? What is your favourite Salsa Congress?

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Chilly

Well, after spending 11 Days in amazing Croatia, I can honestly say that Croatia Summer Salsa Festival is without a doubt – My absolute favorite Salsa Congress!!!

I mean, where else in the world can you get 5 days of beach parties,1 pool party and 1 boat cruise, Live bands (Salsa Dura & Cuban), 2 nights of performances, 3 nights of dancing in the street, 4 dance floors (Cross body, cuban, romantica & sensual), 2 days of 3hr pre-workshops and then 2 days of of over 80 workshops with world class salsa stars all nicely wrapped into one neat little congress?

My highlights: There are so many, I would not even know where to start. The cuban band and La Excelencia killed it, they rocked so hard it was Legendary.The pool party and boat cruise are without a doubt the most EPIC parties of the entire trip and ones for the memory book. Salsa, bachata and kizomba in the pool also makes for some interesting memories. However, more importantly i think The city of Rovinj itself just makes the entire experience that much more exceptional. It’s a small quiet little city, that gets taken over by salsa madness and then it just buzzes to life!!!! Ahhhhh Bliss…..

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Now i want to know from you, what is your favourite salsa congress and why?

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My lesson with Adolfo Indacochea

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Chilly

As I write this post, I am sitting at a hotel in a small town in Croatia called Rovinj. This town sets the scene for the 8th Annual Salsa Festival and just as I predicted – it has lived up to all expectations and then some. One of the highlights of this trip that I was looking forward to was learning from Adolfo Indacochea for the very 1st time. As one of my favorite Salseros in the world, I was looking forward to seeing if the man lived up to the legend.

So the stage was set: Two 3Hr pre-workshops were planned on the Wednesday and Thursday. Yesterday, as I walked into the workshop room I saw him standing on the stage rocking some stylish basics. After about 5 minutes, he welcomed everyone in the class and then hit us with Pachanga. Within 10 minutes, everyone in the class was sweating and he went none stop for the whole hour. We then had a short break and he hit us with Cha cha shines and partnerwork for the next 2Hrs.

Doing the Jeune with Adolfo and Tania

Today, I have just come from the next 3Hr On2 workshop which covered shines, styling and Musicality.

His style of teaching is both effortless and engaging. He has a unique way of pushing you but not beyond your limit while giving you awesome tips and pointers. At the end of the class he is so relaxed and open to answer all questions, it is just insane how much I have learnt from him in just a few minutes after each class.

There is so much more to say, but I need to get going, so this is where I will pen off. At the end of the day, I will leave you with this thought: If you ever get the chance, take a class with Adolfo and always remember to Live, Love and Salsa!

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11 Days of Dancing Madness… Here I come!

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Chilly

As i type this post, I am sitting on the plane with the boyz and we are just about to take off in 25 mins.

We are off to the Croatia Summer Salsa Festival preceeded by the Summer Sensual Festival. This is 11 day of dancing madness otherwise known as the Paradise Express. 3 days of Bachata, Zouk & Kizomba followed by 8 days of Salsa.

I have been planning this trip ever since I heard about it last year when I was in Split. Now its finally happening. 🙂

CSSF & SSD

CSSF & SSD

Yeah, so the flight is about to leave. So i unfortunately Gotta switch off the iPad!

Till next Thursday…. Peace, Love, Happiness & Salsa!

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The 1,000 Challenge

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Chilly

Have you ever heard of the 10,000 Hour Rule? If not, well there is a theory out there that states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill.

So I started thinking about it, after how many social dances would it take to become a master of Salsa Social Dancing? Well, if you calculate it – about 3 Hours a day every day for 10 years would equate to 10,000hours. At 15 dances an hour, that would equal 150,000 social dances. Now that is a bit scary.

17 clicks so far

So I decided to start small and aim for only 1,000 social dances in June and July. This started out as a joke, but me and my friends being the fun loving and competitive bunch that we are, we have actually started the competition.

We all bought clickers and the challenge has been accepted, we are all aiming to have 1,000 dances  in June & July.

Now, you may be wondering – Does this not take the fun out of it? To be honest, for us it does the exact opposite. It amplifies the fun and makes us want to dance more.

So wherever you are in the world – Salsero or Salsera, you are invited to join us on the 1,000 challenge.

