I started taking dancing lessons just to get by in social functions in a local franchised ballroom dance studio a couple of years ago, thinking that I would be done with it in a few months.
I enjoyed dancing so much that I ended up finishing a bronze program in social style ballroom dancing.
I stop taking lessons now because most of the students in that school don't stay beyond bronze level. It would be difficult for me to progress much in silver level if there is hardly any student of similar level to practice with.
Not that I stop dancing.
I still go to dance clubs about once or twice a month with a group of former classmates.
I would like to go out dancing more often
but it is not easy to find a regular compatible dance partner to practice with.
Anyway I recently took a salsa course in a local university but was quite disappointed with the teaching.
The teacher demonstrated the moves for a few times, then we were on our own.
The teacher didn't explain the basics in detail. In the final 3 weeks before the end of the course, there was no more new step, nor technique discussion.
We were just left there to practice on our own.
By the end of the course, I still couldn't tell know whether I was dancing Salsa or Mambo, which I learned previously.
I feel that I didn't learn salsa properly
so I would like to ask if anyone knows of any good salsa instructors or schools in Montreal area(Quebec, Canada).
Your suggestions would be most appreciated.

Tony writes:
>> When I dance Mambo, for some songs I can
>> never be sure that I start on the right
>> beat, which is 2. I don't know if it is
>> my hearing or that my internal rhythm
>> can't relate to 2.

You're not supposed to relate to 2.

This may sound sorta silly, but think about this: The number two can't exist without the number one. You can't have two of something unless you can first have one of it.

Is that a goofy concept? Well the same is true of beats: You can't have a beat two unless you first have a beat one. If there were only one beat of music in a whole song, it would be beat one, not beat two. Two is the natural result of one. Why is this silly concept important? Because it illustrates the fact that searching for the two is futile unless you first know where one is.

So... Listen up closely, because I'm only gonna say this once: Quit trying to find two, and start listening for one!

You won't find two until you have found one. In fact, you can and actually should get along nicely without ever knowing two... all you need is one.

So let's assume for the sake of argument that you can in fact locate the one beat. What now?

Well, first of all, here's what NOT to do: Do NOT look for the two beat and then break on it. If you go through life thinking of the forward break as the dominant leading action, you will always have an urge to break on 1, because your body naturally feels 1 as the dominant leading beat.

Instead, find the one beat like you would in any other dance, and do the appropriate action on that beat. What are you supposed to do on the 1 in Mambo? Stand still! The pause is the dominant leading action in Mambo.

This concept may seem awfully abstract, but it is the necessary solution for those who cannot seem to break on 2 in Mambo. Don't look for two; Just find 1 like you would in any other dance, and pause on it. When you start to conceptualize the pause as the dominant leading action, your natural sense of rhythm will start to allow you to break on 2.

If this concept is too uncomfortable, try the following four-part exercise as a crutch:

PART 1: Without dancing, listen to the music ans clap on every count one, like so: "CLAP, two, three, four...".

PART 2: When you feel comfortable with this, take it a step further: Clap on beat one, but then march in place on beats two, three and four, like so: "CLAP, march, march, march". But be careful... you must not march on beat one. When you clap, the feet should be still.

PART 3: The next step would be to substitute the Mambo basic for the three marches in place: "CLAP, forward, replace, together, CLAP, back, replace, together". What you're doing here is always keeping that clap as the dominant action in your mind, associating it with the strong beat. As long as it remains the dominant action in your mind, the break will always be on two.

PART 4: The final step in the process would be to eliminate the clap and just dance the Mambo basic, but try nonetheless to imagine the clap, so that you keep a picture in your mind of a strong action occurring where the feet are not actually moving.

This exercise, as monotonous as it may seem, clearly illustrates the concept of breaking on two without ever "finding" the two. And that is the key to staying on time in the Mambo.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Atkinson www.ballroomdancers.com

Here's any easy was to understand the difference between Mambo and Salsa music: Salsa is to Mambo what Pop music is to Jazz.

There are no absolutes, but Mambo music tends to have slightly more sophisticated, jazz-oriented harmonies and song form, usually instrumental with focus on horn riffs. Vocals, when they do exist, are often riffs of 3 and 4-part harmonies, much like the horns. The percussion section is strong and puncuated.

Salsa is Latin pop music, and as such is less sophisticated harmoncally and with respect to song form. The percussion section, while often very full, has a more sustained and fluid sound overall. Salsa music tends to be vocal, often with a single lead vocalist singing solo or over very basic background harmony. And, like pop music, it tends to have a more contemporary sound than its jazz-oriented counterpart.

