Salsa!
Salsa lovers recommend dance for everyone

Features
of salsa matches with its name, which is a hot
Mexican dip that heats people up. (Karen Tong)
By
Karen Tong
‘Passionate,
sensual, dynamic, intimate and spicy, that’s salsa,” says
a local salsa instructor.
Franky
Wong teaches at the Fringe Club and is one of the founders of the Hong
Kong Salsa Congress.
“Features
of the dance match exactly with its name — salsa, a hot Mexican
dip that heats you up,” he said.
Salsa
is a Cuban blend of music and dance from South America and Africa. Both
its dance and its music have a mixed and complex origin.
Its dance
steps are borrowed from Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances while its music
is influenced by African drum rhythms, Spanish guitar, and other Cuban
musical components.
The origin
of salsa is controversial. Some say it came from Puerto Rico, but most
people recognize Cuba as the birthplace of this music and associated
dance.
In the
late Fifties, there was a craze for Rueda de Casino, a group dance,
in Cuba. In the dance, the leader led by calling out commands or giving
gestures.
It consists
of many turns and breaks, which are considered to be the ancestry of
salsa’s steps.
The dance
was introduced to Miami in the late Eighties and influenced the development
of salsa in the U.S.
Salsa music
is a mixture of various Latin and Caribbean musical styles such as flamenco.
But it
is also heavily influenced by the rhythms that the Congolese and the
Yoruba from, Southwestern Africa, created to worship their gods in ancient
times.
The music
was brought to the U.S. when a drummer called Ijibwa was a captive on
a slave ship and forced to play music to entertain people on board.
All ingredients
were blended in the U.S. as well as in Central America, which provided
a broad base for salsa to flourish.
Salsa is
welcomed by all classes in many countries such as Spain, Mexico and
Colombia.
A 26-year-old Spanish salsa lover, said, “Everyone in
Spain loves dancing and we love salsa!
“Music
plays a big part in our lives and it is not confined to certain classes.”
But salsa has not caught on in a big way in Hong Kong.
According
to Franky, about 5,000 people in Hong Kong do the salsa dance. About
60 percent of them are Chinese. Most of them, aged from 24 to 45, “come
from the middle and upper classes,” he said.
The low
popularity may be due to a public misconception about salsa.
“Many
people think salsa is similar to ballroom dance in a way that it is
slow and old-fashioned, and that only wealthier and older people would
like it.
“Salsa
is an energetic dance with quick and stylish moves. The way to illustrate
the dance is also flexible.
“Anyone
can learn to enjoy it; even kids are welcome!”
The dance
has almost no regulations and rules, for, unlike tango and cha-cha,
it has not been standardized by the British Dance Council.
The dance
contains a lot of twists and turns, which express the femininity and
lightness of the women’s outfits.
Men move
mainly from side to side, while women have more back and forth steps.
Men lead the dance by gently guiding their partners’ hands and
body.
Dance
partners are given the freedom to create their own movements and postures.
There
is no costume required for salsa, but women normally wear dresses with
wide sleeves and open-toed shoes.
“Thus,
practicing salsa helps dancers become more creative and improve body
coordination,” Franky said.
Salsa
also benefits dancers by keeping them fit.
Franky
explained, “It tightens their hips and slims their waists because
the dance requires a lot of bottom swinging.
“You
can ask anyone here, dancing salsa regularly can help you lose weight.
“Generally, people lose at least five to seven pounds.”
According
to Franky, about seven organizations in Hong Kong offer salsa classes.
“We want to expand the salsa community,” Franky said.
He set
up the Hong Kong Salsa Congress with partners from U.K., U.S. and Kenya
in 2001.
They serve
as a communication bridge, binding the salsa community. They also introduce
salsa to more people through performances.
Unfortunately,
due to the lack of resources and lack of support from the government,
they are unable to arrange larger-scale performances or functions.
Franky
said, “The government should provide sponsorship and funding for
the training and promotion of salsa.”
He added,
“By paying more effort to cultural development, Hong Kong would
no longer be regarded as a ‘cultural desert’.”
The congress
is considering organizing salsa workshops with universities.
“In
a salsa class or party, you can meet people in different occupations
— lawyers, businessmen, tourists, office ladies, you name it.
“You
will not only get to enjoy the vivid dance, but also remove a social
barrier that you have not yet faced but must overcome in the future,”
Franky said.
Thomas
Tam, champion of the Hong Kong Salsa Competition 2003, agrees.
He said,
“My social network has expanded and my salsa friends’ stories
have broadened
my horizons.”
It will
be difficult for salsa to compete with popular youth pasttimes like
disco dancing or karaoke.
“The
natures of disco dance and salsa are so different. You can dance crazily
in the disco without any routines but in salsa you can’t,”
said Franky.
“For
salsa, you can’t expect to become skillful in a few weeks. It
takes about five to six lessons to reach the basic level, but still,
the progress depends on eachindividual’s
talent,” he added.
Not giving
up on promoting the dance, Franky concluded, “I truly wish salsa
will be able to bring excitement and happiness to anyone’s life,
just like what it has brought to mine.”

African drums, Spanish guitar and Cuban music make salsa
music rhythmic and passionate .(Karen Tong)
Salsa builds up confidence
By
Karen Tong
Thomas
Tam, who won the championship at the Hong Kong Salsa Competition 2003,
did not know how to dance two years ago. Salsa went into his life by
coincidence.
“My
friend Ben asked me to go to a salsa party after I had broken up with
my girlfriend in January 2001. We hoped to meet some pretty girls there,”
he recalled.
But once
he stepped into the party, he became more interested in salsa than the
beauties.
“I
saw people dancing so vividly that I admired them so much. I dreamed
of being as skillful as them some day.
“I
hadn’t learned any musical instrument or dance before, but I was
deeply moved by salsa music,” said Thomas.
Due to
the cultural differences between Chinese and Westerners, he was too
shy to dance closely with a woman at first.
“Chinese
seldom hug or kiss each other unless they are in an intimate relationship.
I danced like a robot at the beginning, but I soon got used to the
physical touches and felt free and natural when dancing,” said
Thomas.
He started
to “fall in love” with salsa and it brought drastic changes
to his life.
Recalling
the days before he discovered salsa, Thomas said his life was boring.
“Movies,
dinners, computer games. . . I couldn’t find an ultimate interest
or goal in my life.
“I
used to feel regretful and ashamed about having no specific strengths.
At 1that time I had no self-confidence at all,” said Thomas.
Since devoting
himself to salsa, he feels like a different person.
“I
came to realize that I was talented in salsa, and my confidence began
to grow. I am less self-centered now since I have to care about my partner
when leading the dance.
“I
am glad to have understood myself,” he said.
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