Vamos a bailar: salsa in cardiff - Bailamos

Revolución de Cuba

2012-01-13T16:24:00.003Z

Wow, Revolucion de Cuba is a great venue. It's been expensively decked out as a marketing man's idea of a pre-revolutionary Havana bar. It has a nice atmosphere, good lighting, a great wooden floor and a good sound system.

The classes are pretty busy and the dancing after the classes is good. Numbers for the free dancing could be better, but there are always some really nice dancers there. I had a lovely dance last night with a recent arrival to Cardiff who's amazingly expressive and fun to dance with.

The music mixes LA/NY and Cuban style, plus some bachata and a bit of lambada/zouk (but not too much). If you're a Cuban-style dancer, that's no problem - go to Sabina's class in La Tasca first and then come on afterwards, Revolucion is open until at least midnight. There is occasionally some rueda.

Quick final point: after 10pm it's free to get in for the dancing, but please buy a drink or two at the bar - it helps to secure the future of the venue.

Christmas week

2011-12-26T17:10:00.002Z

Sabina's Tuesday and Thursday classes are running as normal this week. Roger is running a party in Revolucion de Cuba on Friday night and Misael is DJing and promising some rueda as well.

All change, part 2

2011-11-14T19:23:00.004Z

The last remaining salsa night from when I started dancing has now moved. Live Lounge (formerly Bar Cuba) on Tuesdays is no more. The night has now moved to Peppermint, formerly Zync, at the corner of St Mary Street and Mill Lane. Classes start at 7.30 upstairs, and there's dancing from 9.30 onwards downstairs. Tomorrow is the first night, and it's Andy's birthday as well - Katy claims to be putting 50 candles on his cake :)

Revolución de Cuba is a really nice venue - the sound was a bit harsh on the first night but was fine last week. In addition to Andy's Thursdays, it's also hosting Roger's monthly Friday night, plus a series of classes he's running on Monday nights with guest teachers for different dance styles (Cuban salsa tonight, kizomba next week, beginners' Cuban the week after).

Revolución de Cuba

2011-10-28T20:16:00.001+01:00

At long last Andy's found a decent Thursday night venue. Revolución de Cuba is just off Womanby Street. Nice wooden floor, nice ambience, good sound system. Last night was buzzing and the most fun I've had out dancing for a while. Looks like the shot in the arm the Cardiff salsa scene needs.

Changes

2011-10-19T20:18:00.005+01:00

A couple of quick changes. Misael's giving up his Wednesday night with immediate effect, which is a shame - his rueda class was great and he's a clear and patient teacher. But the good news is that next week Andy's main night moves back to Thursdays and a venue with a proper dancefloor, Revolución de Cuba in Womanby Street. This is great news, hope it works out.

Changes

2011-10-19T20:18:00.001+01:00

Cuban Salsa Weekender

2011-10-06T20:32:00.004+01:00

Big Cuban Salsa Congress from Tropicalentura (Misael and co) in Newport (you’ll find their website is slow if you try and visit it now, but it does eventually load). The programme looks really good and there are some excellent teachers including Osbanis and rueda queen Farah from Glasgow (I went to her class there back in 2004). There are still places available, including day and party passes. I'm going on Saturday.

Latest info

2011-09-15T21:55:00.005+01:00

Sorry I haven't posted much for a while. I've been busy, and the Cardiff salsa scene doesn't seem as exciting as it did a while ago - particularly as several of the people I most like dancing with (like Andrea and Idy) have recently left Cardiff.

Tiger Tiger has now moved to Wednesdays - same times as before. A bit strange as I've been used to dancing regularly on Thursdays for years, though since the move to Tiger Tiger I haven't been much - my dodgy toe joint doesn't like the hard floor. I've been mostly going to Misael's remarkably funky rueda class on a Wednesday.

