Salsa City Forum » News and Chat » Across the water

Thought it might be helpful to briefly review places to go over the water. In general there's a more even gender balance than in Cardiff, so women should have a good time.

Sulis, monthly on Saturdays, Bath: popular, plenty of space, good music, fairly friendly, guest teachers from around the UK.

Claverton Rooms at the University of Bath. Occasional Saturdays. Large, excellent floor, music good. Some of the women there aren't that friendly (though some are great). Didn't rate the classes much.

Fiddlers. Occasional live gigs - they get some good bands there. Club in a seedy back street of Bedminster, good floor, good standard of dancing though as in the Bath venues there don't tend to be that many 'spare' good dancers around. Can get very crowded.

Steam Rock, near Bristol city centre, Thursdays. Nice club, very good music, popular teachers.

Thanks bailamos, a useful review.

Thursday at the Steam Rock finished about a month or two ago. Most people seem to go to Fiesta Havana on a Wednesday instead.

Oops, shows how long it is since I went over there! Who are the teachers and where is it?

Steve West. Nigel Maye. With Guests Zane and Mauritzio from Birmingham

There's info on the salsamania web site (www.salsamania.biz or http://www.salsamania.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/eng/Level%203/Wednesday.htm for just this one bit).
On another note, they've now stopped getting in guest teachers at the Sulis - think due to costs - and I'm not sure if they're planning on bringing that back. Phil now noramlly teaches the main class.

Finally got to Fiesta Havana this Wednesday. Not a bad atmosphere but the main dance floor was crowded and there were some very dodgy dancers barging around. Inadequate air conditioning. The intermediate la rueda class was disappointing as the teacher completely lacked authority and allowed people who didn't even know a basic casino step or dile que no to join in. Kate is much better, shame there aren't enough interested people around to revive her la rueda lessons.

Do you mean Kate's Wednesday la rueda lessons in the Amber Lounge? Have they finished?

I feel that I should stick up for Ian and Arancha who teach the Rueda in bristol. I've done the lesson at Fiesta Havana a few times and it has always been pitched at quite a low level.

I think this fits in with the night as a whole which is much more inclusive for people who haven't done lots of salsa. The music tends to include lots of 'dodgy' stuff that isn't really salsa, merengue, cha cha or lambada but is good for 'general' dancing to which encourages people other than the salsa die-hards.

If you want a better and more advanced rueda class do Ian & Arancha's class at the claverton rooms. It is an advanced class and I mean advanced - ask anyone who did Puente complicado at the last one! They know alot of really really cool moves and have a very different style to Kate.

If Rueda is your bag then I would strongly advise doing some classes in Bristol. Almost all cardiff dancers (save for the teachers) can trace their rueda back to Kate. Whilst I think Kate's reuda is really good, it is important to have some variety. You wouldn't only ever do normal salsa lessons given by one teacher would you?

Also, following Kate's lessons, lots of people know rueda but very few dance it! There will be enough people to get a resonable reuda going at any of the regular cardiff nights.

Saul, thanks for reminding me about that 'Puente Complicado' move.

I had only just managed to stop laughing about what a mess we all ended up in.

I can't wait until the next time I go!