Broke as a joke, I am sitting at home and desperately trying to remember what it was exactly that I used to fill my time with before I started dancing Salsa. I am also really feeling it for all the injured out there who can't go out. My phone is silent, but I don't blame my friends. It's labor day tomorrow, and they are all at See Sound Lounge having a marvelous time without the hindering burden of having to wake up early on Monday morning. So, here is a list of the things that I've came up with so far:
1. Attend a friend's wedding where no Salsa dancers are present. It will snap you back into reality and make you realize that there is other life out there. The experience will feel alien and uncomfortable, but it will shape you into a better, more understanding, more open-minded person.
2. Watch TV. (TV is that black box in your living room that has lots of dust on it. You can stick a silver disk into another box under your TV and it will play a movie!)
3. Speaking of dust... consider cleaning. It may not be as entertaining as dancing, but you will find that your cave is actually a house!
4. Reconnect with anyone left in your life who doesn't dance Salsa and is still willing to talk to you after you've ditched them for years.
5. Light the candles. Pour the wine. Take a bubble bath.
6. Take a walk. Rollerblade. Do yoga. Perform some other exercise that you used to do before you started dancing that is free or doesn't require you to move the part of the body that's injured.
7. Read.
8. Write.
9. Sing.
10. Pray
11. Play an instrument.
12. Cook. Then eat. Repeat as needed. (Warning: Since you can't dance right now, the amount of food you intake may change the shape of your body in an undesirable way. Use this alternative sparingly.)
13. Sleep. You have probably forgotten what this is. It's a magnificent experience that will turn you into a different person!
14. Remember you used to have a hobby? See if it's still a hobby.
15. Check your e-mail. Actually respond to people.
16. Listen to music. Look for music. Download music. Install i-tunes on your new (two year old) laptop.
17. Think. Right now is a good time in particular to think of how to make money or come up with ways to stay away from situations that lead to injuries.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Promoters on Facebook -- Helpful Suggestions
If you are a dance company, a teacher, a writer, a venue, a performance team, an event, or anything else that might need to get announced and promoted, you might benefit from the following suggestions on Facebook etiquette. This is yet another post that was prompted by others talking to me. These are, as always, only suggestions. But if you don’t want the entire world to de-friend you due to high annoyance, I’d keep the suggestions in mind…
DO:
Set up a fan page, group, or a separate page.
Send requests and invites to people. ONCE.
Ask one or two of your CLOSEST friends to suggest your page to their friends.
Suggest the page to your own friends. ONCE.
Set up events and invite people to them.
Promote events on whatever is being promoted wall, as well as your own.
Promote the event on the walls of people directly involved in it, such as, but not limited to, birthday individuals, performers, DJ’s.
ASK one or two of your closest friends if you can promote events on their wall. Unless you are 100% assured of their affiliation to whatever you are promoting (I would NEVER assume affiliation if I were you…)
Include as much information as you can in your posts/events.
Keep sending invites/requests/suggestions to people who have declined. (Although from a promoters’ point of view: sometimes that's impossible to track.)
Promote events on the walls of individuals just because they have a lot of friends who will see.
Send event reminders in personal messages. This is common practice these days, but it really needs to stop! Shocking information: nobody looks at those messages anyways. And they make it really difficult to fish out important ones from REAL friends.
Set up events for things that are not events. “My dog died.” Is NOT an event. Unless you are planning an elaborate funeral.
Set up events that last from May of last year until September of 2059. If you’re too lazy to post events weekly, you’re more than welcome to hire someone to do it for you (how about me? ;). Otherwise you shouldn’t have a Facebook in general. More shocking information: because they’re always in the way of seeing what’s REALLY up tonight, the “ongoing” events usually get erased.
