Shoes, Shoes, Shoes.....

Something that I have encountered now as a director and instructor is the need for my students to have proper shoes to dance in.  And how to explain to them why the dance shoes are important, and why you just cannot substitute a good dance shoe early on.  Here is my story and advice on what shoes to buy.

I remember when I first started over 3 years ago, the website of the dance school I would be going to recommended leather soled shoes, and discouraged sneakers especially for guys.  They also mentioned a proper ankle strap for the ladies.  I went out to DSW and bought two pair of short heeled shoes with an ankle strap and leather soles.  I wore those two pairs until the heels broke on my black pair, and my gold pair were filthy.  I do not even know why I held onto them for so long. They almost held me back. The soles were so hard, that my poor feet would bleed at congress and I would soak them in the hot tub at the hotel for relief.  I could not properly point my toes, or spin all that well on them.  I would slip at times as well. The only saving grace was they were street shoes, so they were versatile when I would go out every night.

After my first congress I decided that I wanted to try for a salsa team, and shoes where required.  I broke down and had the owner suggest a proper pair for me and paid $80 for a pair of Very Fine shoes with a thick sturdy 2.2" heel and a double ankle strap.  They are actually in the picture at the top of the blog.  Once I got these shoes, my potential shot up.  I was finally able to do double spins, without total fear and I wasnt sliding all over the floor as usual.  I've continued to wear these shoes from time to time, I broke the strap once, and had it repaired at a shoe place and these shoes just keep on going. 

My next pair was a disaster.  I wanted something prettier, although I liked my black shoes, they didn't work with every outfit.  I was referred to an amazing website, www.exoticsalsashoes.com, where my beloved Very Fine shoes were only $49 with free shipping.  The first pair I had were sized for me as an 8 and at the time I also weighed about 165 lbs.  They were a teensy bit tight, so I ordered a lovely silver pair in an 8.5. What I didnt know was that I had pick a "Sera" edition shoe, and they run a little bigger and the heel would be a tiny flare heel compared to what I had already.  I ended up returning them and getting an 8, still too big, but I didn't want to return them again. I just made do and turned them into my "going out shoes" I loved the way they looked, just they never fit exactly right. They have since been handed down to one of my students who had them enlarged for her and are still going with new heel tips, as I had danced through them.

A beginner salsera or bachatera should buy a pair of study shoes, in a half or full size smaller than their usual "street" size.  I always refer students to pairs that I myself have worn and had much success with Style 1662b is always a pretty option, with double ankle straps it is a very secure shoe, (I've owned and performed in several pairs of these) or my original pair with the mesh to hold the front of the foot, without straps cutting into toes etc.  As the dancer becomes more comfortable with dancing and using their shoes, they should increase their heel height.  As I am comfortable in very high street heels, my minimum heel height has become a 3" heel. I won't order lower, and am working on increasing up to 4". 

Some would argue that a lower heel is better for tricks, and I agree, but as a performer and experienced dancer, I practice in 3" so I can do tricks in a 3", if I am not doing tricks then I should be in a 3.5", 3.75", or 4", but that is personal preference. I feel the higher heights force me to dance on the proper part of my foot, and not dance flat footed, or back on my heels.  The inside edges of my shoes are completely flattened and since I push into the floor so much, I still end up with bruised feet at Congress, but they aren't bleeding anymore. 

Now I'm older, wiser, more experienced and know better about ordering shoes.  I still love Very Fine shoes, you just cannot beat the price, although I'm experimenting with other brands now. Burju shoes are gorgeous, but I would not recommend them for the beginner.  Same with Gri by Griselle and GFranco shoes.  They are fashionable, but the heel options pose a problem for those ladies, who either A.) do not every wear heels or B.) their feet will not fit in their limited sizes. They also are pretty pricey, ranging from $80-$150 a pair.

