MONDAY
It was an early start, leaving at 5:30 am, after Simon (Taylor) had been dropped off at our house. Got to Heathrow in good time, parked, caught the bus to the terminal and checked in.
Had (overpriced) breakfast at the airport, waited around then boarded our plane!!
Landed at Newark Airport at about 1:30pm local time, did the long immigration queue, then caught the coach to Manhattan.
We'd arranged to stay in an apartment in Soho, so got there and had to have a few drinks in the nearby Cafe Noir while we waited for our contact to meet us with the keys. It was eight flights of stairs up to the 4th floor, which was a killer on our first day, but got easier as the week went on.
For our first night in NY, we decided to make a return visit to Salsa Con Mambo at Session 73, where Grupo Latin Vibe were playing. We got there quite late and just caught their second set. A few other UK people were in the house including Moe Flex, and Vicki, Julia and Claire from the Midlands.
Salsa-Central got a shoutout from our friend DJ Babaloo, who runs this night.
We decided to get the subway home, but it took so long that we gave up half way and jumped in a cab.
TUESDAY
Woke up early as a result of construction work on a hotel opposite, and the lack of curtains in the apartment (!!). Mel and I headed up to B&H to get Mel her a zoom lens, while Simon did a little exploration of the local area. After B&H, we browsed a few more shops and I got myself a new After Effects book, then headed up to El Barrio for some CD shopping from El Barrio Music.
It was great to see Frankie and Rey again after so long - Lou doesn't work there anymore since moving to Philly. Bought a few CD's then headed into the Bronx, so Mel could get her hair cut (No danger of missing a flight, so we were fine). Caught the wrong subway, so had to walk a few blocks through the South Bronx to get to the other line (getting a Coconut Ice on the way), then headed up to Gun Hill Road where Mel's cousin Lauren met us from the train.
While Mel was getting her hair done, Lauren and I headed up the road to get some food. It wasn't the greatest area in the Bronx, so I was getting a few stares, but the food was worth it!! Barbecue Chicken, Fried Chicken, Snapper, Rice & Peas!! Nice!!
That night I was due to DJ at one of the official Congress launch parties, at Sabor Salsa Tuesdays at Iguana (240 W54th St), run by Marlon Int'l and friends. Got there about an hour before my set, so went to get a drink from the bar... I didn't have my Id with me so ended up getting a bit of verbal from the woman behind the bar who was trying to get us chucked out.
We managed to sort it out with the manager of the venue, and I soon started my set. I was DJ'ing alongsode Antonio 'La Conga' (who runs the La Vieja Guardia Socials in NY) and a DJ from paris. My set went down really well and I was getting great feedback for days following!! Not a bad debut!!
WEDNESDAY
Mel discovered a little scratch on her new lens... cue panic and worry! So, the three of us headed over to B&H determined to get it replaced. Queued up in the returns line and eventually got served by a guy who'd been quite abrupt with previous customers. I pulled out the lens and told him 'the lens we bought yesterday has a scratch on it' in a manner which suggested I wasn't to be trifled with! 'So why don't you wipe it off' was his reply, pulling out a microfibre cloth and briskly removing the mark. He chuckled, I felt a little silly, so we went for breakfast across the road.
We walked from there up to Times Square in wonderful weather, then across to the Hilton as Simon wanted to see the congress venue. We went inside and up to the main area, but that wasn't enough for Simon, he wanted to go into the ballroom himself, where we were promptly stopped by staff who were setting up for an event to be held there the night before the congress... a 2,500 capacity room was being used to host dinner for 29 people, they told us!!
Leaving there, we headed into Central Park, walked round there for a bit then headed back towards the apartment.
On t he dinner itinerary tonight was a visit to 'Lombardi's' in little Italy, NY's first Pizzeria. Had dinner, then on the way back spotted 'Rice To Riches' a rice pudding shop with the funniest window signs ever!!! Stopped in Yellow Rat Bastard on the way back to the apt for a few new T-shirts then home.
Tonight was the official 'Meet and Greet' pre-congress party with free buffet and bar. Nice! We got there right at the start to make the most of it, and Simon took part in Baila Society's class .
A lot of the artists were in attendance and Jimmy Bosch also turned up, so I ended up having a brief chat with him. I also got a lot of great feedback while there about my set at Iguana the previous night, which is always nice!!
We left in the early hours, had a brief chat with El Malo and Osmar Perrones outside, the got the subway home (all the way this time)
THURSDAY
In an effort to actually do some sightseeing, we decided to go to the American Museum Of Natural History, grabbing breakfast on the way. This is the museum that's featured in the 'Night At The Museum' films, and you're greeted by two large dinosaurs upon entering the main foyer. The whole place is enormous, and more than you can see in just one trip, but we saw quite a bit, including 'Dum Dum' from the film. We then went to Chinatown for dinner before going back to the apartment.
Today was registration for the Congress, so after going through all the getting ready shenanigans (inevitable when I was sharing with these two!!), we caught the Subway to the Hilton and got our wristbands. Then, we all fancied a bite to eat so made a nearby diner stay open an extra half hour so we could eat.
Back to the Congress. I was due to DJ at the congress, but didn't know when, and couldn't find Ray who was in charge of the DJ scheduling, so went to film Cubanoson , who were on stage at the time. At the end of the song, Mel tapped me on the shoulder;
Mel: "I just soke with Ray, you're on in this room (the main room), after the band"
Me: "When do the band finish"
Mel: "In 45 minutes"
Normally, that would've been fine, except that my CD's were in the apartment.... a 20 minute cab ride away!! Cue a manic couple of cab rides staight out of a film, and I got back to the congress with 10 minutes to spare. Nice!! I went on at midnight, once the band had finished, and was on for over an hour. Very nervous to begin with, but I loved every minute of it... a real buzz!! Feedback was great too, with a number of people coming over!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
Salsa Splash Weekend – Mel C’s Blog
Steve and I had never been to a Salsa Splash weekend before, although from the various pictures and video clips you see on Facebook, we could tell that people had a lot of fun when they were there!
We were supposed to be moving house that weekend but it didn’t work out (don’t ask, it’s a sore subject!) so we thought ‘right then, lets go’!
Friday
We travelled down on the Friday lunchtime and made pretty good time, it took about 2.5 hours, getting there for about 3pm. Registration was very smooth, we had ours keys and a glass of Pims (thanks Jean) within minutes of arriving at reception!
We went to our chalet, unpacked and then headed off to Sainsbury’s, needed to get supplies, bumping into Julian aka The Duke whilst arguing over the seafood sticks I wanted to buy! I won, of course, and we headed back to the chalet, armed with Jack Daniels and an array of goodies from Sainsbury’s.
Dinner was at 7:30pm sharp, we’d been allocated seats earlier and were the first to arrive at our table. A few minutes later, we were joined by Miguel and Mayan and we met Pedro Gea and Neli from Asi Se Baila, Spain. We had a great time over dinner, Miguel and Mayana were charming as always and Pedro was a very friendly guy, we spent most of dinner talking about music, nothing new there!
There were no shows on the Friday night, which worked well I thought, Rohan introduced the night (best MC out there guys) and led a warm up, which the majority of the crowd joined in.
We nipped back to the chalet for a drink and to watch the BB eviction (sad I know) then we headed back out about an hour later. There was a good mix of music that night, provided by DJ Cruz and Cornelius. I danced quite a lot that night, drank a fair bit too!
Saturday
We got up for breakfast and then had a wander around the site, and then Steve wanted to do Miguel and Mayana’s improver’s class. He came back full of praise for the guys, they definitely have a fan there!
At lunchtime, we popped across to the café on site and Robert asked Steve to play some music in there while people were eating. He went down a storm, particularly with Tony from Mambata, who dragged me up, despite my protests of ‘I’m wearing sandals!’ and made me dance! As I am typing this, Steve has now been booked for Mambatas launch night of their new monthly collaboration with Red Hot Red Salsa, nice one Steve!
I had promised myself that I would do the Street Jazz class with Hakeem from Impact Dance that afternoon, so after lunch I went across to the Games Room where the class was being held. The room was full and Hakeem wasted no time getting us to do an energetic warm up before launching into the choreography he had planned for the class. It was amazing! I haven’t worked that hard or enjoyed a class so much, for such a long time and it was a feeling shared by all! Hakeem is holding a weekender in October this year, keep your eyes on Salsa Central for more info.
I then convinced Lorna and Andrea to do an Aqua Fit class with me, whilst Steve was roped into playing football. OMG what a laugh that class was! The instructor wasn’t very good but we had him in stitches with our (well my) interpretations of the moves we were supposed to be doing! This went on for about 40 minutes until we collapsed into the steam room to unwind.
After all that exercise, I was famished and as we were by the sea, I convinced Steve to drive us to a seafood restaurant (it was 5 minutes from the camp, we could’ve walked lol!) called Marina Jaks. The food was fabulous and after a walk on the beach, we went to a local amusement arcade and messed about on the machines before heading back to get changed for the night.
We gave dinner a miss, for obvious reasons, and then headed out to the venue. It was a black tie night and the majority of the guests had made a real effort, we felt a bit under dressed! There were five shows that night, from Asi Se Baila , U-Tribe, Mambata , Marchant and Davina and Almas Latinas . Hakeem led a Michael Jackson tribute , Steve managed to get them all on camera, you can see them on the site ☺
Sunday
We had planned to leave the next day but were bombarded by ‘no ways’ from several people who assured us Sunday was the best night. As we had already booked the Monday off (for moving, not!) we decided to stay. It was a good decision, it was another themed night, this time Hero’s and Villains and there were various costume ideas floating about! We decided not to take part (we weren’t prepared) instead we took great pleasure in watching people arrive in their costumes!
My favourite had to be The 3 Little Pigs (or in this case, about 20!) and the Big Bad Wolf, The MP’s Expenses Scandal and the T.W.A.T.S (Traffic Wardens Against Terrific Salsa)!!
The Mambo City Crew arrived to police sirens as they marched in in police uniform, reprimanding several criminal looking types along the way! Even I got hand cuffed at one point, by a dodgy looking pimp/police officer with blonde hair (you reading this Mr Al Sheikh?) still not sure what for though!
There were shows by Salsology, U-Tribe and Miguel and Mayana that night. Later on there was a dance off between the Hero’s and the Villains to a reggaeton track led by U-Tribe and Pedro whilst Jean and Yanet Fuentes decided on the winners of the fancy dress.
We partied on through the night until about 3am, tried to go back to the chalet and got dragged back into the RnB room by Robert White who bought us drinks and made us stay until 4am!
I had a fantastic weekend, special mention has to go to Tony Cook (Shelley’s Dad) he made our weekend extra special, keeping us entertained with anecdotes and body rolls!
I can’t wait until the next one, I would definitely recommend this weekend to everyone as it has something for everyone, it certainly took my mind off of not moving!
Mel & Emil had been booked to teach at the Liverpool Salsa Festival, so we decided to head up to Salsology on the Friday night and stay over.
So, Mel, Emil and I left just after 7pm and made our way up the M6.
Traffic was good and we got to the Etap in Manchester, allowing plenty of time to get ready before we made the short drive over to Prestwich.
Got to the Longfield Suite, home of Salsology, and set our CD stall up just before the end of the classes.
The night was good, and Emil didn't get much of a break from dancing all night! Salsology performed their new show at around midnight, which is definitely one of my favourites now! We stayed until the end of the night, dropped by the 24 hour Tesco, and went back to the hotel feeling completely shattered!!
Struggled to wake up on the Saturday, missed breakfast, then eventually drove over to liverpool in time for Mel and Emil's midday class teaching styling for leaders & followers. Following that, they taught a Bachata class as cover, after which the late night seemed to be catching up with them a little. No time for rest, though, as an hour later they had to cover another class, this time Cha Cha. All the classes were busy, but the partioning of the hall caused a slight problem when it came to playing the music for each class - cue attempted battles of volume, with an increasingly stressed Mike Parr keeping everything in check.
Once the final class was finished, we collected orders and headed to Ragga's, a West indian takeaway about 5 minutes drive from the venue.
Got back to the venue and started on the food. Angel Ortiz and his colleague weren't around to get theirs so we ate that too (sorry, but it was good!)
We didn't have a hotel room, so hadn't planned on staying for the evening party but changed our mind and had to pop round to Guys hotel and borrow the bathroom so we could all get changed.
The evening ball was busy, and a lot of people there had made a good effort to dress up for the occasion. The shows were delayed a little, but eventually went ahead to a very busy room! Dancing resumed just after 11pm, and we hung out for a while. Sizzla and Simon Taylor had turned up for the evening and were doing the DD (you'll have to ask them about that!), and we eventually left shortly after midnight.
Thursday
We had a workshop arranged with Joel and Ana Masacote from Boston, USA, so I left work early as Joel and Ana's train was due in at 4:40pm. Met them at the train station and we drove round to Bushwackers, not the Australian chain, but a nice place near where Mel works. We met her, then went in and got a table. Ate there and chatted about future plans, then went home to get changed.
Got to the Custard Factory Dance Studio, where the workshop was to be held, just before 8pm. There was a decent turnout, but studio based Salsa classes always seem difficult to run in Birmingham. Everyone who attended, though, really enjoyed it!
Once that was finished, we headed to Jongleurs to finish the evening off, aided by a few Rum and Cokes for our guests!
Friday
Mel cooked breakfast for Joel and Ana, before we dropped them at New St Station for their train back to London, then popped back home to get packed before heading to East Midlands Airport for our flight to Belfast - Mel had been booked for a weekend of workshops and Private lessons, and I was due to DJ on the Saturday night.
We got picked up at the other end by David Hynes (Nusalsa), and stopped at the local Chinese takeaway on the way back to his place. Had our food, a quick drink and got changed before we went to the nearby Fitness First gym for Mels first workshop of the weekend.
Once that was done, we briefly went back to David's, freshened up, then headed into the city centre to meet up with some friends for a few drinks.
Mel and I left before midnight (the previous nights antics catching up with us). David let us drive his car back, so Mel got into the drivers seat of his Astra VXR, switched on the Sport button, and promptly wheelspun away with him watching!!!
Saturday
Woke up late, and David dropped Mel and I at a place where we could get breakfast while he went and set up the venue to be used for the workshops. We ate, then I decided that we could walk, in the rain, to the venue. 10 minutes later and we were lost so David came and found us and drove us to the venue.