In spite of all of these tendencies, there are still countless exceptions. I can think of a few very harmonically sophisticated Salsas, some laid back Mambos with a single lead vocal part, etc. Sometimes I can't always describe in a specific instance what makes a particular style one or the other... it just has that "sound". After hearing enough examples, you'll begin to get an idea of your own.

In any event, it's not that important a distinction to a dancer because the music is similar enough that either style of dancing fits either style of music. Do whatever you enjoy, and rest assured that it will work.

Jonathan

Janice,
I have been away since I posted the question. Thanks for the info.
I'll check it out when I got a chance.

It sure is fun to catch up with all the latest postings.

When I dance Mambo, for some songs I can never be sure that I start on the right beat, which is 2. I don't know if it is my hearing or that my internal rhythm can't relate to 2.
In most, if not all, dances,
one starts dancing on beat #1.
I always wonder why in the world
Mambo dancing would start on 2.
I figure that in Salsa one can start on 1 or 2, so it should solve my problem.

By the way, how does one tell a Mambo song from a Salsa song, if such a difference exists ?

Thanks.

Tony T,

I was in Montreal recently and was at a studio where they teach many types of Latin dance including salsa. The address of the place is:
10 Ontario West, 4th floor
on the corner of Ontario and St.Laurent

The teachers I saw dancing there looked to be extremely good. I think the main teacher there has goes by the nickname "the king of salsa". Sorry I can't recall the name of the studio but if you go there, you'll find it.

Hope this helps,
Janice
janice@lights.com

Yes, mambo is just the formal ballroom name for salsa. It's the same dance really, although I wouldn't be surprised if salsa (the social dance) deviates somewhat from formal mambo syllabi.

--Belle

History usually repeats itself.
I don't plan to open any study on this, but I have enjoyed reading about the beginnings of other dances and how they developed and the problems of standardizing the steps. Salsa seems to be going through what Lindy Hop has done. I wish to draw some parallels between them and hope that there comes some strong reactions to my comments and maybe we get a better understanding about what salsa is.
Before giving a reply please do look at Latindance.com. It has a less refined Forum but a lot of people have reacted to Josie's site (I'm from L.A. myself and hope to meet her once when I'm home on a visit).
I'm taking Salsa 3 and the dance studio will be offering Salsa 4 soon. Last Friday, we invited a dance teacher from the Dom.Rep. to teach us salsa here at the office. It was great, but I saw that he did the salsa with a different type of styling than that we are learning at our dance studio. My dance teacher went to a big competition during the first lessons I had and a teacher from a competitive studio taught us that evening. She had a different styling, too. She is a very big fan of Havana and how they salsa there. This has given me some food for thought. Salsa is the word used to describe the dance we do today. Apparently, salsa was danced almost the same as it began. But, the music has evolved and it seems only logical that our interpretation of the music will also adjust to these changes. Salsa is more of the atmosphere generated from the energy created by this music and salsa dancing seems to be a mode word for what and how we are moving to interpretate this music. Salsa seems to be the name we will be using to describe the mambo like latin dance forms we are bringing together into one big sauce called SALSA. Back in the 1920s there were also dance studios and dance halls where people learned by watching and they all tried to dance like everybody else danced. The charleston was popular and then came Lindy who hopped over the Atlantic and then swing dancing got a new name: Lindy Hop. The dance studios didn't want to get caught up in this afro-american Jitterbug dance (at first a name to denote it as a lower form of dance not fit to dance in a ballroom). But, tango had this problem of worthlessness, which soon changed as it did with the swing. I feel this could be a simular situation, only the dance studios have learned not to be so snobbish. The development of these dance forms have been more influenced by the local dance spots locallized by the young adults than has other formal dance forms like the paso doble. The salsa though was taken up very soon by the dance studios and has not had the chance to develop on it's own. I believe later on we will have different forms of salsa, like we have in swing (East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Western Swing, Twist, Jive, Savoy Swing, Boogie Woogie, Rock n Roll, Shag et cetera). Salsa music has had different places of development. Unlike many would like to believe, this isn't just a Cubian thing and it is for sure not just some ancient Afro-Ritual-Dance development. Like stated in an earlier comment. Mambo or Salsa or are they the same? It doesn't really matter, go out and have fun and where you put your accents depends on how you want to dance to the music.
Steve

[This message has been edited by Steve Genter (edited 09-02-2000).]

Jonathan,
Your answers are very informative.
I'll certainly try your exercise
to dance on 2.
I don't know how long it'll take me
to be consistant,
but at least I have a way to go about it now.
Thanks a lot.

My friend Josie is originally from Toronto. She's the Salsa teacher that you see on Ballroomdancers.com and latindance.com. She lives in LA now, but I would guess that she must still have some friends who live there. You might try asking her if she has any recommendations.

Josie's website is www.latindance.com, and you can find a link to her email address there.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Atkinson