When I go to the clubs, I DO NOT wear dance shoes. It is not worth the risk of ruining a pair of shoes for me.  I buy street shoes that I can dance in.  Smooth soles, sturdy ankle straps and heels.  I cant point my toes like in my flexible dance shoe, but they will not get ruined by the drinks spilled on the floor by non-dancers. They won't get coated in grimy black stickyness from the floor that I have to scrape off and hope the suede isn't ruined.  I've currently danced through 2 pairs of Nine West heels but my shoe guy can resole and reheel tip them and they will be just fine for more wear and tear. I see many girls with their dance shoes on when I am out, but my income is not disposible and I need my dance shoes to last a while. 

Guys are not exempt from the dance shoe talk.  My male students are SO reluctant to buy a pair it's not funny.  They always want to wear dress shoes.  My caviat to this is that they are not split sole and they cannot more their feet or feel the floor.  So until they get them I put them in socks.  I know it's silly but sneakers or dress shoes do not allow them to dance on the balls of their feet either.  There are not as many styles of men's shoes but I still love the look of just classic Bloch dance shoes in flat black. www.danceshoesonline.com have several different options for men, and my partner has recently ordered from them with good results, quick delivery and amazing pricing. 

So to recap: YES you need dance shoes! Buy sturdy ones that fit your foot properly with the appropriate heel for your level. Take care to not wear them where they will get wet, remember to brush your suede after using them. They will only help your dancing get to the next level.  Also find a shoe repair person, perferrably someone familiar with dance shoes. They will help you make your shoes last more than just one season.

Monday's Musings and Music!

So this is my new idea to make me more responsible and updating more often.  Random things that pop in my head or experiences will pop up, along with a new artist or song that is making my feet burn up the floor.

So my latest grievance I guess you can say is dance floor etiquette.  I know I've talked about it before, but recently Ive noticed some HUGE issues that have made my nights out extremely uncomfortable and almost undanceable.

First off....no one seems to be learning how to dance in a slot. AT ALL.  The only people that seem to be dancing in a slot are the more experienced or "professionals" if you will.  How are you supposed to protect your girl or get her to be able to follow if you don't stay in a fixed slot?? I understand having to adjust, but I see people starting on one part of the floor and then I turn around they are in my face and I get stepped on. I'm still in my "slot" that my partner have staked out and now I'm being bumped around.  It's almost like a foreign concept to many of the newer dancers I see, staying in the slot.  I think this also helps the follow know exactly what you want her to do or go.

Next, tricks on the social floor.  Big no no, especially if its a crowded floor. I had both of a girl's feet slam into me from behind, because the guy thought it was okay to throw her between his legs. This same guy does semi lifts, neck drops and also does not dance in a slot.  Just because you can do something doesn't always mean you should do something.  I was always taught that  tricks were not designed for the social floor at all, more for choreography. I mean you cannot really expect those types of moves to be "followable". That poor girl was flung so hard, she slid into me and hit me full force.  Good thing she was wearing ballet flats and not heels.  After that occurrence, I continued the song, until he tried a neck drop and scraped the back of my calf and ankle.  I had to stop dancing for fear of injury, and no apology given.

What in the world is going on? I mean seriously?  Even at socials I am finding it harder to find a safe slot that I can enjoy the song without a guy throwing some girl into me. With how serious I take my dancing, not to mention my job, I cannot afford an injury that sidelines me. I remember amazing advice that Griselle Ponce gave a group of us in Tampa a couple of years ago about etiquette and how to be careful when stepping to not throw your weight into your heels to prevent stepping on someone, its good advice, as well as good technique.

I hope that more people realize how uncourteous they are being and start trying to be aware of other dancers around them.  I want to enjoy my nights out, and not end up leaving bruised and frustrated.


Now onto the next part. Music.  I am always in search of new or new to me music that really speaks to me.  One of my all time favorite musicians, is Willie Bobo.  I had never heard of him before the Orlando Salsa Congress in 2009.  I took an awesome cha cha shine class with Shaka Brown and he always lets us know the artist of the song.  He introduced me to the song "Juicy". I then looked it up to have it, and found a plethora of other good songs.  He's most famous for "Fried Neckbones and some Home Fries", but one of my favorites is "Trinidad"  If you like Latin Jazz, you need to check his stuff out.  It has some awesome grooves and I cannot sit still when his music starts playing.  Cha cha aficionados definitely need him in their rotation.