Spent the afternoon doing the workshops (I also spent a little time working on a couple of Salsa remixes and edits that I'm doing at the moment), then a few of us went for dinner at a local Italian - great food there!!!
Popped back to Davids to get changed then left for La Tasca. Got to the Odyssey complex, and they'd had a horse show on that day so parking was very limited. After queueing for a short while, we managed to get a spot in the main car park and carried the equipment across and up to la Tasca. Set up, had a drink, and left a playlist on for the first half an hour wheil people arrived.
Then, it was time for me to take control for the next 3 hours or so. The night rocked (of course!!!), and I got a few compliments on my set, which always tops a night off nicely.
Sunday
Woke up with a slight hangover and we went for breakfast with David, then it was time for me to be dropped to the airport. We were both due to fly back on the Monday morning, but I had a job interview first thing so had booked myself a flight for the Sunday afternoon.
I left Mel with the first of her Private lessons that afternoon and headed to Belfast International airport, and home. Looking forward to going back there as we always have a great time in Belfast!
My big adventure! I was flying out to the big apple without my safety net (that would be Steve) and I was very excited but very scared at the same time, given my crap sense of direction and having promised to try and get the subway, argh!!! I am normally pretty rubbish at writing blogs too but this trip was so amazing, i just had to force myself to document it!
Saturday
Steve took me to the airport, we had breakfast, which cost an extortionate amount of money, as per usual and then he walked me to the departure gate. Did the whole tearful goodbye bit (it was all very emotional) and then rang him once i’d gone through airport security!
Hit duty free straight away, love it love it!! Got myself some Bobbi Brown eye liner and lip gloss (cost me £22 but its duty free so it doesn’t matter, girls, you know what i’m talking about!) Flew out, flight was pretty pleasant, had to indulge myself with the Jean Paul Gautier gift set (Steve wasn’t there to remind me i’d already hit duty free so I forgot) and then watched a couple of films. I love flying with Virgin because of the amount of film choice you get!!
When I arrived, I dragged my suitcase outside, got a cab to the apartment, and managed to get my rather large suitcase carried up the stairs by our short term landlords boyfriend . I then decided to explore and get a bit of shopping done at the same time, found a great street fair and discovered I was in walking distance of 5 th Avenue!! Did nearly 4 miles according to the pedometer!!
Met Marlon, who was under strict instructions by Steve to encourage me to use the subway as much as possible, so I got subway to meet him, by myself, big deal guys!!! Went and had dinner at a great noodle place, ended up chatting for hours, it was great!
We went out dancing after the meal (i'm normally in bed by now due to lack of sleep!) at a place called Dance Sport. This was the second of the congress pre parties (there was a whole week of them!) and I had great time, I even bumped into a fellow midlander!!
Sunday
Had breakfast in the apartment (i’d bought cereal the day before as I am still on my diet so wanted to be good!) and caught the subway to 54 th st to do Eddie Torres Shines and Partnerwork class (3 hours, I must be mad!). I bought a camera on the way to Eddie’s class as I didn’t want to cart my huge camera that I use for the site around on the subway. The guy did me a really good deal, the whole brit chick thing really works over there you know!
Eddies class was fantastic, I was under strict instructions from the CDDC girls not to forget anything, so filmed the shines as soon as I got back to the apartment, not before id nipped into Capezio and made a quick purchase though!
Met Lou (El Barrio Music Center) for dinner, he made me walk so far, it felt like my legs were going to drop off! I did get an interesting tour if the East Village at night though! I decided to give the social a miss tonight, good thing I did because after Lou made me walk for miles, I was shattered! We found a really great pastry shop and we bought coffee, Tiramisu and a huge piece of strawberry cheesecake with the biggest strawberries ever, should’ve taken a picture!
Monday
Decided to go and hang out at El Barrio today, good thing I did, Cheo from New Swing Sextet came by and brought in a couple of musicians to meet me. I met Julio Castro, this guy is huge, Tito Nieves started with him, he’s played with Hector Lavoe, needless to say, I set up an interview for Wednesday so keep your eyes peeled!
Went to Session 73 as New Swings guest, very nice it was too, got to hang out in the VIP section with the band, their pianist is a really funny guy from Loughborough! Fantastic night, one of the best so far over the last year, definitely on a par with the Pulpo cd launch in my opinion!
Met DJ Felipe from San Francisco, fantastic DJ, maybe we’ll bring him over at some point, yes, he really is that good! He gave me a few titles to buy and a cd from a band in San Fran, wicked! Grabbed a pizza and a cab home about 1:30am.
Tuesday
Sagi had flown out the day before so we arranged to go to the Statue of Liberty. He had a friend with him called Danielle (who has now become a very firm friend of mine!) from Kilkenny, it was their first time in New York so I was showing them around (me, the subway scardy cat no more!)
We hit a bit of a snag when we arrived, Sagi queued for the tickets and when he got right to the front, they ran out! We decided to go to Ground Zero as Dan had never been so off we went, back onto the subway to ground zero, but not before I behaved like a complete tourist and got my picture taken on a huge bright blue motorbike!!
I took the guys to El Barrio Music Center and made Sagi buy loads of music and selected a few choice cds for Dan too. We went for food and decided against going to Frankie’s class as it would have been a real rush to get back and we were heading to the relaunch of the Link, now known as Side Bar later that night.
I convinced Lou to come to salsa with me, he makes me laugh, my Puerto Rican brother, doesn’t dance a single step but loves to watch us non Latinos folk dance! We stayed out until late, poor Lou had to get up early the next day, I didn’t, ha ha!
Wednesday
Hung out at El Barrio, it’s like my second home, I swear! I interviewed Julio Castro (thanks for the intro Cheo!) and filmed him playing bongos and congas in El Barrio. The guy is seriously talented and so knowledgeable, it’s scary!! I went home to get changed as I was meeting up with Dimas at LQ’s, we tried unsuccessfully, to get an interview with Eddie Palmieri, so we decided to head off to Club Cache.
This is a really cool club, music provided by Mr David Montreal (fab DJ, definitely bringing him over at some point!) and lots of great dancers. If you read this, next time you see me, ask me about the Club Cache Tattoo story, it’s too rude to write!
Thursday
Steve arrives! I dragged him along to El Barrio to see the guys, who made a huge fuss over him and totally forgot about me!!!! Steve was quite ill, so I did the one thing a girlfriend could do, put him to bed, dosed him up with paracetamol and went out with Lou!!
He took me to a place called Camarades, right in the heart of Spanish Harlem. It was a fantastic place, they had a Bomba Plena fusion band called Yerbabuena. Lou had told me about them but as I don’t really listen to Bomba, I was a bit dubious. How wrong was I?! These guys were amazing, I really enjoyed listening to them (the lead singer was easy on the eye too, so that was a bonus, sorry Steve!)
Lou got me to try Mofongo, it's a traditional Puerto Rican dish, I ain’t telling you what’s in it because you’ll all be making it then, just trust me, if you ever go to New York, you have to go to Camarades and try it!!
Friday
Steve and i went to Register at congress, Choco had arranged for us to have VIP passes to say thank you for helping promote the congress in the UK, he is such a nice guy! We said hi to Victor and Burju, i bought another pair of shoes (i had to have them ok, they were red!!!!) and then we went off to meet Lou.
He took us to GB records, they are a huge distribution company and their selection of Latin music was out of this world, it was kids in a candy store experience, to coin an American phrase! Lou made us walk for miles (second time for me!) we went and grabbed food and then headed back to te apartment to get changed for the night.
The night was fantastic, we saw Ocho y Mas first, lead by Willie Torres and then we finally got to see La Excelencia live, it was amazing! The guys tore it up and then they spotted us in the crowd and dragged us back stage to meet the rest of the band, i love my job!!!!
Saturday
Did Eddies class at the congress and interviewed Angel Ortiz and Dicky Colon from Young Bloods, two people i’ve been trying to interview for ages! Steve and i went to see the kids shows during the day, they were amazing, beats some of our performers hands down!
Steve was still feeling ill when we got back to the hotel so i dosed him up again and went to the congress on my own. I hung out for a couple of hours with Danielle, then went back to the apartment.
Sunday
Did Nelsons footwork class, it’s been such a long time since i’ve done one of Nelsons classes, it was great! I forgot what a mick taker he can be in class though and I got dragged up on stage to demo the routine in front of the class, thank god shines are my speciality!
We managed to get an interview with Tomas from Santo Rico, he is very inspiring to watch and the interview was great (you can check it out for yourself)! We went to the Spanish restaurant we found last time, the food was fab but we had an incident with my starter, I got spat in the eye with oil!
I had been chatting on Facebook with Daniel from Baila Society, he was ill when I got to New York so it took me ages to track him down, finally got him and Ahtoy though, the interview Was very inspiring, made me sign up to Baila Society!! Allan and Dimas from Nuevotec had asked me to do some interviews for them, i’m used to being behind the camera so having a large video camera stuck in my face was a bit daunting! I soon got the hang of it though and I interviewed DJ Michelle and Vincent from Casa Latina for them, (their site is www.nuevotec.com) go me!!
Monday
Steve and I met up with Sagi and Danielle for Brunch before they flew back home, Steve went off to El Barrio to interview Papa Ortega and I headed off the the Bronx to have a private with Nelson (Flores), he worked me hard, bully!
Jose from La Excelencia had invited us over for dinner, so I nipped back to El Barrio to meet Steve and say bye to Frankie. Jose lived right in the heart of the Bronx so it was a fairly long train journey. Dinner was amazing, his wife is Dominican and is a fabulous cook, we were stuffed at the end of the meal! I discovered Jose was a Wii fanatic and had to ban him from getting it out or we never would have left! Next time guys, ok?!
We met up with Lou and went to M&M world (it was about 11pm, it was crazy, you have to experience it for yourselves though, seriously!) then had cheesecake and milkshakes in Time Square. Popped into Footlocker to get me some new trainers, I didn’t get any but Steve did, how wrong is that!! I love New York because it truly is the city that never sleeps, Time Square was just as busy at midnight as it was during the day!!
Tuesday
Finished packing and convinced Steve to let me do some last minute shopping. I wanted to get a cab to the airport but Steve convinced me to get on the train, big mistake!! Had a mental trip to airport, got on wrong train a couple of times (Steve’s fault) and arrived at the airport all hot and bothered!! Managed to grab a couple of things in Duty Free (come on, you know me guys!) and then flew home L
Friday
After last years near-disaster, where we missed our flights as a result of Mel's hair appointment, but then subsequently managed to fly later that night, we decided not to take a chance and made Mel get her hair done the night before. We needed to leave at around 10am, as we were flying from Liverpool. Mel saw this as space for something and promptly booked herself in for a beauty appt, which ran a lttle over and we ended up leaving nearly an hour late!! We arrived just in time, met up with Ellis, Emile, Helen, and Cedric, then boarded our Wizz-Air flight to Katowice.
Landed, picked up the hire car (A minibus as there were 7 of us), the all-important (after last year) Sat-Nav, and we were on our way to Wieliczka. The journey was ok, despite a few roadworks, and after picking up our passes we dropped everyone at their hotels, then it was just Mel, Cat, and myself…. And yes, we got lost trying to find our hotel!!!
It took us about an hour to find it, checked in at about 10pm, quick freshen-up, then over to the Salt Mine (they stop the lift between 11pm and 2am). We caught the last lift down and met up with the others, along with a few of the guys from New Swing Sextet, just outside the main ballroom.
There's only one brand of beer available at this event as a result of sponsorship, so we all drank 'Desperado', a larger then normal bottle of beer with a shot of tequila in it, which can be quite lethal!! Had a few, watched the shows, then the band were on for a surprise gig which went down really well!
We ended up leaving at around 2:30am, very tired!!
Saturday
Bit of an early start today, as Mel's class was at 10am. It was raining, and the venue for Mel's class was scross the town from the Salt Mine, but she still had a great turnout and everyone was really eager to learn.
Once the class was finished, Mel and Cat were driven back to the hotel, and I took Ellis to find the venue for the Intermediate workshops, then headed to the hotel, where I found Mel and Cat hanging out with the guys from New Swing Sextet in the hotel dining room. C at was teaching them a few Cumbrian phrases, and trying to explain the delights of t he Cumberland Sausage!! The hotel we were in was a bit away from the main town, so was difficult to get anywhere without a car. So, we suggested taking the band into Krakow for dinner that evening!
Met them in the lobby at 3pm, and followed the Satnav directions to the Kryjowka Music Club in central Krakow. The place was a basement restaurant with exposed brick and loads of nooks and crannies. We ate well!! :-)
A couple of hours later, we left the restaurant and walked back to the car to find a parking ticket, then drove back to Wieliczka with what sounded like a rowdy football team in the back of the bus!!
Had a quick nap, then got ready for the evening party!
We bumped into the band again in the lobby, and they invited us to ride to the venue in their Limo. Bit of a squeeze but we all got in!
The Desperados we're flowing from the moment we got in the venue, then we watched the shows, with the highlight for me being Jazzy and Amy, and Tamambo and Ania's performances. The band were on at around 1am and played a great couple of sets. The party went on until 5am, then we left with the band back to the hotel. I had an interesting discussion with Henry Knowles walking back to the lift about DJ's mixing Salsa music ;-)
Got to the hotel around 5:30am and they wouldn't open the bar, so we all soon headed to our rooms!
Sunday
Woke up at 1pm feeling a little rough, had lunch in the hotel, then drove Mel and Cat to their workshop venue. Mel was teaching a spins class and had a great turnout of over 80.
Back to the hotel, packed most of our stuff, then drove into Wieliczka to find somewhere to eat. The place was deserted and everywhere was closed!! After a while walking round, we eventually stumbled across what must have been the only eaterie that was open in the whole town. Food was good!!
We then freshened up at the hotel and headed for the final party of our trip, which this time was held in one of the other hotels where a lot of the teachers had been booked into. Did a couple of interviews while we were there, then left at around 2am.
Monday
Picked everyone up from their various hotels (minus Emile, as he decided to stay a few days and take a 28 hour coach trip back to the UK), and started our journey to the airport at 8am, as there were roadworks on the way. We passed them with plenty of time to spare and followed the Satnav directions to where we thought the airport was, but upon arriving at our destination, was obviously not!!
We managed to find a Service Station, and asked for directions, with about 50 minutes left before check-in was due to close. They told us the airport was about an hour away. Cue driving at breakneck speed along the highway, arriving at the airport with about 15 minutes to spare to find our flight was delayed by an hour!!!