Post fliers up as pictures and tag people in them. Unless people are REALLY in them. But even then, fliers are NOT pictures, and often legs get chopped, faces elongates, etc… something people are not too excited for the world to see.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Significance of the Last Song
In the world of Seattle Salsa (and I bet everywhere else as well, but I wouldn’t know…), no five minutes can reveal more information than “the last song of the night.” This is when affiliations are established, loyalties confirmed, and relationships broken or mended. By carefully observing what goes on during the last song (which nobody ever does because they’re too preoccupied with the logistics of their own last song…) a person can find out who the hot shots’ latest dance partner is, who the hottie in the corner is currently seeing, and whether a relationship is doomed or can be salvaged.
The last song is like an end of a long game of chess, the very end, the one after the game actually ended and all the pieces are put back in order on the board to wait for the next game to begin. All night the pieces are scattered on the dance floor – light mixed with dark, pawns mixed with knights, rooks alongside kings and queens. But at the end, order prevails, and the kings end up with their queens on “their” side of the ballroom. It doesn’t matter if they came together or separately. It doesn’t matter if they will leave together. Immediately after the last dance a new game begins, and all the pieces scatter again.
Intuitively, leads grab the person they are most loyal to (for the moment) for the last song. It’s no wonder – after all, the last song is the impression of the night that you’ll go home with. For this very reason, follows (unless they are in a really “I don’t give a rat’s ass” mood) are more likely to refuse someone they don’t absolutely love to dance with or someone they don’t know during the last song than during any other one. Some of them would rather sit out than risk the last dance of the night being a bad one. But the loyalties are crystal clear – within moments after the announcement those who are paired up in any way (dance partners, dating, in love, smitten by each others’ skills, best friends) will be locked in each others’ gazes. Those left wandering or sitting for a little longer are probably unattached.
Let’s observe an evolution of a relationship from the perspective of a last dance. The very first last song lets you know that they really DO like you as much as they say. When the person becomes “automatic,” the loyalty is locked in – it won’t even cross anyone else’s mind to ask him/her to dance the last song. No matter how mad at each other the couple is, if they are still dancing the last song, everything will be ok, and they both know it. Trouble starts when in a fit of jealousy or revenge one person disrespects that loyalty. It causes some subconscious psychological split (that I can’t explain), and pretty much sets the partners up for failure. When a couple stands on opposite sides of the ballroom and doesn’t dance with anyone or each other, you can tell the love is gone, and a break-up is not long in coming – it’s only a formality at this point, and both of them have enough patience to wait it out. After all, they will soon be free to declare loyalty to whoever else they wish to. When you see them dancing with other people, you can be certain that they are now officially not together anymore.
There’s a lot more that can be revealed by the last song, but this post is getting too long. You get the point though. Last song = loyalty. At least for a moment, before the next game scatters all the chess pieces again.
The last song is like an end of a long game of chess, the very end, the one after the game actually ended and all the pieces are put back in order on the board to wait for the next game to begin. All night the pieces are scattered on the dance floor – light mixed with dark, pawns mixed with knights, rooks alongside kings and queens. But at the end, order prevails, and the kings end up with their queens on “their” side of the ballroom. It doesn’t matter if they came together or separately. It doesn’t matter if they will leave together. Immediately after the last dance a new game begins, and all the pieces scatter again.
Intuitively, leads grab the person they are most loyal to (for the moment) for the last song. It’s no wonder – after all, the last song is the impression of the night that you’ll go home with. For this very reason, follows (unless they are in a really “I don’t give a rat’s ass” mood) are more likely to refuse someone they don’t absolutely love to dance with or someone they don’t know during the last song than during any other one. Some of them would rather sit out than risk the last dance of the night being a bad one. But the loyalties are crystal clear – within moments after the announcement those who are paired up in any way (dance partners, dating, in love, smitten by each others’ skills, best friends) will be locked in each others’ gazes. Those left wandering or sitting for a little longer are probably unattached.
