Teaser Video -- SE7EN : Mumbai's 1st Latin Dance Theatre

Mumbai's 1st Latin Dance Theatre

Acting & Dancing -- Dance Theatre

Even if you sit on a chair telling a story you are dancing... No big leaps and kicks, but the minimalist kind of dance. The glances, the breathing, hands gesturing, toes twitching. Using the body as a medium to express, the whole body, the whole being of the storyteller is involved in the story.

We always communicate with our body as well as speech even in everyday life, and our body can sometimes betray us or contradict our words.

In storytelling we try to control this movement, to support our story. It can be as simple a thing as trying not to twitch nervously even if we are terrified sometimes with stage fright. However in a dance theatre we amplify our actions to convey every emotion and every bit of the story only through dance, no words. Dance speaks a language of its own, where movement mirrors the fierceness of words.

Baile -de- Salón through its dance theatre production offers a positive environment where every student is made aware of their individual capabilities, enabling them to strive for excellence to the very best of their abilities. We, in turn, will challenge and always strive to make a positive contribution to the lives of our students. We will achieve this by giving students the individualized guidance and attention to which they are entitled; while instilling the value of the culture and music through hard work, discipline, and artistry.

The little dove invites you to dance…

You may take a hundred lessons, practice your spins and stalk the mirror with those fancy shines, but real Salsa needs Soul…nothing is perfect or will ever be, but it won’t matter if you feel it. Sound. Music. Dance. Expression. Passion. Salsa…that’s my word association for you.

Appreciating Salsa music requires an acquired taste, unfortunately the language eludes me (have to, have to, have to learn Spanish)

Not many hoarders** understand that music is the soul of dance. For your dance to look great you need to know the music…let every dance be different…listen to every instrument, every syncopation, and every change the melody brings.

Most dancers are just using the percussion to keep their timing in check, hammering combination after combination. Ditto with the Salsa Sluts*** who are just looking for the big beats to hit their 1,3,5,7s.

The one song that changed my “ear” is La Palomilla (primarily what the title says). It’s an amazing soft and soulful (not to be mistaken as slow) Salsa track with amazing vocals by Joe Cuba. The first minute is relatively medium paced and soft with great backing chorus, then the tempo takes off. The mélange of rhythm that hits you from 1:33 till 2:03 is just brilliant. You have to SHINE here, no way out. The song picks up again and gradually starts slowing down in the last 15 seconds.

For me La Palomilla sums up what a smooth Salsa track should be, varying tempo, a solid 30 second instrumental jam session and great vocals. Want to check how good your Salsa is, then give the dove a chance.

Hoarders** people who want to do new partner work every single class, without making the effort to remember / apply previous tutorials.

Salsa Sluts*** absolute Salsa-holics who will Salsa to anything and everything from Country music to Trance

My Observations on the Dance Floor: Part II -- Playing “Catch me if you can” with Counts !

The most basic requirement to dance Salsa or any other dance style for that matter is to understand / appreciate the music and its rhythm.

Not understanding music is like speaking a language without understanding its grammar & not understanding the rhythm is like bad grammar coupled with a bad accent!

Note: these observations are specific only to the Mumbai salsa scene (may also be applicable to the Delhi & Bangalore salsa scene), with the assumption that 99.97% of Mumbai’s Salseros dance ON1, 0.03% dance the Cuban Salsa and ON2 is as common as caviar.

Drop in at any Salsa social in Mumbai and it’s easy to spot 3 different musical errors.

1. Dancers Can’t keep up to the Count: The beginners usually would agree with this, where keeping up to the music seems like a challenge. It could be either because the men may not be able to offer timely leads or the lady could be slower on her execution, worst still – both have issues. They do seem to be on count sometimes but that’s because the music catches up with them.

2. Count can’t keep up to the Dancers: The thrill for some is in dancing real fast, trying out fancy combinations. The adrenaline rush gets them dancing faster than what the song proposes. Quite a few advanced dancers are guilty of this crime, but they do manage to get back on track as soon as the fancywork ends…umm if you ever catch me off-count, this is why :)

3. Me against the Music: These dancers are primarily the ones who do not understand the difference between counts ONE and FIVE. I have seen many newbies + veterans, instructors and xplosive dancers dancing on FIVE! constantly!! This is the most common of mistimed sights on the floor. I guess they only pay attention to the tumbao rhythm and get confused between counts.

Dancing off count is no excuse whether you’re a newbie or Salsa pro, the worst part is most people don’t care, they just want to be seen on the floor. Some instructors are to be blamed as well- you don’t need to spend hours explaining musical instruments and their rhythms but before people start off they need to have a basic sense of understanding of musicality. Dance forever will remain indebted to music from where it evolves and both dance and music are representatives of a culture, if you can't respect one you can respect none.

