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(Below is an excellent article borrowed from www.Salsachicago.com about etiquette on the dance floor.) What is going on in the dance floors of every Latin club with all of this pushing, getting stepped on, getting "heeled", tripped, or even having your nose broken!? The salsero and salsera "wannabes", even as well as some of the good dancers, are going off on tangents that are endangering everyone else who is on the dance floor. A Salsa-holic from Chicago, Adrienne, had her nose broken by a couple who invaded Adrienne's and her partner's space. It truly was an accident and it came about only because the other couple are beginners and/or didn't understand the etiquette of the dance floor and of space: "you have your space and we have our space". Adrienne had these things to say after the accident that required her to have her broken nose repaired by a plastic surgeon:
Now, back to my thoughts on dance floor etiquette. What is dance floor etiquette? The art of dancing, whether good or bad, in your own space. The art of not being all over the dance floor, unaware of or totally oblivious to the other people dancing around you. The art of having consideration for other dancers and of not intruding into their space, just as you wouldn't want them to intrude into yours. A problem today is that too many people want to show off, whether they have the ability or not, or if they do - whether or not they have space. They want to turn, dip, flip, and spin and don't seem to care that there are others on the dance floor too. Every dancer must adopt the philosophy of dancing in the "slot" or straight line, remaining in their own space, completely aware of who is around them and of how much space exists between them and the other couples. If the dance floor is crowded, don't try to dip your partner or to do a fancy turn combination because it will put your partner in someone else's space and put your partner at risk. Learn to dance in a "contained" manner. If the floor is really open and empty, only then can you get fancy. If the floor is crowded, contain yourself, stay in your space. Guys, remember that you are the one who leads the lady into everything that she does. You must be in control at all times and know where you are leading her, without invading another couple's space. Ladies, if you are dancing with someone who is twirling you like a top, who has no control and who has you out of control - tell him to take it easy, there's too many dancer's on the floor! You do not want to be at risk because he hasn't the control to lead you well. If he does not listen, if he shows no consideration, then politely excuse yourself off the dance floor. Do not embarrass yourself or the person you are dancing with. It is preferable to being hurt yourself and preferable to hurting someone else. If you desire to be considerate and not hurt their feelings, volunteer to move to a less crowded area. Guys, if you are dancing with someone who does not know how to turn, who does not have the footwork, or who is herself wild, try to control her by dancing easy. If she's a beginner, guide her and tell her that you are taking it easy because the floor is crowded and someone may get hurt. If you know her very well, tell her to practice dancing in a 2 foot by 2 foot and volunteer to show her how. If you are not a dance instructor yourself, then recommend someone that can help. It is our mission to make Chicago, New York, Miami, Philadelphia, and the Dance communities of the world safer by having ALL of dancers be more aware and considerate of each other. We need to pass this message on to others. Please cut and paste it into emails of your dancer friends. Let's all be conscious leaders, followers and messengers of proper DANCE FLOOR ETIQUETTE. ***
Special thanks to I hope you will
realize that you can't bring this schedule to your
club, because it would look rather silly. To
dance you need to feel the music. This is
merely to point out where to feel if you didnt know
already.
The Clave
- The clave is traditionally a
wooden instrument consisting of 2 sticks which are
struck together to make a clicking or tapping sound.
Nowadays, sometimes it is a plastic hollow
rectangular "box" which may be hand-held or mounted
on the drum set - the timbales, cowbell, cymbal,
woodblock, etc.
In Spanish, the
word "clave" means a "key", like a "key word" or the
"key to a code". In Salsa music, the clave
rhythm establishes the key or structure to the song.
Directly or indirectly, all the other instruments and
the singers in the band are guided and structured by
the clave rhythms. While it cannot always be
heard in some Salsa music, the clave's beat always
underlies the rhythmic structure of good Salsa. While
there are various clave rhythm patterns, the "Son
Clave" is the one used in the classic, mainstream New
York Caribbean-style Salsa music preferred by New
Yorkers for ON 2 dancing.
