I'm not HERE anymore.....kapish?

It's come to my attention that a few readers have been looking for new content here and have been surprised that nothing new seems to be going up.

Well, nothing new is going up here and the reason is because I don't write here anymore. For the last few months now I've had a new blog over at a slightly different address....here.

This new blog is on "Typepad.com and the reason I went there was because I saw some formating options I liked better than Blogger.....mainly to do with pictures. I'm paying about 15$@ month at Typepad but I think it's worth it. However, Blogger is still a great place to get started if you're new to blogging.

Over the next several weeks I'm going to be taking the better posts from Blogger and copying them over to typepad. I figure there's probably 3 or 4 people who haven't seen them.....so a little re-hashing ought to be OK (sorta like reissuing a movie or a book :-)

Run Salseros! Stop!

While some of you were getting ready to make your trip to San Antonio, I went to bed early for my 5K Rodeo Run. I was cold, drenched, and hungry, but I made it to the finish line! My friend took this picture and I am the one in the middle, grinning from ear to ear. The event raised $140,000 for the Houston Livestock Show Educational Fund! I was glad to be a part of it. Do I feel pain? Not me, that run was a warm-up.

This will be my last post on this blog. Art has set us up on another one. So, come on over!

http://wanderingsalsero.typepad.com/wanderingsalsero/ Sorry, unable to put link on there. Art has it on his post.

Eddys' good folks up at Texas Two Steppers.

Eddy's got a beginners class up on FM 1960 at Texas Two Steppers. It's only 4 people but they're good folks. I substituted for him last Wednesday night. Here the post about it (over on Typepad :-)

Stand By Your Statue!

This is immediately hilarious! I gotta start doing this tool......but maybe with some sort of WanderingSalsero twist. Hmmmmmm....lemme think now.... 

More on the Typepad "WanderingSalsero"

Here's the URL: http://wanderingsalsero.typepad.com/wanderingsalsero/

Yeah, I know the name's a little long. I think that last 'wanderingsalsero' is because of something I did accidentally when I was setting it up. Maybe I can change it later.

I'm still tinkering with it. There are three issues I have help tickets in for right now but haven't heard back from them yet. You should see how HUGE thier help section is. It's monstrous. I still think I'm going to like it and you will too. It does seem to have noticably more flexibility in design and layout.

Matter of fact, the more I think about it, I wonder if blogger, as long as it's free, could logically be expected to have as many features as a blog that has some associated cost to it. I mean, you just can't expect something for nothing can you?

Maybe for awhile but not for long.

I think that I'm going to start putting most, if not all, of my posts over there but I'm still not ready to ask Eddy to change the link from his site. In the meantime, I'll probably just put links here that'll take you to the typepad blog.

As usual....your comments are invited and appreciated.

Why are the clubs so slow?

I don't know for sure. Only thing I can think of is that there are more of them than there are of us.....sorta like 'more bread but the same amount of butter'.

The situation still changes almost monthly doesn't it? I think that West Side is down to just 2 Sundays a month now. I hardly ever hear anybody talking about Elvias anymore (although I'm sure they'll always have their own unique crowd). Rumba Club isn't nearly as popular as it used to be. There's the new club Monoco (which I'll be checking out this coming Wednesday).

I do know one thing. People act (i.e. do stuff) either to gain a benefit or avoid a loss. If peoples' actions change.....there's a reason. What would cause a patron to leave a club and start attending another? What are they looking for that they didn't find in the first club?

I can't articulate it precisely but I know it's got something to do with the social side of dancing culture. What else could it be? There's not that much difference in any of the other factors. Everybody's got pretty much the same drinks, the same Cokes, the same bathrooms, the same parking, even the same music (although I still think Chibcha has the best music).

What makes a club unique, in the long term, is the social 'environment' and the way those factors are combined and (yes, even) manipulated. It's unique because people are all unique and the combinations and permutations are endless.

It'll probably never happen but I think that clubs ought to have some sort of 'social director'. Sorta like the Director at a U.S.O. Club (where I used to work when I was in Vietnam). The director, and the staff, ought to make it a point to greet, circulate and get to know the patrons....make'em feel appreciated and special. People won't leave a club where they feel special.

And....yeah, rueda again. I remember how much fun we had at Club 112 rueda nights. Seemed like we were all the time sucking innocent bystanders into the circle. And they always had fun.

Club 112 was kinda unique. It was usually a bit chilly, the floor sometimes was a little sticky, and it seemed to have a slant toward the bayou (maybe that was for drainage..I dont know :-), and it was 'downtown'.

