Killer Documentary: Flamenco Dancing

Lots of people send me cool stuff and weeks or months later I turn it into an article. (Many of my best articles start with ideas from my readers, so please keep sending me your thoughts!!!)

I've only watched it once (so far) but it's so good I'm posting now. I'll watch it a few times over the next week and rewrite this article. (I already have a set of things I find fascinating and will share soon.)



Check out how these young ballet dancers become Flamenco dancers. The clapping exercises, the timing, and the process they go through are amazing. Few of us could be that good without their background, but it's still worth checking out even if you're a casual dancer.

It's very inspirational. They start so "simple" and build!

Special thinks to Valentine Doran for turning me on to this clip!

More details:
Flamenco Dancing Documentary page

Better Dancer: Find Your Own Fun

What happens when your dancing becomes above average for your scene?

Of course, you can get some great dances with the stronger dancers in the room. Some dancers will seek you out regularly, knowing you're one of the stronger partners. There are many advantages and it beats having potential partners run for the hills when they see you in their zip code.

However, some people lose the joy in social dancing over time, because they are always looking for increased complexity, and that levels off as you mature. The landscape changes as your dancing becomes stronger. Like an addict searching for a new high, we often seek out partners who dance "more" and the air becomes thinner as you advance.

Image by fofurasfelinas via Flickr

Some more experienced dancers sit out half the night, talking with friends and socializing because they aren't excited about dancing with less mature partners. That's fine, as the clubs are a social scene, but it is hard to talk over the music at most clubs. (Many do it anyway.) Sometimes they only find a few people they actually want to dance with, even if the room is nearly full of other dancers.

It doesn't have to be that way.

More complexity doesn't equal "better dancing", and in the social scene, it's often inappropriate with the music playing at the moment. After a lead spins his partner 6 times, spinning her 12 or 24 times isn't two to four times more fun for the follow. It actually gets boring at some point, and a world-class follow once told me she thinks, "OK... I can spin as much as you want, so how about we dance?"

When you hang out with world-class musicians, dancers or athletes, you find they often approach things differently. While they constantly push to develop extreme technical abilities, they also find a joy in performing "simple" skills, but doing them exceptionally well.

They refocus on refining the details, and they never stop improving their foundational movements. The best also learn how to enjoy practicing itself, looking for incremental gains and new challenges to keep them fresh.

Experienced artists know that what you leave out is often as important as what you leave in the art. Contrast creates emotion, and the wider the range, the better.

Once dancers have a wide range of complex dance skills, the best are content and confident enough to save them for the right moments. Most also make a more in-depth study of the music and refine their listening skills, knowing you can't dance to music you're not hearing. Cross-training other dances is also popular among more seasoned dancers. This provides a fresh perspective, new challenges and venues for growth.

Almost everybody can improve their connections with their partners and the music, but that only happens if your focus is there. (That can also happen as a near beginner, but most newer dancers are focused on the movements.) With maturity you find yourself refining little things others may not directly notice, along with enjoying the journey itself.

Sometimes it's as simple as smiling more, paying more attention to your partner's moods and reactions, and finding graceful ways to cover for your less experienced partners (AKA "making your partner look better").

Don't expect it to always be "more fun" unless you find it yourself. Many people improve to the above average point, then lose interest and go off to take up another activity, even when there is lots of room to grow.

As you improve, the number of partners who share your complexity skills goes down, but the fun and growth don't have to be reduced.

Let me know what you're doing to keep the joy in your dancing.

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
- Charles Schultz (Peanuts)

I Should Smile More

They look happy being there.

I thought I was better, but I've seen the evidence!

I need to smile more and maybe you do too. Even just a reasonable expression would sometimes be an upgrade for me.

I was at a club before the holidays and somebody caught me in 4 or 5 photos while shooting people in the club.

They posted the pictures to their Facebook album, and tagged me in one of the photos. Facebook sends me a message ("You've been tagged") and, wanting to remind myself of my incredibly handsome face (read: being vain), I checked it out, then looked through the rest of the album and found that I could be seen in a few other shots taken during the same dance.

Darn! In every one of the photos, I wasn't smiling. Not even close. The expression on my face was appropriate, but only for falling down a flight of stairs or fixing leaking plumbing around the house, rather than dancing with a beautiful follow to great music.

