Salsa City Forum » Salsa Music and Dance » Where has all the Salsa passion gone?

Where has all the Salsa passion gone?

Hi! I’ve just come back from a Salsa holiday in Barcelona, where I really enjoyed myself. Whilst there I was lucky to meet a young lady from Jersey who had never danced Salsa before, she commented on a young couple who had been dancing and said, “they were dancing so passionately that I thought that they must be partners, but when the music stopped, they each went on to dance with others. This Salsa is great, everyone dancing with everyone and with so much passion.” Naturally I encouraged her enthusiasm and we went on to spend the whole week enjoying passionate Salsa.

Back in Cardiff, I’m looking for passionate Salsa here! But what do I see? Cross body leads, turns, spins, dips and even some attempts at Cuban style, but where’s the passion? It reminds me of the flinging and turning associated with rock and roll from the sixties. Some fantastic gymnastics, but no closeness, no tenderness and nothing to compare with the passion of true Salsa!

I have to remind my fellow Cardiff dancers, Salsa should be danced with passion; dancing in a small circle, exchanging small talk and compliments, and when appropriate dancing even closer! The man should lead the lady in such a way to make her look good; he can’t do this at a distance!

Over the years, I have been taught to do all the Latin dances close to my partner, where all the steps are danced over a ‘circular manhole’. To appreciate the leads that a lady expects; I’ve even learned the female moves, but I have never seen or heard of anybody teaching the ladies what the men expect. I’m not suggesting that the ladies should lead, but to learn how to dance in a close hold and moving to the rhythm. Personally I find it very difficult dancing a close hold with a partner who wants to be at a jive distance. Sometimes the distance of the dance hold is so great that there is a real risk of losing your partner.

I know that some of you will be thinking, ‘yea, yea, but it’s up to the man to lead and control the lady’. But guess what folks! A lot of ladies have inhibitions about being led and controlled!

(Anyone for Ballroom Salsa?)???

Andy Witt, John Pamplin and others are always encouraging a closer passionate style, the way it should be, but for some reason most pupils find it difficult to remember this.

Some years ago I had a few advance lessons in Bath with a top-notch lady teacher, she was fantastic on turns, I learned a lot. After the class she said “Every where I go the men spin, spin and spin me, it can be so boring, I’d prefer it if they would simply hold me a little closer and talk to me!” I took that to heart.

Dear John,
I read your thoughts on salsa and passion with curiosity and appreciation. I agree that dancing should be an expression of our emotions, of the way we feel about the music, the person we are dancing with and mostly about the feeling of joy in externating these feelings in full. I guess that is why I love dancing with some people while with others I find the all process a bit “boring” and mechanical...
When I dance I often try to express the emotions that a song gives me and sometimes I find that there is a kind of resistance with some men... they probably feel “I am up to something”

For this reason, I have sadly noticed that some guys have now stopped asking me to dance and some have started to ignore me! Especially if I am not dancing and I am looking for someone to dance.
I guess you are right when you say that there is a percetible distance between some partners and that the passion is not part of the agenda at time. Fortunately I am far from this rigidity or at least I think.
I love dancing and watching people dance, most of the time I feel that the best dancers are those who make the dance become part of the music and they become one with their partner. You said it right... many of us are excellent gimnasts but dancers, real ones, few.

Also you are correct, many teachers stress the importance of passion when dancing...

Hi there Blondie! Sorry couldn’t get back to you earlier! And thanks for your comments. Too bad, there appears to be a lot of folks who don’t want to make any comment on this subject…are they those people who do these acrobat things?
Maybe they don’t want (Passion). never mind lets have another go!

Passion in salsa, OK, it’s true, I really love this close dancing thing and people do say that I shouldn’t be encouraged so, just to keep them happy let’s vary the theme and talk about…

Cuban Salsa Son……... Now that’s danced with Passion!

Try this link for a demo and then maybe, we can improve on the topic!
.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI7TDQxMACQ

Anyone else for comments?

Ok, I would love to comment on this topic. I am really surprised that more users haven’t done so already.

I am from San Francisco and have been salsa dancing for about 10 years or so. I was just living in New Zealand for the last two years and found their style of dancing severley lacking in the passion area. It was all technique and no feeling. I think that it has something to do with culture. Certain countries are comfortable with expressing themselves. Latin cultures tend to me a lot more passsionate and expressive in every facet of their lives, where english based cultures are a bit more reserved when it comes to emotional and creative expression.

My favorite dances by far are by those that take their time, establish a connection with their partner and build tension and chemistry through a sort of dance conversation. It is almost a courting process. Salsa dance is a creative expression that is about passion and closeness and intimacy.

Guess some people just want to dance, and not get ‘passionate’ with others. It can be a bit embarrassing sometimes when people go over the top, when dancing with them, or even watching them embarrass others.

Hi there JLow, thanks for your response. I take your point and to a great extent I now find myself in agreement with you. However, to get the most from dancing, whether it’s Salsa, Son, Tango, Bachata, a Waltz, or even a Line Dance, I believe that they have to be danced with passion, and I find it particularly difficult to dance Salsa any other way.

At those times when the partner is not the ideal it might sometimes help if you could try thinking of your partner simply as a medium, a medium that allows you to put passion into the dance itself. The important thing JLow is that we keep dancing, and perhaps, as you suggest, we should try to be selective as to when we allow the (full) passion to develop. Please let me know how your dancing develops!