I remember that one night we had over 40 people there...beginners and intermediate level.....and I think that potential still exists. I don't know whether it was rueda itself or if it might have been the unique dynamic duo of Solomom and Rocio that broght people down there....but they did come. The sad thing is that there just weren't enough people coming in to watch.

I'm convinced that if somebody was doing rueda lesson in a club that wasn't so hidden away (like Club 112 was) that it would be a big attraction and would be good for the club too. I'd be real curious to know what the rueda dynamic (i.e. the agendy, schedule, environment) is in the Miami clubs where I hear rueda is very common. Perhaps somebody somewhere out there in reader-land could make a comment and tell me.

Anyway, the connection I see between this club patronage situation and rueda is that I think rueda could be a good thing for the social side of salsa. Somebodys' just got to assume some leadership. You know, they say that ' if you keep doing the same thing...the same thing will happen.' So I wish we could get together and actually 'do' something different.....as opposed this endless 'club-of-the-month- thing.

Worth getting upset about?

You decide.

Here's an email I got from Rocio recently:

Dearest Salsa community,

Your assistance it needed

Yesterday on the front page of the Chronicle there was an article about the health risks of being in night clubs because the chemicals in the air from cigarette smoke. A doctor from MD Anderson is trying to get Bill White to include night clubs and bars in his new city wide ban on smoking.
If you can get all the Salsa dancers you know to write our mayor, you will probably decrease the risk of cancer in the community and improve the health of your friends! You might remind friends that spending one stamp and a few minutes now is immensely easier than spending time in chemotherapy later!

The mayor's address is

Mayor Bill White
City of Houston
P.O. Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251

mayor@cityofhouston.net

PHONE: 713.247.2200

If you want to send a form letter that people can copy and paste, you could send this one:

Dear Mayor White,

Please help my friends and I dance without increasing our risk of medical complications and cancer. Please include night clubs in your new smoking ban for our fair city!
Gratefully,

Well, I don't smoke either and I don't like people blowing smoke in my face but I usually also don't mind telling them to stop it. Furthermore, I personally haven't been bothered by smoke in clubs. But I know some people who apparently are more sensitive to it and have commented on it.

So for that reason I suppose Rocio has a good idea and a worthy cause. Most salsa dancers don't smoke.

But wait a minute!

You wanna get the 'red ass' about something? What about all the loud music we have to put up with? There's something where the solution is right before our noses......i.e. the club managers right there at the time it happens. We all know what that kind of loudness does to the ears of rock musicians over time so what makes us think it's not going to have the same effect on us?

I can't count the times I've noticed the music too loud.....I've asked several people if they noticed it too.....they say, 'Yeah, a little.'........but very very seldom will anyone say anything to the club manager about it. A quick and easy solution right there in front of their noses and they won't stick up for their rights as a consumer.

Point is, if you want to exercise your rights.....why not exercise all of them? Go ahead and write the mayor and while you're at it, why not mention that you think the music is a bit loud in some of these clubs too. I don't know exactly how legal it would be but it seems to me that sound levels are measurable enough that there certainly could be some sort of standard. City councils regulate stuff like that all the time.

Update on agenda at Chibcha

Looks like we're finally going to start learning some reuda. Our plans are that next Thursday me, Jules, Wilson and three ladies are going to meet there 30 minutes early to start learning and practicing some rueda. Of course it's just a start but at least we're finally moving in the direction that was our original intention.

If you want to participate, you're welcome, but bring a partner or be prepared to wait and see if a potential partner turns up for you(which can't be guaranteed). We'll start promptly at 8pm....next Thursday at Chibchas.

Otherwise, the regular lessons will continue. Class size has ranged from 14-28 people and classes typically have been running until around 10pm. Club management isn't paying us anything for it but they are happy that we're putting some 'bodies' on the premises. For them, it 'looks' better that way.

If my friend Cristina turns up, that'll be an extra lady for somebody like maybe....Victor (if he comes). I'll be calling Cristina today to tell her the latest news and see if she wants to participate (originally, she did).

Celia...this might be an opportunity for you?

If any of you salseros or salseras was to 'put your name in the hat' I'll try to match you up as names come in. Call me at 281 236 2852.

Talk to salseros anywhere in the world....cheap!

For you penny pinchers out there, you might like this. Looks like the VOIP thing has taken another step forward for people who like to use the telephone a lot. Especially for international calls. 

Rueda....recognize fun when you see it?

