IndySalsero, The Indianapolis Salsa Blog

The IndySalsero, closed (for now)

2009-01-29T12:03:00.006-05:00

There will be no new posts from The IndySalsero, the Indianapolis Salsa Blog. The priorities of the editor's of this blog have changed and they are now focusing on other projects.

Jennifer Luna: Captain and Artistic Director of Damas Inspiradas!, SalsaIndy Dance Instructor

Chimere Cross: Performing

Marques Gunter: Manager of Damas Inspiradas!, Promoter of Latin Night @ Adobo Tequila Bar, SalsaIndy Dance Instructor, etc, etc.

Due to the fact that none of us are full time for salsa, when new projects are picked up, lower priority projects are sometimes dropped. We will leave the blog active so that readers can continue to read past posts.

If there is anyone interested in reopening this blog by becoming a salsa blogger for us, please contact us.

Till next time keep dancing!

Dress codes in Latin clubs

2008-10-03T10:44:00.007-04:00

The big question we ask ourselves before we go dancing is what should I wear? I have talked in the past about dance attire and I feel that what you wear tells people your mood and is an extension of how we express ourselves on the dance floor.

Recently Latin clubs have implemented more aggressive dress codes (targeted primarily on men). Every Thursday night I go out dancing at the Jazz Kitchen. Most of the time I put on a nice shirt/jean, but one night I decided to wear a t-shirt. It was a nice t-shirt (it cost me $50) and I had a pricey pair a jeans to balance it out. When I was leaving the club, the promoter inform me that t-shirts without pockets were not allowed. He was really nice about it and he waited till after I was leaving to tell me.

I have nothing against dress codes and I feel that they are necessary. My concern is when the dress code starts to affect how I am allow to express myself as a dancer. There are some nights that I want to "dress to impress" and other nights that I want to put on a comfortable t-shirt and jeans. I run the Saturday Latin Night at Adobo Tequila Bar and we try our best to enforce a dress code that keeps the environment classy, fun and relaxed. If you come to Adobo with a hoody or a basketball jersey then you might have an issue getting in. If you come in with a nice t-shirt (with or without pockets, no obscene graphics or text) and jeans you would be invited with open arms.

I respect that Latin clubs and promoters want to attract a classy crowd and having a dress code will help accomplished this. Keep in mind that the music the DJ spins will also influence the type of crowd in a club. So what do you think? Do you agree with strict or relaxed dress codes? Do you feel that men are targeted more then women?

Salsa in Washington DC

2008-06-26T14:43:00.012-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC twice, one week this month and one week last month. Washington DC is a beautiful and diverse city, but one aspect of the city stuck out in my mind: DC has a GREAT Salsa Scene!

Last month, I attended the Sunday monthly social. The venue is a restaurant that is nicknamed the Salsa Room, and it has a nice size hardwood floor, good seating areas, and a bar. There were many amazing dancers in attendance, and the energy was high the entire night. ClaveKazi was there and the ladies group did a nice performance; Shaka Brown was there also(didn't get to dance with him though...). Earl, from Stuck on Salsa, was nice enough to bring my friend and I to the event and introduce us to everyone there. Thanks Earl!

This month, I attended a regular club night. It was on a Monday night to Clarendon Grill, and was apparently by far the best night to go out (or so I was told by many people). The venue had a large wood dance floor, and a smaller dance floor (not wood). There were a lot of amazing dancers there, as well. I danced with a semi-famous dancer, Psyon, met some really nice people, and I was lucky enough to have one dance with a guy, who although I forgot his name, was by far the best lead I have ever felt!

Anyone who has yet to experiance Salsa in another city should go to DC for a great experiance! The quality and level of dancing is equal to what you will find at a congress, and the dancers have minute differences between them so no matter what you prefer to focus on, you will probably find dancers to fit your style. The Salsa experiances that I had in DC will definitely be a motivational factor to return to DC's dancefloors as soon as my life permits!

Oops! Why do I keep having wardrobe malfunctions?

2008-05-22T16:40:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's the type of clothes you keep wearing out to dance in. Have you ever went out dancing and in the middle of a good dance, something comes untied, undone, falls out, or slips off? Ladies, I know you know what I'm talking about. This has happened to me many times before. Then I tell myself, "I'm never going to wear this again! What was I thinking?" So, lets talk about what we can wear out dancing and what we should be cautious of.

I know that we want to look our sexiest out there on the dance floor and that new dress or top that you just bought shows a lot of skin, but be cautious. Of course, you can wear whatever you want out in the club. This blog is just to help you be aware of certain garments that might cause a few problems on the dance floor.

Tube tops*** Man! Those things are annoying. I know the guys like them, but you will most likely be adjusting it all night long. Your top will be more of a hassle and might possibly ruin your night and after your first dance, you'll be hoping that nothing will fall out.

Spaghetti straps*** If these are not tight on your shoulders, then they can keep falling and you will be in the routine of constantly putting them back up on your shoulders all night.

Corsets*** Corsets are hot! But they can cut off your blood circulation and make it uncomfortable to dance or do certain styling. Again, you might be hoping that nothing will fall out during the night.

Strings*** Anything that ties up is taking a chance. Strings like to untie themselves or somehow you or the person that you are dancing with might accidentally undo the string. If you wear halter tops that tie up or an outfit that has strings in it, make sure to double knot for security.

Dresses*** Dresses are very sexy, but most dresses will have one of the above. Be cautious. Also, the dresses that flare up look very nice when you turn, but realize that you might end up showing your "goodies" to everyone in the club. If you're bold, then this won't bother you. If you really want to wear that sexy flare dress, then I would suggest some boy shorts or dance panties.

Mini skirts*** More than likely your goodies will be flashed most of the night. Hope you have some descent underwear on! Most likely you will be trying to pull down your skirt for the entire night.

Long Skirts*** Warning! Trip hazard! Long skirts can get stepped on and you might wind up on the floor or worse, your skirt might be pulled down.

Jewelry*** I personally stopped wearing jewelry. My cute earrings that I just spent $10 on always keep flying off and ending up across the room. I have so many unmatched earrings now. Just try to make sure that your earrings are secure. Every once in a while, I will wear studs in my ears. Dangling earrings are a no for me. Rings were also another problem. Men would complain how my rings were scratching them and making them bleed. I never wear bracelets, so I don't know what to say about them. I know that my hair has gotten tangling up in men's bracelets a few times in the past. So men, you might want to think about that. Hair accessories come out a lot too. Try to make sure that those are secure as well.

Ultimately, it is up to you what you want to wear. Try to wear something comfortable and sexy if you can. Jeans are always a great choice. Shorts, skorts, skirts, tanks, dress blouses/tops are good as well. I know that wardrobe malfunctions messed up some of my salsa nights by making me insecure about moving freely or have stopped me on the dance floor so that I could tie something back up. I try to look sexy every time that I go out and like to wear things that compliment my body. But, as I have found out, not all sexy outfits are made to salsa dance in.

If you know of any type of garment that I left out, please share or just share an experience. If you have any questions, please ask.

Keep it sexy on the dance floor!!!!

Reflection

2008-04-22T12:49:00.013-04:00

Since I moved to Indy last May, a lot has happened. On one hand the year seems to have passed quickly, and yet each week felt long in parallel. I am proud to be on my way to graduation May 3rd at Indiana University in Bloomington, majoring in Latin American and Caribbean Dance - History and Production through the Individualized Major Program. I figured as a conclusion to my current academic career, I would ponder not only on my college experience, but with my recent accomplishments in the "real world" as well.

First and foremost, inspired by my approach to my Final (thesis) Project for my degree (my first dance production), I decided to create my first business, Elegancia Productions and Promotions, LLC (commonly known as Elegancia Dance). When I moved to Indy, my plans and my dancing were interrupted with a severe case of Mono. But even in my slow recovery, I still managed to pair up with Marques for the local competition, do a bit of dance related travel, and became a business partner in SalsaIndy (now you might know why I am so busy all of the
time!)...

Alongside preparing for and finishing my first dance production (and all of the school work that went along with it - which I wanted to quickly mention that I have received two grants for the project as well as a nomination for a departmental award), and alongside managing, teaching and performing for SalsaIndy - Marques and I, along
with 7 other dancers in the community, decided to create a Non profit
in Indianapolis, Salseros Unidos, for the benefit of the salsa community, in which I was later elected Treasurer.

I can only hope that the year to come can continue on the same road to
achievement, with dedication, hard work, practice, and somehow trying to make
enough money to cover my bills as a full time dancer. I know it is a
tough decision, and everyone I know is begging me to get a "real
job"... but I really feel that this is the path I should continue on.
My heart would not take to any other job at this time in my life,
because for me...even though dancing, teaching, performing and
business IS hard work - I love it! And that makes all the
difference...

In Transit - It is never easy to say goodbye

2008-04-13T22:19:00.006-04:00

Whenever I invite a friend for their first night of salsa dancing, a typical question I am asked is what should I wear? I tell them that it depends on your mood. If you are in a casual mood then wear jeans and shirt, if you are feeling ‘sexy’ then put on your hottest club clothes.

Dance attire for most salsa clubs are never homogeneous. I guess that would make sense because salsa it self is not homogeneous. Salsa dancers are given the freedom to express themselves though both their interpretation of the music and though the clothing that they wear.

For women finding the ‘right’ dress is easy, there are hundreds of clothing stores and thousands of choices, but what about the guys? While we have a selection of nice shirts and pants, our selection is somewhat limited.

For myself I like to be very expressive (surprise?), and I felt that a majority of men’s clothing stores in Indianapolis are too conservative. That change when I came across a store call In Transit. In Transit carries clothing that could be classified as metro-sexual. The best way to describe what this means are shirts and pants with unique artwork/design and have a more fitted look. I really liked the fitted look because a boxy shirt can mask body movement and isolations. Also In Transit carries a limited supply and refreshes their clothing line every other week, which limits the likely hood that someone else in the club will have the same shirt or pants as you.

To my disappointment I recently found out that In Transit closed both of its Indianapolis locations and the only evidence left of this great store is their company profile I found on the web. I never like to shop for clothing till I found this store and now it is gone. As I wipe the tears from my eyes, I say goodbye. I am not sure if I will find another store like this one, well at least here in Indianapolis. For now I will take my shopping online. Here are a few links that I have found, but I know there better links out there.

http://www.metroparkusa.com/fashion/men/tops/wovens?showall=1&page=1
http://www.twintaylors.com/Fashion-Shirts.htm

Possibly the worst salsa performance EVER! (April Fools)

2008-04-01T12:54:00.003-04:00

I came across a video clip that I would like to share with my readers. This could possibly be the worst salsa performance ever. I posted the video clip below so that you can be the judge.