There have been a lot of changes to salsa in Cardiff lately: it's no longer possible to dance six nights a week. I'm not sure if O'Neills, the most recent incarnation of the longest- running salsa night in Cardiff, is still running - someone went last week and said it was closed.

Lots of dancers seem to be more interested in kizomba. I've been told that the best kizomba class is David Flor's Monday night in Missoula, 84-86 St Mary Street.

Major event coming up on 7-9 October is the Cuban Salsa Congress in Newport, which has an impressive roster of teachers.

Thursday's moving

2011-05-03T18:31:00.001+01:00

Too busy to maintain the blog at the moment - but just a quick post with some important news: Andy's Thursday nights are now moving to Tiger Tiger in Greyfriars Road. Rohan Brown is guesting this week.

Jaime Jesus

2010-10-26T20:07:00.002+01:00

Leading international salsa teacher Jaime Jesus is at Music Hall this Thursday teaching improvers/intermediates. It's upstairs this week (which should mean more space and more light).

Events coming up

2010-10-12T18:53:00.003+01:00

New stuff coming up: Misael's got an all-dayer in Newport on October 31st with some of the biggest names in Cuban salsa in the UK teaching. It's currently £35, going up to £45 on the 23rd.

Also Kate has her annual salsathon on 7th November in aid of the George Thomas hospice - 6 hours of dancing on a Sunday afternoon.

Saturday nights

2010-09-27T20:10:00.002+01:00

Had a great time in La Tasca the weekend before last, even in Miss Feisty's absence. Made up for that by meeting up at Super Salsa Saturday, Stevie's monthly event in Bristol, this week. Good things about it: cheap, nice music, good coffee, enough light for her to read her book. (Her new tactic for staying out of trouble: read a book and guys won't ask you to dance, so you can choose who you dance with and avoid obvious idiots who will need to be put in their place. It seemed to work...) Another good thing: loads of space. Bad thing: reason for the space is that there weren't many people there, though it started picking up later. I didn't recognise any of the Bristol crowd who come to Cardiff. Apparently it clashed with a music festival in Bristol. I had lots of nice dances with Miss F, and several dances with appreciative locals (one woman who I danced with early on came up to me at the end and told me I was a 'fantastic dancer', haven't had a compliment like that for a while). It's also pretty easy to get to being in North Bristol.

Can't make La Tasca this Saturday (working in Caernarfon all day, won't be back til late) but I'm going to try and make the following weekend - Núria's in town for the weekend and should be there.

New floors and things

2010-09-06T20:01:00.003+01:00

I was glad I went to O'Neills Friday night event - there were several people there who I hadn't danced with for ages (Lizzie, Teresa and Miranda among others). The new floor is good and the music was OK as well, though the night took a long time to get going. Next time I won't bother turning up before 10.

Not so impressed with the floor in the Music Hall: they haven't finished it so I'm hoping it will be better than it was on Thursday. I was going down with a cold (as was Andy) which was a shame - I got asked to dance by several of my favourite dancers but my dancing was rubbish. The cold is worse this week so I might give this Thursday a miss.

Good news is that Miss Feisty looks like being in the UK until at least Christmas, which should mean more nights of terpsichorean silliness in La Tasca to liven up the gloomy winter nights :)

Sabina's class

2010-09-02T09:25:00.000+01:00

Sabina's Thursday night Cuban class has now moved permanently from Las Havanas to La Tasca, starting tonight. Classes are a bit earlier as well (beginners 7pm). So you can now dance Cuban-style three nights running in La Tasca.

O'Neills

2010-08-27T17:14:00.002+01:00

Monthly Friday in O'Neills tonight, with DJ Fadi - glad it's on after turning up to the Music Hall last night to find out that it was closed (they were overhauling the floor). Should be back to normal next week.