Thursday
Got to Heathrow early, in plenty of time for my 9:30am flight, and a number of hours later arrived at JFK. We normally get a cab from the airport into Manhatten, but I decided to get the Airtrain and subway this time - bit of a mistake as it took absolutely ages and was really hot!! I eventually got to the apartment just after 3pm, rested for a bit with Mel, then we both caught the subway up to El Barrio to say hello to everyone and buy a little music!!
Got there and was immediately greeted by Lou and Frankie, plus Cheo (Medina), vocalist for New Swing Sextet, who can often be found around El Barrio. Today, he was sat out the front with some friends, jamming along on Conga's to the music blaring out of the shop.
Frankie popped out and got us some Chicken and Rice while we were there, which we ate in the shop - just what I needed after that airline rubbish!
I stayed in on the Thursday night, despite Nelson Gonzalez performing at the opening night of the Congress - I'd been quite ill in the week leading up to my trip, so was completely wiped out from that and the travelling. Mel went out however, and rolled in quite late.
Friday
The start of the congress proper, we headed over to the venue (The New York Hilton), and picked up our passes, had a look around, then headed off because Lou (El Barrio) had offered to take us to GB Records. This place is the main latin music distributor in NY, and we bought quite a pile of cd's, then I had to pick myself up a wide angle lens for my camcorder.
The evening was upon us quickly, and we got to the Hilton for about 10pm. Ocho y Mas were the first band on, headed by Willy Torres with a guest appearance from Frankie Morales. They were followed by La Excelencia, who really rocked, even dropping a couple of tracks from their forthcoming new album. These guys really know how to put on a show and blew the roof off the place!! When the show had finished, Jose and Julian came to the front of the stage and invited us backstage, where we got a little interview with the band members and arranged to meet up for dinner a few days later.
Saturday
We spent most of the day at the Hilton. I was a bit too ill to do the workshops, but watched and filmed a few routines. It was good to see a decent showing from the UK, including Moe Flex, Frank Santos, Natalie Baltao, and Mr Sleek, amongst others. Lisa and Mark were also there, helping out on the HYM stall - they were also the only UK performers at the event!!
Due to illness and being completely drained, I didn't go out on the evening (Mel did though).
Sunday
Again, we spent the majority of the day at the Hilton. Then, on the evening we went to a Spanish restaurant near SOB's which we'd been to about a year ago. We had a little incident with the sizzling Shrimp that Mel had ordered spitting oil in her eye!!
Got to the Hilton before 10pm, and met up with Dimas and Allan from nuevotec. Mel had agreed to do some interviews for them (which will be on www.nuevotec.com soon). She interviewed DJ Michelle, who's organising the first Macau Congress, as well as the owner of Casa Latina records, while I watched the start of Adalberto Santiago's set and filmed a bit of social dancing. Next up on stage was Tito Allen. This guy personifies cool!!!!
Monday
I'd been in contact with Papo Ortega of Cubanoson a couple of weeks leading up to our trip, and arranged to meet him at El Barrio early afternoon, while Mel went for a private with Nelson Torres at his studio in the Bronx. We caught the 6 line up towards El Barrio and I jumped off at 116th St, leaving Mel to carry on into the Bronx.
Papo Ortega was already there when I arrived (traffic from new Jersey had been good), and we had a chat before conducting the interview. I stayed in the shop after he'd left until Mel arrived.
Then, we had to catch a cab over to the Upper West Side, then the 1 train up to The Bronx for dinner at Jose's (La Excelencia) place.
Jose and his dog met us from the subway, and took us to his apartment. Edwin, lead singer with the band, also came round, and Jose's wife cooked a fantastic meal!!
While we were there, we listened to the new La Excelencia cd (out around November), which is an absolute belter. Despite Mels best efforts, we didn't leave with a copy, but discussed a few interesting future projects while we were there!!!
We left fairly late, and caught the subway to Times Square, where we met up with Lou for the last time and had Cheesecake and Milkshakes.
Tuesday
Did a decent amount of shopping, then headed to the airport for our overnight flight home.
Saturday 28th June 2008
Del Salereo had arranged a stage for Solar Radio at the Carnival de Cuba event in South London, and had asked me to come down and play a set.
I left just before 10am, picked Stuart (My bro) up on the way then bombed down the M40 towards London.
Rather than driving through London to Southwark, I decided to ditch the car in West London and catch the tube. So we parked just round the corner from Latimer Road tube station, caught the tube to Baker Street, then changed to the Jubilee line to Canada Water. The weather was great, but that meant the tube was hot!
We got to Canada Water station, then it was a short walk to Southwark Park. We met Del at the Solar Radio stage, James Anthony from Solar Radio was dj'ing, playing a relatively laid back 80's soul set. I was due on at 3pm, so went for a walk round the site and to get some food. It was early, but the Carnival was already quite busy. Bought a couple of CD's and said hello to Luis at the Mr Bongo stall, before heading back to the stage for the start of my set.
It wasn't too busy at this stage, and the people that were there, were getting into the soul that was being played, so it was slightly daunting to follow. I started with Mi Salsa from the DJ Duste CD, then Lebron Brothers Salsa y Control - good tracks to bridge the musical styles. As my set progressed, the crowd in front of the stage got bigger and bigger, spilling out round the sides, with quite a few couples dancing. It was a great sight to see so many 'non-salsa' people really getting into it. Particular highlights from my set were Tabaco y su Sexteto's 'Ponte en Ritmo' and Sizzla's re-dit of La Playa Sextet - those two really rocked!! (You can view my complete playlist here )
At the end of my set, I handed over to Ginger Tony, again from Solar Radio, who progressed into Latin Jazz and Boogie, and did a good job of keeping the crowds attention.
Hung out for a short while before heading off (we were due to have a stall at the Colliery Club in Coventry), so didn't get to see the rest of the event, but heard everything went really well. Dj Cruz (aka Robert White) even played a set. Left Stu at the Carnival (he ended up travelling home on Sunday morning with a heavy hangover!), then caught the tube to the car and headed back up the M40. Popped home, quickly got changed, then drove over to the Colliery Club, arriving at about 8:30pm. Mel was already there, as the Carpe Diem Student Group were due to perform later in the evening.
Set up the stall, watched the classes, chatted to a few people.. All the usual stuff. The performance was on just after midnight and the team did an outstanding job and received loads of positive feedback - nice one girls!! We left around 1am - I was absolutely shattered!!
Mel had been booked to teach and me to DJ, on the Saturday night at Fever Dance Studios in Preston. This is a monthly night that's building steadily. We'd been once before at Cat's invitation.
Mel did her class, footwork and styling, teaching a short routine, and I did the music for her then started the Dj'ing off. Amos is the resident here and was a great host.
The venue is a proper dance studio with the most amazing floor, mirrors across the whole of one of the long walls, and a great sounding system that's embedded into the ceiling. The whole place is really nicely kitted out.
I played the first 90 minutes or so, progressing through my tunes, and managed to get away with dropping a few of my new finds from the likes of Hector Rivera and Serafin Cortez.
We left the venue at 11pm, on a promise to attend the One Love party in Birmingham. Made good time and got to the Irish Centre just before 1am. The party had been moved from it's usual room upstairs to the more cavernous option downstairs. There was a good turnout, and the dancefloor was kept full by the resident DJ, Roger, who was spinning some good tunes but could do with using headphones - some long intro's on a few of those tracks!! Maverick took over and did his thing before we left shortly before 2am. I do like the One Love parties - they always seem to get the vibe right at their events.
Bank Holiday Sunday = No work tomorrow. We thought we'd go and check on the Salsa Frog event at Isis in Nottingham. This party is run by DJ Ricardo and Steve 'El Capitan'. We took two cars up, and had a little trouble on the way, but that's a whole other story. Got to Isis just after 11pm and the party was in full-swing.
Slap, who produces the Salsa Notes articles on this site, then took over on the decks. It was the first time I'd met him in person, let alone heard him play, and he did a cracking job (so much so, in fact, that he'll be appearing at one of the Salsa Central parties at some point!).
At midnight, Salsology Dance Company performed. They've really got this routine nailed!! Once that was over, it was time for Ricardo to unleash his tunes and do a bit of dad-dancing behind the decks! The dj's were getting quite a few drinks in and once Ricardo had finished his set, it all seemed to get the better of him and he had a sleep at the back of the club. Steve finished the night off, keeping the dancefloor busy right until the end.
We left just before 3, did a couple of drops on the way home, and eventually got in at 5.
Friday 4th
We'd planned to go to NY for the week to coincide with Mels birthday, and she just happened to mention that the Boston Congress was happening the weekend before, so we 'may as well' go to that as well. I agreed.
Our flight left about 45 minutes after the scheduled departure of 4pm on the Friday, and we landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey at about 7.30pm EST. Did the long-winded immigration thing, then caught the Air Train to Dollar car rental.
Sorted the car out, and made sure we got Satnav as well, then we were on our way in our nice new Chrysler Sebring.
It took us a while, and many wrong turns, just to get out of the airport, then we were on our way through New Jersey, across the George Washington Bridge, then onto the interstate through the Bronx. It was Friday evening, which is a notoriously busy time to be driving in the New York area. So, traffic was very busy and I was trying to get used to driving on the right, etc…
It's about a 4 hour drive from Newark to Boston, and we made good time.
The Boston Salsa Congress was held this year in the Boston Marriott Cambridge, across the river from Downtown Boston. We got there and checked in at about 1am, went to our room, had a quick freshen up and change, then went downstairs to the party. To say we were tired would be a severe understatement!!
Choco (The co-promoter) and Marlon "International" Mills were at the entrance and greeted us, then we made our way through to the main room. Unfortunately, we missed the live band for that evening (Grupo latin Vibe), but the dancefloor was in full swing and the atmosphere was great. We stayed for about an hour, before tiredness got the better of us.
Saturday 5th
Breakfast, then we went though to the Congress area. The event essentially takes over an area of the hotel, with a long corridor outside the main room used for vendors. The main party room, which holds well over 1000 people, is partitioned into two during the day for the workshops.
All of the workshops were very well attended from what I saw, and included classes from Hacha y Machete, Joel & Ana Masacote, Nelson Flores, Al Espinoza, and many more.
We had a new 'SalsaMafia' t-shirt design done before we went out and took some samples with us to give to a few of the teachers, who wore them in classes and around the congress in general.
Mel did a couple of the classes (I only had a party pass), then went out before a quick bite to eat then some rest before the evenings events.
Fully refreshed, we caught the second half of the evenings performances, and I got to see one of may favourite shows by Masacote. After that, it was a short break while the chairs were cleared away, then the party began.
The live band this evening was Ensalado de Pulpo, which is Gilberto "Pulpo" Colon Jr and his band. They performed the majority of songs from the new 'Hot Bread' CD which really rocked the dancefloor. Pulpo enjoyed himself so much, he played an extra song, kicking in the piano intro while the DJ had started to credit them over the mic at the end of their set.
Then, it was time for the DJ's to do their thing, and the music here was great!! My favourite DJ's from this event were DJ Rob Suave and Dave Montreal
We stayed until near the end, then called it a night.
Sunday 6th
We spent Sunday hanging out around the Congress area, and got a few interviews for the site. Mel did a couple more classes and a one-to-one, dinner nearby, then the evening was upon us again.
We missed the shows this time (Sorry Marlon), but made it to the party. Again, some really great music!
Monday 7th
Big Breakfast, checked out, then the 4 hour drive back from Boston to NY. Dropped the hire car off, then Airtrain to the station, followed by the train to Penn St Station in Manhattan.
We'd again rented an aprtment for our stay in NY, the other side of Manhattan this time, on the Upper East Side a few blocks from Spanish Harlem. We caught a cab from Penn Station, sorted the keys, had a quick freshen up, then jumped into another cab to El Barrio Music Center.
We were greeted by Lou and Frankie, and spent some time catching up and going through cd's. While were were in the store, we saw Cheo from New Swing Sextet ride past on his bike. Lou called him and got him to pop into the store. Chatted to Cheo about the Salsa Kingdom festival which they're playing at, and he made us promise to take them on a trip to see the Beatles sights in Liverpool while they're over.
Bought some cd's, then popped back to the apartment to settle in properly.
During the evening, Lou took us out to dinner at an Italian on 3rd Ave, a short walk from the apartment. No Salsa for us tonight.
Tuesday 8th (Mels Birthday)
Got up late and headed downtown for breakfast/brunch. Mel wanted to go to the Brooklyn Diner, which we'd been to last time we were over. Got my bearings a little wrong and took us round in a circle before finding the diner right by where we'd started.
From there, we went to Capezio so Mel could stock up, then caught a taxi to El Barrio and Mel went to get her nails done while I went to El Barrio. Mel popped in with her shiny nails and we hung out there for a while.
We decided that I might need a bigger suitcase as a result of all the shopping we'd done (CD's and Mambofateegz clothing which we'd picked up for the shop), so got a rather large one from a place in Spanish Harlem for $35.
We'd been invited to the launch party for the new CD 'Pulpo's Hot Bread' by Gilberto Colon Jr and his band that evening. The project is headed up by Chris Soto of the Mambo project, and the event was great - very busy, with a whole host of musicians and press in attendance. Mel took the camera and the 'girl with the british accent' (If you've got it, use it!) managed to get a load of great photos.
Victor (HYM) and Joel (Masacote) had both made the drive from Boston to support Chris. Joel got a little lost on the way, ending up on 172nd st in the Bronx, but got there eventually.
We managed to get a video interview with Pulpo between sets, in the band room downstairs. Oscar Hernandez sat in on the interview and made a cameo appearance. We also managed to interview Jamie Maestro and the guys from Nuevotec who returned the favour by interviewing us about the Salsa Central project. Not sure I like being the other side of the camera!
Overall, the event was a great success and we were really proud of Chris, who is our team member in the US.
We stayed until the end, chatting with Lucho Cueto of Black Sugar Sextet, then Joel drove us and Lou to Club Rush, which is where Marlon is holding Tuesday nights while the Link Lounge is being refurbished. We stayed there for a while, Lou and I chatting at the bar while Mel did her thing.
