Salsa, Pachanga, and Charanga

One of the things that has always appealed to me about salsa is the high degree of subjectivity within the discipline.

Unlike most other forms of dance, there is not ONE correct way of doing anything. There are pretty much as many styles of salsa dancing as there are dancers.
This obviously extends not just to teaching, but also to the culture itself.
Ask 5 teachers where salsa comes from, and you’re likely to get 5 different answers.
The terminology is not fixed. Several teachers use the same name for different steps, or different names for the same step…

Below are a few examples of things I’ve heard and read that illustrate this:

• I read an article once that affirmed that “salsa” was the music and “mambo” was the dance.
• One teacher I learned from said “inside” and “outside” turns applied to followers, “right” and “left” applied to leaders. Another teacher used “inside” and “outside” for traveling turns, “right” and “left” for turns on the spot. Another will use the terms indiscriminately, depending on the leaders relative positioning.
• I could draw a long list of songs that claim to belong to a given genre, but clearly don’t.

Why am I thinking of this? Well, I’ve been studying pachanga steps of late, trying to learn by studying online videos (much as I learned my 0n2 8 years ago). I was discussing this with a friend, who asked me what was the difference between charanga and pachanga. And I couldn’t provide a solid answer. The issue is further muddied by the fact that, for instance, Eddie Torres uses pachanga or charanga music indiscriminately when he teaches pachanga shines.

So where to start?
First, my subjective feeling, on a musical level, is that pachanga and charanga are almost identical, but charanga tends to incorporate more violin and flute. So basically, if I hear as song that could be either, I decide which way depending on the instruments’ presence.
However… If you listen to the lyrics of La Pachanga Se Baila Asi, a classic pachanga with many covers including Charlie Palmieri, the lyrics state unequivocally that “charanga” is the band, and “pachanga” is the dance. This argument is somewhat supported by the fact that there are dozens of bands with “charanga” in their name, whereas only one to my knowledge that has “pachanga” in its name. By the way, I’ll note that a good number of these “charanga” artists don’t in the least play music that is either charanga or pachanga…

Next, some exploration of wikipedia. Although I find the detailed information incomplete and somewhat inaccurate, the inclination is clearly in the direction that pachanga is a dance/music whereas charanga is a band/music. I’m still not satisfied, and wonder if wikipedia in Spanish might be better. But that proved a false hope. Wikipedia spanish is Spain-focused, not Latin-America focused, and their definition of a charanga is that it is a colloquial word for party… Surprisingly, it’s the French version of wikipedia that gave me the answers I liked best:
French wikipedia has two definitions of Pachanga: a musical style whose heyday was in the early sixties, between those of cha-cha-cha and of boogaloo. Derived from charanga music, it was popularized among others by Fania’s Johnny Pacheco (some erroneously believe that Pachanga = Pacheco + Charanga). Second definition, according to the pianist of Orquesta Aragon, is that a pachanga is a guaracha (kind of rumba) interpreted by a charanga (kind of band).

As for Charanga, French wikipedia defines it as a musical ensemble of Cuban origin that incorporates violin and flute, that originally played danzon. Structurally speaking some modern Timba orchestras are very similar to Charangas (explaining why some use “charanga” in their name).
What does it all mean, you might be asking? And my answer is that we can make up our individual minds about things like that. Don’t let anyone tell you that they have the final answer.
Keep in mind that salsa was called salsa because it became necessary to create one name to market all the different kinds of afro-caribbean music that were cross-influencing one another in the late sixties/early seventies.

Zumba Fitness Class - 4/23/13

Zumba Fitness Class - 4/23/13

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LA Style Salsa Basics

Hey my Nuevolution Dance Students.  Today was also a great class discussing the basics of LA Style Salsa.  Here is yet another article I found on the internet that gives you an explanations of all that I was discussing with you today in class.  Please read as this is really important to you.  I don't want you guys to simply "DO" the move but rather "BE" the move itself.

