Seb's Hong Kong Salsa Blog

Archive for the ‘old site’ Category

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.