool but I don't have to go until tomorrow morning.

Great dance quote

From one of those HMV 'My Inspiration' ads - this time Martin Scorsese quoting from the Powell and Pressburger film "The Red Shoes":

Boris Lermontov: "Why do you want to dance?"
Victoria Page: "Why do you want to live?"

Why it's good to dance

New Scientist has this story about why women prefer men who can dance.

Daytime salsa and Palenke

I've been hoping somebody would do this for ages: monthly Saturday afternoon salsa events. First one on August 15th is the very funky Iris de Brito teaching styling and kizomba. (Kizomba is a style of music and a very sensual and increasing popular dance, originally from Angola, based on zouk).

It's in the Soda Bar on St Mary Street, . £20 for an 'all day pass': 3pm - 10.30pm: £10 from 5.30pm - 10.30 (paella and freestyle dancing), or £5 on the door: 7pm - 10.30 onwards. Susannah's organising it - contact her for tickets on 07968 945 424.

Salsadicción have another of their Friday night events on the 31st, this time with live band Palenke.

Stefanja and Shahid

Stefanja and Shahid, originally uploaded by tomcardiff.

Unfortunately Risa isn't back (yet) - there's a problem with the electrics so it hasn't opened yet. So last night the only comfortable person was Stefanja, who seems to find anything below about 30 Celsius cold. Here she is dancing with Shahid.

Actually I'm going to miss Jumpin' Jaks because those spotlights provide great rim light for taking pictures - if we're still there next week I might take my big camera along.

Risa is back!

From next week Thursdays are back in Bar Risa. For those who haven't been, the floor - and the aircon – is much better than Jumpin' Jaks.

About time too, as the heat in Jumpin' Jaks was ridiculous last night. Still had a good time though - Stefanja was back in action, I danced with Patricia for the first time in ages and Andrea was there. I also discovered a very good bachata dancer who I'd never come across before.

Not many people there though (maybe because it's O'Neills monthly party tonight - another one I'm going to miss, unfortunately). I'm hoping that the change of venue will bring them back.

Thano and Deborah

And here's Thano and Deborah the previous week.

Jumpin' Jaks

Sara and Hugh dancing in Jumpin' Jaks last night. I did tell Kate the pictures were going to be arty and impressionistic when she asked to see them!

Brussels again

Another weekend working in Brussels (or rather, Tervuren). Lots of Flemish food and drink. I decided to stay over in Brussels itself on Sunday night, with the aim of checking out Matonge, the African quarter - I'd decided not to try the main salsa night (La Tentation) as I did my knee in last year dancing on the uneven floor.

Unfortunately there's not a lot on in Matonge on a Sunday night, particularly election night, apart from a flea market that was winding down. I wandered down to Grand Place later on, resigning myself to a fairly dull night, and then remembered that I'd passed a bar describing itself as a salsa bar last year. Wandered down the street (Rue Marché aux Charbons) and there was the Cartegena bar. And there were people dancing.

Not busy - there were only three couples there when I arrived (more arrived later) - but friendly. Most of the male dancers there were African. François, the teacher (the class was earlier) complimented me on my dancing and invited me to join his weekly rueda group! I explained that I was only over for the weekend. Later I joined in an enjoyable rueda which was half in French.

Not the wildest night's dancing I've ever had, but friendly, good music and a nice way to wind down after a heavy weekend. If I go back next year I'm going to insist on staying in the city rather than Tervuren, so I can check out clubs like Los Romanticos. The friendly, comfortable hotel I stayed in (Rembrandt, in Ixelles) would have worked out cheaper than the place in Tervuren, even once you count the tram fare each way.

Changes

Change number 1: no more Culto's - the club is closed.
Change number 2: Chiquito's now has salsa on the first three Fridays of every month. Should be good: Misael is teaching and Mikey is DJing.
7.15pm - 8.00pm - Beginners (£4)
8.15pm - 9.00pm - Improvers (£6.50 for the two)
9.00pm - 9.45pm Intermediates (£7.50 all three)
Free dancing afterwards.