THE BASICS OF LA STYLE
L.A. style is danced on a slot and starts on the one beat ("on 1"), which is usually the down beat in a salsa song. In contrast, New York style salsa begins on the two beat ("on 2"). As with New York style, the back and forth Mambo basic, again in a linear motion, is still used in L.A. style. But by beginning on 1, L.A. style feels faster to dancers and the moves appear more powerful to audiences. In L.A. style, the leader breaks forward with their left foot on 1. The follower mirrors the leader's footwork and steps back with their right foot on 1.

As with ballroom dances, the two essential elements of L.A. style are the forward and backward basic steps and the cross-body lead. Similar to New York style and the Cuban Casino style (dile que no) , many of the moves are based from cross-body lead variations.

In a cross-body lead, the leader and the follower switch places on the slot. The leader steps forward on the on 1 and then steps to the right on the second and third beats while turning 90 degrees counter-clockwise (facing to the left). The follower then steps forward on the fifth and sixth beats and then turns to face her partner on the seventh and eight beats. To finish the move, the leader makes another turn 90 degrees counter-clockwise. After these eight counts of music, the leader and follower should have successfully exchanged positions and should be facing each other, heart to heart.

Musicality, the ability of a dancer to be harmonious with the music playing, is a major part in all forms of salsa dancing, including L.A. style. Solo choreography moves, known as "shines," are an important component of this type of salsa and can be used to explore musicality. Shines usually involve more complex, jazz inspired, speedy footwork and can occur when a pair of dancer wants to take a break from partner dancing during a song. Shines can be previously choreographed or spontaneous. Either way, shines are considered a form of freestyle dancing.

Styling is another term related to musicality in L.A. style salsa. Styling refers to the way dancers pepper their dances with flourishes of personality communicated by flairs in their movement. Each person will develop their own personal style of dance but a person interested in developing their styling can absolutely do so with instruction from a professional. In L.A. style salsa, styling is a huge component.

In order to learn L.A. style salsa the fundamentals -- the cross body lead and basic linear steps -- are essential. With proper training and practice, the extras, such as shine choreography and styling, can take a person's L.A. style dancing to the next level.

Nuevolution Dance Pattern of the Week

Pattern of the Week

Ladies Shine Team

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What is the Clave?

The clave is traditionally a wooden instrument consisting of 2 sticks which are struck together to make a clicking or tapping sound.  Nowadays, sometimes it is a plastic hollow rectangular "box" which may be hand-held or mounted on the drum set - the timbales, cowbell, cymbal, woodblock, etc.   And sometimes the clave rhythm sounds come from other sources, such as the drummer tapping the side of a drum, the conga or bongo player's beat, a clave rhythm from the singer, piano or other instrument, etc.  In Spanish, the word "clave" means a "key", like a "key word" or the "key to a code".  In salsa music, the clave rhythm establishes the key or structure of the song.  Directly or indirectly, all the other instruments and the singers in the band are guided and structured by the clave rhythms.  While it cannot always be heard in some salsa music, the clave's beat always underlies the rhythmic structure of good salsa.  While there are various clave rhythm patterns, the "Son Clave" is the one used in the classic, mainstream New York Caribbean-style salsa music preferred by New Yorkers for On 2 dancing.  This clave is played within 2 measures of 4 beats each, a total of 8 beats.  But it is only tapped on certain of those 8 beats in the 2 measures.   There are two son clave rhythm patterns:   the 3/2 clave and the 2/3 clave.  The 3/2 clave is struck on the following beats:  1, 2 1/2,  4, 6, 7.  The 2/3 clave is struck on the following beats:  2, 3,  5, 6 1/2, 8.    The clave creates a complex, syncopated, unevenness in the rhythmic structure that builds a tension in the group of 3 taps, and then releases or resolves that tension in the group of 2 taps, once in each of the 2 measures.  It does this by going against, and then rejoining, the regular 8 beats, a little like one instrument playing in 4/4 time, and another playing in 3/4 time simultaneously.  This syncopation fascinates and inspires those more experienced On 2 dancers who are particularly in tune to the music, and affects the way they feel and move when they have reached the level of the dance where they are truly "dancing in the music".  

