How did you guys discover SALSA?

[squirrel]

I am not sure if this doesn't exist already... if it does, just point me to the right 'address'... if not, how did you guys start?

I was a non-dancer, much into books and movies, also going to gym... but I hated dancing... never going to disco... just to pubs... and when going to parties, I would gather all those interested in the kitchen and discuss anything: politics, sex, literature, music, cars... you name it!

Then I broke up with this guy... we'd been together for 3 years... I found myself alone and with a great amount of spare time... So, my best friend decided to take me out to... A SALSA VENUE! I hated the music when I first listened to it at her place... but she insisted sooooo much that I went just to please her... and then... it was ok... it wasn't much salsa... latino music mostly...

And there came one cumbia, I think... I saw a guy and a girl dance... and all I did all night long was to look at them and wish to be her! Then I started the lessons... But trust me, guys, I wanted sooooooooo much to dance like her... with him...

Now, looking back, I wouldn't dance with him even if he paid me... he's and awful leader! And I remember they danced so simply... just 2-3 spins... still... I shall never forget the urge to learn... and it's still the same... just burning inside... no matter how tired I am... I HAVE TO HAVE MY FIX!

[SDsalsaguy]

Heya Raluca, I know that there's a 'how did you start dancing' thread floating around somewhere, but don't have the time to track it down right now. As for myself, here's my story... (http://www.geocities.com/_ynot_/DanceNotes.html)

[salsachinita]

Here are some threads:

http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=791&highlight=started+dancing

http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=711&highlight=started+dancing

http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1731&highlight=started+dancing

http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2624&highlight=started+dancing

I think I've found them all 8) .

[MacMoto]

I think I've found them all 8) .
You've missed this one. :wink:
http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2408

[salsachinita]

Me personally, I fell in love with the music first 8) .

The movie, "Salsa" starring Robby Rosa, also helped a lot :oops: :wink: !

*I have a soft spot for the stereos type latino lover :oops: : dark, suave, flirtatious & a sexy accent :wink: *

**Sorry :oops: I am in a funny mood tonight**

[squirrel]

no need to apologize for the mood SC... it happens...

personally I am in the office, attempting to do my day's work and really failing, 'cause I went salsa-dancing last night and quite frankly am quite dead...

[lundasalsa]

I was at a party with a lot of people from South-America (mostly Bolivia I think) where they played latin music and danced something they called salsa, although they danced mostly solo. At that occasion I tried to learn the basic step/rhythm, without much success. I think that that was where the seed was planted.

A few months later, there was some kind of festival here in town and in one of tents they showed salsa dance. Wow! So, that's what salsa can look like! I want to be able to move like that! A while later I signed up for a course. I must admit that the fact that there usually are more girls than guys also appealed to me. :)

Now, 1.5 years later, I'm still taking courses at the same dance school. I'm not a fast learner, I basically take every 12-hour course two times before I feel confident to proceed to the next level, but I'm now starting to be able to lead girls into figures they haven't been taught in their classes. (I should go to clubs way more often)

[Sagitta]

welcome to df lundasalsa! I agree more clubbing should be in your cards. And jus for SC I need to work on my accent!! :wink: What do you consider sexy -- English, Eastern European....?

I got into salsa at an Ithaca Social Dance where they played latin music. Once I got hooked there was no turning back. Now I'm into rueda, salsa in a circle.... :) I'm learning to do calls... :D

[lundasalsa]

welcome to df lundasalsa!

Thank you. I've been lurking around quite a bit (i.e., browsed through almost all salsa topics), but I didn't feel like I had enough experience to contribute to the discussions up to this one.

I agree more clubbing should be in your cards. And jus for SC I need to work on my accent!! :wink: What do you consider sexy -- English, Eastern European....?

Yes, well, this is a small town, it's something like one salsa evening every other week. You know, friends don't do salsa so I've to go alone; shyness (but as my salsa skills improve I find it easier to ask women for a dance), other activities interfering when there is a salsa opportunity. All lame excuses for not going more often than once every other month. :?