Wednesday 9th
Got up late, then had breakfast at a place not far from the apartment, then caught a cab to B&H to buy me a camcorder. Got myself a nice little HD number, then we walked up towards Times Sq. On the way, Mel spotted a nice handbag which she bought (yes, she can be very girly when she wants to be), then we went to Foot Locker where we got Mel a nice pair of Shox and a pair of trainers for her friends newly born daughter.
Back to the apartment to drop the bags off, then we caught a cab to El Barrio for our daily fix of CD buying (we're like a pair of junkies when we're in NY).
Once we were done there, we caught the subway to Burke Ave in the heart of the Bronx, and waited for Mels aunt to pick us up, as her family were taking us out for dinner to celebrate her birthday.
We'd actually caught the wrong train (the track splits during rush hour) and ended up a little further away. We waited near the station for her aunt, and it was starting to get dark. I stuck out like a sore thumb, and got a few strange looks!!
Eventually, we got picked up and went to a Japanese Steakhouse in Pelham. Our food was cooked in front of us, then Mel received a Japanese rendition of Happy Birthday, before we left and were dropped back at the apartment.
I'd been chatting with Jose from la Excelencia for the last couple of months about an interview and we had decided that a video interview would be best. We'd managed to arrange for them to come round the apartment this evening.
Jose (songwriter and conga player), and Julian (arranger and timbalero) turned up as agreed at 9.30pm. Did the interview, then they stayed and chatted for a while before leaving at around midnight. These guys are inspirational and had some great stories!
Thursday 10th
Breakfast at the same place, then a cab to El Barrio. The driver was new to the job and took us the wrong way up lexington Avenue, despite me shouting "No, don't turn here, it's one way… No, Stop, No…." etc. We had 5 lanes of traffic oncoming, so he did a swift turn and got us back on track. Eventually, we got to El Barrio and didn't tip the driver!!
Said our goodbyes and headed back to the apartment to finish our packing. Chris Soto picked us up at 2pm, then had to pop by Casa Latina and El Barrio, before heading downtown to Alphabet City to a vinyl record shop. After that, Chris drove us to the airport and we said goodbye.
Checked in, and had to pay $100 because both our suitcases were well overweight (I wonder why!!). Caught our overnight flight back to the UK.
Friday 11th
Landed at 8am and drove home. Another trip over!!
Many thanks to all the guys for their hospitality!
Ok, so this time I’ve actually been out to salsa, which is a good start for a blog about salsa! This week I chaperoned my newly introduced salsa side kick James to the Gregson Centre in Lancaster. Two classes are taught here every Thursday, starting at 7, by Janik, with social dancing afterwards. We were a little late and so missed the start of the class (my fault as the designated driver!), but James quickly joined in, whilst I went to get the drinks in. The class was full, starting at a beginner level going through some of the basic steps before quickly moving on to a more improver level. James stuck with it, and was keeping up well, I thought! I do think though that James, and possibly the majority of the class, could have benefited more from the class being split in two, to give people the opportunity to make sure they are thoroughly comfortable with the basic steps and have had an introduction to timing in music before moving on to turn patterns that are more of a improver sort of level. Just my humble opinion! So, with the 1st class over, James sat out the second, a definite improver level class, which he will be ready for in a month if he practices (you listening Jim bob?!?), again the class was really full, obviously a popular choice for Lancastrian salseros. It was getting on for 10 when the second class ended, and Janik kept the music going, as people continued the dancing. James and I had some dances before heading off.
At the end of the last blog, an SC member requested I mentioned the types of music that are being played at the places I’m going to… so here goes! First a disclaimer, I’m no expert, but I’m learning… you can’t live in a house of TWO salsa DJs (when I’m in Birmingham that is) and be part of the SC team and not pick up something, they’d kick me out! I’m aware of the debates of the sorts of music played out in the clubs and at different events. My honest preference is for what I consider to be good quality salsa by the likes of Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz; El Gran Combo, Larry Harlow; Roberto Roena; Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe; Brooklyn Sounds; Jimmy Bosch and etc etc. Good strong base-lines and strong melodies either from brass or piano that MOVE YOU , rather than you moving just because there’s some music playing. I’m not a fan of the so called “funky salsa” or r’n’b salsa and I confess I get irritated when Ricky or Shakira come on at a salsa night. So that’s my musical taste briefly summed up! The music at the Gregson last Thursday included tracks such as a remix of “I like it like that” (a track I love in its original state by Pete Rodriguez) and the ever popular “Aisha” by Africando, there were a couple of tracks I didn’t recognise, salsa with a dance beat underneath, and Ricky did make an appearance. The music at the Gregson was admittedly not my cup of tea, but… everyone else seemed happy and the atmosphere was good (….The debate continues…).
On Saturday I went to the bi-monthly event hosted by Phil and Karen of Salsa northwest at the Longridge civic hall, just outside of Preston. The guest teacher was Dr Rumba and his dance troupe E4:24 who came over from Ireland especially for the night. Classes started at about 8.30, Phil and Leah took the beginners class on the stage which James took part in, whilst I took part in (most of) Dr Rumba’s class, disappearing to take some pics for the blog. He was a funny guy and a clear instructor, assessing the level of the class and pitching it accordingly, introducing some more complex moves towards the end of the routine, whilst his partner Dee made sure the ladies were happy with their steps. He had an infectious fun attitude that had the class relaxed and everyone seemed really receptive.
Apparently it was a quiet night for the Longridge, but there was space on the dance floor and no stubbed toes, so I was happy with that. Now let me rack my brains to try and remember the music… thinking…anyone who knows me will know what a dizzy forgetful thing I am and will be impressed at me remembering anything…. I remember a few Alex Wilson tracks of his newest album Inglaterra, and (sorry Phil!) I also clearly remember Shakira at one point! On the whole though, there was a mix of music, catering to a range of tastes, never getting as “dura” as I would have liked, but you can’t please everyone! Besides, the DJ kept the majority of patrons off their bums and on the floor and the atmosphere was good.
At this point I must apologise to the lady who asked me if I would lead her! I’m learning how to lead, but I bottled it! I promise I will practice and next time hopefully I will be able to lead without boring you to tears or treading on your toes too much!
The performance by E4:24 who flew in especially that night went down well, performed to the Salsa Celtica track: “El Agua De La Vida” combining Traditional Irish dancing with cross-body style salsa.
James and I headed off shortly after this as we had a bit of drive back to Cumbria. Nearly running out of fuel when we got off the motorway, because I didn’t check the gauge until after I’d dropped James off and then had to drive to find a 24 hour garage in south Lakes at 1 am, not an easy task! Oh well, wouldn’t be an SC trip (even though its only one team member there L ) without something going wrong would it!
Next events: Penrith this Saturday hopefully, dependant on transportation! Also the Gregson on a Sunday at some point! Also the new party night starting on the 8th March at Fever Dance Company Dance Studios in Preston.
Any other events people know about then please let me know!
Take Care Salseros,
Cat.
Well its 2 weeks since my last (and first) blog entry documenting my experiences of Salsa up north (more specifically north-west i.e. Lake District/Cumbria and north Lancashire), and well I haven’t done any more salsa since… except for practicing shines and spinning drills in my bathroom, but an interesting salsa blog that does not make! (Speaking like Yoda, suddenly am I…hmm…strange that in’t it?!)
Anywhooo, my lack of salsa has not been due to the lack of salsa on offer, far from it, more a sudden surge in productivity PhD wise, net result, no salsa! So to make up for my failings as self appointed salsa blogger of the Lake District I thought I would post a list of the places I intend or would like to get to, found by web searches and recommendations…
1) Salsa Party in't Keswick on't 26th Jan.
I’ve put the details of this on the Salsa Central calendar, Keswick is such a lovely town (see pictures below) on the shores of Derwentwater surrounded by some of the most dramatic summits in the Lakes including Skiddaw and Blencathra with the Helvelyn range to the south, my second favourite Lake in the Lake District, firmly in Wordsworth Country, John Ruskin and all of that! Such a wonderful part of the world, salsa here would be simply magical! This was on my list of places to go and report back on, alas I won’t be able too anymore. But at the next party I will be there, camera ready!
2) Salsa In't Pe nr ith
After the last blog I’ve had several recommendations to try Salsa Silhouette (guest teachers at the Keswick Salsa Party) in Penrith (north Cumbria) … so they are definitely on the list… offering classes followed by a social every Thursday.
3) Salsa In't Lancaster
Moving out of Cumbria to north Lancashire, I’m yet to visit the Gregson Arts and Community Centre in Lancaster (picture of lancaster to the right) this year, where salsa is held two nights a week. On a Sunday its Jason of Dance with Passion with classes and social dancing and on a Thursday its Janik. I’ve been to these previously, with really positive experiences, so again these are also “on the list”!
So that’s it for now, below is a list of websites of teachers and promoters that I’ve found so far for this region of the UK, please if you have any more post a comment below or send be a message ( jex@salsa-central.co.uk ) and it will be added to the growing list. I heard a rumour of a Cumbrian Salsa Festival this year… if anyone has any details please let me know! Any road, tara for now, ass gan yam! (See here for translation from Cumbrian to English!)
Back soon with some sort of actual review of Salsa in’t North! Meanwhile I leave you with another Cumbrian view, this time Borrowdale across Derwent water, enjoy!
Salsa North West: http://www.salsanorthwest.co.uk/
Salsa Silhouette: http://www.carletonwebsites.co.uk/salsa/class.htm
Sizzling Salsa: http://www.sizzlingsalsa.com/
Club Latino: http://www.clublatino.org.uk/index.html
Sacred Salsa: http://www.sacredsalsa.co.uk/
Photo courtesy of me ol’ man!
As this is my first blog I'd best introduce myself.... My name is Catherine or Cat for short and up until Christmas I was living in Birmingham, doing a PhD and salsa wise, training with Mel C and Carpe Diem Dance Company. For January and February I've moved back to my home town (or village) of Arnside in south Cumbria to have some quiet to finish writing up my thesis and was a little worried that whilst I was here I would, god forbid, miss salsa. Sooooo many folks said to me "oh, you're going back up north... bet there's no salsa there" blah blah blah.... so I've decided whilst I'm here to let everyone south of Manchester know exactly what salsa there is up here! That way you Salseros can visit the Beautiful English Lake District in Cumbria (for instance) and shock horror, maybe dance some salsa too!!!
To succeed in my mission I'm going to try to go to one or two salsa things a week in south Cumbria/ Lancashire region and report back about my experience! To help me I've enlisted fellow salsero James, to accompany me (i.e. taxi me! You don't get far without a car “up here in't fells”!) and make sure I don't make too big a goof out of myself as I usually do! James is a brand spanking new salsero, still wet behind the ears after having started learning just 3 months ago. I'll put a picture up soon so that the ladies can recognise him, grab him, and get him on the dance floor so he can practice his moves! Lol. My little sis Lizzie may also tag along from time to time, for some moral support for James, but mostly she thinks she’ll get her drinks paid for if she comes out with me! Tight fisted northerner!
So my first outing was to an on2 class on Monday evening in Preston... yes that’s right folks... on2... in Preston! Actually maybe I should attach a map to show the location of Preston.... and Cumbria! ……..
Ok see map for locations! The class was by Thanassi and Kasia of Sizzling Salsa in Preston ( www.sizzlingsalsa.com ) and Salsology, Manchester. They run on2 classes on a Monday and a Thursday at the same venue (Roper Hall, Preston city centre) between 7 and 10pm. There are 3 levels; beginners, improvers and intermediate with social dancing until 10pm. James and I both did the beginners as leads. I’m working on my lead on1 so thought I’d try on2. I then did the other two classes as it was only £4 for all three classes with an NUS card, £5 without NUS, bargain! Meanwhile James went to get some chips instead of practicing his on2 timing for his basic steps and turns… tut tut tut!! Nice chips though!
The classes had a good turn out, but not so busy that Thanassi and Kasia couldn’t dance with everyone and give individual advice on technical aspects and styling, and the atmosphere was really great. Lots of laughs, people weren’t afraid to ask questions and all the steps were clearly broken down whilst keeping a swift pace to the class. My fellow class mates were all really friendly, everyone introducing themselves, which is a small thing, but nice! No egos anywhere in sight! After the classes there was time for social dancing before the venue turns back into a “normal” club. Shame it had to end really! Chatting to one guy after the class, he was surprised I’d come down from Arnside, and gone “south of the border” to Preston, but at a 30-35min drive, its really nothing. In fact it’s the sort of class that people form nearby towns/villages should really make the effort to drive to and support. There are larger cities with bigger salsa scenes that don’t have these kinds of classes with such good and friendly instructors available. Preston, Lancaster, Kendal etc get your asses there!! And anyone else from further a field, why not check it out your selves?
Ok, that’s enough of that…. Next blog will probably be for a social dancing thing in Lancaster, a little closer to home this time, and will try to get some pics for that one and for this class too as I’ll no doubt go back whilst I’m here! Tune in for more “Salsa in’t North”! Ta’rah for now and I leave you with a beautiful Cumbrian view to entice you!
Left just before 7pm and dropped by Stu's on the way to pick him up. He squeezed in the back of the car, surrounded by the stock for our stall that wouldn't fit in the boot. Traffic was good, and we got to York in good time. Dropped Stu at his B&B, then went to our hotel to check-in, wash, change, before picking Stu back up from his and heading to the first night of the parties.
The weekender takes place at St John's College in York, just outside the city centre, and is a university campus. The party takes place in the Temple Bar, which has a foyer just outside, with a bar :-) This is also where the stalls are located.
The main hall was in full swing and busy, with a good crowd dancing to the guest band, Bourbon y Tequila. This was my second year here, and is a very friendly weekender, where everyone seems to know each other.
Tony Piper, who promotes the event with his wife Mary, dj'd the fairly short slot between the bands sets, then the band were back on for their second set which comprised some covers of familiar material interspersed with their own recordings.
Once the band were finished Dr Salsa was the DJ for the evening, familiar to us from his stints at Latin Motion, George played a good set with a complete mix of music which really kept the floor rocking! I celebrated with a couple of beers then a couple of Jacks!!
The party was on until 2am, but we left at 1, weary from a full day at work and the drive "oop north"!!
Breakfast in the morning, then a short drive to the venue just before opening. Mel and I started setting up the stall, then Stu arrived to help out. Terry and Jo arrived not long after, who were selling shoes on our stall. They'd had a bit of trouble with their stock delivery the night before so couldn't set up on the friday night as previously planned.