974

2010-08-23T20:08:00.005+01:00

That's the French department code for La Réunion, proudly worn on T-shirts as a badge of identity. It's a fascinating place and very diverse: the population is a mixture of Creole (people of African and French origin), French, Indian, Chinese and Arab, among others. The most popular music included the local sega, maloya (sometimes fused with hiphop), a bit of Zouk from the French Caribbean, and reggae (I saw adverts for separate gigs featuring 80s Birmingham band Steel Pulse and UB40's Ali Campbell). I didn't unfortunately get to see any dancing to sega or maloya - maybe next time.

There was actually a salsa weekender in (and named after) a town in the south while I was there, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to boast about attending the 'Tampon Latino Danse' festival. Instead I went to Tuesday night in the Trois Brasseurs in Saint-Denis. It was quite a small room but there were a few good dancers there. A couple of the younger guys were trying too hard (flashy moves with abrupt/jerky timing, looked uncomfortable to dance with). A large older guy who didn't really look like a dancer until he started dancing showed how it should be done, leading some subtle and complex moves with a brilliant woman dancer (next time if I'm feeling a bit less tired I'm going to ask her for a dance). My best dance was with a very stylish Indian woman who was an excellent, exciting follower with a great attitude. I also had a nice reaction from an improver who was very enthusiastic during the dance, and when I thanked her at the end she said "C'est moi que vous remercie!" - it's me that's thanking you :)

Miss Feisty

2010-08-09T20:07:00.003+01:00

La Tasca was cooking on Saturday night (metaphorically and almost literally - it was particularly hot). I was very tired and only came out because I'd promised Miss Feisty I'd be there (and she has a long drive). I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't be on form but some caffeine and a couple of dances and we had liftoff. I spent most of the night dancing with her and had a great time: dance as play, improvising, exaggerating and making stuff up: the most fun I've had on the dancefloor (or anywhere else) for ages.

Away now for a couple of weeks (taking my daughter to start her year abroad in La Réunion) Not sure if I'll get to check out the dance scene there, but if I do I'll report back.

Fantastic Freestyle Friday - er, Saturday

2010-08-06T19:50:00.003+01:00

Stevie (Salsamania) has a new monthly night starting on August 28th, a replacement for the Friday he used to run. It sounds great: guest teachers, only a fiver, and it's in Stoke Gifford (on the north of Bristol, easily reached from the M4/M32). More details on the event's Facebook page.

O'Neills

2010-08-06T19:48:00.002+01:00

I didn't get there on Wednesday night but I've been told that the dance floor is great: they've taken away the pillars around the dance floor which means a lot more usable space.

O'Neills is back

2010-08-03T21:19:00.002+01:00

O'Neills is reopening tomorrow night in a new regular Wednesday slot, with a rueda group from Bristol (Rueda Para Risa) helping them to launch it.

Mauricio

2010-07-12T19:01:00.005+01:00

Last Thursday was great. Mauricio's lesson had nice leadable moves and very clear teaching. I'm tempted to try and get up to Birmingham for some more. The only real problem was that the class was very crowded, which made back-to-back moves a matter of trying to dodge flailing elbows. The dancer who provides the white powder than enhances one's enjoyment of the evening* had the right idea, having found a clear spot in the corner.

The event also brought out several of my favourite dancers. That, combined with well-paced DJing, made for a really good night with a succession of enjoyable dances (and a couple of memorable ones).

*Talcum powder, in case you were wondering

Mauricio Reyes

2010-07-05T17:30:00.001+01:00

Popular Birmingham teacher Mauricio Reyes (Latinmotion) is teaching the advanced class and DJing at Music Hall on Thursday. Should be good.

O'Neills closing

2010-07-05T17:28:00.002+01:00

Tonight is the last Monday night in O'Neills - it's being refurbished throughout July. Salsadiccion are launching a new (Wednesday) night in August.

Se prendre un râteau

2010-07-01T16:30:00.003+01:00

Further to David's comment on the first Paris post, there's actually been a long thread on the SalsaFrance forum on unfriendly salseras in Paris (from which I learnt a useful French idiom, "se prendre un râteau" - to get turned down). The thread had quite a lot of harsh comments on the behaviour of some dancers in Paris (and the WAGG, which I enjoyed, came in for particular criticism).