Update: For an explanation of the video for those who are not internet savvy click here.

DoingIndy at Riolo Dance Studio

2008-03-25T10:49:00.004-04:00

DoingIndy recently posted a Podcast of Riolo Dance Studio (thanks to Tracy for contacting them). I was very impressed on the quality that was put into their podcast, it was very professional. The typical video Podcasts that I run into on the web are done with a hand held video camera and is edited on Windows Movie Maker.

Riolo Dance Studio is a unique studio, part ballroom dance and part social dance. We teach our salsa lessons at Riolo along with a handful of other independent groups that teach and train there. If you decide to take lessons at Riolo you have your choice of Salsa, Casino Rueda, Tango, Ballroom, Swing, Hula and more! Riolo also has a 2000 sq ft dance floor which is one of the best dance floors I have come across in Indy. While I can continue hyping up the studio where I teach, I will stop now and post their Podcast and let you be the judge!

For you salsa addicts there will be a Sunday Salsa Social at Riolo on Sunday, March 30th, 2008. See you there!

Work/Life Balance

2008-03-03T23:19:00.001-05:00

As winter draws to a close and we are welcome by the warm spring air, I decided to start my spring cleaning early. This task is not the one where you clean out your closet and give your old clothes to Goodwill, but something deeper.

I have always lived a busy life; I cannot sit around and watch TV, life is too short to have that attitude. In the last 8 months I committed myself to a variety of projects. One is the startup of SalsaIndy, my decision to leave my old dance studio to start a new one. Another project I helped start was Salseros Unidos, a non-profit organization with the mission to build a strong Indianapolis salsa community. If you think that was enough to keep me busy, I work a day job (40+ hours a week), I develop and maintain a video bookmarking service and I am in working partnership with urban entertainment website.

Everything that I was working on has been moving in a positive direction, the websites are getting traffic, class attendances is increasing and I got a raise from my day job, but I was not happy. I never had the time to enjoy what I had, all I did was work. So I gave myself the difficult task of dropping on of my projects. After a couple of weeks of thinking I decided to drop my work with the urban entertainment website. This was a difficult decision because this was a paid project while my other free time projects are either not making money or a small profit.

The decision was based on what was going to make me happy and not what was going to make me the most money. Here is an inspirational video from Steve Jobs. It is a great video for those who want to pursued self employment while maintaining a happy life.

Do what you love and never work a day in your life.

Etiquette on the Dance Floor...?

2008-02-17T10:40:00.002-05:00

The following are just my opinions... I feel like simple etiquette is not followed as much as it should be in the salsa clubs. I know it is a mixture of dancers and a bar crowd, but there are certain points of interest that I have noticed a number of times that I feel like need to be mentioned.

First off, I like being escorted on and off the dance floor. It doesn't have to happen every time for every dance, especially with good friends or when you are rushing to get on the floor for a good song. On the extreme side, however, when a guy just asks you to dance and leaves you in the dust while he goes and stands on the floor and has to make a point of waiting for you to get there, well that just sets the mood for the rest of the dance.

Secondly, ladies really should make it a point to dance with guys they do not know at least once, and guys you should try to ask ladies you do not know to dance, at least once or twice. If a girl declines politely more than two times in one night, please don't keep asking her throughout the night. At first she might feel bad for saying no, but by the end of the night she will be going out of her way to avoid you... usually the first "no" really means that the girl is tired (after all, we can't dance every song of the night) but if you get more than two "no" responses in a night, you might want to re-evaluate why. Most of us in the salsa community are NOT snobs, we will dance with almost anyone. So if we really don't want to dance with you, there is probably a good reason... it might be something like you hurt the person you are dancing with in some way when you dance... (This does happen to me, as not everyone realizes how what they do can affect the person they are dancing with...) or it could be for one of the following reasons...

While dancing socially, at least try to pay attention to the person you are dancing with. This goes for both ladies and guys... it's no fun for your partner if you try to critique their dancing (unless you know them well and you know it is okay), or if you ask them to teach you for the entire song (or night)... or if you try to use them as a tool to just show off. Also, you shouldn't be holding your cell phone, or using it in any way (especially texting), or holding a beer (this is not only inconsiderate of the person you are dancing with, but also for all the dancers on the floor, because the beer most likely will spill and then the floor is sticky for the rest of the night and it gets stuck in dancers leather soled shoes)...

Anyway, I don't feel like this happens with the majority of salsa dancers here in Indianapolis, but it DOES happen regularly enough in the clubs for me to take notice...

Salsa Marketing 101 - What not to do

2008-01-27T09:01:00.000-05:00

LearnSalsa is at it again! LearnSalsa is a Los Angeles based salsa business that uses 'sex sells' tactics for marketing salsa to the general public. I blogged about this group before and I agree that sex sells but these tactics will not attract serious dancers and would only be a shallow pickup joint (I can go the the local bar for that). While salsa is great for meeting new people and possibility of hooking up with someone happens all the time I would not recommend that you advertise your business like a 900 number date line. Take a look at their video ad.

Is this video a joke? No it is actually a real ad!

To be fair I am not going to judge the women's acting or looks and just focus on the delivery methods used in LearnSalsa. I like how the women mention that you will meet 50 hot guys when you come to their salsa bootcamp. What is define as hot? A six foot man with a body of a geek god or someone who looks like Steve Urkel from Family Matters? Sounds like deceptive marketing at work (same goes for the sexy women pitch). The ladies also mention losing 1500 calories and they show off their bodies as proof (rolling my eyes). While salsa does burn calories and fat, I would never tell my students that you will lose 1500 calories. Losing weight depends on how many classes you take and how hard you work at it. We also notice that calorie burn is at it greatest when you get to an intermediate/advance level where you can dance to faster songs and execute more complicate patterns.

Ok, I am done with my rant. Here is a treat (for the guys) , another LearnSalsa video ad of a woman in a two piece bathing suit. The poster titled this video Huge Breasts Awesome Breasts from sexy girl. I guessed that they wanted to attract educated and intelligent viewers to their ads (insert extreme sarcasm here).

Enjoy (no nudity, but not recommend for viewing in a work setting)

Should Indy have salsa nightclubs?

2007-12-27T08:32:00.000-05:00

I have asked myself this question so many times. I honestly don’t think that Indy should have salsa nightclubs, especially not on weekends. There are so few Latin nights in Indy and salsa is not priority. Not to mention that these clubs are too crowded and full of cigarette smoke. Let’s break it down!

Salsa nightclubs need a few key things to keep the typical salsa dancer’s interest. First, salsa dancers need a good hard-wood floor. Salsa dancers are very picky about this. We don’t want to dance on a floor that is too fast or too sticky. No one wants to have to be concerned if they will fall on their head trying to shine or do a right-turn nor struggle to use all of their energy to do a right-turn. Tile and concrete floors are just very hard to dance on as well and can cause damage to your knees.

Also, we need space! In order to get our total groove on, we need some room to dance. I hate bumping into other people on the dance floor. And when those people walk by along the side of the dance floor to get across the room for whatever reason, get an elbow to the head and then have the nerve to get mad like we did it on purpose. They have to know their chances of getting hit walking along the edge of the dance floor. Bumping into other people should rarely happen.

Finally, we need good salsa music. Most Latin nightclubs don’t provide this because they cater to the whole Latin crowd, which means that you might have to wait 6-8 songs until the next salsa song comes on and that song itself could be a terrible salsa song. I have nothing against Bachata, Merenge, Reggaeton, and ChaCha. I love them all but, as a salsa dancer I mainly want to hear salsa music. I think the Red Room is the only nightclub that provides this. Also, into regards to good salsa music, Indy needs to get with the times and get some better salsa. There are great salsa/mambo songs being played in major salsa cities which I would love to hear here in Indy.

My suggestion to resolve all of this is to limit salsa nights to dance studios only! Most dance studios already have the floor and the space; and if salsa dancers are in charge of the music, good music will be played as well as more salsa music. Dancers don’t have to worry about smoking or ridiculously drunk people dancing all over the floor; beginners and all ages would feel welcome; and for those students/dancers that don’t want to be in the nightclub environment or have to go to work the next day, can enjoy the studio’s environment. I guess I’ll just say this also, salsa dancers don’t want to spend a lot of money either, especially when they don’t get want they want out of their experience at the nightclub. Salsa dancers aren’t heavy drinkers so, in this case, the salsa community would not have to worry about the club closing down in 6 months because they weren’t making enough money at the bar.

Well, these are just my thoughts. Let me know what you think.

~Chimere~

Chicago workshops, dancing, and slight amounts of chaos.

2007-12-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

The last salsa road trip of 2007 commenced Sunday, December 9th 2007. We (Marques and I, Ketura and Job) left early Sunday morning. It happened to be pretty bad weather and the road conditions were not in our favor. It was raining ice the entire way, and it was to our benefit that Marques had just gotten new tires.

Despite the bad weather, we reached Chicago early, and after locating Latin Street Dance (the studio that was hosting the workshops), we found some close parking and hung out in what has to be the most interesting Mc Donalds that I have ever been to. It was two stories, and mostly windows, with escalator and upstairs "café" (or Mc Donalds version of a cafe, none of us had the desire to test their products at that time).

The workshops started around 1:30 and lasted until about 8pm. They were taught by By Marina & Ibi, from Sweden,
who placed 2nd at The World Salsa Championships 2006 in Las Vegas. There were four workshops: ChaChaCha (All levels), Intermediate Salsa, Advanced Salsa, and Competition Salsa. Ketura, Job, and I took all four workshops, and Marques took all but the Intermediate Salsa. They were really great instructors, and were able to teach a workshop that actively engaged the entire class. They added styling and "sabor" to all of the patterns they taught, and I really felt that the workshops were of great quality. The Competition Salsa was a tricks class... they showed us 3 similar tricks, all of which looked simple and ended up being much more difficult.

By the end, we were all completely exhausted (but in a good way)! We walked to a nearby restaurant, which didn't seem so nearby after the long cold walk. The restaurant is Roy's, which had expensive but very good food. It doesn't seem or feel like a chain restaurant, but there are Roy's in other major cities as well. We would like to thank Marques' friend DeAnna for giving us a gift certificate.

Anyway, our last stop of the day was the Buzz. The boys decided to be nice and try to find closer parking, even though we could have walked, because it was very cold. They let Ketura and I off at the door. I had a great time, and danced with a few really great dancers. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the advanced dancers were at another party, but we still had an amazing time.

