Does a Dance Team a Good Dancer Make? by Joe Figueroa
- By Stephen aka Original Lime Flavour
- Published 15-Oct-06
And that's what got me thinking.
There are quite a few dance teams in Philly, roughly twenty or so today, where there were only one or two a few years ago. All of these respective teams have fantastic dancers that can compete and have performed with the best on a national and international stage.
But when thinking about the perception that only good dancers out there are those that are on dance teams, I began to wonder if this was truth or merely just perception.
In classes and out in the clubs, more and more it seems lately that the goal of many dancers and students in the salsa scene today focuses on getting good enough to get on a team. While this competitive spirit definitely keeps the scene moving forward and keeps the innovation of dancing creative, it is almost corrupting the basic premise that drew most of us to salsa in the first place, to dance just for the sake of dancing.
Dance team-ers are good, no doubt, but they are not the only great dancers out on the floor. There are plenty of fantastic dancers who don't belong to any team for whatever reason. They just dance because they love it and don't care what others think.
Some great male and female dancers I've seen in Philly don't belong to a team. Have you ever seen Desiree dance? She's new to the Philly scene and is one of the most popular girls out there. Or how about Steve Tirpak Another example of someone who can really move to the music executing patterns without missing a beat…and is not on a dance team. Rick is another dancer who always has the ladies wanting more and I watch him everytime he steps on the floor... That rhymes. And the list goes on and on.
As we continue to push Philly into the forefront of salsa worldwide, it's not all about who dances for whom and what team are they on, because salsa was here before most of us were even born and salsa is going to be around long after we are all gone and who was on what dance team is not going to really matter. For anyone out there who feels like the only way to be recognized as a "good dancer" is to be part of some dance team, you're wrong. Just remember whatever it was that drew you to salsa in the first place. That is what salsa should be about for everyone.
Spread The Word
1 Response to "Does a Dance Team a Good Dancer Make? by Joe Figueroa"
said this on 15 Oct 2008 7:33:35 PM UTC
I would like to comment on the article does a dance team a good dancer make. Hey everyone it's Jose and yes I dance for a team Luna Negra. But before I joined any dance team I danced just to dance. I love going out on the floor and leaving my partner at the time wondering wow where does he come from? My first encounter at Brasil's was about two years ago and although now I have danced with just about everyone there now when I first started, I used to be one of the guys dancing in the front of the club. I was told you can't go back there unless you dance for these people or if you're good enough: La Luna, Atrium, Art in Motion, or Eli. And I decided to take a challenge and step to the back... and I choked, I was intimidated, and I ran away. But I did not give up I continued to dance socially until I found enough courage to find the one girl I could dance with and clicked well with and I improved a whole lot since then. Making new friends along the way and dancing with everyone who back when I danced by the bar, I would not imagine asking to dance. Every song danced at Brasil's by whomever is danced with passion and that is what salsa is all about. Every person dancing is not worrying about their day or waking up at six in the morning to go to work the next day.(For those who work) There are lots of dancers who aren't on teams because it takes away that passion and they don't want to lose that. Some are on dance teams because they have the passion to show people what they are capable of doing on stage or on the floor. The skill of dancing is not acquired by what you learn or who you dance for, it's your passion and your love of dancing. That makes a good dancer, for those on dance teams and those who aren't.
Thanks, Jose Maldonado |