I don't quite get what you are saying about SC and about sexyness. I'm not sure either that it will be considered to be appropriate behaviour if I start discussing the second issue here in detail. :) Well, apart from the looks of a woman, I find deep eye contact with a smiling dance partner quite sexy. :together:

[Sagitta]

I agree more clubbing should be in your cards. And jus for SC I need to work on my accent!! :wink: What do you consider sexy -- English, Eastern European....?

I don't quite get what you are saying about SC and about sexyness. I'm not sure either that it will be considered to be appropriate behaviour if I start discussing the second issue here in detail. :) Well, apart from the looks of a woman, I find deep eye contact with a smiling dance partner quite sexy. :together:

Actually this was referring to salsachinita's comment about liking a sexy accent and was a tongue in cheek comment. My apologies for any confusion. :oops: :)

[lundasalsa]

What do you consider sexy -- English, Eastern European....?
<snip> Actually this was referring to salsachinita's comment about liking a sexy accent and was a tongue in cheek comment. My apologies for any confusion. :oops: :)

Ah, now I see, you were talking about accents. Back to safe grounds. :D I like it when there is a slight foreign accent on top of a "neutral" English variant, doesn't matter too much from which language the accent originates, as long as it doesn't impair the mutual understanding.

Hey, but this is supposed to be about salsa. Tonight, Nelson Argento, a samba legend according to the announcements, is coming to Lund. Do you think I should go there? I don't know anything about samba.

[Sagitta]

Yes, oh yes!! I still don't know anything about samba! :wink: :) But I still dance away when samba comes on. Two types ofs amba: ballroom and Brazillian. Ballroom is to a slower tempo. Brazillian is easier as it involves movng to the beat of the music, without any particular fixed steps patterns. It is harder if you are not comfortable in your skin and cannot move your body.

[dragon3085]

Arthur Murray made me more or less take when I first joined as on of what I call my exposure dances. I didn't even know what it was until then- From there the music and the dance just grew on me.

[danceguy]

Well, it all started one day when my mom cooked me an omelet and handed me a jar of Pace picante sauce, and said to try it on cooked eggs. It was so darn good that me and my older brother started fighting over the Salsa and my mom had to buy two big jars for us. After that I was hooked...oh wait...wrong kind of Salsa! :nope: :tongue: :nope:

I've shared my story many times...guy meets girl...guy hot after girl. Girl does Salsa, guy doesn't dance at all. Guy takes Salsa...tries to impress girl. Guy makes an ass of himself at live Salsa band, girl shows no interest in guy whatsoever.

Guy is heartbroken, but continues to dance. Many months later, same girl goes to Salsa club with new dummy guy, girl has forgotten how to dance, her new man can't dance, but old guy (me) dances like never before and girl just ignores him! :roll: :wink:

The moral to this story is: That girl missed out, and I found lady Salsa to sooth my heart and soul. :D :P :D

[squirrel]

Yes SG, I remember your story... but thanks for sharing it again!

[Sabor]

i discovered salsa upon discovering love :P .. a li'l love ..a li'l dance.. a li'l passion.. and a lifelong romance :wink:

[MadamSamba]

I can't remember. I think I had a crush on someone who did it, just like ScorpionGuy, or it was in my "I'm-so-darned-addicted-to-dancing-I'll-try-anything-twice" phase...who knows and who cares? Whatever the reason, the salsa stayed and I love it! Can you tell I just got back from the most fabulous, fabulous, fabulous night of salsa!

GOD, I LOVE SALSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ShyDancer]

The movie, "Salsa" starring Robby Rosa, also helped a lot :oops: :wink: !

*I have a soft spot for the stereos type latino lover :oops: : dark, suave, flirtatious & a sexy accent :wink: *

**Sorry :oops: I am in a funny mood tonight**

:lol: :lol: I could have written that myself :wink:


As for me...well I stumbled across Salsa when I started Ballroom dancing, They were offering it as part of a medal exam course and being totally in love with all thing dance I signed myself up :D

[youngsta]

July 2001 - I go to a Top 40 club with my friends. I end up dancing to a latin house song with this Puerto Rican young lady. She says to me "you move really well to the latin beat. Do you dance salsa?" Me being cluesless about anything salsa related at the time answers "Oh yeah, I'm pretty good."

Nov 2001 - I'm in Oman for Operation Enduring Freedom. A co-worker from Long Beach asks me if I've ever been to El Parador (the local salsa spot) I say no, but I can dance salsa. He's surprised and says we should go when we get back home.