You may have heard the expression "Dancing on Clave" to describe New York On 2 mambo.  This needs some clarification.  Actually, this is a loose expression to mean that the clave contributes to the 8 beat rhythmic structure of salsa, and also affects how we feel and move to the music.  But we do not literally step to ALL the beats that the clave instrument taps out.  For example, the 2/3 clave instrument taps out 2, 3, 5, 6 1/2, 8, while we step on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.  So we are only stepping on the 2, 3 and 5 taps of the 2/3 clave.  And the 3/2 clave taps out 1, 2 1/2, 4, 6, 7, while we step on 1, 2, 3,  5, 6, 7.  So we only step on the 1, 6, and 7 of the 3/2 clave.  As an example of how the clave makes us feel and move, we break on 2 and 6, but the 6 break feels much more emphatic and part of the body than does the 2 break when we are dancing to a song with a 3/2 clave, because the 6 break is "On Clave", at least when it's audible in the music.  In contrast, when the song we are dancing to has a clear 2/3 clave structure, the 2 break feels stronger than the 6 break.  Many intermediate and advanced On 2 dancers feel this difference, particularly those who are closely attuned to the music. 

The clave always has one measure with 2 beats, and one measure with 3 beats.  The 2/3 clave has 2 beats in the first measure, and 3 beats in the second measure.  The 3/2 clave has 3 beats in the first measure, and 2 beats in the second measure.  It is in the nature of the clave rhythmic structure that the 2 beats always stand out more emphatically than the 3 beats.  That is, they feel stronger in the rhythm.  Partly this is because the 2 beats resolve the syncopated unevenness or tension of the 3 beats.  When we are breaking on 2 and 6, we are actually changing our body direction in conjunction with the strongest rhythmic emphasis in the clave's beat.  So although we don't literally step on every clave beat, we do make a major body movement (a change of direction) on the major beat of the clave, the 2 beat which resolves the tension.  It is in this sense that we "dance on clave".  This style of dancing accents the clave's emphasis on the 2  in the way we move our bodies in the dance.  Other timings, such as breaking on 1 or 3, do not accent the clave's emphasis on the 2 in this way.

There are other uses of the word "clave" you may hear.  (1)  "Finding the clave" - referring to when we take our first step, on the 1:  "finding the clave" in this usage means finding the first beat of the 8 beat measure.   (2)  Also, you may hear someone describe a DJ as "mixing the songs on the clave" - This usage means going from one salsa song to the next keeping the tempo/timing of the 8 beats.  Both of these uses of the "the clave" have to do with the regular 8 beats, and do not literally refer to the rhythms created by the tapping of the clave instrument.  (3)  Finally, you may hear the expression "changing the clave", referring to when a song restarts the count after only 4 beats instead of 8 beats.  When this happens, the dancer is now off-timing since we dance to an 8 beat count.  More advanced dancers who feel this "clave change" will do a "transition step" which adjusts their timing to the new count in the music.

Getting the most out of your classes

To all my students and non-students I will be posting information about different theories and ideas on dance.  Lots of this information is extremely useful and will help you all become much better dancers.  Here is a very interesting article I found on the New York Mambo website about getting the most out of your dance classes.  Please Read… Give your opinions…
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PRACTICE
Practicing is the most important and usually the most underrated aspect of becoming a good dancer. It does not matter how much you learn, if you do not practice you will improve very slowly and and possibly even forget what you’ve learned in class. In fact, a good time to go out to a club and practice is right after a salsa class so that you can practice what you’ve just learned. We cannot overemphasize the importance of practice! Practicing is not only limited to dancing at the nightclubs though. You can practice turn patterns at home by yourself or with a partner (real or imaginary). You can practice spinning almost anywhere there is a good spinning surface i.e. wood or hard tile. When practicing you will get better results if you do it in front of the mirror so you can see how you’re doing. This is especially important when practicing styling, so you can judge what looks good. The best way to improve your dancing besides taking classes is by practicing as much as possible.
REMEMBERING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED
One of challenges of learning to dance is actually remembering what you’ve learned. It is common for students to forget a move they’ve learned just one week before. This usually happens when the moves are not practiced. A great way to avoid this trap is to write down what you have learned after every class. You can ask the instructor for the name of the move or name/describe it yourself. When naming a move yourself, try to pick a name that will remind you what the move actually looks like.

