tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19304337329200384952024-03-06T00:26:18.285-08:00Salsa Rapido MethodSalsa Rapido is the fast ‘n fun alternative salsa teaching method. Using the fastest modern teaching techniques it combines experience and psychology to entertain and engage.
Find expression, creativity, confidence, empathy, respect and joy, through salsa.
A foundation salsa course of skills and concepts, essential for any regional style of salsa.
By Alastair Sadler, professional salsa teacher since 1995
www.streetbeat.co.uk
Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-87348861607004353462023-02-22T08:51:00.002-08:002023-02-22T09:23:33.959-08:00Twenty Five years of the Thames Salsa Cruise<div><br /><br /> <br /><h1 style="text-align: left;">Twenty Five years of the Thames Salsa Cruise</h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvQ54T4Y9gqPzf9kCHxYneS5qjBkGluIlj7yEacR1GlSvX5Lny4EShZLPxTk6lWFpzvJ-wCWtFCVC_ooVl_U1rfHBN6kLJd3Qawc-Px_Ek1Nhz1gXrnFsY7mHEqDO3WQxjCa35LJbeRToMfzI-xBw4WQ4oXqcqNfFkxyUnn4JuTujfKfC6upClBr-/s1667/boatfly14f-bgpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="1295" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvQ54T4Y9gqPzf9kCHxYneS5qjBkGluIlj7yEacR1GlSvX5Lny4EShZLPxTk6lWFpzvJ-wCWtFCVC_ooVl_U1rfHBN6kLJd3Qawc-Px_Ek1Nhz1gXrnFsY7mHEqDO3WQxjCa35LJbeRToMfzI-xBw4WQ4oXqcqNfFkxyUnn4JuTujfKfC6upClBr-/w284-h365/boatfly14f-bgpic.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br />My, how time flies!<br /><i> </i></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>As we approach the Thames Salsa Cruise’s 25th Anniversary on Sunday 21st May 2023, I’d like to offer a few reflections of this very special event that’s been part of the London Salsa scene for quarter of a century.</i></h3><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">I’d also like to offer my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who’s come on the cruise over the years. You’ve made it what it is: A beautiful, fun evening of joy.</span></b></i><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">How it began:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNu78gw2wd3IALeyW-yB-gSBlsnUKwUxab7D69ogHXJ8hDnxhrE2tmxW2wqugJ0GY9boJe-zmcVt7s9chVVqZKgzJGk-iCFVqMj6bQ3_YwRXS-G1UlIorAYhenkQIEcc5n59Qm0qy94bsH2WanA6ILMXpzYQIG1QxA9uXJXVrXKy5Faoxo0amJ4E2b/s3264/2017-05-21%2021.40.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtmfjhgewVyizWy7BiaA7Zb6mpdly3QLQU1lnbE1jZZmrsgU31j1Ujk3bQd1nsYrS4HL78RFkLDqgY2B7FbAXTkCBtmPeAR5WONKuwGYbfhutCHM4b0elsePidRgIBdI4YHbSaDmRuLjXhenvpHbMx-4NhuPIu__1ySvTQKngPkO9D84MYqrL0pzN/s1815/2016-05-15%2019.57.56-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1815" data-original-width="1162" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtmfjhgewVyizWy7BiaA7Zb6mpdly3QLQU1lnbE1jZZmrsgU31j1Ujk3bQd1nsYrS4HL78RFkLDqgY2B7FbAXTkCBtmPeAR5WONKuwGYbfhutCHM4b0elsePidRgIBdI4YHbSaDmRuLjXhenvpHbMx-4NhuPIu__1ySvTQKngPkO9D84MYqrL0pzN/w147-h229/2016-05-15%2019.57.56-1.jpg" width="147" /></a></h3>We were having a good year. I was teaching salsa nights in the West End, City of London and a couple of venues in North and North West London. <br />I was also editing the Email Salsa News which was a salsa events listing email magazine, that went out weekly.<br />Fliss, AKA DJ Felicidad and I, decided to celebrate with a salsa picnic by the river in Jubilee Gardens next to Embankment station.<br /><br />We quickly realised that promoting this free event was taking as much effort as promoting a profit making event with as much reputational risk if things went wrong. (We found out on the day that picnics are banned in Jubilee gardens!) It was time to take a risk and hire a boat as an add-on to the picnic. The idea of the Thames Salsa Cruise was born. Four hours of Sunday afternoon cruising the Thames and back in time to get home ready for Monday.<br /><h3> </h3><h3>The Party:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHcBwAv70O6fHx4SyYEb2sEN_AIcbnwBZ6vJ93eQv7S32EenFgR_5H3Pr42Am1nVyxN7ZZc0x9PFvDHfsEX93lrPP2MyyXECK32N3ouNKQnOeOaAPVvp1PMwEWXvSS_U5cAh2y6e2yoJN3L34vi5CJc83YvLHnmDi1dADE7nqp5FH-TVguZNgRMdm/s3264/2016-05-15%2019.26.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHcBwAv70O6fHx4SyYEb2sEN_AIcbnwBZ6vJ93eQv7S32EenFgR_5H3Pr42Am1nVyxN7ZZc0x9PFvDHfsEX93lrPP2MyyXECK32N3ouNKQnOeOaAPVvp1PMwEWXvSS_U5cAh2y6e2yoJN3L34vi5CJc83YvLHnmDi1dADE7nqp5FH-TVguZNgRMdm/s320/2016-05-15%2019.26.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></h3>I believe dancing should be fun, not some exacting, elitist, performance based art form!<br />This informs how I teach and the events I run. One time many , many years ago, a couple arrived at the pier, sauntered up and announced they were Latin champions and required VIP status. My response would have failed any customer service exam (including Rian Airs). Needless to say they did not board :) <br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Boat:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTA7mvcujIa-E-lhJp0E8LGc-hR7lsQKZYMtiBWYl4Sgi5L97eNYFxMAfcXVVySoHmsX6gryZLWqOiXCWjyTPijxSH_hchqSbSvyQu8MSKrFXS-R3gJRXqZDt4V6yqzbMTzgQuAfLK0JgccrGo_QByq0_nVDefW8M6Tf42dDLDUQhB0ljouBFo4nn/s3264/2017-05-21%2022.41.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTA7mvcujIa-E-lhJp0E8LGc-hR7lsQKZYMtiBWYl4Sgi5L97eNYFxMAfcXVVySoHmsX6gryZLWqOiXCWjyTPijxSH_hchqSbSvyQu8MSKrFXS-R3gJRXqZDt4V6yqzbMTzgQuAfLK0JgccrGo_QByq0_nVDefW8M6Tf42dDLDUQhB0ljouBFo4nn/s320/2017-05-21%2022.41.37.jpg" width="180" /></a></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT2_RCggNXGpUudWblKEKazvjC1wYSfXQ1a1R_9Qbp5cz9W5DBtTrY7FTkaadROsipaKGa4vumK1vYVJRWcngG1lOoa55bHckVC6Fo5apYYfRse_SrXXREp1EDLA8v0VT_0U0ybaB80QmIOSBVp5lgFJSv31wmT-qm8epbgocEfEIQOlU_xZthDs5/s3264/2016-05-15%2020.38.19.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT2_RCggNXGpUudWblKEKazvjC1wYSfXQ1a1R_9Qbp5cz9W5DBtTrY7FTkaadROsipaKGa4vumK1vYVJRWcngG1lOoa55bHckVC6Fo5apYYfRse_SrXXREp1EDLA8v0VT_0U0ybaB80QmIOSBVp5lgFJSv31wmT-qm8epbgocEfEIQOlU_xZthDs5/s320/2016-05-15%2020.38.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></h3>Although it was the same boat back then, HMV Royalty, a veteran of the first world war, was less well appointed than she is today. She had a cambered i.e. sloping dance floor so that any liquid: spilt drinks, river spray, body fluids etc., would run to the sides. This made dancing interesting! Quickly we adopted the idea that if your partner was shorter than you, they stand in the middle and vice versa!<br /><br />We also had to hump a PA system from wherever we could park to the boat and back. Back then I mounted two CD Walkmans in a black attaché case with a small mixer. I had many enquiries from other DJs as to where they could buy one.<br /><br /><h3>Mambo Number Five</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIvE5BuFy4awSeGH7PK-Wx_R8kEe81qTb2xZNo1tmqLsm3i8aalj445vVGKLQbsGY1mSyC6Jmxhmyh8MKlih7q1AF3pW6OyqeYZDfG4TxDp386-SvJIP4NAky_Bev1nmpa6sqJ0SyO3_y4GP7BTtOHuvpcjV5eA0f_w9Fz52xjf5mgIgj1mDdlBuD/s3264/2016-05-15%2021.42.06.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIvE5BuFy4awSeGH7PK-Wx_R8kEe81qTb2xZNo1tmqLsm3i8aalj445vVGKLQbsGY1mSyC6Jmxhmyh8MKlih7q1AF3pW6OyqeYZDfG4TxDp386-SvJIP4NAky_Bev1nmpa6sqJ0SyO3_y4GP7BTtOHuvpcjV5eA0f_w9Fz52xjf5mgIgj1mDdlBuD/s320/2016-05-15%2021.42.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></h3>Given the cost and the dance floor it was vital to remind everyone that the Thames Salsa Cruise was not a club night. There was far less boat traffic back then so after a while everyone got used to the floor and we stopped being special. I had a cunning plan! Fliss put on Mambo Number Five and I would lead an animation (line up) that deliberately rocked the boat by everyone running from side to side. This was discussed with the skipper first to ensure it was perfectly safe. By the way, they test the buoyancy annually by placing tonnes of weight on one side to tilt the boat well beyond its maximum capacity. They also ultrasound the hull for cracks and carry at least double the life saving equipment needed for the capacity.<br /><br />Anyway Mambo Number FIve was a success and we’ve repeated it on every cruise ever since. Sometimes it's good to be a little silly :)<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZOU9cVfQxx3V5AIUk73iHEhTL6I0_o-2tbAALZu9V5LvXHVkYr44tRZ-EHoSKcPkLs7jVIN15KukpKY7XeD8OX9Enfkt7zp7_PJMI1wCGJl3ndwmOj7eDh_VbYTrqQUI_TWzSKgJAALyMtiU03pvyzRJJmgKaiGTVqG6fXGhBe4MJHIKnA1-0cpr/s1647/bg-tower-bridge-tsc.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1647" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZOU9cVfQxx3V5AIUk73iHEhTL6I0_o-2tbAALZu9V5LvXHVkYr44tRZ-EHoSKcPkLs7jVIN15KukpKY7XeD8OX9Enfkt7zp7_PJMI1wCGJl3ndwmOj7eDh_VbYTrqQUI_TWzSKgJAALyMtiU03pvyzRJJmgKaiGTVqG6fXGhBe4MJHIKnA1-0cpr/s320/bg-tower-bridge-tsc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The River Thames</h3><p>The Thames has changed so much since we started. It's almost hard to imagine but when we started the London Eye, Millennium Dome, Shard, Headlamp, Walkie Talkie, Emirates Cable Car, Greenwich Meridian Laser and so many more things we're simply not around! It feels as if they've been built just for you to see as you dance the night away.<br />One of my hack lines is that the Thames Salsa Cruise has been going longer than Shakespeare's Globe Theatre! <br />“Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep” Henry VI, Part II <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Video:</h3><p>Back in 2009 I spent a week editing a video of the Cruise. It’s still a very good representation of what it’s like. If you recognise yourself in the video, let me assure you that you haven't changed a bit :)</p><p><br /><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/V5R_mFFpSbQ">https://youtu.be/V5R_mFFpSbQ</a><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="257" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V5R_mFFpSbQ" width="428" youtube-src-id="V5R_mFFpSbQ"></iframe></div><br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-65467559798707105362022-10-18T06:48:00.002-07:002023-02-22T08:08:05.590-08:00Last night was a bit of an event<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqNmlb3VhVOQbEoRrUNJXNsO08zKKScfYxagfDfUCpqMZOdz92s2Ak_F1a0A2Tj-G8PCpQGjyWYVZyiLEVyeTUIPCXcxwK8qJJmOK2iroWUIQxvf2az6z3VV0S1vAnKlIGf-cfMFOedY/s1600/1677081781704527-0.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqNmlb3VhVOQbEoRrUNJXNsO08zKKScfYxagfDfUCpqMZOdz92s2Ak_F1a0A2Tj-G8PCpQGjyWYVZyiLEVyeTUIPCXcxwK8qJJmOK2iroWUIQxvf2az6z3VV0S1vAnKlIGf-cfMFOedY/w200-h331/1677081781704527-0.png" width="200" /></a></div></div>Last night was a bit of an event. After my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive course in Soho I went home and got ready to go out again! That in itself is noteworthy! <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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)<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jiuRcv_YL-Xc-ekM-M558PFg12HUDnfh7ZOqnkAJUfnnL9mPnb4cQxFft2EaFf8ccVO1HVkhrpp_8XjG1BFxRFo1BXW6RQsu6yGF1kG0U5Oq3YvioLJRAqcEmZ0cJoMJSoAE9NM4jVhL-oiuviSQaVYzILIpUis0n-z5EENFlJl-AiezHhIH3eBB/s815/20221016_102453.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="815" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jiuRcv_YL-Xc-ekM-M558PFg12HUDnfh7ZOqnkAJUfnnL9mPnb4cQxFft2EaFf8ccVO1HVkhrpp_8XjG1BFxRFo1BXW6RQsu6yGF1kG0U5Oq3YvioLJRAqcEmZ0cJoMJSoAE9NM4jVhL-oiuviSQaVYzILIpUis0n-z5EENFlJl-AiezHhIH3eBB/w664-h355/20221016_102453.jpg" width="664" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><b>Reflections:</b><br /><br /><br />The award says 30th anniversary. Obviously that’s Salsateca’s anniversary but it has special meaning for Fliss and I.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />Muchos gracias :)<br /><br /><br />It goes on to say “For outstanding contribution to the salsa scene” which I feel sums me up in every way.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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. <br /><br />There are many other projects to mention and some that failed but they always taught me something, perhaps more than the successful ones.<br /><br /><br />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!<br /><br />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).<br /><br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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! <br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><br />It’s a major part of the Mambalsa Project as well as Salsa Rapido. More on that later :)<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-80991513906317564012021-09-19T04:35:00.003-07:002021-10-12T04:50:11.217-07:00To Swap or not to Swap?<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVfUH2wRuggWWuOjcafeqJQLtja9T4A5o6UYkQymE-6wQL2f7maJ-zfXcG_qJ-lT7foTbY_8213OEOzG8eDKeGP4CNMR_XhNZTqvIzDouUJzsOtr9YS2AdQ9AstY432Yg3PTbJGugZkw/s2539/2021-08-07+10.11.32.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVfUH2wRuggWWuOjcafeqJQLtja9T4A5o6UYkQymE-6wQL2f7maJ-zfXcG_qJ-lT7foTbY_8213OEOzG8eDKeGP4CNMR_XhNZTqvIzDouUJzsOtr9YS2AdQ9AstY432Yg3PTbJGugZkw/w195-h400/2021-08-07+10.11.32.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To Swap or not to Swap.... </span></h1><h1><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></h1><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m writing this in September 2021, at a time where in many ways we’re post-covid. Clubs and bars and most importantly dance classes are open for business and people are working out a ‘new normal’.<br /><br />Swapping partners is just one of many aspects of the current salsa scene that many, in our post pandemic world, consider ‘risky’. I could, just as easily, use mask wearing or hand sanitizing or simply going out to dance. For me, visualising partner swapping at a salsa event connects me to the messey real world problem of risk. So here’s a few of my thoughts that I hope are useful.<br /><br /><b>Culture:</b><br />Unlike many other dance scenes, partner swapping is part salsa culture. In my mind, salsa has retained an inherent core value of social interaction. I suggest that as a scene, it remains primarily social. This contrasts with many other dances whose origins are based upon performance, or dances that have developed through a culture of competition. In both groups there is a greater tendency to form a partnership to compete or perform. I accept that salsa has moved towards a demonstration/competition culture since the turn of the century, but it remains the fact that the vast majority of people who get into salsa do so to go out dancing and not to compete or perform. <br /><br /><b>Risk:</b><br />Covid presents significant risks at the moment. I'm sure everyone knows the potential outcomes of catching covid and I can pretty much guarantee that those who don't are not reading this blog post. <br /><br />The risks are death, long covid, or a nasty couple of weeks feeling awful with added anxiety of not knowing if you have some underlying condition that makes you vulnerable to the first two. That last one is a real fear, or should be. I’m 56 and just before covid I discovered I only had one kidney. It's big and happy and not at all lonely as it has healthy relationships with my other internal organs. It strikes me that I’ve spent a fair amount of my adult life not knowing something as fundamental as missing an organ, although I’ve always had a thing for steak and kidney pie, so perhaps the clues were there! <br /><br />With vaccination and new treatments the risk of hospitalization and death has been reduced greatly but covid is still around and it seems to like being here, which suggests that waiting for it to go away isn’t an option.<br /><br /><b>My Dilemma?</b><br />This Autumn I’ve restarted my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive courses after a very long and unscheduled break. I’m faced with the choice of inviting people new to salsa to join my course. This presents an ethical challenge. In a nutshell, I don’t want to be the cause of someone's illness or death. At the same time I don’t want to be unemployed or bankrupt.<br /><br />During August I ran two courses where they were restricted to couples only, socially distanced and no partner swapping was allowed. They worked well enough, but I’m not comfortable presenting salsa as a non-swapping dance. Apart from my need to reflect the salsa culture as I see it, I’m not prepared to exclude huge chunks of the salsa experience such as: Asking strangers to dance is exciting. Or the fun of dancing La Rueda. <br /><br />There are also very practical teaching reasons to change partners. Perhaps the main effect is the sense of achievement I see when a beginner realises they’ve ‘got it’ because ‘it works’ with several people, and therefore it will work with anyone, and not just someone they know who’s probably compensating for their error in some way.<br /><br /><br /><b>Two types of salsa dancers:</b><br />There are currently two types of salsa dancers: The ‘I’m OK with the Risk’ (Risk-OK) who are going out to classes and clubs and happy taking the risks or swapping partners etc, and the ‘I’m not OK with the Risk’ (Risk-Not-OK) group who are not going out to classes or clubs. <br /><br /><b>And yet....</b><br />At any moment, if you ask anyone from either group, their position appears fixed, polarised and entrenched. Justifications are used to back up their position such as facts and figures, theories and beliefs. I’m sure we’ve all had one of those ‘covid chats’ in the last eighteen months! <br />It’s a classic ‘them and us’ situation, and I’m certain whichever group you are in, you’ll have a strong view about the other side's position. <br /><br />I would suggest a different picture where people are shifting from one group to another. <br />At times when a Risk-Not-OK perceives the risk to be lowering they reach a tipping point and join the Risk-OK group.<br />We can see this demonstrated in face mask wearing and I’d like to suggest that this is very similar to the decisions being made about going dancing and swapping partners etc.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tescos </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Recently I went to a large Tesco in North London. Welcome to my laboratory :)<br />My guesstimate of mask use within the store has gone from 98% during lockdown, to 75% just after restrictions were lifted in July and today (Sept 13th ‘21) they were around the 10% mark. Clearly many of the ‘mask wearing’ group have changed position to become a non-mask wearer. I saw someone fumbling with a mask outside the shop and they seemed to reach a subconscious tipping point, a “sod it” point, when they stuffed the mask back into their pocket and joined the non-mask wearing group. I mainly still wear one to shops to protect the vulnerable but my ‘sod it’ point is coming closer every day.<br /><br /><b>Wacko!<br /></b>What interests me is that my ‘sod it’ point is not driven by any data. Why do I wear a mask in one shop and not another? I’m inconsistent. The covid case numbers haven't changed much day to day and my immune system hasn’t either. I’m less likely to wear a mask in a shoe shop than a clothing store. The idea that somehow shoe shops are safer is wacko! I can feel my brain searching for a justification but there isn’t one. My decision is not based on anything other than an emotional gut reaction, in other words my mood. That’s a thought to consider when you're next trading facts and figures in a covid chat!<b></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Let’s all go moo</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174451/original/file-20170619-12412-ihxeqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=926&fit=clip" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/174451/original/file-20170619-12412-ihxeqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=926&fit=clip" width="320" /></a></b></div>Try it, it feels good. Mooooooooooooo! A long slow out breath calming the vagus nerve and lowing our heart rate, blood pressure, noradrenaline and a whole load of sciency stuff that was known for millennia before the sciency stuff came about. It’s calming and lowers our stress and anxiety. I find wearing a cow onesie helps too, but some find that udderly stupid! Writing cow jokes is a no-bull pursuit!<br /><br />If you have a good moooo before making a decision it is likely to be a better decision. Less anxiety etc. means less influence by the fight/flight response. This allows us to weigh the decisions intelligently..... Or do we?<br /><br />We are all herd animals and our decision making is heavily influenced by the herd. Scroll through a few salsa links on Facebook and: Wow! What a party everyone’s having without us! How happy and safe they all look! If they’re ok, surely I’ll be fine? But what promoter show’s a balanced view, it’s simply not their job! Who posts the pictures of the salsa dancers sitting at home not going out? Who posts pictures of half empty dance floors etc. One or two have notably shared their covid videos after catching it at salsa events but social media is biased. If you don’t believe me, look at your own profile picture!<br /><br /><b>Back to my dance of dilemma:</b><br />My concern is for those making a decision to dance for the first time, or those rejoining after a long break or if they have a vulnerability. They have to make a risk decision based on poor information and mood! For some it’s easy. An overwhelming argument on one side or the other. For many it’s less so.<br /><br />I’m certain that every teacher and promoter has weighed the pros and cons.Run through the regulations and come to a decision. I did this summer with my first Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive courses restricted to limited numbers, couples only and strictly no swapping partners. I tested myself the day before and waived transfer fees for postponement. I sent out texts the day before encouraging people not to come if they felt in any way ill.