Babalu

I just realized that I've never written about this place. And since I'm not really being productive in terms of creative ideas for funny posts lately, might at least get some useful information out there. If you've never been to Babalu, and you're a Salsa dancer, make sure you go visit. There is no reason you shouldn't -- it's free on Wednesday nights (make sure you support them though, Salsa nights almost closed down once already! Don't let it happen again).

The atmosphere at the small lounge is warm, cool, mysterious and exotic all at the same time -- whatever you make of it. That's the best thing about Babalu -- on Salsa nights pretty much anything goes. You won't feel out of place whether you're mega dressed up for a night out or stopping by after walking around Greenlake in your sweats. Whether it will be crowded or not can be somewhat predicted based on whether or not it's a special day -- like St. Patricks, Valentines or April Fool's. Otherwise there's no telling whether the place will be packed, empty or right at perfect balance.

The dance floor is pretty much stone tile, and although dance shoes are still your best bet, don't get too excited about pulling off multiple spins easily. And this is actually the one place where your favorite comfy Puma's won't work. (But Converse WILL.) Don't bother showing up anytime before 10:30, which is when things kinda start to get going. One warning I will give out is that if you don't know any favorite leads who are going, there is some serious risk you might end up sitting out and watching the entire night (unless it's the crowded night and everyone is out.) It is the hub of the Bravo dance team, and they generally tend to like to dance with each other and the people they know. As a result, at times those leads who are not part of the team might be reluctant to join them on the dance floor. But that's your worst case scenario.

Usually Babalu has at least a couple good leads who come for the entire night and dance with everyone. It's also a perfect place to meet up with friends if you need to talk -- it's never too loud. Or to bring a date after coffee or dinner and spend the night dancing with only them at a place where crowds of people don't generally show up to observe. It's located on 45th Street across from QFC and right next to Selena's. Technically 21+, I've never actually seen anyone check ID's at the door. But bring one anyways, just in case.

How to Kill Your Cool in 2 Minutes Or Less

Within the past couple days I’ve had a chance to witness several (unsuccessful) attempts to take me home or get my number. Not that I’m that stingy with my number. It just doesn’t go out to random strangers I’ve just met. That said, some of those attempts were totally legit, despite the fact that the attempters walked away with no new digits in their devices. Others, on the other hand, provided some wonderful material for a new post! Surprisingly, the amount of cuteness the attempters possessed did not directly correlate with the amount of suave. One hot face who had potential to work the room in any way he wanted managed to kill his cool in under 30 seconds! If you’re tired of girls throwing themselves at you and need advice on how to appear like a total idiot, read on!

1. To prepare for the ultimate kill, previously to talking to the girl turn a normally/potentially unobtrusive dance (like a Salsa) into a grinding fest.

2. Come up to the girl, look her up and down while biting half your lip, and tell her how fine/hot/sexy she is, embellishing it with ample cussing.

3. Say it as dramatically as you can. Use all of your theatrical experience learned to date!

4. After you notice a disgusted look on the girls face, keep talking! Mumble your words (either because you’re too drunk or because you’re too lazy to learn English) so she can’t understand half the things you’re saying.

5. Don’t leave her alone even after she’s physically tried to position herself away from you.

6. When the girl responds to your invitation/phone number request with a solid “No,” attempt to change her mind.

7. Tell her that you are a great guy. As if she can’t tell by now on her own.

8. If that fails, tell her that she will be sorry and might miss out.

9. If she says that she has a boyfriend, claim that she is lying. Clearly you are the only man on earth who finds her attractive.

10. If, in an attempt to get you away, her friend tells you that she’s married (gracias amigo ;), use the opportunity to prove to the world that you’re an ultimate creep: look into her eyes deeply, unnaturally and aggressively and dramatically tell her in front of everyone that they’re the most gorgeous eyes you’ve ever seen. Bite your lip, look her up and down once again and show the biggest look of sorrow on your face that you can manage.

11. Walk away not realizing that you’ve just made a complete fool of yourself.

12. Repeat as needed.

Selena's

A few of you might have wondered where the heck I disappeared to on Saturday nights. And the answer to that is “Selena’s” – the hotspot of Seattle’s rapidly expanding Cuban Salsa scene. (Is it just me, or did it go from just a handful of happy individuals doing Casino Rueda by Gasworks on Sundays to a packed weekly schedule of activities and events in just under a year?! But then again, I might have been oblivious while dealing with the drama on the L.A. side of things… I wish I stuck with that Rueda last summer!)

The first time I stepped into Selena’s it felt like being in another city. Heck. Another country! I knew almost no one except the girl that I came with, and everything felt different. The people were different. The music was different. The atmosphere was different. And of course, the dance itself was different as well. Knowing that it’s best to observe before you conquer, I proceeded to try and figure out who keeps the rhythm well. But smiling at my carefully selected victims didn’t help – Cuban salseros turned out to be a tight community in which you have to KNOW people. (Working on it!) So I ended up dancing with a couple of the familiar leads who have migrated over from Century for most of the night. Then the girl I came with got bored, so I felt it was my duty to find us both suitable leads to dance with. What ensued was an evening of giving the randomest people a chance and introducing them to one another if they happened to be decent dancers. Not too bad for a first time in an unfamiliar city. Oh wait. This was still Seattle.