While we were all setting up, the venue opened up and people started to register. Within minutes, it was a scene reminiscent of a plague of locusts as women spotted the shoes. As a guy, I'll never understand women and their obsession with shoes - watching them in action was scary!!
The day was taken up mostly with hosting the stall, and occasional ventures into the Temple Hall to take some photos and film some class footage. Stu had a pass to attend the afternoon classes - he chose to take part in Franklyn and Brigittes Level 2-3 Turn Patterns and Styling workshop, then Lee Hunters Level 2-3 Turn Patterns class, both at Mels recommendation. Both classes were well attended and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
We packed up around 8pm, had some food, then the shows started at 9.
We were due an hour of shows. The first one was by a couple from Cali, Colombia. This show was quite a bizarre experience - it turned out to be an extract from a theatre-type show and ran for over 20 minutes. The audience seemed quite perplexed, but entertained nontheless. Once that was done, the remaining shows were of a more typical format, with my personal highlights being Mo T's new group show.
Mel and I popped back to the hotel for a change of clothes, then were back at the venue for just after 11. Had a few dances, drinks, and hung out with Lubi for a bit, then the night was over.
That was it for the weekender, and a good time was had by all. I'll definitely be back next year!!!
MONDAY
Our flight was scheduled for 2pm from Heathrow. Having learned from past experience, and due to moderate snowfall on Sunday night, we left at 8am - plenty of time to get there!! ;-) Got to the airport in plenty of time (for once!!), parked, got the shuttle bus to the terminal, and dropped our bags off (I'd done everything online the day before, just to make sure!!).
The flight went ok, and we landed it JFK at 4.30pm local time. We'd arranged a private rental of an apartment on the Upper West Side, so got a taxi there.
After a quick power nap, we decided to go to Salsa con Mambo , which takes place at Session 73 on 73rd and 1st Avenue in Manhattan. We got there just before 10.30pm, and were greeted by the two girls at the desk. Paid our $12 entry each and went in.
The venue was a fairly small bar, with a band setup in the corner next to the dj area. We left our coats in the cloakroom, with a guy who was making an unsuccessful effort to memorise everyones name, grabbed a couple of beers from the bar, then watched the dancing.
At 11pm, the guest band were on for their second of 3 sets. The band in question - New Swing Sextet!!! They really rocked, and we managed to grab an interview after the set, then they were on again for their last set at 12.30. The promoter of the night, DJ Babaloo , was very welcoming, and gave plenty of mentions for Salsa Central over the mic ;-) Left the club at closing (about 1.30am).
TUESDAY
Woke up quite early and went for breakfast at Tom's Restaurant, then walked it off over by Morningside park before heading into the Bronx to meet up with Chino Nunez. Got to Chino's studio for about 1pm, and were made to feel very welcome. He made us tea, and we had a chat before doing the interview. After a couple of hours at Chino's. he took us to meet George Delgado. We had a chat to George, and did a quick interview with him, before heading back to the subway. On the way, we stopped at a Caribbean food place for dinner. Some of the customers thought it was bizarre that a white english guy was eating West Indian food in the Bronx!!
In the evening, we headed downtown, to The Link , which hosts a salsa night on tuesdays, run by Marlon International and Dave Montreal. The place was busy, but it was easy enough to dance, and the vibe was great! We also met Chris Soto here. We didn't stay late, as we were both tired, so left before midnight and caught the subway 'home'
WEDNESDAY
Time for a bit of CD shopping! We'd planned to meet up with Chris Soto, who was going to take us to a couple of CD shops in Spanish Harlem. We caught the bus across town, and walked along Tito Puente Way, then up Lexington into the heart of 'El Barrio'. By chance, we stumbled across the El Barrio music shop at 116th and Lexington. Chris had gotten a bit delayed at work, but this was one of the shops he'd planned on taking us to. Lou and Frankie, from the shop, helped us with our selections, then we were off downtown.
Stopped for a bite to eat, then headed to west 34th St, to B&H Electrical. We needed to get a camcorder for Chris, so he could get some interviews for the website when we're not in the U.S. Chris met us at B&H, then drove us back to the apartment. On the way, Mel got a call from Jimmy Bosch, asking if we wanted to go to his for thanksgiving evening. Nice!!!
Tonight, we'd arranged to go to LQ nightclub, to interview Frankie Morales, who was performing, along with Ismael Miranda. The club was in midtown Manhatten, and is a large glitzy place. Not really my style! Paid our $15 each to get in, then went and had a quick chat with Frankie. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long, as Mel was quite ill - passed our apologies for the cancelled interviews and left.
THURSDAY
Thanksgiving day! Before that though, we needed another fix of cd shopping, so headed back to El Barrio and hung out there for a while. Early afternoon, we were picked up by Mels uncle and taken into the Bronx for thanksgiving at her family's place. Lot's of food!!!!! I was stuffed, but we still had to eat at Jimmy Bosch's!!! He arrived at Mel's aunts place at 8pm to pick us up and take us over to his place in New Jersey. More food, beer, and a few games of cards, then Jimmy dropped us back at our apartment in the early hours.
FRIDAY
No Cd shoping today! However, I needed a haircut, so Mel had booked me in at her friend Aisha's place in the East Village. We headed down there with Lauren, Mels cousin, and once that was done, we went for a bit of shopping in Soho.
In the evening, we went to SOB's , where Larry Harlow was playing for their 25th Anniversary. It's a fairly small venue, but perfect for the occasion, although there were a few slight problems with the sound system. Everyone was given a free Larry Harlow CD on entry, and there was some filming for a new Fania documentary. We couldn't get a table to have dinner there, so left after Larry's first set, and stumbled upon a Spanish Restaurant round the corner. Top food at this place!!!! Once we'd finished there, we headed up to Frankie Martinez's social, which takes place on the 11th floor of a building in midtown Manhattan. Got there and the lift was broke!!! So, 22 flight of stairs and we were there. The place was like someone's living room that had been cleaned out and fitted with a soundsystem, albeit quite a large living room!!! The vibe here was really good - the standard of dancing was excellent, as you'd expect, but not a hint of arrogance, everyone was here to party!!!
SATURDAY
Felt like pancakes today, and had been told that the ones served at the Fairway cafe were good, so went there, then strolled breakfast off by walking to the Dakota Apartments, then through Central Park. Caught a cab up to El Barrio for our next fix of CD buying!! It was Frankies day off today, so Lou helped us out and we left with another sizeable purchase!
Later in the afternoon, we went to 170th St in The Bronx, to the Yamulee studio, where Mel took part in Cindy's styling class, then a two hour shines and partnerwork workshop.
Got food on the way back, then ended up staying in for the evening - the week was starting to catch up with us!!
SUNDAY
I'd been phoning Larry Harlow all week, to try and arrange an interview, but he's a busy guy. Thought i'd try one last time before we went to get breakfast. "Why don't you come over right now" he said! Brilliant!! So, caught a cab over and met Larry Harlow. He showed us round his apartment, including his collection of rare musical instruments and paintings, and we saw his Fania gold discs, before doing a quick video interview. He also gave us a couple of signed CD's to gve away in a competition!!
Went from there, back to El Barrio for our last day of CD shopping, and to say goodbye. We caught a cab from there, to midtown, so Mel could go to Eddie Torres' class, but not before she'd cured the shopping itch in Capezio, who were having a serious sale!!! Mel did Eddies footwork class for a few hours while I watched, then back to the apartment before Mels family picked us up for dinner.
Went to Havana Central near Times Sq for some cuban food, during which a bottle of hot sauce dropped from one of the tables upstairs, missing Mels head by inches and smashing on the floor behind us.
On the way from there to the car park, a car was reversing down the one way st, and missed me by a fraction - someone had it in for us tonight!!!
Got back to the apartment fairly early, but were feeling a bit worn out, so Marlon came round for a chat and so we could do a quick interview with him.
Once Marlon left, we needed to try and fix our toilet, which had become blocked earlier in the day, and tried unsuccessfully to get a plumber to visit at 2am. I went to bed while Mel carried on trying to sort it out.
MONDAY
Got up early this morning, and went to get a plunger from the hardware store, and a couple of drinks. Managed to fix the loo, packed our bags, left the apartment for the final time and headed to Toms for breakfast before getting the subway to JFK and our flight home!!
I'd intended to get to the Latin Motion Halloween all-dayer from the start at midday on the Saturday, but had a bit of a lie-in and get there at 2pm, just in time for the lunch break, during which a 'Rhythm and Timing for Dancers' workshop was scheduled. I sat through the whole of the workshop, run by Mauricio Reyes and Richard Sealey, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that, Inaki Fernandez and Susana Montero had an intermediates Bachata class, which I watched for a bit, then filmed at the end. During this class, I also had a chat with Richard Sealey about his workshop!
Next up was the Tango workshop, again with Inaki and Susana. I didn't fancy taking part, so watched this one as well, filiming again at the end. Said goodbye to a few people, then left to pick Mel and Cat up from the city centre - Mel had been teaching at the Dance Xchange, then went shopping with Cat!
Had a quick Chinese, and planned to leave at 6:30. Stuart had spent the day at Airsoft - like paintball, but a bit more serious!! And it hurts!! He skipped dinner after a day running round getting shot, and rushed round to ours in time for our 6:30pm departure time. We were just starting to get ready at this time.
So, we ended up leaving after 7pm, and got to the venue just in time for Mel to start her class. I took part in this class, after a day spent watching from the sidelines.
After that, the party began. To help keep up our energy levels (and celebrate Anna's birthday), a table had been filled with plates of fruit, around a large bithday cake :-) Not one to waste any time, Cat appeared with a handful of grapes and strawberries, no doubt preparing for a night of serious dancing!! Then another handful.... and some melon.... and some more!!
The party was kept in full swing by DJ Mike and DJ Mani, and I had a few dances, using the routines i'd learned over the last few weeks.
After a couple of dances, Cat started complaining of having a stitch!! Surprising, that!! So spent some time doing "grape styling" and "the crab" (Don't ask!!!... Well, do actually, next time you see her!).
We ended up leaving the party just after midnight (It had been a heavy day for all of us)... Next stop, the Harlow gig, then New York!!!
Was browsing thru some of the salsa pics, and started to realise a couple of things--
1--- why do people dress for salsa events, like they are going to dig for coal ??-- casual is good, but this is way beyond the pail in many cases . surely-- a little pride should be in attendance ?
2--- have never seen so many appendages sticking up and out and in numerous other positions-- remember-- how you present yourself whilst dancing, is the image you give to those who do not know you !!
Window dressing, is all part of the total package-- so- Detail, detail and more detail .
We'd arranged to have a stall at the UK Congress, so the Friday morning arrived and we had all the stock we needed - cd's, dvd's, clothing, shoes, etc. Earlier in the week, Mel had decided to book herself in to get her hair done on the Friday morning. After the trauma of our Poland trip, I decided to take no chances and arranged to drive down with Sizzla early, leaving Jojo to stress!
We left at about 10am, and had to stop off in Hampshire to visit the offices of International Record (Salsa-International, Latin Soul, Mary Lou Records) to pick up some more stock for the stall. Had a coffee and chatted for a bit with Ian Morrisson, then back on the road to Bournemouth and the BIC, the new venue for the UK Salsa Congress!!
Got to the BIC at about 3pm, found our table upstairs and round the corner from the top of the escalators - the perfect spot to not do much business, as everyone was downstairs in the registration area along with all the other stalls!! We started setting up, then Mel and Jojo arrived just after 4pm. Me and Sizzla left the girls on the stall and went to sort out our B&B.
We were staying just up the hill, about 10mins walk from the BIC (we drove though). Went to check in and there was already someone in one of the rooms we'd booked! However, there was another room free, luckily!! Checked in, then headed back to the BIC and worked on the stall until just after 8pm. Went to the local Chinese for dinner, then headed to the venue to watch the shows. In between each show, there was a sketch of either a newsreader or 'roving reporter' to fill the time, which would have seemed a good idea in theory, but didn't quite seem to work and seemed a bit of a last minute idea that had been rushed together. Once we'd finished watching the shows, we headed back to get changed, then it was the first night of the party.
The main venue was the Purbeck Hall - a domed wooden room - and was fairly busy!! The music was good, but the room seemed to lack the atmosphere I was expecting - may have been the (very) high ceiling, or lack of moving lights or projections. The atmosphere in the Cuban room was better, and was where Jojo spent most of the night. I left the party at about 2am, and ended up being woken at about 4 by Mel (didn't have a key), then at 5 by Jojo, who couldn't get in the front door.
A big breakfast was required the following morning, courtesy of Jorge, our hist for the weekend, then back to work from 10am. Saturday was a lot busier, and our spot at the top of the escalators paid dividends that day. Another day of hard work over, an authentic seaside dinner of fish and chips, watched England beat France, a quick powernap (well, 2 hours!), then back to the venue for about 1am.
The Saturday night was a lot busier, and we got there in time to see Frankie Morales perform. It was DJ Mauri's birthday on the Sunday, so he was quite hammered by the early hours and seemed to be enjoying the show!! There were a lot of circles going on (where everyone stands around, watching the 'good dancers'), but they seemed to be either by the main door, or by the bar, which made getting in and out or buying a drink a bit of a hazard!! Jojo hated this and again spent the night in the Cuban room! Me too!
The next morning, we arrived with our stock, ready to set up the stall at 10am, only to be told that we couldn't trade there. Donny Osmond was performing that evening, and most of the stalls had to be moved as a result. We ended up moving into one of the bar areas along with a few of the other vendors, which was actually a better setup than the original pitches, but the whole thing was still very unorganised and we lost a couple of hours trading time that we'd paid for!!
Another hard days work, dinner at the local chinese again, then a rather subdued effort at the party!!
I drove back with Mel then next morning, and Sizzla took Jojo. We stopped off at International Records to drop off the unsold stock and have another chat and brainstorm over coffee before heading home.
We (Mel, Cat, and I) were invited to the Wieliczka Conress and were due to fly out from Coventry on the Friday afternoon to Katowice. Mel had to get her hair done first, which meant we were cutting it a bit fine, but should get to Coventry with plenty of time to spare. Cat and I packed everything while Mel was getting her hair done, then headed to her hairdressers to pick her up, then straight to Coventry… easy!!!
Got to junction one of the M5, traffic was at a standstill heading north, so we decided to get on the A34 and jump on the M6 further down. Ended up stuck at roadworks-from-hell for about 25 minutes – and no-one was working on them!!!!