<br /><br />I believe that was my best decision then, but now my position has changed.<br />It all comes down to the grey area of decision making. Those who don’t feel safe won’t come. Those who do will, but those in the middle might sign up and regret it. When they arrive they’ll feel uncomfortable and unsafe. If they leave the class they might feel they’ve in some way failed. They also might be someone with symptoms who’s keeping faith with their commitments by coming. The best solution for them is to never have booked in the first place or feel very able to postpone.<br /><br />I now believe <b>it’s better to remove nearly all restrictions</b> so that the risk is clear to everyone. If one person in the room has covid we will all be exposed.<br />That way the Risk-Not-OK are less likely to book and those feeling a bit ‘peaky’ will postpone.<br />So far it’s worked well. In fact it’s fair to say that I feel more exposed on the tube to the venue with more people unmasked and close, than at the course. <br /><br /><b>Short Term:</b><br />In the short term the salsa dance scene may have shrunk dramatically but it's growing back and I believe it will return. If we hold on to the values at the heart of social dance: fun, friendship and respect, I'm certain it will grow and flourish. <p></p>Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-91547177646463849202021-09-06T05:10:00.002-07:002021-09-15T08:06:24.722-07:00Blend 21 the Reboot<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6873bc82-7fff-67ed-787e-cff6492ad00d" style="border: medium none; clear: right; display: inline-block; float: right; height: 208px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 156px;"><img height="208" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SvHAwgrCWaGfcH07VIdde1RC5x8-6300y33A_jnVsMSLdnkIu0KXFXFbCuMpfwC8h6KObeqmhmLIHZ5ih-BQ7ijYI1bRjQa49FWT3kTdAfzYL3BeI0DEI-fnDb5bs8NSVBvSk9Pu=s0" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="156" /></span><span> Blend ‘21 the Reboot</span><br /></span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A White Paper by Alastair Sadler</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Back in 2017 I published a blog post about a new evening format I’d created called Blend. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Blog Link</a><br /><br />To put it simply it’s a blend of class and free-dance that offers a different approach to the typical UK class/club format that’s been dominant in the UK since the late 1980’s. I use this comparison, not as a challenge, but rather to highlight the difference and present an alternative format that I believe could offer many benefits to many forms of social dance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I </span><span style="font-family: arial;">originally </span><span style="font-family: arial;">developed </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Blend for the <b><a href="http://mambalsa.com">Mambalsa</a></b> Project. Mambalsa is a new partner dance that works to any 4:4 time music. Blend could work for any subject as it is a format rather than content / presentation which I would refer to as the teaching method e.g. Salsa Rapido method.<br /></span></p><hr /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3fdde65f-7fff-689e-95c9-05de20efcde9" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="border: medium none; clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 148px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 181px;"><img height="148" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/19A871BkA2V9vKZxoXYGaYJv7FA98Es-R1B-Yij7ySeK4gGVOY9sZQIAat-sRpnfpfBAGdUe-QlEO6AMrHUXEZkmD977cj7EacGD9qtyJK6RUNzJ_5B5NyWoJDyqriHX7cwy2d09=s0" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="181" /></span><br /></span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><b>This October ‘21 I’m launching a new night in Central London’s Kings Cross that will be based on the Blend format.<br /><br />Check out <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">salsakingscross.co.uk</a> for details.</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></span></p><hr /><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5f7ef5b9-7fff-f834-aae0-216c5490610c" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5f7ef5b9-7fff-f834-aae0-216c5490610c" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s a Blend event like?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The evening starts with a short 40min ‘Welcome Session’</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is aimed at absolute beginners and others new to the blend format.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Welcome, is a meet and greet combined with a core skills class aimed at a clearly defined entry level for the blend. It’s easy to skip over the meet and greet element but that’s where we disarm the fears, answer any niggles and welcome new people into our community.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-180a4538-7fff-4a0c-fd1b-4c001b6ba003" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="border: medium none; clear: right; display: inline-block; float: right; height: 163px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 197px;"><img height="163" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JHTBR_0HsxnmZ7Evlx9_VRMqwVF_4YML2YIJjfqZKGsG1PI5E9NLtTm4uWToogDkibQsSbLxrumiLKvqhN5aeLiO6cmZm6U49zHx6-cwG6nF9dfyhXGFSEKwv5zSLqNWiDvnVmi9=s0" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="197" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Blend</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Imagine the typical classes and free dance chopped up into small chunks and rearranged so that in one chunk you’re learning and in the next you’re free-dancing or practising what we’ve just done or taking a well earned break.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A blend format venue would feel different from the get go:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pre booked and prepaid only (A QR code at the door for any walk ins)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pre published curriculums so participants can see their own progress</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A greater emphasis on building a positive social space, friendly, supportive and confident. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-91fa4946-7fff-e3dd-6d6b-417da6fda460" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chunks</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sections known as Chunks are typically 15mins long with a five minute buffer, therefore there are three chunks per hour and Welcome + 5/6 chunks per evening.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because everyone will know that chunks are 15mins long. Creativity and expression can be workshopped taking the class content far beyond ‘the move’. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sessions might include:</span></span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tactile mirroring</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Footwork Patterns</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Event Microscope </span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Classic Combo Show ‘n Tell</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Musical Interpretation</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Expression Express</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Super Shape</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Major Move</span></span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not expecting the above names to mean anything, but the above list already appears more diverse and interesting than the typical format of: Footwork, move, more moves, Too many moves to remember!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This means atypical teaching methods (for salsa) can be employed with less resistance to change. For new dances like Mambalsa it can simply be the way Mambalsa is done! </span></span> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An example of this would be: </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(teaching_technique)" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jigsaw breakout groups</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> which can be set a challenge e.g. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Using tonight's Classic Combo as a staring point, add expression to show the core emotion of Anger within the mambo section.” </span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(b.t.w. If I ever sound like I'm setting an essay question in a class, shoot me!)</span></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The above example would build the bonds within small groups as students work towards the goal of demonstrating to the wider class. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/e4/56/b2e45668c576a15a724d8fea6cc4f918.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/e4/56/b2e45668c576a15a724d8fea6cc4f918.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drama / Buzz </span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A second advantage of the 15 min. chunks is that pace and drama can be added to the class simply by saying </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’ve only got 15 minutes for you to master xyz!” (Any relation to US cop shows of the 1970's is purely intensional! And yes I know it shows my age!!) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pace is an essential factor within a class. Too slow and students leave through boredom. Too fast and the class becomes too hard. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Preparation</b></span></span> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preparation (not something salsa teachers are noted for!) is easy. Not only is it easier to create a chunk rather than a whole class, a chunk can be kept and reintroduced within a different lesson plan. The typical (to salsa) 'never ending sequence’ where instructors keep adding to a sequence of moves until the end of the class or the dancers head explodes, regardless of whether anyone can remember the beginning, would be avoided. In fairness to the never ending sequence it’s highly experiential and the fact that it’s difficult to remember forces the leader to develop their own sequence from the bits they can remember. (For the record, this is me being nice!)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps an unintended effect of greater preparation is that it would be easier to create and post online content online of the class. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Music</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I trialled the Blend format in Camden</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, I noticed some significant differences in my beginners salsa group. First was the effect of constant music. The music as it was </span><span style="font-family: arial;">at a medium tempo and sometimes we needed to go slower but the majority of the time the group danced to music. Their connection to the music in terms of timing and interpretation were significantly improved. It also seemed as if a barrier was removed, that prevented them from free-dancing. Free-dancing had become part of the class. I think it's fair to say that typically beginners bolt after their class. This often empties the room making the evening less successful. The beginners were also interacting with the intermediate group far more than usual. A chat at the bar and a quick dance before the next chunk started gave everyone a thrill. </span><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Not on a school night!</span></b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one has to wait until the classes are over for the ‘social’ side of the evening to begin, it’s social throughout with space to dance and chat and relax. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often career minded people want to get home at a reasonable time because they have to be fresh the following morning. They want a fun class but they want some free dance as well before it’s time to catch the train home. This group is increasing year on year as are the amount of younger people who drink less. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>It's not a church hall!</b></span><br /></p><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Venues aren't expected to be well lit church halls during the classes. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the bar/club’s perspective it's often two hours of no bar trade and no atmosphere, often with no music and the lights up, which alienates non dancers). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Venues absolutely hate this, almost as much as they hate a class load of people all trying to get served at the bar straight after the class! Here lies a massive opportunity for Blend to offer constant (but no loud) music with an exciting buzzy atmosphere that entertains the non dancers as much as the participants. In short venues with a quiet night and no separate function room can be sold on Blend! </span><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">It's different</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://img.freepik.com/free-vector/cuckoo-clock-with-red-bird-chirping_29190-1611.jpg?size=626&ext=jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="626" height="165" src="https://img.freepik.com/free-vector/cuckoo-clock-with-red-bird-chirping_29190-1611.jpg?size=626&ext=jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's different, and therefore confusing and possibly uncomfortable to anyone expecting something different. There's a lot of security in an evening's format. All I can say is try it, and let chat about what's different afterwards. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Progress comes for listening as much as leadership. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This unfamiliarity throws the pressure onto the Welcome Session where things are explained, people are made to feel comfortable and an alliance is formed between the group and the teacher to help each other to stay on track.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I believe this alliance is the antidote to the cliques and snobbery that damage feelings and make people not return.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Blend </span><span style="font-family: arial;">arguably </span><span style="font-family: arial;">requires more discipline than traditional classes. People aren't the best time keepers so the teachers have to set the boundaries and stick to them. The old fashioned word for this is professionalism.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> Shift:</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice the shift away from absolute beginners towards improver and intermediate levels who receive the majority of the content within the evening. <b> </b></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: arial;">This is significant as</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> it recognises a trend in salsa away from absolute beginners towards a group that have some experience, possibly one or two classes or those who have learnt some related content e.g. salsa footwork within Zumba. There is also a significant trend towards beginners having studied online prior to their first offline class.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Post covid, I can only see this trend increasing. The time is coming where there is no such thing as a beginners class. The message will become 'Don't come unless you can do this much first.' Hopefully it will combined with 'And here's a video to get you there'. We're not there yet, but soon. First will see the demise of the 'Absolute Beginners Class'. Along with its passing will be the passing of huge amounts of unintended humiliation and embarrassment. <br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Conclusion: </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Blend is new, exciting and potentially highly beneficial to the dance teaching industry. It could open up new venue opportunities and offer choice to dancers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This paper is unfinished! Perhaps it always will be as every time I revisit it there's some new aspect to Blend to write about. I look forward to the time when there's a group of us developing this. Perhaps it would span across many genres of dance and many locations. If this idea excites you, please get in touch.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">enjoy :)<br /></span></p><div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(teaching_technique)" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a></span></p></div>Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-8323551946608443502020-03-13T05:24:00.000-07:002020-03-13T14:47:43.445-07:00Coronavirus<br />
<b>Re Coronavirus (as of 13/03/2020)</b><br />
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Last night the government indicated that their response to the coronavirus pandemic had changed from ‘Containment’ to the ‘Delay’ phase.<br />
I thought I’d update my position regarding the Salsa Rapido Intensive Salsa Courses. <br />
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Salsa is a self selecting group of healthy and energetic people. There is nothing about partner dancing that puts us at greater risk than any other social activity. Like other activities, we do all need to take one or two simple precautions in the light of coronavirus. <br />
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We all have to balance our personal needs with those of society and I imagine no two positions are identical. Here are mine, and I promise to respect those whose views differ:<br />
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All courses will go ahead as planned unless I am prevented from running a course by:<br />
<ul>
<li>Government restrictions, which I will follow completely and any imposed by the venue.</li>
<li>My personal ill health. I promise to self isolate immediately.</li>
<li>Lack of demand. </li>
</ul>
<b>At the course:</b><br />
Please take every opportunity to wash your hands thoroughly upon arrival and during the day. I do :-)<br />
I cannot guarantee hand sanitiser will be available, please bring your own if you wish.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeupu79CoAqf_c9_AKCeb0ayzc5wTKIZjTW6DZnht5Q7awdyOKYX2Lp00BlNxHX6a8Pz-CsjVj4UHw43GjknG39dcITB6xUge2ILy2AR6DQYNJLqaZ_PLTz7m8rVRLD4qI4nvCrEiJT3c/s1600/1584102249869027-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeupu79CoAqf_c9_AKCeb0ayzc5wTKIZjTW6DZnht5Q7awdyOKYX2Lp00BlNxHX6a8Pz-CsjVj4UHw43GjknG39dcITB6xUge2ILy2AR6DQYNJLqaZ_PLTz7m8rVRLD4qI4nvCrEiJT3c/s200/1584102249869027-0.png" width="146" /></a>Please understand that the balanced numbers will not be guaranteed, but I assume the bug affects men and women equally. I can guarantee you’ll have fun and learn loads.<br />
Wearing face masks will not be allowed whilst dancing. <br />
Couples may not stay together all day as per my usual <a href="https://www.blogger.com/href=%22http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/Salsa-Rapido-One-Day-Beginners-Courses/Info::-Terms-and-Conditions" target="_blank">T&C</a>.<br />
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<b>Before the course:</b>Should you feel unwell due to Coronavirus symptoms in the days before the course please contact me and confirm you are self isolating. I will transfer you onto a holding list, where you can rebook at a later time. No transfer fee will be charged. All other reasons for transfer will be dealt with as usual.<br />
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My experience tells me that it’s highly unlikely that you will wake up on the morning of the course feeling unwell, so I ask you NOT to leave it until then. Ask yourself if you’re 100% well and decide. Everyone's health depends on people making honest decisions to self isolate sooner. Saying “I’m not sure if I'll be able to....” does not help anyone. You’re either coming or not!<br />
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In the event of a course being cancelled by me, I will offer the choice of holding your booking or a full refund. I will make every effort to contact you by text and email, please help by confirming you’ve received cancellation messages promptly.<br />
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As per the usual <a href="https://www.blogger.com/href=%22http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/Salsa-Rapido-One-Day-Beginners-Courses/Info::-Terms-and-Conditions" target="_blank">Terms and conditions</a>: ‘No shows’ i.e. those who do not attend without prior notice will not be transferred or refunded. <br />
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I hope these precautions are reasonable and proportionate and I look forward to seeing you on the dance floor.<br />
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Regards <br />
Alastair 07939012231<br />
<br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-80117754350075759262020-02-24T05:50:00.002-08:002020-02-24T07:23:48.630-08:00Troll!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://cis.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/Screen%20Shot%202017-05-05%20at%2010.04.17%20AM.png?itok=e8qLbRz3" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://cis.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/Screen%20Shot%202017-05-05%20at%2010.04.17%20AM.png?itok=e8qLbRz3" width="200" /></a></b></span></div>