That's it for this Monday. Next week I'll give you all a breakdown of what's going on in the Orlando dance scene.

Ciao for now,
White-a-Rican

Sad Day in Orlando Dance Scene

Today the sad word came that Dance Orlando, the premier place for ballroom and salsa socials are closing their doors.  The landlord has decided to sell the property to a neighboring mechanic's shop.  With it's large floating wood dance floor, vaulted roof and professional sound and lighting - it was perfect for extremely large socials. Some would be over 1,000 attendees for the Salsa Heat Socials. 

I have a lot of good memories in that warehouse.  I went to my first social there, took my first bachata class with Island Touch. Performed there 3 times, and attended almost monthly for 2 years.  

It truly saddens me to see this place go along with one of the bigger socials in town.  What's the future for Salsa Heat socials now?  As their E. Colonial location is way too small and Kissimmee too far - things seem up in the air for now. I wonder what is happening to that fabulous real wood floor?  Most studios have been opting for laminate flooring - which is sufficient at times, it just does not compare to real wood.  I hope its not just torn out and discarded.

Do you have any favorite memories of this Orlando institution?  Feel free to share below..

Ciao for Now
White-a-Rican

Updates!

Hola a Todos!

Things have been going well, and I'm dancing more and more, with less pain. Hooray! Jorge is stoked. We just got back from the Elegant Rumba Masquerade Ball in Ft. Myers, FL. If you ever get the chance to go to an ER social - GO! The passion that these dancers have is inspiring! I will be making more trips soon.

Jorge and I are continuing to dance On2. We are loving it and it's becoming comfortable, and I prefer it over On1 at times. I still get confused a bit from time to time, but I danced with people I've never seen this weekend, On1 and On2 - the switching sometimes is difficult, I find myself counting. We moved up a level now, and I would say I am an intermediate On2 dancer. Advanced On1, but intermediate On2. I think its helping my follow being able to do both, but I don't want to become a "confused" dancer.

So I am keeping up with my goal of dancing with people that I don't know. This weekend was a good one, I racked up 4 new people in one night!

We are also working on routines, and practiced lifts in the pool this weekend for fun. I put up a video on youtube of us playing around. I also learned that dancing in a masquerade mask is extremely difficult...your field of vision is limited and your breath gets caught in the mask and your face sweats.....so it only lasted one cha cha.

We are planning our road trip to Atlanta for the Bachata festival next month. Will you be there? If so look us up!

Ciao for now
White A Rican

Ut Oh, He's asking ME??!!??

Something I have noticed recently personally as well as with others is this nervousness of dancing with an instructor or someone that is "really good". As soon as a "pro" that I've never danced with before asks me to dance socially, I start freaking out. I second guess myself, and become almost petrified. I know I am not alone in this, I overhear it at socials, I discuss it with other dancers as well.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Dancing is supposed to be fun, why are we putting pressure on ourselves? Is it the fear that we are going to be so bad, that they'll never asks us again? Are we afraid of looking bad in front of others?

I find that when I do this, I often fall off timing, miss easy cues and just all around stumble through the dance....if I just relax and breathe, I can do things Ive never imagined!!! Sometimes I discover that someone that I thought was an amazing dancer, has a really odd lead, or bad timing or is confusing and hard to read. There may be a reason why they have never asked me before, I'm a school trained dancer, and they may have never really taken a class. They may be just as nervous as I am!!

The best advice, is to dance your best and stay on your timing, they will adjust. Technically, the dance should start off easier and progress, they should be figuring your follow out as well as you figuring out their lead. Smile and enjoy it. I will say some of my best dances are also some of the funnest! If I can let go of being the "perfect dancer" and just have fun, I look and feel soo much better. Even the best dancer, or instructor started off just like you, it just was a longer time ago. they know what you are going through.

This will be something I will have to work on for a long time. I do find that I am most nervous the first time and it gradually wears off. I know a couple of amazing dancers that I am never nervous with, and it's their positive energy and enjoyment of the music and each dance that I feed off of. Two that come to mind instantly is Nery Garcia, and Sean Wilson.

