Journey Through the Mamboverse

Mambo: Racism Antidote

2010-05-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Racists have been pretty active these past weeks in the good 'ole USA. Arizona's guvnah signed into law SB 1070 which legalizes racial profiling of anyone who law enforcement thinks looks illegal. Texas may try this, too. Then, there was the now-famous e-mail from a (white) Harvard Law School student stating, strongly, her belief in the "possibility" that black people are genetically pre-disposed to be less intelligent than white people. [See further developments on this here]. This stuff makes me crazy. I'd love to spew a bunch a expletives about this, but since I believe humor says it better, I re-post Seth Myer's comments on Arizona's law on Saturday Night Live:

(For fun, you can check out my page summarizing the arguments why this law is unconstitutional as well as resources to learn more about it).

In the backdrop of all this, enter: mambo icons who presented at the New Jersey International Salsa Congress. Barbara Craddock and Izzy Sanabria both gave lectures last week at NJISC. And race was a theme in both. In their own styles (and both are exceedingly unique people) Ms. Craddock and Mr. Sanabria showed that afro-cuban music and salsa dancing have the power to rise above racism.

Both Ms. Craddock and Mr. Sanabria showed footage and pictures of their respective eras. You really feel the power of what was happening at those times. Both of them were there. They knew the people in videos and photos they show.

Ms. Craddock began her lecture by asking "What was going on during the Palladium era that made the Palladium so unique? And the answer is: segregation. Segregation was explicit and violent in the South. In the North, it was implicit, but no less damaging and still psychologically violent. The Palladium existed during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

One could see how deeply Ms. Craddock felt the tragedy of the segregation. As she says: "It was a horrible, horrible, thing." The Palladium, at the time, was the only place were black people and white people (including white women dancing with black men, gasp!), jews, Puerto Rican, rich, poor, the famous (Frank Sinatra) and non-famous, all came together to enjoy the music and dancing of the Palladium. She talked about the beautiful dresses that the Puerto Rican dancers wore to the Palladium...a product of many Puerto Rican women toiling as seamstresses in New York and able to show their design and sewing skills at night at the Palladium (in addition to their dancing skills).

Mr. Izzy Sanabria picked up with later history at his lecture on Sunday about the Fania era. The Fania ara was the time that brought us the term "Salsa," which began as a marketing term. Fania exploded onto the music scene in the 70s and, with the combined genius of the Fania musicians, Mr. Sanabria, and Fania businessmen, Salsa became a world-wide musical phenomenon.

Salsa was a phenomenon created by Puerto Rican "immigrants" (in quotes because people from Puerto Rico are American Citizens but often face the anti-immigrant attitudes). Barriers during the Fania era were not just racial, but now exposed class issues, even within the Latin-American community. It was fascinating to learn how Fania was ignored by the Spanish language press (part;u due to salsa music being seen by upper class latino immigrants as low class) and that it was only the English language press that got behind Fania promotion. On his website Mr. Sanabria explains how the older, mambo, musicians like Tito Puente distanced themselves for a time from association with salsa music, but later came around and reconciled with the newer musicians. Again, it was the power of the music and the dancing that broke through barriers. Dissolving racism does not always have to be conscious. As Mr. Sanabria said: "We did not know we were making history....we were just having a damn good time!"

I wrote before on one my early posts that one reason I write this blog, and why I keep dancing is because there are times, moments, at socials or congresses when all barriers dissolve - racial, class, even levels of dancing skill, and a couple. As Ms. Carddock said about the Palladium era: "Dancing mambo was the only time you could meet a guy (of any race), and within two minutes, you were in his arms."

Do not miss these lectures if you are at a congress and they are available to you! It will deepend your understanding of salsa. I believe that the history helps me understand the music better and therefore, to dance better because I feel more connected with the music.

These lecture were so inspiring and heart warming to me.

Peace, Kathleen

Why I Love Estilo Dance Studio in Philadelphia

2010-04-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last week, I volunteered to work at Estilo Dance Studio's Spring Performance. It quietly marked a sort of anniversary for me. Last year, just around this time was when I first committed to a performance class at Estilo and starting learning there every week.

