Brujo, why do some prefer NY City style? Have you been to NY City? Why do you think the article describes the average NY City dancer going any where in the world and being one of the best upon arrival? Just like it takes years of practice to do ballroom, is the same with Mambo style dance. Why do some like driving a 100 miles an hour? The same reason some drive the same vehicle at 50 Mph. Preference.
Mambo isn’t something the average Joe off the street can do. It is something generated by desire, willingness to do a dance above what the norm is, something that compiles Cuban style, Colombian style, Rican style, hustle, jazz, tap, you get the point. That some people don’t do it is a completely different thing. But that it is called for in the music, as well as the dance, indeed.
Mambo style calls for just about every dance, minus the aerial shows, neither Colombian, nor Cuban style call for such dances to be incorporated into them. Mambo style does. Hence, why you need to be able to spin, on time, without wobbling around, move feet around, move your body around, to master the dance. The lady has to be strong solo dancer because, Mambo mastery isn’t the Jail house of 2 dancers, where the male says you go here and shut up, I’m the leader and I’m going to take you there! Rather the game played when dancing solo. The mastery of dancing mambo must be greater than that of Cuban style as well as Colombian for someone to dance it well. Hence, why a person who doesn’t know a lick about mambo dancing can’t do it. Because if you can’t drive a car what makes you think you can fly a jet? Then have the right to complain because you can’t fly a Jet, hence, it isn’t as good as car.
What is NY City style? It is only the stepping of 1,2,3 5,6,7, but breaking on 2, nothing else. The preference of the dance is to dance on the slot, however, incorporation of circular, angular, etc, go just as well with the dance. If the person lacks the body movement you speak of, it has more to do with personal ability than hindrance of style. Ala Rumba movements, something salsa calls for, but is absent in Colombian style, however, it is called for and danced in NY City style. Again, that people don’t do it is different than the style no having it.
The fundamentals of NY City style? You can’t move the body as much while stepping over the 4 on way to the 5 or, 8 on way to the 1. That is all that pretty much hinders the amount of body movement. That New Yorkers have attitudes? Yes. Does it come out when they dance? Yes. So, does everyone else’s attitude. The movements are artificial only to those that can’t do them, and because of those that do them are more worried about the move than the dance, hence failing to feel the dance. Again brujo, it isn’t a limit of the dance but the limit of people that dance it. Remember that dancing well and looking like you enjoy it because of a smile isn’t feeling the dance.
I don’t like momentum based moves. Why? They stress too much strength-control over the partner. Salsa isn’t about momentum, nor egotistical control. It is about a sharing of power and grace, which should display the women more, because the word “woman” alone means sensuality. How much sensuality is there on momentum? None. It limits itself in that is the way you are coming and where you must. Instead of masterfully guiding the lady to a completely unexpected spot, yet ever so smoothly. The side and back stepping with one leg are of an on1 dance form(the cumbia basic step has its origin on1 dancing where the body calls for side to side motion, hence allowing a circular dance), I dance on2, so I enjoy dancing back and forth and on the slot. On2 calls for a back and forth motion, less arm sway across the body. The body is going back and forth, why fight it and swing the arms across the body side to side. See, the incorporation of on1 to NY City style on2.
Easier to follow? Sure, it isn’t advanced; it requires no prior knowledge of any beat, form or technique. Remember, if the average Joe off the street isn’t ready to fly a Jet, then don’t blame the Jet for being complicate. It just is, the problem is that it takes time to learn to fly it. I don’t want to grab someone form the street and make them dance. I want to dance with someone. I don’t care to know that I can make someone dance and follow me. I already know I can. I want to be able to share something with someone. Not my egotistical gain of how well I manage to move around a girl from the street that never danced before. Why? Because leading someone isn’t dancing!
There are hindrances to every style. Personal preference, guided by geographical embedded ideas acting as the driving force for why the style I dance is better. Had you been born in NY City, you would be asking why isn’t everyone dancing NY City style, and why it is better. Nothing to do with the style, but how the self needs to acknowledge that it is doing something how it needs to be done and the why, which it has forgotten that it can be applied to the complete opposite of what it is doing.
Remeber, the music is complicated, so why must the dance not be? If musicians need to be educated and learn percussion to play salsa. Then the dancers better go through equal dance education to give thanks to those people who are making us shake our souls. The more we know, the closer we can get to dancing a genre that incorportes just about every other genre, even cumbia. Now, NY City style calls for all of that, that people don't do it, is something different.
I have enjoyed browsing your site, learning history from the CD reviews, etc.