I just need to work on my self confidence and realize how good I actually am, and that I am worthy of dancing with the best! Actually I feel everyone is - its a good exercise to actually dance with people of varying levels, to work on your follow or lead.

I'm starting this weekend! I'm going to try and see how many new people I can dance with this month....how many can you rack up?

Ciao for now,
White-A-Rican

Update and Other Musings

Well February has been an interesting month for sure. I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks, due to an unforeseen illness. I ended up in the Hospital on the 6th for Gallstones. I eat really healthy and exercise, but from being fat for so long and on birth control pills it was a recipe for disaster. I wish someone had told me 10 years ago about it. So now I have to try and balance my attacks with work and dancing. I finally started again this past week, and it's kicking my butt to get back out there. The first night, I was winded and couldn't keep up, so now I have to take breaks, where I used to dance almost every song.

So a few developments on where we are headed. We are attending the Atlanta Bachata Festival in April, hoping to make some good contacts and get things rolling towards the new congress season. The Bahhari Dance Convention, is almost a given as well, since it's here at home, same with Orlando Salsa Congress. November is the Aventura Dance Cruise - another goal, as well as the DC Bachata Festival.

We've started posting videos and added a new one this week. That's a new goal of ours, to get more videos up. It's just hard getting people to actually tape us, even with our own recorder. And most of the clubs are pretty dark as well, which makes video near to impossible...

I have a great topic for this week's article - so look for it in the next couple of days. Right now I am striving for balance - I am sure I can get there, hopefully by the end of the month. Until then I'm going to just keep trying!

Ciao for Now,
White-A-Rican

On1 vs On2 - White-A-Rican's Take

Okay this is the most debated and hotly discussed topic in the salsa scene it seems.

"On2 is harder and more refined than On1"

"On2 dancers are stuck up, On1 is better"

I seem to find dancers on both sides of the fence turning up their nose at one style or another. For a variety of reasons....

What about me? I dance both. I started with On1, so it will always be with me. I learned On2 out of necessity. I signed up for a workshop with Jayson Molina and Griselle Ponce when I was a beginner, only to learn that it was On2!!! I further developed an ability to follow On2 because I dance Cha Cha (always danced On2. ALWAYS - but that's another article). Now I take classes in On2 salsa. But I have people who will only dance with On2 dancers and vice versa, or they argue with each other on which is better and why. Can't we all just get along?

Neither one is better than the other. They each have their place and style. I think that depending on the song, one style will fit better than others. I know that my partner starting out wouldn't dance to a song without a cowbell in it because he couldn't hear the On1 timing....well 2 years later, I realize that those were old school Mambos and On2 seems to "fit" the song better. Sometimes I find myself falling into one timing or another, because its like I am forcing to dance On1 to an instrumental Mambo, or On2 to a mainstream fast salsa.

On1 is what alot of people start with. It is more widely taught here in Florida, and just about everyone can do it. It is easier to grasp the timing and to hear it for a newbie than listening for the On2 Conga slap. When I started it was a foreign land and I steered as far way from it as I could. BIG mistake! I found that it was the same step! I had been brain washed by my school to believe that On1 was better, and On2 dancers were arrogant and not social. This is not always the case, so I started venturing into that side a little by little, and now I am trying it out and liking it! I do not feel rushed. I feel the school I dance at now, is very much into timing and musicality, and not just doing pattern after pattern, like robots, regardless of the actual music. My arms are not being ripped off, nor am I forced into a ton of multiple spins. Its a more laid back kind of dancing. Although there are times I do love to kill it On1 LA Style, On2 New York Style seems to suit my personal style a little better. I am more relaxed and able to focus on my steps and movements.

Honestly, I believe in the end it is what you are comfortable with and what suits the song. I saw a video interviewing Eddie Torres and he summed it up that if you are correct with your timing, it really doesn't matter. Everyone should have their own style. That is what I am attempting. Taking bits and pieces and making them my own.

So next time a guy asks you, On1 or On2...do what I do. Smile sweetly and say - you're leading, you pick - I'll follow.

Ciao for Now,
White-A-Rican