Sometime in the near future (probably this weekend) I'm going to initiate a series of posts that'll feature video clips of rueda. I'm convinced that there's a lot of people who would like rueda if they simply had a better idea of what it was.

The fact is, there are other cities (and not just in Miami) where rueda is very popular and big. Through some series of events and catalysts that I'm not entirely clear on (otherwise I'd try to duplicate it myself :-) the community in those cities has gotten infected with the excitment of rueda. Therefore I'm going to do as much as I can to give you a glimpse of what it's all about.

Here's a site I found this morning. What struck me about the video clip they have is the variety of ages and ethnicities I observed......and they appear to really abe whooping it up! See for yourself.

And don't forget that we're supposed to be having several rueda classes at this deal up at Lake Conroe that Eddy and Tony are doing. Don't miss it.

P.S. I haven't had the time to post much lately because I've been heading up to Conroe/Woodlands for training in the new job I've got selling yellow pages advertising. If you know anybody up in the Montgomery County are who has a business to promote, our rates in the new book that's coming out in about 3 months are at least 30%-60% cheaper than the other books that are up there......and ours is much prettier and more user friendly.

This is Rudy Gonzalez

Meet Rudy Gonzalez.

I think I first met Rudy back in one of the Cosalda classes. That was over a year ago and he's had a busy life since then. In spite of recenty getting through a divorce, he's still managed to be very successful in the swimming pool business and dance for awhile with Cosalda dance company. Rudy's as nice a guy as you'd want to meet and does go 'out'...usually to Tropicana.

I saw Rudy at Eddys' Afro-Cuban class and we did an interview after the class which for some darn reason I didn't get recorded properly. This technology can be very frustrating sometimes.

Anyway, say hello to Rudy next time you see him and, if you're a lady, ask him to dance. He's good. 

Afro Cuban Part 2.......Eddys' class

Finally, here's the pics I got from Eddys' Afro Cuban class. Nothing too special but it does indicate that a LOT of people were interested in the subject. Like I said in post #1 regarding Edgars' class, the Afro-Cuban stuff is something that is deceptivly simple. Easy in some ways but hard in others.

I noticed that there was a real assortment of people there. People form many different areas of the salsa community. Several of Eddys' regular students like me, Steve, Roberta, and Cory...but also Steve and Daniel from SSQQ (they're the new salsa instructors over there) as well as a lot of people I'd never even seen before. I suspect they might have been from some of Eddys other classes.


Just a few of the approximately 30+ people who took Eddys' Afro-Cuban 1 hour class Sunday.

And a few more......

Steve was there too......

And a few more. There's Steve up front and in back of him, in the white shirt, is Danielle. They're the new salsa instructors over at SSQQ.

And here's our final group shot......30+ of us. A good class for only 10$. Eddy plans on doing some more of these specialized classes every month. 

Sorry I couldn't get better illumination for these pictures. That little pea-shooter of mine just doesn't put out the 'lumes'. If Amy'd been there, the pic would have been better.

All in all, last weekend was a blatent testimonial to all the quality of the teaching talent we've got here in Houston...i.e. with not one, but two Afro-Cuban workshops. Edgars' on Saturday and Eddys' on Sunday. Not to mention the somewhat surprising fact that so many people were even interested.

OK....but you know what I'm wondering?

What'll be the next 'hot' style. On2 has taken root..somewhat. So has Afro-Cuban. What about (1) L.A. style and (2) rueda?

I know that some people will think I'm nuts for saying it but I remember Alicia Sanchez, that gal who was going to be Eddys' partner (but it didn't work out). Frankly, I liked her style back then and I still think it was unique. I still think there's more room on our plate for more 'hollywood' in our dancing....if it's done with style. Cosalda was good at that. But I think Alicia was better.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

West Side Dance Studio Tonight -- How long will it last?

Well, Art, it's hard to believe that I was somewhere you were not -- but I was tonight.

Back after 10 days in bed with the flu. Went over to West Side Dance Studio tonight and it paid off for me, since I danced with several guys and danced for two hours straight.

But, I probably got a lot of dances because there were only 20 people there max...(Even Solomon danced with me! lol)...Folks that had been there last week said that the crowd was even smaller then.

It's a really nice dance floor, Johnny Walden is very friendly and it's not a bar -- which I always like. But I wonder how long it will last. They couldn't have possibly done much more than break even, after paying the D.J, if they broke even.

I wonder if alot of people were over at Chibcha's. Though you'd think this dance community would be big enough to keep two places busy in the same night...but...maybe not.