Another key point is to repeat all the moves you’ve learned including the most basic turn patterns. Most students end up practicing just the latest move and neglect all the turn patterns they’ve previously learned. They end up only remembering the new stuff and significantly reduce their repertoire.

A great way to see how you’re progressing is to videotape
yourself dancing. You can bring a video camera to a workshop and tape
yourself performing what you’ve learned after the workshop is over.
Videotaping yourself is beneficial because it gives you a concrete record of
many of the moves you know. In addition you can look at your execution andsee the areas where you need to improve. So remember a lesson will just be a waste of time if you can’t put what you’ve learned into practice. So practice and use these tips help you refresh your memory.
KNOW THE MUSIC
One more thing that will help your dancing is listening to the music. Buy a few salsa CD’s, and listen to them as often as possible, even as background music. You will be improving your timing and musical understanding — both key aspects for becoming a good dancer. This is especially important if you do not have any music or dance background. This will also help you get the most out of your dance classes. Learning the proper timing is one of the hardest things to teach so if you are comfortable with the rhythms and the music you will find it a lot easier to dance.
BE ON TIME
When you arrive late to a class you not only cheat yourself, you also disrupt the class for the rest of the students. If the classes are too far away or at an inconvenient time you will be more likely to miss classes and lose patience. It’s preferable to arrive a few minutes early so you can change your shoes (if necessary) and mingle with your fellow students. If everyone arrives a few minutes early the class can start right on time.
GET FEEDBACK
Listen to what others have to say about your dancing. This is really hard on the ego sometimes but it is a great way to find out what areas you need to improve on. Take all feedback with a grain of salt and keep in mind the source. In most cases the constructive criticism you get from your dance partners is pretty accurate. Sometimes comments on your dancing may not be flattering but don’t take it personally. No one is perfect and everyone can improve their dancing in some way. Probably the best and most constructive feedback you can get is from an instructor so try taking a private lesson every now and then to get a good idea of where you stand. Also try getting feedback from more experienced dancers you don’t normally dance with as your regular dance partners may have already adapted to you. The more feedback you get the better, so dance with as many different people as you can. Remember however that not everyone if comfortable giving feedback, so although you may politely ask for feedback, don’t push for it.

Theories and Concepts in Dance from Magna Gopal

My Nuevolution Dance Family… You know I love learning and trying to see things from different perspectives especially when it comes to theories and concepts of dance.  One World Renowned Magna Gopal’s website, she has tons of very informative ideas on different situations as well as concepts in improving your dance as well as ideas on how to deal with different situations in relation to dance.  It is very, very, very informative and I highly recommend that you read guys.  In fact, I would say that it is mandatory…  Be like a sponge and absorb that knowledge…

Magna Gopal Theories and Concepts in Dance 

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Magna Gopal at Nuevolution Dance Studio

MAGNA IS HERE

Salsa Dance Etiquette for Guys and Gals

1. When asking someone to dance, be polite, if you don't know the person you are asking, first introduce yourself and then ask her or him to dance, 99% of the time, they will say yes if you're nice!

2. When dancing, pay attention to your partner, keep eye contact and try to smile as often as possible. Nobody enjoys dancing with a grouch, no matter how good they dance...

3. When someone makes a mistake, don't argue about it or give them attitude, laugh it off and keep dancing, this will relax the person who made the mistake. The more relaxed you are when you dance, the better you will lead and follow.

4. When dancing in a crowded club, keep your steps small and move your body more (on the spot). When restricted with space, keep your elbows to yourself, try to move your hips more, shoulders etc, and you will find that you don't step on other dancers... and other dancers won't step on you... hopefully ;)

5. When leading a beginner dancer, KISS :) (keep it simple stupid) ha ha Don't try all your complicated moves on the first 4 bars, start slow, single spin, CBL, basic, and as they relax, try to slowly bring the level up to their limit.

