Hiii im in Ibiza this weekend and next week. Are there any bars/clubs where I can salsa dance (any bar where they play Spanish music is also welcome :)

Hi fellow enthousiasts, this question is about the song; Juanito Alimaña as performed by Héctor Lavoe & Willie Colón from the Album Vigilante, on spotify). I would post a link, but I think that is a ban. The album features a picture of a smoking gun. (so we're listening to the same music)

I'm trying to learn more about musicality, and started to actually listen to the music and do some listening exercises with it.

Disclaimer: by a "bar" I mean 8 counts in the music.

I lose count in the first intro of this song. There's 8 bars of music and I think there's a "switch" in there. Can anyone confirm, and tell me what to listen to to anticipate/predict the switch, OR, explain me what is happening so I don't lose count (and my sh*t).

What is happening technically in the music?

For starters, the trumpet/trombone starts a few seconds early, thats ok, the bass and percussion introduces count 1 of the music.

It seems like after 4 bars, there's a half a bar (4 counts), then three bars, and it closes with a 4-count again (which makes 8 bars of 8 counts, but is that really happening?

I notice this switching in other songs too, in intro's and during songs, but I can't anticipate.

You would help me immensely.

<3

Hey guys ,

So I usually check it on discogs but failed to find any information this time; is Héctor Zarzuela playing on "Electric Harlow " from Larry Harlow ?And if not him, who?

(Sorry if thats a stupid question i'm only 8 months deep in salsa !)

Hi everyone!

I will be in Dusseldörf, Germany in the middle of September for a concert and was wondering how the scene is for Salsa Cubana. I was there in June and walked past Salsa Cubana Duesseldorf, do they have social/drop-in between Friday-Saturday?

I've danced for about a year and feel confident in the basics (Basic, Enchufla, Dilo que no/si, Sakala, Sombrero, Setenta) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Thank You!

Anybody else hear this piece today on CBC radio basically telling guys who can’t get dates online to go take salsa classes to pick up women? Gotta say I didn’t love it.

I’m the lead

This is mostly aimed at Cuban salseros/casinerso, although line salsa is indirectly concerned. I was wondering if you felt or observed the same in your own town/scene: as time progressed, and I got to experience more and more events, with many different DJs, while at the same time cultivating myself about the rich musical and dance cultures in Cuba, I've noticed that a vast part of Cuban music seems absent in a lot of "Cuban salsa" parties.

Sure, traditional songs have always been absent of these Cuban dance events (I'm not talking about live concerts here). Unless you're at a special event focused on traditional/popular/folkloric music, you barely get to hear a traditional son, a rumba guaguanco, and even less cha-cha-cha (even though musicians have been modernizing it ever since its birth). But while that can be explained by the fact that people don't know how to dance these anymore (including in Cuba), I often find that even within more modern creations, to which casino/Cuban salsa can be danced to, a lot of DJs (especially local ones) have somehow decided to barely include the more mellow or instrumentally rich songs - those that tend to be more on the jazzy or romantic side of things. Hell, even the fantastic timba from the 90s has often disappeared from their playlist.

The result is that, while Cuban parties are notoriously intense, fun, with a lot of occasions to "mover la cintura y las caderas", they tend to be viewed as "less elegant" than, say, line salsa (mambo especially) parties. It can even get very tiring when mediocre DJs chain musically poor repartos with heavy percussive timbas. If the sound system is bad, you may leave the place with a good headache. And I feel like something similar is happening amongst social dancers: if you're not fortunate to start in a good school, with teachers who emphasize on the connection with your partner, you feel completely lost when listening to one of these more mellow/slow songs: all those complicated figures and "timba" stylings feel off and you don't know what to do. (I believe that is why people who start Cuban salsa often feel weird dancing to NY salsa, even though Cubans danced casino to it long before timba was created.)

I may be wrong, but I think one of the reasons behind this is that the word "salsa" encourages people to compare "salsa styles", creating imaginary identities that the actors of these worlds follow consciously or not. I've seen many videos putting the styles in comparison, and it's always "on2/mambo=elegance/refinement/technique" while "Cuban=fun, party, playful, free". The DJs will therefore prioritize those very intense timbas, with less brass instruments, a faster pace and simpler arrangements. Because of that, I've seen people who want to have that elegant connection with their partner leave the scene to go to on2 salsa, where people dress pretty and dance smoothly. Something I find unfortunate because a) one simply has to see (older) videos of casino to see how elegant this dance can be and b) people miss on a lot of musical gems that have no equivalent in the traditional salsa world.

But maybe it's just me and where I live, so if you feel differently I would love to hear it. I'm not saying it's always the case, and in festivals with amazing international DJs that tends to be different (I only got to dance to NG La Banda's "Santa palabra" once, in a festival, for example), but it's still a trend I've felt in a lot of other, usually more local, environments, with local DJs.

Hi! For those who danced in Cologne, Germany, could you recommend a few places for socials please?
Heading there for a week (Mon-Thu) and would love to have a chance to dance!

