Image via Wikipedia
One of the greatest things about dance is that it unifies people. It really doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or come from different culture or social backgrounds, people come together to dance. That is one of the many things that I really saw when we were in El Salvador.
The salsa scene there is relatively small compared to the population. And there are a large number of instructors in comparison to the number of students. However, the people really love to dance. It is one of the aspects I felt very strongly. They have a hard time because it is much more difficult to find a space that will offer a salsa night, and when they do everyone is subject to the whims of those who own the space. Generally, they are in restaurants with tile floors, some are smoke-filled and most are sticky. Since Salseros worldwide don’t drink, they often lose the space because enough revenue is not brought in to keep the restaurant open until 1 or 2am. Off and on they mostly have Salsa nights, Wednesday-Saturday.
But they LOVE to dance! Every movement is filled with passion and sabor. They hit the floor with energy and enthusiasm for dancing. The music is often the same (very commercial), but they are there week after week dancing with the same excitement. They know all the hits in the music, all their favorite songs, and often sing along. Its very energizing to see such fun and vivacity.
One of the things that we noticed, was the style is a mix of LA Style with Cuban style. So it varies from a line to a circular dance, and with movements that combine over the head wraps as in Rueda with dips and tricks that are signature of LA. It is an interesting mix, more attuned to choreography and some of the movements are difficult to lead. I think it must have been just as instructive for them to find that a move that could be done with someone from the classes couldn’t be led to someone from somewhere else. Since we all went with a mind to learn, dance and have fun, we had an exchange of knowledge while dancing and found that they all really want to learn all we could give to them as well. The other aspect that we found, was timing. They mostly dance how they feel which means that they don’t count. Its fun and it plays with the music, but its hard to follow. Very few dancers were aware of the count they were on and I found myself paying attention mostly to what they were doing so that I could stay with their count (whether 1 or 5 or 6 or 3).
From the workshops we gave, we could really see more in depth into the concepts above. In the end, this small group of dancers would be phenomenal if one could combine the energy, passion and Sabor that they already possess with the structure, technique and timing. With those accomplished, they would be a Salsa force to be reckoned with!
We are hoping and looking forward to staying in contact with the wonderful friends that we made and helping to grow the Salsa community further.
Please comment or share your experiences of dancing in other states or countries and how that influenced your dancing.