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A few days ago a nasty little creep under the handle ‘kemronirons’ commented on a Youtube Clip I’d posted of people dancing to live music in Camden.<br />
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<b>‘Kemronirons’ posted:</b><br />
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“Can't imagine paying for a salsa class and ended up dancing with an 80yo lady who can't move. Obviously, nothing against the lady as we will all get old but from the man's perspective this will really slow him down in learning” <br />
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Here’s my reply that I haven't posted yet because I want to know what anyone thinks first.<br />
You’ll understand why I haven't linked to the clip.<br />
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<b>My reply:</b><br />
Kemronirons your comment is offensive and although I doubt you’ll understand my comments I'll try to explain: <br />
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It’s obvious this isn’t a clip of a class but freestyle dancing to live music. <br />
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Saying “nothing against the lady” does not allow you to be offensive to that lady.<br />
Imagine if that lady was showing some friends that clip and saw your comment? How upset would she feel? <br />
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You seem comfortable publicly shaming an older lady who I assume you've never met simply because of her age. <br />
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Who gave you the right to judge what is an acceptable age to dance? No one forces you to dance with anyone you don’t want to, so why comment on others choices? Is attacking others the only way you can be heard? <br />
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It's easy being offensive when you haven't signed into YouTube with a real name ‘kemronirons’! Standing behind your comments is something real men do, try it.<br />
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I doubt you would have commented on an older man. Do you only attack women? <br />
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At least she’s out there in the real world, living, laughing and enjoying a social life where as you have nothing better to do than troll other people’s lives. <br />
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Shame on you ‘kemronirons’!<br />
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End<br />
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Let me know what you think? Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-36102475341204632962019-11-11T15:10:00.001-08:002019-11-15T14:31:19.489-08:00The Best Bachata Ever!Last Saturday Fliss and I went dancing.<div>That in it self shouldn't be a surprise for a couple involved in salsa since 1992 (please don't make the calculation!) </div><div>Perhaps it would be more typical of a couple of fifty somethings to be sitting at home watching 'Strictly Come Dancing' but last Saturday was different.</div><div>Having spent all day teaching at my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive Course at Bar Salsa I was totally spent, but this time, my reason to dance outweighed my fatigue. In fact in my mind there were two reasons:</div><div>First, we had been invited by a wonderful woman to dance at a Celebration of Life, or as she put it, a Tumor Shrinking Party.</div><div><br></div><div>Last summer I had danced in a North London park with a lady (I'll spare her blushes by naming her) who, as we danced, reminded me that I was her first salsa teacher. This alway touches me deeply. I specialize in beginners and Improvers classes and seldom get recognition from those who, in spite of me, stay within salsa. They've moved on to higher levels with the latest movers and shakers and I fade into their history as is quite right and proper as any dancer's achievement is theirs alone to take pride in and share. </div><div>On the occation I'm credited, I feel the warmth of pride, the respect for their effort and I usually brush off their compliment with a comment about not giving refunds!</div><div>This dance was different as the lady (a perfect description of her) said casually, that she had just six months to live.</div><div><br></div><div>The extra line I give is not sufficient to convey the shock of hearing those words. </div><div><br></div><div>Cut to a few weeks ago when the said lady messaged me to invite Fliss and I to a 'Tumor Shrinking Party' My response was hell yes!</div><div>I've still no idea what that means other than to celebrate the moment and every extra moment of life it implies.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of our online chat, she informed me that Cheryl, one of my first students back in April 1995, had just passed away. </div><div>This too was a blow.</div><div>Cheryl was a natural dancer and as many readers will know, I never subscribe to the 'nature over nurture' debate (it's not in the blood!) and the internal racism it often expresses. (Google 'internal racism' before you throw any toys out of your pram)</div><div><br></div><div>Cheryl didn't just dance, she flowed across the dance floor like an elegant isotope of mercury. Her smile was so warm that when she entered the room I knew it was going to be a good night.</div><div>When we danced it was if we had been practicing constantly for years, intuatively connecting in a way, years later, I would term 'rapport'.</div><div>I'm not a close friend and I had no awareness of her illness until very recently but I feel her loss. </div><div>Last Saturday was a celebration of life, which Cheryl's loss made so poignant. It honored my friend, who's tumors have shrunk, and if I'm honest my life: the friends I've made and lost, the people I've taught, the Latin music I love and the sheer 'J'oi de vive' of dancing in my middle age as I did in my youth.</div><div><br></div><div>So what message would I pass down the line?</div><div>Dance as if there's no tomorrow and no yesterday, dance for the next heart beat and celebrate the last.</div><div>My only regrets are the dances I didn't have, and the people I didn't get to know. </div><div><br></div><div>Reality check: She (my friend) was busy making sure everyone ate. I was concerned I would be too tired for my i2i course the following day. We got to dance one dance: a bachata! She hates bachata as do I but we danced, and chatted, and celabrated life.</div><div>The best bachata ever!</div><div><br></div>Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-10940474078323454282019-06-11T01:32:00.000-07:002019-06-11T02:54:40.071-07:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday I received an email from TripAdvisor informing me that I had been awarded a Certificate of Excellence.
I had no idea that there was such a thing but now I've got one I'm a big fan.
It's the chance to thanks to everyone who's taken the time and trouble to say some kind words about my Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive course.
<small> </small></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d12515614-Reviews-Salsa_Rapido_1_Day_Intensive_Salsa_Course-London_England.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d12515614-Reviews-Salsa_Rapido_1_Day_Intensive_Salsa_Course-London_England.html" class="LAZY" height="320" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/17/a5/4a/ea/awarded-certificate-of.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to see tripadviser reviews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I embedded TripAdvisor into my site I was hoping for praise but open to the possibility of harsh and unfair criticism, and in fairness I've received a one star review from someone who wasn't on the course and a two star review from someone who enjoyed the class but didn't enjoy the fajitas at lunch! May I just add that fajitas are not compulsory and anyone can eat wherever they wish. Lunch isn't part of the deal so bring a packet of crisps in if you wish but don't blame my course if they didn't have your favourite flavour! (I'm so over it now)
.... Anyway, I overcame my fears and gave it a go, realising that feedback is good and TripAdivsor offers a third party review that's useful for the pubic when booking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many months later and I've received mainly five star reviews. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This tells me that: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">My presentation is engaging and entertaining. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">People are way nicer than I deserve. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Salsa Rapido is a well formed and mature method that can do well when compared to traditional classes. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm really good at asking for five star reviews. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the last point my hobby of stand up comedy led to five shows at the Edinburgh Fringe where at the end of a show we would have a 'bucket speech' to encourage the audience to give a tip (The comedians only source of income) Infamously cliched lines like: "Take some change, fold it and put it in the bucket" are common.
One time I got a waif-like act to kneel down holding the bucket while looking as mournful as a Dickensian child.
Another time a showed the audience picture of my cats on my phone and asked "which one should I 'economise' first?" Well it works for charities!
The result were seldom any different from no bucket speech. It was the show's content that counted. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3GGOuttpV7uEPulSoPDOkKB1a_hTLiZ43hyphenhyphendfnHL5dulm1nTLe4BjGczfZTnoqMEsJQzv5NZKN0SfFeGVMQCU_gEiqSEZjxsGKFVGOXPT_VH38Jz89AQHROOE8SOrEYB55vDae5A3rQ/s1600/20150223_203342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3GGOuttpV7uEPulSoPDOkKB1a_hTLiZ43hyphenhyphendfnHL5dulm1nTLe4BjGczfZTnoqMEsJQzv5NZKN0SfFeGVMQCU_gEiqSEZjxsGKFVGOXPT_VH38Jz89AQHROOE8SOrEYB55vDae5A3rQ/s320/20150223_203342.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You'd never catch me plugging my Intensive course at a comedy gig!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm fairly cynical about reviews but third party reviews they are useful in a world awash with </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-dobid="hdw">hyperbole. Another thing that has helped me throughout my career is open honest feedback. I've learnt the tough lesson that criticism stings like a needle but delivers a powerful medicine. I invite anyone who's attended my Salsa Rapido courses or party events to feedback in person or by email. They always get my full attention and steer my development.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-dobid="hdw">Thanks in advance :-)</span></span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-dobid="hdw">*****</span></span></h2>
Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-52160869819455171752019-06-10T08:17:00.002-07:002019-06-10T10:04:52.736-07:00The launch of Salsa Clasica N8 <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GBEQB6jDSV5bQZOjVcVMH8IilWIboM7ImUkiVDmM1ce9HGQNUSo8yznz8RbPKIfa2o2vR3JbJ8NQw_SPini9Txc3q1-wWVaZXwTq55T3sVRvMWQVgsnkaT-6eds-efRKuLWjvasz" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GBEQB6jDSV5bQZOjVcVMH8IilWIboM7ImUkiVDmM1ce9HGQNUSo8yznz8RbPKIfa2o2vR3JbJ8NQw_SPini9Txc3q1-wWVaZXwTq55T3sVRvMWQVgsnkaT-6eds-efRKuLWjvasz" width="245" /></a><br />
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<h2>
<b>The launch of Salsa Clasica N8 </b></h2>
It’s the morning after the launch of Salsa Clasica.I’m guessing that it’s around the fifty fifth venue I promoted salsa at since 1995 and for Fliss, A.K.A. Dj Felicidad, it was back to our roots. Not long after we started teaching salsa we started a monthly Friday night at the Old Bull Arts centre in High Barnet.<br /><br />Our aim was simple: To create a friendly local monthly event where local salseros of any level and any style could come and dance and socialise. <br /><br />I haven't launched a new night in the suburbs for years and to be fair, I was a little nervous. <br /><br />There was only ever going to be three outcomes: No people, loads of people and somewhere in between. Last night we had enough people to establish the event and create a friendly atmosphere. We had people from several local venues and from our old venues no longer operating i.e The Cuban, Camden and the King Head Crouch End. <br /><br /><br /><img height="186" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/k0PA87g_4hckZSpYM1JP4_Xt58AO9Q9BLe1uV7HfIg9Fqw-GgF-VpfDJM9P7o5j1MPLk7tM5iZLCthewhrKdM0pix0MQeY2rkFJF55n63pQqjefA-kOMP5FA56PGr9fxM4Ji3-hQ" width="400" /> <br /><br />My sincere thanks to everyone who supported us and those who send their best wishes for the event.<br /><br />It was like a house party in a mansion’s funky ball room. Oak panels with Punch and Judy serving hatch and trapease mannequins looking as if their about to jump down and dance with us. I was happy not to charge an admission and delighted that everyone danced with everyone, chatted and enjoyed themselves. For anyone who’s been on our Thames Salsa Cruise (July 28th) is was like that but with a stable dance floor and no queuing! <br /><br />Fliss played classic salsa which transported me back to the early days of Salsa Fusion in Leicester Square. It was also fun to merge a micro salsa class (10mins) with a Gestalt exercise designed to break barriers and place ‘connection’ at the heart of social dance. Fitting as I found the venue by drinking there after my psychotherapy course across the road.<br /><br />I was also pleasantly surprised with my energy levels. I’d taught my <a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/1-Day">1-Day Intensive</a> for five hours on Saturday and the <a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/i2i">Salsa Rapido i2i</a> Musical Interpretation for four hour on Sunday. Usually that would mean an evening of blobbing on the sofa. After a quick turn around we headed in for a delicious meal at the The Three Compasses. I had the nut roast which was superb and Fliss had a gourmet Cheese burger. Then it was plug in, set up and dance pretty much non stop until about 9.30pm. Thanks be to the air-conditioning and kind wooden floor!<br /><br />My mission was simple, dance with everyone I could. I also wanted to meet and speak with everyone who came and I’m pleased to say I achieved that too. I believe the atmosphere in any event, big or small, comes from the promoter’s leadership and the way to avoid cliques and sleaze is to chat to everyone.<br /><br />We now move to the first Sunday of the month so the next Salsa Clasica is Sunday 7th June.<br />7-11pm See you there :-)<br />The Three Compasses , 62 High St, Hornsey, London <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/igCPpcbGiLVr61M36">N8 7NX </a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-58448938896031197102019-06-03T09:10:00.000-07:002019-06-03T09:10:14.554-07:00We got Hacked on Facebook <h2>
I got Hacked on Facebook</h2>
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iN_EVN8_lXIqbtuAVvOkPCPA9mXS9AHWol9iAAZzoh06Z5VPLz-PnjI1zbRtprztTgTch44uFsuvXwRyc_aR9-Ks2SjG4-uNnfg3dcKYivBIa2PdP0mbmqviYFavig2XH7GRD0DW" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iN_EVN8_lXIqbtuAVvOkPCPA9mXS9AHWol9iAAZzoh06Z5VPLz-PnjI1zbRtprztTgTch44uFsuvXwRyc_aR9-Ks2SjG4-uNnfg3dcKYivBIa2PdP0mbmqviYFavig2XH7GRD0DW" width="184" /></a>I wanted to ‘boost’ my post for our new monthly Sunday night event Salsa Clasica (plug plug <a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/News::-Salsa-Clasica-a-NEW-monthly-in-Hornsey-N8">here’s the link</a> ) I hadn't used it for a year and so wasn’t checking for any activity but found my Facebook advertising account had been hacked last March.<br />
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The hackers used my account to advertise and pay for adverts for training shoes, to the tune of £200 per day. Fortunately the ads were suspended “Your ad account has been flagged for ‘policy violations’.” This limited the spend to £1250. OUCH!<br />
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I assume anyone who purchased those trainers never received them and their card details would also be sold on to other criminals so what goes around, keeps going around!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="133" src="https://www.enclaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/not-listening-e1409682308608.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Facebook is incredibly hard to contact, no telephone number and no online chat. The ad support contact system isn’t working at the moment (day two and seven attempts). The general help just sends the same “try ad. support” messages. I’ll persist but what a waste of time, let alone the stress.<br />
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<br />
Why didn’t Facebook contact me? I am a client who spend money with them. <br />
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The ads were suspended due to ‘policy violations’ which usually means too much text in an image or something similar but surely a hacker would not want to draw attention or risk failure through a ‘policy violation’. I believe that ‘policy violations’ in this case means Facebook were aware of the hack and did nothing to help other than stop it after four days of taking the business! I was under the impression that ads had to be approved before going live, not four days later! This leads me to conclude that Facebook have no duty of care to is clients. They’re the tech giant who doesn’t care if a few ants get crushed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b>So what have I learnt?</b><br />
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Big tech companies are big targets for hackers. That’s no excuse as they have the resources to secure their platforms but choose not to. It’s like car theft. If a law was passed to make car manufacturers replace stolen cars, how good would car security be? Awesome! They have the resources therefore it’s a policy choice.<br />
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Is my personal security up to it? No! But it is now!!! <br />
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Am I on top of my paperwork admin? No! That needs to change. I had school reports that basically say the same thing from thirty five years ago. (I just got around to reading them!)<br />
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Finally a big shout out to First Direct bank. Since I paid with credit card they will reimburse me the full amount as it’s fraud. How do I know? I called someone who explained it to me. Yes, there’s a green button on my phone which actually allows me to speak with people in other locations! Someone please tell Facebook about this magic green button. I would but I can’t get through!Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-52555780704457289952019-03-07T21:25:00.000-08:002019-03-07T21:49:55.081-08:00Flow and i2i Deep Salsa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4qUz5YK9mdRTfObRj17oRCRxi3MtL3OVIPOtncKSd26hZGk1BEh71pbzogztvDxuFE2QTj-8R1B1L6y6ZPTn0UGGOn029xCgH9E2pWDU7ix9y8Gn6GGMhCv69JeRtRGPpLfa6GZA-6g/s1600/ImageFractal-universe.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd4qUz5YK9mdRTfObRj17oRCRxi3MtL3OVIPOtncKSd26hZGk1BEh71pbzogztvDxuFE2QTj-8R1B1L6y6ZPTn0UGGOn029xCgH9E2pWDU7ix9y8Gn6GGMhCv69JeRtRGPpLfa6GZA-6g/s200/ImageFractal-universe.png" /></a><br />
<br /><br /><br /><br /><h2>
Have you ever wondered why we dance? </h2>
The usual quick answer is fun. But where does that fun come from? <br />What stops us having amazing dances every time?<br />Can we understand and adjust salsa to have more fun and more amazing dances?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/Salsa-Rapido-Improvers-Day-Courses/Info::-i2i-Deep-Salsa">i2i Deep Salsa</a> is a London based workshop based on those simple questions.<br />We examine the group social dynamic, and how we fit into our salsa tribe through our status within the group. <br /><br />And we take a close look at the partnership, that heady cocktail of body language, gestures, proximity and moves that goes from zero and back within a single track leaving us amazed and satisfied, or disappointed and reflective.<br /><br />Why do some people click with us and others not? Is it just chemistry as many believe and fixed like a round pegs seeking round holes? I don’t believe this is always the case. Very little about us is fixed. Our skills change as do our confidence, mood and willingness to engage. If they change then we can change them. What happens when the round peg becomes a little squarer and the square peg becomes a little rounder? <br /><br />Deep Salsa has evolved since 1998 and now incorporates many psychological concepts including: <br />body language, proximetrics, and transactional analysis.<br /><br />At the heart is a one of the simplest Flow. Coined by the famous psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975, Flow or Peak State is a state of mind we enter when there’s a perfect balance of challenge and skill. <br />As we drop out of Flow we get a burst of happy brain chemistry that makes us want more, which motivates seek Flow again see <a href="https://youtu.be/v-4k-FfjwfU">Flow - What is it? </a><br /><br />Understanding this Challenge/Skill balance in salsa is the key to becoming an amazing dancer at any level see <a href="https://youtu.be/RLYD6ro_kpo">Flow - How it Affects Salsa</a> <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7DSjY-msvdrgyACT3sh5qZMTOD4CY6IrdEfdD3-0-xzoT4lcw"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7DSjY-msvdrgyACT3sh5qZMTOD4CY6IrdEfdD3-0-xzoT4lcw" /></a><br /><br />This is done through altering this balance to find Flow more often and with more people. <br />Along the way our communication and empathy skills are enhanced which boosts our confidence see<br /><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/sfmwtZyz7Iw">Flow - Finding Flow in Salsa </a><br /><br />Powerful stuff but in practical terms it’s easy when broken into simply exercises that can be practised on any dance floor with anyone at any level.<br /><br />I’ve released three short videos about Flow on the Salsa Rapido Concepts playlist<br />Please take a look at and subscribe to the channel.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrhL8giTa8k&list=PLrr1TZuvD-K0PLbZYzG20DQfsJ6tAuV3i">Salsa Rapido Concepts</a><br /><br /><br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-65023110082836419302019-02-07T05:37:00.001-08:002019-02-07T05:42:44.735-08:00Progress Report on Video Clips<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z4_Rypb6g4IGpCZ5A1ma2b026uolFG26-WWgTPS7hZdP52zzsnhUpWTwuTvlOSdYycUs515jW-XWKIEz-6xy0bGi8rID5omRo_Ed7asd7-C47h7B0trQnRDrverZwW7IPIMCdH3a6FA/s1600/LonSal-blog-banner.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1016" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z4_Rypb6g4IGpCZ5A1ma2b026uolFG26-WWgTPS7hZdP52zzsnhUpWTwuTvlOSdYycUs515jW-XWKIEz-6xy0bGi8rID5omRo_Ed7asd7-C47h7B0trQnRDrverZwW7IPIMCdH3a6FA/s320/LonSal-blog-banner.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