I have to say that, while I did get turned down three or four times in Barrio Latino both times I've been there, I generally found dancers friendlier and had better interaction/eye contact than in Madrid. Personally I'd much rather be turned down than dance with an unwilling partner.

I also had a few refusals the first time I went to Brussels, though most people were OK (the second time I went to a bar where most of the dancers were Congolese, and very welcoming).

Paris practicalities

2010-06-29T19:10:00.004+01:00

We went with Flybe who go to Charles de Gaulle from Cardiff twice a day. Eurostar is better if you live in London, and if you are able to get cheap deals and have plenty of time it's worth doing from Cardiff. From the airport you need to get a free shuttle to one of the other terminals, both of which have train stations, then it's a €17 return trip to the Gare du Nord on the RER Line B train. The hotel was Villa Fenelon - I've stayed there before, it's good value, no curfew, and conveniently located about halfway between the centre and Montmartre (it is actually within walking distance of the Gare du Nord). The nearbyHotel Monte Carlo has better decorated rooms but doesn't have the nice courtyard, prices are similar.

Drinks in the clubs are expensive (though the €12 entry to the WAGG club includes a drink, most of the drinks there being €6). You often have to pay a compulsory cloakroom fee as well.

Five go mad in Paris

2010-06-23T18:45:00.015+01:00

So the trip to the salsa capital of Europe finally happened. Early start left us feeling a bit dazed for most of Saturday. There were a few changes of plan - the open-air salsa at Quai St-Bernard on Saturday nights hasn't had approval yet this year, which was a shame. But there was a small-scale event happening on Saturday afternoon right on the edge of the river - a salsa 'flashmob' followed by dancing. We got there to see a group of people doing a lineup to compas (the Haitian dance, same rhythm as merengue, music a bit more interesting and words in French/Creole). There was also semba, kizomba and salsa. It was really good to dance in the open air and people were friendly. I had to do the "my friend wants to dance with you, but she doesn't speak French" bit for the only time that weekend so Noemi could dance with the teacher (he has some classy bachata moves).

I asked where was the best place to go that night, and was told there were two alternatives - one in Montparnasse south of the river, and Rétro République which was near where we were staying but reserved for a special event that evening (and all-Cuban apparently). In the end we decided to save our energy for Sunday rather than trying to blag our way into Retro. Andrea and I walked up to Montmartre. We were just walking down from Sacré Coeur, got to the top of the steps next to the funicular railway, and there was a very funky band busking on the first landing, being watched by a crowd sat on the steps. So inevitably we had to dance -we went down to the next landing, started a bit of Cuban (we were on pavement and not wearing dancing shoes) and the sax player invited us up to dance in front of them. Good music if just a bit too far the wrong side of 200bpm - two long songs were enough, but the audience was appreciative and I think we appeared in quite a few tourist snapshots. We got congratulated (in a trilingual conversation) by a couple of guys who caught up with us at the bottom of the steps. On to a crowded bar, musically quite nostalgic for me (anyone remember 'Uptown Top Ranking'?) and very eclectic. The only dancing was a drunk couple who got up and did a slightly wobbly kizomba to a Malian track.

Sunday afternoon was Barrio Latino. Very busy, very hot, some very good dancers. Unfortunately even an espresso couldn't stop a mid-afternoon slump - I had a couple of good dances but wasn't at my best, while everyone else had a great time. David apparently had his best dance of the year, and Andrea was kept dancing almost continuously (and very stylishly, as you can see in the video above. The guy she was dancing with has great technique - I'm going to study it carefully.) We had planned to head out to for a picnic at Belleville afterwards where there was supposed to be open-air salsa (the 'Caravane de la salsa' but the weather wasn't looking promising and we all needed a break.