(Update: just been told that Misael can't make it, so until they get another teacher it'll just be Mikey DJing, with free dancing. Still sounds good to me.)

Finally, congratulations to Andy and Lucy on their engagement!

Salsa before bedtime

Hoping the salsa before bedtime is actually going to take off - there was nobody downstairs in Havana's when I called in last Tuesday, but that may be because it was just after a Bank Holiday. Might call into Culto's tomorrow if I get my packing for Brussels finished in time.

Went to my first class for ages on Sunday. I decided it was time I started polishing up my dancing, plus I really needed some exercise so I went to Fahrenheit. Tip: go on a hot day as there will be fewer dancers there (6 this week) and you'll get more individual advice. Even though it's only supposed to be improvers/intermediate level Andy tailored it for the people who were there and I learnt some really useful stuff. Having women there who could give intelligent feedback on the lead helped as well (thanks Gemma and Collette). Shame there was no free dancing afterwards, but you can't have everything. I'm going to try and go more often.

Latest

Shahid's plan for early evening salsa is spreading - now you can dance free at Culto's on Saturday night from 7.30 (while Marlen's reggaeton class is going on). I really like this idea, hope it takes off.

Jumping' Jaks was good last night - Andy's playing some great music lately. It's incredibly hot though. Tip: if you dance around the edges of the room, rather than on the main dance floor, the surface is much better.

Amused to learn from my feisty friend last night that she'd been chatting to a guy who reads the blog and who guessed correctly that she was the person I was writing about. Mustn't write anything too incriminating!

Rafael and Yanet

Misael is opening a new Cuban night at Walkabout in St Mary Street, and he's kicking off with Rafael and Yanet on Tuesday 9th. Should be good, but this means there are now four competing nights on Tuesdays - there's Sabina's Barocco, Shahid's Havana and the longest- established, Andy's Bar Cuba. Wonder how many of them can be sustained?

Coco Xpress cancelled

The live band tonight at Culto is cancelled - Shahid has decided that the venue isn't suitable for people to dance in comfort to a live band. There will be a normal club night and he will refund anyone who's bought tickets.

Salsa before bedtime

Shahid's starting a new Tuesday night at Havana in City Road. The big attraction is that there's dancing downstairs starting at 7.30 while the classes are going on upstairs. At last something for those of us who are too old/too busy for late nights midweek. I wonder who will be going?

Also he has a live band (Coco Xpress) at Culto on Wednesday - unfortunately I have another early start this Thursday so I'll miss it (as I did with Moe Flex last week).

Link here: Salsa Buena

Dancer with attitude

When my friend who answers back first came to Cardiff one of the other guys said to me approvingly (at least, I think it was approving) "she's quite feisty, isn't she?". She proved just how feisty last Thursday when Andy told her that she needed to make a move ''more saucy and sexy". Her response was to show him the finger with the response "that's as saucy as you're going to get from me..."

Lecturers

Sorry to go on about this again but I'm really getting fed up with this: guys who ask women to dance and then lecture them on what they're doing wrong. It's happened several times to a friend of mine. She'd be the first to admit that her dancing has its idiosyncrasies, but she's talented and fun to dance with. So far she's been lectured by one of the messiest and most unstylish dancers around, and by another guy who omitted to notice (while he was giving her the benefit of his expertise) that he was dancing the entire dance on the 5. (Guys who can actually dance - like Shahid - just dance with her and let the lead do the talking). Fortunately she answers back - maybe if more women did so these guys would learn some manners.

Case number two: the other week in JJs I had a great dance with a woman who's always been good but has dramatically improved lately, with brilliantly controlled spinning (in fact I need to polish up my dancing so I can keep up with her). A few days later I got a text from her asking if I was in town as she needed a dance to chill out: she'd had a thoroughly unpleasant dance which had ruined her evening, with an 'expert' who had thrown moves at her, criticised her dancing, and then told her to relax!

On a more positive note, great to see Sara R back on the scene: she may think she's rusty but she's one of the most exciting people around to dance with - another dancer who makes me raise my game when I dance with her.

