Donate to the Iraq Salsa Pack

Did you know that salsa is hot in Iraq? I didn't either, until I received an email from a student of mine that got stationed over there. When I saw the pictures, it really moved me. The thought of our troops using salsa to take their minds off their trouble reminded me what salsa is really all about... having fun, feeling alive, and being free.

No matter what your situation is, no matter what kind of sh*t you are going through, when you dance salsa, for those few minutes your are on the dance floor, everything is ok.

So, I decided I had to do something to help that feeling last a little longer. I'm going to send a big care package over to the troops. I want to include CD's, DVD's, snacks, and all kinds of stuff. If you are interested in donating something, please let me know. You can email me at rob (at) montereysalsa.com. I'm particularly looking for good music to send out there.

I'm not a non-profit organization, so I can't promise you a tax break or anything. But I will promise you that anything you donate WILL GO to the troops in Iraq. Even if no one else donates anything, I'm still going to make a box and send it over there myself. But, it would be so cool to let them know that there were other people that appreciated them.

So, if you are interested in contributing something, let me know. I will make sure that your name and a message from you is included when I send the package. And, I'm also going to put up a special page to commemorate the people that decide to donate something. So, I'm putting it out there and asking for your help right now.

Far away, in the desert, there are soldiers that were sent by our country to do a very dangerous mission. Regardless of how you feel about that mission, the fact is, they answered the call, and they are in harms way. One of the only bright spots that they have right now is salsa dancing. So, lets do something to make that light a little brighter. Let's HOOK THEM UP with so much salsa goodness they'll forget all about that war. At least for a moment.

Donate something to the Iraq Salsa Pack.

You can contact me here if you want to participate:

email: rob (at) montereysalsa.com
phone: 310-928-1392

Trouble on the Dance Floor

It started out like an ordinary night. We headed to the club, met up with some friends, and then waited through hours of cumbia until the salsa finally started.

Orquesta Rumba Cafe was playing, and as usual, they were giving a good performance. Some locals had complained to me that Rumba Cafe always played the same salsa songs. But, I wasn't complaining. I hadn't been dancing regularly for months. The fact that I could hear a band at all was a gift. The salsa they were playing was HOT. And I was loving it.

It looked like the band was, too, because as the night went on, they started playing more and more salsa. But, during a set break, the DJ started playing reggaeton. And that's when it all started going wrong.

I don't dance reggaeton or bachata, not because I have anything against those dances, but because I dont think my wife would appreciate me freak dancing at the club while she was home with the kids. When she's singing, I have similar types of expectations for her, so I try to honor my side of the deal when I'm out dancing salsa.

Anyway, the reggaeton is on, we're sitting around at the table, and some of the posse starts having fun by clowning and dancing in their seats. It was all in good fun. Unfortunately, it attracted the attention of a table full of drunk guys around the way.

Without getting lost in the details, lets just say that these guys asked some of my friends to dance. My friends agreed. The guys then proceeded to grope them, at which point things got ugly.

A Note to the Gentlemen. When a lady walks off the dance floor, do not grab her and try to restrain her. It won't end well for you. If she doesnt create an absolute spectacle that forces the bouncers to kick you out, then her friends will notice and end up doing it for you. That's pretty much what happened at Gemini on Sunday night.

Afterwards, I was fairly shocked. In the many years I've been going to Gemini on and off, I've never had a problem like that. I've never even SEEN that type of stuff go down. But, I guess given enough time, the law of averages catches up with you.

I can't say it was a total loss tho. It added a little bit of spice to an otherwise ordinary night. And, it almost gave me a chance to combine the two things I love to do - jiu jitsu and salsa. At any rate, Gemini is still the best salsa night in town, and I refuse to let a couple of jerks ruin my favorite spot. So, next weekend, you can bet we'll be back. See you on the dance floor!

Cuban Salsa Rules

People always ask me what style I dance. Because I usually dance on 1, they think it's LA. But when they see me move, they realize its way too circular for LA style. No one ever mistakes me for an on 2 dancer, even when I dance on 2. Seems like you have to be a bit effeminate to really look good on 2. So, what then?

Well, the truth is, I've always been a fan of Cuban style. To me, there is nothing better. The raw power and vigor of their dance totally destroys a lot of the sissy dancing you see in the more westernized forms... and I'm talking about everyone here.

You can get mad at me if you want to. But I'm not knocking your style. I'm just giving you a look at the world through my eyes. I dont dance salsa to look pretty. I don't do it to glide across the floor. I don't do it to socialize. I dance salsa to feel power coursing through my body. I dance salsa to feel alive. I dance salsa to get high. I've bunji jumped before. It was kinda thrilling. I'd rather dance salsa.