A late meal in Chartier, half a bottle of their robust house red and an espresso replenished my energy levels. Sunday's usual CBL night in O'Sullivans was off because of the world cup, which left us with the WAGG club on the Left Bank. This was great: a crowded cellar, pure Cuban salsa and nothing else, didn't get turned down once. I got asked to dance by a woman who proceeded to give me the best LA-style dance I'd had all weekend, and had several other nice (Cuban) dances with friendly dancers.

On the train back to the airport on Monday afternoon we all sat down next to a young woman with a large suitcase, who ended up in animated conversation with Noemi - not only was she Romanian, but she'd been in Barrio Latino the previous afternoon.

Thanks for advice to Alias on SalsaForums (who regularly posts English-language updates about the Paris salsa scene), and to everyone on the SalsaFrance forum who responded to my questions.

Thursday changes

2010-06-16T20:49:00.003+01:00

Change to the classes in Music Hall/Risa. Classes will run as follows, if I remember correctly:

First class: beginners (Stellan), improvers (Kate), intermediates (Andy)
Second class: improvers (Stellan), intermediates (Kate), advanced (Andy)

The advanced class is going to be challenging with a lot of content, and if your dancing isn't up to it you won't get in. I find my concentration isn't what it should be at 9.30 on a Thursday night so I may give it a miss.

I had a private lesson with Andy on Sunday though - my first for a couple of years. I should get one more often, as it was excellent for picking up points of technique and flaws in my dancing that I wasn't aware of. A while ago I mentioned the move that only Roisin can follow; a simple adjustment to my posture in the lesson and it worked fine.

Had a great time in La Tasca last week: Ms Feisty managed to make it for the first time this year :) Stayed far too late...

Last night

2010-05-28T19:36:00.005+01:00

Not going to make O'Neills tonight - saving my energy for Tasca tomorrow. I went to Mazu's kizomba class again last night, and then on to Risa/Music Hall. Stellan was on the decks which was a revelation: some great tracks, and he kept them short so even if you didn't like the music (or your partner) another one would be along in a couple of minutes.

Some amusing gender-swapping (I think the girls were getting bored with following): at one point Kate was leading LaLa, then Irene cut in on her, and finally Irene junior and partner joined in and the three women spent the rest of the dance swapping between the two male followers.

I had some good dances, even though Lovely Welsh Dancer was leaving just as I arrived :( As usual Andrea inspired me to improvise, which was going fine until I tripped over a loose shoelace during one particularly expressive shine...(I did stay upright, just).

Kizomba

2010-05-27T16:35:00.005+01:00

I went to the Kizomba class last week, taught by Mazu: nice guy, nice music, relaxed class, and he dances with all the women students afterwards.

Tomorrow night at 8.30 O'Neills' monthly Friday night kicks off with an 'all levels' kizomba class with Prince Tevin. Free dancing then until 12.30.

Kizomba

2010-05-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

Saw a poster in town for kizomba classes in Zync on Thursday nights (8.30-9.30). Does anybody know anything about this, including who's running it and teaching?

Sakhar Sherabeh

2010-05-15T13:54:00.002+01:00

Cuban-style guest teacher (and former Scottish salsa champion) Sakhar Sherabeh is doing a workshop at O'Neills at 9pm Monday (after the normal classes).

I've googled him and he appears not to exist - I wonder if the spelling is wrong?

Congratulations

2010-05-15T13:51:00.004+01:00

Andy and Lucy's wedding today: congratulations and good luck.

Kate will be running Andy’s intermediate classes for the next fortnight while he’s away on honeymoon. I like her intermediate-level teaching - very usable moves, well taught.

Anoche

2010-05-07T20:25:00.007+01:00

Last night in Music Hall was the best couple of hours I'd had dancing for ages. I meant to go to Rafael's class but got back from work too late. Probably a good thing as it meant I had stamina for the free dancing which was terrific. Some lovely dancers there and great music. I had one of the most exciting Cuban dances I've had for a long time with Debbie (on a largely empty upper dance floor) and then joined in Rafael's cool ruedas and 'linea'. A couple of neat dances with Roisín who's one of the most exciting and fun dancers around. I can't think of a better way to spend election night.