There was an unexpected competition, which Marques and I decided to enter on some kind of spur of the moment whim. Turned out there was only one other couple, and it was one of many qualifying rounds for a huge upcoming final. Even though the other couple had matching nice clothes on, and had a routine, and we were just in street clothes and improving, the audience still decided they liked us better, and we received a bottle of champaign for the night. That was nice :-) Both of us qualified for the finals, though.

The slight bit of chaos started after our great night at the Buzz... Marques' car got towed, and we were very tired. We also hit a deer on the way home, luckily it was pretty minor. We ended up reaching home probably about 7 in the morning, and we learned our lesson!!! From now on, we will always book a hotel room and stay over night!

Salsa Dancers vs. Ballroom Salsa/Mambo

2007-12-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

From time to time, ballroom dancers show up at salsa clubs ready to dance - we know, because they always stick out in the crowd (and not in a good way). There are many differences between salsa dancers and ballroom dancers who learn salsa, including (but certainly not limited to) styling, footwork, movement patterns, and musicality. Please watch the video below for an idea of technical perfection of Mambo/Salsa from one of the leading authorities of Latin ballroom dance. Corky Ballas may be a god of the ballroom dance world, but he goes completely unknown in the world of salsa... for good reason!!

Salsa dancers tend to love the music they dance to, and are familiar with artists, bands, and song titles and lyrics. Experienced salsa dancers are so familiar with the songs that they are able to use what they know to interpret the music or emphasize a certain point in the song. Ballroom dancers, even highly trained ones, are much less concerned with the music, and emphasis is placed more heavily on technical perfection. They practice syllabus steps and competition routines to songs that many of which are knockoffs of real songs by cheap bands for purposes of "strict tempo". Click here to go to danceshopper.com and listen to some examples.

This type of Mambo or Salsa can be nice for performances, such as the Mambo part of the American Rhythm Ballroom Competitions or shows, but is not practical for everyday dancing. Unfortunately, ballroom instructors market this style of Mambo (and usually they teach Salsa similarly, just on 1) as the real deal - but you won’t learn how to dance at a Salsa club from a Ballroom studio. It is certainly not respected as an authentic form of salsa by any type of salsa dancer (whether it be LA style, New York Style, Cuban Style, Street Style, etc.). I feel like I can fairly evaluate this not only from video clips online such as this one, but from my collected experience watching ballroom dancers in Salsa clubs, teaching ballroom and ballroom “salsa” / Mambo, as well as my teaching with SalsaIndy…

If you dance like this in a club not only will you get a lot of strange looks from salsa dancers in the crowd, but you will probably make a lot of people angry because you will be taking too much space and stepping on everyone. Salsa dancers know that space in the club is very limited, and we all do our best to be respectful of those around us (even though we do inevitably run in to each other from time to time)…

Am I coming down too hard on ballroom dancing? I would say no, because I still love ballroom dancing. I can appreciate the differences in style between ballroom and salsa. I just think ballroom studios need to at least advertise that what they teach is not social dancing for the clubs so that students are aware that there is a difference.

Columbus SalsaFest

2007-11-18T12:55:00.000-05:00

On November 10th Marques, Chimere, Josiah, and I traveled to Columbus Ohio, for Columbus SalsaFest. Okay really we just went for the social dance that evening. Due to everyone’s busy schedules, and timing, we were not able to participate in the full event, but we still had fun! Marques and I performed, along with another salsa couple, an argentine tango couple, and a small salsa team. There were more performances on other days of the event as well.

The dance was held at The Vault, which was a converted bank vault (and surrounding area). There was a bar inside the Vault, and a large open space for dancing. The floor wasn’t great, it was concrete I think, and a little uneven, but it wasn’t too bad. There was an upstairs overlook as well, probably would have been nice as a lounge, but there weren’t any places to sit. I guess they wanted all the dancers to stay downstairs were the action was. :-D

There were enough interesting and new male leads to keep me entertained, and everyone I met seemed really nice. One thing I noticed was that they played a lot more ChaChaCha than we do (which is fine with me since I love ChaCha), and the majority of the dancers present were On2 dancers. That made the night interesting as well since most dancers in Indianapolis do not dance On2 yet.

All in all, Columbus seems like a relatively dead city when it comes to nightlife downtown… while driving to and from the social dance, I don’t think we saw any clubs open… there were no cabs, few cars, and only a handful of people scattered around the city. This was around 10pm and 1am, so it was still relatively early for a Saturday night… It made all of us appreciate Indianapolis, that is for sure!

Salsa in Chicago

2007-11-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

Recently I traveled to Chicago, on October 20th (2007), to watch a performance by Luna Negra Dance Theatre - a modern dance company. Their show incorporated Salsa, Mambo, and Tango with modern dance, or at least that is how they were advertising it. I was very glad to see a modern company bring awareness of other dance styles to their audience, especially styles I love so much! I am assuming it is due to the fact that it is a company that mostly consisted of Latinos/Latinas…

For an honest review, I felt that the dancers didn’t truly understand the dances they were trying to represent. Too often people see a few movies and think they understand a dance, without having taken lessons or been in the actual atmosphere (for example, actually going to a salsa club)… this is the feeling that I got from this company. Yes, most of the company is consisted of Latino/Latina dancers, but they are still primarily Modern/Ballet trained. I think they just used the music (not the actual dances) as their inspiration, which is fine… the performance was good, and the dancers were pleasing to watch, but I think my expectations were just a little too high going into the theatre.

Anyway, after the show I picked up a friend who lives in the area, and we went to Rumba for their Salsa night (this was a Saturday). There were plenty of good male leads, and the floor was more packed than the Jazz Kitchen (if that seems possible). Surprisingly, most of the great male leads that I danced with that night did not do LA Style or New York style salsa, they were more Cumbia type dancers. They were great at interpreting the music, and had a lot of feeling in their dancing… The music selection was excellent, not a bad song was played all night. Basically we danced until they closed the club.

I definitely plan on returning to Chicago to salsa in the near future…

Reminder 2007 World Salsa Championships

2007-11-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

I would like to remind everyone that the 2007 ESPN World Salsa Champions will be Dec.12-16, 2007 in Orlando, Florida. I am not planning on flying out there, but I will be waiting for the videos to appear on the internet.

For those who do not have any knowledge of this event please checkout my collection of videos from last years championships and my blog post talking about last years competition.

It is great to see the mainstream media (ESPN) sponsoring and promoting salsa!

New Blog Introduction!

2007-11-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Hi! I am sure most of you already know me already, as I am now a regular in the salsa scene here in Indianapolis. However, I am still relatively new to the Salsa community, and new to SalsaIndy, so I decided to write an introduction of myself for my first blog. My name is Jennifer, and I just moved to Indianapolis in May (from Bloomington, IN). I was coming up to Indianapolis 2-3 times per week to dance (sometimes more), so the move was very beneficial for me.

I have been a dancer pretty much my whole life. I have tried almost every type of dance that I have had the opportunity to learn, and until now have been so diversified that I was unable to truly focus on one style. The good side of this is that I know a lot about many different dance styles, and this helps me understand, appreciate, and relate to many different types of dancers.

Just before my move, Marques and I decided to try out as dance partners, and though we have had a somewhat rocky start (with me having mono, etc), we decided to continue. Now, just a little over 6 months later, we have begun teaching salsa classes together downtown at Riolo Dance Studio and I am helping run SalsaIndy.

Aside from teaching salsa, and performing with Marques, I still try to keep up with other styles of dance. I also am very interested in the history of the various dances, and interested in academic analysis of dance as well. I think practicing is very important for any teacher, performer, or social dancer (yes even social dancer – because practicing will help make your dancing more comfortable for your partner, and if it doesn't feel good, then what's the point?)… but I find that really understanding the dance through history also helps me in my dance education, and helps me in teaching others as well.

Anyway, I'm happy to be here!! Many more exciting things await in the near future, but I have to leave something to blog about next ;)

Salsa@6 still holding strong

2007-11-03T17:12:00.000-04:00

It's high-energy, It's culture, It's food, It's fun, It’s … Salsa@6. That is the slogan used for one of Indy's newly established salsa venue. We all have seen salsa venues come and go and when you hear about a new venue you ask yourself is this one is going to last?

Salsa@6 created by Roz Wells officially kicked off on November 2, 2006 making it a year old! Most new salsa venues are lucky to last a couple of months and closed down because the bar does not make enough cash.

So what's their secret? One is the owner Dave, he has been running a Latin night (which happens to occur later that night) for the last 9 years and he knows that it takes time to build up a Latin/salsa night. This event runs from 6pm to 9pm and does not compete with the prime nightclub hours. Last and most importantly is the people. Every Thursday you will find Roz's crew. This insures that you will always have someone to socialize and dance with.

Note to the Latin and salsa promoters out there. Take Salsa@6's model and apply it to your own. Salsa is about the dancing and community and one cannot survive without the other.

Till next time see you on the dance floor

Warning, do not learn salsa from this guy

2007-10-30T12:42:00.000-04:00

When I first saw this video I was thinking, ok this must be one of those salsa satire videos like Learn to Dance with Hernando!, but after a few minutes of watching his DVD 'trailer' I realize that this guy was serious!

Dance instructor Marlon Silva attempts to teach a bastardized version of On1 salsa and cumbia. My best guess would be that this guy made up most of the moves taught in his DVD. While I am a big fan of original content, their are expectations.

Before you run out and buy his DVD, here is my review based on the video trailer.

#1 Pattern - Turning your partner by the ankles.
This pattern looks like crap and could cause the follower to fall or the leader to get kicked in the head. Dance patterns should look and feel good, not awkward and dangerous.

#2 Pattern - Around the world leading from the follower's waist?
I would guess that this could be a leadable pattern, but you will look like a complete idiot and I will laugh at you repeatedly.

#3 Leading techniques - Recklessly jerking your partner around like a rag doll.
This is not shown too much in the video, but you if search for others videos by this guy you will see. Quick tip, dancing should be enjoyable not a fight for your life.

#4 Teaching salsa threesome - see above comments.
While I am big fan of salsa threesome, this guy fails miserably, surprised???

#5 Rebranding On1 style as European style.
On1/On2/whatever was started in the United States (New York and LA). Marlon do your homework, you already look like an idiot and now you sound like one.

#6 More Patterns! - The Conga
If I see you doing this move in public I will bitch slap you.

#7 'Useful' advise - "Go around your partner all the time it makes your dancing easier"
More crappy advice from this guy, how about taking lessons from a reputable Latin studio and stop insulting the salsa community with this garbage.

