Looking for info on Salsa Scenes in Madrid & Lisbon

[lyw]

Hello,

I'm going to lisbon,portugal for a wedding and I have an overnight stop-over in madrid on a friday night. I'd like to hit a salsa club in each city but am worried I might have to go solo if I can't to get any of the non-salsero/as bridal party to go with me and I can't speak portugese or spanish.

Wondering if anybody knows anything about these scenes and if it would be awkward for a English speaking girl to enter by herself.

sincerely,

lyw

[pygmalion]

Hi lyw! :D

Funny you should ask. There was just a thread on dancing in Madrid today, under general dance discussion. I'll dig it up and post the link.

I don't know about Portugal, although perhaps another DF member can make recommendations.

As far as being English-speaking, I doubt you'll have any problems in Madrid. Unless you go to weird, off-the beaten-track places, virtually everybody speaks at least some English. Off in the Spanish countryside is a totally different story, though. :shock:

[pygmalion]

Here it is. Dance scene in Spain (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3393)

[lyw]

That's comforting. I'd hate to pass up the chance to check out a salsa city outside of my own just cuz i was too shy. :D

[SDsalsaguy]

I don't know about Portugal, although perhaps another DF member can make recommendations.
MapleLeaf Salsero's department, no?

[MacMoto]

MapleLeaf Salsero's department, no?
It's a bit early in the morning (8.19 a.m. -- we are in the same time zone), but I'm sure he will have advice and tips when he checks in.

[cocodrilo]

Hi lyw!
My Lonely Planet sez the following:

Galileo Galilei(Calle de Galileo 100) attracts a good mix of Hispanic dance groups & vocalists.
A good place to indulge in salsa & other latin grooves is Vaiven(Travesia de San Mateo 1) There is no cover.

El Son(Calle de la Victoria 6) rocks away daily from 7:pm to the wee hours/often has live Cuban bands/midweek has saucy salsa lessons w/Cuban teachers.

Suristan(Calle de la Cruz 7) gets a wide variety of acts, from Cuban to African. Music usually kicks off at11:30pm & there is sometimes a cover of up to 1000ptas(inc. a drink).

Hope this'll help you! Have fun!
:D

[joaoluissantos]

Hi, Iyw!

Greetings from Portugal! Are u coming this week or next?

This weekend the best place to dance it will be 'Barrio Latino' in the lisbon Area knowed as 'Expo' in the east side. The area it's very nice (a lot of bars with a very nice view to the river). Friday night you have a party of one Big Lisbon Salsa school, so the place will be full, and on saturday you have a regular night that usually are quite nice. I will be there on saturday, so I hope to see you (I will look for anyone that seems to be foreign :) ) On Sunday afertnoon you have a Salsa-Matinee in the same place.

You can go to 'Salsa Latina' (in 'Docas') too, they have a cuban live band on saturdays, but you will not find so many people to dance as in 'El Barrio', because salsa latina is more the comercial kind of place (merengues, pop-salsa, etc..) except on the first and last thursday of each month (today is an example and next week too, but I think you will not be here today) when you have the 'Salsero night' with top portuguese salsa DJ's.

If you come next week then you come in the right week, because on Saturday 8 it's the day of the monthly Almada Party, one of the biggest monthly Lisbon region parties. Almada is a smaller city on the other side of the river and it's easy to go there if you are in lisbon. This party rules!:)

Hope I could help,

João

Ps-To see more information about salsa in Portugal check the forums http://www.salsaportugal.com and http://www.forumsalsa.com . Both have an event folder where you can learn about almost everything that is going on on the portuguese salsa scene (if you don't know portuguese post in english, no problem).

[pygmalion]

I don't know about Portugal, although perhaps another DF member can make recommendations.
MapleLeaf Salsero's department, no?

Yup. It's just not my place to volunteer someone else's help. :wink:

[youngsta]

I will be taking these down, Portugal is wayyy at the top of my list.

[pelao]

I don't know if this band still exists, but if they do, check out 'La Grande de Madrid'. F'n awesome yo.