Rafael and Loreta

2010-05-06T14:35:00.003+01:00

Quick reminder that this is on tonight at the Music Hall, and that Rafael and Loreta will be teaching the intermediate class as well as giving a show.

I hope that the Music Hall don't show News 24 on the screens as they did for the debate last week. When I'm dancing I want to forget about the election.

Zero

2010-04-30T19:12:00.005+01:00

A shame that Zero Degrees has closed - I went last Sunday and really enjoyed the lesson. There were some nice dancers there who you don't see anywhere else. Last Sunday Laura was there - I think I dance with her about once a year, and each time she tells me what a terrible dancer she is because she's so out of practice, and then proceeds to demonstrate that if you have her natural ability lack of practice doesn't really matter.

I hadn't been to Zero for a while, basically because of the zouk. Nothing against the dance, but it's ideally for people who are young, lithe and Brazilian, and I don't fall into any of those categories. I was hoping that it would revert to a pure salsa night now that zouk has its own night (Wednesdays in 10 Feet Tall).

Hoping that La Tasca's going to be as good tomorrow night as it was a couple of weeks ago.

Another Sunday night closes

2010-04-30T11:01:00.002+01:00

Sadly Zero Degrees have ended Andy's Sunday night salsa class. Just as I'd decided that I was going to start going regularly. Let's hope Andy finds another venue soon; or maybe this is an opportunity to start Sunday afternoon salsa somewhere? It works very well in Paris and London, how about trying it in Cardiff?

Rafael Del Busto & Loreta Juzenaite at the Music Hall

2010-04-27T15:42:00.002+01:00

On election night Rafael del Busto and Loreta Juzenaite are performing at the Music Hall. Rafael is two-times World Open Salsa Champion. The show is from 10.30 onwards.

Andy and Lucy at the Capitol

2010-04-06T20:31:00.002+01:00

Andy and Lucy at the Capitol, originally uploaded by tomcardiff.

Saturday in the Capitol centre. The camerawork is a bit flaky (I should have shot some cutaways to cover the changes of camera angle) though I like the low wide angle shot - getting in close captures the excitement of their dancing.

New and old

2010-03-12T17:57:00.006Z

It's been a very busy couple of weeks so I didn't make Risa/Music Hall or La Tasca last week. It was about time I tried some other nights though. In O'Neills last week I had one of those magical 'dances with a stranger' (oops, that's the title of a film about something very unmagical) where you click on the first dance. This week I couldn't get out Monday so I tried Tuesday at the Live Lounge (formerly Bar Cuba) for the first time in years. I got there just after 10 only to learn that free dancing only went on until 10.30. Apart from Rhodri and Helen doing their dazzling stuff (good to watch them somewhere with space and light) there weren't many people there, despite the vastly improved floor. So I went on to Shahid and Leanne's night at Las Havanas. Not a lot of people there either, but it was friendly and I had some really enjoyable dances with a couple of dancers I'd never met before. Good music, and the sound system was good as well: clear enough to hear the music, but balanced so that you could still hold a conversation. (I even managed to hold a conversation in French and understand most of it!)

Last night in Risa/Music Hall I danced with someone very unexpected: Charlotte, my first ever dance partner, who's back in Cardiff after five years away. It was great to dance with her again, bringing back memories of very late nights in the Toad. Looking forward to the next time.

Pobol y Cwm

2010-03-01T07:44:00.003Z

Newydd clywed bod Misael yn dawnsio ar 'Pobol y Cwm' nos yfory. Wps, yfory mae'n dawnsio, y 31ain y caiff y rhaglen ei darlledu.

Just heard that Misael is dancing on tomorrow night's Pobol y Cwm (the long-running Welsh soap opera).
Correction: he's dancing tomorrow, it's being broadcast March 31st.