Let’s observe an evolution of a relationship from the perspective of a last dance. The very first last song lets you know that they really DO like you as much as they say. When the person becomes “automatic,” the loyalty is locked in – it won’t even cross anyone else’s mind to ask him/her to dance the last song. No matter how mad at each other the couple is, if they are still dancing the last song, everything will be ok, and they both know it. Trouble starts when in a fit of jealousy or revenge one person disrespects that loyalty. It causes some subconscious psychological split (that I can’t explain), and pretty much sets the partners up for failure. When a couple stands on opposite sides of the ballroom and doesn’t dance with anyone or each other, you can tell the love is gone, and a break-up is not long in coming – it’s only a formality at this point, and both of them have enough patience to wait it out. After all, they will soon be free to declare loyalty to whoever else they wish to. When you see them dancing with other people, you can be certain that they are now officially not together anymore.
There’s a lot more that can be revealed by the last song, but this post is getting too long. You get the point though. Last song = loyalty. At least for a moment, before the next game scatters all the chess pieces again.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Beginner Turned Amazing
I have written many times about being humble and dancing with beginners because at one point we were all there and someone danced with us. I’ve heard people add to that a threat that one day they’ll become amazing and won’t want to dance with YOU. Well, my Good Samaritan efforts that flowed out of those admonitions paid off in full yesterday when I finally had my first “beginner turned amazing” moment on the dance floor. What was funny about it is that I swear the guy planned it for months! But memorable it was nevertheless.
I met the gentleman when he was first starting off – maybe a couple weeks into his lessons. For the next month or so we’ve crossed paths at various practices and events and I made it a point to say yes to at least one dance a night with him. Luckily he wasn’t completely devoid of an ability to pick up on social cues and rarely ever asked for a second one. Barely anyone else who was remotely good ever danced with him (suckeeeers! You’re gonna miss out now!) After the first month we haven’t seen much of each other. Or maybe he just didn’t want to intrude and never asked again. Until yesterday.
Baldly approaching me at the spot where I stationed myself for the night, he proceeded with a “Hi. I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been? Would you like to dance?” The smirk on his face just screamed “planned” to me, but of course I accepted, although it took a few moments to place the familiar face since I haven’t seen him for about five months. Once placed, I expected the old version of robotic moves and steps anywhere but on beat. But much to my surprise (and his satisfaction about my surprised expression) I found myself dancing with a solid lead who was on time, possessed a wide variety of moves in his arsenal, and was very comfortable to dance with!
Since I’ve only been dancing for a little over a year, this has never happened to me before. But now that it has, I’ll just have to reiterate over and over again. Dance with the beginners! Because one day they will turn into an amazing dancer and will want to dance with you because you were nice enough to dance with them when they were first starting off.
I met the gentleman when he was first starting off – maybe a couple weeks into his lessons. For the next month or so we’ve crossed paths at various practices and events and I made it a point to say yes to at least one dance a night with him. Luckily he wasn’t completely devoid of an ability to pick up on social cues and rarely ever asked for a second one. Barely anyone else who was remotely good ever danced with him (suckeeeers! You’re gonna miss out now!) After the first month we haven’t seen much of each other. Or maybe he just didn’t want to intrude and never asked again. Until yesterday.
Baldly approaching me at the spot where I stationed myself for the night, he proceeded with a “Hi. I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been? Would you like to dance?” The smirk on his face just screamed “planned” to me, but of course I accepted, although it took a few moments to place the familiar face since I haven’t seen him for about five months. Once placed, I expected the old version of robotic moves and steps anywhere but on beat. But much to my surprise (and his satisfaction about my surprised expression) I found myself dancing with a solid lead who was on time, possessed a wide variety of moves in his arsenal, and was very comfortable to dance with!
Since I’ve only been dancing for a little over a year, this has never happened to me before. But now that it has, I’ll just have to reiterate over and over again. Dance with the beginners! Because one day they will turn into an amazing dancer and will want to dance with you because you were nice enough to dance with them when they were first starting off.
Friday, June 4, 2010
You've Been Dancing Salsa in Seattle for a While if...