I though it a good idea to post an update on how the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrhL8giTa8k&list=PLrr1TZuvD-K0PLbZYzG20DQfsJ6tAuV3i" target="_blank">Salsa Rapido Concepts</a> playlist on YouTube is going.<br />
In been a little over a month since I published the first fourteen clips.<br />
Since then the Salsa Rapido channel has received over four hundred views from 72 unique viewers.<br />
Small numbers compared to some but they're not zero.<br />
I'm delighted to say there's twenty six subscribers (more wanted) and no negative comments :-)<br />
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Only thirteen percent of views have come via YouTube search which takes time as they reward those that have been posting for longer and I haven't sorted the End Cards that slide in to offer viewers links.<br />
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A massive thank you to Leigh at <a href="http://londonsalsa.co.uk/">Londonsalsa.co.uk</a> who published my blog post on the Footwork clips. Pease share if you can.<br />
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I'm currently scripting and producing a series of Concept clip around the Rapport and Flow. This is the heart of the Salsa Rapido method as it explains why we dance and offer ways to have a great time at any level. <br />
I'm also working on a series around musical interpretation. There's so much neuroscience research that happening now and totally relevant that I'll just have to put my ideas out there and hope they stay relevant for a while.<br />
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One of the advantages for me in producing these clips is that it's tightened and improved the <a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/Salsa-Rapido-Improvers-Day-Courses" target="_blank">Salsa Rapido i.2.i courses</a> at Salsa Soho. Because the video work the conceptual content on the courses is clearer allowing for more progress and more moves. I look forward to offering a heap of 'notes in the form of clips to the i2i students.<br />
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The video project started last year as an online vehicle for Mambalsa (my new partner dance). It seemed sensible to work on the Salsa Rapido clips first as there's plenty to say and I could gain the skills necessary to deliver script to camera. I had no idea how challenging that would be! A year later and I'm two thirds through the Salsa Rapido Concepts playlist and haven't started the 'How To' playlists.<br />
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I've become a full time script writer, editor, presenter and publicist and occasionally I teach people in the real world! It feels right to be publishing ideas that I've been working on for twenty four years. I'm the first to admit I don't know it all, but there's a lot of experience that the next generation of instructors and dancers can benefit from.<br />
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....back to the scripts <br />
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<br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-11110283737914420362019-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:002019-01-18T08:33:29.089-08:00Salsa Footwork. It's all in the feet! - first 4 Concept Videos<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_QIFYdCRU_KqY5WRhXxcp3hx5qnvcYn4FTgS3rVVOfezyDKsBlq9G2RxIE6HiTPYFDW-CuuSOAyR57lwGgBpOHHLDX0TNMC58L90K_R7Wyt63zlPr_ECkV7w7VD_1B4V1Od3-sl8" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_QIFYdCRU_KqY5WRhXxcp3hx5qnvcYn4FTgS3rVVOfezyDKsBlq9G2RxIE6HiTPYFDW-CuuSOAyR57lwGgBpOHHLDX0TNMC58L90K_R7Wyt63zlPr_ECkV7w7VD_1B4V1Od3-sl8" width="200" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Salsa Footwork. It's all in the feet! </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A post to introduce the first four videos in my...<br /> <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrhL8giTa8k&list=PLrr1TZuvD-K0PLbZYzG20DQfsJ6tAuV3i">Salsa Rapido Concepts playlist</a>.</b> (please subscribe)<br /><br />“Footwork, footwork, footwork” the beginner salsa dancer's bete noire. The very concept that defines salsa and so many dances, hence the Salsa Rapido rule number one: <b> </b></span><br />
<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/yC88uUtqIx48aGTIKuDZcyB6eFFdRoeOvaqjaIqtJTWO_RFQQyO9VNBgeFhP4skUk5qXhJ_IjjGJ2YZOdCPOJ_BYwcho05-DIPQ3TAszd8dyE1GC35JBUe3_MVxnM4xEuz_YomZM" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/yC88uUtqIx48aGTIKuDZcyB6eFFdRoeOvaqjaIqtJTWO_RFQQyO9VNBgeFhP4skUk5qXhJ_IjjGJ2YZOdCPOJ_BYwcho05-DIPQ3TAszd8dyE1GC35JBUe3_MVxnM4xEuz_YomZM" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>No Footwork Sequence, No Salsa! </b><br /><br />The mastery of the Footwork Sequence FWS becomes the conceptual barrier between beginners and Improvers levels. Which means any time spent on it is well worth it.<br /><br />For most people who learn salsa, the footwork is the first thing they learn. As Lao Tzu father of Taoism said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" Sadly he did not go on to say “Then another, and another and then a pause”, personally I prefer his sister's work: Tirrama...(Boom tish!)<br /><br /> How footwork is presented and what it’s wrapped up with has profound influence on the student’s progression.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/07obrma-ZMTLdEafp2vQqR4TVdP6jfMdFOV60AiWWccqSfrKaExHkApPzxlFonISd7QlpbzCyibsFX_0Mr9RaoggZILDLogqELlPOGc2MKpkqEIoVH-qK3gwTg9TZom8n-hHo35l" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/07obrma-ZMTLdEafp2vQqR4TVdP6jfMdFOV60AiWWccqSfrKaExHkApPzxlFonISd7QlpbzCyibsFX_0Mr9RaoggZILDLogqELlPOGc2MKpkqEIoVH-qK3gwTg9TZom8n-hHo35l" /></a>In the first clip <b><a href="https://youtu.be/LRqj99CvtoI">Footwork Sequence</a></b> I define the footwork sequence (FWS). This is a major break from traditional teaching as it separates two concepts: The rhythmic sequence of steps and pauses known as the FWS from Direction, which allows us to add the concept of Direction in two different ways : Moves and Patterns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">see <b><a href="https://youtu.be/eTueM7mAX8Q">Add Direction to the Footwork Sequence</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/w4oKfC5P8xBN4GL5dHCZMAe3b89lMomFG-q4icZvQHGz3ph8ZJhZ6E7mCT6YvgkwTRYqgr7AmihPxEiCjozlP1Aa0_qGfpX7VdGxmKWatWqVdsgwRcO6IwgMehfg9FTbTxg6o7Gz" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/w4oKfC5P8xBN4GL5dHCZMAe3b89lMomFG-q4icZvQHGz3ph8ZJhZ6E7mCT6YvgkwTRYqgr7AmihPxEiCjozlP1Aa0_qGfpX7VdGxmKWatWqVdsgwRcO6IwgMehfg9FTbTxg6o7Gz" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rHok63usGP4Quqvrv7CP9zki2i845lSBdILvVd1tgJ6mBMYZlAW_oU7Ot-6ofUa4aE2voZEO15EPqUZN603Tx3dHprPhKNwYYVB8H9o7WqVJ2DMZFG-VEQY0qaQoVPPlcy7ewdKv" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rHok63usGP4Quqvrv7CP9zki2i845lSBdILvVd1tgJ6mBMYZlAW_oU7Ot-6ofUa4aE2voZEO15EPqUZN603Tx3dHprPhKNwYYVB8H9o7WqVJ2DMZFG-VEQY0qaQoVPPlcy7ewdKv" width="200" /></a></span>I find that a significant proportion of absolute beginners struggle with footwork patterns. They fall into the trap of overthinking a specific detail, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">usually the position of the step. Position seems to consume all of their attention so they fail to transfer their weight and so the pattern fails. This then has a domino effect where fears of falling behind or holding the class back undermine their confidence making more mistakes likely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Stripping away Direction from the footwork keeps thing as simple as possible and allows for a universal FWS that can have repeating patterns added to form Footwork Patterns later on, or shapes added to form moves. <br /><br />Getting hung up on footwork patterns is doubly unhelpful as no matter how good the patterns they offer little to improve leading or following skills.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LD5i4YOrwsz57xPE-usg4MufugTxztV3W_A6sqvVuIqpDLJgJLJmTtXpSnd-wUMnlrMCubsI6qRKDyDzXVbNvbaJygVWC9Y_DzYH2dfDVma2UYZ9yzysHtrxE2w-mrsVgZrEm7gY" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LD5i4YOrwsz57xPE-usg4MufugTxztV3W_A6sqvVuIqpDLJgJLJmTtXpSnd-wUMnlrMCubsI6qRKDyDzXVbNvbaJygVWC9Y_DzYH2dfDVma2UYZ9yzysHtrxE2w-mrsVgZrEm7gY" width="200" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FU4f_bOC2n4ePEUM8S0qVU0jE4lhY7Z-sALPG3Ry5li4doZAlpuAVMoYVn7arMp3xiem-N7F6vXYpTVKo5jNcOLEqFej3ftMAcCSP8SjOYSuMewtz4fovf9PzxmG_nRV1eVfwX5H" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FU4f_bOC2n4ePEUM8S0qVU0jE4lhY7Z-sALPG3Ry5li4doZAlpuAVMoYVn7arMp3xiem-N7F6vXYpTVKo5jNcOLEqFej3ftMAcCSP8SjOYSuMewtz4fovf9PzxmG_nRV1eVfwX5H" /></a><b>Multitasking! </b><br />Keeping the FWS going is easy when that's all we're doing but adding Direction, events, shapes and the music and we've got a multitasking nightmare.<br />The idea that FWS is the glue that holds salsa together and concentrating on it holds everything in place leads to the tool of ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/KCSlaaf0KQ8" target="_blank"><b>Vocalising</b></a>’, which keeps the attention on the FWS.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.feit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/A19_TY_LED_bulb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://www.feit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/A19_TY_LED_bulb.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/h0Syjebls_UznzEiG7e7CyVaPfBkIXY-a25-JsSjO_jhJX76YLI1T3PcWqsayhzO6sFGqZiPhLnze7DJutg2qBbLJxDYK5Saql0S6qrGCNRUaWafYlnQrWBAWSRjdtg0GmcB6A69" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/h0Syjebls_UznzEiG7e7CyVaPfBkIXY-a25-JsSjO_jhJX76YLI1T3PcWqsayhzO6sFGqZiPhLnze7DJutg2qBbLJxDYK5Saql0S6qrGCNRUaWafYlnQrWBAWSRjdtg0GmcB6A69" /></a>Finally we get to <a href="https://youtu.be/NEMTI4iD2TQ" target="_blank"><b>The Basic Step of Salsa</b></a> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is meant by the term 'The Basic Step' in salsa? Well actually it easier to answer the question ‘What isn’t called a basic step!” The answer will vary depending on who you ask. Default step? Any pattern? Moves? It a multi use term meaning many things. I’ve tried to simplify things and explain why different regions have different default footwork patterns.<br />I also touch on the mindset of Consideration and the skill of adapting to other peoples salsa style through a mindset of adaptability and playfulness which helps us learn salsa faster.<br /><br /><br />There’s always so much more to say but that’s enough for now.<br />Please like share and comment on the videos and above all keep dancing :-)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrhL8giTa8k&list=PLrr1TZuvD-K0PLbZYzG20DQfsJ6tAuV3i">link to the Salsa Rapido Concepts playlist</a>.</b></span> </span>Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-47128096885546697602018-12-30T07:46:00.000-08:002018-12-31T10:48:52.730-08:00A Guide to the Salsa Rapido Video Clips<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">A <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guide to the Salsa Rapido Video Clips</span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These ‘Concept’ clips form the ‘notes’ section to the ‘How To’ and exercise clips yet to be released. This project, although live, is in beta testing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Welcome to the Salsa Rapido Concepts and Tips Playlist</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hiB_uue_XHbP7bimnk-s2PmBRnBCd2y9bs1xUQ7n2A3kOHPnGOLRphQ2SE3oOgvVWnsXcU2PgXEJ2gm--3EkageOKa13p-djb4ypvWP_MZ-wd-tbckvNiqEijbt1qJB5O1X0EuCT" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hiB_uue_XHbP7bimnk-s2PmBRnBCd2y9bs1xUQ7n2A3kOHPnGOLRphQ2SE3oOgvVWnsXcU2PgXEJ2gm--3EkageOKa13p-djb4ypvWP_MZ-wd-tbckvNiqEijbt1qJB5O1X0EuCT" /></a></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An outline of the three themes within the Concepts playlist: The ‘Why’ of salsa; Avoiding bad habits and slow learning practice; Keep it simple to learn fast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #274e13;">Please Subscribe :-)</span></i><b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="color: black;"> <a href="https://youtu.be/SrhL8giTa8k">https://youtu.be/SrhL8giTa8k</a> </span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">___________________ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Footwork Sequence <a href="https://youtu.be/LRqj99CvtoI">https://youtu.be/LRqj99CvtoI</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/or3_-EjjujrN6v-maTOfqc9Tuux4BUR_a0LACRCjYb9gzyeilWteAzqtxfOETPfqN-IZiVL8Q8XxypHj5jWzfOAfzVv6MOvPNqjbBa1Fa2ZZkZ3EDmVlQEPf2xPcbl3MB1ZmIOZ3" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/or3_-EjjujrN6v-maTOfqc9Tuux4BUR_a0LACRCjYb9gzyeilWteAzqtxfOETPfqN-IZiVL8Q8XxypHj5jWzfOAfzVv6MOvPNqjbBa1Fa2ZZkZ3EDmVlQEPf2xPcbl3MB1ZmIOZ3" /></a> The salsa Footwork Sequence is essential as it helps to define salsa dance. It also is the master concept that holds everything else together, hence the Salsa Rapido Rule no.1 Footwork Sequence. <br />Salsa Rapido method uses this concept to reduce errors. <br />____________________ <br /><br /><b>Vocalising Tool in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/KCSlaaf0KQ8">https://youtu.be/KCSlaaf0KQ8 </a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SjSW-pwidM7-HwRdR7FU5U98EyjhPbOoyUHFVe80Dz_Cx5cM4SLCGWLMdCVriO84OFhvg9SNRc_gV1Sc7qLvZA-blqCuQ6iD4jK453CFb5d3V84bmmZB_M4vWtE_J8MVQ_BdqCfv" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/SjSW-pwidM7-HwRdR7FU5U98EyjhPbOoyUHFVe80Dz_Cx5cM4SLCGWLMdCVriO84OFhvg9SNRc_gV1Sc7qLvZA-blqCuQ6iD4jK453CFb5d3V84bmmZB_M4vWtE_J8MVQ_BdqCfv" /></a>The most effective way to keep the Footwork Sequence going while doing everything else.<br />Why vocalising the Footwork Sequence is better than counting.<br />Using this tool to debug errors. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">____________________ <br /><br /><b>Adding Direction to the Footwork Sequence <a href="https://youtu.be/eTueM7mAX8Q">https://youtu.be/eTueM7mAX8Q</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNMWFgwxPhQ-0EeAonjyQbDPMNkoKay_lZEjz82zCSA04B5ZyXyFY_zPmYGjJRkSLSniQLOvPx_RNm8SGjZzXC8BmlXIE5VajewMzGG1G2I3DxbRLn8DecmngpnH4d-b7T4QbJLUTEvo/s1600/addingdirection.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNMWFgwxPhQ-0EeAonjyQbDPMNkoKay_lZEjz82zCSA04B5ZyXyFY_zPmYGjJRkSLSniQLOvPx_RNm8SGjZzXC8BmlXIE5VajewMzGG1G2I3DxbRLn8DecmngpnH4d-b7T4QbJLUTEvo/s1600/addingdirection.PNG" /></a>There are two ways of adding direction to the Footwork Sequence: Moves and patterns. How using the mindset of Patterns slows down the learning of Moves. Seeing Patterns as a separate category of Moves <br />____________________ <br /><br /><br /><b>The Basic Step of Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/NEMTI4iD2TQ">https://youtu.be/NEMTI4iD2TQ</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRdvnkpIiQ8cwAkVevTj4go_ANznRM9qzZYUlq9nAmA7LVSopIYqNmE_kEZ_Wi5-Rk9ojLIrl_HocfjjglQI3r287YxLprJWnfrGvAHltl-H_Us_bcRCZB3daNZhOWs8sHXAmIXQ9doc/s1600/basicstep.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRdvnkpIiQ8cwAkVevTj4go_ANznRM9qzZYUlq9nAmA7LVSopIYqNmE_kEZ_Wi5-Rk9ojLIrl_HocfjjglQI3r287YxLprJWnfrGvAHltl-H_Us_bcRCZB3daNZhOWs8sHXAmIXQ9doc/s1600/basicstep.PNG" /></a>What is meant by the term 'The Basic Step' in salsa?<br />Why different regions have different default footwork patterns.<br />Consideration and the skill of adapting to others salsa style.<br />The mindset of adaptability and playfulness to learn salsa faster.<br /> ___________________ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><b> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consideration in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/6ovILZGrcuQ">https://youtu.be/6ovILZGrcuQ</a> </span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnewZCg_hNJlzfO-jcp81ktorvdiwongjUvLbSUWbvkS6OMhLl3aMHMWq59SQgnR0hMv-M_llpBxdfwNTZ_gFDnETfgJmbHjsbncK7AYz9apV2JNpvbDxD8By9S-oscaqOyCoglMdFTWI/s1600/cinsideration.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnewZCg_hNJlzfO-jcp81ktorvdiwongjUvLbSUWbvkS6OMhLl3aMHMWq59SQgnR0hMv-M_llpBxdfwNTZ_gFDnETfgJmbHjsbncK7AYz9apV2JNpvbDxD8By9S-oscaqOyCoglMdFTWI/s1600/cinsideration.PNG" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consideration is the biggest influence on style in salsa, both evolutionary and at the heart of the communication system. It is empathy in action.Awareness and practice of consideration is a core skill of salsa and hence it’s part of Salsa Rapido Rule no.3: "Confidence and Consideration."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">___________________ <br /><br /><b>Confidence in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/S_4nMZmMpV0">https://youtu.be/S_4nMZmMpV0</a></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsgETV2BlFIfh1fZedUAqzl4J0CNS2v5ReUVDYU6FvFVbSRUMf3_HIIfb78aMTRquObwghyphenhyphenjiBjvrwxw2AUmkh-5Jj3fxgsZyF9emV8IxKMh8UJ9_jCd_zRDMQPP-yiJLzQxvALmD5hE/s1600/cinfidence.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsgETV2BlFIfh1fZedUAqzl4J0CNS2v5ReUVDYU6FvFVbSRUMf3_HIIfb78aMTRquObwghyphenhyphenjiBjvrwxw2AUmkh-5Jj3fxgsZyF9emV8IxKMh8UJ9_jCd_zRDMQPP-yiJLzQxvALmD5hE/s200/cinfidence.PNG" /></a></b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Confidence feels good which looks good. Its influence on style and why it makes you look advanced.<br />Salsa Rapido Rule no.3 - “Confidence & Consideration.” <br />What is confidence? The trap of nervous style. Using posture to affect your confidence. Nervous traits to avoid. Confident traits to adopt.<br /><br /> ___________________ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b> Regional Styles in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/xTsNh9Y6zrI">https://youtu.be/xTsNh9Y6zrI</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kx1gSfEzQeobNVwn96y6QWzqA6DjPPHCul5jSmx92FYfbhG6fZ4mu0uTQfk8PB-vgVuUO5v9rH4mGKfCh5mEN2emdf1UYtGhLxZ_aTw1L3ypt9uFTpfWISRT0D1Nxw6_vONm8fVl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" id="docs-internal-guid-a32852c6-7fff-8b04-7103-2ab8e38ad674" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kx1gSfEzQeobNVwn96y6QWzqA6DjPPHCul5jSmx92FYfbhG6fZ4mu0uTQfk8PB-vgVuUO5v9rH4mGKfCh5mEN2emdf1UYtGhLxZ_aTw1L3ypt9uFTpfWISRT0D1Nxw6_vONm8fVl" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="100" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is much confusion regarding regional styles. <br />This clip identifies Rotational styles such as Cuban and Miami,<br />Linea such as LA, and New York and Static styles such as Colombian and Venezuelan. It exposes the myth that regional styles are incompatible.<br />How to describe a regional style. Why it's OK not to have one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></span><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">___________________ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Personal Style <a href="https://youtu.be/sgfOxBYAjcc">https://youtu.be/sgfOxBYAjcc</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzRtEbrteYp0I97hY6Tqh8QcGH13LZY-oG57Ul5J4G73MuVBjIrbbkzYHeUa2Zy3o4aMPUJFHyc-AjMPJ4CgFyqU6DFiKrdRuhBFxKqdfZhNJWGiCJlW4lFsk-TOyJOi-99T8YrvuBlo/s1600/personal+style.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="56" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzRtEbrteYp0I97hY6Tqh8QcGH13LZY-oG57Ul5J4G73MuVBjIrbbkzYHeUa2Zy3o4aMPUJFHyc-AjMPJ4CgFyqU6DFiKrdRuhBFxKqdfZhNJWGiCJlW4lFsk-TOyJOi-99T8YrvuBlo/s1600/personal+style.PNG" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your personal salsa style is the habitual way you do something.<br />Becoming aware of your style is the key to change.<br />Using your style to improve mechanics, rapport and expression.<br />Your Personal style comes from your: history, body language and others.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-dR0BiVVjZV5Dg4bXd_vd1TYManz9Jw53BIMAG77nzczJ5WuU1ZqBs2oAv7nHZud2_iQHzAT8edND8sN8lThmlZTX0JIwwGm-uhNZ4z1Uzx1H9rq4LiH62pfosZKiS5G31L3NEX-Cd4/s1600/general+style.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-dR0BiVVjZV5Dg4bXd_vd1TYManz9Jw53BIMAG77nzczJ5WuU1ZqBs2oAv7nHZud2_iQHzAT8edND8sN8lThmlZTX0JIwwGm-uhNZ4z1Uzx1H9rq4LiH62pfosZKiS5G31L3NEX-Cd4/s200/general+style.PNG" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>General Style Influences in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/kxYZwpN2S_o">https://youtu.be/kxYZwpN2S_o</a></b><br />Using general influences on salsa style to guide our personal style. <br />The five big influences on salsa style.<br />Allowing salsa to live and grow<br />Using general style influences to process a move.