Fight

2010-02-23T17:08:00.010Z

Couldn't make Misael's thing last Friday as I was going down with a cold. Was there really a fight, as Anna comments on my previous post?

Update: Apparently there was. I wonder who the other person ("a teacher from outside Wales") was?

Update: 'Anonymous' in the comments gives an explanation - thanks.

Update: a second 'Anonymous' gives an alternative explanation, which is uncannily close to the explanation guessed at by someone who hadn't seen the incident...

Update - we've actually got a comment from someone who saw the incident - thanks!

Noches Cubanas

2010-02-09T20:20:00.005Z

Now this looks good: Friday 19th, Misael's Cuban salsa party with Yanet in Venue (next to Cineworld):
Alain and Misael are DJing, classes as follows: 8.30 Beginners/Improvers with Misael / Rueda with Alain; 10.00 Ladies Styling and Reggaeton with Yanet; Party until 2am, with a 5-minutes solo show from Yanet. £10 all night, or £5 after 10.30.

Misael is also doing a special early Valentine's event tomorrow (Wednesday) at La Tasca: in addition to the usual beginners' class at 7.30, he's doing bachata at 8.30 (followed by half an hour's bachata freestyle), and then rueda 9.30-10. Misael's ruedas are the best around so I'm aiming to get to that.

Thursday temporary venue change

2010-02-06T13:44:00.003Z

Music Hall (Risa) isn't available this Thursday, so salsa is at Centro, the new UWIC student union off Cyncoed Road. Tony Lara is doing a bachata class (8-9) before the usual 9-10 salsa class. It's only for this week, back to normal next week. You can get there on the number 52 bus (though obviously you'll need to head back before they stop running, last one is 2253). Bus timetable here.

Latin and non-Latin

2010-01-31T19:49:00.005Z

Thoroughly enjoyed the first 'Latin Music USA' on BBC4 on Friday night. This one looked at the Afro-Cuban origins of Latin music in the USA. I didn't see as much dancing as I'd hoped, but the style of some of the dancing from the 40s and 50s was gorgeous.

One of the key points in the programme was how influential Latin music was, even on the rock that supposedly superseded it. The classic example is the Louie Louie riff which is based on a chachachá. I've got another example where a cover version makes explicit the unacknowledge Latin roots of a song. Africa Boogaloo) has a great track called 'Quiero Wapacha' by Charles Lembe which combines Afro-Latin music with surf guitar. It sounds strangely familiar. Trying to find out about the singer I came across a review which pointed out that the track is actually based on the The Ventures' early 60's song "Walk Don't Run" - clearly the Congolese musicians recognised it as a Latin track and repurposed it with their own lyrics.

Next week's programme is devoted to salsa. It's repeated on the Sunday night.

Claverton Rooms all-dayer

2010-01-29T20:38:00.002Z

This looks very good, on 27 March - an all-dayer and evening party at the Claverton Rooms in Bath with an impressive set of teachers. I swore I wasn't going again after getting back at 4 in the morning last time and being ill for days from the chips and salad I had on the way home, but I am tempted.

Latin Music USA

2010-01-29T20:16:00.003Z

Just a reminder - if you can't get out partying tonight, BBC4's new 4-parter 'Latin Music USA' starts at 9.

Cardiff salsa wishlist

2010-01-25T19:18:00.006Z

What I'd like to see on the Cardiff salsa scene:

Andy - please have another go at running advanced workshops like the ones in Fahrenheit the year before last. Not performance workshops and routines, but classes that focus on a single aspect of partner dancing and perfecting the lead. My dancing has never been better than it was when I was doing that course.

Misael - regular intermediate/advanced rueda classes.

Everybody - more salsa at times when normal people with day jobs can go. How about Sunday afternoon salsa? It works in London and Paris.

