are salseros successful in the rest of life?

[nycsalsero]

I find it hard to believe that people who come out dancing 4 or more nights a week until very late at night have very demanding jobs!

I'm addicted to salsa but I'm worried what the drawbacks to the level of intensity with which I'm doing it. It doesn't seem like there are many wealthy people who dance salsa, for example. Am I wrong?

[Sabor]

depends what u think ''wealthy is'' and how much of it is much?

other than beginners or intermediate salseros who are still relatively in the grip of salsa magic .. i do not see people with demanding jobs going out social dancing for more than twice a week .. i dont think they would even have the need to..

past a certain plateau, i think that to keep things flavorfull and saucy one needs, and tends to focuss on quality over quantity .. kinda like getting more and more efficient with something u enjoy doing.. and so.. a balancing equation maybe reached..

for me.. twice a week is perfect.. sometimes even only once.. it keeps me wanting .. and as a result produces much more sabor since dance for me is generated within my spirit.. and i luv me some sensual intensity

[GTO Bruin]

Yeah, depends on what you consider "salseros" and what you consider "successful".

[nycsalsero]

Yeah, depends on what you consider "salseros" and what you consider "successful".

I realize this of course, and I deliberately left it not so specific so we could talk about examples from the whole range of abilities and all types of success.

I would be interested to hear about any examples of notable (in a non-salsa-related way) people who do salsa dancing on a regular basis.

[BugBear]

One of the guys from my club is the mayor of one of the districts in my town. But I haven't seen him in a while. There was a time when he was at every party that I was and I'm still a student :)

[Vin]

http://www.stuckonsalsa.com/betcha_didn_t_know

[GTO Bruin]

http://www.stuckonsalsa.com/betcha_didn_t_know

Thanks for the link. Sounds like a lot of successful salseros in DC. :)

[GayleR]

Hmmm, this is an interesting question. One of the things I really enjoy about the salsa scene here is that no one asks what I do, where I work, where I'm from, or where I live. People are just there to dance. I have always enjoyed this anonymity. I take classes three nights a week and go out social dancing 2-3 times a week. I consider myself to be successful, married 19 years, great son, I'm the president of an ad agency, but I don't flaunt it or talk about it, because I too am just there to dance.

[KiwiMambo]

I know a lot of people that dance that much and don't turn up at the clubs until 11pm, don't have good jobs. I am sure it can work though e.g. you could be a successful restaurant owner that works 11am until 9pm. That would allow you to dance late as many nights as you like.

I cannot stay out late during the week nights because I have to be mentally alert for my job (Software Engineer). I've tried it before and when you start nodding off at work that is when you know you shouldn't be doing it. IMHO it is not good when dancing too much impacts your performance on the job. That said, I still spend 10 hours per week doing Salsa and African dance. Most of those hours are early evening or weekend.

I do wish clubs would start Salsa earlier during the weeknights. Maybe I'm missing something but it seems like they would get more business.

[GayleR]

We're lucky here in Toronto. There is a Saturday social every weekend from 3:30-9:30 p.m. and a Sunday social every other Sunday from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. Fridays are usually late nights ending around 1:30ish if it's a good night. I used to go out Monday nights but found it was just too hard to get up the next morning and be alert.

[Vin]

In DC the weekday salsa starts and gets done early. I would often go out from 9-11 during the week, midnight if there was something special going on. That is not too late and you can still get in to work. Plus alot of people in DC have "flex shifts". I have heard that the early schedule was rarity though among salsa scenes.

[alemana]

man the late night thing is out of control here in NYC.

luckily we do have the sunday socials, over by 9:30, and now there is a hopping Friday night scene - there didn't used to be, really, not on a regular basis.so if you don't want to stay out late on a school night, you now have two solid options.

[saludas]

One imagines that the definition of being successful is having control of your hours - e.g., a successful businessman can start work at a time convenient to him, not punch a clock.

If being successful is merely holding a job, then, yes, late nights would pose a problem with a 9 to 5 er. That said, then I'd assume the folks who were out late were the most successful folks - they'd be the ones who held jobs that allowed them freedom, or had arranged their lives to embrace the things they loved to do (which, to ME, is THE definition of success...).

[noobster]

I don't have any idea what most of my salsa acquaintances do for a living. As GayleR mentioned, I kind of like it that way. But the ones I do know are all over the map, ranging from MIT-pedigreed PhD to DJ to waiter. Another thing I like about salsa is that it brings me in touch with a pretty wide variety of people. My real-life friends are mostly of similar socioeconomic and educational levels to me.

[noobster]

One imagines that the definition of being successful is having control of your hours - e.g., a successful businessman can start work at a time convenient to him, not punch a clock.
Well now, that depends. Neurosurgeons are in the hospital before daybreak, and most people would deem them reasonably successful.

Arranging your life around salsa presumes that you found salsa before you figured out what to do with your life. Not true for me, and probably not for a lot of others as well.