New stuff

Shahid and Leann have an event this Wednesday in Culto with Moe Flex, who's an excellent teacher, and the following Wednesday they have a live band - Coco Xpress. For more details visit http://www.salsabuena.co.uk/

Also Marlen is adding a third night of Reggeaton, this time at Culto on a Saturday night. (The other nights are Monday and Thursday in the Yard). I've heard good reports about her Thursday night. I assume Saturday must have been popular because there were no Cubans in La Tasca.

Space

La Tasca's getting very busy lately. Great to see Lisa and Jane over from Bristol last weekend, even if the main dance floor was ridiculously crowded, and suffering not just from drunk muggles but from 'dancers' who won't tone down their dancing to take account of the lack of space. I commented on this to one very good dancer, who said "it's a test of your skill" and proceeded to demonstrate hers by dancing very stylishly in a very small space. We got through the whole dance with no physical contact with adjacent dancers, but as soon as the music ended the guy behind her elbowed her in the head :(

Toenails

I put a query on the Salsaforums site about the toenail operation, and to my relief several people there have had it done and say I should be back in action in days :)

Aaagh!

Podiatrist tells me the only long-term solution to an ingrowing toenail is surgery, which will take 8-10 weeks to heal. I do need the surgery (which they can't fit in until October) as the toenail is interfering with my dancing, but how am I going to survive two months off the dancefloor? :(

Upcoming

This Friday is the latest of Charlotte's monthly Friday evenings at O'Neills - should be good, Henry Viña is DJing. Details here.

Saturday Irene is organising an event with Miguel and Mayana at the RAFA club in Ely - details here.

Claverton Rooms

I hadn't been to the Claverton Rooms for over two years but made the effort on Saturday. Plus points: sound system is excellent, as always; floor is brilliant; space to dance; Miguel and Mayana taught some nice moves. Minus points: music not that great with far too much bachata (and I like bachata), quite a few clumsy dancers making the dancefloor hazardous; the advertised 8pm start for the lessons was closer to 9pm. My view may be a bit jaundiced because I'm still getting over the effects of the chips and salad I had on the way back, but I'm not going to make the trek over to Bath again - I would probably have had twice as many dances in La Tasca and I would certainly have had more fun and more sleep.

Sundays

I wonder if Andy (or anyone else) has considered running Sunday afternoon salsa? It works very well in some other cities - the one in London was highly recommended by a friend of mine, and I spent a hugely enjoyable afternoon in Barrio Latino in Paris last summer. The advantages are obvious - you can get in several hours dancing without having to have a late night.

Sunday salsa interrupted

A change of management means that salsa on Sundays in the Purple Lounge has ended. Andy's negotiating with a 'fantastic' new venue - hope it works out.

Changes

Sabina's off to Cuba for a couple of weeks so Kate will be taking her class for a fortnight (there's no class on April 14th). Officially there's no rueda class (probably because Kate and Sabina use different calls) but I think Kate could probably be persuaded to do some in the free dancing.

Also the next O'Neills Friday night has been set for 24th April, and Henry Viña is DJing again. I thought he was great the last time he DJ'd there.

Salsathon

Hugh McIntosh has put a nice video of the salsathon on YouTube.

Jumpin Jaks

I was half asleep when I got to Jumpin' Jaks last night but still managed some nice dances - glad Andrea was there, she doesn't seem to have any trouble doing multiple spins on the dodgy floor. But I think that the floor is putting a lot of people off going to, or staying late at, what used to be the best salsa night of the week. Let's hope they get to move back into Risa when the refurbishment ends.

Very pleased with the reaction to Sabina's 'enroscate' rueda move when I tried it out in the free dancing - compliments in Spanish!

Reggaeton

For anyone who wants to find out how to do reggaeton properly, Marlen is starting a Monday night class ('Salseando con Aché') next week in the Yard. Details: 7pm-7.50pm Beginners Salsa, 8pm-8.50pm Reggaeton Beginners, 9pm-9.50pm Reggaeton Improvers, 10pm-11pm Reggaeton Fun, 11pm-12pm Free Dancing. Marlen is very good at reggaeton, as anyone who was in La Tasca on Saturday night will know.