Why do I keep going back? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a challenge of adjusting to an unfamiliar situation. Maybe it’s the fact that I get to meet new people every time, which I love. It’s probably also the fact that I fell in love with Cuban style of Salsa. I know that most people who started dancing L.A. style don’t like Cuban. But at this point I’d have to say that I love both about the same! There’s something playful about the dance that this style brings out. It’s the way the movement flows with both dancers going off of each other’s inertia vs. a lead just spinning a follow around. It seems more natural somehow. Less formal. Easygoing. Rhythmical. Relaxed.

If I made you at least a little curious, feel free to join the fun on Saturday nights. Selena’s will be my spot for a while…

An Update on When I'll Be Back to Writing

I can’t get back to consistent writing because the thoughts occupying my mind have been all about love, heartbreak, etc. Actually let me rephrase that. I can’t get back to blogging. Because I’ve been writing consistently – every day there is a page or even two created that helps me sort through feelings and emotions. Through confusion and clarity. Through guilty happiness and liberating heartbreak. Through letting go and getting attached. But the contents of those pages just aren’t for everyone to see – I wish they were. Maybe one day they will. When all the events will pass and nobody will care anymore about those feelings and emotions. Or at least when I won’t care if people find out. I’m sure we’ve all been there… So hang in there my wonderful faithful blog-reading Salseras and Salseros patiently awaiting another post – I’m sure I’ll soon come up with an entertaining topic and relate all the hilarious details of it to the world.

(Please keep in mind that the dramatic elements added to this paragraph are solely for literary enhancement and I am not actually THAT heartbroken or in love. :)

What Does SSS Stand for?

If you're reading this blog, it is likely that you have recently received invitations from some entity called the SSS for mixers, game nights, and dinners. And you've probably wondered what the heck IS the SSS? Seattle's Secret Service? Super Smart Solutions?

The SSS is Seattle's Salsera's Sisterhood (often referred to as simply "The Sisterhood"). It exists to bring unity to the follows of Seattle's Salsa scene, and is therefore open to any follow dancing in Seattle. Since there is normally no reason for any of us follows to talk to each other off the dance floor, it's often difficult to connect. But we all know that friendship between women is as important as men's attention. After all, a guy will never readily hand you over some double sided tape when your top is unexpectedly falling off the places on your body where it hypothetically was supposed to stay through the night.

Although I haven't been able to make any of the events yet, the wall of the group is covered with positive responses, and the people I've talked to about this say nothing but good things about the Sisterhood. Being able to mingle in an open environment off the dance floor makes dancing so much more enjoyable on it. The Sisterhood will also periodically sponsor Mixers -- events where both follows AND leads are welcome. That, of course, leaves much room for confusion, so leads, beware! Make sure you read the descriptions for the open-for-everyone events carefully and don't show up to find yourself in a house full of girls! (Not that you wouldn't love that... :)

Salsa and Soccer

So the answer to a question posed to me on several occasions now, that I couldn't quite procure before, came to me suddenly today while I was browsing some Salsa videos on google. The question was "Why don't you like it when guys use their feet/legs to lead a girl into a move?" Many a time while sharing the most miscellaneous thoughts about leads with leads I had to bring up this dislike. But I could never really figure out a reason why. Well today it came screaming at me loud and clear!

One of the comments under a Salsa video with lots of foot leading read "The guy was playing soccer wit her!" Which is exactly how some of us girls feel when we are "lead" in such a way!!! We feel like a soccer ball. And it's not a good feeling. A soccer ball is kicked, passed around, and rolled on the ground. No girl EVER wants to feel like that! Granted my opinion might change as I learn how to do more advanced moves or simply get used to the idea that it's appropriate to lead this way on the floor. But for now, I would like to never be lead like this, and the answer to WHY i feel this way feels extremely good to finally find!

Good Old Halo

After taking a week long break from dancing and narrowly escaping the temptation of the Seattle Salsa Congress, I stepped into good old Halo, where I was planning on staying for a couple of hours to get my exercise. I was shocked to see numerous leads who attended the congress back on Monday to dance with us, mere mortals, who did not participate in the magnificent ritual. I, myself, was hoping to catch the end of congress on Sunday night, after coming back from a weekend visit to Portland. But it was not to be. Delayed by holiday traffic, I arrived home to find that I am sick with something. Whether it was a flu, a cold, or plain old allergies, I do not know. What I do know is that I had zero energy for anything but getting into bed and passing out. Luckily, that did the trick, and on Monday morning I was miraculously back to good health. But unfortunately Salsa Congress was no more...

But good old Halo was still there. So there I went, determined to dance with all the beginners who came to practice. I don't know why or how, but there were no beginners there. From the beginning to the end (two hours my butt... I ended up staying until 10:30) every single lead that asked me was awesome. I did not have a SINGLE bad dance and I danced every song except one. So here's a well-kept secret that needs to come out: if you want to partake in some good dancing without being influenced by the drama of the scene, come to Halo! Distracted by the many newly discovered places to dance at, I've put Halo on the back burner for a while. But coming back to it after getting a taste for all other venues made it just so much sweeter. I'm never leaving again!