My weekend was an event packed one, but I didn't feel 100%, so I didn't dance as much (or as well) as I normally would.
I went to a workshop on Sunday.
Now, for those of you lucky ducks going to L.A Congress, watchout for GianCarlo & Liz of Latinissimo from Melbourne.......! They are our own version of Luis & Joby.
There were 3 workshops. (1) Connection & lead/follow (2) Spins & Shines (3) Advanced tricks. If you do all three it's $60, or two for $50. Very reasonable.
After watching the demo, my partner 'El Washing Machine' decided that he wasn't confident to lead me through the advanced tricks, being unfamiliar with their style. So we only ended up doing the first two.
Eventhough L.A. style as such is far from our comfort zone, we were clearly the most experienced club dancers there. So apart from learning the style/pattern, we watched everyone else worked through the connection & related issues. My partner had a harder time learning to lead unfamiliar patterns, while I have managed to follow everyone relatively easily (& somehow got everyone to crack up in laughters by being a clown). Ironically, when we rotated to be with each other, we stuff the whole thing up completely ! I guess we slip back into our normal auto-pilot mode, having danced together for so many years .
The spins were by far the toughest for me, as expected. I never did managed to spot, despite being shown repeatedly over the years (& now). My partner was pretty good at it though, we compensated for eachother over the years, but I still want to be able to hold it on my own !
On the other hand, I found shines really easy, as all the moves were pretty much what I do normally during descarga. I just don't structure them that way! My partner usually sits out the descargas, so he finds it challenging.
I had to sit down for the last 15 mins......not feeling 100% & exhausted.
It was a good experience overall. The comments we would like to make were perhaps the complete lack of emphsis on musicality. Apart from the last 10 mins or so, no music was being played....no wonder so many people have trouble with staying on beat, let alone playing with the music ! The students from this kind of learning environment also felt compelled to memorise routines move by move. This is a perfect condition to create pattern dancers !
), Saturday Cuban style workshops (Noon - 3.45pm with a 1/2 hour break, lots of body isolation work) followed by party night with a Cuban band playing live (got there at 8, left around 1am?), then another monthly club on Sunday from 6 till 10 including a 1-hour LA style class. It was a warm night (for Scotland), and the club had no air-con and just one small fan... it got so hot even I had to sit out some songs. :shock: :lol: 
:? 
