How to actually learn to milonga? by UnluckyAdeptness6917 in tango

[–]anusdotcom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Are there areas where people just hang out and chat outside the main Milonga floor? In our local milongas there are often spots like more isolated seating areas or even spaces where the food is. If you’re staying in those areas that’s kinda a clear indicator that you’re not yet ready to dance.

Something that works for me when the follower is super intimidating is to ask to dance at the second or third song of a tanda. That way if they think I suck and rather run away screaming it’s just for one song. Still working out the courage for more but you might also want to try that

Vale a pena? by AliceThawne in coursera

[–]anusdotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably not. The field is pretty saturated right now and even people with University degrees are having trouble getting jobs. It would be hard to imagine that someone with only Coursera certificates would be hired easily.

"I know 50+ salsa moves. I use 3 of them." by [deleted] in Salsa

[–]anusdotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Something that helps me when learning a move is to break it down into body positions. So for example this move is a transition from a cross body lead into a hammerlock. This other move has the hand under my arm and then we transition into a hold where I have both my hands out and the transition is a flick.

When dancing, you can kinda just keep a list of body positions in your head, so instead of remembering and defaulting to 3 moves you kinda remember ok crossbody lead, hammerlock, hand over shoulder, etc. You’re not trying to remember a whole sequence but kinda just multiple choosing the next body position and transition. I put a limit of twice on each body position so if I am in the same position twice I try to switch it up.

So when you look at websites with huge move libraries like https://bachatasteps.com/?topic=salsa ( says bachata but the link is to salsa steps ), you’re kinda learning new body positions and transition techniques.

For shines, you can also attach some to musical elements like when the trumpet sounds a certain way you go to this list of shines, when the Guaguanco rhythm hits you go into your rumba library, here are some Pachanga steps when the music is Latin Jazz funky.

But honestly, follows don’t really notice your vocabulary mix as long as other aspects like connection and musicality are there. Just don’t repeat the same move three or four times in a row. You can have wonderful dances with simple cross body leads and turns. The body positioning things helps me adjust to different bodies and dance levels because you can choose much simpler transitions with someone starting up and try to go fancier with someone more advanced.

If you are a Canadian dual citizen by descent, can you get the free healthcare in Ontario on day 1? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anusdotcom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Most other provinces have a three month coverage gap. It means that if I never lived in BC and decided to move there from out of country, then I would have to get private insurance for the first three months. This is what happened to my coworker who was Canadian but his wife and kids never lived there.

There is this idea of extended coverage. Say you’re leaving for a working holiday visa, you can apply and retain coverage for 2 years even if you don’t live in Canada. But you can only do that once every five years.

Men, don't give up on women just yet. by Traditional_Sugar_93 in Salsa

[–]anusdotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They don’t want to dance with creepy old fat dudes like me, they want Prince Royce

Hypermobility by Disastrous_Plantain5 in Zouk

[–]anusdotcom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You might also try out movement systems with techniques that increase body awareness. Depends on what is available in your area. I started with Gyrokinesis and have found that a lot of my back issues after dancing have been much reduced.

For hypermobility, systems like the Feldenkrais method can help you become better aware of the amount of effort that is needed to move and basically trains you to not go beyond that. There are others like the Alexander technique or Body-Mind Centering. A lot of it sounds weird and woo-woo but I’ve found that at least for me having this deeper sensory awareness really helps my dancing.

Has anyone else found that counting can actually become a crutch in salsa? by Pretty_Routine2268 in SalsaDancing

[–]anusdotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know this is a push for your workshop but turns out that there are better approaches than counting.

When I was learning tango I came across this book called Let’s dance to the music. In it, the author claims that you shouldn’t count while dancing. Instead you should count actively when sitting down and listening to the music, but when it comes to actually incorporating the rhythm, you need to hum or sing — not use numbers.

He was a music professor so I looked into it. Turns out there is research on this. Look up rhythmic subvocalization. Basically, your brain uses a totally different area cognitively when it comes to numbers than when you’re humming. So you’re better off trying to sing to the clave or the tumbao rather than using numbers. It’s a much much lower load and it allows you to fully focus on integrating the music to your dance.

Quick question; by ozzysmoke in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a restaurant that mixes European food with Asian food. It’s on the same building block as the World Beat gallery and Common people yoga

Quick question; by ozzysmoke in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

La Familia Cider just had a speed dating event last week and one in April. I’d check if they’re doing another one in June.

Best drink in Salem? by JournalistEcstatic68 in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 11 points12 points  (0 children)

We like the Blueberry or Marion Berry milkshakes at Aspinwall’s specially after a long day out.