<br />___________________ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br />Anticipation and Back Leading <a href="https://youtu.be/Xs79vEmLbkk">https://youtu.be/Xs79vEmLbkk</a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XvdB4BR9FfIugiJ2zDwlOYQ8RlwP6IYjY_9xTnDyS3DjFdcXOV3-fZQukZTtprasD_1qvxTziHAIr6-VIb7SHR_xQIhX7j8vu3w45ABSdGgcrMG7IjR2FgXjt8MPDhf8myAQ-lH_" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="57" id="docs-internal-guid-438bfe33-7fff-ca26-0a67-aded3497f035" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XvdB4BR9FfIugiJ2zDwlOYQ8RlwP6IYjY_9xTnDyS3DjFdcXOV3-fZQukZTtprasD_1qvxTziHAIr6-VIb7SHR_xQIhX7j8vu3w45ABSdGgcrMG7IjR2FgXjt8MPDhf8myAQ-lH_" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="102" /></a> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For many in salsa, Anticipation or Back Leading (US term) is the troublesome pest that won't go away.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This clip discussed several forms of anticipation in salsa, their causes and begins to discuss the solution. </span><b style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Presence in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/Vb8Wo4QM-3s">https://youtu.be/Vb8Wo4QM-3s</a></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fedacd01-7fff-1908-1443-961b5011a99c" style="background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: black; float: right; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="58" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YLlh8D0TBkrlosYLe0ba7UizV3UDrlGvMl0O54fXXa34_6QyzORZK0mQipU0NHJOnDkOjmaIlbCLPXIhN3ZmJLHIF-f3lT42jCyqE4murXF_O4vZyAdDpiGyRU3U6x761bk8QGGf" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="104" /></span>Many salsa errors and issues come from a lack of presence including Anticipation. Presence (Here and Now) means giving your full attention to this moment, to the current task and to your immediate surroundings. What prevents presence are the distractions which divert your attention away.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Improving Presence in Salsa <a href="https://youtu.be/IYY7WUlFSK4">https://youtu.be/IYY7WUlFSK4</a></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GRV01LTy3XxAOJFa1ra0rf4eciALvlV8H09BLBkOdxim2xs8SslpehUjf-1CPuAzSXEQn80ZywYpTaocG_nEOeAzq8uqgZIqVZ7An2tRVuD9DmliuiGx9G-ny6JhhJjUdQRs0CJT" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" id="docs-internal-guid-d5cdcb97-7fff-e0d1-6264-474373d262b6" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GRV01LTy3XxAOJFa1ra0rf4eciALvlV8H09BLBkOdxim2xs8SslpehUjf-1CPuAzSXEQn80ZywYpTaocG_nEOeAzq8uqgZIqVZ7An2tRVuD9DmliuiGx9G-ny6JhhJjUdQRs0CJT" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="106" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using the concept of Presence to solve many problems in salsa. <br />Presence as a useful concept in salsa<br />What prevents presence?<br />Types of distraction from the 'Here and Now'<br />Problems relate to presence including anticipation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/GrjW2C6SdRk" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><img height="61" id="docs-internal-guid-23f3b1d1-7fff-92f9-1693-db09eb1fe71c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/84hbWryxC9ZaGMNdukdczMEQpK7dZCf0njQ9sJcH9sEbykd2UjVZlbygN2JL_Pb1fmwbM_d1bmueyYpovlepQIyahCOhxdP9X5H4ml-ttNiCcRUHKh2OY8GhBpy1_Dnf8ZTIrDaC" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="106" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Synchronisation <a href="https://youtu.be/GrjW2C6SdRk">https://youtu.be/GrjW2C6SdRk</a></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In salsa, synchronising or mirroring is a fundamental rule, but why? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Salsa Rapido's rule no. two ‘Synchronisation’.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We synchronize to: To our partners, the music and to the group.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Why copying feels good, and not copying makes us feels anxious.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">How to synchronise our body movements with opposite steps.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The misconception of ‘Mirrored Footwork’.</span></div>
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Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-82498478422118767112018-12-19T02:01:00.000-08:002018-12-31T09:09:12.973-08:00Salsa Rapido Christmas post 2018<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So here’s a round up of what’s gone well and not so well this past year 2018.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s got me excited and where I think I’m going in 2019.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First a big thank you to everyone who’s supported me in so many ways this year.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There’s a ton of you and it’s fair to say I couldn’t have done it without you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forgive me if this blog is all me, me, me, </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eyXWEbvYEKE" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" Fun video from last Winter" border="0" height="111" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/65HLxPn-NMBAQdcr-ncBkXGofkNXkUP2DspaGRDpjUf5k9w9jvUCKUrDed92v3UrXZp6MhYoNclULiBChJSCvquoUGL3-c2C28oI3RS8JbLRKXfpvs78yBGviwYWmRQs0RhA0EQ-" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://youtu.be/eyXWEbvYEKE">Fun video from last Winter</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">but that’s the point of this post. Also this is not the time for false modesty. Maybe because I’m self employed or naturally a bit ‘out there’, I’m often poor at blowing my own trumpet and the big things get demeaned and small things appear insurmountable. Was it Sir James Dyson who said “Life Sucks, and all you have to do is suck harder" (I so wish it had been) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Where to start?</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KjtqsQgOM-V6_cq-cMUJFML7dRvx4ryWNc-WwP0opE3yq010NrMHuaLNQcd8WFU36zpeOOld3Qw=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="195" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/KjtqsQgOM-V6_cq-cMUJFML7dRvx4ryWNc-WwP0opE3yq010NrMHuaLNQcd8WFU36zpeOOld3Qw=s400" width="97" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The big themes of 2018 for me have been the ongoing success of Salsa Rapido both in terms of the workshops and the production of ‘Concept clips’ for YouTube. The later are just about ready to be released but you can subscribe here.<a href="https://youtu.be/SrhL8giTa8k">Please subscribe here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The video clips will support several playlists of ‘How To’ and ‘Exercise’ clips. There aim is to support and promote my workshops and begin to establish Salsa Rapido as the alternative to traditional methods of instructing salsa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Originally the idea was to film Mambalsa clips which will happen soon but the salsa playlists offer short, as well as long term gains. In short it felt right to film salsa first and I’m pleased with the results thus far. It been really useful to learn presenting to autocue as well as scripting the concepts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s been a fantastic year for the Salsa Rapido workshops at Salsa Soho. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many interesting people. Just last Saturday I received compliments from an army instructor, two doctors (I needed a second opinion) and a roofer. Recently we beat my fun little challenge of how many nationalities are represented on a single course. Fifteen! In a group of thirty! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm so glad I embedded <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186338-d12515614-Reviews-Salsa_Rapido_1_Day_Intensive_Salsa_Course-London_England.html">TripAdviser </a>into my site in July 2017 since then I've had 37 five star reviews and one four star. They push me forward in terms of confidence and innovation.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RP3Q8oAgLk0UoiQ8uteQnlHxMbKQIDb0_TQvrBIBJqta8GQvc9rRgbHS3wL3hOcqitSaMFovPO8b-1cuJPSrU81BL1POe-2xenc87nZctfQ0bJSmcETDCYGes2VwGRx6v40jThml" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RP3Q8oAgLk0UoiQ8uteQnlHxMbKQIDb0_TQvrBIBJqta8GQvc9rRgbHS3wL3hOcqitSaMFovPO8b-1cuJPSrU81BL1POe-2xenc87nZctfQ0bJSmcETDCYGes2VwGRx6v40jThml" width="171" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel the course and the Salsa Rapido method has come of age. From the view of presentation my recent stand up comedy experience has given me crowd skills well above participant's expectations. My psychotherapy training has given me one to one caring skills and a humanistic psychodynamic framework. (if you don’t know what that means it’s being nice and believing other people are too)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Above all I’m delighted with the fusion of positive psychology, humour and dance. It’s a heady mix but it works. I’ve never been more passionate about teaching and the benefits of social dance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems forever ago but last January I returned to Edinburgh and Glasgow for two Salsa </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span>Rapido w/s. They proved that even with a vibrant local scene Salsa Rapido could break in and at least break even. It was bloody cold up there! I’ve since made contacts in Bristol, Bath, Swansea and Cardiff so I’m ready for a Rapido/Mambalsa tour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Mambalsa </b>is still very much in my mind. Unfinished business that keeps getting more doable. With the experience of Salsa Rapido clips and w/s I’m going to launch Mambalsa properly in 2019. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Something's have not gone so well this year <a href="https://youtu.be/Mhb6toRSfdY">(Clip of my one gig!)</a> I put my comedy on the shelf for a number of reasons. I hadn’t worked on it enough in 2017 and had little new to offer. I needed the money that the Edinburgh Fringe would cost for my psychotherapy course and I needed to step back and get perspective. Comedy is important to me but it’s not my vocation. Mambalsa, Salsa Rapido and psychotherapy are more important, more challenging and potentially more rewarding. Saying that I went to a gig the other night and laughed at the funnies and cringed at the awkward moments. It felt like home and I will return.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kF_fae2F85zYHKWnElPrH5oOrp5NIBlLa5f0_bBOVsptisMCR5nayWJLRxtqITFQ57YEuqZoIWbSfK6EUImgh0prIbPjQK9_E5I9ITmYmHGJ6b0GsFEsFYL-RUv42TXS57ys7oCe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kF_fae2F85zYHKWnElPrH5oOrp5NIBlLa5f0_bBOVsptisMCR5nayWJLRxtqITFQ57YEuqZoIWbSfK6EUImgh0prIbPjQK9_E5I9ITmYmHGJ6b0GsFEsFYL-RUv42TXS57ys7oCe" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Psychotherapy has been my big new thing this year. I’m two thirds way through my Certificate year, the first or three. I’ve gained half a stone! I thought by now I would be shrinking! Boom! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apart from a ton of self discovery, I realised that therapy is change, and to make change we need the right environment or core conditions to use the lingo. Learning to dance is also change i.e. non-dancer to dancer, and surprise surprise the core conditions are exactly the same: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Empathy, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Congruence (straight-ness) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unconditional positive regard (We all improve naturally)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Newbie counsellor and experienced salsa teacher are the same person operating the same skill set. Not only does counselling add to the dance framework but it gives it a hard science foundation. We synchronize in dance because we’re hardwired to emphasise. Don’t blame me when your <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron">mirrored neurons</a> have lost their sparkle. Maybe ballroom dancers have got it right, It all about sequins and smiles. <i> “All that glisters is not gold” -Billy Waggledagger - Retail Entrepreneur of Venice.</i></span><br />
<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/aJfVr8lAjmDT3Xdly2k_RXe78U8xhKV7N5m4gGSQenBe5lAcLf4VhXHKKZWv1fIL6cGQqMnHjqaJrMugoVhtKYFtlgOZ1D2MZQYL1ptFe6lTbLCJ9UkoP4FlZP1LpfPA_-z0W1di" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/aJfVr8lAjmDT3Xdly2k_RXe78U8xhKV7N5m4gGSQenBe5lAcLf4VhXHKKZWv1fIL6cGQqMnHjqaJrMugoVhtKYFtlgOZ1D2MZQYL1ptFe6lTbLCJ9UkoP4FlZP1LpfPA_-z0W1di" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Camden </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The big Bumpy mc’Bumpface is Camden. We’ve got a lot from the ‘Blend Format’, certainly useable for Mambalsa. But numbers have dwindled. Camden Market itself has changed. The rats may have gone only to be replaced with tumbleweed. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A6eK41mNV18/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A6eK41mNV18?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last November I made a decision to seek the 100% backing of the management at Gabeto. Without it ‘weeee’re doomed!’ We need a monthly event to boost our numbers. A flag to rally the troops. Time to call in the cavalry in the form of ‘The Havana Cafe Descarga.’ And what a lovely evening it was. With twenty twenty hindsight putting a band on just after Halloween and Fireworks night was daft as everyone was partied out. Give me another 25years and I'll get this promotion thing right!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then the grumbles started...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So a meeting was had and we've been Saved! Well, promised every Tuesday and a band once a month Jan. Feb. and March!!!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you’ll join us at Camden soon for more of this.... <a href="https://youtu.be/A6eK41mNV18">Salsa Camden at Youtube</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally a big thank you to my wife Fliss. Recently we've been out dancing. No event, no pressure just turn up when we feel like it and push off as and when.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve been made very welcome and really enjoyed ourselves. If that means the new bathroom hasn’t been fitted for Christmas, so what! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>So finally what’s my big plan for 2019.....</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Salsa Rapido playlists and tour.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A heap of fun at Camden.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mambalsa online course plus tour.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A new online comedy vlog </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A heap of stuff I’m not sharing yet!!!!! Ner ner ner!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fit that bloody bathroom!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy Christmas everyone and an amazing new year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alastair </span>Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-6132052566166113762017-11-03T11:02:00.002-07:002022-05-30T04:45:40.950-07:00Blend Format <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c1bb5b42-82e3-394f-fd3a-a4976ac99ebf" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: x-large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blend Format a new type of salsa evening</span></span></span></h3>
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<i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fantastic to participate, engaging to watch</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></b></i></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa Classes have been in the UK since 1987 and it’s fair to say that the way salsa classes are presented hasn’t changed much in that time. Usually it’s a couple of classes followed by some free dance. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Over the last two weeks I’ve been gradually integrating the new Blend Format at Salsa Camden. Blend a new way of operating an early week evening that literally ‘blends’ the party and the classes creating an atmosphere of buzz. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s taken a long time to create and I’ve waited until we’re back in Gabeto (formerly The Cuban) before I’ve fully committed to it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The truth is there’s always a resistance to change, the safety of old familiar ways that drag at the heels of innovation. I view my innovations as experiments that either work well or not so well. Hopefully Blend will live up to its strap-line ‘Fantastic to participate, engaging to watch.’ </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m prepared for the resistance to release ‘Generation Troll’ in a chorus of ‘It won't work!’ because I’ve got experience of things that ‘won’t work’.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was my Move Machine format back in the nineties which was salsa meets circuit training, that ‘didn’t work’ at our Rayners Lane venue for a year until the venue was sold. At Salsa University at the iconic Turnmills nightclub we had up to six advanced classes in every style with different teachers every week. That ‘didn’t work’ for eight years ... until Turnmills was sold.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then there’s the Salsa Rapido 1-Day Intensive Salsa courses at bar Salsa that now seems such a familiar part of the salsa scene. Back then the idea of a full day Intensive course was unthinkable. Until I did in 2003 see <a href="http://www.streetbeat.co.uk/1-Day" target="_blank">www.streetbeat.co.uk/1-Day</a>, and fingers crossed the venue hasn’t been sold, yet! </span></div>
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<a href="http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/JCPenney/DP0714201504202732M?fmt=jpg&fit=constrain,1&wid=496&hig=496&op_usm=.4,.8,0,0&resmode=sharp2" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="496" height="200" src="https://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/JCPenney/DP0714201504202732M?fmt=jpg&fit=constrain,1&wid=496&hig=496&op_usm=.4,.8,0,0&resmode=sharp2" width="200"></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So here goes....</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So what’s Blend Format all about?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Within an evening of two and a half hours e.g. 7.30pm - 10pm there’s 105 minutes of tuition fulfilling the needs of beginners through to advanced. This is presented in 15 or 30 minute sessions, Whole group active interspaced with Free Dance time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s constant music and a buzzy mixing and mingling as groups come and go.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Come for the evening, stay for the evening, dance for the evening, socialise for the evening.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Inspiration?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The inspiration for Blend came out of my Mambalsa project in 2014. Mambalsa is a new partner dance I created that worked to any 4:4 time music. It seemed only right to take a look at a typical evening dance class and see what worked and what didn't. As a salsa teacher who specializes in beginners and improvers, I was disappointed at how poor the traditional salsa UX is. UX or user experience comes from web development and is simply looking at something from the perspective of the user.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The typical absolute beginner, arrives, pays and is left alone until the class starts. They then have to cope with a warm up of footwork that they haven’t been shown. The class is often of mixed ability where they’re the worst, and is led by the least experienced member of the teaching team in the worst location in the room. After the class it’s a quick bye bye as another (more important) class is about to start. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sound familiar?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why Blend?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The world has changed! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our classes are aimed at intelligent career minded people who want to wake up fresh the next day. More and more people respect the ‘not on a school night’ lifestyle. Blend means that dancers don’t have to sacrifice their free dance after the classes for an early finish, as there’s a significant amount of free dance opportunity during the evening. More importantly everyone can stay to the end and is made to feel part of the group rather that the uncommitted one who leaves early.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blend is our chance to radically value and improve the UX of everyone who attends especially beginners. Effort spent here will retain clients and swell the upper levels.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve spent over twenty years developing salsa teaching so people can learn more quickly and better, so Blend has to offer real advantages for tuition. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The free dance sections allow techniques to be discussed, digested and practiced before another load of info arrives. After the free dance you’ll return to the session refreshed in mind and body :-) Finally, Spoiler Alert, the best way to learn salsa is to dance salsa! Freestyle salsa is where you find out if you know something or not. It’s early days but I’ve now got beginners free style dancing within fifteen minutes!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s no doubt that Blend is a long way from the traditional evening class format but I think it will be a rewarding learning experience, more fun and more social. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whenever people try something new there’s always a little resistance between the familiar and unfamiliar. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If it ain’t broke why change it?</span><br>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7240/6930984414_f0658f1298_b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7240/6930984414_f0658f1298_b.jpg" width="320"></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fair question and for those venues that operate the traditional format successfully well done, but does that mean there shouldn’t be an alternative format?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s a huge opportunity out there. Ask around in any salsa club and most people like things as they are. ‘It works for me.’ Of course the one’s that it doesn’t work for aren't there! They got filtered out a long time ago. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Five percent of the UK population dance even if not that regularly. Some can’t or won’t, but many could and would if the format appealed to them. By appealed, I mean: educated, entertained and respected their lifestyles. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Apart from opportunity, I suggest that the current system is simply ‘broke!’</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are issues in the salsa business that don’t make comfortable reading for salsa teachers:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why are there now less venues than before?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In London there’s used to be several nights for every area, now there's far less. Has the teaching changed? Are we more fussy about venues? Have we become ‘event orientated? Perhaps the venues don’t want salsa or salsa nights are just harder to promote? One thing’s certain, we haven’t overpriced ourselves. In 1995 I charged £5 for one hour. Most classes now work out the same per hour or less with discounts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why is the dropout rate, so big at beginners level? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I estimate it to be over half within the first few weeks. Whatever the actual number is, it’s huge. Salsa nights simply aren’t compelling. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why is it so difficult to get venues to host salsa nights?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa is stylish, well behaved, and can fill an empty venue on a quiet night but the proposition for bars without a separate function room is daunting.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stop being a bar while we teach, often in silence. Then everyone will want serving at the same time, and that’s if they want to by any drinks at all! </span></div>
