ballroom salsa?

nycsalsero

nycsalsero

Member
I'm looking for a video of high-level ballroom dancers dancing salsa. Does anyone know where to find one?

This is to settle an argument with a friend who disagrees with my contention that high-level ballroom dancers, being much more trained, will dance salsa better than any untrained street salsa dancer.
 
That's performance. Social dancing anyone?

I really don't think high level ballroom dancers can wing high level salsa dancing that's not choreographed( ie, social dancing). It's certainly possible that someone is both because they've worked to be good at both...
 
Most high level ballroom dancers I know don't social dance much, salsa or otherwise.

Unfortunate, I think.

Of course, I never really play music for fun anymore, so I guess I understand.
 
well for me, the deal is this: of course trained dancers generally have a better "look", however, ballroom dancers can practice 12 or more dances while salsa/mambo dancers are practicing, well mostly, just 1. So of course if a salsa/mambo person dances salsa/mambo for 5 hours straight every weekend and sometimes more, as salsa folks are wont to do, of course if naturally talented, they may be able to look better than a ballroom dancer who has sooo much more on their plate and maybe only devotes 1/12 of their time to salsa/mambo. However, technically, I dont know that the salsa dancer would be better. I guess it would all depend on the ballroom dancer and the salsa/mambo dancer. Interesting...
 
better not post that comment on the salsa forums site -- they will hunt you down !! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

You might as well compare Social Samba to the way they dance in Brazil-- or several other " latin " dances .Technique-- yes-- that where it ends in comparison.

The main problem that latinos have, with the ballroom " world ", is their insistance , that they have advanced and improved, their indigenous dances== they sure did -- beyond recognition!!!!!

I choose to teach and dance " street " style salsa/ mambo ( theres a whole other topic )

What one sees in a ballroom performance, is a sanitised version of its " parent " .

If you had seen some of the "oldies " dance--Cuban Pete , Mambo Aces, Steve Peck etc., you would readily agree , that would be your choice of style-- to dance with " sabor " .

The one observation, that was made about Pro,s not going out to clubs-- very, very true ( I happen to be the total opposite, latin clubs 5/6 nites a week for many yrs )

Someone on another site, posted info ( all critically incorrect ) about the rise of Salsa /Mambo, in the states .

These comments invariably come from people who have never--1, been to the states 2--- have not ever been inside a latino club !!
 
I go to Salsa clubs very often and there are much better salsa dancers than me there. Its much more on feeling and not all about hip action and this other mumbo jumbo. Unless the ballroom couple made up a salsa ruitine to dance at the club, then I think the freestyling salsa dancer will shool them out there.

Now after a couple drinks, you stop thinking about the technique part and start to really go at it, then it might be a competition. But, thats a whole other conversation.
 
Nik-- what has amazed me for all my yrs spent in latino clubs, is the amount of " raw " talent that pervades most clubs .

I often wondered what would happen, if they took that sabor, and trained in the b/room world -- then I got to thinkin-- someone would eventually " beat it " out of them !! :rolleyes:
 
Its like what Alan Tornsberg always sais, Its all about the music and partnering. Ballroom dancers often forget that because they have so much information on how to move their body and make it look right.

You take a somewhat experienced ballroom dancer, erase all that technique info piled up in their head that blocks out everything else, make them dance on feeling and rhythm, and boom, you got yourself a great salsa dancer.
 
Nik said:
Its like what Alan Tornsberg always sais, Its all about the music and partnering. Ballroom dancers often forget that because they have so much information on how to move their body and make it look right.
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If only I could practice those words of wisdom from Tornsberg in competitions. But then I'll always be thinking about what the judges are looking for instead and often forget that I'm "dancing". And when I do feel it and start dancing for real, I don't think I'd get all the right technique down!! AAAHHH!!! :confused:
 
TufTuf said:
If only I could practice those words of wisdom from Tornsberg in competitions. But then I'll always be thinking about what the judges are looking for instead and often forget that I'm "dancing". And when I do feel it and start dancing for real, I don't think I'd get all the right technique down!! AAAHHH!!! :confused:
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Apropo to what you said- The late Bob Medeiros , was dancing at B/Pool-- it was at that time, a televised heat--Peggy Spencer-- her comments " Just look at that boys Cuban motion "-- need less to say-- not enought judges did !!
 
nycsalsero said:
I'm looking for a video of high-level ballroom dancers dancing salsa. Does anyone know where to find one?

This is to settle an argument with a friend who disagrees with my contention that high-level ballroom dancers, being much more trained, will dance salsa better than any untrained street salsa dancer.
Click to expand...
I agree with your friend. What you are suggesting si blasphemy. It is like saying lets compare argentine and ballroom tango. YOu cannot compare the two to say that one way is better than the other. each has it's purpose. Now if you are saying that both ballroom and street salsa have the same purpose and sow e can compare the two then that is a different story. I'll be happy to discuss that point first. Let's not compare street and ballroom please. Two different animals. I don't think that one can really compare two dance styles which have different basic criteria as you are suggesting.
 
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