Anyway, got past that, onto the M6 and I put my foot down in an effort to get us to the airport in about 15 minutes.
We got there, parked, and got to the check-in desk about 5 minutes after it had closed. Thought we could blag it, but boy were we wrong!!!! The evil !@*%& behind the desk was not interested and seemed to take great pleasure in our misfortune. She wouldn’t help us with any alternatives or suggestions, so home we went, but we weren’t to be beaten!!
Got on the internet, and Cat was on the phone for about 30 minutes trying to find an alternative flight to Poland, or the nearest country possible. We found one from Liverpool airport at 10pm, so booked that, and decided to get the train to Liverpool, and use our flight back to Coventry. Drove to Birmingham, got the train to Liverpool, bus to the airport, checked in, and the flight was delayed by an hour and a half!!!! Typical!!!!!
Mel and Cat amused themselves for a couple of hours by playing the baby grand piano that’s in the departure lounge, much to the amusement of the other passengers!!
We arrived at Katowice airport at 2-30am, participated in the scrum for baggages, then went to collect our hire car. It should all have been straightforward from here, but the car hire place was closed – despite our reservation confirmation confirming everything!! We called the phone number and woke someone up at 3am, and after a debate, agreed that he would come and sort the car for us. So, 4am and we were hiring our car – it turned out that no booking had been made, so the guy was none too pleased but helped us out nonetheless.
So, off we went on the A4 to Krakow ☺ Surely we’d be at the hotel and in bed in just over an hour.
A missed turn and we ended up on a side road in the middle of some woods on the way to the Slovakian border!!!!
We got back on the main road, obtained directions from a service station, and headed down the 44 road to Krakow – not quite the same as the motorway from Katowice to Krakow, this was a slightly potholed windy road, blanketed in fog. We eventually got to the Motel Gorska at 7am, had breakfast, then went to bed!!!!!
We all got up at about 12-30am, met up with Sizzla and Ricardo, then went to workshops. Mel and Cat went to Neeraj Maskara’s Cha Cha class, and I went to Mambomikes mens styling workshop.
Later we drove into Krakow centre for dinner, and Mel managed to find a salon to get her nails done. We waited, hungry!!! Went to the restaurant recommended by the salon staff, and ate a hearty meal (enough for ten!!)
Spent 25minutes trying to get on the road back out of Krakow, showered and changed at the hotel, then headed to the Wieliczka Salt Mine for the party.
It was a great party in a fantastic location 150 metres underground. We stayed until 3am, slept, got up at 7.30am, quick breakfast, then our brief stay in Wieliczka was over. It was time to try and get home!
This was a fantastic event and we were honoured to have been able to attend the very first one. Will we be going next year? Definitely!!! Will we be better prepared for travel? Absolutely!!!!
Mel (Mel C), Cat (Cathjex), My Brother (Devin Dash) and Me (Torqueo) decided to drive to the Antilliaanse Feesten from Birmingham. We hired an MPV and set of at 8.30pm on the Thursday. Our ferry was at 2am from Dover to Dunkerque. An hour into the journey, I jokingly asked if everyone had their passports. My brother had forgotten his!!!!! We turned round, raced back to Birmingham, then had two and a half hours to get to Dover from Central Birmingham. We managed it…. Just!!!
Managed to grab an hours sleep on the ferry, then drove through the remainder of France, then Belgium, to the festival location at Hoogstraten, which is near the Dutch border. We arrived at about 8am, pitched our tents next to the group from Chester, had breakfast in the campsite tent, then got a couple more hours sleep. Later in the day we drove into town to get a couple of disposable barbecues and some food, so that was dinner sorted! The whole campsite at this festival is electric - because they allow cars to be parked with the tents, there are loads of makeshift soundsystems wired up to car batteries so the whole place is like one big party!!
Popped back to the campsite tent after eating, where a band was playing and everyone had a dance!
We walked up to the actual festival site later in the evening. It takes your breath away on first entering - so many people and different stalls and tents. Checked out the Salsa club tent, then went over to one of the two main stages where Joe Arroyo was due on. The Colombians went mad for him and a few jumped onto the stage, one girl nearly pulling him over. Really enjoyed the first part of his set. We then went to get some food - the food area has anything you could possible want, with food from across the globe!! Drank a bit too much Rum and was shattered so went back to the tent with Mel. Stu and Cat stayed out to watch Pitbull.
On the Saturday, we went backtage with Mike from FunkySalsa and met Louis, the organiser of the festival, so that we could interview him. We then popped into town again for more barbecue provisions, and I ended up reversing the hire car into a tree - not sure how that happened, as I'd asked 'will we be able to get the boot open because of that tree' when I parked! Lucky I had zero excess!! Anyway, the next couple of hours consisted of prawn and chicken skewers, a fair bit of beer and rum, some campsite games, dancing, then back to the festival site!!
We had meant to see Kassav, but they weren't due on yet so went to the other stage to catch the beginning of N'Klabe's set. We ended up staying for the whole set to allow Cat to drool over the Sax player!! Plus, they really rocked the place!! Went for a bite to eat after that, then checked out La India for a bit. Back to the Salsa tent, then home to the campsite.
After all that, it was soon Sunday morning, and time to pack up the tent and head for the ferry for a bit of dancing and frisbee at the docks!
Will definitely be back next year, and the year after….. As festivals go, this one has the best atmosphere of any that I've been to, and I've done the lot!! For those that don't like camping, there are loads of B&B's and guesthouses nearby, but you'll miss a lot by not being on the campsite!!
So we’re all tucked up absolutely battered. Slap shuffles out of bed for a fag (not that kind) He ambles towards the balcony covering every piece of carpet in the process. Rich sensing danger leaps out of bed (never seen him move so quickly) and stops slap from leaning out the balcony. It’s a 50ft drop. The Mojitos have really kicked in now and slaps language skills have totally deserted him!!!! It was quite a touching scene, two men locked in an embrace, wearing underpants. Rich supervises slaps fag break then escorts him back to bed.
Bang!!!! There’s an earthquake in the room, Rich and I wake in state of shock fearing for our lives. But Slap’s still asleep!!! The earthquake was slap’ snoring. He continues and goes through his full repertoire: the Elephant on coke, the Walrus on heat, the Tardis landing and the famous dead man (the one with the lengthy pauses in-between snores) Its 12 midday, I felt like I haven’t slept. Slaps still in full swing only this time it’s in stereo; his lower regions are now harmonising if you get my drift. Ricky’s sprawled out on the bed, t-shirt wrapped round his head in an attempt to drown the noise. His 1970s y-fronts around his hips, all that’s missing are the handcuffs. Reminiscent of one my old films, but we’ll leave that there!!!
We all up in a sense, we stroll to the main square using the longest route possible, navigation is not one of Slap’s strengths. Having walked past the same Restaurant 3 times (Ricky is dead fussy) we decide to enter. Slap and I order in French, Ricky’s using perfect English only a bit louder than normal. Ricky’s is slowly piss*** the waiter off (he’s good at that ask the lads) Drinks are order, Ricky orders an Americano, the waiter brings some exotic cocktail (blue Hawaiian I think) Ricky starts to steam. Our orders arrive Rich asks for salt and gets tomato sauce, Rich starts to chunter again.
Florian turns looking typically French, shades, face, stubble, gallic expressions, coffee the whole French thing. |So it’s back to the hotel freshen up then taxi to ile Barbe. I’m first up on dexx, knocking out a nice blend of salsa dura and Cuban (it’s a bit of a mixed crowd. Florian takes over straight into his old skool salsa, the dancers are feeling are feelin it. Rich is next up and keeps the crowd swingin with a blend of rare and new stuff.. The dance area empties, Manolito’s on stage, he’s armed with a 15 piece band. They start to rip it up big time. They’ve got the crowd singing, swaying, dancing and jumping. These guy’s are imho are extremely and must be seen. Oscar Hernandez is in the wings, feeling the vibes and watching Manolito on keyboards. Manolito calls him over, next thing Oscars on Keyboards!!! Manolito watching and lovin it. Oscar after the initial shock starts to get his groove; the crowd are going nuts. Manolito takes over.
I get the call to backstage to interview Oscar(see it’s not all play folks) Slap and Rich are in tow. It’s too noisy, Manolito is still creating a storm on stage ,we agree to wait. So we’re backstage with the Spanish Harlem guys, we take a few pics, talk casually, you know regular stuff!! Turns out Slaps knows more about the ban members than their mothers. This guy’s musical knowledge is phenomenal.
So we’re hanging with Oscar, Joe Walsh, George Delgado, Willy Melendez chillin and chattin, Slap had achieved demi god status. Hello, Slap manages to find the hospitality drinks(they weren’t really missing) We felt out of place not drinking with the boys so why not!! We wondered on to the stage wings with our beers. Manolito must have thought we were SHO, he waved, we gave him the thumbs up and shouted nice job bro(naw I made that bit up but it was in out minds) They finish their set, they were really pumped. We were backstage; high five were flying all round, yes you got it, Slap Rich and I were included(gtfoh). They must have bad eyesight to assume Rich was a band member!!!!
I am buying some new Dance trainers but not sure which ones to buy.
At the moment I have a pair of Bloch trainers. Bloch have brought out a trainer designed especially for salsa but I want to know if they are worth the extra.
Can anyone recommend any others?
Thanks
Jill
So this is me….. Juan.
I’m a bear on a mission to meet as many interesting people as I can. I thought I might share where I’ve been and who I’ve seen with all of Salsa Central.
My first salsa weekend has been HUGE. It kicked off with me meeting Asere at The Ironworks, Oswestry on Thursday night (12/07). What a brilliant gig. The boys couldn’t wait to get their photograph taken with me AND what a photo to start off my salsa blog!
However, this was only the first night of an extremely busy extended salsa weekend. I had to catch up on some serious beauty sleep before I hit Club Candela the next night.
It’s Friday……. It’s Shrewsbury……. It’s Club Candelaaaaaaaaa !!!!!
I knew JoJo had a soft spot for small furry things so it wasn’t long before she’d nestled me in her elbow ready for a paparazzi call. Yeah, yeah… Lee Hunter couldn’t wait to squeeze into the photo as well. I had a wicked night.
Hopeton stopped off for a 'man to bear' chat, and then Diablo came to give me some advice on which CD’s I should really have in my collection.
Towards the end of the night I tried to persuade two lovely ladies they needed to take me home with them… but they weren’t up for it. Damned shame!
Ok………… so I started off on Thursday, partied some more on Friday and decided to give my paws a well earned rest on Saturday. But, come Sunday, I was off to Ipanema, Birmingham.
Now, I’m a bear that hates getting my fur wet……. so I’m sure I’ll be forgiven for looking at the weather forecast and deciding NOT to go to the all day event, and just hitting the after party. My first job was to get to Edlin and give him a hand to choose some pumping tracks. Then Rohan came along and really started to come on to me in a big way! As you can see, I was trapped between a rock and a hard place with a look of blind panic starting to spread across my cute widdle face!! Anyway, excellent night all round.
So I got to bed in the early hours of Monday morning. Although I’d had a few late nights all on the run, as the serious salsero I am, I couldn’t pass up on a few hours of practice at the Buttermarket in Shrewsbury. As far as I’m concerned…. you can NEVER get enough salsa. The only problem was that Rohan is the teacher, and after meeting me the previous night, he just couldn’t keep his hands off me! I mean, that face says it all (mine, not his!!). Still, I got in a hour of rueda and an hour of x-body before a wee spot of social dancing to Rohan’s DJ-ing.
And there you have it…… my salsa debut. What a weekend to kick it all off with.
Now you know my face… make sure you look out for me. You never know what gig I’m going to be at next, and I just LURVE having my photo taken with all you salsa folk out there.
See you at the next one……………………….
Juan
Well, if you have checked out the video gallery, you will realise that the start of my trip didn't go according to plan. To be honest, I don't tend to have a plan as I normally pack at around 1am, get hardly any sleep and then tear *ss to the airport the next day!
This is exactly what happened, as after getting in from Thai Boxing (my friend Linsay had flown over from Belfast to travel with me and was sitting in my living room, my nephew had very kindly picked her up so I could kick Steve's *ss, again!) we decided it would be a really good idea to play on the Wii, until 12:30am!!
Cue frantic 1am packing scenario (thank God my sister Theresa came round and did my ironing for me that evening!)
The following morning, we arrived with a few minutes to spare (or so we thought) and made our way through to the departures lounge. I changed some money on the way through (mental note, never change money at the airport, con artists!) and we met up with some of the guys from Brum who were already in there.
We chilled for a bit and then I realised that we hadn't checked the screen for a while or heard any announcements so I went over to check things out and to my horror, saw that our flight had been delayed by 5 hours!!
Now, five hours in Terminal 1 would've been alright as there are some great shops in there, but we weren't in Terminal 1 were we!!!
Anyway, to find out how we kept ourselves amused, check out the video below:
' Hamburg Salsa Congress - Four & a Half Hours at Birmingham Airport'
{flv}airport{/flv}
Stay tuned for Part 2!
The Clubs - The Dancing - The People....
3 Nights a week used to be a minimum for me...
The great thing about Salsa is that you can choose to go without planning weeks in advance... Infact many's the time when I've suddenly found out my kids are not spending the night with me and so releases me to dance...
I used to print out Salsa Jive's weekly classes and store them in a folder which was left in the car... along with dance shoes and Joop (you need a strong fragrence in Salsa)...
Every new venue would require an entry in the Sat Nav (which I call Di - short for Directions) and I would also type in what night the venue had dancing...
All this seems to be a distant memory - but last week I found myself revisiting old haunts - sampling new places and restoring my faith in Dancing (see previous post !)
..
Friday - The Chapel Cheltenham...
There was nothing on regionally for me... Birmingham seemed too far for some reason and there was nothing west of London (M4 Corridor) or South of Bristol.. which explained the Huge influx into The Chapel in Cheltenham..
Joy an instructer from Swindon/Chippenham was there as was many of the Swindon/Oxford crowd (presumably because nothing else was on).. A few from Cardiff I recognised and the rest from Glos and Cheltenham...
The dancing was of a higher standard than usual although too many dips going on... (I like to leave my dips on the buffet table where they belong)
Very pretty girls in Cheltenham - call me un-PC if you like but hot pants and tight tops... short skirts and deep red lipstick, a pretty face and lovely smile pretty much seals the deal when it comes to choosing who I dance with.... disgraceful ladies I know... sorry...
me thinks I may get into more hot water on this subject so quickly back pedals with
of course there are many women I ask that look good dancers that I will also choose...
