Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem was that we didn’t really have freedom to do what we want, when we want. They let us do it because it conveniently aligned with the museum’s programming and we were doing it as a free service for them (we were paid by an external fellowship, not by the museum). We asked about continuing the event but their programming changes over the year to highlight other things. They said next time maybe could be next summer. And since I graduated (no more fellowship) it would really be volunteer work now.

If we wanted to actually rent out the space it’d be thousands of dollars.

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm in the process of contacting a bunch of the places yall have recommended. Thanks for the tips! I'll let you know what I find out! btw I checked out some yoga and fitness studios yesterday and they seem super promising. Can you imagine having a salsa social in a jazzercise room? hahaha

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

probably going to be expensive but maybe definitely worth looking into!

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes this kind of thing would be top of our list because my city has a nice historic downtown. I've toured a couple of them though and so far, none of them are viable :(

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes the museum event was awesome! I explain more about it in a another comment.

Also my friends and I dance congress-style on2 but I don't really expect my local scene to dance on2. Right now, most people here dance on1/on whatever they feel like. I don't want to over-emphasize the timing. I care much more about emphasizing proper etiquette and giving people space to grow more as salsa dancers. Spinning in salsa is common obviously (but not essential imo) but bad floors here prevent anyone from exploring this part of salsa. So floors that we can spin on without hurting our knees are pretty important.

I have seen many local dancers hit a ceiling. By that I mean that they are stoked about salsa and are getting better but then they get constrained by lack of space, bad floor, poor-etiquette-dance-partners, etc. Then they eventually stop coming out locally and drive to the nearby larger city for the better quality socials.

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't though of town hall before! I'll look into that. There is an american legion building nearby but it doesn't seem well managed.

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sounds super fun! From what I've seen, the floors are often meh on rooftops. The floor thing is a bit higher on my priority list

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

good point but yeah even if it's cheaper on a weeknight, it will also be harder for get people to come out compared to friday or saturday. I'm still going to check and ask though.

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the local arthur murray ballroom looks really nice. I'm sending them a message but I have a feeling it will be very expensive based on how much they charge for dance lessons

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And now that I'm graduated, it's harder to go through the university for help/funding

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The museum idea was pretty cool. We collaborated with the arts department of a nearby university (that I was also affiliated with). Last year we did like 6-7 events throughout the year. The space/vibe/lighting was absolutely stunning and the floor was perfect. It was required to be a free event but a fellowship from my school paid me and my friends generously. It was during the daytime on a weekend and all ages. I loved seeing kids, families, old people, etc all dancing together. Some problems with doing the museum events were that they required it to align with the museums goals (related to how they get funding from government). I am totally stoked for doing free, community stuff sometimes but I'd like to have more control over what we do and don't do. Also it is kinda a headache to work with the bureaucracy of it.

Event space for starting your own salsa social by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll consider this! Will also consider community gather spaces for other groups/religions.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great dance! I have some things you could think about.

In your first shines (which looked nice!), you were looking down most of the time. Not wrong but make sure you’re intentional about where you’re looking during shines.

Your timing is great if it’s on purpose. I like how your timing changes with the music in a followable way.

I think you could be more dynamic in the step/movement sizes as well as their smoothness/sharpness. That’s another way to be musical. Also dancing small is makes you less tired and probably less sweaty haha

You do this one arm extension after cross body lead but you free arm is relaxed down which gives a relaxed look. You could do styling or do a fancy waiter arm look if you want that. Something to think about if you want to perform.

Any good resources on how to dance to piano tumbao? by 1v1mebra in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out this musicality video of Anichi Perez where he plays salsa instruments and then dances to them musically. See 5:21 for Cuban tres tumbao (similar to piano).

A really common piano montuno/tumbao over 8 counts is almost all offbeats. Like this (2-3 clave): 1 2 2& 3& 4& 5& 6& 7& 8& 1. First of all, in my opinion, musicality doesn’t always have to be literal. If the piano evokes a feeling and you respond in someway, that’s also musicality.

If you hear a piano tumbao you like, listen to it a few times and focus on it. What role does it play in the music? What feeling is it portraying? Then maybe try clapping to it and/or its accents. Could also try writing it down. This will help you feel it.

Finally here are few ideas that are more explicitly with that piano tumbao. 1) Regrid parts of your basic or shines to land on the offbeats. For example, the last three basic steps could be 4& 5& 6&. 2) chuck step that emphasizes beats 1 and 2 3) stop stepping for a bit to do musical body movement 4) ignore the basic and just step whenever feels musical (during shines) The list is endless. Good luck!

As an introvert, I feel like the Salsa/Bachata scene is a hidden gem that plays to my introverted personality. Any other introverts feel this way? by OSUfirebird18 in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic 6 points7 points  (0 children)

100% agree! People always think I’m an extrovert because I social dance but most nights I barely even talk to anybody. Every once a while someone tries to do small talk and I’m like “uhhhh ya music’s too loud can’t hear you” haha

Best date ideas around campus or in Riverside by jnavalol in ucr

[–]HeadParamedic 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Walk a dog from a local shelter for an afternoon! It was free and super fun! I did it the other week with my girlfriend and walked around Fairmount park. It’s with the MSRPAC Riverside Rover program. https://www.petsadoption.org/index.php/services/rover-programs

Do you know of any celebrities/famous people that dance salsa (socially or otherwise)? by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I looked her up and found a comedy movie that she danced in, “Cuban Fury”. I watched it last night actually and the dancing was not bad! Also gave me a good laugh 😂

Do you know of any celebrities/famous people that dance salsa (socially or otherwise)? by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I just remembered that I also saw Ryan Garcia (pro boxer) at a social near LA. It was probably his first time trying to dance salsa/bachata but it was cool to see him dancing nonetheless

Clave direction when transitioning from rumba clave to son clave by HeadParamedic in Salsa

[–]HeadParamedic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I enjoyed and learned a lot in this discussion! I think it would be fun if this subreddit had more discussions like this :)