The Go-gos

A good contingent from Cardiff (including two Cubans) to see Los Van Van at the Roundhouse on Saturday. It was very full, though - very little room to dance. When we arrived we made our way over to one of the pillars to dump our gear (with the exception of the Cuban flag which Marlen and Damarys had brought, which wasn't allowed to touch the ground and which did service during the evening variously as a skirt and as a shelter from the rain). I looked round and right next to us was Anna who used to dance in Cardiff: I knew she was going but had given up hope of finding her in the scrum. So she was pulled straight in to our first rueda.

It took me a while to get into it. The sound wasn't great which didn't help the vibe (for example, the thrilling piano of 'Tim Pop con Birdland' was buried in the mix) and my lack of sleep over the previous week was taking its toll. Some of us headed to the back of the venue to find space to dance, though there wasn't much space even there. I got complimented on my dancing by one of the guys on the door after a dance with Sabina (I should have told him that it was her that really deserved the compliment).

They played a two-hour set which took a while to build up steam but the latter part was good, with 'Esto te Pone la Cabeza Mala' as an exciting encore. The DJ carried on for an hour after the band had finished, and as a lot of the audience had left by then there was space for real dancing and a couple of ruedas.

More Cuban salsa fun on 27/29 March in Bournemouth: unfortunately I'm working on the Saturday. Also a substantial part of the Cardiff Cuban salsa crew will be away experiencing the real thing.

Weekend

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I'm ridiculously busy in work and working quite a few evenings (and last Saturday which is why I missed La Tasca). I got to Barocco on Tuesday though. Some of the worst dancers have stopped coming which is improving things, particularly for the rueda - only three couples and everybody could dance in time, which was great.

Tonight in Jumpin' Jaks is looking doubtful after a late night and an early start, but you never know. I certainly won't be making tomorrow night in O'Neills as I need to save my energy for Los Van Van in London on Saturday, but if you're not coming to London I strongly recommend it - the one last time was great and Henry Viña's DJing was excellent (it's ErikB this time).

Age cannot wither us (but reggaeton can)

I did four hours taxi dancing for the Salsathon on Sunday. It seemed to be going very well even though numbers were down on last year. I was completely knackered having got carried away with the reggaeton in La Tasca (and it's amazing how many of the salsathoners were there) but I eventually got into the swing of it. Some lovely dancers there on Sunday, and some nice ruedas, though I must say my dancing wasn't that inspired.

I'm afraid I'm developing a bit of a taste for reggaeton, which is probably unwise at my age for reasons both aesthetic and medical. At least with salsa age doesn't seem to be too much of a bar - in fact, I was encouraged a few years ago by a tall, pretty German friend who was trying to decide which salsa night to go to and stated very firmly "I don't vont to dance with any young men".

Jaks

Got to Jumpin' Jaks last night for the first time since the opening night, and reminded myself just why Thursdays are unmissable. Lots of space even though there were loads of people there, and most of the best dancers in Cardiff: I danced almost non-stop until a quarter to twelve. It's a shame about the floor, though - it's not the worst floor I've danced on (that would be La Tentation in Brussels - it took my knee months to recover from that) but it's pretty iffy. It's worth moving around as some parts of the floor are fine.

Fortunately my pattern of work over the next few weeks means I should be able to get out most Thursdays.

BTW I'm back in Brussels in June. I'm hoping to get to the You Club on the Sunday afternoon, but I'm also planning to check out the Saturday night scene in Matonge (the Congolese district) so it might be too ambitious to try and get to both.

O'Neills monthly dance night

The monthly night scheduled for O'Neills on 28th February has been postponed to avoid clashing with the Wales-France game. It'll now be on the following Friday, 8th March, with guest DJ Erik B. Good news for me as I wouldn't have been able to make the 28th.

Also there's no salsa at the Purple Lounge this Sunday due to the Salsathon (1-7 at the Heath Sports and Social Centre).

International night

Broke my usual rule of avoiding La Tasca on international nights as I was desperate for a dance. I nearly slept through it: I decided to have a nap at 8, was woken up at half ten. Oversleeping meant that it took me a while to get warmed up, but at least I did better than another dancer who missed the night because she slept until half past midnight!