Phew ...did I get away with that ? NO ? Bollocks
Anyways... Highlight of the evening was a dance with a beautiful Special Needs Teacher from Cheltenham who stopped mid dance to wave at her son who was staring through the open door of the club hoping to catch sight of his mum...
The experience un-nerved me a bit - but decided to wave also at the young chap - who didn't look old enough to be carrying that Smirnoff Ice - and complement my Dance partner on looking so young (far too young to have a lad that old)... which helped get over the fact that I felt that I was being judged on how good my dancing was or "What the f*** is that bloke doing holding my mum so close"..
Sunday... Aztec Wine Bar - Bristol
Sunday nights are a good learning night for me... but can also be a lazy night... laziness overuled the burning need to improve my technic and I decided on 5 min drive rather than 1hr and bridge fee to Cardiff - where Andy Witt - one of my fav teachers was starting a new venue up -
This was as a replacement for the popular Wharfe venue that stopped Salsa some 6 months ago - proberbly when they eventually worked out that the revenue from 100 salsa dancers = 3 pissed up Rugby fans...
Anyways... Aztec West it was and "lazy" pretty much sumed up the atmosphere...
Dancers....regulars from North Bristol...
I think I had danced with 80% of the 15 women there before.. (100% by the end of the evening)...
The music was OK - not loud enough - the dancefloor good... and the venue not a bad one - but I don't see numbers getting above 50 long term... I may be wrong...
Thursday... Le Diab'litho - Paris
The Diab'litho is pretty much the best club in Paris well at least the best on a weekday.. Good value at €10 entrance which includes Soft Drink and Buffet (Nice Chilli and rice thankyou very much).
Its in the North of the city 2 stops from Gard Nord.
The class was Rueda which explained the cuban bias later in the freestyle.. A good mix of abilities and I'm sure the UK ladies would love it as I counted 16 guys waiting to pounce by the dance floor at the end of the lesson...
The guys all seemed tall to me and too handsome by half - so took the terribly polite english stance - trying my best to be Hugh Grant and coming across as Mr Bean...
However - I was not refused once and had some lovely dances... I did however feel quite old... It was a trendy club and most were under 30... No-one spoke English - or at least they told me they didn't... The Music was classic Cuban - no Reggaton - No Bachatta..
The Standard in Paris is much higher than the rest of France - I danced in Nice last month and found they have only recently (2 yrs) got the bug in that region... Paris was good but only compares to a good night in Brum/Newcastle/Nottingham and falls short of London (though pains me to say it)... and Barcelona - which is BY FAR the best place to dance in Europe.
So we’re in Lyon, at the business end, having taken a tour of Geneva. It’s at this point that Slap and I discover Ricky’s French is limited (he knows jack sh**) having trying to converse with a local in loud English with rabid hand movements. We discover that a taxi is required to find the Hotel Du Paris.
We locate our hotel and hit the sack for a couple of hours, we’re trashed. We’ve been travelling since 8:30 am, it’s now about 7pm.
We freshen up and contemplate our next move………a few beers. We’re quite chilled and relaxed now but still a bit tired. We’ve got a choice- go and see Oscar D’leon or sink more beers. Ricardo’s not due to play till about 11/12ish in a club so it’s a close call. It’s around 10pm now. We opt for Oscar. A short taxi ride and we’re there.
There are three days of open air music and bands, festivals don’t always have workshops etc. We arrive at Ile Barbe, the open air venue, security is mega tight. Because we missed the artist validation period we can’t get in. Ricky starts a lively debate with security in his best French!!! Slap and I take two paces back!!! Finally he calls Florian(check his interview)his DJ buddy. It’s handshakes, hugs and kisses all round (when in Rome) He gets us in.
We get our passes sorted out, we’re all called Ricardo!!! Slap and I are issued press passes. It’s a nice warm evening, the crowd number about 3000+ The whole event is well organised, no queuing at the bar, good facilities, numerous vendor stalls decent dance areas and free drinks courtesy of Flo.
The DJ is playing a nice mix of music; it appears to be Cuban orientated crowd in terms of dance styles. The are a few in liners sprinkled around keeping it nice and tight. An announcement is made Oscar is on.
The 16 piece band are on warming the crowd up with the backing singers, the crowd are lapping it up. Oscar leaps on wearing the tightest strides you could imagine. He was running up and down the stage, I feared for his condition. He must be late sixties at least. Anyway the band had lots of energy and drive; they belted out all the old favourites, the crowd joined in. You name it they played it. Live music give songs a different dimension. Songs you hated suddenly have a different feel; my hips were moving.
Ricky uttered a comment which Slap and I will never forget. I’ll spare his embarrassment and keep it a secret. But if you see him ask him what he said.!!!
At this point we’d met Aimeline(check video interview) We had to leave to get to Woodlands one of three festive after party venues. Florian ushered us over to the VIP area. They had a stretch limo waiting for us ( ok it was a people carrier) We were chauffeured to the club. We received a nice greeting from security, Ricky passed up the offer of testing his French again.
The club was empty, just a few teenagers loitering around. I thought we’d walked into a youth club. The club has three main sections, a chillout area with seating to the left, the main dance floor centrally placed. Then off to the right tucked away are a small number of small alcoves. This place used to proved adult entertainment!!!!! There was the odd strange instrument draped on the walls in this area. We looked at each other thinking ……..yes, say no more.
The club was still dead, Flo assured us people would come. Flo’s now on dexx banging out rare salsa vinyl grooves, stuff to kill for. The teenagers at this point were eating each other. Slowly the club starts to fill. Ricky at this point starts to get a point twitchy. It was either the prospect of playing to the dead, changing his music selection or he really had a twitch. I have a Dance with Aimeline, the kids give us strange looks.
Aimeline is now in the booth, she really looks the part. She plays the whole shabang, few salsa monga, bachata, meringue, and straight up salsa. The clubs filling up nicely. The party‘s in full swing. Aimeline’s done a tremendous job in warming the crowd up. The dancers have arrived.
Flo gives the bar staff a mild dressing down for charging us. Drinks are now courtesy of the management. The mojitos are tasting even sweeter now. It felt like the Carlsberg ad moment.
Ricky’s on dexx now ,cues up and his away. The crowd love it. Ricky starts to do his dad dancing in the booth then thinks better of it. Slap and I manage a few dances in between re-fuelling. It’s very rare an opportunity like this presents itself where good music is really appreciated. The circular dancers and on liners were having a good time. Forgot to mention the club is basement level, it’s like an oven, but what club isn’t.
It’s about 4ish, we’re beat and decide to call it a night. People are still arriving!!! Flo sorts out the Taxi. It’s off to bed for us.
Monday Night is Cardiff Night...
Cardiff is a great place for dancing – no question…
There is a huge choice of venues and nights – a thriving community.
Now you may ask why I would travel from Bristol where there are plenty of Salsa classes and one Monthly event (Que Pasa) to pay an extra £5.10 bridge fee and £6 entrance to dance in O’neills Cardiff. To be honest I’m not sure myself… I just get a feeling about where I want to go – sometimes its based upon having a chat with some people I know, sometimes its wanting to dance where nobody knows me, sometimes its where I will get the most out of a teacher, and I used to go to one venue just to see one woman (but that’s another story !)
I haven’t been dancing for weeks (not since Cheltenham – 2/3 weeks previous), for me this is a LONG time… there is a good Salsa addiction graph ...see below
I’ve pretty much gone through this 36 month graph now and back struggling to go once a week… this showed last night as I became more and more frustrated with my dancing…
The lesson was good fun (Charlotte) although for me a woman teacher is no good for me (unless its one to one)… nothing is better than a guy telling you how to lead a move – but that’s a another topic
It was only when I started dancing that I noticed that
a) My legs were tired
b) I had forgotten LOTS of moves
c) I was getting out of breath
This is soooo not me… well maybe.. a bit…. I think I know a lot of moves – a bit like I think I’m a better dancer than I actually am.
But I did used to be able to dance 5 nights a week into early hours get up do a school run – work in an office all day, play gigs all around the country , then do it all again… (hmmmm…however this did land me in hospital a couple of years ago…).
Anyways it was all going wrong yesterday –
Its been a long time since I’ve looked at my dance partner halfway through the song and her eyes a glazed over – or shes looking for where her next dance is coming from…
For me ….Bachatta doesn’t indicate the rush to a beautiful woman ….and a long slow sensual dance on the half full dancefloor..
It indicates a trip to the bar for an expensive red bull – or in last nights case, a ninja style slow exit grabbing my coat from the shadows…
I left at 11pm (embarressed that I was leaving as hardened Salsa crows were still paying there way into the club)..my “Salsa tail” between my legs.
If there were no Lows – there would be no Highs.
I join Suzy and the kids for breakfast (Sophia and Amelia, fantastic kids) I pass on the full fry up option and settle for cereal. I’m treated like royalty at Ricky’s, I’ recommend it folks. Breakfast out the way we start to pack the car. With minutes to spare slap surfaces from hibernation looking quite refreshed.
We’re now on the road, the M1 on our way to the airport. I’m riding shotgun , ricky’s driving and slap’s in the back. Ricky’s blastin out some the tracks he’s gonna drop in Lyon, hey…….some real killer stuff bro. After twenty minutes slap starts to top up his beauty sleep(trust me he needs plenty) The weather changes for the worst…it’s lashing it down, Ricky starts to chunter about visibility and lorries. We decide to stop for coffee before we kill him!!!
The weather breaks and we’re on our way again. Rick’s still blastin out kick ass floor jams. There’s a strange smell in the car, Slaps catching wasps in his mouth but trousers cough at the same time!!! We’ve made good time and arrive at the airport. As usual there’s a massive queue at the checkout. Finally it’s our turn. Ricky and slap get referred to the customer service desk, they’re not booked on the flight. I also get referred. We’re puzzled!!!!!!!
Queuing again Ricky considers our situation, he asks for my flight details. “Guys” he said, “we’re in a serious situation, we’re at the wrong airport.” GTFOH is my reply. We’re in Luton our flights are from Stanstead. Ricky starts to panic; frantic phone calls to France are made. Slap and I remain cool and discuss our situation with the customer service consultant. We have a number of options (at this point Ricky’s apologising profusely, you could see the veins throbbing in his head) Firstly there are no flights to Lyon from Luton. Making Lyon on time was gonna be difficult. After a calm discussion and weighing up our options(including transfers from Poland and Estonia)we agree to fly to Geneva then get a train to Lyon!!!
During the course of the day Ricky had gradually relinquished all responsibility for our predicament and blamed me and Slap, how did he work that one out!!!!
Our flights on time, we land in Geneva. There’s little time between connections from the airport to the Geneva central train station. We just make it, however we need some food. No time to get Swiss Francs, we find a supermarket that will accept Ricky’s dodgy card.
We get the Lyon train and settle into our seats. It’s a 1hr 45 minute journey. I’m sat next to a young French woman. We strike up a conversation. Turns out she lives in Lausanne commutes to Geneva. She was on her way to Marseille to spend time with her parents and pick up her son. A nine hour journey…..wow. Found out she’s a Guicci marketing consultant, turned on a bit charm hoping for some freebies to no avail.
I took the opportunity to give her my forthright opinions of the French based on my experiences. We did reach some common ground, but she put me right on a few things. She asked why we were going to Lyon; I pointed to Ricky and said “ask him.” Ricky scratched his head and rolled his eyes.
Saw a sign for Lyon, we’re here folks.
I decide to stay at Ricardo’s gaff Thursday night to avoid the hassle of an early start. The plan was to go for a traditional English meal…………a curry.
Turn up at Ricky’s ( I sometimes call him that amongst other things!!) He’s showing Slap how to prepare butterfly prawns for a prawn curry, the kitchen is spotless. We’re having home grown instead. Ricardo’s carefully laid out all the essential ingredients; garlic, ginger, onions, coriander seeds cumin, turmeric, ect. All that’s missing are the TV cameras.
At this point slap is sipping his pint having already observed Ricardo prep and cook a chicken curry. Ricky takes great pleasure in discussing his cooking apprenticeship (4 months of guidance from a restaurant) must have been hell for the restaurant!!!! I later discover that Slap is a food monster, sorry food connoisseur. He nods approvingly at Ricky’s efforts.
Took some time out to listen to few tracks on the hard drive, tracks he’d converted from his vinyl collection. Wow he’s got some great stuff.
Suzy(Ricky’s misses) and Sandra(her friend) return having been out to buy Naan bread. I explain to Ricky how to cook rice the Jamaican way, he’s very impressed. Recipe on my website!!!
The meal and company was fantastic, the Beer and Vodka helped. Great meal Ricky. Slap and I did the gentlemanly thing and walked Sandra home. At this point the alcohol was kickin in. We got slightly lost on the way back.
Off to bed, shared a room with slap. Didn’t sleep all night…………….more later.
Why I Didn't Go Dancing..... Put the kettle on...