This guy is so bad that other reputable salsa sites have posted warnings not to buy this DVD, but after watching the trailer I would assume that would be a sufficient warning.

I fell really sad for his dance partner, she will never become a good social dancer if she follows his teaching methods.

Update for clarification:
In the first paragraph I listed two video links, this post is talking about the first link which is titled "video". If you are still confused on which link I am referring to then click here.

Sex sells even for salsa!

2007-10-22T11:05:00.000-04:00

As most of my readers know, a couple of months ago I started my own 'salsa practice'. Teaching group salsa lessons is a fun and rewarding activity, but if you do not have students willing to drop $10 to take a lesson from you then you are out of luck.

To build up your clientele you need to be a good instructor and you need to practice good marketing! Marketing salsa can be hard task due to it being a niche and utilizing mainstream advertising tactics can be a waste of time and money. During our research of marketing methods used by other salsa groups I came across this very attractive salsera who's image is pasted all over the a site called learnsalsa. As you can see in the image she is showing off her 'assets' giving visitors (primarily men) the impressions that if you learn salsa you will meet and dance with hot and sexy women. While their is some truth in this message this tactic reminds me of beer commercials where young 18 year old girls running on the beach in their two piece bathing suits.

So Marques are you against using sex to sell salsa? Course not! I just find it amusing. For the average joe looking to meet women this is a great tactic. As for the serious dancer looking to improve their skills, some will roll their eyes and continue searching for a salsa group that advertises themselves as serious professionals.

Bella Independent Movie (2007)

2007-10-18T11:01:00.000-04:00

Check out and support this independent film that will take the world like a storm. Winner of the 2007 Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award, it will be released on major US cities on 27-Oct-2007. If you're tired of the same old Hollywood movies like me, you will love Bella.

The movie centers around Nina, a young, unmarried waitress at a Mexican restaurant who finds herself pregnant and without work after coming in late several days because of morning sickness. Jose, the restaurant's chef, is taken by Nina's plight and becomes her sole confidant. Jose helps her walk through her decision on what to do with her pregnancy. In the process, he bears secrets from his own mysterious...

Bella

"MANO" (short film) Salsa Movie

2007-07-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

By: Chimere Cross, Coming out in August will be a short film called “Mano.” This film will be another great honor to the salsa/mambo community. The mambo queen, Magna Gopal, is also featured in this film. Also, we are honored to have the choreographer (Gordon Neil) of this film here in Indianapolis to teach workshops at Riolo Dance Studio (July 27th - 29th 2007). Check out the cast and the movie trailer below as well as the overview of the film and tell us what you think.

New York, NY – May 24, 2007 “When you buried your father, you buried us with him” never rang more true as in this passionate, cinematic short about brotherhood, honor and salsa dance. Shot over a three-day period in Los Angeles, CA, MANO features Giancarlo Esposito, Lee Thompson Young, Laz Alonso, Yesenia Adame and Teddy Garces in supporting roles. Directed by: Tony Nardolillo, MANO is the featured short film prefacing the FULL FEATURE LENGTH FILM script written by Tony Nardolillo, who plays the lead role of Victor.

Victor and Machito were best friends growing up on the streets of Washington Heights heavily involved in the underground salsa scene. Separated as teenagers after the death of Victor's father, Victor leaves New York all together, however the passion for dance and music never leaves him. After returning to the block he grew up on years later, he seeks out his childhood buddy Machito, whom he discovers has followed his father’s fatal footsteps.

Summary Written by Aurora Flores – Aurora Communications

With Magna Gopal and choreographed by Gordon Neil

Mano on Myspace

Where are the dancers?

2007-05-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

The topic of this post is not directed to dancers in general, but to the students who are taking classes at local studios in town. You would call me one of the regulars, a dancer who goes out at least once a week to get my salsa fix and who has been doing this for the last 3 years.

I was visiting local salsa sites which provide salsa lessons and it appears that they have a lot going on. IntoSalsa and IndySalsa provides at least 8 hours of class instruction a week. There are also a handful of freelance dancers who teach private and small group lessons. Lately when I attend studio parties, the number of students is less than the number of regular salsa addicts. I have never sat down and counted, but there are times that it feels like only a handful of students show up to their own studio party. Is this because of intimidation, lack of desired dancers of similar level, age or attractiveness? I know that turnover rate is high in the world of dance and trying to infect Indy with the salsa bug is a difficult task.

The numbers are just not adding up. The number of hours of salsa instruction provided is high in comparison to other social dances in this city. This would indicate that the class attendance is doing well and that retention is at least at a safe level. Or maybe my calculations are off. I was told from a Chicago dancer that a salsa studio can easily go though 300 students and expect less than 5 to take the dance somewhat seriously. I personally did not know this source, so I took what he said at face value.

As some of you know, I am now providing group salsa lessons and some may take this post as a jab at the studios here in town, but it is not. I would like to mention that this is just an observation that I will like to point out and see if anyone else feels the same. I have danced with dancers from both studios and it has always been a joy to dance with them (I hope they feel the same).

I have talked to a handful of regular dancers and they have expressed frustration when going out and only having a handful of dancers that they enjoy dancing with. Hopefully we can draw some conclusions on these issues and find a solution.

OpenSourceSalsa now offers Rueda lessons!

2007-05-17T09:55:00.000-04:00

OpenSourceSalsa is now offering salsa Casino Rueda classes in downtown Indianapolis! They will be holding classes at Riolo Dance Studio. More information has been posting on their blog!

It puts a smile on my face to see this group back in action. As stated in a previous post I thought this group was slowly fading away. Sometimes it is good to be wrong (wink wink). Casino Rueda is a particular type of round dancing of Salsa (Wiki Definition) where a group of dancers follows the calls of the leader.

If you are interested in learning Rueda I would highly recommend this group. They are a fun and talented group of dancers. OSS if you have any video clips that you would like to show off, please contact me and I will post them in SalsaIndy's video gallery.

Spread the word!

OpenSourceSalsa Close for Business?

2007-05-08T14:39:00.000-04:00

Today I noticed that OpenSourceSalsa (OSS) took down its homepage. For those who did not know them, OSS was a Rueda performance team based in Indianapolis. They were building a good portfolio of public performances and their site was active with information on their upcoming performances and also promoting the activities of their members (dance instruction, salsa parties).

In the last few months I noticed a change with their site - the frequency that they posted new content was almost non-existant. I was told that the group was in need of men, which could have accounted for the stagnation of the group. I have seen this with women who want to perform, but cannot find a man who is willing to practice. I addressed this issue over a year ago in Looking for a few good Salseros.

Last week, I noticed an updated post on OSS’s site advertising their upcoming performance in Anderson, Indiana. I was happy to see the group ramping back up for the summer. I was confused as to why the post did not give any details (exact location and time). I thought it was just an oversight by the webmaster or a private event.

I hope that this is only temporary and that the group is just re-organizing. I know how hard it can be to run a group. It can be very difficult to maintain the motivation level for both the leaders and the members. For now I will keep OSS’s link on SalsaIndy’s homepage in hopes that the site comes back up.

Update: As you can see with the comment below that OSS is still up and running!

Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!

2007-04-13T15:54:00.000-04:00

2 weeks ago, IntoSalsa posted information for their second annual salsa competition. Chimere and I competed last year, which was a fun experience. There is a video clip of us that I posted on YouTube and mySpace. There were a few discrepancies that occurred in last year's dance competition (during qualifications and the finals) that did not rub me the right way. I addressed these issues to the promoters and hopefully this year’s competition will be more consistent.

I really like that they have created both a professional and amateur division. One issue that we had last year was the that non-pro dancers did not want to compete against the more advanced level dancers. I really think the pro and amateur division is going to increase participation. Also, the promoter has given the dancers early notice of the competition (about 3 months!). Last year we were given about 2 or 3 weeks, which was very stressful when attempting to put a routine together.

I have decided that I will compete this year. I have learned a great deal from last year’s competition and would like to raise the level of my performance. My dance partner will be Jennifer; a music major from Indiana University. She is an excellent dancer who has a passion for dance. We should make a good team and give Indy a good show.

There is one minor issue, which I will have to overcome. I am recovering from a rotator cuff injury. The pain was gone for awhile, but has returned. I think the reason is because I have stopped all my physical therapy exercise (due to the stress of a new project I have been working on). So if I want to survive the training for the competition, I better get back into the gym.

I would encourage all dancers to go out and find a partner and give the dance competition a try. It is not about winning, but giving it your best and showing off the video clip of your performance to your friends and posting it on your mySpace homepage!

For those who want to compete, but do not know where to start, myself and few other freelance dancers are willing to coach (for a fee) those who plan to compete in the amateur division. Contact information can be found on my salsa lessons page at SalsaIndy.com

See you in the preliminaries!

Guess who is the Star!

2007-03-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

During my last night teaching at Salsa@6 a IndyStar photograph stopped by and took some pictures. I was surprise that I got in last Sunday's issue of the Star because the photograph never asked me for my name. I would guess that the other dancers gave him my name. The lovely lady that I am dancing with is Sylvia White. There are also pictures of Roz Wells and Lana Hayes. Anyways, looks like I have another picture to post on my myspace page (please add me as your friend!).

You can find all the pictures in the Star's Multimedia page, just click on the Seen Scene link.

Sorry Chad and Karina!

2007-03-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

In a pervious blog post I blogged about the ESPN World Salsa Championships and mention Chad and Karina in this article because of their involvement in the competition and made a few comments and opinions on their involvement. A couple of days ago I got to talk to Chad and Karina and I found out that my opinion was interpreted as a personal attack on them.

The post was never intended as a person attack on Chad and Karina, but after talking to them, I can see how it can be interpreted as such (The wonders of written communications). I feel that stating my personal opinions in my blog is what blogging is all about, but when you have a blog that can touch people personally there are times when messages can be misinterpreted and feelings hurt.

As with any mistake that I make, I will try my best to patch things up. Chad and Karina, I apologize for the opinions that I made, you guys have come a long way and have proven yourselves to be great dancers with potential. You have showed Indianapolis that our small salsa community can accomplish great things.

Salsa and Super Bowl XLI?

2007-02-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

First I would like to congratulate the Colts for bringing us a Super Bowl victory! Their victory shows that Indianapolis has great potential of becoming a city that people admire. When I moved to Indianapolis, I viewed it as a startup city looking for its identity. Will this Super Bowl victory help give Indy an identity? Only time will tell. Ok, enough with the introductions, back to the good stuff salsa!