See you on the dance floor 😉

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Interesting posts you may not have read..

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Chilly

Hi Salsa Lovers,

A couple of you may be new to my blog and have only started reading my regular Thursday posts as of 2012. I therefore thought i would share with you a number of cool salsa posts I wrote in 2010 and 2011 that you may not have read.

Today i am just gonna highlight 3 of those:

1. How long does it take to learn Salsa? Interistingly enough, I actually got asked this question again today. So if you wanna know the answer, find it here.

2. Ever walked up to someone and asked them to dance and they ALWAYS say NO? Then maybe you are on a Salsa Blacklist. This is an interesting article that tells you what it is, how to avoid it, and if you are unfortunate enough to be on it, it will show you how to get off it.

3. Last, but definitely not least; Ever wondered how to find that ever elusive 1 beat? Well, do not despair. I have some handy tips for you on how you can make sure you are always dancing on the right beat. 😉

If these posts caught your interest, you can also find other interesting ones on the Salsa section of my blog.

Alright my Salsa Peeps, till next Thursday…

Que Viva La Salsa y Bachata!

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The International language of Salsa

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Chilly

This weeks post was Guest written by a Belgian Salsera (Delphine) who I absolutely enjoy dancing with (especially Bachata), So check it out:

I consider traveling as one of my biggest passions (closely following salsa that is!), but the fact that I can often combine the two things I love the most is just amazing. The salsa addiction has become so international that you can go to any city in the world and most will have at least one salsa club…I’ve started to fall in love with finding these new salsa clubs with different vibes, styles and teachers in any new country/city I go.  Plus now, with congresses in a different European or U.S. city almost every weekend, traveling (at least once a year) for salsa has just become the norm if you’re really into the salsa groove (which, let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you probably are… 🙂 ).

Now the really interesting part is revealed… if you’ve been in one of the situations described above, how many times have you danced with someone and you have no idea if they speak the same language as you? How awesome is it that you could come from completely different backgrounds, be 60 years apart in age, have completely conflicting religious views or not even be able to communicate verbally and yet you manage to share this amazing, intimate 3-minute ‘conversation’ with a stranger if they ask you to dance?!

Photo I took in a salsa club in Ecuador in 2011: one of best couple was this ±13-year old boy and granny! Proof that you can dance with anyone of any age

There are some clichés that are sadly but blatantly true (I’m normally the first to hate anything cheesy!), but ‘dance being its own language’ is really one of those realities.  Salsa is a conversation between two people. The lead is communicating to the follower and the follower responds accordingly… the most beautiful social dance to watch and more importantly to feel is when this conversation is a dialogue, where both dancers are responding to each other equally (i.e. there isn’t one person dominating, out-shining the other or showing off)- perfect, fluid harmony. And the magic really happens when all this can be achieved with someone you’ve never met before in a new club and it just clicks…

After reading this, I want you to think about a random city you’ve been dying to visit for years… got it? Cool, now type in google ‘salsa club in… ‘ and voila! There’s probably a salsa club there… Also just a slight aside, what other hobby or passion can you combine with going out/clubbing/getting all dressed up and socialising (you can’t exactly do Pilates or bowling in a club in heels, right?!) And now to all of those who have been fortunate enough to dance in different countries/cities, get a pen and paper and make a list of all those places you’ve danced and fully appreciate how cool that is…

Here’s my experience: I first learnt salsa when I used to live in New Delhi, India… When I moved to Thailand, there wasn’t much salsa in Phuket so I started teaching small classes… I then lived in the UK for 3 years (president of the salsa society at my university) and during that time traveled and danced in Cyprus, Paris, Cuba, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and now I live and dance in Cape Town, South Africa!

Mo’gee and I doing some bachata on the N2 motorway in South Africa, waiting at roadworks traffic lights! Proof that you can dance anywhere..

 You really gotta love that salsa can be danced anywhere with any salsa dancer!

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Wise words from Super Mario

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Chilly

On my Salsa Journey I have had the privilege of being taught by a number of World Class Salsa Instructors including the likes of Hacha y Machete, Island Touch, Juan Matos, Adriaan y Anita and lots more.