I was happy they didn't tag me in all the photos, or everybody else would see my "unhappy" mug for what appears to be the complete song. (OK... I didn't like my dancing lines either... but that's another article.)

Worse, I've danced with this follow before and we always have a great time. I look forward to our dances so it wasn't her, it was me. I'm sure I asked her to dance (since I often do that if we're in the same club), and I dance with her because we have a good time regularly. I'm embarrassed by my expression, or I would link to the photos...

Apparently my facial muscles missed the memo that I was having fun. If I'm looking unhappy with a repeat partner where I expect a great dance due to previous experiences, what the heck do I look like with others?

Seeing the photos was a rude awakening for me since I thought I was doing better. I decided I needed to make some changes and work on smiling more.

Maybe the few photos were the couple moments I let my guard down, but I suspect I'm just not as happy looking as I think.

A little too much.

How about you? Are you smiling enough?


In my classes I always tell people they need to smile. If you don't smile occasionally, most people assume it's because you hate the dance or your partner, not that you're worried about yourself. (Often my issue.)

Females should smile even more, but us guys shouldn't look like a prostate exam is in progress. There is a happy middle ground, and more smiling is better than less.

Everybody is a better dancer if they appear happy while doing it. But sometimes you do need to fake it. I've never believed in trying to only fake it on the floor. See if you can smile more off the floor, then it becomes easier and more genuine while dancing. That said, even a fake smile is better than a sincere murderous expression on the dance floor.

Now I'm working on it, no matter how I feel.

That said we don't need a clown face the whole song. Even an occasional silly grin would be an upgrade for me, so I'm also working on it outside of dancing. In the car, at the grocery store, dance classes (both taking classes and teaching) and even if I'm just by myself. (This makes others wonder what is wrong with me... which makes me laugh to myself.)


The irony for me is that I love dancing, so why doesn't my face reflect it? I can understand one photo where I look unhappy, but not 3 or 4 in the same dance. I need to grow and the same may apply to you.

Every time I see a mirror I'm working on "happying up", and looking like I'm having fun even if I'm not. If you see me and I'm not smiling, remind me by smiling to yourself or just slapping me in the face (gently).

Next time you see me, I'll be smiling more and I hope the same applies to you.

Let me know what you're doing to improve your dancing expressions.

Implied Clave in Non Latin Music

Seems like every time I turn around another commercial tune has an implied clave. You'll find it in Hip-hop, R&B, pop, and all sort of commercial music nobody would consider "Latin". There is no actual clave instrument in the tune, but the clave feel and influence are very obvious.

The clave feel may be playing in the drums, the piano, bass or sometimes spread between a couple instruments. Some tunes are very obvious and some glam the clave up, making it harder to find, but the feel is there if you know clave basics.

Modern salsa music is often without a "real" clave as well. In many cases the clave isn't actually played, or it's played at points and drops out for parts of the tune, even if the feel is there from beginning to end. Sometimes it's there, but it's very hard to hear in the overall mix because of the rich complexity of the percussion instruments.

In commercial tunes, it's everywhere but often not so obvious. Nobody would think of the tunes as "Latin", but the clave feel is just part of our music culture outside the "Latin" category. It's been happening for years and I could link to a hundred other tunes with this same concept.

My latest discovery is from MJB (Mary J Blige), a really catchy tune called "Good Love" from the CD "Stronger with Each Tear". (Side note: Another great tune named "I Am" from the same CD also has an obvious implied clave.)

Check it out below and you'll see the bass drum is playing an implied clave throughout this tune. The drums drop out at points, but the feel is still obviously clave influenced from beginning to end.

"Good Love (Ft T.I.)" by Mary J Blige (MJB)


This is a great groove tune with a ton of depth (have to love that bass line...); there isn't anything about this song I don't like! Love the horns (especially the 3rd phrase they play each time around), the drum and bass tracks, and her singing is so "on" the time.

I've had the song less than a week, and iTunes tells me I've played it 67 times so far. (I still can't totally nail the bass part every time, but I'll get it.) I suspect I'll be over a hundred times in the next few days. So many things to hear in the background.

For those of you who know about my "implied pulse" concept, note that the time (pulse) starts in the beginning and never stops, even though there are plenty of music breaks and partial breaks. (See "Related Articles" below for additional details.)