1.“Century” in your mind is not associated with Century Square. CB doesn’t stand for “Call Back.”
2. You know that 13 Coins serves French Toast at 4:00a.m., even though it’s not on their menu.
3. Only a little while ago you couldn’t tell Spanish apart from any other foreign language. Now you’re fluent.
4. You eat breakfast on Saturdays at 3:00p.m. at the Cuban stand on Aurora and 90th and know every person that stops by to get theirs at the same time.
5. You know the significance of Jims.
6. You “regretfully decline” an invitation to your long-time friend’s wedding because it happens to fall on a Saturday of your birthday. You just spent your monthly salary on a perfect birthday dance dress.
7. You think nothing of it when the guy you were just sweetly talking to suddenly bolts in the opposite direction after a hot blond while screaming “Becka, Becka, Becka!”
8. You got to know a lot of your friends through someone named Anna.
9. You can tell which studio a person takes lessons from by dancing with them for only a couple minutes.
10. When they spin like a tornado you know exactly which team they’ve danced for.
11. Your “secret” getaway on a Tuesday is Waid’s for Blues Dancing.
12. One Friday while trying to “get away from the Salsa scene” you went out to a hip hop club and bumped into all your best friends from Salsa who had the same idea and all came there separately.
13. You constantly run out of Amante’s Pizza coupons, no matter how many they send you or how many you steal from your neighbors mailboxes.
14. You are likely to bump into a lot of familiar faces wherever you decide to eat at 2:00a.m. Fri-Sun.
15. You don’t start getting ready for a venue that starts at 8:00p.m.until 10:30.
16. “Beautiful Feet” is not a movie about penguins. Most likely you’ve been invited to church at least by one of the people from this dancer prayer group.
17. In real life you are either a consultant or an engineer.
18. You’ve been to or have been invited to an SSS Mixer. You know that SSS does not stand for “Seattle Secret Service.”
19. Memorial Day Weekend is one huge scheduling conflict.
20. You know that “Camp Gregory” does not involve tents.
21. You know which two DJ’s used to be married.
22. You know which DJ’s ARE married.
23. You know which DJ is trying to get married.
24. “Salsa around the world” is not just a random phrase for you.
25. Neither is “Are you kidding me?”
26. Halo is not a ring around the head of an angel.
27. You don’t think “El General” is a title for a military man.
28. “Let’s go grab some Dicks” is not a dirty innuendo (but rather a place to eat after Wednesday nights at Babalu).
29. “Milan” is not a city in Italy. “Israel” is not a country in the Middle East. “Asia” is not a continent. “September” is not a month.
30. When figuring out what day it is today you automatically associate it with where the Salsa is that night.
31. Abbreviations SSS, BF, CB, BBL, SSL, CH, DW, and BDS mean something to you.
32. In the summer you drive around town always on the lookout for recycle bins with huge cardboard boxes. And not because you don’t have anywhere to live.
33. Even though Friday is technically the day with the most venues available for dancing, in your mind it’s still a “Salsa off night” because there isn't just one "venue-to-be-at."
34. There’s on One. There’s on Two. And There’s on “Chow.” And they’re all equally good.
35. You know about the secret parking spot by Century Ballroom.
36. You know who writes this blog ;)
2. You know that 13 Coins serves French Toast at 4:00a.m., even though it’s not on their menu.
3. Only a little while ago you couldn’t tell Spanish apart from any other foreign language. Now you’re fluent.
4. You eat breakfast on Saturdays at 3:00p.m. at the Cuban stand on Aurora and 90th and know every person that stops by to get theirs at the same time.
5. You know the significance of Jims.
6. You “regretfully decline” an invitation to your long-time friend’s wedding because it happens to fall on a Saturday of your birthday. You just spent your monthly salary on a perfect birthday dance dress.
7. You think nothing of it when the guy you were just sweetly talking to suddenly bolts in the opposite direction after a hot blond while screaming “Becka, Becka, Becka!”