That being said, there have been some Instructors that were not so good (& trust me, there is nothing more disappointing than looking forward to a class with a dancer you admire and it totally fails to live up-to  your expectations).

The first time this happened, I had a realisation: Every single World renowned Salsa Instructor is actually a Performer.

Then I noticed a pattern – First become a world class performer then teach. When you think about it, it actually makes sense. I mean that is actually the reason why I wanted to take classes with most of these guys in the first place. When you see people perform & you are inspired to do what they can do, then you want to take a class with them. I mean who wouldn’t? Look at the craziness they just pulled off on stage.

However, as I continued on my Salsa Journey, I soon realised – There are very few performers who are actually great Teachers. I then started to wonder:
Is there actually any well respected international Salsa Teacher who is not a Performer? As far as I know, there can only be 1. Enter Mario Hazarika more well known as Super Mario (aka The Million Moves Man)

Born in India and an accountant by profession, he has been dancing salsa since 1998. He earned himself the title Million Moves Man through his ability to create any number of unique combinations, that are lead with expertise and are always comfortable to follow.

Me and Super Mario

So when I was in London last year you can bet your ass I wanted to attend a class with the man who must be without a doubt, one of  the best Salsa Teachers in the World. He is the only person who has never had to perform to get a dedicated following and has taught in over 70 countries to date! It did not disappoint.

Therefore, Today’s blog post is some words & advice from one of the Worlds Best Salsa Instructors  & Greatest Leads.

Snippets from various interviews done by Super Mario:

  • Lead the lady like a flower and not a truck, no matter how complicated the move is. (that’s my secret)
  • My first salsa instructor was Elli Galvani, and she taught me many things: for someone to become a good dancer, you have to have faith in him/her, like she had in me. And as an instructor myself, there cannot be a bigger lesson to learn than that
  • There are many attributes to being a good instructor. Mine personally is taking up a challenge to see that someone becomes a good dancer, rather than how much money you are going to earn from that person. My students in London know that I cannot tolerate many things, i.e., if someone does not belong in a group, I tell them to leave. Whereas the other so-called-instructors don’t want to lose out on a potential money maker.
  • social dancing makes you a better dancer…… dance with as many good advanced dancers as beginners, so that way you learn how to lead all types of followers.
  • I think the stage should be for shows and the dance floor should be for social dancing. Mixing them up is not good. I ‘hate’ couples who come off the stage and perform on the dance-floor. It intimidates a lot of social dancers.
  • What is social dancing about? In order of importance: it’s about having fun, making sure your partner is also having fun, enjoying the music while interpreting it and staying connected. It’s everything except showing off to the world.
  • On1 Vs. On2:I have no preference at all. If the lady wants to dance on1, I will, and if she wants to change during the song to on2, I will. It’s all up to my follower. I like dancing, thats it… on1, on2, cuban, cumbia, merengue, bachata, cha cha, whatever, I love it.
  • Social dancing is what salsa is all about. People: when you watch YouTube, please go back to the ’70s and take a look at how people were feeling the music and dancing while a live band was jamming for them. There is nothing like watching those people having fun. They didn’t care about on1-on2; they just danced, which is what I do.

Watch Super Mario in Action

Next time you are in London, make sure you hit Bar Salsa on a Monday and take a class with Super Mario yourself and see what all the hype is about. (Or click the pic above to see the Million Moves Man in action.)

Till next week – Peace, Love, Happiness & Salsa!

A Special Thanks – the snippets in this blog were  taken from:
http://www.salsavancouver.net/interviews/mario.html
http://www.trinijunglejuice.com/sitc_super_mario_interview.html
http://www.salsaclass.tv/content.asp?pageID=2

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Why did I Start Blogging?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Chilly

Ever wondered why I blog and how it all started? Well I recently did an interview with a fellow blogger called Salsa Picao.

Salsa Picao’s – Q & A with Chilly

In this post, you will find lots of info about me: why I started dancing, who my favorite dancers are, why my Salsa monicker is Alisar and lots, lots more.

So if you wanna find out more, go and check it out.

Salsa Picao’s – Q & A with Chilly
Till next week Thursday…
...Peace, Love, Happiness & Salsa!

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An Amazing Salsa Social or an Insane Salsa Performance….what’s your pick?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Chilly

If you had a chance to watch either a great salsa social or a great salsa performance, which would you choose?

