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Rueda de Casino instruction with Yossi and Min at Caltech’s Casino class on Wednesdays. Caltech will have a Salsa party on Wednesday 5 September 2007 at 8:30 P.M.

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Aug 28

About Salsa and Competitions

Op-Ed, SalsaNo Comments

One observation which is important to point out from the start is that Salsa has different interpretations within local cultures in America. So with this in mind, we will organize our official Salsa Competitions with a style in mind that will have preference within that particular event. The most common and obvious Salsa styles are: Cuban Salsa, Puerto Rican or New York Salsa, LA Salsa, and regular Salsa which is sometimes called Street Salsa.

There have been enough arguments, opinions, and suppositions as to where Salsa comes from. I do not wish to join the ranks of theorists and experts but I will say that Salsa might never have come around if African slavery had not come to this continent. So the natural place for Salsa to trace its roots would be the port of entry for most of the early slaves who were brought to this continent, namely Cuba. It is in Cuba that you find the sounds of Son, Timba, Rumba, Charanga, Cha Cha Cha, Guaganco, Mambo, and the Afro-Cuban sounds which can not be mistaken for commercial Salsa. The next natural place to look for the Salsa roots would be Puerto Rico and of course New York. Salsa to those on the mainland has various and different interpretations of sounds and dance. Colombian interpretation of Salsa might scare people who are not used to dancing close and personal. Cubans mix their dance with all the richness that can be found in the various dance forms on the island. New York and Los Angeles have produced their own versions of Salsa dancing. I have been told that NY owes it influence to Mambo and here in L.A. I have observed that L.A. Style sprung straight from Ballroom dancing.

It has been my observation that there are many natural dancers who are not inclined to participate in Salsa Competitions. When you think of all that there is to lose in competing and performing for recognition or for a living, I would understand anyone who feels that competitions are a distraction from the real dancing. My intention is to provide a stage for people who have fun dancing and for people who want to experience dancing under the spot light.

Aug 28