Originally, I was signed-up to dance in last week's performance; a pro-am, On2, performance with Big George. Because of my financial issues (a temporary assignment ending as just the wrong time and I became jobless), I had to cancel. (Of course, just last week a got a new assignment so I can start working with George again! Woooo hoooo!) Since I felt left out, I asked Mike Andino if I could help at the performance. He got me in touch with Sherry Berger, Estilo's business manager and I showed up to work the door. It was almost as fun as dancing in the show! And it gave me a little more perspective because I wasn't strictly an audience member, but I was not performing either. So, I decided to observe, take photos, learn, and have fun.

Here is a little overview of my experience, with photos of a more behind-the-scenes perspective on last week's performance:

Learning To Be Bouncer

Working at the door was trickier that I thought it would be. Lucky for me, Sheldon worked the door with me. He is experienced. After I exhibited some naivete about this job - and I bought into some lame sob stories, Sheldon slapped me around a little and by the end of the night, I was a tough bouncer. Basically, it comes down to your face. For example, here is Sheldon, with his usual kind and cute face:

Here is how he taught me I MUST LOOK when addressing a goofball who is trying to get in without paying:

This is necessary. Really. You would not believe what people try to avoid paying the cover. I also recorded all the others working really hard to make the performance go well for the students. Sherry Berger was very hard at work, and still looking beautiful as usual:

And I was able to get pictures of the people who have made my last year at Estilo such a great experience (except I never got any pics of Mike Andino and Kat Eccleston, but I'll get them next fall when I perform!).I was really impressed with the beautiful costumes designed and made by the students. Here are some pics:

Wow, what a beautiful lady...This was the costume for the Ladies' Styling performance class. Designed by Kat Eccleston, I understand.

Some other costumes I really liked were:

I made sure to take a a pic of the Beginner Performance Class men, in my opinion the most handsome men of the night. I always have so much fun in Mike Andino's Saturday class with these guys!

They are so cute I just wanna give them all a big kiss! And, just for fun here are some random pics from the performance and the social dancing after. I hope you enjoy. See you at next fall's Estilo Performance!

Mambodelphia's Salsambo Socials

2010-04-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have been blogging for Big George! Please check out Mambodelphia's Blog for a review and pictures of last week's monthly Salsambo Social.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to write for Mambodelphia! My long dormant writing desires are now being used with great happiness for me. I am so happy On2 is here in Philadelphia. Thank you, George!

Peace and Love All.

I Got My Head in a Philly Jam

2010-03-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I go through some kind of confusing down cycle in my dancing. Nothing seems to work right and I cannot follow anyone. I don't know why. I enter some kind of alternate universe where everyone else is having a great time but I cannot follow anyone. I hit one of these times at Philly Jam IV last Saturday night.

Don't get me wrong, The Philly Jam IV event was excellent. I had never gone before and the venue was really great. It is so nice to dance in a place with a huge floor. This is why I love socials. There were amazing social dancers there. I got a bit intimidated.

I had to leave early after seeing only a few performances (babysitter), and honestly, my down mood about this stayed with me a couple of days. It was most annoying to see all my salsa Facebook friends reporting about the great time they had. I was not at that party.

There were really nice moments, even from my bummed-out perspective. I was happy to see Choco there. For some reason, he always remembers my face and always graciously says hello. I have no idea how he remembers me when we only met last spring and he sees thousands of people through the year at these events.

Thank you to Nick DeKeiss Padin and Melissa Pabon for putting together a great event. And of course, I love Mario B. who was a great host. I hope to see him hosting more events - maybe even Congresses. He has really got a knack for the hosting thing.

I also enjoyed seeing my teacher, George Dennis and his partner, Jackie, perform. One of my non-dancer friends, after hearing that George is about 6 foot 3, asked me once “but, is he graceful?” Not only is Big George graceful, he has very creative, elegant, On2 leads and choreography. And I am sure his partner is happy he can catch her after he throws her about 10 feet in the air.Here is a link to a good picture of George and Jackie.