8. You got to know a lot of your friends through someone named Anna.
9. You can tell which studio a person takes lessons from by dancing with them for only a couple minutes.
10. When they spin like a tornado you know exactly which team they’ve danced for.
11. Your “secret” getaway on a Tuesday is Waid’s for Blues Dancing.
12. One Friday while trying to “get away from the Salsa scene” you went out to a hip hop club and bumped into all your best friends from Salsa who had the same idea and all came there separately.
13. You constantly run out of Amante’s Pizza coupons, no matter how many they send you or how many you steal from your neighbors mailboxes.
14. You are likely to bump into a lot of familiar faces wherever you decide to eat at 2:00a.m. Fri-Sun.
15. You don’t start getting ready for a venue that starts at 8:00p.m.until 10:30.
16. “Beautiful Feet” is not a movie about penguins. Most likely you’ve been invited to church at least by one of the people from this dancer prayer group.
17. In real life you are either a consultant or an engineer.
18. You’ve been to or have been invited to an SSS Mixer. You know that SSS does not stand for “Seattle Secret Service.”
19. Memorial Day Weekend is one huge scheduling conflict.
20. You know that “Camp Gregory” does not involve tents.
21. You know which two DJ’s used to be married.
22. You know which DJ’s ARE married.
23. You know which DJ is trying to get married.
24. “Salsa around the world” is not just a random phrase for you.
25. Neither is “Are you kidding me?”
26. Halo is not a ring around the head of an angel.
27. You don’t think “El General” is a title for a military man.
28. “Let’s go grab some Dicks” is not a dirty innuendo (but rather a place to eat after Wednesday nights at Babalu).
29. “Milan” is not a city in Italy. “Israel” is not a country in the Middle East. “Asia” is not a continent. “September” is not a month.
30. When figuring out what day it is today you automatically associate it with where the Salsa is that night.
31. Abbreviations SSS, BF, CB, BBL, SSL, CH, DW, and BDS mean something to you.
32. In the summer you drive around town always on the lookout for recycle bins with huge cardboard boxes. And not because you don’t have anywhere to live.
33. Even though Friday is technically the day with the most venues available for dancing, in your mind it’s still a “Salsa off night” because there isn't just one "venue-to-be-at."
34. There’s on One. There’s on Two. And There’s on “Chow.” And they’re all equally good.
35. You know about the secret parking spot by Century Ballroom.
36. You know who writes this blog ;)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Drama, Drama, Drama
It seems that drama is in the air. Mind you, not the kind of cat fight hissy fit drama we see in all sorts of chick flicks. In fact, this sort of drama doesn’t involve females at all! Seattle Salseras seem to have been getting along just fine for a very long time now. (At least for as long as I’ve been dancing.) But in a recent discussion amongst us sisters, we have discovered that the salsa scene in Seattle is full of Drama Kings! In the past couple weeks I’ve experienced scenarios where leads would confront me for not saying hello to them (not deliberately!) or refusing a dance (new dance shoes people! They’re hurting the crap out of my feet!) Finding out that it wasn’t just me who was dealing with such issues from the leads was comforting. Fellow follows have shared similar stories, when a lead would either snap at them for saying they’ve already promised a dance to someone else or accuse them of “acting distant” when no intention of such behavior was on her mind. And I wonder if it’s because of insecurities that this is happening out on the dance floor.
So for all the leads out there who’ve felt insecure on the dance floor and let it out by lashing out at a follow who fed that insecurity, please keep the following in mind and restrain from creating an uncomfortable situation on the dance floor next time:
1. Problem: She didn’t say hi to you.
Solution: Come up and say hello to her yourself! If she responds with an enthusiastic hug, chances are she simply didn’t see you amongst dozens of people she passed on her way to where she usually stands. Although we really do try to get to everyone we know as soon as we get into a venue, sometimes it’s either logistically impossible (after all, we came to dance, and saying hi to the 200 people we know individually might take up a little longer than we planned on staying at a venue), or uncomfortable (you are standing with another girl and we don’t want to intrude.) However, if she responds with a cold “hi” and turns right back around… Leave her alone. For good.