Let me know what you think.

(The question of the day: "Is the implied clave a 3-2 or 2-3?)

Enjoy.

Related Articles:

Musical Pulse: Explicit and Implicit (Part 1)
Musical Pulse: Explicit and Implicit (Part 2)
Clave: More Than Most People Want To Know
Clave and the Every Changing Salsa Dance

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ...
- Louis Hector Berlioz 

Dancing at the DMV

Have you danced at the DMV yet? It's an out of body experience, and I did it recently as an exercise to build my boldness. It wasn't perfect, but still a huge step forward for me. You should try something similar yourself.

I had a long wait in a crowded place, so I practiced dancing. I suspect it was highly entertaining for a hundred people or so, but since I dance in the crowded clubs anyway, I decided this was a good exercise. Afterward I felt good for improving my dancing, even if the setting was outside the norm for me. I wasn't always comfortable, but I faked it and tried to ignore a few hundred people waiting their turn like me.

 (To really understand how much of a big deal this is for me, read my previous article from 2007: "I Can't Dance Like Nobody's Watching")

In California we have this really great place commonly known as the "DMV" (Department Of Motor Vehicles). You handle things like drivers licenses, vehicle ownership, take driving tests and the like, and they are one of our state's shining examples of government agencies at their finest. My teenage daughter was getting her driving permit (yes, I'm that old), and I worked my Dad role for a couple hours.

It's an artful space (not), with a few hundred people crammed into a space designed for about 75. The security guards are constantly barking "Sir, please stand over there" or "You can't wait here, this is a fire lane..." or "No... you have to exit the opposite side of the building." The huge crowd mills about like cows awaiting the slaughter. The guards don't get paid enough for the abuse they endure, but they keep pushing the herd around as needed to comply with the rules of the place.

My daughter's number was G448, so that tells you something. I had a long wait, but my daughter wanted her permit THAT DAY, and darn if I don't get pushed around by a few select women in my life (they win).

Good thing I'm a dancer, or I might never get to lead.

There seemed to be about 100 chairs around the room, but these were dwarfed by the standing population. After about 20 minutes of standing with other cattle, some gentleman who thought his number (G229) would be called soon , gave up his isle seat to my daughter. (He stood for over 20 minutes!) I was standing next to her seat. My daughter was sitting to my right, and i had a wall behind me and people standing close in front and to my left.

So what did I do?

I started doing one leg balance exercises... Nobody could see me at first, since I was only lifting my other foot about half an inch of the ground. After the lady in front of me left, I tried doing things with my free leg, working my dynamic balance and playing little games.

Those exercises get old after 20 minutes or so, but I kept switching legs and trying other little movements, like slow body rolls, along with chest and shoulder isolations. I'm sure some onlookers were amused, but I'll guess few noticed.

Then the big test. After another hour my daughter's number was called and she went over the "testing area" for her written test. I followed and carved myself a standing spot where some others were waiting. It was facing a few hundred people in chairs. Nobody was too close to me so I hit the playlist "Salsa Music" on my iPod, and started working on my shines subtly at first, then doing 32 count sequences.

I didn't just do things I was good at, I worked things out (some things pretty badly at first), then doing them slowly, figuring out what to refine, working up to the music's tempo. I ignored everybody around me for at least 15 minutes, and just practiced. I got nervous a few times, but just worked through it.

By the end I was having fun and ignoring a huge set of people. When we left, I smiled and felt good about myself. I improved my dancing, made decent use of the time, and felt good practicing ignoring others as I built my skills. It didn't change my dance life, but it's a step in the right direction.

If you haven't done it yet, find an odd place where a few others could be watching, and do some practicing. It builds your skills and, more importantly, builds your confidence. That's a wonderful asset in the clubs, and most people could use the practice of ignoring what others think while we grow.

Highly recommended!

Let me know which unusual places you've practiced in!

Studio vs. Club Classes: Different Animals (Part 1)

Most metropolitan areas have two primary choices for salsa classes: Hit the clubs and take the low cost (or free) classes before social dancing, or go to a dance studio/workshop. Many people have done both (including me) and I've taught in both situations.

At first glance a class is a class, but as an instructor I'll let you in on a dirty little secret. Most instructors treat them differently. The venues have different goals and the nature of the students isn't the same.