Why I Didn't go Dancing Last Night - Part 1 The base of my thumb is throbbing - sort of a dull pain that reminds me there will be a bruise there later… thankfully my ankle isn't as bad as I first thought, and the pain has nearly disappeared. 16:00 - I spent yesterday afternoon with the patio doors open a warm breeze circulating the kitchen whilst I concentrated (well sort of) on the end of month financials. The good thing about by wireless setup is that I can have my home PC connected to the internet at the same time as my laptop - doing searches - downloading music..Etceterra etcetera (is that the sound of music creeping in ?) Anyways - the financial system crashed at 16:15 which gave me a chance to "plan" my evening - dancing I thought … 3 mins on salsa jive and I'd caught up on the latest about Joe, what's on this weekend... and what classes are available on a Wednesday…Yeovil – nah Bridgwater – lets not go there, Weston – Nah, Bristol – No ….Swindon I thought - new club re-opening "Moonrakers"… added Postcode into my phone ready to transfer into Di (affectionate name for my Sat Nav- Di RECTIONS – get it ??)… I had a plan - I was happy.. Time to clear up… Kitchen tidy - lounge tidy (moving the odd clothes and a cheap Tesco’s value coat hanger onto the stairs to take up later) - Clean downstairs loo and vacuuming Later…. My new car is coming with an iPod adapter - cheaper than a 6 disc changer it allows me to plug in my iPod into the cup-holder area and access the playlists from the "multi-function" steering wheel… well it would if I actually HAD an iPod… so in preparation I thought I'd download iTunes so that when I eventually get an iPod I will have all my music ready to transfer… Much Later … one of the "features" of iTunes is that it allows you to display an album cover of the music you are listening to - If it recognises the music it can even get the graphic for you and display it.. Cool… apart from it only found about 40% of my music … This is where the Virgoean (is that a word) in me abandoned all reason… I HAD TO FIND EVERY ALBUM COVER from somewhere (Google/Amazon/eBay) and import… It was a quest that I couldn't stop… Much Much Later… I had finished … I felt good ….but not proud…. But despite what you may think …. This is NOT the reason why I didn't go Dancing Last Night Quick bath and I was ready to go…. Why I didn't go Dancing Last Night - Part 2 NO POPCORN!!… you would think that any place hiring DVD's would have popcorn - if not Butterkist toffee ...then a plain bucket of something - even if it does taste like parcel packing. But no…. Not in my local "Smile".. BTW why do these places smell like someones just spilt a bottle of TCP on the floor ? Brace yourself... Things started to go down hill at this point - (this is still about why I didn't go dancing last night)… The staff in my local Smile are young - young and foreign (Tanya according to her faded name badge) - young , foreign and slow… not slow in a retarded way - slow because they have better things to do than to do their job… like talk to each other - or text/call their boyfriends - (who happen to be outside on the modern equivalent of BMX's)... or they are making themselves "pretty" nails, hair.. etcetera etcetera (Crikey I am Yull Bryner) The girl in last night was doing none of these things… She was in the Isle stacking shelves... (Not popcorn mind) singing… NO Shouting… NO Wailing to "Linkin Park" on the Radio (music that is being piped into the store), only it was sung in broken English - sort of Eastern European Porno style, where you think its English but cannot make out the words… Disappointed with no popcorn I had found an alternative in Chilli Nuts (wanted honey roast but non of them either …tut) and a packet of Libenz Biscuits (you know the ones - quaint pictures of Swiss mountain scenes (goats , mountains, farm labourers) made in chocolate over hanging a very crisp thin biscuit.. LUSH.. I also hired 2 DVD's "Envy" a comedy with Jack Black and Ben Stiller and "Nicolas Cage is … The Weatherman". Later…. Both of these films were in the "Comedy" section both films had famous actors in them… I only had the time to watch one last night so chose "The Weatherman", now I like Nicolas Cage - he can do drama, comedy, he is particularly good at melancholy - If Nicholas Cage was a dog he would be a blood-hound.. Sort of longing to be played with but you wouldn't want to get too close cos you'd get drooled upon… 20 mins into the film… OK - the scene had been set - "Separated, unhappy Weatherman in Chicago, with dysfunctional family... awaits something good to happen"... for example... in "teen movie " Aquamarine watched with kids on Tuesday within 10 minutes two lonely girls had already met the magical Aquamarine a beautiful teenage mermaid that had promised to give them a wish if they help her fall in love within 3 days… Easy to understand - feel good - American Pulp. My Nuts were gone and I was struggling to find my first smile let alone laugh - His daughter was obese and depressed and turned to smoking and stealing - due to being called "Camel Toe" at school His son was being abused by his counsellor He was obsessed with his ex-wife - wanting to "try again" Flashbacks of previous arguments.. He takes up archery and dreams of killing his ex-wife new partner.. I was on my 2nd biscuit when I realised that; A) These biscuits are a copy of the real thing found in proper supermarkets (probably smuggled in by Tanya's parents... last time they visited their family in Krakow) B) This is NOT A COMEDY C) Chilli Nuts go with nothing At this point the film turns a dark corner… his father (Michael Caine) develops a terminal illness and decides to have a living funeral… soon after the living funeral they have the real thing.. Oooh 2 funerals in this comedy !!! As you can imagine sides were splitting at this point He lands a job in New York and lives there - visiting kids at weekends End of Film I now understand why this was not in the "Top Title" section and only cost £1.50 to hire. I went to bed- cheated, hungry, and wishing I watched Envy (is that Irony?)…
01:20 Chilli Nuts make you thirsty… FACT It was no good had to go and find a drink from somewhere… no nothing upstairs I could drink half finished apple juice sprite, water... so downstairs in the dark… Half asleep… "Hmm Milk, Apple Juice Summer Fruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…." Who the F*** left that coat hanger there… ================================================================================================ It's okay... my hand broke the fall.. and my ankle isn't that twisted… As I lay awake - not being able to sleep through the throbbing in my hand I planned today’s email… Why I REALLY didn't go Dancing Last night As I had a bath and was thinking about what to wear two things popped into my head… · I had left my Wallet and Insurance details in the Office · I was supposed to call the AA out about my lights Not having a wallet was OK - Salsa evenings are hardly expensive affairs - and I had £20.. But lights… I'd need them… I swapped cars with Fred (work colleague) at lunchtime so I had the Polo back - unfortunately - both headlights were now broken (one had gone the last time he took my car)… I was meant to call the AA out but had forgotten (bloody iTunes)… there was no way I can drive anywhere without lights… It was then I decided to have a night in with a good Film… hmmm you now know the rest… Appendix All good stories need an Appendix - somewhere to put some of the unanswered questions... Not only did Freds car acquire a half eaten sandwich in Bridgwater - it also acquired slightly bent wing mirror and 2 scratches down the passenger door ! Don't worry, I've smoothed this over with Fred - I sort the lights he sorts out the scratches… As I limped into the Smile shop this morning and handed the DVD 's over the counter I pushed down on the case so I could read the words on the Disc… Nicholas Cage is "The Weatherman" and underneath the strap line "A Comedy to Brighten up your Day"…
As I left the shop I looked up… It had clouded over.
Following on from my first blog..... where I decided that as part of the Salsa Central team I really should start learning Salsa properly and document my 'Salsa Education' as a blog each time I went social dancing...... this weekend I went to Club Candela, at The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury.
I did actually go to Mambocity the week before, but having gone on a work 'away day' (and extremely heavy night!) the previous day, I was feeling a bit too delicate to dance.
I was somehow unwittingly roped in to driving a minibus to Shrewsbury, so we could take some of Mel's students - for some of them it was their first time social dancing!
Mel took a few in her car and left before us, as she'd been booked for a spinning technique class.
We left a good 15 minutes after her, but still overtook them on the M54 - a combination of them chatting (men/shoes/shopping), and my driving resulting in nothing but a blue blur faintly resembling a minibus!
We got there fairly early, and I had a drink while Mel did her class, then went for a quick bite to eat before the serious stuff began.
When we got back, Tony - one of Mel's students, and the only other guy in our group, was looking a bit flustered and hot, as he hadn't had a break from dancing in about an hour!!
I was eager to get on the dance floor, as i'd been to class the previous two weeks, so had expanded my (albeit limited) repertoire. I lost count of the amount of dances I had, but it was well into double figures (See Paparazzi-JoJo's 'Stalking Steve' gallery for evidence).
I had a really great time, and will be going to the Candela events as often as possible, due to the friendly and laid back party atmosphere.
We all stayed right until the end, then it was back onto the minibus for the drive home on the M54, which must easily be the most boring motorway in the whole country!!
Not sure where i'll be out next, but I can't wait :-)
What made me really laugh yesterday (part 1) Rambo is not a big dog - In fact he is a very small dog… in fact……... I have seen guinea pigs bigger than Rambo… Now... although he has tiny sharp teeth and quite a loud bark for a small creature - his ability to scare,mame and destroy is spoilt by his one "Achilles heel" which is ……….his tail. His tail is the strongest and biggest muscle in his body (I think cos he's a cross)… anyways…. when he gets excited... he wags his tail - this involuntary force is so strong that the motion over-rides his back legs (and his balance) and he proceeds to loose grip and fall over onto is stomach.. The good thing about puppies is that they don't learn quickly….so this trick can be repeated as many times as is necessary for the amusement of all sadistic humans.. (by the way this isn't what made me really laugh yesterday)… As Rambo is so small and quite quick and he lives next to a big wood in deepest darkest Dorset the possibility of losing him is quite high - now with such a small dog a collar is not the ideal device to attach a lead to - one sharp movement and his neck would be broken… so he wears "a harness"….. Amusing in its self ...yes… but add to this built-in studs - with Flashing LED's (in yellow and red) and things really get cooking… All you need is a small garden and 3 kids under the age of 10 and a dark evening…. From the kitchen all I could see was the flashing lights darting between small herbaceous borders UNTIL……..I began to see Rambo fly through the air… got the feeling the kids thought it would be good idea to pretend Rambo was an aeroplane - with the flashing lights 'n all… This still isn't the thing that made me really laugh….. Jongluers - Bristol This is a good venue - same format as Fiesta Havana (beginners downstairs , Int / Adv upstairs).. Not bad dance floor concrete smooth and clean.. Sound system excellent upstairs - lighting good. Mauricio Keyes was teaching - he is bloody good - makes everything look Sooooooooo simple… I could just about do his Int level but was struggling in the Adv class… There is a REALLY GOOD vibe there - much better than Havana - I think because there was so many new faces - people travelling to see what its like… time flew by…. had some great dances with girls I haven't seen before - excellent.. What made me really laugh yesterday (part 2) The Music was fast and "old school" Salsa throughout the night ….It was one of those evenings where I couldn't wait to dance again - racing to ask the next person.. So during a period of frenzied rush to the dance floor I took the hand of a girl who I never danced with before... and walked quickly towards the dance floor - me in front manoeuvring past the other girls - now as the venue is new I didn't notice a pillar in front of me… no I didn't walk into it - I moved quickly around it and let go of the girls hand for a split second so she would avoid the same obstacle ! I caught her hand quickly again and stepped into a space on the dance floor - turned ( spun actually to impress ) to face a rather large black man who I had just pulled onto the dance floor… CLASSIC… xxx
Goin to France this weekend with my good buddies Ricardo and Slap(he's a bloke). Ricardo's the headline DJ for the Lyon Salsa festival;I'm going as his bagman!!! He'll be playing stuff from his rare vinyl collection so it's a chance for him to go nuts!!!
The line up also includes Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Oscar D'Leon and Monolito Simonet Y su Trabuco. Gonna try and blag my way ibackstage and get some interviews for the site. Probably get some interviews with the local DJs and punters, better work on my French.
Of course we can't go all that way without sampling the fine wine on offer, I should imagine we'll sink a few beers as well just to relax ourselves and keep cool!!!!
That's the daytime taken care of. In the evening I'll be checking out Ricardo, make sure he does a good job. I'll be dancin my ass off this weekend, I haven't been out for ages so I'll probably cause some damage to da French ladies. Sorry in advance.
Take it easy folks
Traditionally Fridays are for going out with your mates getting blind drunk chatting up whatever you can find - getting nowhere - dancing yourself sober getting home feeling rough and waking up in the morning wondering where all the money went.
Fast forward 5 years and it was romantic meals out ... a trip to the cinema ... or a night in watching the 2nd Series of Friends...
>>>5 Years
Nappies... Sleep... No sex... Honda Civic instead of Renault Clio Sport..
Definition of a Good Night: Bottle of wine and more than 5hrs sleep
>>>>5 Years
Working out what nights you have the kids and what nights you are free.. struggling to find something to do which is flexible (hours wise), sociable and doesnt cost the earth...
Enter ....SALSA
I love to ask women why they got into Salsa - as a first question I believe the truth never comes out...
"Well actually I was fed up sitting on my own watching E4's re-runs of Friends Series 2 - not having any contact with the opposite sex"
Usually you get... "Something I always wanted to do... but never had the time...."
It's a funny thing Salsa... not known as "the devils dance" for nothing... hmmm maybe I'll expand on this in future Blogs...
So... Friday night 2 years 10 months on from my 1st lesson... 3 Years 3 months since my separation..
Location : The Chapel, Cheltenham (the furthest North I'll go on a week night).
I've rambled and not got anywhere... If anyone wants me to continue let me know...
x
Just read Mel's blog, love to come and hang with you guy's but can't squeeze it in.
Over the next few months gonna visit, France, Germany, Romania and Poland. Some are gigs, I'll post em up later, some are party party with the boyz!!!
Should come back with some fantastic interviews and footage.So I'll be on my best behaviour when I'm playing to ensure I bring back the goods(dam)
Also got a few local gigs lined up so I'll be reporting on those and taking pictures. So laydez if I ask you to show some more flesh for da pics, it's just for art!!!!!
On the way back from Coventry last Saturday, Cat, Steve and I came up with the idea of having a Salsa Central on Tour group (well it was all my idea actually 'polishes nails on shirt').
There's a group of us going to the Belgium Festival in August and we've decided to film our antics (almost like a Video Diary) so you can see what we get up to.
We're taking this group very seriously (yeah right) Steve's going to get a Banner done and Cat and I are going to sort out Team SC Tshirts!
I will be setting up a Salsa Central on Tour group and we will keep you posted about any event, whether it be big or small, that we are attending. Everyone is welcome to tag along, if there are enough of us, i may even sort out transport (all together now 'wooo!')
So, keep your eyes peeled for the banner, those tshirts, and of course, Steve's salsa progress!!
Mel C - Team SC Group Leader!
I'm not much above beginner level when it comes to Salsa - I can do my basic steps, cross-body lead, and a few turns. I do have good timing, but need to learn a lot more – I can’t be part of the Salsa Central team and not be able to dance well!
So, I thought I’d keep a blog on my ‘Salsa Education’ and make an entry whenever I’ve been out socially to let you know how I get on.
I went to the Salsadelic/Latinmotion night at The Colliery club last Saturday, to film an interview with Mauricio Reyes, and Moe Flex’s routine. I also danced a few times (Hooray!!!!).
For my first dance, I was actually asked by a nice woman from London, who didn’t mind that I’m a bit of a beginner – I even got my first little set of moves a bit wrong, but she told me to try it a couple more times, so I was fine – thank you to her!!
Apart from that, I danced a few more times – with Cat, Mel C , Linda, and Raynor (who was completely hammered due to her birthday celebrations, but still managed to follow my lead!!). I didn’t stray much from the basics, so plan to try a few more things next time (once I’ve watched my SuperMario DVD!).
I’m going to the Club Candela night on 22 nd June, so will try and get to class before then.
Until next time!
Steve