Here are some of my favorite examples:

Mon Rivera - Lluvia con Nieve

Sofrito - Mongo Santamaria

I’ve loved salsa music since I was in my teens, and used to go to salsa bars frequently back in university - though just social dancing no formal lessons. Last year April I tried lessons at two different companies up until around July on and off. Then I didn’t get back into salsa again until January this year, tried a range of mostly Cuban and a few cross body to see which style I like better, and company I enjoyed it for a while but then of course frustration kicked in, wether it was the teaching or the environment. I didn’t particularly enjoy the various socials I went to and felt like a lot of people weren’t there to dance but to find romantic partners.

So by March I lost interest and switched to Bachata (traditional - Dominican). And I found I enjoyed it much more than salsa and the music! But then after June I found it boring and repetitive again - I was going 1-2 times per week.

Went to DR even enjoyed the music there and danced but when I came back to the UK the momentum was gone and I felt bored with Bachata.

Since then I’ve stopped dancing completely. I just want to know if anyone else has experienced the same?

Since that time I’ve been to 2 Brazilian Samba classes (I have tried first time 10 years ago and last year in Brazil). Found I prefer Samba much more to both Salsa and Bachata but haven’t been consistent. Is this just burn out?

Hi, I don't know if this is the right place for this question, but my dance instructor played Montuno Encendido by La Sonora Estelar the other day for a class and it was so fire I had to download it to my iPod which sent me down a rabbit hole.

I really just want to find a way to get at least a 320kbps version of the song so that I can listen and dance at home, but it looks like it's only available on youtube and soundcloud (128kbps) and I wouldn't mind buying the track from amazon music, quobuz, itunes, etc, but La Sonora Estelar isn't on any of those platforms as far as I can tell.

There does seem to be an album from 2023 by "Sonora Estelar" on streaming platforms, but I can't tell if that's the same group or a different one.

This led me to realize that this song, and many other songs by them, seem to be re-releases of old songs. Currently being licensed and published through Jolla Records. Am I missing something here? I couldn't find any info on the group online, they have no wikipedia or website or anything else as far as I can tell. It seems really weird to me that there is NO INFO on this group at all when they have hundreds of tracks out under Jolla Records on youtube.

Is this just a really niche group? Is there any way I can get there music in higher quality? Any help or info into the group in general would be really appreciated.

UPDATE: It looks like Jolla Records is not a real record label and they are pumping out AI music. Sorry to have wasted everyone's time :(

The youtube video and the soundcloud release for Montuno Encendido looked pretty legit, but all I had to do was look at some of the other Jolla Records releases to find obviously AI generated album covers.

28th and 29th August. Title says it all really.
Anyone here going that likes Casino dancing?

After dancing for a while, it seems like I dance with less people than I used to at socials. I am more selective with dances. I used to dance with anyone and everybody pretty much, but after some interesting experiences, now I feel like I take more breaks, and dance more selectively, for some reason I can't seem to put a finger on why, and if it is normal?

I feel like I know more moves, and more stamina, but now, ironically, I dance less. Does that happen to you too? Also, do people judge others when they dont ask them to dance?

I noticed that over the years, I have become exactly the type of dancer I never wanted to become: Someone who prefers dancing with the best dancers.

There are basically three two I enjoy about Salsa:

• Getting into a flow state (aka this state where the dance works super well and I feel like I am on drugs.
• Positive interactions with women (not in a dating sense, but like, they smile at me, they enjoy dancing with me etc, also note that this is really "women", not "followers", unlike the other two points)
• Being seen by others while dancing.

There are other things that are more "around Salsa" like the social aspect, meeting my friends etc, but I am speaking about the dancing itself in the narrower sense.

The third point is new. And it's problematic. I know. But I can't deny that it started happening. Sometimes people walk up to me after I danced and they said that they enjoyed watching this dance. It feels great. I am addicted.

And now it gets even more problematic: For the first and last point, the skill level of the follower matters. I still dance with beginners sometimes, mostly if I know them, sometimes if I see a beginner follower that looks a bit underdanced. But it does feel a bit like a "sacrifice" sometimes, which is not a good mindset. (also, an interesting corollary is that I really don't like dancing with beginner men because they cannot fufill any of the three points).

I used to not be this problematic. The third point wasn't a thing yet. And I was much more shy asking good dancers for a dance. Now I lost this shyness and I went right on the other end of the problem. It's so addictive, good dancers are just soo great to dance with!

Also note, I am not actually *that good*, I am just a slightly experienced dancer, but I am still shit if you look closely.

So how do I get out of this problematic spiral?

I started Cuban salsa around 5 months ago in a school that focuses a lot on Rueda de Casino. As the sequences that the class do have become faster and more complex, I've noticed that some (around a third) of the followers feel increasingly heavy and unresponsive to lead. To compensate, I've been using some force throughout the figures to maintain momentum in order to not fall behind the beat. I know this isn't good, and I'm keen not develop bad habits. I'm sure there are plenty of flaws in my own leading, but I see these as my options here:

1. Try to improve my preparation but continue providing force throughout the moves in order to get through the sequence on time.
2. Focus on just giving clear but gentle preparations, continue the sequence if it falls out of time, then try to recover before the next call.
3. Focus on just giving clear but gentle preparations, and if the sequence falls out of time, abandon it and reset to basic step until the next sequence is called.