The Nations in Rhythm concert was the kick-off event for Super Bowl XLI. This was a fundraising event for the Young at Art Children's Museum. The concert showcased a variety of world beats. There were also Latin acts that included salsa dancers and musicians! While it was only a small section of showcase, I think it is a major step in the right direction in introducing salsa to the masses. Just having salsa associated with the Super Bowl is priceless!

I found this video clip that highlighted the salsa performances. I did not see the kick-off show and only have this video clip as a reference. I see that there were both salsa and rueda dancers performing. This should put smiles on the faces of OpenSourceSalsa (Indy’s own rueda dance team).

A victory for the Colts, Indianapolis and Salsa!

2006 World Salsa Championship Winners!

2007-01-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

Here are the video clips of the 1st place winners for the 2006 ESPN World Salsa Championships. If you are ever interested in performing or competing, why not steal some moves from the best (if you can handle their level).

Chad and Karina (Indianapolis' own cabaret dancers) flew out to San Francisco to compete in the prelims. While they did not qualify for the finals I would like to give them credit for all the time and hard work they put in. In my opinion they were not ready for such a competition, but hopefully they take what they have learned and continue building experience and confidence competing here in the midwest.

People have asked if I was ever going to compete at such a level. This idea has bounced around in my mind for sometime and it would be a fun and exciting to pursue such a level of dancing. Then reality hits and I realize that I currently have a lot going on in my life (my day job, SalsaIndy, freelance IT, teaching/dancing salsa, social life, etc). I would have to put my other activities on hold to focus on performing which I am currently not interested in doing.

Maybe one day, I would change my mind and reprioritize, only time will tell.

Sorry for the rant (I have not blog in a while and had some stuff on my mind) here are the video clips.

1rst place on1 division

1rst place on2 division

1rst place cabaret division

1rst place team division

Video Examples of On1 and On2 Dancing

2006-12-21T06:12:00.000-05:00

As most of you already know there are different styles of salsa dancing. In the States the two most popular are On1 and On2 (also referred to as mambo). On1 is danced mainly on the west coast (Los Angeles Style) and On2 is dance mainly on the east coast (New York Style) and everyone in between can go either way. Most of us here in Indianapolis dance On1 if you did not know. To give you a quick and dirty description of the two dances, On1 dance is more flashy and showy while On2 is smoother and focuses more on the social aspect of the dance. While there are many exceptions to the rule, I just wanted to give a brief description of the two.

Here are two video clips comparing both On1 and On2 dancing (from a performance perceptive) to give you a feel of the two dances. Notice that on2 does not rely on tricks and lifts like On1, but more on styling. As I stated before these statements are not hard facts, but generalizations that have many expectations to the rule.

On1 example, Orville & Ana

On2 example, Eddie Torres & Nancy Ortiz

If you are interested in learning more about On1 and On2 dancing check out the Widkipedia definition of salsa dancing.

Music Video: Cachondea - Fruko y sus Tesos

2006-11-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

While quality of this 'salsa music video' fell short in many areas such as actually salsa dancing, taste and artistic merit, somehow I was compelled to watch the entire video. Also this was the song that Chimere and myself used during our competition. If this does not get more men to checkout salsa dancing, then I do not know what will!

Cachondea - Fruko y sus Tesos

Update: I had the wrong salsa band listed. Thanks for the comments and phone calls correcting me. For some reason the video is listed as Sonora Carruseles. Honestly I should have caught this because I own music from both groups. This is what I get for blogging late at night after a glass of wine.

SalsaIndy Gets A New Look!

2006-11-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

My Indianapolis salsa site has a new look! I would like to give credit to Kristy for the work she put in designing the new layout. Please navigate though the site and tell me what you think. You can either post a comment or just send me an email. I hope you all enjoy the new look and as always I will continue keeping everyone informed of what is going on in Indianapolis' salsa scene. I will also be hosting a website launch party earlier next year, I have not pick a date, but when I do it will be posted on SalsaIndy. Take care and keep dancing!

Saturday Night Salsa Melee!

2006-11-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

Sometimes more is better, but when it comes to salsa nights in Indianapolis, more does not always mean better. Take two downtown nightclubs which are less than a 1/2 mile away from each other and host a Salsa night on the same night. This is a recipe for disaster! With winter upon us, the number of dancers coming out has dropped considerably. Wednesday night at the Red Room has been hit the hardest when it comes to dancer attendance.

The two clubs that I referring to are the Cozy hosted by DJ Taz and supported by SalsaIndy (hey, that’s me!) and the Vault hosted by the VIP Crew and IntoSalsa. For me as a dancer, this really sucks! Why? Simply because I would prefer to have all my favorite dancers at the same venue. More options of who we can dance with is better than having limited options. Both venues have a good dance floor, safe environment and good music selection. Because there is no hard deciding factor as to which venue is better, loyalty plays an important role. Followers of Taz go to the Cozy and followers of IntoSalsa go to the Vault. There is nothing wrong with loyalty being the deciding point, both Taz and IntoSalsa have worked very hard to develop such relationships in the community.

What happened to the good old days of IntoSalsa Night with Taz spinning everyone’s favorite salsa and international beats at a small Italian restaurant called Il Gargano? Back then going out to dance was about having fun, not having to be loyal or compelled to support someone. This and the drama that has been created have put a bitter taste in my month and have tainted my perception of salsa dancing in Indianapolis.

The solution is simple, someone should back down! We need to look past our self interests and do what is good for the Latin dance community. Competition is good, but the tactics that are being used have gotten out of hand and need to stop. What happened to unity that was the topic of Yang's (IntoSalsa) last article?

I will not post what I have heard and seen, because it is hard to separate fact from rumor. Feel free to post your thoughts on what has been going on and what should be done to bring peace back to our salsa community.

I wish for the good old days to be back again.

Update Cortisone Injections

2006-11-07T07:35:00.000-05:00

Here is an update on the cortisone injections I was planning on getting for my knees. My doctor did not give me the option of getting the cortisone injections, but another treatment option with a product called Supartz.

Here is an some information I found about this product.

Hyalgan or Supartz are lubricating material originally used in the knee. They are used in other joints of the body today as they have shown promise in the knee joint. The primary goal is 5 injections given at weekly intervals for calming of the swelling and pain in the joint and added lubrication of the joint. The Foot and Ankle Institute doctors were and are among the first to use this treatment in the foot and ankle after promising results in the knee were noted. Refernce: Foot & Ankle Institute

My doctor was not able to do the injections during my office visit because they needed to see if my insurance will cover it. I was supposed to get a call back from my doctor last week on weather or not my insurance will cover it. It might be a good thing that I am force to wait because I am now having second thoughts.

I decided to give natural supplements another tried. I went to GNC and spent a small fortune on knee supplements. Even if my insurance covers the treatment, I might hold off on it for a few more weeks. There is no right or wrong answers when it comes to health and well being issues like this. In the end you have to do what you feel is right and hope for a good outcome.

Thanks to everyone who posted to my previous blog in regards to this and also to my friends over at Dance Forums who also provided some helpful advice and guidance.

4 Nights of Intense Dancing!

2006-11-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, I told myself that I should take it easy for a couple of weeks to give my poor knees a rest. As always, I did the total opposite! This week was fanatic! I survived four (yes four) nights of intense, no holds barred dancing. What can I say, life is about simple obsessions and salsa is one of them.

Thursday Night @ the Jazz Kitchen
I will openly admit that I am not a big fan of the Jazz Kitchen. While the music selection is good, their floor gets way too crowded and serious salsa dancers tend to avoid this venue. But this night we managed to have a very good time. Sonja (my dancer partner) and I arrived at the Jazz Kitchen early. Cynthia was finishing up the free salsa lesson and the DJ started to play the music. When you get to JK early, there is more then enough room for you and your partner to give the spectators a good show. It only took an hour before the dancers began to flow in and crowd the dance floor. The floor was crowded at times, but it did not get overly crowed as it does during the summer months. For the first time, I was involved in salsa foursome! Two other Salseros and myself were dancing with Sonja during the same song. Overall a good night.

Friday Night @ Adobo Grill
This is where you will find me on most Friday nights. Either myself or Ryan teaches the free dance lesson before the start of the night. Salsa dancers love this venue with their hardwood floor and no reggaeton music in the rotation. We managed to pull off another salsa foursome, this time with Drea. I wonder which salsera will be next?

Saturday @ The Cozy
I was taking it easy at the Cozy because I had taught a private lesson an hour beforehand. It was a costume party, but I decided not to dress up. I did wear my 4 pocket Mexican shirt; if I'd had a Mexican hat, I could have pulled it off as a costume. Congratulations to Roberto in his dancing grammas costume for winning the costume contest!

Sunday @ Syndicate (Cincinnati)
Our friends at Midwestern Latino hosted a party at the Syndicate with Puerto Rican Power as the headliner band. Son del Caribe from Cincinnati was also there and gave an outstanding performance. I will not bore you with boring details about the night other then that the live music of both bands were fantastic. Here is a video clip of Diana (KamaSalsa Instructor) and myself doing some social dancing during that night. Not too bad for only dancing together one time before and on carpet.

Diana and Marques Salsa Dancing

Are cortisone injections the answer?

2006-10-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

About a two years ago I injured both my knees during a racquetball game, which triggered my arthritis. With my active lifestyle and my family's history with arthritis, I knew that this fate was coming. I just wished it did not happen so soon and could have at least waited until my 30s.

About a year ago I decided to try the surgical route, which provided little to no pain relief for my knees. While the arthritis pain that I have after a long night of dancing is certain, it has not stopped me from doing what I love to do. My grandmother who has arthritis tried cortisone injections; they helped a lot with her pain, and hopefully my body will react the same. I am planning on attending the StuckOnSalsa Cruise at the end of November and I really want to attend this cruise without worrying about waking up with inflamed knees and having to ice them down day after day, which has almost become my daily routine.

I am scheduled to visit the doctor this Thursday, so wish me luck! If everything goes well, I should still be able to attend the Salsa De Los Muertos Masquerade party this Friday at Adobo Grill and teach the free salsa lesson.

While cortisone injections will not cure me of my arthritis, there is a good chance that it will stop the inflammation and pain for a few months.

I hope that they find a cure for arthritis in my lifetime; I miss the days where I could go running or inline skating for hours and not have a care in the world.

MySpace and Salsa Peer Pressure

2006-10-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

Most of us are familiar with the free social networking website called MySpace. If you have not heard of MySpace you are most likely living in a cave. You either join MySpace because you are interested in expanding your social network, promotion (music, business, etc) or you have succumb to peer pressure.