I might like watching salsa, but there's nothing to watch. I've seen all the competitions around from both coasts and overseas, and I haven't seen anything to get excited about in years. Last year I gave away my salsa collection of 300+ HOURS of footage because there was nothing in it to see. Out of that vast horde, I kept three tapes. All cuban.

It's gotten to the point that, if there are performances at an event, I make sure not to show up until they are over. Because, for the most part, watching that sh*t is a complete waste of time. If I wanted to watch people trying to dance, I'd teach a class.

But you know what?

...all it takes to get my heart POUNDING is some leaked footage from Cuba. Seeing real Cuban dancers doing their thing... its like finding out that the light has not yet gone out of this world. A few years ago, scientists discovered that a prehistoric fish that was previously thought extinct was actually alive in the waters off of Africa. The discovery sent shockwaves through the scientific community.

That's how I feel about Cuban style.

You want to see what I mean, take a look at this video below. Total. Annihilation. Forget that stuff you see on TV, this is what real dancing looks like. A little too flashy? Yes. A little rough around the edges? Hell yeah. But RAW!

I'm not saying cuban style is perfect. I'm not saying on 1 or on 2 sucks. All I'm saying is that if you judged a dance style by the amount of adrenaline it produces, then cuban style would own all others by a keg. I know I'm going to catch hell for speaking my mind. All I can say is bring it. But watch this video first, and tell me I'm wrong.

Chess Nerds Battle At Salsa Club

This is straight comedy... Britain's chess grandmaster Danny Gormally became upset and punched world No. 3 Levon Aronian after the Armenian champion had a raunchy salsa dance with Ms Caoili (some 19 year old chess prodigy) at a nightclub following a day of competition at the World Chess Olympiad.

New Web Site Up!!!

You may have noticed that I haven't been on this in a few days. Well, it's because I've been working on my new site... Salsa.Feedba.CC If you want to stay in touch with salsa news from around the world, this is the BEST way to do it! 24 hour updates, an ever-increasing database of articles, and an intelligent mining algorithm... this site has it all. I worked really hard on it, and I hope that you like it and find it useful. Check it out, and let me know what you think. Visit...

http://Salsa.Feedba.cc - The PULSE of the Salsa World!

FREE Salsa Music Trick

Okay, this is kind of cheating, but if you want to get some free music from Fania, here's how you can do it. After I wrote my last article, I checked out the company that bought them... eMusic. Well, eMusic is an mp3 seller, kind of like iTunes and Rhapsody. So, like most mp3 places, I figured they probably have a free trial offer.

Well, I looked it up, and lo and behold, I found this promotion: Get 25 FREE Music Downloads for your iPod® or any MP3 player! The fine print said:

Start downloading your FREE MP3s today and take two weeks to decide if you like eMusic. If you're not 100% satisfied simply cancel before your trial period ends and you'll never pay a dime. Keep the 25 FREE MP3s as a gift just for checking out eMusic.

I've tried other music services, but sometimes the Salsa selection is limited. But these are the guys releasing the Fania Catalog!!! So, if you want to get some old school salsa music for free, this is the ticket. Just sign up for the trial, download the songs, and then if you don't like it, cancel. Enjoy!

Fania Records... Rising from the Ashes

If you haven't heard of Fania records, you aren't really a salsa dancer yet. This pivotal label was responsible for the career of some of the biggest salsa music artists in history.

In fact, the label cemented its place in salsa music history to many by being called "The Motown Of Salsa". Describing Fania's relationship with salsa, Pulse writer Ernesto Lechner says:

How many record companies can claim helping to define an entire genre? The Fania label did that and much more. It brought the word salsa, a late 20's Cuban import, to the mainstream. It launched the careers of Ruben Blades and Ray Barretto. It made Celia Cruz popular again. And through its many imprints and label acquisitions, it has given the world of the Afro-Cuban music more than a thousand albums of addictively spicy dance music.

Well, since eMusic started re-rerelasing the catalog, sales have started to pick up again. Could this lead to a resurgence of old school salsa? We can only hope! But it is gratifying that the people re-releasing these Fania albums understand their roles:

"We take our responsibility very seriously," said Giora Breil, partner and senior vice president of marketing for Emusica. "Fania is an American manifestation of the Latin cultural contribution. It goes beyond something good to listen to. This music was a cultural force that resounded around the world."

Amen to that!