This clave is
played within 2 measures of 4 beats each, a total of
8 beats. But it is only tapped on certain of
those 8 beats in the 2 measures. There
are two son clave rhythm patterns: the 3/2 clave and
the 2/3 clave. The 3/2 clave is struck on the
following beats: 1, 2 1/2, 4, 6, 7.
The 2/3 clave is struck on the following beats:
2, 3, 5, 6 1/2, 8.
The clave creates
a complex, syncopated, unevenness in the rhythmic
structure that builds a tension in the group of 3
taps, and then releases or resolves that tension in
the group of 2 taps, once in each of the 2 measures. It does
this by going against, and then rejoining, the
regular 8 beats, a little like one instrument playing
in 4/4 time, and another playing in 3/4 time
simultaneously. This syncopation fascinates and
inspires those more experienced On 2 dancers who are
particularly in tune to the music, and affects the
way they feel and move when they have reached the
level of the dance where they are truly "dancing in
the music". According to Washburne
(1995), our contemporary New York clave beats
originated in African bell and drum rhythms,
journeyed to Cuba via slave ships in the 1700's,
became blended in the Caribbean with Spanish music,
jazz, and island dances, and then traveled to
New York to become further evolved as it was played
in the New York City urban atmosphere of the 1950's
and 1960's and adapted to the local dance styles,
especially at clubs such as the Palladium. In the
1960's, the word "Salsa" was developed by the Fania
Record Company as a marketing term to promote the
newest version of this music. Please see
Washburne's discussion of the evolution of New York
Salsa music, and the role of the clave, at
here.
You may have
heard the expression "Dancing on Clave" to describe
New York On 2 mambo. This needs some
clarification. Actually, this is a loose
expression to mean that the clave contributes to the
8 beat rhythmic structure of Salsa, and also effects
how we feel and move to the music. But we do
not literally step to ALL the beats that the clave
instrument taps out.
For example, the
2/3 clave instrument taps out 2, 3, 5, 6 1/2, 8,
while we step on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. So we are
only stepping on the 2, 3 and 5 taps of the 2/3
clave. And the 3/2 clave taps out 1, 2 1/2, 4,
6, 7, while we step on 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.
So we only step on the 1, 6, and 7 of the 3/2 clave.
As an example of how the clave makes us feel and
move, we break on 2 and 6, but the 6 break feels much
more emphatic and part of the body than does the 2
break when we are dancing to a song with a 3/2 clave,
because the 6 break is "On Clave", at least when it's
audible in the music. In contrast, when the
song we are dancing to has a clear 2/3 clave
structure, the 2 break feels stronger than the 6
break. Many intermediate and advanced On 2
dancers feel this difference, particularly those who
are closely attuned to the music. The
clave always has one measure with 2 beats, and one
measure with 3 beats. The 2/3 clave has 2 beats
in the first measure, and 3 beats in the second
measure. The 3/2 clave has 3 beats in the first
measure, and 2 beats in the second measure. It
is in the nature of the clave rhythmic structure that
the 2 beats always stand out more emphatically than
the 3 beats. That is, they feel stronger in the
rhythm. Partly this is because the 2 beats
resolve the syncopated unevenness or tension of the 3
beats. When we are breaking on 2 and 6, we are
actually changing our body direction in conjunction
with the strongest rhythmic emphasis in the clave's
beat. So although we don't literally step on
every clave beat, we do make a major body movement (a
change of direction) on the major beat of the clave,
the 2 beat which resolves the tension. It is in
this sense that we "dance on clave". This style
of dancing accents the clave's emphasis on the 2
in the way we move our bodies in the dance.
Other timings, such as breaking on 1 or 3, do not
accent the clave's emphasis on the 2 in this way. There is
another use of the word "clave" you may hear.
"Finding the clave" - referring to when we take our
first step, on the 1: "finding the clave" in
this usage means finding the first beat of the 8 beat
measure. Also, you may hear someone describe a
DJ "mixing the songs on the clave" - This usage means
going from one Salsa song to the next keeping the
tempo/timing of the 8 beats. Both of these uses
of the "the clave" have to do with the regular 8
beats, and do not literally refer to the rhythms
created by the tapping of the clave instrument.