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<a href="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/da/24/dd/30th-birthday-cake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/da/24/dd/30th-birthday-cake.jpg" width="181"></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blend isn’t going to change the world or even the salsa scene. But it might offer a little more choice that will suit some. It will stretch us teachers which is never a bad thing and I hope it will open up new opportunities for salsa.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m not seeking to protect Blend in any way from my competitors. All I ask is credit me for Blend and I invite you to help improve it together :-)</span><br>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Happy birthday Salsa :-)</span></div>
Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-41749460482495444802017-10-18T08:08:00.000-07:002017-10-18T08:08:31.106-07:00Counts Commonly Used in Salsa<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5c59206f-2fdc-2d6a-b17d-327adb740368" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Counts Commonly Used in Salsa.</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A explanation of the most common counts used in salsa classes and a discussion of their pros and cons. I've also included my preferences and recommendations.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is counting for?</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Counting serves several main purposes:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To connect us to the rhythm within the music, thereby synchronising the foot work sequence FWS to the speed of the music. This is achieved through identifying the pulses or beats within the music and vocalising them with a word. Our actions, including the FWS can be timed to those words.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Counts are used to synchronise the start of the FWS with the desired beat of the bar (usually the first) i.e. dancing in time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some counts may inform the dancer which foot they should be using at any time. This can either be in real time e.g. “left” is instantly comprehensible as your left foot, or as a debugging tool for when something has gone wrong e.g. “seven” in the 8-count will mean leaders right foot. (With practise this can become instant)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s wrong with counting?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The downside of counting is that the nuance of the music is often lost if the count is allowed to dominate your thoughts. Then you’re dancing only to the count and not the music. This prevents you from interpreting the music, or noticing if you are still synchronised to it i.e. dancing out of time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Counts should be used as a temporary tool, to be discarded as soon as unnecessary. They should be viewed as a way to connect to the music not a replacement.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Worst case you find yourself out of time, with your mouth silently mouthing the words of a count. Beware it’s hard to loose a bad habit!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are many counts commonly used in dance classes. There is no correct or official count, although some are more popular than others. The important thing is to understand their limitations and benefits and select the best tool for you at any particular time and not to use them when they are unnecessary.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pulse:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Any noise is used to mark the the beat of the music. I’ve used the word ‘Tak’ as this is a popular word used to mark the pulse in mainland Europe.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">e.g. Tak Tak Tak ___ Tak Tak Tak ___</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It makes the beats stand out from the music and allows the dancer to connect to them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It doesn’t inform the dancer which foot they should be used next. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4-Count A.K.A</span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 'The musician’s count':</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.scienceabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Zubin-metha-and-Israel-Phil-Orc-Mar-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="800" height="126" src="https://www.scienceabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Zubin-metha-and-Israel-Phil-Orc-Mar-2014.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">e.g. 1234 1234</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 Bar = 4 beats or 1 measure (USA)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is a global musical convention used by musicians all over the world. It is also used in almost all school music curriculum's and is clearly defined.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa music is always notated as four beats to a bar i.e. 4:4 time. The length of a bar is not optional if you wish to remain within the musical convention*. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We can choose not to honour the convention but it may cause confusion and even sound ignorant if musical convention terms are used e.g. beats and bars, when we are deliberately not within the convention. I think best practise should be to avoid the phase ‘beat five’ as there is no beat five within the musical convention. Better to say ‘step five’ or ‘foot five’ to lessen the confusion. It may seem just semantics but I’ve seen many incorrect assumption presented in classes e.g. “The musical count spans the same period as the 8-count but is half the speed” THIS IS NOT CORRECT! The correct definition in terms of the musical convention, is that the FWS spans two bars of music.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The 4-Count allows for turnarounds in the music. (see below)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This count does not describe which foot is being stepped into. i.e. ‘One’ may refer to a left or right foot.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Left Right Left Pause Right Left Right Pause</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2 3 4 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2 3 4</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 8pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*I took the opportunity to discuss this fully with the head of conducting at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the head of percussion at The Royal College of Music, both are two of the world's leading conservatoires of music.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8-count</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A.K.A.'The footwork count':</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">e.g. 123_567_</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spanning two bars, the footwork is clearly described, each step has it’s own number. Usually One is leader’s left foot and follower’s right, two is leader’s right and follower’s left etc. The fourth and eighth beats are silent as no step is taken.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Referencing the feet allows an instructor to say an action happens on beat five and the whole class understands which foot is required.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s a very popular count used by many teachers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Eight beats is a near ideal length for remembering movement. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I once found some scientific research on this but have since lost the reference.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s excellent for conveying a series of moves or combos to groups who have already mastered their FWS. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For beginners quoting numbers does not have any instant meaning compared to quoting left and right so there is not error prevention only debugging. In fairness to the 8-count, dancers quickly gain mastery of ‘one’ and ‘five’ and it’s almost as instant as ‘left’ and right’.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It addictive! So many dancers keep counting when they no longer need to, often moving their lips which looks idiotic. Vocalising numbers seems far more addictive than other words. The cure for count addiction is simple. Don’t count or ditch it ASAP!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Often the dancer is not dancing to the music but to the count in their head, which prevents them from interpreting the music.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ‘One’ and ‘five’ is over emphasised leading to a stronger step on the ‘One’ or ‘five’ where there is no emphasis desired or in the the music.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The main benefit i.e. referencing the feet is often undermined in classes where the follower’s One is their right foot when dancing with a partner, and their left foot when dancing in a line-up. This can be confusing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Turnaround: In salsa music there are phrases and sections, like sentences and paragraphs, that form verses and choruses etc. These phrases often end with a distinctive ‘break’ that is easy to hear. In the genre of salsa sections are mainly an even number of bars in length but quite often there’s a ‘Turnaround’ where an extra bar is included. The Turnaround deliberately changes it’s feel of the following section’s rhythmic structure. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dancers who use an eight count often fall into the trap of assuming the first beat at the </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Mauritius_Road_Signs_-_Prohibitory_Sign_-_No_U-Turn.svg/120px-Mauritius_Road_Signs_-_Prohibitory_Sign_-_No_U-Turn.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="120" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Mauritius_Road_Signs_-_Prohibitory_Sign_-_No_U-Turn.svg/120px-Mauritius_Road_Signs_-_Prohibitory_Sign_-_No_U-Turn.svg.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">start of a section to always be a ‘One’. After a turnaround it may be a ‘Five’ which make them believe they have made a mistake. I have worked with teachers who have outlawed dancing on ‘Five’ or elevated it to an ‘Advanced Only’ technique. I believe this is not best practice. There is nothing wrong with dancing on ‘five.’ Get used to it. It may feel different and unfamiliar but that’s what learning something new is all about. It will also provoke a different repertoire of moves for the leaders. Listen out for tracks with turnarounds, there’s lots of them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is nothing wrong or unusual about dancing on five, but if you don’t want to you’ll need to find ways of flipping your FWS and your partners. I recommend Freezes, Transition Steps and eight beat moves, or just wait for another turnaround. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Without turnaround:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">123 567 123 567 123 567 123 567 break 123 567 123 567 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">note the the first beat after the break is a one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With turnaround:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">123 567 123 567 123 567 123 567 123 break 567 123 567 123</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">note the the first beat after the break is now a five. </span></div>
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<a href="http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/images/BritishBallroomW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="303" height="200" src="https://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/images/BritishBallroomW.jpg" width="170" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beats 'n Bars:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">234 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">234 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">234 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">4</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">234 (underlined indicates which bar, the remainder which beat)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I believe this is a Ballroom/Latin count.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros: Great for long choreography</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons: Choreography is the bane of freestyle salsa.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Slothsdreamstime_xl_51606457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="132" src="https://wonderopolis.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Slothsdreamstime_xl_51606457.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quick Quick Slow:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The quicks last one beat and the slow lasts two beats.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another popular Ballroom/Latin count.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interestingly the words are used to convey the period in between the pulses rather than the pulses as in ‘Tak Tak Tak’. This is actually more accurate as a beat is a period of time rather than a point in time.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quick Quick Slooooooow</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 2 3 4</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Can be effective in emphasising a fluid transition from one bar to the next.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Very limited apart from above use. The words have no connection to the FWP.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I wonder if ‘Medium’ would mean one and a half beats!</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Position to Position: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.brian-alabaster.com/_Media/small_ballet_dancer_sculptu_med.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="501" height="200" src="https://www.brian-alabaster.com/_Media/small_ballet_dancer_sculptu_med.jpeg" width="146" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Unusual and rare but effective for getting the shape of the move.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Position 1 -(no fixed amount of time)- Position 2 -(no fixed amount of time) -Position 3</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m not sure if this counts as a count, but it uses numbers so I’ve put it in. I once went to a class that used this count and it was confusing as hell at first. Later I enjoyed the way that it assumes you already have mastered FWS and timing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros: It makes the dancer think about certain positions, how they look and the transitions to get there.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons: It has no connection with the music at all at!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Left Right Left Pause Right Left Right Pause</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.thefootanklecenter.com/sbtemplates/sbcommon/images/blog/63_WorkFeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="760" height="200" src="https://www.thefootanklecenter.com/sbtemplates/sbcommon/images/blog/63_WorkFeet.jpg" width="190" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My personal favourite for use with beginners and anyone who has asked the question which foot am I on?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I recommended its use whenever under stress i.e. the move is new or flawed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many hesitation mistakes are avoided as it’s very clear which foot is next. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We’ve usually learnt left and right and numbers by around six years old but numbers are never used to describe direction, so in a moment of hesitation, the dancers vocalising left or right will generally take the correct step without having to think. The dancer counting will have to work out which foot it should be. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a debugging tool. To identify and fix an error quoting the FWS lets the dancer know exactly where the error is before it’s been practised.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It does not linger i.e. it's not addictive. In fact you'll drop it to soon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cons:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's difficult to use at first and requires a little practise to become fluent saying the phrase: left right left pause, right left right pause.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It feels mechanical which is fine if you're debugging something or attempting it for the time. Because of this mechanical feel it doesn’t feel cool.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">About 5% of the population have convinced themselves that they are rubbish at left and right, and these people feel a great resistance to the tool. This is sad because it may in fact help them with left and right.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<a href="http://media.4rgos.it/i/Argos/2552271_R_Z001A_UC1315223?$Web$&w=570&h=513" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="570" height="180" src="https://media.4rgos.it/i/Argos/2552271_R_Z001A_UC1315223?$Web$&w=570&h=513" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tick Tock:</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quote Tick or Tock on alternate first beats of the bar.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tick Tock Tick Tock </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is my prefered tool which is surprisingly useful and easy to adopt. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s best used when not under great stress (see Left Right Left Pause) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I recommend it for when things are working but still require a little help regarding which foot you're on.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pros:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Easy to teach and adopt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Non addictive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These plenty of silence to hear and connect to the music leading to interpretation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The secret is to be very light as is the words touch the beat like a butterfly landing for a moment. This seems to lift the dancer from a dogmatic mechanical mode into a lighter conversational mode.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cons: Not as useful as 8-count in conveying choreography, and has no sense of cool about it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________ </span><br />