Just some observations. Maybe Grammies had something to do with the poor turnout last week.

Minor, but interesting re: Denise.

Did you know that Denises' family is from Argentina? I didn't. That's interesting to me because I've recently expanded my interest in South America to Argentiana too...specifically to tango which I plan on learning in the near future.

I was watching somebody write a check to her today and they put the name "Pozzerle". That sounded Italian to me so I commented on it and (somebody) told me that she was Argentinian.....although as she expressed it, it was her 'family' that was from Argentina.

Either way, that explains where she gets a lot of that classiness that I've always thought she has. We don't hear very much about Argentina here but I am very interested in it based on what I have seen and heard. Yeah, yeah...I hear the girls are pretty too :-)

Denise apparently is helping Edgar with some of the chores of administering the affairs of Guaguanco Dance Company. I say that because I belatedly noticed that I received an email from her about this workshop:

Also, mark your calendars for the upcoming Salsa Convention Tour!!
http://www.salsadallas.com/salsaconventions.shtml

Here's Edgars' phone number too, in case anybody needs it:
Edgar at 832.814.2129

Busy Weekend For Workshops! Part 1

Amy wanted to do this post but she had some homework to do, so.......

Edgar, of Guaguanco Dance Company, had a good workshop (and made some pretty good money too!) at West Point Apartments (WPA) today. I almost didn't make it but luckily I called Amy and she reminded me that the classes did not start at 3pm like Germans' classes do.

The first class started around 1pm. It was a Beginners class. Then there was an Intermediate/Advanced at 3:15pm....where I came in. It was an hour. Then there was a 2 hour class in Afro-Cuban(I guess that's what it was called).

Actually my favorite class was the Intermediate. Even though there was only one lady there, she was very cooperative and helpful and Edgar showed us a nice little 5 part pattern along with a couple of interesting styling tips for the guys.

The Afro-Cuban(AC) class was good....I suppose. I say 'suppose' because, to me, that AC stuff, when you see it broken down...it's all really such basic body movements body movements that I always think, "I paid for...this??!!"


Edgar actually had 3 classes today (02/19/05) but I was only in 2 of them and only got this picture which is from the last class. On the fron, left to right is everybody-knows-Crystals' guy-Jerome, me (the origianal WanderingSalsero), and Mr. Guaguanco himself, Edgar. On the back row, left to right is "Standing Tall" Francisco, Mr."At Ease Troops!", Mr."Ready To Salsa Sir!", and our always-so-polite buddy Steve. .

But, one must honestly admit that regardless of how basic it really is, only a small percentage of us social dancers actually do it and sometimes it does look pretty cool. On the other side of the coin, I think it's safe to say that AC isn't hardly a part of the LA style (which I also like) at all. Around here, in Houston, Salsa Eddy is probably our biggest proponent of AC style. Rey Rodriguez does some too and also Claudia, Wilmer, Natalie and just a few others.

This was, to the best of my recollection, the first time I'd ever been in a class taught by Edgar. He passed! :-) I can tell that he is very conscious of detail and usually has a clear idea of what he wants the dance to look like. He doesn't just hop around randomly.

Another thing I recognized was that he's got a good handle on his busy schedule....i.e. he was talking about all the places he's going with his dance company and how, for example, he's going to be delegating these new Saturday workshops at WPA to Joey and Denise. To me, being able to delegate is a good business characteristic.

Here's a couple of audio generator clips I did on the way to the workshop as I was listening to a Cafe Cubana CD.

Another night at El Chibcha....

I can't say much that I haven't already said. It was OK.....and I'm starting to feel like I know more people there.

I got there at 9pm expecting to meet Adriana. She got there a little bit later. But before she did, Kim and a couple of her friends turned up so when Adriana came in I was already dancing.

So actually I felt pretty good. Just my lucky night I guess.....i.e. that I had more than enough friendly ladies to dance with.

For some reason Adriana left early. I hope she wasn't upset that I was dancing with those other girls but frankly, at Rumba Club where I dance with her a lot too, I usually get the feeling she gets bored after just a couple dances with me. So I didn't feel like anything was wrong with me not dancing with her all the time at Chibchas. I was anticipating introducing her to some other salsero friends of mine there anyway because I know she likes guys who do a lot of tricks (which I don't)

Oh well...I'll find out why she left early eventually.

In the meantime, I had a great time with Kim. We actually birthed a new move....sorta a type of 'travelling butterfly'. Kim really is a very good dancer. I like her cause she stays in one place and doesn't bounce around like a lot of girls.