I admit that I fell victim to 'salsa peer pressure' when my dance partner Chimere asked me to join MySpace. I resisted at first but in the end I gave in and created my page. At first you have not clue what to do with your page other then filling out your profile description, but after awhile you get used to the interface you and start posting pictures, video clips and custom layouts to match your personality.

Feel free to check out my profile. You may recognize some of my friends, some are from the salsa community and I have a few of the internationally known dancers (Josie Neglia and Eddie the Salsa Freak for example).

I would encourage everyone to check out this free service, it has kept me in contact with friends and help build stronger friendships. With my busy lifestyle, MySpace makes it easy and convenient to stay in touch and it keeps my cell phone bill from getting out of control.

You can find me on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/indysalsero

L.A. Style Salsa Workshop Video Clip

2006-09-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago there was a L.A. Style Salsa Workshop at Latin Street Dance Studio in Chicago. I did not post any clips from the workshop because we were not allowed to video tape the instructors (Rodrigo Guzman & Vai Au-Hare) and the videp clips I took of myself 'attempting' the moves were not complimentary. My friend Dewayne came across a video clip on YouTube of another couple practicing one of the patterns that was taught. If you look in the background you will see myself walking by and Chad and Karina in the wall mirror. Stacie from Orquesta Bravo and India was also there taking the workshop. Over 1/4 of the class was from Indianapolis!

2006 Fiesta Indianapolis - Where's my taco?

2006-09-18T11:44:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday people filled the grounds at Military Park for La Plaza's Fiesta Indianapolis. I attended Fiesta Indy last year and was very excited for this year's fiesta. While this year's fiesta was fun, it did not meet my expectations.

I understand how difficult it is to organize and manage large events such as Fiesta Indy and La Plaza did an excellent job. As I walked around, everything looked well organized and the live music started on time with little to no interruptions.

So how did this year's Fiesta fall short? Well for me, I went to the fiesta for 3 reasons: the authentic Mexican food, live salsa bands and the people. As for the food, there was only one vendor selling tacos. I waited in line for over an hour and a half. Typically, I would give up and find something else to eat, but I remembered how much I loved eating the tacos last year, so I decided to wait it out. Due to the long wait I missed the Rueda performance from OpenSourceSalsa, which I was planning on seeing. When I finally got my tacos, I was shocked! They Americanized my ‘authentic’ Mexican tacos! Authentic tacos are made with a soft shell, meat, pico de gallo and are served with lime. What they gave me was an undercooked soft shell, meat, and cheese with store-bought salsa on top. I could barely stomach it. I would have tossed the food, but after waiting for over an hour and a half, I could not. I will do the vendor a huge favor and not mention their name.

Now, what about the live music? I was only interested in the salsa bands and will not comment on the other bands. The first salsa band was Salsa & Company, an Indianapolis salsa band. Due to a private group class that I was teaching, I missed them, so I cannot give comment on their performance. I have attended venues where they have played in the past and have been very pleased with their work. The second band was Orquesta Iluziones located in Valparaiso, Indiana. I was given their demo CD in the past and they sounded good, but when I heard them live, they sounded much better. While their band’s performance was excellent, I did not like the vocals of their lead female singer. Her voice did not harmonize with the band. It would have also been nice if there was a big headliner salsa band like they had last year by bringing in Puerto Rican Power!

While 2006 Fiesta Indy fell short by my standards, it was still a great success. The attendance was strong throughout the day, everyone was having a good time (expect for us poor saps in the taco line) and there was lots of salsa dancing in the streets. If someone from La Plaza happens to come across this blog, please don't take offense, and take my comments as constructive criticism for next year's planning.

My First Salsa Competition!!!

2006-08-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, IntoSalsa hosted their first annual salsa competition! Chimere and myself decided to complete. We were only given 3 weeks to put a routine together, but I felt that we did a good job during the finals. Below is the clip of our performance. You can also find our performance on YouTube. If you want to see all the performances (Chad and Karina a must see!!!) they are posted on IntoSalsa's video clips page. We placed third in the competition (hey it was some tough competition), but I am planning on creating a more refined routine for next time. I would like to encourage everyone to give dance competitions a try. It is not about winning, but about becoming a more confident and experience dancer. In my book everyone who completed in the prelims and the finals are all WINNERS!!! Next time there is a dance off in Indy I hope to see the original completing couples and a few new faces.

Salsa on So You Think You Can Dance

2006-08-16T03:10:00.000-04:00

While I enjoy watching Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. I have only seen a handful of shows. The main reason is because the show is aired on Wednesday night, the same night I go dancing at the Red Room. So I have the choice of either watching people dance or I can do it myself, which for me is a no brainier. Yesterday night I was cruising on YouTube for salsa clips and I came across a salsa performance from the show. Surprisingly I did catch this episode on TV, and was happy to see that someone posted it on YouTube. The routine was not mind blowing, but was very fun to watch (nice lift). As a bonus, the clip includes the judge’s take on the performance which was all thumbs up!

It is great to see mainstream media taking an interested in social and ballroom dancing (especially salsa). Hopefully this encourages more people to give social dancing a try.

Exclusive Seek Peak of SalsaIndy!

2006-08-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

I would like to welcome everyone to take a sneak peak at my new website, SalsaIndy! While there are a handful of Indianapolis based salsa site (IndySalsa, IntoSalsa, OpenSouceSalsa, etc), I felt that we needed a place which could help link them all together. The idea of SalsaIndy is simple, if it has something to do with salsa dancing in Indianapolis post it! Our salsa community may be small, but our hearts are big. With unity we can bring Indianpolis' salsa scene to a higher level.

Indianapolis’ Source for Salsa Dancing

Let apologize in advance for the broken links and incomplete content, salsa may be my passion, but it is not my full time job. Expect the site to up to 100% within the next 2 weeks.

Also to clear up any confusion I am no longer associated IndySalsa.

Condo Warming Party Saturday, July 29

2006-07-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

I will be having a Condo Warming Party on Saturday July 29th. I will supply drinks and bottle water. Feel free to bring your favorite drinks. There will be dancing (70% salsa, 30% everything else). I have over 270 sq ft of dance space (laminate hardwood) and common areas to socialize. My condo is a New York style loft with lots of character (exposed brick, duct work, steal beams, you name it!). Most of my friends already know where I live, but if you do not please send me an email (indysalsero@gmail.com) and I will give you my address.

The party will start around 9pm.

Category: [IndySalsero-events]

Adios IndySalsa

2006-06-12T14:17:00.000-04:00

I have decided to leave IndySalsa. While the last 2 years was a blast, I have decided that it would be in my best interests to leave IndySalsa. So what will happen to IndySalsa? My former business partner Mathias will continue running the website and the dance studio. Does this mean that I am quitting salsa? No, my passion for dancing lives on and I will continue teaching private lessons to my current clients and for anyone else who is interested. I will no longer be maintaining IndySalsa.com, but I will continue updating my salsa blog with news, events and opinions and you can also find me on MySpace. Please send all emails to indysalsero@gmail.com, because my IndySalsa email will no longer be used.

Here are some upcoming events that I am still involved in.

---Salsa Mondays @ Urban Element Mon, June 19th---
This event has been cancelled.

---Road Trip! – CincyLatino Salsa Cruise Fri, June 23rd---
I will be driving to Ludlow, KY to check out a Riverboat salsa cruise! Tropicoso will be playing live that evening.

$20 Per Person
21 and up
Dress Code Enforced. Please No Hats, T-shirts

More info on CincyLatino Salsa Cruise page.

Take care and see you on the dance floor.

Marques

Category: [IndySalsero-myself]

Rejection on the dance floor

2006-05-10T14:43:00.000-04:00

After reading Erin's article No But Thank You, I was inspired to publish my own personal thoughts on rejection on the dance floor here in Indianapolis.

When it comes to Latin dancing, men face the problem of rejection and women face the problem of not getting asked to dance. I see a lot of new dancers quit Indy’s salsa scene due to this. The ‘regulars’ have a tendency of dancing with those that they know or have practiced with in the dance studios. It is a comfort zone for them, they know that the next 4 to 5 minutes on the dance floor will be enjoyed. When a guy asks a lady to dance that he has never seen, it is like rolling the dice. Does she have any experience Latin dancing? Will our styles mix well on the dance floor? If the answer is no to either of those questions, expect to have an awkward experience on the dance floor.

I enjoy dancing with new faces in the clubs and have never minded taking a lady to the dance floor who has never danced to show her the basic steps and right turn. I will be honest that there are times where I just want to go out and dance and not play the role of instructor. If I am looking for a new face to dance with that does not need any instruction, I sit out for a few songs and check out the dancers. If she can do a right turn, cross body lead and an inside turn, I know that when I dance with her, it will be a positive experience.

Ladies may ask, what if I never get asked to dance and no one can see that I can? I would suggest putting in your time and socializing with the regulars. If you come out the clubs regularly (let’s say every other week), this will catch the attention of the salsa addicts and trigger curiosity to see if this new salsera can dance. Also, socializing with the regulars will create a more relaxed environment to be asked to dance. The issue I see is that a lady joins the Latin dance community, visits the clubs once a month and does not attempt to socialize with other dancers. They expect to be showered with attention from hordes of handsome salseros and dance the night away, but in reality this is typically not the case. After a couple of months of sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else dance, they get frustrated, blame the crowd as being too ‘clique-ish’ and quit. Latin clubs are not your typical hip-hop clubs, where guys are diving to the feet of every attractive woman wanting to dance/grind on. Guys can grind on anyone; salsa does not follow these rules. Clock in your hours in the clubs for a couple of months and be social (it is a social dance) before putting your dance shoes to rest.

For us guys, well, rejection is something we are always going to deal with. It is a fact of life. No matter what level dancer we are, how well we dress/smell, there will be times in the club where it feels that no one wants to dance with you. Been there, done that. From what salseras have told me, they are willing to dance with any guy who is not trying to sleep with them and knows what they are doing!

Guys, try selecting ladies that have a style similar to your own. If you have learned in a studio here in Indy, most likely you are dancing LA style salsa, where your basic steps are back and forth. If you see a lady dancing a cumbia step (back and to the side), expect a harder time leading her. Remember, the ladies are also watching you, if they have seen your style and know that it will not mix well, expect to be declined for a dance. I am not suggesting that we should never dance with dancers with other styles, but I would recommend getting confident with what you know before experimenting with other styles on the dance floor.