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Conclusion:</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">People often confuse the style of teaching with the resulting salsa style. Counts are just tools to be used and discarded when no longer necessary. Understanding where the pros and cons of each are enable you to get on with the business of dancing and having fun.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Salsa Rapido method's approach to counts used when teaching is to use ‘Left Right Left Pause’ for the high concentration mechanics. ‘Tick and Tock’ for to practise up a combo and the 8-count for conveying moves to those who no longer need to count. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">No advanced dancer or competent Intermediate counts when they dance freestyle salsa. In other words: It's the music that counts not the dancer!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One final tip: Avoid ANY track or app that puts a count over the music. If they count for you, you’ll be slow to find your timing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That's it my number's up :-)</span></div>
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<br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-74960186714003879092017-09-28T07:05:00.000-07:002017-09-28T09:31:34.166-07:00Salsa Rapido method- Fast, Fun & Progressive<br id="docs-internal-guid-baf2928e-c8af-3808-bb85-d5ffb8c6e4b4" />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa Rapido</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">®</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is not just another brand name but an alternative salsa teaching method that gets you dancing salsa faster, better and having more fun along the way. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I like dancing with fun, confident, stylish people and so that’s how I teach people. Call it progressive or just common sense.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa classes reflect the values of the teacher. So who am I and what do I believe:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My name is Alastair Sadler I'm English and have been dancing salsa since 1992. I created the Salsa Rapido® method in 1995 as a reaction to the traditional ‘dance class.’ It’s evolved into the fastest, most fun and progressive way into salsa.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In 2003 I created the world’s first 1-Day Intensive Salsa Course in London which has proved the longest running and most successful course of its kind anywhere in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m still passionate about teaching social dance and the positive effects it has on those who get involved.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why I believe Salsa Rapido should be fast and fun: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fast!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I work on the assumption that you don’t want to be a beginner for long. You want to walk onto that dance floor with the confidence of James Bond, knowing you can dance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So learning is just a phase to go through. The shorter that phase is, the sooner you'll be out there dancing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Can you get out there and salsa? Once you do, you'll discover that learning was worth all the effort. Don’t stop until you can dance. Once there, the chances are that you'll stay in salsa. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Surprisingly, learning quickly produces better dancers with less bad habits and misconceptions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fun!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Classes should be fun and an entertainment in their own right. If you're having fun you're relaxed and spoiler alert.... you'll learn faster. Associating salsa with fun will draw you back to salsa again for more fun where you’ll meet others who also like having fun.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How is Salsa Rapido Progressive: </span></div>
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<a href="https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/78507000/jpg/_78507309_78030336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="624" height="111" src="https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/78507000/jpg/_78507309_78030336.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Confidence </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- I like dancing with confident people. Social dancing is a great opportunity to express our inner confidence. I don’t mean showing off, but the confidence we all express when sitting around a table having a laugh with friends. It’s also the confidence of connecting with other humans and together feeling inspired. It’s not about being the best, it’s about being the most you can be. Allowing the most confident version of you to be seen. We seldom get the chance to practice confidence as a social skill but salsa is one way we can. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Method </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- I’ll use any and every trick, tip, wacky analogy and positive psychology I can, to get you dancing. After over two decades of teaching, I’ve quite a bag full!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Simplification </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Salsa is easy and yet often it appears complex, something that will take forever to learn. Salsa Rapido® offers a simple conceptual framework. Parameters or rules within which to operate. Simple classification of types of moves, so once you get one example you’ve pretty much got them all in that category.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">De-mystification</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - Understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ becomes easy. Keep the ‘why’ hidden and it becomes mysterious and complex and difficult.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Experience </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- Showing you what to do is easy. Identifying precisely what went wrong and how to fix it takes experience. Constructing a curriculum that avoids most of the problems and bad habits before they form takes a lot of experience. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Divergent thinking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Divergent thinking is the approach where there are many correct and creative solutions fanning out in front of you. This is opposed to Convergent thinking when you seek a single perfect way of doing something. Most social dance is traditionally presented convergently. I teach divergently giving you many ways of looking good being creative within the parameters of what works across the world. More about that another time...</span><br />
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Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-68569838187541921432017-04-30T01:33:00.005-07:002019-01-18T09:26:17.192-08:00Travelling steps<h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Travelling Steps:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> When you boil it down there’s only a few things you can do on a dance floor. Stay static, rotate, go somewhere and a few miscellaneous bits and pieces.<br /> Travelling is part of the ‘going somewhere’ group.<br /> To move across the dance floor we can either take small or big ones. I call small steps shuffling, and the big ones travelling steps.<br /><br /><b>Definition of Travelling:</b><br /> A large step across the floor on any beat in any direction, but they must follow the rule of travelling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because travelling steps </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">are numerous and used in every regional style, it's useful to identify and master the mechanical properties so we can easily master new moves that have similar properties.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well Known Moves that include a travelling steps:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cross Body Lead (f5), Dil’ Que No. (f5) Open Break (f1), Copa (f3 f5), Gupea (f2 f3 f6 f7), </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Around the world </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(f2 f3 f6 f7), Paseala (f2 f 6)</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[ The f before the number refers to the eight count as started on the leaders left foot </span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>e.g. f5 = Right foot of the leader and left of the follower. ]</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Rule of Travelling Steps:</b><br /> <b>When a follower travels across or around the leader, the travelling step must be the follower's leg nearest the leader.</b> <br /> If this rule is broken, during the travelling step, the follower swings in towards the leader, which in terms of body language is overtly sexual. When tested on followers who have no dance experience, they consistently say this felt ‘wrong’ and following the rule felt ‘right’.<br /> I know of no travelling moves that break this rule.<br /><br /><b>The Travelling Event:</b><br /> A travelling step may be in any direction and on any beat as long as it also conforms with the rules of Footwork Sequence* and Travelling.<br /> During the beat that the Travelling step takes place, the leaders communicates that a travelling step is to take place, in what direction and how far. The follower needs to receive this information and react accordingly.<br /> The </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">leaders communication i.e. his </span>lead has to be at the very beginning of the beat so the follower can complete it within the beat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is always the temptation to start the lead before the beat that the travelling step is on. Often this has no consequence but will often provoke the follower to travel on the earlier beat which may break the rule of travelling and feel uncomfortable.<br /><b><br />Preparation:</b><br /> For travelling steps there is no prepstep or hint that a travelling step is about to happen.<br /> It is necessary to ‘connect’ i.e. gain the full attention of your follower before the sequence starts. Without this connection the lead becomes an ambush and is uncomfortable and hard to follow.<br /><br /><b>The Lead:</b><br /> To lead a travelling step simply push or pull the follower in the direction of travel.<br /> It’s almost the same as if you are sliding a cardboard box so that across the floor.<br /> The important difference is that the travelling step is led with connection and consideration. The leader accelerates the follower working with her body movement. The follower will find it intuitive and easy to follow. This allows for a wide range of variations and interpretation of the move.<br /><br /><b>Anticipation:</b><br /> Often the moves using travelling steps are very prone to anticipation.<br /> Please be aware that anticipation of travelling step is probably the greatest cause of injuries in salsa. <br /> When the follower regularly anticipates, the leader loses confidence that the follower will react to variations in length or position. His reaction to this is to usually ‘dumb down’ and avoid complex moves. If followers want the best from their leaders, they must master anti-anticipation. <br /><b><br />How far to travel:</b><br /> Each follower will have a comfortable range of travel based on confidence, gait, floor conditions and shoe type. The leader can work within this range leading either more or less than average to achieve the variation.<br /><br /><b>Cross Body Lead:</b><br /> The most common travelling step by far, is the CBL which mechanically is identical to the Cuban Dil’ Que No. They both are first beat travelling steps on the 2nd bar i.e. f5 *2<br /><br /><b>For leaders-</b> Expanding and varying your repertoire of travelling steps is an very easy way to make a leader's repertoire interesting and dynamic. <br /> <b>For followers-</b> Being able to follow any travelling step in any direction is a mark of excellence. The skill of attention, connection, balance, reaction and dynamic movement all have to be mastered.<br /><br /><b>Tips:</b><br /> When leading from partner hold, lead with the hand behind the followers back rather than pulling with the joined hands. The lead is much clearer and the joined hands can correct and var the move.<br /><br /><b>Followers -</b> I recommend that your travelling step ends with your toe touching the floor before your heal. This prevents twisted ankles when wearing heels and looks elegant. <br /> Imagine you are travelling to a stepping stone. This modifies the travelling step movement and require the follower to control their momentum once arrived, which prevents a large uncontrolled step on the next step.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*1: Rule of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Footwork Sequence- Salsa is based on a series of steps and pauses that is continuous and seldom broken. Left Right Left Pause, Right Left Right Pause </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*2: f5 refers to the foot work count, also known as the 8count.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> f5= 123_ (5)67_ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In musical terms f5 is the 1st beat of the 2nd bar.</span></span></div>
Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-36606179482636414832017-04-20T07:07:00.002-07:002017-04-20T07:07:36.896-07:00 The Mechanics of Spinning<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-8d5bd895-8ba6-cc78-938c-0c736ffa9479" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this article I will outline the mechanics of spins using the coil-spin method.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is not a tutorial as video is a better medium, but a discussion of spins within the conceptual framework of event based freestyle leading.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some of the terms I use may be unfamiliar and may need extra explanation. This is a first draft so please point out errors or ask questions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is a spin?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spins vs Turns.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rule of Spins.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Powering the spin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Coil-Spin method.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is the coil necessary?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other methods of spinning.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leading a spin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before the spin sequence starts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Posture.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spotting.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The coil.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The lead of a spin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leading from above the followers head.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What beat is the spin on?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Making it easy to remember.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prep-Steps.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tips.</span></div>
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Definition:</h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is a spin?</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I define a spin event as a large amount of rotation on a specific beat. Because of the large amount of rotation a spin will nearly always involve swivelling the ball of the foot on the floor as the foot cannot rotate a full circle. Because of their speed, spins can look fast and dynamic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spins vs Turns:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I define a turn as a series of incremental rotational movements that when added together to form the required amount of rotation. Turns are generally slow compared to spins, as it can take several steps to achieve the same amount of rotation as a spin. Because turns use smaller amounts of rotation they can start on any beat in any direction. Turns are led with a constant subtle push or pull. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rule of Spins:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">‘Spins are in the direction of the foot being stepped onto’.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you step onto your left foot it feels more comfortable to spin to your left (anticlockwise) than to your right (clockwise). This is because of the shape and configuration of human hips and legs. It is possible to spin counter to this rule but given the major influence on style of ‘consideration’ to one’s partner, the vast majority of spins follow this rule.</span></div>
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Mechanics:</h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Powering the spin:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The power for the spin comes from the core muscles around the hips, legs and waist of the person spinning. It is very rare for the leader to power the follower and usually unnecessary. It’s important for leaders to remember that to lead a spin successfully, it’s best to focus on communication rather than power.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Coil-Spin method:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The most common and natural way of powering a spin is to coil the core muscles to store energy, in one direction, then rapidly launch the spin in the other. Think of throwing a frisbee. Your arm coils up in the opposite direction to the direction of flight, storing energy. Then the power is rapidly released to launch the frisbee. We naturally coil ourselves without thinking but leading this “Coil-Spin method” to lead a spin can feel counter-intuitive at first but with a little practice feels completely natural.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The coil is usually on the beat before the spin where it is comfortable to coil in the opposite direction. The secret to leading a coil successfully is to think of it as a subtle clue or hint that allows the follower to store energy ready to spin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is the coil necessary?</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Without a coil the follower is ambushed by the lead. To ask the follower to rapidly accelerate without any preparation is uncomfortable and therefore inconsiderate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other methods of spinning:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is possible to spin without coiling by using the upper body to twist a as you spin or to use the traction of the floor to pull you around as in hook turns, but I’ll save those for another time :-)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Leading a Spin: </b></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before the spin sequence starts:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The leader must gain the full attention of the follower. I call this - connection. Think of a conductor in the moments before the orchestra plays the first note. The intense connection creates a moment of stillness while the baton is raised. This allows the communication to be very subtle. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Posture:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Posture is very helpful for maintaining balance during and after the spin.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maintain a straight and vertical back with a balanced pose. Test this by standing on one leg and seeing if you can balance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Often instructors suggest a slightly bent leg while spinning. I can find no mechanical reason for this other than to reduce the height of the follower so the leader may not have to reach up as much. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The coil:</span></h4>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aHVYWtBF1rbOJcZox8d4Nj1Pvpr6xuArJ7U_b6n91SbDLh6mtV6XtDhH6IU27gE6i_F0IeQzDF4vO2NP_4SmOgEPDTNDnNQ1xI3D0zjo-lWbAsa6jVtFozsEwFoxayK2r0cFwbTm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="14MaAZEL-master1050-v2.jpg" border="0" height="188" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aHVYWtBF1rbOJcZox8d4Nj1Pvpr6xuArJ7U_b6n91SbDLh6mtV6XtDhH6IU27gE6i_F0IeQzDF4vO2NP_4SmOgEPDTNDnNQ1xI3D0zjo-lWbAsa6jVtFozsEwFoxayK2r0cFwbTm" style="border: medium none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The beat before the spin the leader subtly coils the follower. This is best described as a hint or a clue. The follower stores power in the hip muscles and is now ready for the spin. The follower must not assume (anticipate) that there is definitely going to be a spin at this point, but is fully prepared if one is led. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Note: It is hard for a follower to tell from is the leader is coiling you or starting a turn. The only difference is your preparedness.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The lead of a spin.</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At the beginning of the next beat the leader leads with a clear decisive lead in the direction of the spin. The follower releases the stored energy to power the spin and spins. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The lead and subsequent spin is the ‘dynamic event’ of the move. A spin event on the second beat of the sequence is called a 2nd beat spin. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The lead takes place at the very beginning of the beat of the spin and the spin is usually completed by the end of the beat. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During the lead the follower assesses the lead and judges whether it is greater or lesser than average for that leader. She reacts to that judgement making her spin greater or lesser, more or less crisp etc.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leading from above the followers head.</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Using the style influences of efficiency and consideration, when leading from above the followers head I recommend the position where the followers thumb could touch the top center of her head. This gives the subtlety/ efficiency and supports the balance of the follower. Big looping movements can look very beginner like. I recommend that leaders, wherever possible, are ready to support the follower in case there is a loss of balance. This often means letting the hand/s above the head linger a moment or two longer in position.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What beat is the spin on?</span></h4>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spins can be on any beat in any direction but obey the rules of spins and footwork sequence. This means that they may be only be in certain directions on certain beats. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Making it easy to remember:</span></h4>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For 8-counters f1, f3, f6 are anticlockwise and f2, f5, f7 are clockwise.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For musical counters b1, b3 in the direction of first step of the sequence. B2 in opposite.</span></div>