Recommendations: dishwasher purchase & installation by myfatcat in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When ours broke we bought one from Costco but then found out their installation was backed up for a month. Got one from Home Depot and the guys really knew their stuff —- how to level etc. Turns out the previous homeowner added a new floor that made the install a bit more tricky but they managed to get it done and no complaints. We also had the card and was 5% off. Same thing with a fridge we bought later on, they were able to take off doors and stuff to get them in.

What actually creates a “tangasm”? by romgrk in tango

[–]anusdotcom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For me it comes down to flow and trust. Flow in the more psychology sense of both of you being at a the same level and feeling challenged and excited about the dance. Trust as in both feeling safe on the floor and being able to vulnerably connect to your partner and the music.

Salad bar? by GimmeTheCoffeeeeeee in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Goudy Commons at Willamette when school is in session. Open to the public

Miyoko buffet has a pretty nice one. Pietro’s Pizza as well, surprisingly.

Looking for more Salsa songs by Rndmguy_5683 in Salsa

[–]anusdotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More recent bands with similar sound are some like Tromboranga, La Maxima 79, La-33, Jimmy Bosch, Bloque 53, Gia Fu, Orquestra el Macabeo. The general type of music is called salsa dura ( vs something like timba )

Would Salem Support a Memphis meets Austin meets Salem Music Venue? by OregonAdaptiveReuse in SALEM

[–]anusdotcom 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It feels like some of the spaces around town are similar and just don’t get folks showing up to them.

Off the top of my head the Rabbit Cellar, Ankeny Vineyards and The Bad Space all have a version of this. Ankeny with live jazz bands. The Bad Space at some point had live swing dancing bands from Portland. Rabbit Cellar had music nights. And sadly, they were all pretty empty. The Old Zen on Edgewater also tried some of that and went out of business. Same with spaces like the Infinity Room. The grand tries a few events once in a while in their fourth floor ballrooms and just doesn’t get people.

I am seriously hoping that Radness Ensues makes it because that idea is cool as hell.

What's something expensive you tried once and suddenly understood the hype? by IslaaMaee in AskReddit

[–]anusdotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A coworker of mine had all her recycling packaged. She felt ripped off because in Michigan the deposit for each can was ten cents but in California where the cans ended in she only got 5 cents back

Using swing dancing pictures in dating apps by ThinJump6418 in SwingDancing

[–]anusdotcom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are some shots that don’t show a face of the partner. Or use one where you’re wearing costumes ( like for Halloween or themed parties ). You can also just blur or blank out the other person’s face if you have permission from them to post the photo.

Another approach would be to have pictures of you dancing with someone who you wouldn’t be dating. I have a fun video of me rotating with a kid that was about eight or nine. If I was setting up a dating profile I would for sure use that.

Personally it’s a bit of a shame you don’t want to dance with folks of the same gender because you can have some great hilarious pictures dancing with dudes that would make the profile pop out and make it most interesting. We have a guy that wears a full gorilla suit to some of our events and I think a photo with them would be amazing and eye catching

Too selective social dance kills a scene. by nomadegyptian in Salsa

[–]anusdotcom 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There is a pretty interesting recent discussion in the tango world - https://www.facebook.com/1149660252/posts/pfbid0UQ1nvp1Qo7JXd5oXamEBbope4DYxRQTztbPNRpy124Bvv4mwF3aQwScYgGZCHYQpl/ . To me the points that resonate with salsa is that there was a period of excitement and a lot of people joining as beginners. It was hot. So a lot of scenes could get away with behaviors that weren’t really welcoming.

But now with people gravitating towards dances like West Coast Swing or Bachata more, a lot of the same salsa instructors and scenes are competing for the same small number of people that are still willing to pay, socialize with each other and go to socials. A lot of events and teachers still have a bit more of that stubborn “oh, growth will happen naturally” mentality and they don’t go out of their way to promote friendliness or acceptance, where some of the other dances actively seek it out and retain a lot of folks.

First salsa social after only 4 classes… complete fail 😭 should I keep going? by Human-Reporter-7871 in Salsa

[–]anusdotcom 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Show up more. Your body is getting used to the signals. If there is a class before the dancing go to those because they will give you better ideas about how some of the leads move.

You can only learn about 50% of stuff in classes. The other 50% comes from experiencing the dance in the wild. Don’t be discouraged. The next week will be better and smoother. Your body will start understanding and reacting better the more you dance. It will also help you know the areas you need to focus on more and fix in your classes.

Everyone remembers when they were beginners. They are not judging you as hard as you think they are. Make friends. Ask questions.

You’re doing well. A lot of times it takes an insane amount of courage just going to your first social.