As for removing the stigma of being just a guy trying to pick up women, well, that is a hard one. Going to salsa clubs that are not labeled as meat markets will help. Establishing a reputation as a regular salsa dancer in the clubs of your choice will also benefit your image. Even with that said, we are men and will forever be labeled as ‘nightclub guys’ or players by women who do not know us. It is a numbers game, so suck it up and keep asking until someone accepts your offer.

Category: [IndySalsero-rants]

Needed: Dance Space

2006-03-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

There are two things that the Indianapolis Salsa community is in need of. One is male salsa dancers, which I have covered in a previous article, and the other is dance space. All the venues in Indy suffer from insufficient dance space to some extent. Places like the Vault may have a full dance floor on a Saturday night and not be overwhelming crowded, but at places like the Jazz Kitchen you feel like a tightly packed sardine after 11:00 pm.

While is it great to see the popularity of salsa venues soar, it is becoming more and more difficult to find space to dance. For the more experienced dancers, we lose our ability to execute some of our stylish and more complex patterns on the floor. I am not talking about flipping someone in the air, but fun stuff that we like to do that requires the lead to move out of their slot to execute. When my portfolio of patterns is cut in half due to space, it makes it more difficult to express myself on the dance floor because I am forced to ask myself whether or not executing the pattern will send myself or my partner into a collision course with the couple next to us.

There are two solutions to this problem. Our quick answer is to increase the dance space provided. I feel that the owners of restaurants and clubs have already done an excellent job at providing dance space at their expense and risk. As our community grows, owners will invest in more space for the dancers. The other solution is more practical - for dancers to be more space conscious. I am no saint - when you are 6'3" it is not an easy task conserving space with arms and legs like mine, but I feel that I make great efforts in utilizing less space when needed. My issue is with the dancers who bluntly do not the take into consideration that there are other dancers and dance as if they are the only couple on the dance floor. I have broken down these dancers into three categories.

The Beginner Dancer
You and your dance partner are minding your own business and then you feel someone’s heel/shoe nail the back of your foot. You turn about and see a couple taking huge steps and not maintaining their slot on the dance floor. If this has happened to you, then you have encountered a beginner dancer. It is typically not their fault; sometimes their instructor neglects to mention it, or may not mention it enough for it to stick in their minds. I tell my students to take small steps and to maintain a slot when dancing. Salsa is a slot dance where the couple dances in an invisible rectangular box. A easy way to determine if you are staying in your slot is to position yourself parallel to the closest wall. After you have danced a song check to see if you are still parallel with the wall (not at an angle) and have not move too far from your original position (it is ok if you have traded position with your partner). Working on dancing within your slot takes time and effort, but after you have mastered it, you will find that you can utilize less room on the floor and your dancing will look more polished.

The Macho Dancer
You know who you are, we understand that you love the Jazz Kitchen and will do anything in your power to dance as if the floor is half empty, but you have pissed off at least a half of dozen dancers in the process. I really do not have any advice to these dancers other then to get off the floor if they do not know how to behave. Take it easy and there will be times when there is more room to dance.

The Drunken Dancer
Do us a favor and stay off the floor or take that mess to Rock Lobster or the Vogue. Most of us dancers have invested our time to learn how to dance and we feel cheated when a drunken couple hits the dance floor like a bowling ball and we are the bowling pins. There many non-salsa bars and clubs around Indy to get drunk and grind on your partner.

Till next time Indy, conserve your space and keep dancing.

Category: [IndySalsero-rants]

Tee and Jessica's Wedding

2006-02-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

Let’s take a step back Indy and revisit last summer’s Wedding of the Year! Now what does a wedding have to do with Salsa? It has everything to do with Salsa if it’s the wedding of Tee and Jessica, two New York Latin dance instructors who were formerly based in Indianapolis.

I came across their wedding pictures on Larry Gindhart’s photography website. The caption mentions that Tee's pinstripe suit was custom designed by his son. His suit looks very sharp and when I find that special someone to marry, I would be honored to have a custom made suit from him. While I was not able to attend the wedding, looking at the pictures brought back memories from my experiences with them.

I first met Tee and Jessica at the Jazz Kitchen while they were teaching the free salsa lessons. After a couple weeks of attending their free lessons I decided to take lessons from them. I remember entering a small red brick studio with an interior that was in need of a new coat of paint and furniture. Like most newbie dancers, I was nervous, trying not to look 'that bad' learning the basic steps and turns of salsa. A few times I had to practice leading Jessica (also know as Frankie), which made me extremely nervous. She is a very beautiful woman and last thing a guy wants is to look like a fool. While my stay at their studio only lasted 2 months, due to the fact that my dance partner’s schedule changed, I still attended their free lessons at the Jazz Kitchen from time to time.

I was never close to Tee and Jessica, and I would not have been surprised if they didn't remember me if I had gone to their wedding. Even with that said, I would like to give my best wishes to them. Tee learned how to dance in Chicago and used his knowledge of Latin dance to help set the foundation of Salsa dancing in Indianapolis. Most of Indianapolis’ Latin dance instructors (including myself) have either learned from Tee or have been influenced by his style. I doubt that Indianapolis’ Salsa Scene would be what it is today if it weren’t for his efforts.

Category: [IndySalsero-news]

Is Havana Night Indy's Next Latin Hit?

2006-01-23T12:28:00.000-05:00

It is very rare to become a hit success over night when it comes to running a Salsa night. I have seen a handfull of Latin/Salsa venues start up with great potential, only to see them close after a month or two of operation. Running a Salsa night is not an easy task and takes hard work, sacrifice, and having a few friends in the community to be successful.

IndySalsa’s Havana Night was first launched at Radio Radio in Fountain Square. Our opening night, in my opinion, was successful - our attendance was great and we were given compliments in regards to venue and music selection. While Radio Radio was an ideal venue, we decided to look for another venue due to the fact that we would not be able to reserve every Friday night. So we decided to move Havana Night to the Savoy. The Savoy, being an upscale and classy venue, was a perfect home for Havana, but our kickoff party which had a good turn out, paled in comparison to Radio Radio. There were various reasons - one being the kickoff of another Friday Salsa venue, winter weather and student dancers getting ready for finals (my dance partner was one of them).

You either sink or swim at this point, I thought to myself. We focused on promotions and other activities like expanding our music selection and bringing in live entertainment. In conjunction with AlexAlex Events, we brought in a live Salsa band from Cincinnati, which was received very well by the community. After a couple of months, Havana Night began to gain momentum and is becoming a popular night for both the salsa dancers and for the Hispanic community.

While Havana Night was not an overnight success, the venue is heading in the right direction. Our attendance has been growing at a rate faster than I had expected, and every night becomes more and more enjoyable and memorable. We have big plans for Havana’s future, look forward to seeing live bands from all around the Midwest, fun theme parties (check out our Blue Friday party), AlexAlex on the mic and Indy’s Salsa dancers heating up the dance floor every Friday night.

So where will you be dancing on Friday night?

Category: [IndySalsero-news]

The Salsa Experiment

2006-01-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Here is another high energy salsa video clip with sound effects for added effect! The clip is called the 'Salsa Experiment' and is performed by Ed and Stephanie, two exceptional dancers. I have never heard of the couple, but after watching the video, they certainly look like professional salsa dancers. There is also a downloadable video clip available for those who would like to steal a move or two from them.

Category: [IndySalsero-videos]

My 2006 New Year's Resolution Rant

2006-01-05T10:40:00.000-05:00

Well, it is the start of a new year and it is time to make unrealistic resolutions, right? I am going to hop onto my soap box for a moment and say that self improvement is an ongoing and never-ending process. I was at the gym (I am typically there at least once a week) and it was packed! Was this to my surprise? Of course not! To get in shape is the #2 most popular New Year’s resolution. The other 9 are not at all that surprising either. All I am trying to get at is why use the excuse that it is January 1st to improve your life. Self improvement and reflection should be done on an ongoing basis so that we don’t let things like our health, love or finances go unchecked.

OK, let’s say you make a resolution to find a hobby (#9). You pick skiing for example, and you go out there on the slopes and discover that you do not like the cold. Typically that resolution will die out because there is no periodic check and you would have forgotten that you even made the resolution. Why not make a resolution and perform a quarterly review to insure that you are on the right path? If skiing does not work, your quarterly review will tell you to find another hobby. Then you find this interesting hobby called salsa dancing and fall in love happily ever after.

Now, why not have this quarterly review to check everything that is going on in your life. Hence you are now in a state of constant self improvement and when 2007 comes around you find that life is in order and you can kiss the New Year’s resolution nonsense goodbye.

So when people ask me what is my resolution for 2006, I tell them that I do not have one, but I have been working on balancing my work, IndySalsa and love since way before the start of the new year. So Indy, what do you think about the whole New Year’s resolution hype? Did you make one? Did you accomplish the one you set in 2005? Do you even remember your resolution from 2005? I am anxious to hear your answers.

If you cannot think of a good and worthwhile resolution, let modern technology generate one for you.

The 2006 New Year's Resolution Generator

In the year 2006 I resolve to:
Teach my dog to fly.

Get your resolution here

Category: [IndySalsero-rants]

2006 Chicago Salsa Congress Returns

2005-12-28T04:58:00.000-05:00

Update Again:
Check out the day pass options which are $115.00 for the full day or just $75.00 for the workshops.

The Heatwave Returns February 16-19
I was going to wait to post this blog for next week, but after navigating though the Chicago Salsa Congress website and noticing that their early bird discount for admission will expire on January 9 (They move the date from Jan 6 to Jan 9), I wanted to give everyone the heads up ASAP.

What is a Salsa Congress and why would I want to waste my valuable time and money going?

If you wish to grow as a dancer, I would highly recommend attending a few congresses from time to time. If you are content with your level, a congress may not be your cup of tea.

Salsa Congresses provide:
Salsa workshops taught by some of the best salsa dancers around the world.
Live dance performances every evening.
Social dancing every night on a huge dance floor with live bands.
Meeting and dancing with a lot of salsa dancers!!!

Ok, if I have sparked your interest, here are the details. Sign up before January 6 for the entire package (February 16-19) for $200. The price will inflate to $300 when the early bird discount expires. There are also day passes provided. If you do not want to head to the congress alone, give me an email, - a handful of us from IndySalsa will be attending the congress.

If you are still not convinced about going to a salsa congress, check out the salsa video clips from the 2005 Chicago Congress - we had a great time last year.

IntoSalsa Night is Back!