At its core, clubs are social scenes with food and drinks, not universities or learning centers. If you learn there, great, that's a bonus, but it's a side effect for the club owner. The goal of the club class is to pack in bodies who buy drinks (and/or food) and return regularly.

At the club, drink/food numbers rule, and the club owner isn't directly worried about the quality of the instruction, as long as the numbers hold up over time. A popular instructor trumps a great instructor, and making it fun and accessible is the mission. Club instructors often simplify their materials and don't worry about the details, knowing slowing down the class isn't workable for most students.

Some clubs have excellent instructors and there are some quality club classes, but that isn't their mission.

At most studios, the focus is on dancing and fitness, although they do share the "getting people to return" goals of a club. The difference is the focus. The studio needs you to return for the dancing, the club wants you to return for the food and drinks.

Dance studios tend to have much higher numbers of repeating/returning dancers than most club classes.

Studios often have "series" classes, where it's assumed the students are building on the previous classes, and repeat students are the bread and butter. The instructors know people attracted to this environment are interested in improving their dancing, and generally put up with more foundational work than most club situations. Longer term this creates stronger dancers, so the studio tends to attract others interested in higher level dancing.

Studio instructors often don't "baby" students. They are nice, but most will push you harder and tend to take a much longer term perspective on dancing than the club classes. Foundation building, some conditioning and stretching are often part of the process, and the instructors assume you want to grow your dancing and will practice outside of class.

Both venues have their strengths and weaknesses, but most people start their dance education at the club classes, then grow into studio classes when they get more serious about improvement.

In part II of this article, I'll expand on the differences and my experiences in the two environments.

Let me know what's worked for you.

Out of the loop

I had someone ask me what happened, since I haven't posted any articles lately.

Frankly, life has gotten in the way. A new puppy, summer vacation and doing lots of dancing the last month. Puppy is a major effort as he's a male lab, bigger than any previous dog I've had in my life. He's amazingly smart, but lots of puppy energy.

See my Facebook page for photos (http:/www.Facebook.com/DonBaarns)

I have tons of new articles in draft form ranging from article outlines to 95% complete (over 40 behind the scenes) and I expect to get back to writing this week. I often write parts or articles then don't like something and let it mature in my mind before completing. Too many topics, too little time.

Thanks for all the private mail and public comments! Back soon.

Don

Trying Twitter

OK... I'm not sure if I'm moving toward enlightenment or the dark side, but I've established my Twitter account. My Twitter address is: "http://www.Twitter.com/UnlikelySalsero"

Follow me if it makes sense and watch me make all the rookie mistakes. My user name is "UnlikelySalsero" and I'll report back if I think it's a positive or not over the next couple months.

I also have an draft article on social networks and social dancing. I think they work very well together. More details when the article is ready for prime time.

The Half Song Strategy

Ever wonder if someone new wants to dance with you? Maybe they're a friend of a friend, and you're not even sure if they dance. Or do you feel you should help a beginner get their feet wet on the floor?

Sometimes I use "half-dances" as an ice breaker. It's like doing coffee or lunch rather than having a dinner date. Lower commitment, less stress and you avoid the "oh no, this is going to be a loooong song" if your partner turns out to be a mismatch for you.

Rather than subject the new person to a 4-6 minute tune, sometimes I'll wait and ask them after the tune has started. I might say, "Hey, this song is half over, how about we finish it?"

Most of the time you'll get a positive response, and you dance for a couple minutes. If it turns out to be a magical dance, you can say, "That was way too short, how about also dancing the next song?"

If the dance turns out to be "just OK," you finish after a couple minutes and say, "Thanks... that was fun," and move on. You only asked for half a tune, so nobody feels like a loser if it didn't work out as you hoped.

It's not something I do regularly, but I've used this technique for years and it's helped, especially with potential partners that aren't too sure about me. More will take a chance since they aren't committing to a complete song. (I know 4-6 minutes isn't a huge commitment, but we've all figured out it can seem like forever with some partners.)

Again, I don't recommend you use this regularly, but I do it when I miss the first part of a song because I need water or a short break, then I don't want to sit out the rest of the song. It's a perfect time for a "random dance" or a "find a beginner and get her on the floor" dance. Ladies can ask guys too, and since they weren't dancing already, it seems to work great for everybody.

