Somewhere along the line, the inner parental voice of ‘you’re teaching tomorrow so not on a school night’ made a comfy sofa a far too easy option! Motivation is often fickle but there was no way we were going to miss this.
It was Salsateca’s thirtieth anniversary and nearly all the old faces of the salsa scene would be at London’s Porchester Hall all suited and booted (assuming boots are patent leather, sparkly or have suede soles)
Further motivation came from the fact that I would be receiving an award for 'Outstanding contribution to the salsa scene'. Many thanks to Elder and Salsateca for a fabulous event and for bringing so many old faces together.
Elder Sanchez founded Salsateca in 1992 the year Fliss and I started to learn salsa. For many of our generation of dancers, Salsateca’s Wednesday nights at La Finca were an essential part of London's salsa scene. Elder remains one of the few salseros that I’ve never worked with or attended a class. Of the ten or so recipients at the event I had worked with all but two. To me this makes the consideration for an award all the more poignant and I’m sincerely grateful to Elder and his team.
Reflections:
The award says 30th anniversary. Obviously that’s Salsateca’s anniversary but it has special meaning for Fliss and I.
Last August was the 30th anniversary of Fliss and I going to the Notting Hill Carnival where I saw salsa dancing for the first time. I remember reaching down and picking up a flyer for a class/club night. Little did I realise that that would lead to 30 year of dancing salsa and 27year of teaching it!
Muchos gracias :)
It goes on to say “For outstanding contribution to the salsa scene” which I feel sums me up in every way.
My first nickname amongst salseros back in the day was ‘The white guy who could dance’. Back then the men on the scene were mainly Latino and AfroCaribean. I was literally outstanding!
I have always tried to innovate rather than borrow ideas from others. Salsa Rapido method since '95, The Thames Salsa Cruise (celebrating 25 yrs in 2023), Salsa University at Turnmills (weekly multi adv classes '98), the first ever weekly bachata classes at the Cuban Camden '06, The Salsa Instructors forum '02, the 1-Day Intensive format (first of its kind in the world) '03, my Catno mop and chair demo that I took around Europe '02, and not forgetting the Mambalsa project '14 and the Third Way of Dance '22.
There are many other projects to mention and some that failed but they always taught me something, perhaps more than the successful ones.
I never perceived a great camaraderie on the salsa scene amongst professionals. My memory of the nineties is that we all lived in solitary defensive bunkers desperate for students and enough profit to break even. The explosive growth of the salsa scene: from five to over eighty nights inside the M25 within four years '94-98, was matched by an even greater growth in the numbers of salsa teachers! In economics I believe it’s called the pig cycle. It was typical that a beginner student of mine would teach my lesson to their class the same week. Let's say it was more about quantity than quality back then!
Although that actually happened, I think it may be a little unfair to generalize, but events like last night help dispel my fantasy constructed from my own insecurities (ooooeeer look who’s a qualified counsellor).
It is fair to say that the salsa scene was a collection of mavericks who innovated a salsa dance industry out of thin air. In the early nineties ballroom and Latin was virtually non-existent (awaiting Strictly to resuscitate it). Modern jive, Brazilian samba and lambada were bigger scenes than salsa, which consisted of about five classes in central London.
Salsa was never part of the dance establishment. No grants or funding supported salsa. We worked anywhere we could. My first venue was a portacabin out the back of the Old Bull Arts Center in High Barnet. I worked my way up (or down) to a basement in Salsa Soho.
Along the way I’ve clocked up over 55 venues! Some lasted years like Salsa University at Turnmills, The Cuban (13 years) and Downstairs at the Kings Head but others flaked away after a few weeks. The main venue killer was junior venue management trying out their new ideas and senior management trying to turn a Monday night’s bar-take into a Saturday nights!
Back in 1995 when I started teaching (with Fliss). Originally we started as ‘The Red Hot Salsa Co.’ but then found out someone was trading as Red Hot Salsa so we changed to The Streetbeat Salsa Co. We needed an edge, a USP, hence my teaching method: Salsa Rapido, the fast ‘n fun way into salsa. This was always more than a strap line, for me it was an ethos. If people learnt fast they would be out clubbing and spreading the word. If my classes were fun it would bind the group. I had no concept of comedy theory back then but it remains the dominant psychology of comedy theory, that humour is a way to bond people together, effectively an extension of primates grooming each other.
I feel now Fast ‘n Fun has evolved into the The Third Way of Dance TWD, where the triangle of Benefits: fun, friendships and feeling great form an ethos that connects the first way of dance: Social, with the second way: Fitness and physical health to the Third way: A combination of Well-being, social and fitness.
It’s a major part of the Mambalsa Project as well as Salsa Rapido. More on that later :)