The lady dancer who knocked my socks off was Lauren Lopez, who performed with Raul Santiago. Not only is this young lady starlet beautiful, but she danced with style, heart, and athleticism, and she has amazing stage presence and poise. I think she is all of 18 years old. I am looking forward to see more of her performances! You can see Pics of Lauren and the rest of the event at this link: TriniJungleJuice's Picture Page

I had to leave somewhere in the middle of the 19 performances. Convinced that I danced terribly, I sulked back to my car and settled in for a few days of feeling sorry for myself.

George is a teacher who really cares about his students and how they represent out there in mambo world. I know this because George posted on his Facebook about how proud he was of his On2 students and how well they danced at Philly Jam (he did not see me there, so he was not talking about me.Ouch). So, I wrote to George and told him what an awful experience I had.

George is not one to waste words. He wrote back "Hey, I understand, let's work together to get you over the hump. Hang in there.”

The hump! It's just a hump? Hooray, it's not Mount Everest I actually might be able to do this. Maybe next year I will be able to go to Philly Jam and not feel like I got run over by a truck. So, my bad mood got ruined by George's encouragement and I am back in the saddle! I'll keep practicing and I hope to see you all at George's Salsambo social on Friday night, April 2nd. I'll be camping out with my camera; and I will be dancing (happily), and dreaming up the next blog post.

Thanks George. I really did need that encouragement.

Peace!

P.s. Please check out my page on "Reading Blogs" to learn about getting a feed to your computer or phone so you can stay on top of blog posts and other good stuff!

Grammy Nominated Manhattan School Latin Jazz Orchestra Concert Friday Night!

2010-03-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I am so proud to have attended this school! (Why didn't I play trumpet?). Here is a link to find out more about the program and get tickets:

Manhattan School of Music Latin Jazz Band Concert

The program will include arrangements by:

Jeff Lederer (saxophone player with, among many others, Jimmy Bosch's band)
Chris Washburne (his book is highlighted on my blog)
Bobby Sanabria
And others!

You Tube Video of This Amazing Latin Grammy Nominated STUDENT Group. Are those trumpet players, like, 19?

:

La Luna All Stars Dance Party and Workshops

2010-03-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

As promised to my vast numbers of readers (I think it's about 5 people now) here is a little review of my experience at La Luna's All Stars events this weekend.

If you did not go this, you missed something. I bet this is not done in too many cities...getting almost all of the local instructors together to give a performance and a series of workshops. I really like the community aspect to this. Also, I do think it is important for a student to venture out of his or her home studio and meet other teachers and students. You meet people and you get more dance partners when you are out there dancing.

Sonya Elmore deserves BIG thanks and admiration for getting this all together. On Friday night, she gave awards and thanks to the many people who have been on the Philly salsa scene from the beginning and their contributions to it. It is really cool that she thinks it is important to honor the major dancers who have made the Philly scene. Eli Torres could not be there and I really missed him! Mike Andino, as his usual gentlemanly self, made sure that Sonya was recognized and thanked, also. Her contribution is HUGE (not to mention Salsafest, among other things).

The workshops on Sunday were cool because it was like a mini-congress. There were 5, 50-minute class segments. In each segment, you could choose which of 4 workshops you wanted to take. And, if you were smart, like I was (for once), you would have bought your tickets way back in early February when you could get a ticket for $50. So, I got a deal because this came to $10 per class. If you waited and paid at the door, it was $85, or $17 per class.

I chose to take the rumba class with Darlin Garcia, On2 with George Dennis, On1 class with Raul Santiago, Cha-Cha with Victor Colon, and Bachata with Joe Figueroa. You also could have taken classes with Sonya Elmore, Kat Eccleston, Amber Rawls, Mike Andino, Ashley Knecht, Star Seguinot, Jose Maldonado, Noel Rodriguez, Vicky Woods, Barbara Capaldi, Christy Kam, and Henri Velandia. Jessica Rodriguez was out for the day with an injury, unfortunately.