2. Problem: She refused to dance with you.
Solution: Was this the first time she did this? If you two are known for having amazing dances together, and she gave a legitimate explanation like her feet hurt or she promised this dance to someone else, believe her and let it go! And play it by ear for the next dance. If she said her feet hurt, the next one is most likely going to be a “no” as well, and it has nothing to do with you! But if she continuously keeps refusing you on different nights, get the hint and stop asking!
3. Problem: She asked you not to do a certain move.
Solution: Respect her wishes and DON’T DO IT! Oh how many embarrassing moments on the floor for both myself and the lead could’ve been prevented if only the leads I’ve danced with believed me when I said that I am not familiar with or capable of following certain moves… Of course that’s only one of the reasons she might not want to bend over backwards. Another one might be that she’s not comfortable enough to be at a particular level of closeness with you that the move requires. Certain moves are NOT just dancing and ARE reserved only for those leads who are close friends. So if you’ve just seen her dance a steamy bachata, don’t assume she’ll be up for the same kind of dancing with you. The third reason might actually be medical. You don’t know if she has a huge bruise on her ankle, a disorientation disorder or a knot in her back. Don’t spin or dip if she’s asked you not to.
I’d also like to address the semi-tipsy eager-to-help onlookers who find themselves ready to jump into the already uncomfortable conversation and take a side. Please DON’T. This is already uncomfortable as is. And chances are that at least one of the people involved has all the social skills necessary to de-escalate. What you are doing is simply annoying them and adding another factor for them to deal with. You’re also feeding the disdain that the offended party already feels. To sum up: you’re just adding to the drama, not helping. Do everyone a favor and stay out of it! Please.
Disclaimer: this post is based on more than one scenario involving more than one follow! If you recognize yourself, it might be a coincidence. Please don’t assume that I wrote this because I was mad/annoyed with you in particular. I actually had a couple requests for this post, and that’s the only reason it has now been written.
Happy Dancing!
So for all the leads out there who’ve felt insecure on the dance floor and let it out by lashing out at a follow who fed that insecurity, please keep the following in mind and restrain from creating an uncomfortable situation on the dance floor next time:
1. Problem: She didn’t say hi to you.
Solution: Come up and say hello to her yourself! If she responds with an enthusiastic hug, chances are she simply didn’t see you amongst dozens of people she passed on her way to where she usually stands. Although we really do try to get to everyone we know as soon as we get into a venue, sometimes it’s either logistically impossible (after all, we came to dance, and saying hi to the 200 people we know individually might take up a little longer than we planned on staying at a venue), or uncomfortable (you are standing with another girl and we don’t want to intrude.) However, if she responds with a cold “hi” and turns right back around… Leave her alone. For good.
2. Problem: She refused to dance with you.
Solution: Was this the first time she did this? If you two are known for having amazing dances together, and she gave a legitimate explanation like her feet hurt or she promised this dance to someone else, believe her and let it go! And play it by ear for the next dance. If she said her feet hurt, the next one is most likely going to be a “no” as well, and it has nothing to do with you! But if she continuously keeps refusing you on different nights, get the hint and stop asking!
3. Problem: She asked you not to do a certain move.
Solution: Respect her wishes and DON’T DO IT! Oh how many embarrassing moments on the floor for both myself and the lead could’ve been prevented if only the leads I’ve danced with believed me when I said that I am not familiar with or capable of following certain moves… Of course that’s only one of the reasons she might not want to bend over backwards. Another one might be that she’s not comfortable enough to be at a particular level of closeness with you that the move requires. Certain moves are NOT just dancing and ARE reserved only for those leads who are close friends. So if you’ve just seen her dance a steamy bachata, don’t assume she’ll be up for the same kind of dancing with you. The third reason might actually be medical. You don’t know if she has a huge bruise on her ankle, a disorientation disorder or a knot in her back. Don’t spin or dip if she’s asked you not to.