2005-12-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

It has been over 2 months sense we had a Saturday night salsa venue. To pass the time on our Saturday nights most of us just stayed in, caught up on sleep or even worst, dare I say, go to a non-Latin nightclub! It is with great pleasure to announce that IntoSalsa’s Saturday night salsa venue is back! After taking a 2 month break and a change in venues, IntoSalsa Night is now back, bigger, better and badder! Every Saturday IntoSalsa Night will be held at the Vault in downtown Indianapolis. DJ Taz and Jimmie Jim will be spinning our favorite Latin and international beats. It was about 2 years ago when I was learning how to dance and IntoSalsa Night was held at a small Italian restaurant called IL Gargano. Even though their dance floor held only a handful of dancers we all had a great time and friendships were made. A lot has changed in the last 2 years with the introduction of Havana Night on Fridays and now the return of IntoSalsa Night. Let’s continue supporting our Latin venues, they give us so much and ask for so little in return. The social bonds and pleasurable experiences I have made though salsa dancing keeps me coming back for more. Until next time Indy, see you on the dance floor.

Orquesta Tropicoso Visits Indy!!!

2005-12-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, IndySalsa, AlexAlex Events and EscapeLatino brought us Orquesta Tropicoso to Havana Night. Over 200 Latin dancers showed up to dance to Cincinnati's premier Latin ensemble. Everyone was very please with Tropicoso, they played Salsa, Merengue and Cha Cha (their own songs and a few covers) which kept the dance floor full on night long. The event reminded me of my experiences in Cincinnati while checking out Salsa Caliente, another premier Latin ensemble. El Master Franco, Indy's own Reggaeton artist performed during the Band’s intermission. Franco filled the dance floor with Reggaeton enthusiasts. He sings very fast and I wonder how he was able to take a breath thought out his songs. Overall it was a fantastic night; there is something special and unique that only a live band can provide to a Latin night. Look forward to seeing future bands at the Havana Night parties. I am still working on posting the pictures on IndySalsa, but for now here are a few teaser pictures.

Update, I have posted the pictures! You will be able to find them in the IndySalsa photo gallery.

Update on a Dancer's Recovery from Knee Surgery

2005-12-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

It has been 2 months since my knee surgery. On week three I started to dance again, but I over did it and my knee got inflamed. It was nothing major, but a reminder that I am still not in the clear. My therapist suggested that I increase my level of dancing gradually. I follow their advice and I feel that I am on road to a 100% recovery. Was knee surgery worth the trouble? It is still to early to tell. I am able to dance, but my knees are a little soar the morning after. The real test will be when I resume practicing with my lovely dance partner Sonja and give 100% on the dance floor. It is hard to hold back, especially when one of my favorite songs is playing, but I will not expect anything less than full recovery. For now I will keep up with my strengthening exercises and take it easy on the dance floor for a few more weeks.

Side note, there were a few occasions where a Salsera approach me and ask for a dance and I declined. I only declined because I needed to take a one to two song break so that I do not inflame my knee. I love dancing with everyone here in Indy and I would not want to give a false impression that I was not interested in dancing with someone.

Music Mill an Upcoming Latin Venue

2005-12-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

Look out Indy, we have another Latin promoter in town! Las Americas Entertainment gives us Noche Pa' Rumeros at the Music Mill. The Music Mill has over 3600 square feet of dance space, which makes it an ideal venue for salsa dancers. Currently Las Americas has hosted two Latin parties at the Music Mill. The last party was a pre-Thanksgiving Party (November 23). With the support of IndySalsa and Las America s' promotional effort, the Music Mill's huge dance floor was filled with energetic dancers. While I am still recovering from my knee surgery, I was able to dance for a handful of songs with some of my favorite dancers. Near the later half of the night , DJ Cisco from Chicago was spinning less salsa than I was accustom ed to; hopefully in future parties their DJs will keep the frequency of salsa high throughout out the night. The Music Mill has potential; will it be Indy's next Latin hit? We will have to wait and see. Here are the pictures from the pre-Thanksgiving party.

Blue Cactus No More???

2005-11-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

Remember the Blue Cactus? I revisited Blue Cactus to discover that they were closed! For the last two Saturdays (11/26 and 11/19) their doors were locked and the lights turned off. I have attempted to contact them in the last 2 weeks via email and phone to get an update, but with no luck. Is this permanent or temporary? I do not know, but will keep everyone informed of any new information that I receive. Here is a picture of the Blue Cactus yesterday night, Saturday, Nov 26. The place looks dead, maybe I will save my bar money for another night ;).

Random thought, if you are an American Idol junkie here is a site that might interests you. Check it out.

Category: [IndySalsero-news]

WanderingSalsero, a Worthy Blog

2005-11-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago I ran across a blog site called the WanderingSalsero. The blogger is Art Williams, a Salsa addict in Houston, TX. His blog inspired me to start the IndySalsa Blog. What I really liked about his blog was the rich content and pictures. Art has even met and danced with Edie the Salsa Freak! Art does not only talk about Salsa dancing, but provides useful information like how to put your video on your blog or website (Web 2.0 is here!) and how to get out of a speeding ticket.

Salsa Dancing and Street Fighter

2005-11-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

What happens when you mix Street Fighter (a video game), Salsa dancing and some humor? You get a salsa dance clip worthy of watching over and over again.

Category: [IndySalsero-videos]

Smoking at Havana Night

2005-11-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

IndySalsa's Havana Night at the Savoy will not longer be a non-smoking venue.

Category: [IndySalsero-news]

Where Are The Salseros?

2005-11-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

I have written a new article about Indy's shortage of male dancers (salseros). I have received a lot of positive feedback on the article, so I decided to give the article a blog shout out. Jenn posted a copy of the article on her blog site, which stirred up some discussion. In the article I provide some helpful advice on encouraging men to give Salsa dancing a try. Trust me guys, dancing with sexy salseras all night is not as bad as you think ;).

Jack and Jill Dance Competition Week 1

2005-11-16T07:46:00.000-05:00

IndySalsa, with the support of the Salsa Purdue Club, kicked off the Jack and Jill dance competition last Friday at Havana Night. I ran the contest while AlexAlex emceed from the DJ booth. At first the dancers were reluctant, but when the first 2 brave dancers stepped on the dance floor, 5 more couples followed! The couples were randomly paired and danced to the salsa beats of Maraca for about 1 minute. Some highlights were Ron Leong’s eye-catching patterns and Donna Nkonga's sexy T-stance moves. Everyone that evening gave a great performance and deserves a pat on the back; it is not easy dancing in front of an audience. Ron Leong and Sonja Kuhnau took first place that evening, and were each awarded $25, a free month membership at IndySalsa dance studio, and free passes to Havana Night. Future dates of the Jack and Jill competition are 11/18 (this Friday!), 12/2 and 12/9 (finals). See you there!

Special thanks to Mariya Omelicheva, the President of the Salsa Purdue Club, for suggesting the competition, promoting the event to her club, and making the drive from West Lafayette to support the kickoff.

We also celebrated Wyndi’s birthday, cake anyone?

‘Til next time, keep dancing.

Adriane is going to India!

2005-11-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

If you have been in Indy's Latin dancing community for some time, you would have seen or met Adriane. I first saw Adriane at a salsa party hosted by Sylvain. Her jet black hair, style and warm smile got my attention. I cannot recall if I asked for a dance that night; during that time my dance partner and girlfriend was Erin and I spent most of the night dancing with her. A couple of months later Erin and I broke up; we tried to remain as dance partners, but that too shortly ended. One night at the Blue Cactus, I was dancing with Adriane she told me, "I like your style and I have a proposition for you and it is not sex!". If it was not sex, what could be? Oh wait - there is this dancing thing that we both like to do. Adriane and I became dance partners, and she introduced me to trick patterns like neckdrops and flips. We practiced every week in a racquetball court at the Indy Gym. We would dance together at various salsa venues and demo our tricks on the dance floor. I cannot find the words to describe the excitement of performing eye catching dips and flips. There is a bond that is developed between dance partners that is more than a friendship, but not as serious as a relationship.

Back to the topic of this blog - Adriane will be heading to India soon. While not a permanent move, she will be away from Indy for at least a year or more. She is about to embark on another chapter in her life and I would personally like to wish her the best. I will miss you; in the last few months will have drifted away from each other as dance partners because of my demand of running the dance studio and your recent marriage to Salvador. If you do not fall in love with India and decide to come back to Indy, you will be welcomed back and perhaps we can bring the fire and excitement we had back to the dance floor.

'As I take your hand and I'll lead you to the dance floor' - Careless Whispers (Salsa Re-mix, On Fire)

Category: [IndySalsero-news]

A Dancer's Recovery from a Knee Scope

2005-10-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

Now that the introduction is out of the way, let's start blogging! Some of you may have known that I have been having some minor knee problems. I have tried natural supplements and physical therapy, both of which gave minor improvement. I decided to go the surgery route. Last Monday, I had a knee arthroscopy (knee scope) done on my left knee. During the knee scope, a crack was found on my bone, which was then shaved smooth. It has been 6 days since the surgery and I am slowly regaining my strength. I have included a picture of the crack that was found on my knee. It will be a month or two before I can determine if the knee scope helped relieve the issues I have been having. Look for an updated post in the next few weeks.

I cannot wait to get back on the dance floor, I miss you all!!!

Category: [IndySalsero-myself]

About Myself

2005-10-30T14:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to IndySalsa's public blog. To give a small introduction of myself, my name is Marques and I am an active salsa dancer in my mid 20s. I have been dancing salsa for around 2 years and have been in love with it ever since I first began. I moved from Detroit to Indianapolis about 3 years ago for my career. I was bored out of my mind; hanging out in the bars was fun, but I always felt like something was missing. It was not until I found salsa that I really felt at home in Indianapolis. In a city where diversity can be somewhat rare, the salsa community is a wealth of cultures, dialects and colors. I have made many friends in this community and even found love a couple of times.

As with all hobbies, I have a tendency to take things to the next level. I currently teach salsa lessons and own a dance studio called IndySalsa Latin Dance Studio in downtown Indy. The studio was formerlly known as the Red Brick Dance Studio and was owned by a guy named Tee. Tee left Indy about a year ago and the studio was then closed. A small handful of salsa dancers decided to re-open and remodel the studio. It has been over 9 months sinse we opened the studio, and it has been a great experience. I want to give a big thanks to Adriane, Thomas, Mathias, Patrick and Jean for making all of this possible.

I also help run IndySalsa.com, a website for Salsa and Latin dancing in Indianapolis. There are also salsa video clips, tons of photos and Latin music samples.

There you have it! See you on the dance floor.

Category: [IndySalsero-myself]