Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Salsa in New York City - A Travelogue!
Part 1:
New York, New York, what a wonderful town! 25 dancers from the SF Bay Area all descended upon an unsuspecting New York this week, and caused an unbelievable amount of trouble for seven days of workshops and dancing. It's Sunday morning - the day after the Copacabana (fantastic band - Conjunto Classico), and about six too many tequila shots. Alex (our New York co-ordinator for the trip) just called - I'm late for our Descarga Latina (Nelson Flores) workshop. After the last few days of Delille Thomas, and yesterday's Santo Rico (Thomas), I'm completely worked. I must admit - the life and vitality of New York (let's not even talk about the dancing), is really amazingly fun. There's just no where else like it. And yes - my intentions were to run out the door to the Bronx and catch the workshop, but alas, I'm opting for a good breakfast, and to write a blog entry instead (lazy, lazy . . ). I need a little break time!
Returning to New York is all about learning. From the dancer's you dance with, to the teachers whom are giving us workshops, it's always been super invigorating for me, and always totally humbling. Dancing is a never-ending progression - and there's always more to learn. I really enjoyed this chance to take classes, and learn some real On2 style New York flavor. It's my plan to try and make it at least once a year! Our group is a mix of levels, but overall a lot of fun people. I can't believe today is our last workshop. This trip is zooming by . . .
It's funny, in every workshop, we learn at least some contradictory information, each teacher completely committed to their style, and their teaching, as the "right" way to dance! Amaryllis - shoulders go back and flow while you dance. Thomas, roll the shoulder's forward into your steps. Delille, never mix chacha and mambo comment, versus Santo Rico's chacha shine footwork (danced to an incredibly fast mambo I might add). It's fun and enlightening to see all the different styles of dance here, all within the relatively small "On2" community. Apart from Eddie Torres - I'm not sure anyone focuses on bringing new people into the scene, which might explain why at a population over 10x San Francisco, the dance/club scene has relatively few dancers (the largest New York social, still smaller than Allegro Ballroom). The music however . . . is just simply phenomenal. And the band, which recently have found far fewer places to play, are really the finest musicians you'll find almost anywhere.
A "coup" at the Copa: We waited in line after dancing at the Pier to get into the Copa, where we were one of the first people inside this monstrous club. All the tables were reserved ahead of time, but, amazingly enough, some creative thinking, a little pleading, and a connection with the hostess (along with all our available cash - thanks to Dakin), got us the ONLY table left in the entire place. A table at the Copa - not that easy to get (woohoo). Huge floor - which we had to ourselves for the first hour, before it became incredibly (and I do mean incredibly) crowded. First class band, and a fun dance crowd, made this a night to remember. Perhaps I'll return here on Tuesday! This was the only club where the air conditioning was adequate. Even with one thousand people.
This is my 1st quick update from the streets of New York!
Part 2: New York, New York, what a Wonderful Town!
Ok, so I've gone a little New York crazy. The weather has really been great this past week, with cool breezes, fair days, and temperate nights. Great to wander around the active streets, sipping iced coffee. J I did my usual routine, but on Sunday night – got treated to the most awesome of “socials”, Jimmy Antons.
Jimmy Anton throws what is, inarguably, the best “social” salsa dance in NY. There were hundreds of people there, a live band, and endless dancing. I recognized many people from San Francisco, some past students even. The amazing Cobo brothers were in attendance (I really like the smoothness of the way these guys dance), and women outnumbered men by a small margin (never a bad thing). I had a great time dancing the night away, and getting a bite to eat afterwards – at a great thai restaurant, right off University and 13th (highly recommended for a light curry). This night alone would have been enough of a reason to come back to New York. The whole night was just that fun! There were even a few beginner’s on the floor there, which is a rarity in New York (where are all the beginner dancers?). It’s been hypothesized that since the dance level is high in New York, beginners don’t dare venture out until after a year or more of classes – but that can’t be it.
I wanted to take a class with Jimmy Anton, as I’ve heard many good things, but caught a little cold, and my desire to dance and learn has been waning a little as the trip gets longer. Now that it’s coming to an end, perhaps I’ll take a private lesson with someone (and perhaps I'll just sit around in the park, soaking up the sun).
I continued my stay at the Super8, but found an even better hotel, the La Quinta, which is even less expensive, while offering free breakfasts and wireless access. I’m becoming quite adept at saving money so I can squeeze every last day out of this adventure.
Now, even though I spoke of this earlier, I have to come back and talk about Bryant Park. This park, on 41st and 6th, is really great. It’s got all sorts of food and drink (and I’ve become addicted to the fantastic Root Beer floats they have - one a day), plus wireless access, plenty of seating, and endless people watching possibilities. The parks, scattered throughout New York, are really awesome. Union Square and NYU’s Washington Park, are also beautiful places to relax and soak in some afternoon sun (and they’re great places to write long, in-depth travel diaries). ;) It’s just a great time of year to be here.
Visit SalsaCrazy.com to get all the latest details about the salsa scene in the SF Bay Area and visit DanceSF.com to learn how to salsa dance!