I’d also like to address the semi-tipsy eager-to-help onlookers who find themselves ready to jump into the already uncomfortable conversation and take a side. Please DON’T. This is already uncomfortable as is. And chances are that at least one of the people involved has all the social skills necessary to de-escalate. What you are doing is simply annoying them and adding another factor for them to deal with. You’re also feeding the disdain that the offended party already feels. To sum up: you’re just adding to the drama, not helping. Do everyone a favor and stay out of it! Please.
Disclaimer: this post is based on more than one scenario involving more than one follow! If you recognize yourself, it might be a coincidence. Please don’t assume that I wrote this because I was mad/annoyed with you in particular. I actually had a couple requests for this post, and that’s the only reason it has now been written.
Happy Dancing!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Habana Sodo E-Mayimbe Opening Night
After being out four nights in a row, I had every intention of staying in on Saturday night. Until my roommate cheerfully asked if I'm going to E-Mayimbe's opening night party at Habana Sodo. At which point curiosity got the best of me and I decided that even shelling out $10 for cover might be worth it to find out how it's gonna go. After all, the hype around it on facebook projected that every self-respecting salsa dancer in Seattle will end up being there.
Habana Sodo didn't disappoint. Even though we got there relatively early for Salsa (10:30), the place was already going strong. Within the next hour and a half a solid injection of people created a crowd the size of Century at it's busiest point on a Saturday. It was curious to see how familiar faces tried to orient themselves and figure out where to dance. Like ants whose house has been destroyed, people moved around more than usual, just because "their" spot to stand hasn't quite been established yet. (By the end of the night the "corners" have become more or less apparent though.)
Hearing before hand that the floor is cement, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's cement with lacquer over it that was relatively easy to spin on. The live music was incredible. (Unfortunately the sound system didn't stand a chance in comparison... But the DJ's were fine.)
Entertaining performances in the middle of the night gave tired feet a much welcomed break. But perhaps the best part about the night was the atmosphere.
It felt like a very good New Years eve party. As if on cue, dancers came more dressed up than usual. The lighting was amazing and the vibe was exhilaratingly friendly. That, combined with a crowd that drew out literally every single studio in town, made the party an epitome of the fact that it's possible to make something grand happen when all combine forces instead of feeding unhealthy competition.
Kudos to Ana and Eduardo for creating a night which Seattle will not forget for a while. Hopefully many more Saturdays like this in Habana Sodo will follow!
Habana Sodo didn't disappoint. Even though we got there relatively early for Salsa (10:30), the place was already going strong. Within the next hour and a half a solid injection of people created a crowd the size of Century at it's busiest point on a Saturday. It was curious to see how familiar faces tried to orient themselves and figure out where to dance. Like ants whose house has been destroyed, people moved around more than usual, just because "their" spot to stand hasn't quite been established yet. (By the end of the night the "corners" have become more or less apparent though.)
Hearing before hand that the floor is cement, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's cement with lacquer over it that was relatively easy to spin on. The live music was incredible. (Unfortunately the sound system didn't stand a chance in comparison... But the DJ's were fine.)
Entertaining performances in the middle of the night gave tired feet a much welcomed break. But perhaps the best part about the night was the atmosphere.
It felt like a very good New Years eve party. As if on cue, dancers came more dressed up than usual. The lighting was amazing and the vibe was exhilaratingly friendly. That, combined with a crowd that drew out literally every single studio in town, made the party an epitome of the fact that it's possible to make something grand happen when all combine forces instead of feeding unhealthy competition.
Kudos to Ana and Eduardo for creating a night which Seattle will not forget for a while. Hopefully many more Saturdays like this in Habana Sodo will follow!
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