Here's how we learn: First of all, find the
beginning of the measure, the 1st beat.
Almost all music has measures
(Salsa, cha cha, disco, R & B, soul, rock,
hip hop, reggae, classical, jazz, etc.),
and one must learn to find the 1st beat of
the measure. It is difficult to explain in
writing how to find the 1st beat, since
songs start their measures differently,
sometimes even changing from verse to
verse. Sometimes it's signaled by the
singer, but other times it's the chorus,
the clave, the congas or the bass, and it
may keep changing. My best advice is to find someone
who knows how to find the 1 in the music,
whether it's a teacher, friend, relative,
fellow dancer or musician; some
people just know the 1 and can show it to
you. Put on some Salsa music and have
them show you the 1, and explain how they
found it. Then have them help you learn to
feel it, count it and tap your feet all the
way through entire songs. A good exercise is to stop and
then restart the song to see how quickly
you can find the 1 and get on the beat
again. Second of all, when you
have learned to find, feel and tap your foot to
the 1st and the 7 other beats in the Salsa
measure, then begin your count and step as
spelled out above: 1,2,3 and 5,6,7.
Ladies always step on the 1st beat
with their right foot, and on the 5th beat
with their left foot. Men always step on the 1st beat
with their left foot, and on the 5th beat
with their right foot (the only
exception to this is during more
advanced syncopated open shines). Now drill this for hours, weeks
and months: in classes, clubs, at
home, anywhere. Whether you are doing the basic
forward and back step, a side basic, back
charges, partner turns or open shines, you
must get to the point where the sound of
the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th, 6th,and 7th
beats in the Salsa music makes the proper
foot go down in the right place, and this
must all happen entirely automatically,
instinctively, naturally from your gut.
No thinking is involved. The man's left foot, and the
woman's right foot, must feel the 1st beat,
and hit the floor with it. And that goes for all the other
beats in the count. You should be able to maintain
that timing when listening to the music and
dancing with your partner, brushing your
teeth, beating an egg, carrying on a
conversation, or clapping out a 2/3 or 3/2
clave. In other words, you shouldn't have
to think about your feet at all. Why
is this important? Because when you are dancing
to a great song with your partner, doing cross body
leads, complicated turns, shines, and interacting
with your partner and moving to the phrasing of the
music, there is no time to be thinking about what
beat and what foot you should be on. The count
and the feet must be so much a natural part of your
relationship to the music, that it just feels right. For
example, if you are a man leading a double
touch-and-go turn, followed by your own single left
turn, it must be automatic to start your partner's
turn on the 1, while stepping with your left foot,
and your own turn on the 5, while stepping on your
right foot. And for the woman, it must be
automatic to be stepping on your right foot on the 1
at the beginning of that double turn, and be stepping
back on 6 with your right foot when you come out of
it. There is no time to be thinking, or to be
confused, about what timing one is on. You must
have drilled it until it has become automatic and
natural.
When you have
achieved this level of mastery of dancing ON 2, it
now begins to be possible to feel and understand the
complex relationship of the dance to the rhythms in
the music. Notice that one can become an
intermediate or advanced ON 2 dancer without any
specific discussion or focus on the clave, cowbells,
congas/tumbao, etc.
That is how we
are taught here in New York, including our finest
performers who tour internationally representing the
New York ON 2 timing and style. The
reason this is possible is that the 1, 2, 3, 5,
6, 7 timing, and breaks on 2 and 6, are designed
around the clave and conga-tumbao sounds and rhythms,
so without mentioning them, you are already dancing
to them. And that is why I say above:
"Skip the academic discussions, just learn to dance
ON 2" first, then let's discuss the rhythms and
instruments we dance with. Which is what we'll
do now.
The
Downbeats - An important feature of New
York "ON 2" mambo is that we begin most of our moves,
turns and shines on the 1st and 5th beats of the
measure, the downbeats. For example, the cross
body lead begins on 1 when the lady is already
stepping forward with her right foot. The
ladies' turns are usually begun on 1, and the man's
turns are often begun on 5. Shines also usually begin
on 1.