When I go to congresses, I usually don't take classes with the teachers at my "home studio" (or 2 studios, in my case - Estilo and Mambodelphia). I make an exception for On2 with Big George because my main focus as a student is On2. So I try to take any On2 class that I can. If you don't dance On2, even just a little, you are missing something, by the way. (Sorry, I had to get that On2 plug in there).

Darlin Garcia's Rumba/Afro-Cuban class TOTALLY ROCKED! It was worth my $50 right there. Now I just gotta practice because my shoulder isolations ain't so good. And I was delighted to see George Dennis' On2 class very well attended. I had a hard time finding enough space on the floor to learn the shine. Seems like we are getting some On2 interest 'round here (despite the skepticism of some people).

I got to sample some teaching of other teachers and I learned something from every one. Raul Santiago kicked my butt. Victor Colon had really nice cha cha patterns, especially the shines. And Joe Figueroa is a darn good teacher. I ended up in his Bachata class by mistake. I am not a big Bachata fan and I thought he was teaching a salsa class. I didn't want to be rude by leaving after I was already paired up, so I stayed. Joe apologized for perhaps giving more theory than he thought people wanted but I, for one, learned a lot. I will now stop popping my hip so much when I dance Bachata and instead "collect" (yep, Joe, I was listening). And I learned a lot about connecting to my partner and just making my Bachata better. I like it more now. I left early though (sorry, Joe), because I was just plain exhausted. And I had an hour drive home.

If La Luna does this again next year, don't miss out. Buy early and take advantage of how much you can learn in 1/2 a day. You will be really, really, tired at the end. Hot and sweaty, too. It's a good day.

So, there you have it, dear readers. My La Luna experience. Thanks for reading!

Upcoming Posts

2010-03-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

- Cheap Eats at the New Jersey Salsa Congress (I get to go to some of my favorite places, yay!). There is some good food up there on Bergenline Avenue.

- How I plan to save money at the New Jersey Salsa Congress

- Soneras - (Some of) the women who sing salsa and why they SWING! (I won't be able to research this fully, but I can get started). Maybe some comments will help me learn about this?

- OMG, I am doing a pro-am performance with Big George. This is kinda scary. Also, I am 13 inches shorter than he is. Someone just pointed this out to me. It explains why I when I spot, I stare at his sternum.

- Philly Jam March 20. Hosted by Mario B. I cannot wait!

- All Stars Workshop at La Luna this weekend.

Honesty

2010-03-11T03:58:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a lot about blogging lately. One of the things experienced bloggers talk about is that the blogger has to be authentic if they want readers to engage with the blog.

I do a lot of research about salsa and dancing. I use it to learn. But I realized I didn't want my blog to just be a report on what new thing about salsa I found on the internet that day. This blog is called a "Journey" and that is what it is. A chronicle of my journey.

I wonder why anyone would want to read about white woman's amateur dance experience in the salsa world. Edie the Salsa Freak was able to capture a lot of admiration with her website. But I am not her. I am never going to win the Mayan Dance Competition. Honestly, I do want readers. I am not 100% sure why I need to write this blog. And, I have long been accused in my life of "wearing my heart on my sleeve," and that I need to stop that and protect myself more. But I figure there must be something positive I can bring to others by writing, honestly and authentically, about my journey in the salsa dance world. So I'll try. I can always end the blog. It's mine, after all.

This dance has brought me the entire range of human emotion as I have struggled through it. I have felt anger, competitiveness, embarrassment, and even shame at times because of this dance. But I have also felt inspiration, joy, love, connection, compassion, honor, and community because of this dance.

