Comments on The Unlikely Salsero - Don Baarns: The Half Song Strategy

This is a great suggestion, Professor. I look for...

2010-08-01T20:09:33.129-07:00

This is a great suggestion, Professor. I look forward to using it at the next practice party.
:-)

Arachnist: Your point is valid. As I've danced...

2009-08-05T18:36:52.033-07:00

Arachnist: Your point is valid. As I've danced a while, I do fewer half songs because I can have a good time with less experienced follows, unless I'm in a selfish mood (which I try to avoid).

For me it's a mind set thing: I challenge myself to make it fun for my partner at any level, while working on subtle aspects of my dancing IF she's less experienced.

I have plenty of material so unless it's a marathon song, I'm fine either way.

That said, I still do the half songs occasionally, for the reasons above. I recommend it to my newer students who feel uncomfortable with long tunes or feel their pattern vocabulary is too small.

Half songs can be a valid strategy for some dances, but don't make sense as a regular mindset.

Again, your points are valid and it's obvious that one size simply doesn't fit all situations.

I did that all the time, especially when I felt in...

2009-08-05T18:01:41.648-07:00

I did that all the time, especially when I felt insecure, but lately I made some introspection and decided that it's just too much thinking: It seems nicer to accept the risks and make clear commitments for the full length of the song.

Not out of politeness, but simply to promote an mindset of determination rather than half-measures.

Of course, it's not absolute: I sometimes ask someone halfway through the song, but try to avoid doing it for the reasons you outlined in the entry.

I use this all the time for bands that play way to...

2009-08-05T12:34:46.173-07:00

I use this all the time for bands that play way too long. Another trick is to get a friend, and switch partners half way.