The 1 is the
beginning of the 8 beats of the Salsa measure (as
noted above, it's actually 2 measures of 4 beats
each). There is a strong "downbeat" or
"emphasis" in most kinds of music on the 1, including
Salsa. It is the strongest feeling beat of the
measure. That is when a dancer feels the
"thrust" or "power" of the rhythm. There is
another downbeat, somewhat less strong, on the 5th
beat of the measure (the beginning of the 2nd 4 beat
measure), when the man often begins his turns.
The 1 and the 5 are the strongest rhythmic points in
the Salsa music, and that is where we begin most of
our moves when we dance ON 2.
The Tumbao
- The tumbao refers to the rhythms accented by the
conga drum player in mainstream Salsa music.
Specifically, the conga is struck with 2 quick beats
and then a 3rd "slap", usually on the outer edge or
rim of the drum, in the pattern of quick slow.
Sometimes this is audible in both 4 beat measures,
and sometimes only in the first measure. The 2
quick beats are on "8 and..." (actually, 8 and
8 1/2), and on "4 and ..." (actually, 4 and 4
1/2). These 2 quick beats serve as a lead-in to
the 1st and 5th beats of the measure, the 2 heavy
downbeats that we step on when dancing ON 2. In
fact, when the 2 quick beats of the tumbao are very
clear, they have the effect of rushing us into the 1
and 5 steps, making us hit them more emphatically
and, sometimes, slightly early, which gives our style
of dancing a snap and quickness in the look and feel.
Sometimes the "slap", or the "slow" hit of the tumbao
is not audible. But when it can be heard, it is
often the heavier and more emphatic sound coming from
the conga drum. That sound comes on the 2nd
beat of the measure. This means that if the
tumbao sound can be heard during both 4 beat measures
making up the 8 beats we dance to, then the strongest
points of emphasis are on the 2nd and 6th beats,
which is where we "break", or change our body
movement direction, when we dance ON 2.
We Start On The Major
Downbeat, And We Break On The Clave And The Tumbao -
When Eddie Torres says that this ON 2 timing and
style of mambo dancing "logically fits the rhythm of
Salsa music", he is referring to the fact that the
strongest beats in the rhythm, the 1st and 5th beats,
are where we begin our moves: we begin our basic
step, our cross-body-lead, our turn patterns, our
shines. In other words, the beats with the
greatest rhythmic thrust (1 and 5) are what power the
"ON 2" dancer's moves. The greatest "push" or
"action" in the music's rhythm (the 1 and 5
downbeats) empower the greatest "action" in the
dancer's body (the initiation of a move). In
addition, as noted above, we do our 2 strong body
motions, the 2 and 6 breaks (change of body
direction), on the major rhythmic beats of the
clave, and the strongest sounds of the conga drum,
the 2 and 6. So in all three ways (the
strongest downbeats, the clave and the tumbao),
this particular mambo dance style and timing
expresses in its strongest body movements what the
structure of Salsa music expresses in its strongest
rhythms.
We start on 1, we
break on 2: This distinguishes standard New
York ON 2 timing from those which break on 1, 3,
etc., and those which don't begin their moves on the
1st beat, such as timings where the dancers step on
2, 3, 4, and 6, 7, 8, for example Razz M' Tazz and
some Palladium and ballroom styles. And quoting
Fernando Lamadrid, host of www.JustSalsa.com
, "Cuban Pete, one of the greatest dancers of the
Palladium era once explained it like this:
Dancing "ON 1" is dancing "TO" the music.
Dancing "ON 2" is dancing "IN" the music...Dancing
"ON 1" is like dancing to the melody of the music,
while dancing "ON 2" is like dancing in the rhythm of
the music." It would actually be more precise
to say "....dancing "ON 2" is like dancing in the
rhythm of the clave's tension-resolving and dominant
2 beat".
See directly
below for more information on learning to dance
Salsa, and articles about the clave, timing, steps,
and finding the first beat of the measure to begin
the basic step.
on1-on2(1)-on2(2)-on3-on4-steps explained-on2 defined-tumbao-etiquette-clave |
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