6. When following a beginner dancer, be nice, smile and make them feel comfortable and relaxed so they can remember their steps... if they make a mistake, just smile and keep dancing! Remember, we were ALL beginners at one point.

7. When dancing, leave behind anything that could get in the way ... your purse, your drink... etc.

8. Try not to wear a watch or any jewellery that could get caught on hair or clothing.

9. When entering the club, wipe the bottom of your shoes or change your shoes before getting to the dance floor. When it's raining or snowing out, all that mud and dirt will stay on your shoes and if you walk through the dance floor leaving a mud trail behind you, other people with dance shoes on will not appreciate it.

10. When you're not dancing, don't stand in the way of other people trying to dance. Even if you want to watch, stand back and leave the space on the dance floor to people who are dancing.

11. When you arrive to the dance club, never say no to the first person asks you to dance. Once you get out there a couple of times with different partners, other potential partners will know you won't turn them down.

12. A hardwood dance floor should be treated with care. Drinks, food and cigarettes on the dance floor are a big NO NO.

13. If you are a beginner, remember that everyone out there has probably experienced that same sweaty palm, stiff-as-a-board, jittery feeling. It will pass, relax, smile and enjoy the music!

14. If you had a great dance with someone, tell them at the end of song! They will love to hear it.

15. And last but not least, when greeting someone with a kiss, if your face is all sweaty, DO NOT make cheek contact!!!! Shake hands or kiss the air...

TIPS FOR THE LADIES:

1. When your have long hair, try to tie it in a way that it won't whip your partner or other dancers around you. Getting hit in the eye by flying hair does not feel great.

2. When dancing, don't wonder around with your eyes looking at other dancers. This will tell your partner that you wish you were dancing with them... and not him.

3. If your partner has forgotten to shower that day, try to smile and breath through your mouth :) This way, you will still enjoy the dance instead of trying to hold your breath for a whole song.

4. Girls, I cannot stress this enough, do not anticipate moves. You may think you know the move and just go without letting your partner lead you. There are millions of combinations so never assume it's the one you know...

5. When styling, make sure you bring your hands back by 3 (when dancing on 1). Your partner needs your hand by 3 to start leading, turning... etc.

6. Always look at your partner, pay attention to hands and body movements and you'll be able to follow much better.

7. Relax your arms and shoulders when following, this will allow your partner to lead better.

8. Don't sink into your steps, this will make you slow and heavy, stay on your toes and keep soft knees to follow quickly and light.

TIPS FOR MEN:

1. Don't stare at your partner's chest when asking her to dance or while dancing.

2. Say thank you after dancing the first song... if you wish to continue dancing, ask one more?

3. Most important, try to remember, your partner is not disposable - don't toss her around like a bowling ball.

4. Try to wear a cotton shirt under your dress shirt, this will help absorb the sweat and keep you dryer. If you tend to sweat a lot, try to bring an extra shirt or towel.

5. Try NOT to wear your "construction boots" type shoes on the dance floor. If you happen to step on a girl wearing sandals or dance shoes, she will never forget or forgive!

6. When wearing a long sleeve dress shirt with buttons on the cuffs, try to roll up the cuffs. Those buttons always catch on the girls’ hair.

7. Girls love to get dipped, but not into a table or someone else. Always look around before you dip her. If her hair is down and it's long, don't dip her low or other people will step on her hair.

8. And most important, treat your partner like a lady. She will always love dancing with you.

Thank you for taking the time to read these tips!

Magical Classes

Classes today at Nuevolution Dance Studio were just magical.  Was great seeing all the students come together and learn something new.  You should have seen their eyes light up when they all felt that they have learned a new skill and have the ability to express that with someone else.  That look is something that can not even be explained.  Was such a joy to experience that with all you guys.  Love you all...

Great Performance at Prestige Anniversary Party