I personally think I would choose to watch the social. There is something to be said when you see two amazing dancers freestyle and pull off something amazing. Anyone can pull off a decent performance, but a sublime social that makes you just want to sit and watch? That is something special indeed.

One of the best socials I ever saw was actually a Cha Cha. It took place in Sweden last year on the last night of the Hot Salsa Weekend. Nina K (one of my favorite Salseras) was throwing down with some Salsero and if you had witnessed the power, emotion and energy in that social, you would have been just as spell bound as the rest of us who stopped dancing and actually created space on the dance floor to watch this beautiful story unfold.

However, as much as I may love social dancing, there are still performances out there that are beyond Amazing. For example, my favorite performance to date is called Backstage by Leon Rose & Dotty. I absolutely love this piece and I will never forget the very first time I saw it…. I actually got goose bumps!

So what is your preference? If you are still not sure what you would choose, then let me share with you what in my opinion are the top salsa social and performance videos in 2012 thus far.

The Amazing Social

This piece contains none other than Oliver P. He and Alien Ramirez are breaking it down like there is no tomorrow for 9mins at the Costa Rica Salsa Congress earlier this year.

 

The Insane Performance

Who else does the insane like Yamulee? This performance in February this year to El Tabbaco is no exception. Insanely hard hitting, unbelievable speed, inspiring…. Or simply to sum it up in 1 word – Yamulee!
Enjoy!!

Till next time….

Peace… Love…. Happiness & Salsa!

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Looking for Salsa Music?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Chilly

So, as you may or may not know, I also happen to be a Latin DJ on top of being a Salsero and Bachatero. I love to play all types of Latin music, obviously with a strong focus on Salsa & Bachata. A Number of people often come up to me and ask me how I find my music & how do I know who to listen too with so much Salsa music out there?

Now there are tonnes of resources out there. Some are easy and some are more complex. I have decided to use this blog post to give you 3 easy options to easily find tonnes of songs to listen to without actually even trying. 😉

Once you have found a song that you like, i suggest you take the time to find out the name of the artist & research that artist and see what other songs they have done. Being a DJ, I noticed that people are generally drawn to a particular style of salsa (i.e. cuban, romantica, dura, mambo e.t.c.) As a result, when you hear a song you really like, that particular artist is more than likely to have songs with a similar style which you may also enjoy.

So let’s get down to it:

1. DJ’s
When you are at a party and the DJ plays a song that just makes you wanna move your feet, walk up to them and ask – ‘Hey, whats the name of that song and who sung it?‘ Trust me, they will always tell you.(Just don’t do it after each and every song because that can get a bit much!)

Additionally, there are DJ’s out there who have blogs and websites where they will put up the playlists or names of songs they are enjoying at that particular moment. For example, DJ Nikos (one of the best latin DJ’s in Africa) has a blog called Salsa Fuego. Here you will find lots of things music related, but more importantly you will find his pick of top songs for the week or for the month. Definitely a good starting place if you really like what a DJ plays.

2. Online Radio Stations:
There are also a couple of cool online radio stations out there. Sky.Fm for example has a Salsa Radio station where you can get exposed to a wide variety of Salsa music 24/7/365. The coolest thing about Sky.fm is that it also has a mobile application for both Andriod and Apple which means you can have access to Salsa music on the go.

There are also quite a few other stations out there like salsabravaradio.com which are strictly online salsa radio stations.

Speaking about Radio Stations, if you are in South Africa(or even if you are not), one of our own DJ’s is now playing a Salsa Set on an actual radio station. So tune in or log onto the Good Hope Radio Station from 22:20 (GMT +2) on Wednesday evening to hear DJ Tumbao drop some Latin beats.

3. Sound Cloud
Thanks to my good friend SalsaPicao, I recently came across soundcloud.com. This is definitely the place to go if you are feeling more adventurous and want to hear what other salsa lovers and DJ’s are coming up with from all over the world.

Tip for if you are not sure what song to play on this site, see which songs have the most plays and start listening from there 😉

Ok, this is all I wanted to share with you this Thursday evening. There is a 5 Day holiday coming up, so lots of Salsa planned.

Till next Thursday remember to Live… Laugh…. Love… & Salsa!

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