Guys, I'm starting to think I was wrong about there not being enough single ladies at Chibcha. I found two 'sets' tonight...i.e. two gals at one table and three at another. I danced with both of the two and one of the three. They all danced pretty good and I had a good time.

Anyway..Kim left right before the band started to play. I sorta wanted to stay but I sorta wanted to go home too. Since I'd already had a good night I figured I'd just leave while I was still a 'winner' so I left too.

Seems to me there's a good opportunity for someone to give lessons there on Friday nights but William, who is no longer the owner but just the manager, tells me that the new owners want to wait and see if Salmerum effects their revenue positivly enough. He's just not thinking about anything else right now.

But....if you'd have an interest in doing lessons there, I can tell you that It'd probably have to be for free. Trust me on that one.

I mentioned the new owner. His name is Tony something. I met him. I think he's from Cuba. Or maybe it was Venazuela. It wasn't Nebraska...I know that. He's what you'd call 'a character'. Apparently he has quiet a diverse background. He knows that artis by the name of Godoy(which I first saw on the wall over at Cafe Miami). He also dances although he didn't dance very much when I saw him dancing.

Nevertheless, like I always do, I'd recommend introducing yourself to him if you ever go in there. It couldn't hurt.

I'll know sometime this week what kind of crowd was there tonight. William told me that their second night (i.e. for Salmerum) the attendance was down to about 270 (from the first nights' 350). That's important because obviously Chibcha won't keep a band, with the extra expense, if it's not doing anything positive for their botten line. Time will tell.

I still like Tropicana though. Rumba Club...I guess it's 'history' now. I heard some people say the crowd there hasn't been big at all. Plus, we know that they've been putting more and more hip-hop and latin rock in the music mix anyway.

Long term, Tropicana is still the undisputed champion. I'll be there tomorrow.

Oh yeah....William told me that they're thinking about opening Chibcha on Wednesday. Now that, I think, is a very good idea. That's probably the most significant piece of news I heard tonight. He said they were trying to get Salmerum to play too. Imagine that!!!

Maybe your TOP online learning resource?

Your going to LOVE me for this! Go ahead and make your day!.....by typing in "salsa dancing". I heard about this from Jim Edwards, the author of the "I Gotta Tell You" blog/newsletter. All his articles are always very interesting. 

Workshops Alert!

This coming weekend will be eventful as far as workshops go. Eddy will be giving a body movement and Afro-Cuban class this coming sunday. I have taken Eddy's spinning class and I'm sure this coming one will be just as good.

Guanguanco Dance Company will be giving workshops this Saturday. Finally! I have been keeping my hungry salsa eye on this group for awhile. You rarely hear a peep from the the first salsa company in Houston. Now that Joey and Denise are visually representing this group more people are becoming aware of its existence. Art and I want to check it out. Hope to see you guys there! If you want to know more about the workshops do a Houston SalsaWeb search, click on Dance companies, the click on Guaguanco Dance Company. Hope to see you there!

Why are there two of the same post?

Hey there Art man! Why do you keep getting duplicates of the same post? I'm getting dizzy. By the way I checked out your new site. Definitely has potential but you need more color to spiff it up:-)

I need your help....

Well, the baby has been delivered but it's still in the hospital. However...it is available for viewing now.

As many of you know, I'm in the process of trying out a new blog format and I would very much appreciate some input and opinions from you. Now that the new site is technically 'on' the net, I want to give you the URL. The actual url will be http://www.wanderingsalsero.com

As they say, it's still in Beta.....yeah, right! That means it's still a mess.

Nevertheless, the basic pieces and tools are there. I just need some help on getting'em organized in a way that is pleasing and useful to you..the readers, listeners, and (soon) the viewers. I still want the overall idea of the blog to be 'observations, opinions, and commentary...' about the salsa dance culture and lifestyle primarily in Houston, Texas but your opinions are also very valuable and important to me.

Here's some further explination:



You'll see this same audio clip over on the '.com' site too (if I can do it correctly). At this point I'm concerned with making the viewer experience as logical, simple, interesting and pretty as possible.

So that's why I'd appreciate it very much if you'd go over there, sign up as a 'member' and play with it as much as you can. Then let me know what you think about it at 281 236 2852, or 1 877 356 0398.

I'm still learning how to manage it myself so in the meantime I'll continue to make my usual posts here on the blogger format.

Thank in advance,
Art Williams
the WanderingSalsero