New York, New York, what a wonderful town! 25 dancers from the SF Bay Area all descended upon an unsuspecting New York this week, and caused an unbelievable amount of trouble for seven days of workshops and dancing. It's Sunday morning - the day after the Copacabana (fantastic band - Conjunto Classico), and about six too many tequila shots. Alex (our New York co-ordinator for the trip) just called - I'm late for our Descarga Latina (Nelson Flores) workshop. After the last few days of Delille Thomas, and yesterday's Santo Rico (Thomas), I'm completely worked. I must admit - the life and vitality of New York (let's not even talk about the dancing), is really amazingly fun. There's just no where else like it. And yes - my intentions were to run out the door to the Bronx and catch the workshop, but alas, I'm opting for a good breakfast, and to write a blog entry instead (lazy, lazy . . ). I need a little break time!
Returning to New York is all about learning. From the dancer's you dance with, to the teachers whom are giving us workshops, it's always been super invigorating for me, and always totally humbling. Dancing is a never-ending progression - and there's always more to learn. I really enjoyed this chance to take classes, and learn some real On2 style New York flavor. It's my plan to try and make it at least once a year! Our group is a mix of levels, but overall a lot of fun people. I can't believe today is our last workshop. This trip is zooming by . . .
It's funny, in every workshop, we learn at least some contradictory information, each teacher completely committed to their style, and their teaching, as the "right" way to dance! Amaryllis - shoulders go back and flow while you dance. Thomas, roll the shoulder's forward into your steps. Delille, never mix chacha and mambo comment, versus Santo Rico's chacha shine footwork (danced to an incredibly fast mambo I might add). It's fun and enlightening to see all the different styles of dance here, all within the relatively small "On2" community. Apart from Eddie Torres - I'm not sure anyone focuses on bringing new people into the scene, which might explain why at a population over 10x San Francisco, the dance/club scene has relatively few dancers (the largest New York social, still smaller than Allegro Ballroom). The music however . . . is just simply phenomenal. And the band, which recently have found far fewer places to play, are really the finest musicians you'll find almost anywhere.
A "coup" at the Copa: We waited in line after dancing at the Pier to get into the Copa, where we were one of the first people inside this monstrous club. All the tables were reserved ahead of time, but, amazingly enough, some creative thinking, a little pleading, and a connection with the hostess (along with all our available cash - thanks to Dakin), got us the ONLY table left in the entire place. A table at the Copa - not that easy to get (woohoo). Huge floor - which we had to ourselves for the first hour, before it became incredibly (and I do mean incredibly) crowded. First class band, and a fun dance crowd, made this a night to remember. Perhaps I'll return here on Tuesday! This was the only club where the air conditioning was adequate. Even with one thousand people.
This is my 1st quick update from the streets of New York!
Part 2: New York, New York, what a Wonderful Town!
Ok, so I've gone a little New York crazy. The weather has really been great this past week, with cool breezes, fair days, and temperate nights. Great to wander around the active streets, sipping iced coffee. J I did my usual routine, but on Sunday night – got treated to the most awesome of “socials”, Jimmy Antons.
Jimmy Anton throws what is, inarguably, the best “social” salsa dance in NY. There were hundreds of people there, a live band, and endless dancing. I recognized many people from San Francisco, some past students even. The amazing Cobo brothers were in attendance (I really like the smoothness of the way these guys dance), and women outnumbered men by a small margin (never a bad thing). I had a great time dancing the night away, and getting a bite to eat afterwards – at a great thai restaurant, right off University and 13th (highly recommended for a light curry). This night alone would have been enough of a reason to come back to New York. The whole night was just that fun! There were even a few beginner’s on the floor there, which is a rarity in New York (where are all the beginner dancers?). It’s been hypothesized that since the dance level is high in New York, beginners don’t dare venture out until after a year or more of classes – but that can’t be it.
I wanted to take a class with Jimmy Anton, as I’ve heard many good things, but caught a little cold, and my desire to dance and learn has been waning a little as the trip gets longer. Now that it’s coming to an end, perhaps I’ll take a private lesson with someone (and perhaps I'll just sit around in the park, soaking up the sun).
I continued my stay at the Super8, but found an even better hotel, the La Quinta, which is even less expensive, while offering free breakfasts and wireless access. I’m becoming quite adept at saving money so I can squeeze every last day out of this adventure.
Now, even though I spoke of this earlier, I have to come back and talk about Bryant Park. This park, on 41st and 6th, is really great. It’s got all sorts of food and drink (and I’ve become addicted to the fantastic Root Beer floats they have - one a day), plus wireless access, plenty of seating, and endless people watching possibilities. The parks, scattered throughout New York, are really awesome. Union Square and NYU’s Washington Park, are also beautiful places to relax and soak in some afternoon sun (and they’re great places to write long, in-depth travel diaries). ;) It’s just a great time of year to be here.
Visit SalsaCrazy.com to get all the latest details about the salsa scene in the SF Bay Area and visit DanceSF.com to learn how to salsa dance!