[lyw]

Well, that decides it, I'm going to dance salsa in Portugal and Spain!! I hear they stay open late so I may just dance right up until my flight leaves in the morning.

Thanks alot for all the comments.

Now I come from a salsa city where it can be a BYOP (Bring Your Own Partner) kind of atmosphere, often safer to bring one or two dance partners for yourself just to insure that you do get some dances in. I've also never danced in another salsa city.

So i'm wondering if it may be the case in these cities as well, I'm wondering if they dance on 1 or 2 or the old Cumbia style?? or maybe something i've never seen. The weirdest style of salsa i ever experienced was a version that used hand clicks to indicate turns.

I worry too much, I realize...

[cocodrilo]

Just go and have a good time! :D

[joaoluissantos]

Hi, Iyw!

In Lisbon people dance On1 and the style is usually a mixture of Line and Cuban, but more line. Another thing, in between Salsas we usually dance Kizombas and Bachatas (some ChaChas too). Kizomba is a very sensual rythm from Angola and Cape-Green (very,very similar to Zouk) and I will be delighted to teach you how to dance this.

The places usually open at 22:30-23:30 and then the party goes till there is people dancing. Usually till 5:00 to 6:00. After that you can go to an African Disco to dance more or you can catch the plane to the US :).

Are u coming next week?

João

[borikensalsero]

Heck, I might just have to move to portugal!!!

However, I do the on2 thing, it is like a cult thing, so Imma have to turn Portugal to an on2 cult gathering palace.

[pygmalion]

It does sound like a blast, BQN. Hmm. Salsa will be cool, of course, but learning kizomba would be just an added bonus! :wink: :D

[joaoluissantos]

Yeah , Kizomba is great!

Kizomba evolved from an Angola Rythm called 'Semba' that some consider to be in the origin of Samba (Brazil), or at least some say that the name Samba come from Semba (I read an academic article saying that). But the way that Kizomba is danced doesn't resamble samba at all. Kizomba is a Slow couple dance danced close together and has a clear influence of Tango in some Steps. In one of Lisbon more well knowed weakly Milongas (Tango Party) Kizomba is danced a lot too. In Cape-Green you have Kizomba too but there is called 'Passada'. It's danced the same way, the rythm is the same but u can tell by the sound when it's a Kizomba from Angola or a Kizomba from Cape-Green.

The best places in Lisbon to dance this rythms (as other african couple dances like: 'Coladera', 'Funana', 'Morna') are discos like: B.Leza, Mussulo, Enclave and Comvento. Some of this discos have really good african restaurants where u can have late dinners or early breakfasts.:)

Coladera is a Cape-Green Music style that is danced in couple in a way very similar to Cuban Son.

Funana is an electrifying Cape-Green Music Style (again :) ) that is dance very much like Merengue but with a diferent dynamics (more agressive hiting the floor with the left foot) and less figures with the arms.

Boriken, about the On2, it would be great to have u here dancing and maybe teaching On2. On2 is growing in all Europe and one day it will come to Portugal too but it will take a little time. In Spain you already have places where On2 is being danced a lot, like Murcia and I think Valencia. For example, you have dance groups like 2*4 Mambo, Mambo Kimera, Jorge Santana (coreographer of Dirty Dancing II) and Marta Gonzalez theaching regularly On2 in Spain and names like Eddie Torres y Nancy Ortiz, Frankie Martinez and Lori Perez, Jason Molina, Juan de Matos and Jessica Ortiz and other NY Style dancers coming regularly to some spanish congresses.

Has Eddie Torres said in one workshop that I attended, learning how to dance On2 is like learning another language...if you go ask a girl to dance and she says "I only know how to dance On2..." than u can say "No Problem!!!" and if u ask a girl to dance and she says "I only know how to dance On1...(or cuban or whatever)" then u can say "No Problem!!!"...:).

I got the On2 bug and it's being like discovering salsa again. Salsa is so rich, you never stop learning and discovering new things!!!

Kisses and Hugs,

João