My Observations on the Dance Floor: Part I -- The 80:20 Ratio

Stepping in for a Salsa social is a nightmare for beginners and a sure-shot recipe to lose all your confidence. But there is a lot that goes into perfecting the intricate combinations and making it look effortless and sensual on the floor.

Note: these observations are specific only to the Mumbai Salsa scene (may also be applicable to the Delhi & Bangalore salsa scene)

80% of the men on the floor have been dancing for an average of 3 years + (most of these are instructors themselves)

20% have been dancing for less than 3 years.

That’s a lot of dancing experience under the sole. No ones got great overnight. These guys have been at it consistently. They have put in a lot of time effort and sweat to become enviable.

80% of the women have been dancing for less than 6 months !!!

20% have stuck around beyond that time frame.

Yes, it’s the exact opposite. I can’t pin point what it is. While it’s the same men you will see at all salsa parties, the women mostly keep moving in & out. I don’t know whether they get bored / move on to other exciting things (you can’t skydive every week though), get married / change jobs or simply stop coming because their boyfriends / husbands don’t like to see them getting groovy with other men.

The other 20% are veteran Salseras who will ensure they make time from all other commitments to get their regular dose of Salsa.

Well, it all comes down to commitment and practise, like any other skill. You will fumble initially, may be embarrass yourself but it will be all worth it if you hang on. You decide which side of the 80:20 ratio you want to be on.

The First Dance

One of my students (name withheld) is going out dancing next week. He’s a little anxious. “She” wants to “see him dance” …that one statement’s already cut our 6 ft 3 inch friend down to size. Our friend here has just completed his beginners’ level, whereas his friend is an Intermediate level salsera…

It’s a predicament many a first time “social” dancers’ experience, and a reminder for those who are not. So let’s just quickly put things into perspective………

Before the Dance:

Goes without saying ensure comfortable / appropriate clothing & footwear and take care of the hygiene factors (refer note on Dance Hygiene).

The Music:

The average Salsa track lasts for about 4 to 6 minutes. It’s only going to last for a couple of minutes, but it’s a challenge nonetheless and more than enough for your partner to pass judgments…If you want to ensure that your partner leaves satisfied after the dance, try and inculcate an approach towards the partner.

When you’re out on the floor with a partner, firstly try to connect with the music….get the flavor, the tempo of the song. Start out with a couple of basics….it will help you figure out how your partner moves. I always tell the men, “hold the lady confidently”…even if you are not, it makes the dance easier for both.

Not all songs have a standard tempo, see how you can play around with combinations depending on the tempo and the mood of the song. If a slow track is being played see if you can make it exciting by varying dancing speed without compromising on timing. If it’s a fast track then you have no other option but to literally think on your feet.

If you are familiar with the song, use it to your advantage by timing combinations/stops/shines/drops etc. to coincide with the music/ lyrics.

The Partner:

Smile and make eye contact with your partner. Remain focused on your partner while you are dancing. Be aware of how they are moving and how you can synchronize the moves and combinations.

Always dance at your partner’s level. The goal is for both individuals to have fun and to dance together and not outdo each other or show off how much better you are than your dancing partner.

Personal Space:

Be aware that not everyone is comfortable dancing close to someone that he or she might not know of. When leading, you should try to sense how much space your partner needs. Respect the space that she or he is comfortable with and dance within that distance.

The Dance:

Salsa is a pretty intense and complicated dance. You run the risk of getting tired too soon and also run out of combinations. One needs to pace the dance out, build the speed gradually. Start with basic moves and turn patterns, test the waters. Never try out complicated combinations – One, If you are not confident/ have just recently learned them, Two, if you are dancing with someone new.

The beauty of the dance is you can do the simplest of moves yet make it look different every time, there are 14 permutations and combinations (that I can think of) just for the simple spot turns !

The relatively complicated/ stylized combinations are to be used midway between the dance. If you intend on using dips and tricks in between, try to keep them relatively simple and leadable so that it’s easier to get back to the combinations with minimum recovery time.

If the track is long or if you are going to dance over a couple of songs with the same partner, it’s advisable to have some solo time as well. Use the various shines we practice in class, with dollops of styling. Again, your attitude and confidence is far more important than what you actually execute. Trying shines without ‘the’ attitude is like hearing a person speak with a fake snazzy accent without his grammar in place.

The idea is to be prepared, not over prepared. Do not try to memorize sequences and plan the entire dance out. It’s a social dance, relax and enjoy. It’s all that matters in the end……

Hope our friend does well at his first salsa-social. Will keep you posted :)