It was a bit more crowded than usual (in other words, it was very crowded). I was very impressed with one woman from the Wednesday class - she's a fairly recent beginner but we danced in a very constricted corner with no problems.

A good, if hot and sweaty, time was had by all, though some tactical dancing was in order - 'accidentally' bumping into or stepping on drunks who looked as if they were about to try it on with the woman I was dancing with, or even about to lurch into the big rueda. I normally think of protecting the space as the leader's job, but I was dancing with one woman and a guy (not a drunk, as far as I could tell) went and stood in our space. She said "Just turn me into him" - so I led her into a gentle collision, she said "Oh, sorry!" very convincingly, and he moved.

You could tell I was enjoying myself because I even joined in the collective reggaeton at the end and actually wanted it to carry on when the lights went up.

Suffered a bit for it yesterday though: seriously dehydrated.

Challenging

Not managing to get out much at the moment - I've missed all but the first night of Jumpin' Jaks as I have some 'challenging' work on Friday mornings which means I can't afford to be in my usual post-salsa state of sleep-deprivation and dehydration. I did drag myself out on Monday but it was cancelled because of the lack of punters (who are these wimps who won't come out dancing just because a blizzard is forecast?). Nice to sit around and chat with the other dancers though.

I finally got some dancing on Wednesday. I'm really enjoying Misael's class, even though it's just improvers' level, and I had a lot of fun dancing afterwards. And from next week he's adding an intermediate class. His intermediate stuff is great so I'm looking forward to it, but unfortunately I've shortly got six weeks of early mornings on Thursdays.

Next week should be a bit better - working 11-6 every day, so I can afford a few late nights : )

National Geographic

On the recommendation of the Guardian's Film and Music supplement I had a look at National Geographic's World Music site. It's got a fascinating range of music on it, searchable by artist or genre, with samples you can listen to or buy.

Barocco and La Tasca

Changes to Barocco: all the classes on a Tuesday will now be taught by Sabina. See the listing (Cardiff salsa nights and classes) for details.

Misael is teaching at La Tasca on Wednesdays and Cwmbran Thursdays. I got to La Tasca late last night - working late, feeling frazzled - but joined in the last half hour of the class and learnt a new move. Even though it's supposed to be an improvers' class I found it useful, and there are some nice dancers there. (I was very surprised to see Charlotte in the class until I realised she was there as a leader.) I do feel sorry for some of the guys there who really get confused trying to work out which direction to go in: I remember getting just as confused as them in my first few months. It's just a matter of keeping at it until it makes sense, which it eventually will. And Misael includes plenty of revision, going over moves from previous weeks.

After the class it was a couple of ruedas (one of which I called, messily) and half a dozen dances and all was right with the world again.

Timing is all

Friday was the first of Charlotte's monthly dancing-only nights with guest DJs. It was very quiet when I arrived not long after nine, which was nice - got to dance with Vania on an empty dancefloor. It filled up later on. The music was great (Henry Viña) and I think a very good time was had by all.

I noticed one guy there had very good timing. A few weeks earlier I'd wondered why one of my favourite dancers wanted to spend half the night dancing with him, now I know why. He's one of these guys who looks as if he's dancing in slow motion, even when he's doing elaborate moves. I wonder if that style of dancing is like cool jazz - recently someone analysed Miles Davies' playing and worked out that he was a few milliseconds behind the beat.

It is actually possible to do the opposite, as I discovered a couple of weeks ago. I was excited to be having the first dance of the evening with Sabina (if you've danced Cuban-style with her you'll know what I mean: the first time I danced a fast Cuban track with her was the first time I really 'got' what Cuban-style was about).

Anyway, I did a move (Sombrero Ochenta y Ocho) and asked her if I'd got the timing right. What I meant was, had I led the second turn at the right point in the move; what she said was "actually, you're dancing half a beat ahead of the music". I was horrified: she told me that it's actually quite common among musicians. One thing that can make people play ahead of the beat is caffeine: maybe that 11pm espresso at La Tasca isn't such a great idea after all.