<br />
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: 451.27559055118115pt;"><colgroup><col width="*"></col><col width="142"></col><col width="47"></col><col width="118"></col><col width="92"></col></colgroup><tbody>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b1</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b2</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b3</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b4</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1st beat spin </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spin (already coiled on previous beat)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">step</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">step</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pause</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2nd beat spin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">coil</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">step</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pause</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3rd beat spin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">step</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">coil </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pause</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prep-Steps:</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prep-Steps are an exaggeration of the coil spin method, used in the ‘Choreography Model’ of salsa. The leader preps the follower with a learnt signal. The follower assumes the ‘prep’ position which coils the hip in the same way as the coil/spin method. The difference being that the coil often take place several beats before the spin. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prep-Steps are not universal and often vary from club to club.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All spins that use a Prep-Step can be led easily with the coil spin method.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spotting:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Cf5WSac.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://i.imgur.com/Cf5WSac.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As you spin maintain your head in a fixed position for as long as you can. This is as if you are staring at a spot at eye level. Delaying the head’s rotation as if you are looking at the spot as much of the time as possible, allows you to flicks your head around very quickly. This helps prevent feeling of giddiness.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The worst thing you can do is allow your eyes to track around the room like a video camera. See tip on recovering from giddiness.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tips:</span></b></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Check out how the follower moves with gentle turns before fast spins. Find out if there are balance problems, drift or grip issues before they are a problem.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If a follower anticipates the spin every time you raise your arm, raise the arm within partner hold and hold that position until she’s broken the mental link between arm raising and spin.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whichever foot you start the spin sequence, the next FWS starts on the other foot. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you struggle to get the correct FWS after the spin try freezing at the end of the spin sequence. This will give you a moment of choice as to which foot is next. Quoting the FWS will tell you which one it is.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your favourite direction of spinning will be the one you are most familiar with. So practice the other direction more until you’ve mastered both.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you get a little giddy, stop spinning but keep dancing which helps settle the fluid in the inner ear. The point at which you start to feel giddy gets further away with practice.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NEVER put talc on a dance floor. You are creating a slip hazard and taking responsibility for any resulting accidents!</span></li>
</ul>
Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-70099464856751156932017-02-08T08:58:00.000-08:002017-02-09T11:13:38.818-08:00What is Salsa Style?<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">What is Salsa Style?</span></b></span></h2>
Some questions benefit from a full answer and this is one of them.<br />
Style is one of the most overused terms in salsa. Sometime used as a compliment 'great style' or often negatively as in 'poor style' 'bad style' 'wrong style' '<i>other </i>style. <br />
First I'm going to divide the term style into three separate terms:<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Your Style: </b> </h3>
That is your personal style. The habitual way you dance. Your 'look'.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I like this simple easy definition- <b> Style = Habit.</b></div>
It follows that 'good style' reflects a habitual look you like, and 'bad style' reflects habits you wish to avoid or loose.<br />
Important! Whatever you practice becomes habitual and therefore your style, and that means the good stuff as well as the bad!<br />
<br />
<b>So what influences your style?</b><br />
The main influences are:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Efficiency</b>- Dancers dance fast for hours, their movements become polished and efficient. So get efficient and look more advanced.</li>
<li><b>Consideration</b>- A leaders reputation in based on how good the follower feels when dancing with him. Play nice and you're nice. </li>
<li><b>Confidence</b>- Ditch the 'I'm a nervous beginner' style and practice the 'this is the real confident me style, even if it's a case of fake it 'til you make it!</li>
<li><b>The crowd</b> you dance with - Everyone wants to fit in and your style will adapt to the people you dance with.</li>
<li><b>Where, when and who</b> you've learnt from- but don't be defined by this. It's just your starting point and you make the choices!</li>
<li><b>Who you're dancing with</b> - Make them feel comfortable and challenge yourself to adapt. Yes this is consideration again but it's important!</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>Styling</b>: </h3>
I define styling as extra movements that are deliberately used for expression.<br />
e.g. At a strong 'Ta-da' moment in a track the follower shoots her arm into the air. -awesome!<br />
This may be habitual e.g. at the end of every spin the follower flicks her hair.- less awesome!<br />
Important! Styling is not part of the mechanics of leading and following. Moves never require styling but can be enhanced by styling. Beware styling that affects the mechanics of leading and following as it limits the repertoire and breaks the flow of moves. At worse styling becomes a predicable cliché where individual personality and expression is lost.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<h3>
<b>Regional Style:</b> </h3>
Here we go....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/02/92/46/0292463b593afd5c5b18f0ff19f2d577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/02/92/46/0292463b593afd5c5b18f0ff19f2d577.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is your styling Persian?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Wherever salsa has become popular local trends have created regional styles. They often reflect local cultural traditions, innovations, fads and fashions. In one city dancers do more of this and less of that, compared with those from another city who seldom do this, but do loads of that. Often the traditions define the regional style's default footwork pattern (basic step)<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The Cuban</b> basic derives from Guapea (aka 'around the world' reversed) which in turn derives from a European gentlemen's bowing gesture c.16th century (think of the cat in Shrek doing a low sweeping bow with his).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>L.A</b>. basic derives from the Ballroom/Latin American dance industry mambo step on one which came from the Mambo craze of the 1950's (Mambo originated in Cuba c.1938)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Columbian </b>basic derives from earlier dances of Bugalu and Pachanga (Mambo fused with cha cha cha).</li>
</ul>
Note. I love the idea that we're in some way connecting with past generations but hate it when people get hung up on 'authenticity.' In the UK if we want proper authenticity we should go learn morris dancing. Nooooooo!<br />
<br />
<b>Soft definitions are best:</b><br />
Regional styles are best seen through loose fuzzy definitions. The more fuzzy the more accurate the definition becomes. Conversely the harder or more defined the description the the harder it is to find examples.<br />
I was taught (incorrectly) that Cubans don't spin. That's a hard definition. I went to Havana and the Cubans were spinning away like electric drills. What should have been taught to me is that in Cuban style, if given the opportunity to turn or spin they will more often turn. A much softer description and a lot more accurate.<br />
<br />
Here are a few soft definitions for you, there are many more regions I haven't mentioned.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Cuban style:</b> Rotational (Leader moving clockwise) Grounded, Loose upper body.</li>
<li><b>L.A style:</b> Linear (up and down a slot), sharp, crisp, fast, emphasis on the first beat of the bar. </li>
<li><b>NY style:</b> Linear, fluid, highly stylised, emphasis on the second beat of the bar.</li>
<li><b>Colombian/ Venezuelan style:</b> Static, fast footwork, rigid upper body. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Often dancers think there is their style (the authentic/ best/ proper ) and 'the other' If they've learnt LA style everything else is Cuban and visa versa! Back in the 1990's I printed notes for my classes that had exactly the same two horse race, but back then it was Colombian and Cuban. Maybe everything becomes a Coke vs Pepsi concept in the end?<br />
<br />
<b>London Style:</b> The first time the term was coined was in 1996 on the Streetbeat website. It was referring to a smooth rotational, soft Cuban style with the relaxed fluidity championed by Afro-Caribean Londoners. By the end of the 1990's LA had swept it away and Leon Rose promoted a 'London Style' as a soft LA style or NY on one.<br />
<br />
<b>Style changes over time: </b>Styles change, sometimes suddenly and sometimes very slowly. Cuban style suddenly changed in the mid 1980's when many Hispanic Cubans emigrated to Miami leaving a more Afro Cuban population in Havana. Naturally the style shifted towards a more Afro-Cuban style and Miami was the place for crisp and sharp Miami Cuban style.<br />
I think it's fair to say that the influence of Hip hop, Street and Reggaton have influenced all styles. <br />
In the UK, Strictly Come Dancing with it's millions of viewers, plus an influence of East European migrants with a recent tradition of Ballroom/Latin has greatly stylised the linear scene. While tourism to Cuba and our Afro/ Afro Caribbean population have made the Cuban scene ever more Afro. There also seems to be a 'selfie' cultural effect on salsa where dancers are more conscious of their look and how they appear to the crowd. <br />
Today's style becomes tomorrow's old/out-of-date style which becomes the futures 'retro cool' style.<br />
<br />
<b>The Future? </b>Certainly a massive influence of style is the internet. Anyone can see any style from anywhere at the click of a button. Who knows if this will lead to one global style or even more defined boundaries. Cali (Columbia) style is now becoming quite linear. In my mind it's very possible that Bachata will become consumed into Salsa. What will be the influence of China getting the Salsa bug big time?<br />
<br />
<b>Style as a limitation:</b> This saddens me. It's fine for any instructor to promote a particular style but to denigrate other styles is unprofessional. Sometimes beginners receive the message that Cuban style is more fun or LA style is more sexy and it's a load of nonsense.<br />
Even sadder is the idea that two people in a salsa club couldn't dance together because they believe their style is incompatible. I might have a car styled in blue (I do) but I can still drive a red car. The mechanics of leading and following and the body language of fun and confidence are universal.<br />
An instructor who's goal is to only prepare students for one regional style will often promote techniques that achieve that goal with the unintended consequence of limiting the students to their style. Often this comes with the phrase "In salsa we do ..." The student assumes that the technique is universal throughout salsa and is embarrassed and disappointed where it fails when out dancing.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Recommendation</b>s: </h3>
<ul>
<li>In art schools students can't just learn oil painting. Students first do a foundation course covering many artistic disciplines then specialise in their chosen one. <b>Salsa Rapido</b> is not a style but a teaching method that forms a foundation course where the mechanics are separated from the styling and all techniques are universal. The style I promote is the confident considerate version of you! (plug over!) </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>An Alternative is to go to several regional style classes at the same time. It's a myth that this would somehow be bad from a learning standpoint. Schools teach many subjects on the same day, if this were bad practice, children would do a week of maths then a week of history etc. It may be a little confusing at first but you'll learn loads.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>When comparing different classes, look for what's common and focus on what's necessary rather than superficial. Will it work everywhere? Does everyone in the world know this?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Constantly look out for your bad style and fix these habits ASAP before they become your style. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Style isn't about keeping up with the trends or 'in' with the in crowd, but respecting everyone who steps onto the dance floor. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Finally keep an open mind and try new things. Style will change, will you?</li>
</ul>
<br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-62068609018554332092017-01-11T07:46:00.001-08:002017-01-11T07:54:12.287-08:00How I got into salsaThe two questions I always get asked are:<br />
How long have you been teaching salsa?<br />
How did you get into salsa?<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29xLgzaR-HPJaIDhE3ROrNoiN_mPPvpCc_wdKDGbq1UKZ4IiDTcbvwoblgRIIYGBObvy1g8-Kcv1clJNPZkQ7uVROmFWgM3qTdkw-qABLg-SXBIeG2Y0GnDxWOkRoN-7By9uwuFUS2J8/s1600/back+in+the+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29xLgzaR-HPJaIDhE3ROrNoiN_mPPvpCc_wdKDGbq1UKZ4IiDTcbvwoblgRIIYGBObvy1g8-Kcv1clJNPZkQ7uVROmFWgM3qTdkw-qABLg-SXBIeG2Y0GnDxWOkRoN-7By9uwuFUS2J8/s320/back+in+the+day.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fliss and I c.1996</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Back in the early nineteen nighties (last century!) my girlfriend Felicity aka Fliss aka D.J. Felicidad and I went down to the Notting Hill Carnival. Way off the main drag was a cul-du-sac with a loan sound system playing some alien music. "It's salsa" Fliss had had a Mexican landlady who'd taken her along to a virtually unknown artist call Celia Cruz. When I say unknown, I mean of course to the mainstream British public.<br />
In front of the sound system people were dancing. It was a bit like jive and a bit like ball room but strangely different. There was no apparent uniform, everyone worn the fashions of the day. The movements were spinny and wiggly and smooth but nothin like I'd seen on Come Dancing ("mum can we turn over pleeeeaaaase") For years I thought it was sequin dancing as they all wore sequins. I still think that's a more accurate term than sequence dancing!<br />
My point is, that this dance was different.<br />
There was a flyer on the floor so I picked it up. It was for a Saturday night dance in Leicester Square run by a company called Salsa Fusion. It had an hour's class before so we could do that then dance all night!<br />
We went, we did the class, we sat down and watched all night. Clearly more classes required.<br />
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To cut a long story short, we kept going to classes. We joined the Salsa Fusion demonstration team who we're still in touch will and danced at our wedding. We started to do some demonstrations of freestyle salsa for fun. One was at The Old Bull Art's Centre in High Barnet. By chance the following week a Colombian couple was supposed to start a ten week course. They didn't show so I got the call asking if I could take over the course.<br />
That was April 1995<br />
But the way: that picture was taken by my late father against some green curtains with Fliss wearing mum's high heels, a size to big, as she didn't have any! It's been part of our logo ever since. <br />
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<br />Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1930433732920038495.post-18735133750538792492017-01-09T08:58:00.000-08:002017-01-10T07:29:23.386-08:00Welcome to the Salsa Rapido Method<b>Question: </b><br />
Have you ever thought of doing something, then forget all about it until later, when you have the same idea again?<br />
When I started teach salsa I though it would be a good idea to keep a diary of my teaching. Then I promptly forgot all about it for a while. Twenty three years to be precise. Oops!<br />
To be honest I've to-do-lists that go back way longer than two decades so time-scale wise, I'm really on it. (assuming a geological time scale)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/6/b/c/7/highres_246987591.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/6/b/c/7/highres_246987591.jpeg" width="245" /></a>So hear it is, my first post in the Salsa Rapido blog. <br />
<b>What's it all about?</b> Good question! I'll come back to you on that one......<br />
...OK I'm back and at the moment the best answer is (drum roll please.....)<br />
It's about me, salsa, specifically teaching salsa and how salsa is taught.<br />
<br />
<b>Two massive changes </b>are worth noting from the past twenty years: <br />
First: hidden information is now instantly available to anyone anywhere.<br />
Global info in a global world.<br />
Last year my German car made in UK with a Japanese engine broke down. I fixed it using parts from Belgium via EBay with an instruction video from a man in Louisiana and another from a man in Korea. That's a tad different from the old days of mechanics with secret knowledge, special tools and a magical pricing system that defied gravity and only travelled upwards.<br />
Thinking about my teaching, it seems very old fashioned to not share my experience.<br />
<br />
The other change is science. So much work has been done in the field of psychology, and those clever thinky types have put it up on the web for the likes of my to read, absorb and use in my salsa teaching.<br />
<br />
So here goes, enjoy :-)Alastair Sadlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05981561907411935347noreply@blogger.com0