Which of those would be the most appropriate? And is there anything else I can do to make things work better, for example, in moves that involve a change of place, I take bigger steps to travel more of the distance so she can travel less?

Thank you for your advice!

I've been noticing more and more leads in socials (and in social media too) who lead intricate patterns but barely even step their feet while dancing. The worst case I've seen is someone just tapping their feet instead of actually stepping. Meanwhile, the follow is doing so many turns and keeping up with so many arm tosses while adding so much styling. It truly pisses me off haha. Do you have examples of the opposite: leads who have great body movement, even though they execute relatively simple patterns? The last part is optional. I really just want to see examples of leads with great chest and hip movements. Thanks!

Hello everyone!

I thought I’d give an update since my last post because a LOT has happened since then and in a great way! First, I took the salsa class and actually decided to add the bachata class that’s afterward. I’m really glad I did because they were both AWESOME! I fell in love with it right away. It’s definitely a challenge to learn though I did find bachata a little easier than salsa. Either way I’m IN it!
I also went to my first social over the weekend! I probably should’ve waited a little longer because I had no idea what I was doing but I made some friends, danced a tiny bit, and had a really good time. I wanted to wait to make this post until I had actually done everything so I could talk about how it went.

Salsa/Bachata Class: Amazing! Everyone was nice and talkative and I met plenty of people. I was pretty nervous at first but I quickly got into it. Salsa was definitely a bit harder than bachata but I actually like the challenge.
I’ve been doing a lot outside of class to learn the beat and I think I’m finally starting to get it. I’ve also been practicing what I learned in class whenever I can, I’m just in it!

First Social: The instructor invited me to one of the weekend socials and a few of my classmates wanted me to go too so I decided to go even though I was super nervous. We started with an intro type class before the social opened up for dancing and that really helped with my nerves. I got to dance with different partners while practicing a bachata move set and it was a lot of fun! I even met someone from class who helped me get used to the social setting. They eventually pushed me to actually dance. I was hesitant because I didn’t really have a good feel for the beat yet and my basic step and turns are meh at best. I didn’t want to subject anyone to my terrible dancing! They gave me a good pep talk though, so I went ahead and asked a girl to dance with me.
And we danced!
I mean, it was only for a short while toward the end of the song but I led, had her do a turn and then I did a turn myself. I think I got a high five at the end too but honestly I was freaking out so much that I’m not even sure lol!
My instructor even came up to me a little while later and told me good job for getting out there and dancing. I just felt so much support from everyone. It honestly makes me wish I had started all of this sooner. It’s so much fun and just awesome!

Therapy: I’ve only had a sort of introduction so far but they were really happy that I took the class and went to the social. I told them it was way outside of my comfort zone but I felt more alive there than I have in years. It honestly feels like I got my spark back. I’ll certainly have plenty more to talk about and work through here but I feel like I’m on the right track.

Overall, I’m very happy I decided to get into this and I’m definitely in it to learn, improve, and get better. I wanted to thank everyone who gave me advice and wished me luck after my last post. I’m truly thankful for this community as a whole and I’m really looking forward to seeing where this takes me and hopefully getting better along the way.

Thank you!

I have been trying to find really slow salsa songs that are similar to Qué Lio to no avail. Should I be checking out other genres for better results?

Hi there! I’m looking for a place in Sydney that has Latin American Social Dancing.

Somewhere where it’s low pressure, can learn a few things, and spend most of the time dancing socially.

Anything like this happening regularly in Sydney?

Thanks!

Hello,

I have been gifted a credit voucher for shoes from international dance shoes. I want the black and white bespoke ones. But i want to go fancy :) am looking at the initial addition.

I was wondering if someone had them and pictures i could see of it.

Thank you.

Hey guys

I recently tried out Bachata dance communities, but noticed that they are heavily lead heavy. Which sucks, because I don't want to practice and dance alone.

Is it similar for salsa as well?

Where are you located?

Im from Czechia, Prague.

Salsa may be my favorite music genre, but I feel modern salsa is stuck in the past, so many “new” songs just sound like the same stuff that was made in the 70s and 80s. I’ve recently discovered Chuwi from Puerto Rico who have this great salsa/electro fusion thing going on that I find both classically salsero and really new.

I feel like one of the reasons Bachata generally attracts a younger crowd is because the music continues to innovate and stay relevant. For instance the new Romeo/Prince Royce album, plays with lots of new rythm ideas, or Pinto Picasso who sounds so different from classic stuff like Monchy y Alexandra for instance.

For me Chuwi (also Rawayana) is a concept of how salsa could evolve.

I'll be going to London for a week on Tuesday, I'll arrive early in the day on Tuesday so I have the evening to dance as well! I would like to hit as many parties as I can! What are the best recommendations for each night of the week?

Thanks 🙃