O'Neills

This Friday is the first of the monthly dancing-only nights at O'Neills, with Henry Vina DJing. Starts 9pm, costs £4.

And here's one of me...

Saturday a week later in La Tasca, dancing with the lovely Susannah. Judging by my hand position and the look of concentration on my face, it looks as if I was about to attempt 'sombrero doble complicado'.

Just got my ticket for Los Van Van!

La Tasca

Good night in La Tasca, as you can see. Click on the picture for a bigger version.

Salsamania

So much for Stevie giving up Salsamania - he's back with a new website (www.eldj.co.uk) and he's restarting the high-end Salsa Technicians night on Sundays in Bristol, starting February 1st with Mamboleo. (But he's had to let the beginners in rather than keeping it intermediate/advanced.)

Good news for anyone in Bristol, and anyone who misses trips to Bristol for dancing.

How to make yourself unpopular, part 1

If you're a male salsa dancer, there are a few things you need to know not to do.

Number 1, in my book, is lecturing women. It's a particularly stupid thing to do if you're not the greatest of dancers anyway, but for some reason these are the guys who are most likely to do it. Case in point: the other night I complimented a woman in the class on being such a good follower. She wasn't an experienced dancer - in fact she didn't even know what I meant by the word 'following' - but she had ability and a great light style. What did I see later in the free dancing? A guy who couldn't dance in time telling her how to dance: not just quietly giving advice but barking out instructions like a PE teacher drilling a pupil. Unfortunately there's something about the leader/follower relationship that brings out the worst in some men's attitude to women. It's not big and it's not clever.

Even if you're an able dancer it's something to avoid. I encountered a very good woman dancer quietly fuming at the bar recently: she'd had a dance with someone who should have known better, and he'd criticised her dancing twice in one dance. As she said, he'd asked her for a dance, she hadn't asked him for a private lesson.

Jumpin Jaks

Debbie and I were first on the floor for the free dancing after the lessons in Andy's new venue.

It was a good night all told - Kate led a series of cracking ruedas, best I've danced for a while (and I managed not to get too confused by the difference her calls and Misael and Sabina's). Even though not everybody knew all the moves there were no duffers there and everyone was dancing on time :)

I was relieved to find myself dancing much better than I was managing in Risa before Christmas - I've got some subtlety back into my lead. Some particularly nice dances, particularly one with Jo (Paul G-S's wife) who hadn't been out for a while.

Impressions on the venue: it's big but doesn't feel too big, and even though the fake American/Wild West decor is a bit cheesy it makes for a nice ambience (better than Risa). The floor is ropy, acceptable but not great in parts. (The stage looks smoother but I couldn't persuade anybody to get up there). The lighting is mellow but bright enough to see by. Everybody seems to like the atmosphere and the bar staff are friendly. Thumbs up in general.

New stuff

Andy's starting two new regular Monday classes at Fahrenheit Dance Studio. 7-8pm will be for beginners, and 8.30-9.30 will be a choreography class for intermediate (and above) couples. Start date for the choreography class is TBC, either the 12th or the 18th. Watch the Dancalatina site for updates.

Happy New Year

La Tasca was fun on Saturday - three dances in a row on an empty floor with Patricia was an excellent start to the dancing year, and then the caffeine kicked in for a very dynamic dance with Vania. I've been doing a lot of Cuban-style lately but those dances reminded me of what's so great about LA-style.

I couldn't stay that late as I was on Dad Taxi duty. My daughter couldn't resist a dance when she turned up with her friends - the atmosphere in La Tasca is like that. Looks like she'll be coming on Wednesday for Sabina's class as well.

One reason I enjoyed it so much is that I've been able to keep the dancing going over Christmas as Andy kept La Tasca running throughout the holiday period. Much appreciated. I went on New Year's Eve before going on elsewhere: a good move, as it meant I didn't start drinking until 1am and avoided a hangover on New Year's Day. But one dancer there must have suffered. I've never danced salsa with anyone that drunk: it felt as if she had rubber arms.