[Catarina]

How about this:
People who are willing to dedicate themselves to dancing, putting money, energy, time, sacrificing other hobbies or atleast prioritizing salsa above other hobbies, likely have a sense of discipline in other areas of life including keeping their work life on track? Maybe people do not dance at the expense of career, but maybe have some transferrable skills from dancing to take into work life/social life, and vice versa?
I don't think this theory will hold up under really close scrutiny, so don't pick it apart too much... :)

Also, I am apparently moderately successful by some of your standards! I don't report to work until 11 most days...but I still need to be rested and mentally/emotionally present, so I still can't be up all night dancing every day.

[gte692h]

As a student, I'd go out maybe 4 times a week, spend time practicing, dancing , mingling with my 'salsa friends', and somehow balanced a very demanding role in grad school. However, school gives you the flexibility in your schedule that work doesn't allow.

Now, I'm working, its a very demanding job, a reputed company, I'm 'successful' (by society's standards of course, because I want to be a musician, not a corporate rat, lol) and the stress of my job has slowed my salsa down. Now I go out 2 times a week. Of course, life has intervened in the mean time - I'm studying music, I decided to cut down the salsa and work on preserving my friendships, etc.

I don't go out with the same carefree attitude like before, as I have to be up and ready the next day - that's the biggest change. When I was in school, there was no tomorrow - just go out to the clubs and have a blast. Now, I have to think about things, plan out when I need to leave, etc. I still go out though, i'm still learning, having fun. I don't think its possible for the average person to stay out late, and go out with that manic intensity, and perform a morning job successfuly. But a 'softer' balance is more doable, and much more efficient

[squirrel]

One can do anything as long as one knows what one wants.

I teach almost every day, go out to social dance at least 2 times a week and still have a day job :), a good one (9 am to 5 pm).

[Shooshoo]

I do wish clubs would start Salsa earlier during the weeknights.

Yes, me too. I really need my 8 hours of sleep.

[Shooshoo]

I teach almost every day, go out to social dance at least 2 times a week and still have a day job :), a good one (9 am to 5 pm).

And a lot of energy :) . I can pretty much be almost as active, if I get my 8 hours of sleep.

[saludas]

I find that NOT dancing often makes my life harder to navigate, and 'lack of sleep' is an excellent tradeoff for the satisfaction of dancing. it makes my days easier...

[tj]

I've met a lot more PhD's in salsa than I have in other hobbies/scenes.

Also in DC, I met a lot more lawyers (strange but true - then again, I hear there are more lawyers per capita in DC than anywhere else in the world).

[alemana]

yeah, that makes sense.

[naturallove]

We don't have phds yet..but at least 4 of my salsa buddies that I can think of are doctoral students in various disciplines. 2 of us might actually finish this year (if we can stay off the dance floor a little...):raisebro: I also know a few doctors as well. 2 of my instructors are also engineers. There is a degree of sample selection, given the high education levels of the population in my area. Either way, I think salsa is kind of good way to get your mind off of things--especially when you have a high stress job.

[tj]

Good point - I was lumping in doctoral candidates in with those who already had one.

And yes, I've known a lot of guys in salsa whose career involved something technical/engineering/etc. (myself included) I think that the way that salsa is typically taught works well with a "technical mind". Also, given how male dominant our jobs/industries tend to be, it's no wonder that us engineering types look for other outlets/hobbies that aren't so male dominated.

[GayleR]

That's an interesting premise. I have always thought and observed that many of the best male dancers are mathematically inclined.

[tj]

My theory goes sorta like this:

Give the technical (geeky) guy an algorithm (i.e. a dance pattern), and he'll be well within his comfort zone.

Tell him to be creative and make something up on the spot, and he'll freeze up. ;-)

It's not until he gets to a comfort zone/basic competency with the dance that he'll be able to break free from just being a pattern dancer.

[englezul]

That's an interesting premise. I have always thought and observed that many of the best male dancers are mathematically inclined.


That's because music is math.

About the original topic, some are, some aren't. 'Nuff said. This has no weight on whether you will be successful or not.

[Sagitta]

I used to seek out dancing almost every night of the week - all kinds. Now I pace myself. As sabor said it helps to keep that intensity. Last night - my usual night out - I danced from 8:30 to 10:30 non-stop and then began to feel it. Granted it is because I'm operating on a lack of sleep and tension with house contractor complications and the good weather so now is the time to get stuff done...

However, one night of salsa a week is good enough for me. I do go out in the weekends, now and then to different latin nights for a chaneg in pace or if something special is going on somewhere. I do intend to add one night of ballroom...meaning a class one night a week, and hopefully one night of AT in 2007...but that's it.

I'm succesful enough, for now.

[samina]

I've met a lot more PhD's in salsa than I have in other hobbies/scenes.

Also in DC, I met a lot more lawyers (strange but true - then again, I hear there are more lawyers per capita in DC than anywhere else in the world).

yep -- i also come across quite a few successful phd, engineer, & computer types in the salsa world.

[samina]

That's because music is math.

most definitely! strong association between math & music ability. i believe plato considered music to be a branch of mathematics, didn't he?

anyway, we touched on this a little bit in the "computer geeks" thread -- math significantly pertains to the ability to perceive & analyze patterns, and that's certainly an important part of partner dancing. :)