No more new dances. To keep dancing all night in La Tasca you need to know salsa, bachata, merengue, reggaeton, kizomba/lambaba zouk/samba gafeira - I don't have time to learn any of the last three, I'd rather get better at the ones I can already do.

Tap water

2010-01-20T11:37:00.002Z

Just a quick reminder to everyone: if you only drink tap water when you go dancing, the venues lose money on the bar and eventually they kick salsa out of the venue. It's just happened to Sabina's night in Barocco. You don't have to drink alcohol but you do need to buy drinks!

Stevie (of Salsamania) once estimated that if they aren't getting a hire fee, a venue needs a dancer to buy around £10 worth of drinks to cover their costs. I don't think many of us buy that much, but at least you should buy something.

I also think venues could help themselves by charging more for soft drinks - eg I'm happy to pay the £1 that La Tasca charges for a pint of lime squash, whereas some other venues charge 50p or less.

The other way to support venues is to go there when you aren't dancing - get a coffee in La Tasca on a non-salsa night, buy a pizza in Zero Degrees, etc.

Happy New Year

2010-01-18T19:21:00.005Z

Sabina's Tuesday night class has now moved to La Tasca and dropped the rueda class (though there will be rueda in the freestyle afterwards).

I've added details of Alain Hernandez' Sunday night in Zync to the list of classes.

Stevie (Salsamania) is running a Haiti benefit in Bristol on December 3rd - 100% of ticket sales go to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Includes classes, only a fiver, at the Eton Bar, 28 Baldwin Street.

Africa-America

2009-12-29T20:11:00.007Z

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

2009-12-29T19:11:00.015Z

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

2009-12-22T21:36:00.004Z

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

2009-12-11T10:46:00.002Z

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

2009-12-10T18:53:00.002Z

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

2009-12-08T18:50:00.002Z

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

2009-12-03T20:28:00.001Z

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

Saturday

2009-12-02T19:15:00.004Z

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

2009-11-29T19:25:00.003Z

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

2009-11-27T16:50:00.006Z

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

2009-11-27T16:40:00.004Z

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

2009-11-06T19:58:00.002Z

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

2009-11-04T18:14:00.002Z

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

2009-10-28T17:16:00.003Z

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

2009-10-19T20:39:00.008+01:00

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

2009-10-13T18:57:00.002+01:00

Aleona, originally uploaded by tomcardiff.

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

Thursdays and snakes

2009-10-12T16:53:00.003+01:00

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

2009-10-08T12:35:00.001+01:00

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

Sunday

2009-09-28T19:31:00.000+01:00

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...

2009-09-24T20:13:00.003+01:00

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

2009-09-22T16:14:00.003+01:00

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

2009-09-21T19:17:00.003+01:00

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

2009-09-13T21:17:00.003+01:00

"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

2009-09-13T20:38:00.005+01:00

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!

2009-09-11T17:06:00.001+01:00

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

2009-08-12T17:56:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-24T09:19:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-22T18:08:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-15T17:24:00.005+01:00

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

2009-07-14T08:28:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-10T22:04:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-09T18:38:00.001+01:00

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

Daytime salsa and Palenke

2009-07-08T20:46:00.003+01:00

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

2009-07-03T09:27:00.001+01:00

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!

2009-06-26T08:01:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-19T17:16:00.003+01:00

And here's Thano and Deborah the previous week.

Jumpin' Jaks

2009-06-19T17:15:00.004+01:00

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

2009-06-10T19:47:00.005+01:00

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

2009-06-09T08:57:00.003+01:00

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

2009-06-02T20:55:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-22T22:01:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-22T19:11:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-20T14:04:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-18T22:00:00.002+01:00

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

2009-05-18T18:46:00.010+01:00

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

2009-05-10T19:29:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-10T19:22:00.003+01:00

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

2009-05-01T19:05:00.004+01:00

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

2009-04-28T13:11:00.002+01:00

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!

2009-04-27T21:17:00.002+01:00

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

2009-04-20T19:19:00.004+01:00

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.