Seb's Hong Kong Salsa Blog

One of my favorite salsa artists, one that I never fail to place in a set, in one form or another, whenever and wherever I DJ, is the great pianist Larry Harlow.

Active since the sixties, in the glory days of Fania, he was the first pianist to be part of the celebrated Fania All Stars band. Known as El Judio Maravilloso (the marvelous Jew), he produced over 260 albums for the Fania label and others.

Among the songs that he personally directed, are the following that I love:

• Un Tipo Liberado (album: Asi Soy Yo) – with a relatively inconspicuous start, this song builds up to a frenetic drum jam (with terrific funk accents) that never fails to energize the dance floor, even in salsa scenes that are normally shy of percussion-heavy salsa.
• Bobo Tu Te Quedaras (album: El Dulce Aroma Del Exito) – a more melodious song, high energy with carrying vocals by Nestor Sanchez (el albino divino). Though a bit long and fast to be played too often, it still cheers the dance floor.
• Voy Para La Luna (album: Harlow’s Harem) – slower than the previous songs, this is another simmering song that builds up to an energizing chorus.
• Ya Me Voy (album: Presenta a Ismael Miranda) – from the early days of Fania, this collaboration with singer Ismael Miranda is a cheerful ode to Puerto Rico, with a short but sweet percussion jam in the middle. Of note: DJ Michelle and DJ Amoroso also frequently play this song in Hong Kong.
• Roncona (album: El Albino Divino) – another song with vocals by Nestor Sanchez, this one is a song I pretty much never play live, as it is too intricate but for the most hard-core dancers. Great, very fast, very high-energy, with beautiful piano segments and unexpected breaks. Of note: this song was choreographed by my buddies Salsa y Control out of Boston as a men’s shines routine.
• Rumbambola (album: Rumbambola) – Harlow’s take on a classic piano rumba by Noro Morales, much more intense and than the original. I wouldn’t dare play it. Ever. Period. Of note: this song was impressively choreographed by current on2 world salsa champions Luis and Anya.

If there is one Larry Harlow album that is a must-have for any salsa lover, it is the Abran Paso album, with Ismael Miranda on vocals, which is a Fania classic. My preferences, however, lean to those with Nestor Sanchez on vocals (El Dulce Aroma Del Exito, and El Albino Divino).

Other artists to look at (if you can find them), closely connected to Larry Harlow, as he produced their albums: Frankie Dante y la Flamboyan, and Johnny Bronco.

More info:

http://www.larryharlow.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Harlow_(salsa)

Dear readers,

With the site update, I wanted to take the opportunity to create a new segment, or series of posts, on the topic of my favorite salsa artists.

Every few weeks (when I have the time to write and proof the articles) I will be posting stories under this category, sharing and explaining my affinity for certain bands or performers.

Subscribe to the site’s RSS feed to remain updated.

Seb

After years of not knowing what to do with this site, I’ve decided to update it into a blog.

The old content will still be there (see the menu above or read the earlier posts)

Hope you enjoy the new look !

Seb

We’ve come a long way since I started salsa.

When I first competed, it was for the 2nd HKSDC, back in 2001. I had been dancing for about six months.
Out of six couples:
- None had costumes. Only one couple (mine) had made any effort at color-coordination.
- Only two couples were even remotely on-beat. They placed 4th and 6th.
- One couple did improvised Merengue. They weren’t disqualified.
- Shines were a joke.
- A few dips, barely any tricks (one of which, memorably, ended with the leader landing on his butt).
- Most routines were in the 4-6 minute range. One couple ran almost to 7 minutes… And musicality was so low, you could have changed the song, and it would barely have made a difference.

And this year… WOW!
- Beautiful, elaborate costumes.
- Interesting songs, and routines that fit them.
- Original tricks, very nicely executed.
- and a high degree of showmanship, from all competitors.

Among the things that have made the difference over these five years, is an increased exposure to different styles of salsa. Local events such as the Salsa Festival and guest instructor workshops are bringing in more students than ever. Also, more HK dancers are taking salsa trips, attending salsa events around the world.
Additionally, dancers are seeking out information. I found out recently that one of the competitors has a salsa video collection that outclasses even mine.

I would also mention that the top two couples in the competition are members of my Training Team.
Before you accuse me of taking advantage of their success to promote my classes, let me clarify why I bring this up.
One of the ideals of my Training Team is a commitment to learning. The underlying principle is that it doesn’t matter how long you have been dancing, that there is always more to learn. Back in 2001, most of the dancers had been dancing less than a year, and pretty much all of them had stopped taking classes. That, in itself, is a significant step forward for the salsa scene. A whole new generation of dancers committed to learning more will have a snowball effect on the salsa scene. It will mean higher standards of dancing, more business for salsa instructors and later, more and better teachers.

Compare the instructors then and now. Then, we had Ricci, Frankie and Joseph, supported up to a point by Miko and styling instructors Wilma and Janita.
Now, we have Frankie, Joseph, Jason, Janita, Sam&Winie, Peter&Faith, Eddis, Rambo and myself, supported by occasional teachers such as Ricci, Emily, Shirley, Tom, Aldo, Mi-Jong (I’m sure I spelled her name wrong) and more…
Truth be said, I don’t think the HK salsa scene is bigger now than it was in 2001, but the standards are definitely higher, and as they keep growing, so will the scene.

August 17, 2005.

Shoes

Shoes are an essencial accessory for men to dance salsa, although they’re not quite so important as they are for women, as men do not spin as much as women. My recommendation for male dancers is to have a pair of shoes dedicated to dancing, though not necessarily dance shoes per se.

One possibility is to just use a pair of comfortable leather-soled city shoes. What I did with my dance shoes was replace the leather sole with suede soles. Suede is the best kind of sole for dancing.
Another possiblity is to buy dance shoes from any dance supplies store. Personally, I don’t like the shoes they sell, they feel too flimsy for me.
The third option is to buy dance sneakers, which have a rubber sole with a special thread. There are to main brands: Bloch and Caperzio. I have a pair of Blochs, which (possibly because of sensitive feet) tend to hurt after a couple of hours, so I only wear them in studio environment.
One last tip I have for you, is to buy your dance shoes half a size too large, and place a sports insole inside. That makes your shoes very comfortable.
Update:I have since converted to wearing Jazz slippers (by Bloch). I took some convincing, as I felt very unsafe initially. I kept being afraid that I would get badly stepped on. However, once I got used to them, I can’t return to any other kind of dancing shoes. I highly recommend them!

Clothing

Guys, when we dance, we sweat. That is not as much of a problem as we’d think The main issues regarding swear are (1) B.O. and (2) sticky clothing.
To deal with B.O., well, just be clean, and perhaps bring several changes of shirts.
To deal with stickiness, my advice is to wear two layers. Inside, a tight-fitting cotton T-shirt, and outside a loose shirt. This will prevent the shirt from sticking to your back and will be nice to girls who won’t feel sticky hands after dancing with you.
As for trousers, I recommend avoiding jeans, although most people figure it out sooner or later. Jeans tend to become heavy and sticky when wet (with sweat, obviously).
My personal taste is for cotton trousers, the looser the better.