May 2002 - Back home my friend reminds me about going to El Parador. I freak because I know NOTHING about salsa...so I go to a local studio to get a few classes. TOTALLY fall in love with the dance and the music...another salsero is born!!! :lol:

[Haz]

July 2001 - I go to a Top 40 club with my friends. I end up dancing to a latin house song with this Puerto Rican young lady. She says to me "you move really well to the latin beat. Do you dance salsa?"

Sassy hips strikes again...

I was asked to find a salsa partner for a female friend of mine. For reasons other then salsa at the time I blindly offered. Went to the last class of a beginners course (she wanted to continue with the intermediate one after)...she spent the whole class teaching me the basic and the simple inside turn.

The instructor was very swift in saying that although a female could catch up and continue on with lessons (what she requested the week before), it was a whole different story for the leader. He implied strongly that I'd be wasting my time if I tried continuing on with the course. We practiced about 3 or 4 times (for hours at a time) over the next week and I totally fell in love with the dance.

Had huge problems picking up what the instructor was teaching in class until my partner said just look at it as all the basic moves (the spins, veils, hook turns, and all their variations) put together in different combinations. Since then it's been awesome. Having a bit of problems with the 'dile que no' at the moment but there are tons of threads helpin me with that already :wink: .

[Pacion]

The health club/gym I belonged to at the time was doing a "six weeks course" :shock: I was abit bored with aerobics, too repetative, didn't care for step classes, even more repetative and was looking for something more "dancey". So, I thought, I would try it. Managed to make four out of the six classes, and loved it.

The teacher then invited us all to a club that he was doing, for more classes and the rest is history. :D In addition to his teaching technique (he started off with merengue first and then progressed into salsa) I think I liked how he taught. If I don't feel empathy/chemistry with my teachers I just cannot do what ever it is they are trying to teach me :oops: I have been to classes with other teachers, to trial, and never went back :? If I had had them first, it might have taken me longer to discover salsa :(

About a year and a half later, I attended a salsa festival and had my first experience of On2. This was at a time when On2 was very new to Europe. He just charged ahead and said that for those of us who were struggling, we were in the wrong level :shock: That put me off On2 dancing until I saw a guy and his dance partner performing and thought "I want to dance like them!" :lol: Started taking classes with them but they then left the UK a few months later :cry: so have been doing "bits and pieces" ever since. But, hopefully this year all of that will change :banana:

[Sabor]

and all this time i had thought u discovered salsa via telescope pacion.. tsk tsk tsk.. sneaky sneaky :wink:

[Iza]

I am not sure if this doesn't exist already... if it does, just point me to the right 'address'... if not, how did you guys start?

I was a non-dancer, much into books and movies, also going to gym... but I hated dancing... never going to disco... just to pubs... and when going to parties, I would gather all those interested in the kitchen and discuss anything: politics, sex, literature, music, cars... you name it!

Then I broke up with this guy... we'd been together for 3 years... I found myself alone and with a great amount of spare time... So, my best friend decided to take me out to... A SALSA VENUE! I hated the music when I first listened to it at her place... but she insisted sooooo much that I went just to please her... and then... it was ok... it wasn't much salsa... latino music mostly...

And there came one cumbia, I think... I saw a guy and a girl dance... and all I did all night long was to look at them and wish to be her! Then I started the lessons... But trust me, guys, I wanted sooooooooo much to dance like her... with him...

Now, looking back, I wouldn't dance with him even if he paid me... he's and awful leader! And I remember they danced so simply... just 2-3 spins... still... I shall never forget the urge to learn... and it's still the same... just burning inside... no matter how tired I am... I HAVE TO HAVE MY FIX!


Hej,
it is unbeliefable. Mine story (with salsa) is exactly the same!

Iza:)

[sweavo]

I came out of University with a degree in computer science, a membership of the Juggling Society, an ex-fiancee, and absolutely no idea where to go to meet girls. I decided to upgrade my hobby from juggling to either pottery or salsa, and pretty soon after stumbled upon a poster at work. I could pretty much do it from the get-go and it was all good from then on in!

[BugBear]

I just happened to be at a salsa party... You can imagine the rest. :)