Advice please - want to dance on visit to New York

[JonD]

What a delight to discover a forum with tons of fellow dancaholics! Can I pick your collective brains?

I'm visiting New York City on business and should be free on the nights of Tuesday 9th March and Wednesday 10th March. I'll be staying on W 46th Street and don't want to spend my evenings in a hotel room or being entertained by my clients because they feel they have to! I'd far rather be dancing. I had a look on the web and have found a few dance studios which are in reach but don't know which one to pick.

I'd like to do a group class - good way of meeting people - either beginner West Coast Swing or Argentinean Tango and have a practice afterwards. Any recommendations or should I just take "pot luck"?

I've done a couple of beginner WCS workshops here in the UK and we'll be getting a regular class next month. I like the "feel" of the dance but that's about as far as I've got. I dance Modern Jive (aka CEROC, French Jive, Mo'jive, Le Roc etc.) about 3 times a week and I've done a bit of Lindy so hopefully I won't be too terrible! I've been dancing Tango off and on for about 18 months - not regularly enough to be any good or have much of a "vocabulary" but I really love it. (I'm having a week's Tango holiday in the South of France in July - fantastic, can't wait).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jon

[pygmalion]

Hi JonD! Welcome to the forums. :D

I'm not a New Yorker, but I'm sure we have a few who'll log in and help you figure out where to go. I also found quite a few "where to dance in NYC" web sites out there. I'll google to find them again, then post.

Have fun on your trip. And welcome. :D

Jenn

[pygmalion]

Sheesh! Where are all our New Yorkers?

Here are a couple sites I found. There are a bunch more. I'll post more when I get home this evening.

http://www.calsplus.net/nyusabda
http://njoydancing.home.att.net/index.htm

[JonD]

Thanks Jenn - I appreciate it. I'm off dancing now so I'll check the links later!

[Sagitta]

Welcome to df JonD!

While in NY state I haven't been to NYC to dance. I visit and people whom I visit are not into dance so I have not had the opportunity to check the dance scene out. I know that borikensalsero is from NYC and he has a link on his website to the salsa scene that he has checked out. But, you are not into that so...Hopefully someone else more helpful will pop in with some suggestions for swing and tango.

[borikensalsero]

Welcome JonD...

I don't think I'm the sole NY City representation in DF... Where we at??? :D


Well, The other day I was carrying around a booklet with names of places for Milongas for each night of the week. Darn it, I lost it... Shoot, man! What is my problem.... Hmmmm

But I do know of places to go salsa dancing/latin dancing.

Tuesday you can go to the copacabana on 34St and 11th Ave. I'm pretty sure its 34th, if not, walk one block north to 35th. :D The place is very commercial and why I stopped my visits there. They used to play so much salsa, now it is about 50% of the time on tuesdays. Tuesday nights is actually one of their busier nights.

On Wednesday, Latin Quaters just oppend up for a salsa night. It is between 47th and 48th on lexington ave. It just opened "3 weeks" ago (for salsa night) and I haven't been able to visit. Missed el gran combo yesterday too, and El Canario the week before. :cry: That's alright, el conjunto classico is going to be there next week. :D

Both places garantee you of listening to top salsa bands each of the nights. I wish I was more into other dances to where I could refer you to something that you can sink your teeth deeper into.

Hope that helps.

[JonD]

Thanks all - it sounds like Salsa is probably the way to go. I don't dance Salsa much and find it tricky getting the timing of the leads right - sounds silly but I think it comes from doing so much Jive. I enjoy it though and can probably survive a beginner or improver class.

I'm going to a Salsa dance on Valentine's night with one of my favourite dance partners so I'll be getting some practice. I must avoid the temptation to spend the whole night doing a cross between Salsa and Blues (really close Blues hold with Salsa footwork, not many moves but lots of "wiggle". Is this a recognised Salsa technique or just lecherous?). No, damn it, I'll give into temptation - she is a lovely lady!

Thanks again

Jon

[pygmalion]

Here's an Argentine tango calendar that comes with an information hotline.

http://www.newyorktango.com/

[danceslave]

Hi Jon.. i am not from NY and neither can I tell you where u could go dancing but I just wanted to say WELCOME..as a fellow newbie..!