The half-dance makes it easy for both partners. Depending on how it goes, we can dance the next song, dance later or never dance again.

Try it out and let me know how it goes for you.

Pandora: Internet Radio That Works

I'm always on a quest to find more great music. Recently, a dance friend sent me a link to Pandora.com, telling me that it's a cool radio station, but I basically blew her off by saying, "I have 30 years of music in my collection, so I appreciate the suggestion, but I doubt I'll listen to it."

With XM satellite radio at home and a premium system in my car, one more station didn't sound very promising. I decided I should check it out for a few minutes, just to "be nice" and not totally blow off her suggestion.

Boy, was I wrong. Pandora is a different concept and worth checking out. I'm a little late to the party, as Pandora claims it has over 30 million subscribers so far. I'd never heard of it. (It's playing in the background for me as I write this article.)

Pandora starts with your preferences and builds from there. You tell it songs or artists you like, and it creates your custom "station(s)" finding other songs that match your preferences. They call these example tunes or artists "seeds," and they shape the station's starting point.

Conventional radio stations establish their own play list, trying to predict what tunes will relate to their chosen audience and attract more listeners (and advertisers).

In Pandora, after seeding a station with some examples, it finds similar music and you start listening. You continue to refine the station with a "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down" icon on each playing tune. If you give the current tune a thumbs up, you hear the tune more often, and it finds similar songs in its vast database. If you dislike a tune and give it a thumbs down, Pandora won't play it again, and it avoids playing songs that are similar to the ones you dislike.

Over time the station plays more music you like and less you dislike, which greatly improves its value. You can also add additional seeds if you want more variety in the station or create different stations for your different moods.

In addition, you can share your stations with your friends, and they can start with your preferences but modify to create their own version if desired. Soon the station reflects their tastes rather than yours.

Pandora has a decent set of genre stations, including "salsa" in the "Latin" category, so you could easily start with their stations and tune it to your liking. I'm impressed with the generic version, and as a test I set up a few of my own. (I'll share a couple stations I created toward the bottom of this article.)

If you start with any existing station, once you thumbs-up/down a tune, the station becomes yours, and you can modify the station name and/or add your favorite tunes, refining its play list to suit your tastes.

Below are a few test stations I set up. If you don't modify them, they remain "mine" and will update with any changes I make in the future. (I'm not sure why you care what I like, I'd modify to to your tastes if I were you...)

• Salsa: Modified
  Started with "genre" station, Latin > Salsa and used thumbs up/down to refine.
• Salsa: Marc Anthony & Friends
  Started with Marc Anthony as the seed artist, then gave thumbs up to songs I liked. Added a couple seed tunes.
• Slow Groove Modern R&B Started with Craig David and Usher, then refined with thumbs up/down.
  

If you start new stations (which I recommend), I find it generally does better with specific songs rather than specific artists. Most artists have a wide range of tunes, and I rarely like all their material. Starting with some favorite songs gives the station specific examples, and that's worked really well for me. In a couple cases artists have worked for me, so if one method isn't giving you what you want, try the other or combine artists and specific tunes.

I've have found a set of great tunes I had never heard before. Sometimes I find alternate versions of tunes I like, sometimes just tunes that are new to me.

For example, I have some Usher tunes I like, but I never listened to his much older material. Pandora found the tune, "How Do I Say" based on some of my other tunes and that song was featured in my last "Musicial Pulse" article. I doubt I would have found that tune on my own, but I love it. Pandora also found 20 other new tunes for me the first month, and I already have an extensive collection. There are links for buying tunes on iTunes or Amazon, so you can easily download your new favorites for your iPod.

Pandora pays royalties just like other radio stations, so if you're a heavy user (more than 40 hours per month) you have to either pay an extra 99 cents per month (when you go over 40 hours) OR upgrade to their premium version for $36 per year. If one month you listen to less than 40 hours of music, it's totally free. They warn you if you are close to exceeding the 40 hours, so you can stop listening until the next month, or pay the dollar and continue unlimited for the month. You can (and should) pause the station if you're not listening; that makes it easier to keep listening free.

Because of music licensing issues, Pandora is only available in the United States. I hope they can change this at some point, but for now that's the official word. (Thanks to David S. for pointing that out to me, I had no idea.)

Give it whirl and let me know what you think.