Last year, I went to the Connecticut Salsa Congress. One afternoon, I walked into the Bachata room. Everyone was dancing Bachata. I guess I was struck with what some type of Buddhist "moment of clarity" (there is an actual term for this, but I don't know what it is) because I saw, in one room, 10 year old children dancing next to a 70+ year old couple. I saw white couples dancing next to black couples, who were dancing next to an asian couple, them next to a spanish couple. I saw more couples, mixed couples, young with old, white with spanish, asian with black, on and on. I saw tough looking 20-somethings dancing next to frail old women. Everyone was feeling happiness and joy. Everyone was in the moment. Everyone felt safe. I could see it and feel it.

I not totally naive. Jeez, I am a lawyer for pete's sake. I am supposed to be a n argumentative, cynical, person for a living. I know that anger, and even violence, erupt in connection with salsa and salsa events. And I guess this is part of the journey, too.

But sometimes, many times, differences are set aside, for a few minutes, and all the people present live in joy and community. This really happens. It's palpable. It brought tears to my eyes. Was anyone else feeling this? At least so intently? Yeah, probably I am a little crazy.

So, after lots of struggle and soul searching and mistakes about everything with this dance, I hope I have found a way I can bring it into my life in a healthy way. I need to focus on the inspiration and the community. I have been given gifts of musical training, good dance teachers, and intelligence and this is my unique experience. No matter how long a break I take, I am always pulled back into this dance. And this is what my Journey is about.

She Had Me at "Montuno"

2010-03-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you are a dancer and you have a Facebook account, you may have seen some notices about a new online dance school being promoted by Irene Miguel. Ms. Miguel is a salsa instructor based in the U.K. You can learn more about her at her dance studio's site at irenemiguel.com.

I checked out Irene's You Tube channel "Digital Dance Academy" and I am really looking forward to the launch of this site!

Irene really hooked me with her explanation of the music, which is one of the videos on the Digital Dance Academy channel (you can subscribe to this channel)! Sorry, I'd include a link but somehow it's not working on my blog.

Irene has a nice video where she explains salsa movement in relation to the cowbell that is often heard in the montuno section of a salsa song. In years of salsa dance study, I have only been in one class where a teacher really focused on the music and how to generate responsive movement to the music you are hearing (and that was a class devoted only to musicality -- as if musicality is an add-on or something instead of something organically connected with dance). I would love to learn to dance along with more understanding of the music as I go. So I definitely will be checking out OnlineSalsaAcademy when it is launched.

In her very short teaser about the new site, Irene also talks about how the ability to hear live music --- and watch the instruments that are making the sounds --- influences how a dancer relates to the music. And I am all for anything that promotes listening to more live music!

I can't wait to check out this studio and blog all about it. I really like online studios and have subscribed to BaSO off and on (when my money allows). One of these days I will blog about what I think the benefits are to these sites, what I have learned from them, and what I definitely cannot learn online (like, how to follow!) I like to use online sites to optimize my learning when I can't get to a studio (one of the problems with being a single mom!).

I'd love to hear about your experiences with online dance studios or any online resource you use to learn to dance. Let me know! Thanks readers!

What I Am Reading This Week

2010-03-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to My Mambo Dance and Music Blog

2010-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Kathleen Aguilar and I love to dance. I thought that the niche for a mambo-dancing, musician-lawyer, buddhist, gringa had not been filled yet so I decided to rush in before anyone else does. My favorite dance is salsa, and by that I mean On2 — Mambo, New York style. But I’ll dance any style so long as I am dancing. I am based in Philadelphia and will blog about my experience with lessons, clubs, congresses, performances, and the music!

I decided to start a blog to have fun. I tried one before in law, but that was too boring. So I decided to blog about all the crazy stuff that is always flying around in my head about salsa. I fell in love with this music and this dance and I am always learning, reading, listening, dancing, and thinking about this music and dance. I am kind of hoping blogging will get all this out of my head to I can keep from going insane! I guess I am a bit addicted here...

My On2 teacher here is Philadelphia is Big George Dennis of Mambodelphia! George has his own dance studio and blog about the On2 Scene in Philadelphia which you can read at the Mambodelphia Blog

If you are reading this, then I want to thank you! If you have any comments, ideas, suggestion or would like to see a blog post about a salsa related topic, let me know and leave a comment!