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I've been dancing
salsa in Indianapolis now for about 6 years. No matter how much the salsa
scene has evolved and grown, one thing unfortunately has never changed - salsa
here is macho. The male ego has taken over the art of salsa in Indianapolis,
preventing it from actually getting where it needs to be in order to compete
with cities such as Chicago, New York, and L.A.
Now, guys, before
you all get excited and angry, read on.
As an instructor of salsa, I always hope to teach my students the best
technique as is possible and also to build their confidence on the dance
floor. It is difficult to teach confidence, especially when you are trying to
get a person's body to move in a way it has never moved before. However, day
after day, I see people learning to love the music of salsa, and feeling more
and more comfortable about interpreting the music with their bodies, AND
sharing that experience with a partner in the middle of a club. This takes
guts.
But . . . there is one problem.
There seems to be a
trend with some of our salseros in the city. Many men I have taught and/or
danced with socially have developed too much confidence in themselves. (Notice
I say "many men" but I do not say "all men.") These men have developed egos so
large that it actually limits their ability to progress and grow as dancers,
yet they are so blinded by that same ego that they cannot recognize the
problem themselves - even when it is diplomatically pointed out to them by
their dance partners. In the next few paragraphs I will give you some examples
of this phenomenon to better explain myself.
Example No. 1 The Glassy Eyes And the
Sudden Loss of Rhythym
Ladies the first sign that you are dancing with a man controlled by his ego is
when you look into his eyes while you are dancing and you realize that nobody
is staring back. His eyes have stopped focusing on you, and he has become more
occupied by who else in the "audience" could possibly be digging his cool
moves. What soon follows these wandering eyes is sudden loss of rhythym. When
he finally believes that somebody in the audience is digging him, he speeds
up, stepping wildly, and doing every difficult pattern that he has stored up
in his mind for just that moment. He is dancing so fast in fact, that you
can't even enjoy the music because you are too busy chasing his lead around
the dance floor.
Example No. 2 Other Dancers Get Injured
If They Fall IntoYou and Your Partner's Path
I understand that an occasional foot will get stepped on on a busy night at
the club, however when you dance with a lead controlled by his ego,
unsuspecting dancers nearby take a severe pounding. I have danced with more
than one man who has decided that he has something to prove on the dance floor
that night; and I have been used as an instrument for him to clear to floor so
he can do "his moves". He wants to do a dip or a trick - So who cares if you
take out a few couples to complete the move? - Who cares if someone gets
bloodied? - It's worth it to make him look good!
Example No. 3 He Talks to Every Woman As
If She Knows Nothing About Salsa
I will give it to the guys, without them we are nothing. But the road goes
both ways. We have some guys in this city that make dancing fun. They feel the
beat, and have tons of style while they dance. However, these men that I speak
of rarely realize the quality of follows they are dancing with each night.
They only care about how cooperative she is with their moves - even if they
execute them wrong as a lead. Often times as women we get talked to as if we
are children or even a car. One woman I spoke with told me that before dancing
a man said to her once, "Let's see what you can do." Come on! You are by no
means test driving us! The club is not a car lot! I have also heard the
dreaded "No, no, no!" or "Eh-eh-eh!" after I have misread a move that the man
actually mislead. I have never said anything to these individuals, nor do I
ever plan to say anything. Ignorance is bliss, and who am I to ruin anyone's
bliss?
In closing, I do want to stress again that I am not accusing all of you
salseros out there of these crimes against salseras. Those of you who are
guilty of these actions know who you are, and I pray that you do what you can
to fix the problem. I mean that sincerely. In Indianapolis we cannot afford to
lose our male dancers, however, we cannot afford to keep leads who are
counter-productive to the salsa movement here in Indy. I have always said that
until you admit what you do not know, you cannot truly grow as a dancer. That
is what it takes to be a true man on the dance floor.
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