Men's styling! What do you do? What do you like to see?

[azzey]

Gasp! Can we talk about this with a straight face in front of women?

After we become really good leads, have a great connection with the girl , feeling for the music, spin like a tornado and move fluidly your partner may think you're fantastic but you may look like plain joe-int-adv-salsa-guy to everyone else watching (the basic steps are still the same as those ones the beginners do).

Q: Do you do anything you count as styling on-top of good technique or do you believe that styling is about good technique and body movement?
Do you even care as long as the girl doesn't laugh at you/enjoys your company?

Would like to hear your views on this. As this is currently what I'm focusing on to look more like an advanced dancer. I also do Cuban and LA to a good level and am adding in styling for these.

Girls: What do you see as good mens styling? What are you impressed by? The subtle brush of the face gesture (thats your face not his :lol: ) or the strong forearm with a fist pose?

Most intermediate/adv level salsa videos are devoid of styling for the guy even though the teacher may have good style (e.g. Leon Rose).

Examples for LA style might be tapping behind and to the right with the left foot on the 1 of the cross body, then extending the left leg out in a straight line on the half beat.

If you don't know what I'm talking about as styling see the following links:

LA style clips http://www.mayan.com

New York style clips http://www.imambo.tv/ see Dance competition semi-finals.

Cuban style clip http://www.boogalu.com/movies/muevelacintura.mov

Obviously the competition stuff is more showy but it can and is scaled down by some social dancers and integrated into their style. I really like the subtle styling of the guys in the cuban video. They are professional folkloric and street dancers in Cuba.

Finally who is your salsa idol?

Suggestions:
- Marchant
- Tamambo
- Johnny Vasquez (LA)
- Frankie Martinez (NY)
- Felipe Polanco (Puerto Rican)
- Nelson Flores (NY)
- Al Espinoza (LA)
- Orville Small
- Rafael (Cuban)

Speak now!

John

 

[azzey]

LA style clips http://www.mayan.com

Oops! That link should be: http://www.clubmayan.com/

 

[pygmalion]

Wow. Great topic, azzey. I wonder where all our salser@s are today? :?

 

[aragonh]

To me, I style by feeling the music.

If theres a break, I stop and then continue when the music starts.

If the clave becomes audible, then I stop and roll my sholders to it.

If theres a simple piano or bass piece, then I do the guaganco.

It just depends on the music.

 

[azzey]

Wow. Great topic, azzey. I wonder where all our salser@s are today? :?

Thanks! You don't have any opinions on this? Maybe the girls are out dancing (where I should be)?

 

[azzey]

To me, I style by feeling the music.
If theres a break, I stop and then continue when the music starts.

Yup, like doing that.

If the clave becomes audible, then I stop and roll my sholders to it.

I assume you mean when just the Clave is audible? I can see how that would work.

If theres a simple piano or bass piece, then I do the guaganco.

Rumba to piano, that's interesting! tell me more..

 

[TheLetterJ]

I'm a leader, but my personal preference is for more of the ballroom latin styling, where the body & arms change from stiff to soft with the flow of the music. All the while remaining mostly masculine and stable. It is more showy and harder to do on a crowded social floor, but it's more fun to watch.

 

[aragonh]

Here are some songs that you can do great styling to:

Joe Cuba - Clave Mambo (Dance/Move to the Clave)

Joe Pastrana - Rumbon Melon (Good for Guaganco and much much more)

 

[Sabor]

as many always say.. its not what u do .. its how u do it.. hence, generally speaking, style is what sets us appart and gives each of us our unique flava.. basically, this is when we start to dance from within.. so how can anyone be dancing without style.. man or woman.. thats like a person with no personality..

as to the way i do it.. well.. that could take a lifetime to write and two lifetimes to pin it down first :wink:

 

[cocodrilo]

Some guys have great body moves, others fancy footwork, I like both.

 

[Cist]

I am fully with Sabor.
For me it's, the better somebody gets the more time and ressources he/she is able to spend on the additional things like individual styling. That's what makes a dancer recognizable, in an either good or bad way.

I have two favourite style trends....one is the hip hop flavoured salsa (with a little bit of popping - actually hard stuff for me ) style like al espinoza is doing the other is driven by some afro-cuban (shoulder work, bending, etc. ) motions. Actually 2 completely different styles, which I try to join a little bit.

 

[MacMoto]

I have two favourite style trends....one is the hip hop flavoured salsa (with a little bit of popping - actually hard stuff for me ) style like al espinoza is doing the other is driven by some afro-cuban (shoulder work, bending, etc. ) motions. Actually 2 completely different styles, which I try to join a little bit.

Afro-cuban hip hop salsa -- I'd love to see it! :wink:

I'm with Sabor too on individual style.
I tend to be more impressed with the overall fluidity of movement than "styling" moves and accents.

 

[Cist]

I have two favourite style trends....one is the hip hop flavoured salsa (with a little bit of popping - actually hard stuff for me ) style like al espinoza is doing the other is driven by some afro-cuban (shoulder work, bending, etc. ) motions. Actually 2 completely different styles, which I try to join a little bit.

Afro-cuban hip hop salsa -- I'd love to see it! :wink:

no problem if you came to the ny/nj festival 8)

 

[Sabor]

I have two favourite style trends....one is the hip hop flavoured salsa (with a little bit of popping - actually hard stuff for me ) style like al espinoza is doing the other is driven by some afro-cuban (shoulder work, bending, etc. ) motions. Actually 2 completely different styles, which I try to join a little bit.

Afro-cuban hip hop salsa -- I'd love to see it! :wink:

I'm with Sabor too on individual style.
I tend to be more impressed with the overall fluidity of movement than "styling" moves and accents.

fluidity and silk motion is included in 'Style' to my perception .. a natural consequence

 

[tj]

I really like the way some of the Advanced Leads add style and "flava" to their dancing. But I don't know about copying someone else's style... I think it's something that you add in gradually as you feel more comfortable in the dance.